Morning Peeps!

In England, each year, the date for Mothering Sunday, (Mother's Day) is set by the Church, and is scheduled to fall on the fourth Sunday of Lent. This means that Mother's Day can be no earlier than 1st March, and no later than 4th April.

The History of Mother's Day.

In the UK, it is believed that the tradition of Mothering Sunday evolved from a 16th century religious practice of visiting your "mother church" (baptismal church) once a year.  Most people would regularly attend their nearest parish, or "daughter church". It was considered vital that churchgoers made an annual visit to the main parish in their area, and this generally happened in the middle of Lent.

In time, it became customary for young people who were working as servants in large houses, to be given a holiday on Mothering Sunday. They could use this day to visit their own mother and often took a gift of picked flowers, food or hand-me-down clothing from their employers to her. In turn, this moved towards the modern holiday, on which people still visit and take gifts to their mothers.

So, from its religious roots, Mothering Sunday has now become a day of celebration, where mums are given flowers and other gifts from their offspring as an expression of thanks.  During the Lent fast, people did not eat sweet, rich foods or meat. However, the fast was lifted slightly on Mothering Sunday and many people prepared a Simnel cake to eat with their family on this day.

A Simnel cake is a light fruit cake covered with a layer of marzipan and with a layer of marzipan baked into the middle of the cake. Traditionally, Simnel cakes are decorated with 11 or 12 balls of marzipan, representing the 11 disciples and, sometimes, Jesus Christ. One legend says that the cake was named after Lambert Simnel who worked in the kitchens of Henry VII of England sometime around the year 1500.

As writers, we thought we’d give our mothers something different this year…and a group of us have put our heads together and come up with some books (and other ideas) which we feel will appeal to our mums! They’re all different types of books as no two mothers have the same tastes. Please have a look down the list of selected novels…all for the cost of less than an expensive bouquet of flowers…we’re sure you’ll find something your mother will enjoy on her special day.

TAKE NO MORE ~ Seb Kirby
(BOOK 1 IN THE JAMES BLAKE THRILLER SERIES)

If your mother is into thrillers then you can't go wrong with Seb Kirby's Take No More.

When James Blake discovers his wife murdered in their London home, he is determined to find her killer. As the prime suspect, he flees England and sets out on a journey that takes him to Florence and Venice and into a dark underworld of corruption, a trail that will lead him to the killer - and the shocking truth behind the mystery.

Seb says: 'I've been an avid reader from an early age - my grandfather ran a mobile lending library in Birmingham and when it closed my parents inherited many of the books. From the first moment I was hooked. Now, as a full-time writer myself, it's my goal to add to the magic of the wonderful words and stories I discovered back then.'

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

SILVER RAIN ~ Jan Ruth

If your mum loves novels about relationships and the older woman. then, Silver Rain by Jan Ruth is for her!

Kate, recently widowed and increasingly put upon by daughter, sister and mother, feels her life is over at fifty. Until she meets Alastair. He’s everything she isn’t, but he’s a troubled soul, a sad clown of a man with a shady past. Is Alastair Black her true soulmate, or should sleeping beauty lie?

Jan says: 'She lives in Snowdonia, North Wales, UK. The perfect setting for Jan's fiction, or just day-dreaming in the heather. Jan writes contemporary stories about people, with a good smattering of humour and drama, dogs and horses and has done so for over 30 years.

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

BOREAL AND JOHN GREY (Season One) ~ Chrystall Thoma

Perhaps your mother enjoys a good urban fantasy/paranormal romance at a great price?

Centuries ago, they nearly conquered humankind. But their Gate to our world closed, leaving them out. Now the elves have found a way back and Ella Benson, agent of the Paranormal Bureau, will stop at nothing to prevent the invasion.

Chrystalla says: She likes writing about bratty, angsty boys and spunky girls in fantasy and science-fiction worlds. She writes mainly for a young adult public but not only (heed the warnings!).

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

A VERY FRENCH AFFAIR ~ Faith Mortimer

And if mother loves just pure romance...

We all know those three little words -  je t'aime - but whoever said love was easy? Certainly not in Margaret’s case. You recognise the familiar scenario…girl meets boy…diamond ring on finger…fiancé caught cheating…Enter handsome Frenchman Jean-Paul. Clever, likeable, dark-eyed and oh so sexy, he pursues Margaret slowly but surely...but at what cost?

Faith says: Since childhood, she dreamt of writing novels which readers would love, & spent many hours writing short stories which she read to her sisters. Now to her delight, her readers are spread worldwide.

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

THE ROCK 'N' ROLL ROMANCE SET ~ Pam Howes

I bet your mother would love to take a trip down Memory Lane with the first three novels in the series about The Raiders chart-topping rock band and their lives and loves. Now available in a box-set at a very special price for Mother's Day.

Pam says: She was born in Cheshire, UK. She is a retired Interior Designer who loves creating stories, but only started writing seriously about twelve years ago. The idea for her first novel, set in the sixties, came from her time as a teenager, working in a local record store and hanging round with the musicians who frequented the business.

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

THE ULTIMATE CHOICE ~ Lisa C Hinsley

Perhaps your mum is a science fiction, thriller fanatic?

Cassie O’Neil broke the law, she had sex before marriage. She is sentenced to die on the game show, The Ultimate Choice, but when a contestant collapses Cassie takes her chance and runs. Staying alive is hard with no ration card or place to hide. But she is a woman who refuses to die.

Lisa says: Her career has been varied, working as an architectural technician, a pet sitter, a pharmacy supervisor and most recently a carer/companion for elderly ladies, all the while writing when she can. Born in Portsmouth in 1971, Lisa grew up in England, Scotland, and America & now lives on the Wirral, in northwest England, with her husband, three children, four cats and a dog.

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

CHARLIE RABBIT THE EASTER BUNNY ~ Ian Davies

And maybe your mum loves reading to young children...

A short story suitable for reading at bedtime.
One of the 'Charlie Rabbit's Adventures' collection of stories and also available as part of 'Charlie Rabbit's Adventures-The Complete Collection'

Ian says:He enjoys writing children's fiction short stories, and young adult fantasy adventure novellas about fictional character 'Agent Tom Horton'. These stories, include a lot of factual information, including real places and locations, mixed with an undisclosed amount of fiction.

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

DAFFODILS ~ Alex Martin

Does your mother enjoy romantic sagas?

Katy dreams of a better life than just being a domestic servant at Cheadle Manor. Her one attempt to escape is thwarted when her flirtation with the manor’s heir results in a scandal that shocks the local community. She finally breaks free from the stifling Edwardian hierarchies that bind her but the brutality of global war brings home the price she has paid for her search.

Alex says: Life has been full to date.
Now I have a window, a pause, in which to explore my first passion - writing.
I have a shed in the garden where I can be found bashing both brain and keyboard. I'm attempting to express those thoughts and ideas that have been cooking since I was seven and learned to read.

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk

A very Happy Mothering Sunday or Mother's Day to mothers everywhere ~ may your day be filled with many wonderful surprises and gifts, we love you all.
And thank you reader for dropping by,
Faithxx

Morning Peeps!

Mothering Sunday (Mother’s Day – the modern name) is almost upon us. Looking back over the years I remember lots of useful tips my mother gave me when it came to looking good and staying young – she’s still beautiful at age 79!

I asked around my friends and together we’ve come up with some great tips. One thing stood out – take ample care of your skin.

So for those of us who treasure our own looks, here are a few hints and pointers I’m sharing with you. Looking beautiful!

When applying mascara, put on one coat and while it is still wet use your middle finger tip to put a little powder on the lashes. Then after a few seconds apply a second coat of mascara. You’ll discover you have luscious thickened lashes.

Lots of mothers, use good old Pond’s Cold Cream for cleansing and then two to three times a week massage Bio Oil into their faces.

One lady in her 70’s said she hasn’t washed her face since she was in her early teens. She was taught by her grandmother to use just a cleansing cream.  Make-up was removed by her own homemade astringent of rose water and witch hazel… it closes the pores and you’re left with hardly a wrinkle!

Never put anything near or on the fragile skin beneath your eyes and take care when removing eye make-up – do it gently.

Great advice from lots of older ladies is to keep your face out of the sun.

One friend said she watched her mother moisturising her face and neck every day and then when she became a teenager she began the same daily routine of moisturising with Vaseline Intensive Rescue Moisture Locking Lotion, moving on to Olay Essentials Beauty Fluid Sensitive Day Fluid (£5.99) as she grew older.

Another said her mum always swore by Baby Zinc and Castor Oil Cream for everything, and she still uses it now. It’s also good for red noses when you have a cold. If you put it on before bed and it will relieve the soreness overnight.

One mum advised her daughter not to wash my face with soap, but to use a cleanser and rinse with cold water.

Quite a few friends agreed their mother used the simplest products — Pond’s Cold Cream and Vaseline — and they didn’t let their daughters have too many sweets or chocolates. Perhaps most important of all they made them eat all their greens every day!

Make sure you have a beautiful haircut and if you need it, put in highlights. It may be expensive but by buying yourself a little self-assurance, it is always money well spent.

Olive oil and avocado oil seems to come out trumps too. By rubbing the oils all over your hair, plus dry skin patches like elbows and knees, adds gloss and condition – and it’s not expensive.

Apply lip balm on your teeth to stop the lipstick from going on your teeth! (I haven’t tried that one yet!)

Always take your makeup off at night because you’ve got that face for life. You have to wash your face!

Always eat healthy! Beautiful skin comes from within and you can work out and have lots of facials but if you eat badly neither of those will matter.

Wear sunscreen on the backs of your hands. It stops them aging with dryness and sunspots.

To have youthful skin, drink lots of water – but never from plastic bottles.

One mother advised using rice water to rinse your face — she said it would brighten skin and boost clarity.

Finally, when getting pregnant one mother advised her daughter to wear a girdle after the birth for about a month or so. Everything – apparently will go back in place! She said it did work!

Look and stay beautiful ladies – we owe it to our mothers.

Thanks for dropping by.

Faithxx

Faith writes romance, mystery, suspense and thriller novels as well as being a dutiful daughter!

Morning Peeps!

I love March, don’t you? Spring is here or just around the corner, swallows return from foreign lands to nest, young animals are born, flowers bloom and everyone throws off the mantle of grey winter and welcomes the return of warmer weather.

Spring is a time for getting things done; whether at work or at home, and as I work from the comfort of my living-room, I enjoy the best of life.

To celebrate Spring I'm having a FREE DRAW (details see below).

This March I’m particularly delighted because I’ve just published the 6th Diana Rivers Mystery suspense novel, A DEADLY LEARNING.

A Deadly Learning is set on the Algarve of Portugal, a long-time favourite haunt of the British for their holidays. The opening scene goes like this:

The grounds around the science laboratory of the International School and College of Portugal looked as pristine on that day as might have been expected from this pillar of education. The acres of freshly cut lawns and a blaze of summer flowers were a delight. Only the plastic crime-scene tape surrounding the complex betrayed a sense of profound unease.

Renovation work had begun on the laboratory only the day before, and teachers and students had been warned away from the building.

It was during the removal of one flimsy wall that the workmen made a gruesome find. There was a small cellar underneath part of the laboratory. The floor and walls were crudely finished; the place was used as a store for obsolete items. That fateful day, they were knocking through one wall when they came across a cavity … in which they discovered the dry remains of a body…

I’m excited about this book, as it’s another example of how Diana Rivers gets caught up in something which she really shouldn’t … intrigue, mayhem, sex, and drugs and… of course murder all play their part in this novel.

If you’re looking for a spring read or a gift for someone, then A Deadly Learning is available as an eBook (paperback to follow ASAP), on all Amazon sites, Nook, Kobo, Google play and Apple.

Go on spoil yourself! You’re only a spring chicken once…!

Free Draw! And please remember, we authors really appreciate your reviews. Twenty words are all it needs to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads and other eBook sites. And as a thank you, all readers who write a review & publish it on Amazon.com, Nook, KOBO or Apple will be entered into a draw for $$ vouchers. Simply write the review and then drop me a line saying you have done so and let me have your name. You can write to me at [email protected] or direct message me on Facebook – thanking you in advance.

AMAZON.COM                 AMAZON.CO.UK              NOOK                   KOBO                    APPLE   GOOGLE PLUS  

As always - Thank you for dropping by and take care x