The Shamwell Tales

Welcome to Shamwell! A sleepy rural village in Hertfordshire, England, it’s the perfect place to move to for a little peace and quiet—or at least, you’d think so! But as a succession of newcomers to the village find, there’s more going on in these idyllic surroundings than cricket matches on the common and pints of ale in the local pubs.

A place where everyone’s connected to everyone else, Shamwell’s rife with mishaps, mayhem and misunderstandings—and the path of true love is no smoother than the ancient stone walls of the parish church.

Each contemporary romantic comedy stands alone, but all feature a cast of characters drawn from Shamwell and its surroundings.

Find the Shamwell Tales on KU here

Face Blind – #1 in the Glastonbury Tales

Corin Ferriman’s been left face blind by the car crash that killed his ex. Even people he’s known for years are unrecognisable to him. Running from his guilt and new-found social anxiety, he’s moved to Glastonbury, where he knows no one—or does he? Repeated sightings of a mysterious figure leave him terrified that his ghosts have followed him.

Tattoo artist Adam Merchant left Glastonbury at sixteen, escaping from his emotionally distant mother to the father who’d left them seven years previously. Now, at twenty-five, he’s come home to bring his family back together. But in a cruel twist of fate, his mother dies before he can talk to her, leaving him haunted—perhaps literally—by her memory and his unanswered questions.

When Corin and Adam meet again after an eerie first encounter, Adam lays siege to the walls Corin’s built around himself, which start to crumble. But there are ghosts haunting them both, and while Adam longs for a connection beyond the veil, Corin’s guilt leaves him in angry denial that there could be anything after death. With the liminal festival of Samhain fast approaching, neither man is sure what’s real, and what’s just a trick of the mind—or maybe something worse.

From Riptide Publishing – 10 October 2022

Available in ebook and paperback: Amazon | Riptide

• There’s an exclusive cover reveal for my upcoming novel Face Blind over at Love Bytes Reviews today!
• Check it out here, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $5 Riptide gift certificate!

When even friends look like strangers, how will he ever find love?

Corin Ferriman was left face blind by the car crash that killed his ex. Even people he’s known for years are unrecognisable to him. Running from his guilt and new-found social anxiety, he’s moved to Glastonbury, where he knows no one—or does he? Repeated sightings of a mysterious figure leave him terrified that his ghosts have followed him.

Tattoo artist Adam Merchant left Glastonbury at sixteen, escaping from his emotionally distant mother to the father who’d left them seven years previously. Now, at twenty-five, he’s come home to bring his family back together. But in a cruel twist of fate, his mother dies before he can talk to her, leaving him haunted—perhaps literally—by her memory and his unanswered questions.

When Corin and Adam meet again after an eerie first encounter, Adam lays siege to the walls Corin’s built around himself, which start to crumble. But there are ghosts haunting them both, and while Adam longs for a connection beyond the veil, Corin’s guilt leaves him in angry denial that there could be anything after death. With the liminal festival of Samhain fast approaching, neither man is sure what’s real and what’s just a trick of the mind—or maybe something worse.

The Brit Boys UK MM Romance sale is now live! Want your MM Romance laced with plenty of British flavour? Look no further! From contemporary to historical to romantic suspense and everything in between, you’ll find your next Brit Boys read here.

Together with a host of fabulous authors of British-set mm romance, I’m taking part in a flash sale from 10th – 12th March. All books in the promo will be discounted to $2.99/local equivalent for 3 days only!

BookFunnel link

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I may be mistaken, but I believe there’s something of some minor importance going on this weekend in the world of English (and European) football.

So this week’s snippet features Tom Paretski in Blow Down, #4 in my Plumber’s Mate Mystery series, waxing lyrical about his favourite sport. It was an interesting scene to write – the views expressed within are very definitely not those of the author! 😉

See, the thing about football—proper football, I mean, played with a round ball like God intended—is, it’s like an art form. The clever footwork, with eleven men playing as a team, dodging and, all right, sometimes diving. Tactics. They call it the beautiful game for a reason, don’t they? It’s, well, it’s elegant. Poetic, even. The players are athletic, yeah, but it’s all about the skill too. Not just the brute force.

Rugby, now . . . Well, it’s just a bunch of big bastards getting up close and personal with each other, innit?

Don’t forget to check out the rainbow snippets Facebook group for more little excerpts from a whole host of talented authors

Blow Down – #4 in the Plumber’s Mate Mystery series

Death is what happens while you’re making other plans . . .

The last thing newly engaged plumber Tom Paretski needs is to stumble over another dead body. He’s got enough on his mind already as the reality of his impending marriage sinks in. Not only is his family situation complicated, but his heroism at a pub fire has made him a local celebrity, and now everyone knows about his psychic talents—and wants a piece of them.

Hired to recover a missing necklace, Tom and his fiancé, private investigator Phil Morrison, find themselves trying to unmask a killer. And there’s no shortage of suspects, including the local bishop.

As Tom and Phil try to uncover the truth, they’re pulled in all directions by the conflicting pressures of their families and their own desires. But the murderer they’re up against is a ruthless schemer who won’t baulk at killing again. If Tom and Phil don’t watch out, their love—and all their plans for the future—could be blown down like a house of straw.

Amazon paperback | Kindle | Riptide 

Or at least, my characters are. Where I am right now it’s intermittently overcast and a little on the chilly side, at least if you’re not being active. Which for those of us who tend to wilt in the heat, is not necessarily a bad thing!

Today’s snippet, however, recalls sunnier days. Obviously, it’s not set in Britain! 😉 It’s taken from Stop Cock, #6 in my Plumber’s Mate Mystery series:

Naples was a little on the warm side. By which I mean, blisteringly, arse-roastingly hot. You could have used the pavement to fry your eggs on, not to mention any mad dogs and Englishmen who happened along. Like, for example, yours truly and his newly wedded husband. I couldn’t see a handy thermometer on any nearby buildings as we trundled our cases out of the airport, but forty Celsius probably wasn’t far off—that’s over a hundred in old money.

Rubbing the sweat off my brow, I turned back to Phil. He was looking annoyingly fresh, crisp, and tasty . . . Okay, so the annoyance might have turned into lust somewhere along the route. I sent him an appreciative smile that hopefully didn’t come off too soppy. “When they said see Naples and die, they meant from heatstroke, didn’t they?”

Don’t forget to check out the rainbow snippets Facebook group for more little excerpts from a whole host of talented authors

A match made in heaven – but the honeymoon from hell

Plumber Tom Paretski and his newly-wedded husband, PI Phil Morrison, plan to enjoy their honeymoon in Italy to the full. It should be the start of a wonderful future together. But when Wayne—Phil’s ex best mate and Tom’s former bully—turns up unexpectedly at their hotel, issues from their schooldays threaten to derail the fun. Tom may not bear a grudge against Phil for past injuries any longer, but Wayne’s another matter—or is he?

Wayne now seems determined to make friends, but Tom’s struggling to forgive and forget. To add to his confusion, cryptic messages from home spark the question: Are he and Phil are really as in tune as he thought? Tom’s not the first man Phil ever made a commitment to, and that marriage turned sour sooner rather than later.

It shouldn’t surprise them when death explodes onto the scene in shocking fashion, and their honeymoon turns into a murder investigation. When the group of locals Wayne had been meeting with turn their attention to Tom’s psychic abilities, he and Phil will need to pull together to figure out what’s going on—or risk this trip being the last they’ll ever take.

Available in ebook and paperback: Riptide | Amazon

Blimey, it’s been a long time since I did one of these. Spoons have been in short supply of late, a feeling I’m sure you’re all familiar with in these interesting times. But I couldn’t let Pride month go by without a snippet. This one features Tom Paretski, slightly psychic plumber from my Plumber’s Mate Mystery series, and is set during London Pride:

It was like trying to run through custard. Which was actually kind of an appropriate thought, seeing as how most of the crowd was, in varying proportions, hot, colourful and downright tasty. Everyone and his puppy-play pal was out on the streets of Soho for Pride, and most of ’em were wandering down Old Compton Street in the wrong bloody direction.

The right direction being, obviously, the one in which I was trying to chase after a would-be murderer. He was dressed as an angel, in gold lamé shorts and matching wings, which you’d think would help him stand out in a crowd. Generally speaking, you’d be right.

In the middle of Pride? Not so much.

Don’t forget to check out the rainbow snippets Facebook group for more little excerpts from a whole host of talented authors

The snippet is taken from The Drag Queen Wore Red, a short story in the Capital Crimes anthology:

The Drag Queen Wore Red – #3.5 in the Plumber’s Mate Mystery series

‘A rich and varied assortment of dark minds and dark deeds. Deliciously disturbing.’ Peter James -2015 Voted by WH Smith readers The Best Crime Author Of All Time

“For anyone whose literary tastes run to the dark and the twisty, CAPITAL KILLS is a damn near perfect taster menu.” – Simon Toyne – international bestselling author of theSanctus trilogy

Contains my story The Drag Queen Wore Red, a short story in the Plumber’s Mate Mystery series (set between Heat Trap and Blow Down)

Available on Amazon

And Tom and his spanking-new husband Phil feature in my new release, Stop Cock:

Stop Cock – #6 in the Plumber’s Mate Mystery series

A match made in heaven – but the honeymoon from hell

Plumber Tom Paretski and his newly-wedded husband, PI Phil Morrison, plan to enjoy their honeymoon in Italy to the full. It should be the start of a wonderful future together. But when Wayne—Phil’s ex best mate and Tom’s former bully—turns up unexpectedly at their hotel, issues from their schooldays threaten to derail the fun. Tom may not bear a grudge against Phil for past injuries any longer, but Wayne’s another matter—or is he?

Wayne now seems determined to make friends, but Tom’s struggling to forgive and forget. To add to his confusion, cryptic messages from home spark the question: Are he and Phil are really as in tune as he thought? Tom’s not the first man Phil ever made a commitment to, and that marriage turned sour sooner rather than later.

It shouldn’t surprise them when death explodes onto the scene in shocking fashion, and their honeymoon turns into a murder investigation. When the group of locals Wayne had been meeting with turn their attention to Tom’s psychic abilities, he and Phil will need to pull together to figure out what’s going on—or risk this trip being the last they’ll ever take.

Available in ebook and paperback: Riptide | Amazon