✧ Book Excerpt ✧ Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon by Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick #GhostEncounters #Ghosts #NorthDevon #FriendlyGhosts #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @HelenHollick @cathiedunn

Ghost Encounters: 
The Lingering Spirits of North Devon
By Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick

Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.

You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned and the myth that ghosts are to be feared is realised as nonsense.

It is a matter for individual consideration whether you believe in ghosts or not, but for those who have the gift to see, hear or be aware of people from the past, meeting with them in today’s environment can generate a connection to years gone by. Kathy and Helen Hollick have come across several such departed souls in and around North Devon and at their 18th-century home, which they share with several ‘past residents’.

In GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon, mother and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared.

Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of rural South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history... and a few of its ghosts.

(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)

Cover design: Avalon Graphics

Cover artwork: Chris Collingwood

✧ Excerpt ✧

Here in North Devon, spirits from the past might be encountered where they would be expected – on battle sites, in old pubs and inns, walking the corridors of old houses or lingering on the dockside where tall ships once dropped anchor. But they can also be found beside busy roads, strolling along quiet country lanes, and even keeping an eye on a busy modern car park. And lingering spirits are not limited to people, for animals remain among us as well. It is, I think, comforting to know that our loved ones – human and pets – are, in some way, still with us.

Whether you believe in the supernatural or not is a matter for individual consideration, but for those who have the gift to see, hear or be aware of people from the past, meeting with them in today’s environment can generate a connection to years gone by. Those who came before us and who chose to remain among us, whether strangers or relatives and ancestors, are to be welcomed, not feared.

Many of the encounters related in this narrative are personal in origin, not second-hand anecdotes or over-dramatised (and mostly unbelievable) tales to deliberately scare and frighten. Some of the private locations mentioned are inaccessible to public scrutiny, but there are enough public places, such as old pubs, villages and beaches, for ghost enthusiasts to explore, and maybe experience a friendly encounter or two.

Accompanied by photographs of some of the locations and animals featured in the text, Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history. And a few of its ghosts.

Find out more – and meet a few ghosts – in Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Helen & Kathy Hollick

Helen Hollick

Known for her captivating storytelling and rich attention to historical detail, Helen might not see ghosts herself, but her nautical adventure series, and some of her short stories, skilfully blend the past with the supernatural, inviting readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur. 

In addition to her historical fiction, Helen has written several short stories, further exploring themes of historical adventure or the supernatural with her signature style. Whether dealing with the echoes of the past or the weight of lost souls, her stories are as compelling as they are convincing. Through her work, she invites readers into a world where the past never truly lets us go.

Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was published in the UK with her Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which, The Forever Queen (USA title – A Hollow Crown in the UK) became a USA Today best-seller. Her Sea Witch Voyages are nautical-based adventures inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy. She also writes the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series set during the 1970s, and based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant.

Helen, husband Ron and daughter Kathy moved from London to Devon in January 2013 after a Lottery win on the opening night of the London Olympics, 2012. She spends her time glowering at the overgrown garden and orchard, fending off the geese, helping with the horses and, when she gets a moment, writing the next book...

Website ✧ Twitter ✧ Facebook ✧ Bluesky ✧ Amazon Author Page ✧ Goodreads ✧ Blog: supporting authors & their books

Monthly ‘newsletter’: Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse. 

Kathy Hollick

Diagnosed as severely dyslexic when she was ten, Helen pulled Kathy out of school at fifteen to concentrate on everything equine.

When not encountering friendly ghosts, Kathy's passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had her own Welsh pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy now runs her own Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specialising in positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training. EFT, or ‘tapping’, uses the body’s pressure points to aid calm relaxation and to promote gentle healing around emotional, mental or physical issues.

Kathy lives with her farmer partner, Andrew, in their flat adjoining the main farmhouse. She regularly competes at affiliated British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her own horses, several from home-bred foals.

She also has a fun diploma in Dragons and Dragon Energy, which was something amusing to study during the Covid lockdown. 

Website ✧ FacebookNorth Devon - Taw River Equine Events

✧ Tour Schedule ✧

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Midnight of Eights by Justin Newland

The Midnight of Eights

By Justin Newland

1580.

Nelan Michaels docks at Plymouth after sailing around the world aboard the Golden Hind. He seeks only to master his mystical powers – the mark of the salamander, that mysterious spirit of fire – and reunite with his beloved Eleanor. 

After delivering a message to Francis Walsingham, he’s recruited into the service of the Queen’s spymaster, where his astral abilities help him to predict and thwart future plots against the realm.

But in 1588, the Spanish Armada threatens England’s shores.

So how could the fledgling navy of a small, misty isle on the edge of mainland Europe repulse the greatest fleet in the world?

Was the Queen right when she claimed it was divine intervention, saying, ‘He blew with His winds, and they were scattered!’?

Or was it an entirely different intervention – the extraordinary conjunction of coincidences that Nelan’s astral powers brought to bear on that fateful Midnight of Eights?

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/TheMidnightofEights 

Author Website (where buyer can enter a dedication): https://www.justinnewland.com/the-midnight-of-eights~193 

Wordery (for free UK delivery): https://wordery.com/the-midnight-of-eights-justin-newland-9781835740330  

Barnes and Noble (US): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-midnight-of-eights-justin-newland/1146325263?ean=2940185990643 

Waterstones (UK): https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-midnight-of-eights/justin-newland/9781835740330 

Kobo (International): https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-midnight-of-eights 

Saxo (DK): https://www.saxo.com/dk/the-midnight-of-eights_bog_9781835740330 

Kindle Unlimited: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Midnight-Eights-Justin-Newland-ebook/dp/B0D9Y7YRDG  

JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism. 

Undeterred by the award of a Maths Doctorate, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (ISBN 9781789014860, Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies. 

His second book, The Old Dragon’s Head (ISBN 9781789015829, Matador, 2018), and is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall. 

Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation (ISBN 9781838591885, Matador, 2019) speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution. 

The Abdication (ISBN 9781800463950, Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.

The Mark of the Salamander (ISBN 9781915853271, Book Guild, 2023), is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age. 

The latest is The Midnight of Eights (ISBN 9781835740 330, Book Guild, 2024), the second in The Island of Angels series, which charts the uncanny coincidences of time and tide that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada. 

His work in progress is The Spirit of the Times which explores the events of the 14th Century featuring an unlikely cast of the Silk Road, Genghis Khan, the Black Plague, and a nursery rhyme that begins ‘Ring a-ring a-roses’. 

Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin gives talks to historical associations and libraries, appears on LitFest panels, and enjoys giving radio interviews. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.justinnewland.com/

Twitter: https://x.com/JustinNewland53 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justin.newland.author/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-newland-b393aa28/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjustinnewland/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/justin-newland 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jnewland 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Justin-Newland/author/B06WRQVLT8 

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ Viva Violetta & Verdi by Howard Jay Smith

 

Viva Violetta & Verdi

By Howard Jay Smith

A Love Affair Inspiring the World's Most Unforgettable Operas:

Experience the intense, lifelong love affair between Giuseppe Verdi and Giuseppina Strepponi, the brilliant and seductive soprano who shaped his legacy. As his muse, lover, and wife, Strepponi was the inspiration behind Verdi's most iconic works, including La Traviata and Aida. Her influence was pivotal, as she became the architect of his creative triumphs and the heart of his operatic genius.

Set against the backdrop of Italy's Risorgimento, this sweeping novel intertwines their turbulent relationship with the nation's fierce struggle for independence. Through the heartbreak of three brutal wars, Verdi and Strepponi's passion, betrayal, and artistic ambition come alive, mirroring the era's fiery spirit.

Rich with themes of love, power, food, wine, and unrelenting passion, Viva Violetta & Verdi is an unforgettable exploration of art, resilience, and the enduring bond that transformed both an artist and a nation.

Praise for Violetta & Verdi:

"A stunning, significant book...that is rich, lush and drenched in knowledge. It is nothing less than a gift." - Sheila Weller

"Smith's historic drama embraces universal themes of class and religious persecution, and weaves gorgeous language with an intimate knowledge of Italian food, music, and political hypocrisy that contemporary readers will find irresistible." - Jessica Keener

"Viva Violetta & Verdi is a well-researched love letter to Verdi; fans are sure to love." - Leslie Zemeckis

"Perfection. You are right there, inhaling and breathing in the words, the smell, and each piece of music. Bravo. It is both a love song and a love letter to the irrefutable power of Verdi's muse, Violetta." - Amy Ferris

Excerpt

Vienna

Eventually we arrived in Vienna, the capital of the Hapsburg Empire, where Strepponi was to sing at both the Kärntnertor Theater and the Theater an der Wein. Our stage coach delivered us to the depot and livery stable on Kärtnerstrasse, mere blocks from the theaters. Upstairs was the Wilden Mann Gasthaus, where we took several rooms for our entourage. The Gasthaus was the very same hostel that my cousin, Lorenzo Da Ponte, had stayed at some fifty years earlier. Downstairs, occupying one half of the ground floor, was the Café Venezia where Da Ponte had met his future wife, Celestina, who was also its owner. Da Ponte often took his meals there with Mozart when they were writing The Marriage of Figaro. What could be more inspiring than to dine in their shadows in the very café where the music for that first shot of the revolution was composed? And although that might have seemed like ancient history, it was only a decade before we arrived, that Beethoven, yes, the immortal Beethoven himself premiered one of his very last works, his Opus 132 String Quartet in the Café Venezia. Strepponi and I made a point to dine there with her staff as often as possible during our stay, if only to soak in the history and the food – which was nearly as good as that back home at Ca’ Dario. I also made a pilgrimage to the Theater an der Wein where Beethoven lived while composing his only opera Fidelio – one of the few existing operas until Verdi’s that actually spoke of freedom, democracy and of overthrowing corrupted oppressive regimes. For those of us in Giovine Italy, and for Verdi, the politics of Fidelio was a guide star, a precursor to our own uprising.

Though I had obviously never been to Vienna before, I had read Da Ponte’s secret diaries over and over many times before delivering them to Ceneda. The diaries not only described his decade worth of adventures in the city, they also painted in vivid and at times gory details, a picture of about how horribly Jews were treated and abused under the Austrians. They were our oppressors and would remain so until we broke the harness these aristocrats used to constrain us all.

As a city, and the capital of a vast empire, Vienna was a wonderfully beautiful and fascinating place. Nonetheless, I could never feel comfortable there. That discomfort helped me understand why my cousin had used his identity as Catholic priest, as a costume to hide the fact that he was a Hebrew. To do otherwise simply did not feel safe. If you had read Da Ponte’s accounts of how he, along with Mozart and Baron Wetzler, another Converso, visited the underground site of the Vienna Gesera massacre below the modern city’s Judenplatz where in 1421, fourteen hundred Jews were burnt alive, you would understand why this city of smiling, pleasant Austrians terrified me.

Before Strepponi and I began our run of performances in Vienna, I sought out Bartolomeo Merelli at his offices at the Kärntnertor Theater, only to discover that he had returned to Milan weeks earlier. Any thought of having him read through Verdi’s score for Oberto had vanished. 

On the other hand, Strepponi once more wooed both the musicians and aristocrats of the capital. At one point she dated the concertmaster of the opera orchestra and then later, Donizetti himself when she did a reprise of her role in his Anna Bolena. On more than one evening I dined alone with our staff while Strepponi was out and about. 

There were other times Strepponi would encourage me to date one of her lady friends, typically other singers or chorus members she thought would match up well with me. I’d go out with them, but much like my experiences in America, I considered such affairs a distraction from my goal of finding a true partner to love, marry and have a family with. I appreciated Strepponi looking out for me, but what can I say, these assignations always felt empty.

We performed several operas in Vienna over the next month and though I had great opportunities covering a number of major roles, I was never so glad to leave a city and get back on the road. And so, after Strepponi’s triumph there, our tour resumed at the same breakneck pace across the northern Italian cities. 

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bxyr2d 

Howard Jay Smith is an award-winning writer from Santa Barbara, California. 

VIVA VIOLETTA & VERDI, is his third novel in his series on great composers, including BEETHOVEN IN LOVE; OPUS 139 and MEETING MOZART: FROM THE SECRET DIARIES OF LORENZO DA PONTE. 

His other books include OPENING THE DOORS TO HOLLYWOOD (Random House) and JOHN GARDNER: AN INTERVIEW (New London Press). He was recently awarded a Profant Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Excellence in Writing. 

Smith is a former two-time Bread Loaf Scholar and three-time Washington, D.C. Commission for the Arts Fellow, who taught for many years in the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program and has lectured nationally. His articles have appeared in the Washington Post, American Heritage Magazine, the Beethoven Journal, Horizon Magazine, Fig Tree Press, the Journal of the Writers Guild of America, the Ojai Quarterly, and numerous trade publications. While an executive at the ABC Television, Embassy TV, and Academy Home Entertainment he worked on numerous film, television, radio and commercial projects.

He serves on the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Symphony and is a member of the American Beethoven Society.

Author Links:

Website: https://www.historiumpress.com/howard-jay-smith 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009914652603 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Howard-Jay-Smith/author/B072FL7Y6P 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14208462.Howard_Jay_Smith 

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ Muldoon’s Misfortunes by E.V. Sparrow

 

Muldoon’s Misfortunes

By E.V. Sparrow

A cursed widower forsakes his faith to ensure his hope. 

On a verdant island beset by poverty and death, Mick Muldoon dares to escape his misfortunes. Is working a farm and raising a family such an impossible thing to ask? Wasn’t God supposed to answer prayers—not turn a deaf ear?

After surviving the treacherous voyage to America, Mick discovers the rumors of ample opportunity aren't exactly true. His defective body hampers employment and keeps him dependent upon his peculiar sister. However, an unexpected invitation to move to the heartland guarantees his dreams.

Mick’s own dreadful choices hamper his hopes when he accepts work as a widow’s farmhand. Unbeknownst to him, there’s deception afoot. Mick’s inattention to love causes catastrophe as single fatherhood cruelly shatters his family. Will God miraculously hear his prayers this time?

In Book 1 of Those Resilient Muldoons series, this misguided, wayward widower encounters God’s unexpected presence.

Fall 2024, The BookFest Awards, First Place: Historical Fiction, General

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/m20D6R 

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

E.V. Sparrow

A short story writer turned novelist Sparrow published a prequel Historical Fiction eBook novella, Muldoon’s Minnesota Darling in May 2023, and Muldoon’s Misfortunes, Historical Fiction Book 1 in Those Resilient Muldoons series in July 2024. Sparrow and enjoys leading readers to Encounter God’s Unexpected Presence through her broken characters.

Before writing, Sparrow travelled extensively overseas and worked in two countries. She married, had a family, and worked for a nonprofit program for older, homeless mentally ill in California. She also volunteered in many community services, including the Divorce Care program. After a divorce, she remarried, and together they have eleven grandchildren that enrich life immensely. 

Author Links:

Website ✧ Twitter ✧ Facebook ✧ LinkedIn ✧ Instagram ✧ Pinterest ✧ BookBub ✧ Amazon Author Page ✧ Goodreads

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Absolution of Mars by T.F. Troy

 

The Absolution of Mars
By T.F. Troy

Politics, Friendship, or Greed? Which of these was the true author of the Confederate conspiracy to decapitate the Union? 

The Absolution of Mars by T.F. Troy is a masterful blend of historical fiction, human drama and moral exploration. Set against the backdrop of a racially fraught period in American history, the story does not back away from the harsh realities or racial biases of the day. 

The narrative introduces Jemm Pender, a former slave with a superior intellect, who rises to become a key agent in the National Detective Police Force. Jemm is tasked to trace the movements of J. W. Boyd, a Confederate spy working out of Canada.

From its intriguing opening scene, where playful dialogue among children hints at deeper mysteries, the story captivates with a blend of vivid detail and emotional depth. Jemm's quest intertwines with his wife Marnie and Aunt Cordelia, both blessed with remarkable capabilities that are being lost to the scientific thought of the day.

Excerpt

Before the men could even grab Boyd, the sergeant is on him, searching his pockets, pulling out a billfold with more than $1,000 dollars in it, a red journal, and three newspaper clippings. 

The other two soldiers grab Boyd by the armpits, his legs dangling and dragging behind him, unconcerned about favoring the leg in the splint. 

Boyd sees red, then white. As they lift him up, he comes to and feels his neck bend awkwardly to one side. Nothing is working.

 

Boyd sees red then white. As the soldiers pull him up the steps to Garrett’s porch, he comes back once again. He tries to spit up the blood and phlegm gurgling in his throat, but is unsuccessful. He starts to choke. 

Boyd sees red then white. He coughs up blood and wakes. His breath gurgles, as he continues to spit blood and phlegm from his mouth. The lieutenant stands over him. 

“The wound looks fatal,” he says to Boyd. “Do you wish to make a last statement.” 

Boyd looks at him, realizing his situation, and tries to nod head but is not successful. 

“Smith, Smith is, paid...paid companion,” Boyd says, as blood flowed from the corners of his mouth. His eyes roll back in his head. “Not a part of this.” 

Boyd sees red, then white.

One of the two soldiers who had carried him, speaks up. “Corbett grabbed some personal belongings,” he says.

“True,” says the sergeant. “Lookey here, what we got. More than $1,000 in U.S bills, plus some clippings here.” 

“Garrett, I need some brandy, a sponge,” the lieutenant says. “I want a final confession.” 

Richard Garrett dutifully steps inside the house, his frightened family and man servant still on the porch as the first pink and grey slivers of dawn can be seen on the horizon. 

Boyd sees red, then white. 

“Anything else?” the lieutenant asks the sergeant as Garrett steps inside, but the sergeant ignores him.

 

“I said anything else sergeant!” lieutenant shouts louder, bringing Boyd back to consciousness. 

“Journal. My journal,” Boyd says, passing out again. He comes to as Garrett applied the brandy to his lips. “Journal explains,” he says, as his eyes rolled back in his head. “Bell, Bell.” 

“Ask Not for Whom the Bell tolls,” the lieutenant says, quoting John Donne’s immortal poem and hoping to give a man he saw as an actor a great last line.

 

“He musta dropped that journal in the barn,” the sergeant says.

 

Boyd tries to shake his head and coughs. Blood begins flowing freely from the corners of both lips.

 

Boyd sees red, then white. 

His brother comes down the steps of his home in Maryland and smiles at him. His mother comes out from the kitchen, a concerned look on her face. “Why?” she asks, as Boyd is jolted back to consciousness. 

Boyd sees red, then white. A sharp pain comes from the base of his neck, as he opens his eyes and sees the lieutenant. 

“Tell my mother I died for my country,” Boyd says. “Raise my hands. Please raise my hands, that I may see them one last time” he pleads. 

The soldier that helped carry him to the porch raises his hands up to Boyd’s gaze, and Boyd shakes his head slightly. 

“Other, other side,” he gasps.

 

The soldier turns Boyd’s palms toward him, and the man known to the Garrett family as Captain Boyd whispers his last words on earth. Words that would be later used to confirm his identity. 

Universal Buy Links:

Paperback - https://geni.us/2mZBsc

Hardcover - https://geni.us/SwELJ

Ebook -  https://geni.us/K5DUX

 T.F. Troy

A student of the American Civil War, T.F. Troy has an award-winning journalism career spanning more than 40 years. He currently serves as Executive Editor of Cleveland Magazine’s Community Leader as well as the Editor of Ohio Business Magazine. He also writes features for Northern Kentucky Magazine and Dayton Magazine, among other regional publications. His work with those publications has won him numerous awards, taking first, second and third place in Ohio for Magazine Feature Writing. Troy’s work has appeared in major metropolitan daily newspapers including the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

In addition to the previously mentioned publications, Troy also held positions as a Senior Editor for both ABC/Capital Cities and ICD Publications in New York. His work has appeared in numerous national consumer and trade periodicals throughout his career. In his first book Cleveland Classics: Great Tales from the North Coast, Troy interviewed local and national Cleveland celebrities such as: Jim Brown, Bob Feller, Patricia Heaton and Arsenio Hall among others. The Absolution of Mars, set just after the Civil War, is his first novel, but third book. 

Author Links:

Author Page on Publisher Website ✧ Facebook ✧ LinkedIn ✧ Instagram ✧ Bluesky ✧ Amazon Author Page ✧ Goodreads

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Welsh Warrior’s Inheritance by Arianwen Nunn

 

The Welsh Warrior’s Inheritance 

By Arianwen Nunn

It is 1109 and the Welsh warrior and firebrand, Owain ap Cadwgan abducts Princess Nest from the castle she shares with her children and her husband, Gerald of Windsor. King Henry of England, furious that Nest, who is also his lover and mother of his son, begins a manhunt to find Owain and return Nest to her husband. In Gwynydd King Gruffydd ap Cynan and his wife risk everything to hide them and get them to safety in Ireland despite the efforts of Gronwy ap Owain, Angharad's vicious brother who would like to see Gruffydd and Owain dead.

King Henry uses Bishop Richard to start kinship warfare in Wales then declares war against the Welsh determining to exterminate them all. Can Gruffydd and his family survive the greatest army ever led against Wales?

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bWkZq7 

Arianwen Nunn

Arianwen Nunn was born in Wales but now lives in Australia and writes historical fiction based on the Welsh kingdoms in the Middle Ages. 

Arianwen has written a series of three books, 'The Welsh Traitor's Daughter', 'The Welsh Warrior's Inheritance' and 'Bards Sing of Love and War' which follow the lives of King Gruffydd ap Cynan and his wife Angharad and their family. 

She has also written two children's books, 'The Welsh Warrior's Wonder' and 'Where Dragons Still Roar'.

Author Links:

Website ✧ Twitter ✧ Facebook ✧ Instagram ✧ Amazon Author Page ✧ Goodreads

✧ Book Spotlight ✧ The Many Lives & Loves of Hazel Lavery by Lois Cahall

 

The Many Lives & Loves of Hazel Lavery

By Lois Cahall

In the heart of tumultuous times, amidst the grandeur of Victorian opulence, there existed an American socialite whose influence altered the course of the Anglo-Irish treaty:

Lady Hazel Lavery

Boston-born Hazel ascended from her Irish roots to become the quintessential Society Queen of Chicago, and later London, where she lived a delicate dance between two worlds: one with her esteemed husband, Sir John Lavery, a portrait artist to royalty, and the other with Michael Collins, the daring Irish rebel whose fiery spirit ignited her heart. Together, they formed a love triangle that echoed through the corridors of power at 10 Downing Street, London.

Hazel's wit and charm touched on the lives of the who's-who of England including Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw and Evelyn Waugh. The image of her memorable face graced the Irish note for close to half-a-century.

Excerpt

The next afternoon John was painting a Lady Somebody-or-another who wanted her portrait to hang beside a Gainsborough in her husband’s ancestral hall. On the final day of the finished portrait, the Lady arrived with her husband who examined the portrait closely. His eyes roamed the canvas beginning at the head, then with his hand he traveled downward across the painting.

The husband finally spoke, “I pass the forehead and the eyes.”

“Very good,” said John, nodding.

“I pass the nose, the mouth, and the chin.”

“Excellent!” said John.

But then the man roamed his hands lower over the painting around his wife’s throat until he came upon her chest. “What is this flat-chested modernity that I see?”

“Pardon?” asked John.

“Where is the snowy amplitude of Her Ladyship?”

The man’s wife interjected. “I will not have an eighth of an inch added! I refuse!”

On cue I walked into the studio to interrupt, moving toward the painting but not before making eye contact with the husband. “So sorry, I think it’s quite lovely. Just as is,” I said to the man. “It captures her stunning beauty, her adoration of the man she’s gifted the painting to... you.” I let loose a big toothy smile and he smiled back.

“Well, if Lady Lavery thinks it’s fine...”

“I do... think it’s fine,” I said. “More than fine.” And I moved toward the wife. “Look at how beautiful she is and look how beautifully John has captured her… ah, sexuality ever so discreetly.”

“Yes,” said the man, inspecting the painting again. “By George, I think she’s right!”

And at that, everyone shook hands, and the deal was done. Off went the painting and the couple.

Left alone with John, I cornered him. “Sit, love, here.” And I pointed to the two chairs.

“Yes, my love,” said John, his tone suggesting he knew something was coming.

“It was lovely of you to paint Sir James Barrie last week. And it was so darling of him to gift me an autographed copy of his most treasured Peter Pan...”

“Yes, Hazel,” said John, wondering where this was all going.

“And I love when Sir Barrie dines with us. He’s always such a fan of my duck sauce.”

“Undoubtedly your biggest fan. Most certainly in the top ten of male admirers.”

“Right,” I said. “And I adore him.” I paused for effect, moving forward, and taking John’s hand in mine, the sun streaming through on various canvases and catching my expression just so.

“And he so loved when you did that portrait of him as a favor to me... the one where you made him pose as if working on that wooden bench, with the bench in semi darkness to camouflage his height. Would you say he’s about five feet?”

“Five foot, yes, dear,” assured John.

“And when I suggested we might donate the painting to the National Gallery of Scotland, well, he was thrilled and...”

“Hazel. What is the point?”

“The point is Mr. Barrie would love to meet Mr. Collins.”

“Mr. Collins?!” questioned John with sarcasm in his tone. “Is that what we’re calling that Renegade these days, Mr. Collins?”

“Well, it is his name,” I said, with sarcasm. John said nothing, only huffing under his breath. 

“Oh, Johnnie,” I begged, “please paint Michael Collins and the others from Ireland.” John eyed me up and down, the look on my pleading face not budging. “Just for historical reasons.”

“It would be fine, my love, except I have so many commissions lined up. And now I’m training Winston to paint, good God. Now they’re calling him my pupil.”

“Which, of course, is highly flattering,” I interrupted. “But you know it was me who taught him to paint. It’s how he got the bug to be an artist.”

“Yes, you certainly did,” said John. “And how you ever convinced him to paint a still life of an empty bottle of spirits and a crystal bowl of fruit...”

“Well, he was a lovely student,” I said.

“Oh, Poppet,” sighed John, using his pet name for me, then pulling back his hand from mine he

rested it in his lap with a deep sigh. “Darling, I just don’t know that I have the time...”

“Yes, but time does not count where a masterpiece is at stake,” I said, scanning his many portraits. “So, you will, won’t you Johnnie? Won’t you...”

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/boVGBp

Lois Cahall

Lois Cahall began her writing career as a columnist for Cape Cod newspapers and local periodicals, including Cape Cod Life. She spent a decade writing for national magazines (Conde Nast/Hearst). Her articles have been published in Cosmo Girl, Seventeen, SELF, Marie Claire, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Journal, and Bon Appetit. In the UK she wrote for RED, GQ, Psychologies, and for The Times. In addition, Lois wrote profiles for The Palm Beach Post. 

Lois’s first novel, Plan C: Just in Case, was a #1 bestseller in the UK, where it remained in the top three fiction for the year before selling into foreign translation markets. In July of 2014, her novel hit #1 on the Nook “Daily Deal” in America. Her second novel, Court of the Myrtles, was hailed as “Tuesdays with Morrie on estrogen” by Ladies Home Journal. Her latest novel, The Many Lives of Hazel Lavery, is a work of bio-fiction (January 2025) 

Lois is the former Creative Director of Development for JPE/James (Jim) Patterson Entertainment. She credits her friend, Jim, the world’s most successful bestselling author, with teaching her the importance of children’s love of reading. As a result, she founded the Palm Beach Book Festival in 2015, an annual event bringing in NYT bestselling and celebrity authors. The event is for book lovers, nurturing the written word for the children and adults of southern Florida. 

In 2024 Lois also founded The Cape Cod Book Festival, an annual autumn event that promises to be a new cultural footprint in Massachusetts. It will be for locals and ‘washashores’ alike – a magical place where charitably minded readers can rub elbows with great writers and thinkers.  

Lois divides her life between New York and Cape Cod, although her spiritual home is London. But most importantly, Lois can do the Hula Hoop for an hour non-stop and clear a Thanksgiving table in just under ten minutes.

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