Sunday 31 March 2019

#SundaySnippet —Middle of the night visit from my muse

 I almost forgot it was Sunday, until my lovely hubby said 'Would you like a cuppa in bed?' a good hour before he usually gets up.

I'd been awake for three hours in the middle of the night, trying to convince my muse I didn't want any more plot ideas at the moment, thank you very much. As ever muse didn't listen (see below), so I was in bed later than usual, and did a sort of muttered yes please.

Then he came in with a card and said Happy Mother's Day. (aww)

Anyway that's got nothing to do with my #SundaySnippet. The middle of the night muse gave me that.


So here's your snippet

He removed the crash hat to reveal a shock of copper coloured curls, shook his head so the curls danced all over the place and grinned.

"Amos Kirby, at your service."

Louisa blinked and swallowed as she did her best not to ogle him too obviously. Oh, I wish. "Louisa Trent." And I'd love to be at your service. "Er, why are you here?"

"According to your brother, you've got a wedding to go to and no partner. I'm your partner." His voice lowered to the octave that sent shivers down every woman's spine—in the nicest possible way.

"Moss Kirby, star of stage and screen and all those other cliches, accompanying me, as my partner to my mates wedding? No one would believe it."

He patted her shoulder. "Oh yeah of little faith. Want to bet on it? I'm an actor. By the end of five minutes they'll all believe I'm madly in love with you, and you're the one holding back."

~~~~~

And there you have it... Well a little bit of it. I Now have to decipher pencil written notes scribbled on bits of paper by the light of my phone.

Watch this space.

Happy reading,



love Raven xx

Friday 29 March 2019

#NineFotTheWeekend... Nine facts you may or may not know about... Joy Pratt

(Plus, one she might not know either 😜)

(source,pinterest)


Welcome to a new, weekly (If I can twist enough arms) feature, where we discover nine facts about someone, their book or their characters.

This week, The lovely Joy Pratt, reader and friend agreed to be my guinea pig. 

Thanks, Joy, over to you.

#NineForTheWeekend

*deep Breath* Here we go...

i have 5 children.

1 grandson.

I've met and spoken to Margaret Thatcher.

I've been to a house where the lead singer of Supergrass lives.



(Pic, courtesy of facebook)

I ride pillion on our Triumph night storm.

I work for a hospice shop volunteering.

i have met Frank Warren the boxing agent.

i love sealions.

My husband is 9 years younger than me

~~~~~~~~~

Wow, thank you so much Joy, love those,

And... my snippet. My Gran married a man called Fred Pratt... we could be related by marriage!

Happy reading,

Love, Raven xx




Thursday 28 March 2019

#evernighties What I learned when I researched my book


And that is a puzzler...


Because, now I'm scratching my head and thinking, hmm...which book.

I've decided to be vague, because different books need different research. Some just need my imagination—or a vacation.

However let's talk Regency.

That's when I rub my hands together. I love history, especially social history. Finding out how people lived how they got on with their lives and each other. The hierarchy, the clothes, just everything. 

I do get a bit carried away though. Start at a, end up at z, and nowhere near what I need to know. 😉

However one of the most interesting things for me was when I researched a Regency set in Scotland and discovered prior to 1856, no period of residency was required to marry, and you could be as young as 14 for a male and 12 for a female. Nor did you need parental consent. (You still don't)

Not only that, a wedding did not have to be conducted by a preacher, (hence 'over the anvil' at Gretna Green) and as long as two people heard you plight your troth, you were married... In Scotland.

However, not necessarily in England. So think of all the ramifications that could cause. Bigamy, under age... So much there to write about.

Which of course I did.

happy reading,

love Raven xx

Tuesday 26 March 2019

#TuesdayTakeover and this week it's Rose Wulf and Burning Midnight.

Welcome to what I hope will become a new weekly feature...
Tuesday Takeover.

This week, it's Rose Wulf and her fabulous book, Burning Midnight, the latest in her Dark Light series...


Over to you, Rose...

Hi, Raven! Thanks so much for inviting to be here today!

To those who don’t know me, I’m Rose Wulf, paranormal romance author. I’ve got three on-going series’ and presently two standalone short stories (with another coming soon!).

Today Raven has invited me to talk about the latest installment of my Dark Light series, Burning Midnight. It’s book three in the series and follows the story of the third major character from the previous book, Sparks of Blue. The Dark Light series is about a never-ending war between demons and angels – and the one thing more powerful than all of them: love.
Burning Midnight is Gwen’s story.

Blurb:
Gwen Manning was a survivor. With the birthday that should have killed her nearly a year behind her, it was time to get her life together. She was still settling into her new apartment when she was visited by a demon from her past—Knox. The same Knox who’d once tried to kill her.

This time he brought a different kind of danger. The danger of searing kisses and promises of protection from a new demon who seemed to want to her dead. The more things changed, right?

Knox never thought he’d see Gwen after her curse had been healed away, let alone that he’d volunteer to be her protector when it became clear she was the target of a new, ominously powerful demonic threat. But now her life, and her body, was in his hands. If he wasn’t careful, when the dust settled, he might just have trouble letting go.

Excerpt:
Gwen stared at the spot in the sky where she’d lost track of her angel friend for several seconds, her mind reeling. The idea of being targeted by demons for a second time was both terrifying and infuriating. Speaking of infuriating. She spun on her heel and planted her hands on her hips, squaring her glare on Knox. “You have some explaining to do, pal. What happened to laying low? Was that just a bunch of crap? If you knew I had another target on my head, you should’ve said something! What the hell’s going on?”
Knox tucked his hands into his pockets as a slow grin tipped the corners of his lips. “Ah, there’s the girl I remember. Asks a million questions a minute and never seems to process the danger she’s actually in.”
Gwen stomped up to him until she was as in his face as she could be, what with her five-foot-six stature not quite matching his six-something. “I can’t process anything without all the answers, jerk. So talk.”
Not only did he not back away, but the grin on his lips reflected in his eyes as Knox leaned in until their noses were a hair’s breadth apart. “Oh, I’m a jerk again, huh?” He lifted one hand and trailed his knuckles oh-so-lightly along the curve of her cheek in a lingering caress. “For what, not taking the risk of needlessly worrying you?” He leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear now. “Or for waking up your desires?”
She bit back an instinctive moan. Damn him and his tempting touch and toe-curling kisses. Damn her for letting those things get to her. “Neither,” she finally managed, keeping her hands locked at her sides. “For lying to me.”
Knox sighed and straightened, his raised hand falling to his side as he searched her eyes. “It was only a partial lie,” he said. “I pretty much always have to lay low these days. I just exaggerated the urgency. And I picked you specifically because I had a strong suspicion that someone from down below was coming after you. A suspicion, nothing concrete.”
Scrunching her lips as she thought over his response, Gwen asked, “Who? Why?”
“From what I can gather,” Knox replied, “chances are it’s the demon who expected to have inherited your soul by now. Demons are egotistical, angry, vain creatures. Not receiving his prize was bad enough, but to have the curse healed away by a Nephilim, and thereby the intended soul purified, would be too big an insult to ignore. If he—or she—simply let it go, their reputation would crumble. Probably in their opinion, you already belong to them.”
“I don’t belong to anybody,” Gwen declared, crossing her arms stubbornly. The curse had been bad enough. A situation she’d never had the chance to control in the first place. But now this? Being targeted over a bruised ego? That was just ridiculous.
Knox held up a hand as if to ward her off. “I’m not saying otherwise,” he assured her. “I’m giving you my best attempt at insight into the enemy’s reasons.”
Sighing, Gwen dropped her arms again. “Fine. But who is this ‘enemy’?” Knox had very specifically not told her that detail. And in her opinion, it was a largely important one.
Huffing out his own breath of irritation, Knox said, “Hell if I know. I haven’t been able to get a name, or even a narrowed down list.” He refocused his stare on hers, somehow holding her gaze to his without a touch. “But whoever it is, Gwen, they’re bad news. They’ve got reach. We don’t want to wait for their final play.”
Gwen’s stomach lurched at the intensity of his warning. She definitely didn’t want someone like that in her business. Really ever. With a heavy swallow, she asked, “What am I supposed to do, then? Move to Mars?”
The corners of his lips twitched with amusement and he shook his head. “I’d actually recommend Saturn, but let’s save that for Plan B.” But she could see on his face that the real answer wasn’t nearly so simple.
“So I’m running again,” Gwen muttered, not so much as a question but as a statement of defeat. It was the last thing she wanted to do. Well, of the things she was willing to do. “Goodbye new apartment. Farewell, new job. Sayonara stability.”
“Never pegged you for a drama queen.”
Gwen blinked, realizing she’d been blankly staring off into the distance, and narrowed her eyes up at Knox. She opened her mouth to tell him off but caught herself. Yeah, sure, it sucked. A lot. And she was sure that before everything was settled—and assuming she survived—she’d have to start all over again. Sort of. She also had friends, and Ben, and she’d pulled her shit together before, so surely she could do it again when the time came. And who knows, maybe this won’t completely destroy my new attempt at a responsible adult life. So instead of telling off the annoyingly perceptive demon, she sighed. “Next time I do that, just shake me or something.”
A flash of a grin lit his eyes before he caught her jaw beneath two curled fingers and captured her mouth with his. He nibbled on her lips, slipped his tongue inside, and sucked on hers long and slow. Her knees nearly gave out as she reflexively caught herself by grabbing hold of the sides of his shirt.
He released her lips before she could gather herself enough to reciprocate and, lips teasing the underside of her jaw on the way to her ear, whispered, “Kissing you is so much more fun.”



Buy Links:

About Rose:
            Rose Wulf is a giant romance fangirl. Hot, protective, sometimes downright barbaric heroes and spitfire heroines are her favorites. Rose has been writing for as long as she can remember, and over the years she’s only grown fonder of it. The bonds between characters have always captivated her and as an author those are Rose’s favorite things to play with – not always to the relief of her fictional babies!
            Behind the scenes Rose is a quiet personality. She enjoys spending her non-writing time with her German Shepherd, Shadow, her mom, and her friends. Be it a fun game of Cards Against Humanity or a relaxing movie night, Rose believes everything is better with company. As for her own romance, she’s still searching for her hero (and hoping that, when she does find him, he’ll be willing to cook!).

Where you can find Rose:


sound brilliant, eh? now on my TBR list.

Happy reading,

love Raven xx

Sunday 24 March 2019

#SundaySnippet—where Iona confronts her now ex-best mate.



It's Sunday again, and time for my, yes, you've guessed it #SundaySnippet.


This week, It's from a new WIP, and as yet, it hasn't told me if it is a Raven book, or a Katy Lilley—my softer sweeter side. All I can say is I'm having so much fun writing it.

Iona returns home early to find her best mate—from that moment on her ex-best mate in bed with Iona's husband.

later on she mets the mate to confront her...

So, here's your seven sentences...oops I've counted wrongly—it's er.... needed?

“A bit of a dominant sort then?”
Susie rolled her eyes. “You better believe it, I’ve spent all afternoon pleasing him.”
 Well you spent half the afternoon pleasing someone in any case, though unless you’ve changed jobs lately it wasn’t your boss. Iona took a deep breath. “Funny how I’ve never seen him like that.”
“What...who...what do you mean?” Susie asked as she opened her eyes wide. 

“The man you spent the afternoon with...in my bed...my husband. Why do you need to screw him when you’ve got a husband of your own?”

I'll let you know how this goes... At the moment, I'm doing as they tell me and writing the thing. I have my own ideas of course, but that doesn't mean they will happen.

Happy reading,
have a great Sunday


love, Raven xx


Thursday 21 March 2019

#evermighties time, and this week...my contest experience

Welcome to this week's


And today we're chatting about out contest experience.

I'm a bit short on experience here. If we're talking writing as an adult that is. However when I was the grand old ages of 8, and 9, I entered a Cadbury chocolate competition, where you had to write about how chocolate was made. 

Now if there is one thing I'm sort of in love with, it's good old dairy milk, so when my primary school asked if anyone wanted to take part, I was all for it. Sadly it didn't involve just eating chocolate, but visits to the library to look up facts. I think that is when my love of research began. 

Anyhow, to my surprise and joy, both years our school entered I won the outright contest, and got rather a lot of chocolate, which was shared in class. I did get a bit cross the second year when the teacher, gave us all one each, and I could see there were some left over, told me I couldn't take any home for my mum and dad. (They were tiny oblongs of chocolate about the size of a postage stamp. They used to come in a box, and I've forgotten what they were called)

I must have been a bit of a arsy B even then because when the headmaster congratulated me, I complained. Strangely, several appeared so mum and dad got a couple, and three for me. As, the head said, I'd won it I deserved a few extra! Guess the staffroom went short then!

Fast forward to around eight years ago, to a write a first chapter for Mills and Boon contest.

Not to put too finer a point on it, I was pants! (and not the nice lacy, sexy sort either.) It was rubbish. Stilted, one-dimensional, cardboard characters. Awful. I wrote as I thought I should not as I could. No wonder I got nowhere.

I went back to this

But as I've said many times, from that competition, I met a group of likeminded newbies, we formed a support group and, I wrote as I could, not as I thought I should. 

The next year I got my first contract, and I've never looked back.

Happy reading,

love Raven xx



Monday 18 March 2019

The #GlutenFreeAuthor Guide to goodies—or not.


Yes I know, how long is it since I've got my finger out and done a #GFA post?
Too long, but here we are.

This one is about supermarket food in South Africa. From Cape Town-ish to Knysna-ish. The Garden Route and the Little Karoo.




Like the ish? Well I'm not so precise you see. I'm just all over happy how the availability of gluten free foods has increased.

When we first went to South Africa,(Just realised it was 12-13 years ago, wow)   all was well, and I would half fill my suitcase with books. As an avid reader I reckoned on at least one book a day.


 Paperbacks were the first thing that went in, followed by clothes. (Lovely hubby used to ask why my undies always ended up in his case, and 'what would people think if they saw lacy knickers mixed in with his shirts?')

With the advent of my first eReader, also around 10 years ago (a Sony) I discovered I could get a lot more clothes in my suitcase and then...around 8 years ago—up until then I'd been blissfully ignorant that gluten and I were not friends—Things change. Now instead of books, I took half a suitcase of food. I had to laugh, or was it cry? Once more I offloaded half my clothes to lovely hubby.

Those first few years were interesting to say the least. The bakery where the assistant assured me 'all our bread is gluten free' and when I asked if she new what gluten was, was told, 'no, but we don't have it.'

Yes well.

Then slowly over the years more and more g-f food appeared. First it was cookies. Not very nice cookies, but cookies never the less. Then bread that if you threw it, it could kill a sparrow at ten paces. Not that I ever did, but I did drop a loaf on my toes once. Ouch.

Then around 5 years (or maybe longer, time flies) Woolworths started to sell gluten free food. Just like M&S in the UK. I got goosebumps. Bread, pasta, Cakes, you name it. And it gets better every year.


Other supermarkets are the same. SuperSpar even has flour, and Schar biscuits. And Nairns, both brands I get in the UK. Checkers, and Pick and Pay and Shpoprite all sell g-f. I found sausages, tomato sauce, burgers... I just did a thorough label check!



And things like this. The joy...

And even better, I discovered new brands, 


And the bakery In Reibeek Kasteel makes the most delicious g-f bread.

So next time, I'll be back to not needing to take over half lovely hubby's suitcase... No hold on , yes I will because now I'll have space to buy things!

Happy eating,

love Raven xx


Sunday 17 March 2019

The Sunday Snippet #SevenSentences Where a shifter shows his annoyance...

(Source, Pinterest)

Hi all, and happy Sunday. I hope you've had a good week.

I have. 

I sent back my edits for my Regency that's up for preorder next Month, and Ann, my editor was happy with them. The lovely hubby and I flew home from a lovely holiday South Africa, (Ok we didn't want to leave, but it's good to sleep in our lovely comfy bed again) and I got an idea for a new story, which I'm now 3k in. 
So apart from rain, rain, slushy snow and rain... Yes, a good week.

Now it's



This week's #SundaySnippet comes from Temptation, The first book in my new series, Isola Dei Sogni from Evernight Publishing. 

You can find it here

Blurb...

Isola Dei Sogni. The Island where dreams and fantasies become reality…

That’s what the brochure promised, but Meryl wasn’t born yesterday. A whole lot of balderdash, if you ask her. Still, as far as holidays go, a few days in the sun are not to be sniffed at.

Until she meets Marloth … the one man she’d rather forget.

Seeing his mate on the Island had not been in this shifter’s plan. However, this gives him the perfect opportunity to prove his love to Meryl. He is just the man to make all of her fantasies come true.

If only she’ll accept both man and beast, they can have the future they both crave

~~~~~~~

And your #SevenSentences~

“Cat got your tongue?”

That was it. 

He snarled aloud, and his teeth showed very much tiger-style. “It might get yours if you don’t behave. You came, you asked for the fantasy. So, by God, you’re getting it. Get on.”

~~~~~

Take care everyone, and

happy reading, 

love Raven xx