Welcome to the Cafe and Bookstore update and hot off the press we have a new book by Mary Smith written with Allan Devlin. Castle Douglas Through Time records the town’s history in a series of old and new photographs. The gathering place for tourists exploring this beautiful part of Scotland.
NEWSFLASH – Mary was my guest on Saturday in the interactive interview series Book Reading at the Cafe. After reading this I am sure that you will have even more questions for Mary and she would love to receive them.
About the book
The market town of Castle Douglas, beside Carlingwark Loch in the southern Scottish region of Dumfries and Galloway, is relatively new, though the area has been inhabited from prehistoric times and the Romans had a military base close by. In the fourteenth century, Archibald the Grim, the 3rd Earl of Douglas, built Threave Castle nearby.
The town came into being thanks to fertiliser found in the loch and wealthy merchant William Douglas, who laid out the present town in 1792. Though his dream of creating a cotton industry failed, Castle Douglas became a flourishing market town. The opening of the rail line to Dumfries in 1859 improved the town’s connections.
Though the railway closed in 1965, the A75 trunk road ensured the town’s survival as a major stopping point for travellers. Today, it is a major tourist destination, with many visitors using it as a base for exploring this beautiful part of Scotland. All these changes are recorded in this unique and fascinating series of new and old photographs, making this book essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Castle Douglas.
Buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Castle-Douglas-Through-Time-Smith/dp/1445659697
Also in the local history series
One of the reviews for the book
This is a lovely and very absorbing book and one that I’ll keep going back to. Mary Smith does a superb job with her succinct commentaries on the photos, written with a deft and light touch, while Allan Devlin’s present day shots are vivid and arresting, contrasting with the sepia tones of the older photographs, many of which were taken in Victorian and Edwardian times. I feel I have learned a lot more about Dumfries and its surrounding areas from reading the book and it has whetted my appetite to explore the town more than I already have. You don’t have to live in Dumfries and Galloway or know the town of Dumfries to enjoy this book. It is fascinating in itself and hopefully will prove an enticement for people who have never visited Dumfries to do so.
Read all the reviews and buy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dumfries-Through-Time-Allan-Devlin/dp/1445637677
Also by Mary Smith
Read the reviews and buy all the books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mary-Smith/e/B001KCD4P0
Connect to Mary via her website: http://www.marysmith.co.uk/
Steve Boseley has re-issued his mystery thriller, Die, Blossom, Bloom with a brand new cover.
A pensioner with a newfound love of gardening, TED HARRIS is haunted by the memories of his wife’s death. A regular competitor in the village ‘In Bloom’ competition, GERALDINE BUTLER-THOMPSON is keen to put Ted down at any opportunity, and is more than happy to share her thoughts on his garden. As Ted’s life with his wife is revealed, we get a glimpse into the love that they shared, before things started to go wrong.
The choices that he made haunt him still, and Butler-Thompson pushes him to reveal more than he is willing to, leading to a showdown with JORDAN, Butler-Thompson’s grandson. This confrontation pushes Ted towards what he sees as an inevitable conclusion, and a final showdown with Butler-Thompson. The annual ‘Haverly in Bloom’ competition is the backdrop for this thrilling tale of love, murder and suspicion that is sure to leave you horrified.
The latest review for the book
A gripping look at the flowery passions and life in an idyllic English village that seems like it’s straight out of Midsomer Murders. When I read the first few chapters, I had to look up Boseley – and specifically his age, as his portrayal of the elderly hero’s daily struggles were so convincing that I felt certain Boseley himself would be in his 70s, or even older.
Even though the story starts with a killing, its true meaning only gradually appears in a masterful narration that soon turns surprisingly dark. Too dark, perhaps, for some readers, as this is not a novella for the squeamish. The pace picks up and soon readers find themselves in the uncomfortable position of rooting not for the “good” guys but for the murderer. I won’t spoil the ending, but I will say I wish it were different.
Based on Die Blossom Bloom, I’ll be reading Boseley’s second book soon.
Buy the new edition: https://www.amazon.com/Die-Blossom-Bloom-Steve-Boseley-ebook/dp/B01DFNN35C
Also by Steve Boseley
Buy all the books: https://www.amazon.com/Steve-Boseley/e/B01DHXE01G
Connect to Steve via his website: http://www.authorsteveboseley.com
Then next featured author is D. Wallace Peach with her latest release which is Catling’s Bane Book 1 of the Rose Shield Tetralogy… a blend of science fiction and fantasy.
About the Rose Shield Tetralogy
Welcome to a world of three moons, a sentient landscape, rivers of light, and tier cities that rise from the swamps like otherworld flowers. A planet of waterdragons, where humans are the aliens living among three-fingered natives with spotted skin. Where a half-blood converses with the fog and the goddess plans her final reckoning.
Follow Catling’s journey as she grows from childhood into the deadly force that shapes the future. She is the realm’s shield, an influencer, assassin, healer, mother, and avenger. And all she wants is to go home.
The books of The Rose Shield Tetralogy – Catling’s Bane – Oathbreakers’ Guild –
Farlanders’ Law – Kari’s Reckoning –
Books 2,3 and 4 are available on Pre- Order and you can read more about the series and follow the links to Amazon from here: https://mythsofthemirror.com/2017/03/17/the-rose-shield-catlings-bane-is-live/
About Book 1 – Catling’s Bane
In the tiers of Ellegeance, the elite Influencers’ Guild holds the power to manipulate emotions. Love and fear, pain and pleasure, healing and death mark the extremes of their sway, but it’s the subtle blends that hook their victims’ hearts. They hide behind oaths of loyalty and rule the world.
A child born in the grim warrens beneath the city, Catling rues the rose birthmark encircling her eye. Yet, it grants her the ability to disrupt the influencers’ sway. Established methods of civil control disintegrate before her. She’s a weapon desired by those who reign and those who rebel.
To the Influencer’s Guild, she’s an aberration, a threat. They order her death and thus the betrayals begin. One woman protects and trains her, plotting to use her shield to further imperial goals. No longer a helpless child, Catling has other plans. As chaos shakes the foundations of order and rule, will she become the realm’s savior? Or its executioner?
One of the early reviews
D. Wallace Peach creates an utterly original, lush and cohesive world inhabited by well-developed and multi-dimensional characters we instantly care about (even the minor ones), all the more so as the plot unfolds. And what a plot it is — no copycat fiction or cliche devices here. The concept of “influence” as an accepted part of life is not only entertaining but thought provoking; and the author’s attention to detail on how influence works grabs hold and will thrill true high fantasy readers who value intelligent rationale for magic. All I can say is … prepare to lose some sleep over this one. And the final chapter leads to a cliffhanger that will leave readers desperate for Book II.
I am a lifelong reader of fantasy, and out of what I’d guess to be nearly 1,000 books read to date, this book series is in my top five. Catling’s Bane is easily on par with the likes of Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle series), Karen Miller (the “Mage” series) and Glenda Larke (Stormlord series). I’m confident that many readers will, like me, add this one to their top shelf.
Buy Book 1 – Catling’s Bane: https://www.amazon.com/Catlings-Bane-Rose-Shield-Book-ebook/dp/B06XK3PCRZ
Also by D. Wallace Peach
Read all the reviews and buy the books: https://www.amazon.com/D.-Wallace-Peach/e/B00CLKLXP8
Connect to Diana through her website: https://mythsofthemirror.com/
