Monthly Archives: August 2011

Shaz’ Stars interviews Author Sue Johnson

In the hot seat today I would like to welcome:


SUE JOHNSON


Hello , thank you for letting us have a peek behind thescenes.  Your sun sign is ARIES.



  1. Aries is the first of the zodiacal signs and as such represents new beginnings and action.  Despite this desire to be the ‘front-runner’, boredom can set in quickly.  Writing is a long creative journey.  Do you lose interest quickly in writing projects?  Does there need to be something specific to hold your interest?


I usually have more than one projecton the go at the same time. I’m also extremely focused on my writing ambitions, so that keep me ‘turning up at the page.’  I am to complete first drafts as quickly as I can, so if I’ve got a finished piece of work, even if it is a rough as a badger’s bottom, I will carry on until I’m happy with it.


I’ve got Libra as my rising sign, soI think it tempers down a lot of the traditional Aries impatience.  (I do expect things to be done yesterday though!)


  1. Enthusiasm and confidence are a part of the Arian energy.  Would you consider this to be a strength in your writing?
Yes – it certainly is. I aim to have forty pieces of workin circulation at any one time so that if one gets rejected, it’s one of alarger number and doesn’t dent my confidence as much. I also keep positiveaffirmations in my workroom and in my notebook + lovely emails I’ve had fromfriends and writing students.
  1. It is said that there is no new thought or action in the world that hasn’t been thought of or tried before.  Arians are pioneers in thoughts and action.  Do you agree with this statement? 
No – because we are all individuals. I was told bytwo college lecturers not to bother writing ‘Fable’s Fortune’ because theydidn’t think the idea would work. I have lots of other ‘forbidden’ ideas thatare working their way towards the light.
  1. Arians can tap into an immense amount of energy.  Would you say this has an effect on your writing schedule?  (explain your schedule)
I do have a lot of energy – and I feel that creativeenergy and positive thinking keep on building. The more you do, the more ideasand strength you develop. I tend to write in short ‘bites’ of anything fromfifteen minutes to an hour and a half. I intersperse writing sessions withhousework, teaching, yoga and walking – when I can allow ideas to ferment. I’moften awake at 3.00 a.m. writing.

  1. Objectivity is a word common in the Arian vocabulary.  How do you get into the soul of your characters/project to give them depth, make them come alive ……… so your readers believe in them?
The sort of person my characters are will depend on thetype of story. I usually begin by visualising as much of the story as I can,looking for the initial situation that sparks the story. Then I write down asmuch as I can remember about those characters – what they wore, how they spokeand moved, what they did. I then look for old photos or magazine pictures thatlook like them and create a storyboard and full biographies for them. It helpsme to know what sort of childhood they had – even if that information doesn’tappear in the novel. As I go through my day, I think about how my characterswould perform the same actions and make careful notes about it.
Q.     One of the negative Arian traits is an irritation atslowness.  When you experience a lull inideas, something is taking longer than planned or is just not working out toyour satisfaction, how do you deal with that?
If I’m being held up for some reason with one project – Iget on with something else and hope that I don’t end up with several peoplewanting me to do something at the same time!

Q.  To progress and grow in any sphere of life it’s important that wetake note of other people’s advice. Arians are loathe to do this, especially if they disagree.  Do you take note of anyone’s advice inrelation to your writing, or do you disregard it?
I do take notice of advice if it is constructive. Forinstance, I had a couple of very good ideas from the person in the RomanticNovelists’ Association who critiqued ‘Fable’s Fortune.’ A number of years ago Idisregarded a University lecturer’s advice to rip up my story and start again.I sent it to a competition organised by Midland Exposure who were agents formagazine fiction. It didn’t win but they took me on as a client and the story(with quite a few amendments) was published in Woman.

Thank you for an honest interview Sue. 


Sue is a showcased author with Loveahappyending which is an interactive reader/author website.  Visit Loveahappyending to find out more about this brilliant project and how you, as a reader, can support them.


SUE JOHNSON – BIOGRAPHY 2011


Sue Johnson is a writer, artist and musician. She ispublished as a poet and her short stories have appeared in a variety of women’smagazines. Her first novel ‘Fable’s Fortune’ is published by Indigo Dreams inAugust 2011.

Sue is a Writers’ News Home Study Tutor and a member of theRomantic Novelists’ Association. She has judged ten national short storycompetitions and enjoys giving talks to local groups.

She runs her own brand of writing courses and hernon-fiction book ‘Creative Alchemy: 12 steps from inspiration to finishednovel’ will be published by HotHive Books in October 2011.

Sue’s website www.writers-toolkitgives details of her writing courses and competitions, as well as monthlywriting exercises.

Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/llv6n5
Twitter A/c @SueJohnson9  : http://bit.ly/jj3bKW

  • Paperback: 282 pages
  • Publisher: Indigo Dreams Publishing (1 August 2011)
  • ISBN-10: 1907401466
  • ISBN-13: 978-1907401466
Fable Mitchell is born under a roof of stars in a Kentish plum orchard, and her early childhood is spent in a house called ‘Starlight’ where she lives with her mother Jasmine and Gangan the Wise Woman. However, her life is not destined to remain like a fairytale.When she is ten, she is abducted by her estranged father Derek, now a vicar, and taken to live in his austere vicarage at Isbourne on the banks of the River Avon. Fable is unable to escape. When she is sixteen, she falls in love with Tobias Latimer but he dies in mysterious circumstances and Fable’s happiness is once again snatched away from her.She tries to rebuild her life and marries Tony Lucas because she thinks the omens are right. Fable soon realises he is abusive and controlling, but is trapped because she fears losing contact with her daughter. Nearing her 40th birthday, Fable hears Gangan the Wise Woman’s voice telling her to ‘be ready – magic happens.’This is certainly true, but does Fable have the necessary courage to finally seize her chance of lasting happiness?



Round up August 2011

Here we are at the end of August already!


This month, Jera’s Jamboree was excited to be given the Liebster Award from Carol at DizzyC’s Little Book Blog and honoured to pass on the award to other new bloggers (you can find out more about the award and see who received the award here).

More exciting news to share … my blog introducing The Light Direction novel series by Ces Loftus won the handcrafted Tri-Love necklace,which was commissioned exclusively for the novel series and crafted by Sarah Marks at Tiny Gems!  Very exciting.



Self-published author Nicky Wells’ interview gained a lot of support from readers and I’m pleased to announce this prompted a virtual book tour for ‘Sophie’s Turn’.  You can read the schedule of interviews and giveaways on Nicky’s website.   Links are on the right-hand side.

Jera’s Jamboree Facebook numbers have increased and I’ve had positive feedback.  Thank you.

Next month, Jera’s Jamboree is pleased to be one of the hosts for author Suzy Tuner‘s virtual book tour to promote December Moon – the second story in the trilogy of The Raven Saga. Mid-September you will be able to read Suzy’s interview and find out more about this YA urban fantasy trilogy.


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The three most popular reviews this month are very different genres!







Caligula by Douglas Jackson


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Book lovers in the following countries have read Jera’s Jamboree reviews:

UK
US
Canada
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
India
Spain
Estonia
Portugal

Thank you to everyone for your support.  It is very much appreciated.  

The Legacy by Katherine Webb

The Legacy
Katherine Webb

Publisher:
HarperCollins
Imprint:
Harper Paperbacks
Pub Date:
09/01/2011
ISBN:
9780062077301

Following the death of their grandmother,Erica Calcott and her sister Beth return to Storton Manor, a grand and imposinghouse in Wiltshire, England, where they spent their summer holidays aschildren. When Erica begins to sort through her grandmother’s belongings, sheis flooded with memories of her childhood—and of her cousin, Henry, whosedisappearance from the manor tore the family apart.

Erica sets out to discover what happened toHenry—so that the past can be laid to rest, and her sister, Beth, might finallyfind some peace. Gradually, as Erica begins to sift through remnants of thepast, a secret family history emerges: one that stretches all the way back toOklahoma in the 1900s, to a beautiful society heiress and a haunting, savageland. As past and present converge, Erica and Beth must come to terms with twoterrible acts of betrayal—and the heartbreaking legacy left behind.



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The prologue in 1905 sets the scene on thistotally absorbing journey of how the past can send ripples along time in afamily to affect the present.  It hooksyou in straight away with intrigue, leaving you wanting to find out why this ishappening and what bearing it has on the story of four generations of Calcottwomen.

Erica and sister Beth return to StortonManor in the winter after the death of their grandmother Meredith.  Meredith has set terms for their inheritanceof the Manor – they have to live there to inherit.  We find out straight away that there are memories that Erica cannot recall surrounding the disappearance of their cousin, Henry.  We find out that Beth is mentally unwell andhad been hospitalised.  It is the firsttime they’ve stayed at the Manor without their parents and everything is in astate of disrepair and neglect.

We then return to 1902 in New York City,following Caroline (who is great grandmother to Erica and Beth) as she startsher journey of being presented to society as a debutante.  

The story is told by alternatingchapters.  The present time is writtenin the first person from Beth’s perspective where we read about the triggersshe experiences that takes her back twenty three years ago to Henry’sdisappearance.  Erica also stumbles on aphotograph of Caroline taken before she came to London and married HenryCalcott and leads to her searching through the Calcott family history to try tosolve an enigma.  Caroline’s story iswritten in the third person and charts her life from New York City to thefrontier land of Woodward County and prairie life and finally to England.

I enjoyed this balance of one era beingtold forwards in time while the other is narrated with flashbacks andreflection of the past.

When Erica finds the photograph ofCaroline, in the early 1900’s we are reading about Caroline’s life before shemarried Henry Calcott.  The intrigue ofwanting to know what happens in Caroline’s life to lead her from what we knowto what Erica knows is a strong pull. Also, the Caroline of the early 1900’s is so different from the Carolinethat Erica’s mother talks about in the present time that you want to keepreading to see what trauma happened to provoke such a change in character.

The intrigue of uncovering the secretfamily history is linked with the intrigue of Henry’s disappearance and theeffect it has had on Beth.  The Dinsdalefamily, travellers allowed to camp on part of Storton Manor (both in the pastand present) are key characters in the lives of the Calcott women.

I thoroughly enjoyed the tension of eachera building in intensity and then being left with a cliff-hanger.  I was so absorbed in what was happening Ijust couldn’t put my Kindle down!

The Legacy is a journey of secrets, mystery,intrigue, family and love.  It is astory of how one woman’s actions follows her down through the years andaffects future generations.  It held myinterest from the first word until the last and for this reason, I am givingthis novel my highest, four-fairy rating.



I requested to read The Legacy viaNetgalley.  Thank you to the publishersHarperCollins for givingpermission for me to read this uncorrected e-proof copy.






About the author:

Katherine Webb was born in Kentin 1977 and grew up in rural Hampshire. She was educated at a localcomprehensive school and sixth form college, before reading History at DurhamUniversity. A childhood fascination with ruined castles and the secrets of thepast has carried forward into her fiction, which incorporates historical storylines and explores how past events can reverberate in the present.

Since graduating from Durham in 1998, Katherinehas had various day jobs – from kiln operator in a pottery, to waitress,librarian and seller of fairy costumes. In recent years she has worked inservice as a housekeeper for high status families; in formal households whereage-old structures of class behaviour are alive and well, uniforms are worn andstaff are expected to be both invisible and omnipresent; and (currently) inpleasantly relaxed households with more up-to-date attitudes. 

After a nomadic period in her twenties, havinglived in London and Venice, Katherine has now settled in a cottage in thecountryside near Newbury, Berkshire. DIY is more of a necessity than a hobby,and her other interests include cookery, running and horse riding.





On My Wishlist (#6)

I love re-working of fairy tales and myths!  This book is an addition from a recent wishlist I viewed.  Can’t wait to read it!

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 331 KB
  • Print Length: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Walker (7 July 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English

When Alexandra’s mother is slain by an unnatural beast, shadows fall on the once-lush kingdom. Too soon the widowed king is entranced by a cunning stranger — and in one chilling moment Alexandra’s beloved brothers disappear, and she is banished to a barren land. Rich in visual detail, sparked by a formidable evil, and sweetened with familial and romantic love, here is the tale of a girl who discovers powerful healing gifts — and the courage to use them to save her ailing kingdom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





This story has echoes of one in my life – my grandfather came home from WWI to find out that his wife and youngest son had died (at the end of the war) by the influenza that was sweeping through London.  I will never know completely how much that changed his life.

  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Virago Press Ltd (7 April 2011)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1844086097
  • ISBN-13: 978-1844086092

1920. The Great War has been over for two years, and it has left a very different world from the Edwardian certainties of 1914. Following the death of his wife and baby and his experiences on the Western Front, Laurence Bartram has become something of a recluse. Yet death and the aftermath of the conflict continue to cast a pall over peacetime England, and when a young woman he once knew persuades him to look into events that apparently led her brother, John Emmett, to kill himself, Laurence is forced to revisit the darkest parts of the war. As Laurence unravels the connections between Captain Emmett’s suicide, a group of war poets, a bitter regimental feud and a hidden love affair, more disquieting deaths are exposed. Even at the moment Laurence begins to live again, it dawns on him that nothing is as it seems, and that even those closest to him have their secrets …




What do you think about my choices this week?  Please feel welcome to leave a comment.

Linked on other websites/blogs

the secrets between us by Louise Douglas

Bantam Press • General & literary fiction
Publication Date: 07/07/2011 • 464 pages • Royal Octavo • ISBN: 0593067088
Territory: UK C/Wealth + EU ex Can • EAN: 9780593067086




Synopis from Books at Transworld:  


A chance encounter: When Sarah meets dark,brooding Alex, she grasps his offer of a new life miles away from her own.They’ve both recently escaped broken relationships, and need to start again.Why not do it together?

A perfect life: But when Sarah gets to thetiny village of Burrington Stoke, something doesn’t add up. Alex’s beautifulwife Genevieve was charming, talented, and adored by all who knew her. Andapparently, she and Alex had a successful marriage complete with a gorgeousson, Jamie. Why would Genevieve walk out on her perfect life? And why has noone heard from her since she did so?

A web of lies: Genevieve’s family and allher friends think that Alex knows more about her disappearance than he’s lettingon. But Sarah’s fallen in love with him and just knows he couldn’t haveanything to hide. Or could he?



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the secrets between us is my third book in ‘The Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge’ 

When Sarah and Alex meet in a hotel on the south coastof Sicily, Sarah is feeling numb from the trauma that has rocked thefoundations of her world.  There is amystery surrounding Alex’s wife who has gone away.  Sarah feels drawn to Alex’s son Jamie, experiencing maternalfeelings for him.

We get to find out about Sarah’s relationship withLaurie and the fact that she has never had a personality of her own – she hasalways been seen as Laurie’s shadow as he has made all the decisions anddominated the relationship.

Alex and Sarah meet again in Sicily on a tour whereAlex suggests to Sarah she lives with him to look after Jamie ………….. so ontheir return, Sarah moves from Manchester to a village in Somerset where she isnot accepted and shunned.

What follows is an amazing story full of suspense,intrigue and nail-biting moments as the story of Alex and Sarah’s love unfoldsamidst the mystery surrounding Genevieve’s disappearance.

Sarah and Alex’s love is innocent and accepting.  The secrets are exposed layer upon layer,which only serves to bring more darkness and uncertainty.  Their passion and its undercurrents arepowerful to be drawn into.  By creatinga journey shared, the power of the past to wound and scar is blunted andcompartmentalised.

The setting is exactly what you would expect to createthe mood.  We have the remotely locatedhouse, the old and big empty barn, the family and villagers not accepting anoutsider and when the story peaks, the wintery landscape.

Louise Douglas’s writing of the scenes is descriptive(but not flowery).  You get to feel thetwigs snapping below your own feet as you walk and the wind howling through thecracks in the windows.  She buildstension by using short sentences, which only spur you on to read faster to findout where your imagination is being taken. The psychological/mind game scenes had the hairs on the back of neckbristling and I had goosebumps!  I wasliterally sitting on the edge of my seat totally focussed.

Everything is by inference (which I thoroughlyenjoy).  I loved using the hints andintrigue to try to guess ahead of time where they would lead, to draw my ownconclusions.  We don’t find out anythingconclusive until near the end of the story. I did not guess until the words were in black and white in front of me.

Due to the strong emotions I experienced, I know thesecrets between us will stay with me for a very long time.

I don’t think there will be any surprises when I say Iam giving the secrets between us my highest rating.  This one is definitely a book you should loathe to share for fearit won’t be returned – it’s a keeper to be re-read!



This is Louise Douglas’ third book – I now have theother two on my wishlist.

You can find out more about Louise on her webpage.  Louise is also on Twitter. 

http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=jersjam-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=0593067088&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

Liebster Award

I would like to thank Carol at Dizzy C’s Little Book Blog for passing this award on to me.

Information about the Liebster Award:


1.  Rumor has it that someone in Germany, possibly someone named Liebster, created an award for new bloggers to show appreciation and thanks for their blog.
3.  Liebster means “beloved” in German and Spanish.
2.  You can only receive the award from another blogger, who has also received the award. 
3.  Awards are to be passed forward to other bloggers, 3-5 blog sites, with followers of 300 or less.
4.  Once you give the award to a fellow blogger, you are to contact the blogger and let them know.
5.  Copy and paste the award on your blog.

I would like to pass this award onto the following:
They are all new-ish book bloggers who are honest in their reviews and genuinely support authors and the book blogging community.


On My Wishlist (#5)

I have a confession to make – this book was on my wishlist until I was browsing my list at Amazon to choose which book for the meme this morning!  It’s now downloaded on my Kindle waiting to be read …………………….. 

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 433 KB
  • Print Length: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Avon (4 Sep 2008)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B002S5NOWG

Life on Mars meets It’s a Wonderful Life in this inventive romantic comedy that looks at what we can learn from the past….Life on Mars meets It’s a Wonderful Life in this inventive romantic comedy that looks at what we can learn from the past….Journalist Rosie Hartford is having an odd day. Or one hell of a hangover…Having had a blazing row with her boyfriend – fellow journalist Will – she reluctantly sets off for her latest assignment: an interview with one of the residents of The Meadows, a grotty local estate about to become the set for a major reality TV show, The 1950s House.But stepping through the front door, Rosie finds herself in a different house – and transported back in time. Everything is grey and drab – the food, the clothes, the TV. It’s like the world is in permanent black and white.It’s not long before Rosie realises what’s going on. She’s obviously a contestant on the 1950s show! She’s pretty miffed she’s not been given warning, but she might as well give it a go – after all, the cameras are always watching and the first rule of reality TV is always keep smiling…But what really sends Rosie into a spin is the fact that Will is there too – but here he is known as Billy and has been married since he was 16 to Rosie’s best friend. In the 1950s, Will/Billy is a family man and devoted father, a side to him that Rosie finds hard to imagine. He grows vegetables, repairs shoes and even has a shed. He is, in fact, a grown up.The truth slowly dawns on Rosie that this is reality, not reality TV. After she gets over the shock, she begins to embrace daily life 1950s-style. Gone are the excessive consumerism, drifting relationships and cheap thrills of the Noughties. In its place is make do and mend, commitment, duty and honour.Together Rosie and Billy make a great team, covering dramatic local stories, and inevitably growing closer until Rosie falls in love with Will/Billy all over again. But now he has a wife and kids and is out of bounds…Unless she can get back to 2008…

Watching Willow Watts by Talli Roland

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Prospera Publishing (30 Nov 2011)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1907504141
  • ISBN-13: 978-1907504143
  • Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.5 cm

Kindle edition available September 2011

Synopsis from Amazon:

For twenty-five-year-oldWillow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind thecounter at her father’s antique shop; nights watching fuzzy telly whilst theelderly residents of Britain’s Ugliest Village bed down for yet another earlynight. But everything changes when Willow’s epically embarrassing MarilynMonroe impersonation is uploaded to YouTube. A canny viewer spots Marilyn’sghostly image hidden in the film and Willow becomes an international sensation.Her dire little town is suddenly overrun with fans proclaiming her to be the’new Marilyn’. Egged on by the villagers – whose shops and businesses arecashing in – Willow eagerly embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinumand scoffing cakes to achieve Marilyn’s legendary curves. But when the only manshe has ever truly loved returns, seeking the old Willow, it’s decision time.Should she risk stardom and the village’s new-found fortune on love? Or isbeing Marilyn Willow’s real ticket to happiness?


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The story starts at the village fete where we are introducedto the characters.  Willow’s best friendPaula is running a stall where fete visitors dress up as a celebrity and havetheir photo taken.  Paula talks Willowinto dressing as Marilyn Munroe, Simpson (who is the village tourism rep) makesa video which gets uploaded onto YouTube … and this one incident sends Willow’slife into a whirlwind of activity and emotions. 

Belcherton explodes with visitors wanting to see Willow andalong with this influx of people arrives agent Jay.  Jay, who on the surface is very supportive of Willow butunderneath is controlling and hungry for revenge (and money!).  Amongst the visitors to the village we meetBetts who has stepped out of her comfort zone and come to the UK fromGeorgia.  She stays with Willow and herfather and becomes an integral part of their lives.

Another character central to the story is Cissy.  A retired former actress living on theoutskirts of the village, she has met Jay in the past.  She is not happy with how things are workingout for Jay.

The characters in Watching Willow Watts are sobelievable.  You become involved ineither rooting for everything to turn out well or wishing for theirdownfall. 

Behind Willow’s decisions all the time are considerations ofothers – money her father owes or in supporting the village to become more thanBritain’s Ugliest Village.  She puts herown feelings aside.  When Jay enters thevillage she is in a vulnerable position emotionally so it is entirelybelievable that she only sees what is on the surface.  If you’ve read my reviews you know that I love watching a femaleheroine make the journey from being down-trodden and insecure to becoming herown person … and we certainly see this for Willow. 

Watching Willow Watts is a wonderful emotional ride.  We have all the elements of love,friendship, family, community and revenge to keep us absorbed.  You won’t be disappointed in accompanyingWillow on her journey as the iconic Marilyn Munroe!



I would like to thank the author for providing me a review copy.

You can find Talli Roland on Twitter and also on Facebook.  Keep up with Talli’s news on her blog.



http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=jersjam-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=1907504141&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr