Two things: The weekend and Trisha Ashley!

Good morning lovely people!

It’s Friday, which for most people is a blessed relief from the rigours of working life.  However, for me it’s just another day!  I know, I know, I’m really fortunate to be at home, faffing about writing a blog, sending my manuscript off to agents with massive hope in my heart and generally lolling about.  OK, so I do a bit of housework along the way, shop, cook and walk HuffingtonBear but that’s kind of it.

So ‘whoop whoop’ for Friday anyway because I get to spend time with my beloved OH (Other Half), and the rest of the family.  This week we are celebrating Son#2’s 18^th birthday with the most fabulous chocolate cake from Patisserie Valerie together with dinner out and possibly a cheeky glass or two of fizz! (For those who know me please kindly note that cake and wine have finally made an appearance in my blog!)

Right, without further ado, let’s get on to the main business of today.  A quick review of another of my favourite authors, Trisha Ashley.  Trisha writes romantic comedies.  The stories are light, fun and endearing so they are especially good to take on a weekend break or holiday to unwind with.  However I have been known to curl up and read one in a single sitting.

For anyone who hasn’t read a Trisha Ashley, you are in for a treat because once you get into her books there are somewhere around 14 to read, yippee! Once you have read one story, you will find that the main characters often appear in future books but not always as central characters.  Each book is stand alone and a central story doesn’t follow from one to another so you can pick any of the novels up and enjoy it before moving on to whichever one you fancy next.  Trisha’s stories are often centred round family life and therefore baking and cooking become a part of her stories.  At the end of many of her books you can find the recipes for food, which is cooked within the story. What a lovely touch!

Here’s a list of what Trisha calls ‘the Lancashire novels’:

A WINTER’S TALE: When Sophy inherits a dilapidated old house, complete with ghostly ancestor, a surly head-gardener hell-bent on completing the sixteenth-century knot garden restoration seems to be the least of her worries.

WEDDING TIERS: Josie’s leading an idyllic life in the Lancashire countryside, being self-sufficient in the garden and making weird and wonderful wedding cakes, until her Eden turns out to be a Paradise Lost.

CHOCOLATE WISHES: When Chloe’s grandfather opened a museum of witchcraft in the Lancashire village of Sticklepond, there was bound to be some conflict with the local vicar, though perhaps not quite the sort that artisan chocolate- maker Chloe envisaged.

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: For widow Holly Brown, looking after a remote house on the Lancashire moors seems the perfect way to escape the festivities. But when the owner suddenly returns just before a blizzard cuts the village off, the Twelve days of Christmas take a very unexpected turn.

THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS Lizzie’s cheating husband gets his just desserts and more than one secret is revealed at the village’s annual Boxing Day Mystery Play.

CHOCOLATE SHOES AND WEDDING BLUES Heartbroken Tansy Poole returns to Sticklepond and throws herself into creating a shop where brides can choose the wedding shoes of their dreams, uncovering a few skeletons in the family closet along the way.

For more information about Trisha Ashley and her books visit her website trishaashley.com.  There is a link on the home page to a You Tube clip of the softly spoken, gentle novelist talking about her writing.  You can also find Trisha on Facebook and Twitter where you can often catch her engaging with her readers.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone,

Blog you later,

Julesy x