Murder on Tyneside

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Wednesday 31 December 2014

Happy New Year! - Update!

Well here it is! We have reached the last day of 2014 and are looking forward to the New Year and wondering what it will bring.

Have you made any New Year resolutions? I have only made one - I am going on a diet! Yes I expect a few more of you have made the same resolution and probably a few more. But the problem is, will we all keep them?

I certainly hope to lose some weight and, the idea is, because I have only made one resolution I am going to stick with it! I will let you know how I get on during the next couple of months.

Of course I could state that I am going to keep my office tidy next year. It does tend to get very untidy. I have never been a tidy person, but somehow my office seems to get more messed up that anywhere else in the house. I could also say that I am going to knuckle down and get another novel finished in 2015. I seem to have been dragging my heels over that this year. But if I add too many resolutions I simply won't be able to keep them all, so that's why I am sticking with the one. Writing the novel, and tidying the office will just have to come naturally - of their own accord, so to speak.

I also hope to see a little more of our lovely nephew this year. He is growing so fast and it is more noticeable to us as we don't manage to get down to see him very often. But apart from that, and good health for all my family, I don't think I want too much more out of 2015

So what have you all got planned for the New Year? I would love to hear from you if you have a moment to spare.

In the meantime I think that's all for from me for this year except to say Stop by my website sometime - www.eileenthornton.com

I wish you all a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2015  

Cheers!!

PS - UPDATE!  Please check out my latest interview with Owen Quinn of Time Warriors
http://www.thetimewarriors.co.uk/blog/?p=33878

Monday 22 December 2014

Happy Christmas

I can't believe that Christmas is almost upon us once again. How the years are starting to fly by. On the other hand, perhaps they have been doing that for a long time and I have only just started to notice. That's what they say, isn't it? The older you get, the quicker the years seem to pass. I didn't used to believe that, but I do now.

I guess you are all ready for Christmas now. Presents bought and wrapped, Christmas lunch organised, in fact I expect you are sitting back waiting impatiently for it all to happen. I suppose I am, really. I have just wrapped the last present. Though truthfully we don't have many people to buy for, not having had any family. So, in one way, Christmas is usually very quiet for us now. However there was a time when we held lots parties, inviting all our friends and had the most wonderful time.

I think they have finally finished digging up the pavements in Kelso. I hope so. It has gone on long enough. The Christmas tree is standing in its usual place in the Town Centre and there are lights strung along the buildings. But I have to say, the lights this year are not a patch on other years. There used to be strung across the road at intervals, making the town look really festive. Perhaps the council have run out of money this year.

I think that is all moment. If something wonderful should happen, rest assured I will be back to tell you all about it.

Meanwhile, I do hope you all have a Wonderful Christmas and I wish you all the best for 2015

Cheers everyone!!

Saturday 13 December 2014

I Haven't Deserted You!

No, I haven't deserted you all. It's just that I haven't had anything to tell you. But on the other hand, when do I ever? I usually muddle along, talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. You must be in a daze when you move on from my blog.

My life lately has been in the slow lane.... the very slow lane. Nothing has happened, nothing worth blogging about, anyway. Even the upheaval in the town seems to have come to an end. Though you wouldn't know it. The car parking situation is as bad if not worse than ever. I avoid the town centre as much as possible, which is a shame as there are lots of quaint shops to be found.

My husband and I are going to see our lovely niece and her husband soon, as well as their gorgeous son, Christopher. We don't see them very often, so I suppose Christopher will have forgotten who we are. But he is such a friendly little man, I'm sure he will soon remember.

You might recall me telling you about my new website. I would be grateful if you would all pop over there now and again. 
Eileen Thornton

Well I think that is all for the moment.
Just in case I don't get back to you, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for 2015

Cheers!!

Wednesday 19 November 2014

Divorcees.Biz - Special offer - UPDATE

UPDATE!!

LAST FEW HOURS ONLY A FEW HOURS LEFT AT THIS PRICE!!
DIVORCEES.BIZ


It seems that my publisher,Creativia, has added Divorcees.Biz to the special offer list this week. ONLY 99c/99p

Therefore, you haven't read this crazy novel of fun and Romance, then now is a good time to get in the pink and download a copy.

Quotes on Amazon tell of it being "A Delightful Helping of Fun and Froth", "Hugely Enjoyable", and "Love in London. a Great Light-heated Read" to name a few.

So what are you waiting for?

Actually the paperback version would make a perfect Christmas gift :-)


Yesterday I was supposed to be going to Newcastle to do some Christmas Shopping. Unfortunately I was feeling so unwell I was unable to go. I'm still not sure what it was, but it seems to have cleared up this morning. However, this morning is too late!! Isn't it just like the thing?

Nevertheless, my time at home wasn't entirely wasted as I was able to sit and figure out Google+. Well sort of. At least I was able to Plus and Share a few folks and lo and behold, I see some have reciprocated.  Which I understand is a good thing. I am told that Google+ is the way to go, so if any of you want to plus/share this blog I would be delighted. This is the link which will take you to my page/post hopefully...... https://plus.google.com/+EileenThornton123/posts  well, with a bit of luck it will.


I think that's all folks, but I'll be back soon

Have a great day wherever you are.

Cheers!!








Saturday 15 November 2014

It's Me Again! Added a postscript WOW!

Yes, you read that right - it is me again!

I am bit like a bus this week - you wait for ages to hear from me, then suddenly two posts come along at once.


But I just wanted you to know that my publisher, Creativia, has reduced the price of  Only Twelve Days to 99c/99p for one week - starting today.

This gives you the opportunity to read this charming love story for less than a dollar/GBP




Also, just for a bit of fun, would you let me know who you would cast as Bill if this novel were to be made into a movie. While I was writing the story, I had someone in mind and I am rather curious to know whether any of you would come up with the same person.


I'm afraid I don't have any further news for you, except to say that I am off to a friend's house this afternoon for a natter and I don't mind admitting there will be a bottle opened when I get there.

Take care all, and have a great day,

Cheers!!

Adding a postscript here Monday 17th Nov.  My publisher has just told me that my novel Only Twelve Days has really taken off. It seems there is still room in this crazy world for an enchanting love story. WOW! Way to go!!


Wednesday 12 November 2014

Hi Again!

Hi Everyone, I bet you thought I had gone for good. Well no, I haven't - not quite!

I would love to tell you that all manner of wonderful things have been going on in my life, but I can't. I'm afraid. Things are just the same as normal, but I have simply been tied up a little more with these mundane things.

One thing of note is that the roadworks/pavement laying in Kelso seems to be coming to an end. Though I have to say the parking is still as bad as ever. And on top of that, when I made a fleeting visit there yesterday morning, not only could I not get parked, but there was a traffic hold up and I was stuck in Horsemarket for fifteen minutes waiting for the traffic to start flowing again. There was a lorry at the top, probably unloading and a bus was trying to get past and couldn't. So there you are, We were all stuck there.

I was too far away to actually see what was going on, but it looked like the new wider pavements are actually - too wide - making the narrow road even more narrow. Especially at the top where pedestrians are supposed to cross. If this description sounds complicated, it is because the whole thing is very complicated!

I have just had a message appear on my screen saying Blogger couldn't complete my request! What request? I haven't requested anything! I am too busy typing away here to request anything on another page.

Is it just me? Or is there anyone else out there finding all these little things popping up on the screen every so often? If I was more technically minded, I might had a clue what they are going on about. But as they think I know all about how the computer system works, I simply get a strange cryptic message leaving me totally perplexed.

Which brings me to another little funny incident earlier today. I was tying out a tweet, when suddenly my computer started to talk to me... Yes you read that right. Some voice in my computer was telling me about something to do with 'hangouts'. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, but more importantly, how could this little voice suddenly jump into my computer and start talking to me. It was quite scary, rather like one of those horror movies where someone is trying make another person think they are insane by talking to them when they are not there. Creepy or what?

Anyway, when I came to click off Tweeting, I found a little message on the screen from Google. It seems, because I have started following a few folks on Google+ they think I want to be involved with everything.

My publisher decided that I needed a new back cover blurb for Divorcees.Biz So if you want to take a peek, the new blurb is up there on Amazon now.

Well I think that is all for the moment.

Have a great day!

Cheers!!

Friday 7 November 2014

Apologies!

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I will try to get something up here over the weekend.

Tuesday 23 September 2014

New Cover

Is there anyone out there who doesn't know Only Twelve Days has a new cover? If so, the first part of this blog is just for you.  However, I would be most surprised if you hadn't already picked up on this exciting news, as I have tweeted the news all over the place.

Exciting news? Yes of course it is exciting news. Well - it is for me anyway. It heralds a whole new front to Only Twelve Days, a delightful love story about two lonely people in a world moving too fast for them. But I won't go on about it any more, suffice to say I hope you like the new cover, with the young lady looking upwards to reflect the bright new future she so desperately hopes will be hers?

I have just booked up somewhere for our Christmas Lunch! Can you believe it? We are not into October yet and I have booked up our Christmas Lunch. We will only be gone for a couple of hours, but I have to say that when there are only two of you at this happy time of the year, it is rather nice to feel you are in a throng of people rather than just alone.  I have no problem being just the two of us. We know what each other want, thinks etc. (believe me, we should do after ** years) and we are quite happy to come home and chill out with a glass or two. But for just those two hours, it is good to see other folks enjoying themselves.  Of course there is the other thing. I won't be cooking and clearing up that day. Not that I have a big thing about cooking and clearing. Its just I am not over keen! You need to be really up for it to mess around on Christmas Day.  I have been there and done that and I look for something different now.

Years ago, when we lived in and around London, we had lots of parties. Parties for this, parties for that, we didn't have to have a reason, just throwing a party was good and I cooked a variety of meals for up to 24 people at a time - and I loved it.  By the way, when I say in and around London I mean we moved a lot. Moving house was a hobby of mine. I loved to up sticks and move on. Meet new people etc. But the housing market was more buoyant then and I certainly wouldn't recommend it now.

Okay, what else can I add to this post? I have already mentioned the state of Kelso in previous posts and you must be fed up with hearing about it. I am certainly fed up with all the mess in the beautiful town. Diversions here - diversions there. Road up here, road up there. When will it end?  Enough said about that.

I am ending on a positive note. I hope you all like the new cover as mentioned above.  if so let me know vocally... if not.... let me know quietly - very quietly... :-)

Have a great day and a good honest life. You only get one crack at it. Be proud of it!!

Cheers!!


Tuesday 16 September 2014

Sale Over!

Just a quick  note to thank all those who downloaded a copy of The Trojan Project. The sale is now over, but I gather it went well.

Unfortunately the same can't be said for Kelso town centre. I had to run my husband to the Dr as he had an appt. There were holds ups everywhere. I'm telling you, you need nerves of steel to even think about visiting the town. My nerves were so bad by the time we got back home, I thought I was going to need major surgery.

When is it all going to end? Can anybody see a light at the end of the tunnel?

I have to go back into town today, but am putting it off as long as I can. I need to work myself up to the challenge!

Cheers!

Friday 12 September 2014

Odds and Ends! - Update

I have called this post 'Odds and Ends', which is really very appropriate as my life seems to be filled with odds and ends at the moment.

Take the town of Kelso for example. I have ranted on about the upheaval due to the fact that the paving stones are being replaced. Yes they look good, but when are they going to finished?  This has gone on for about two years now. One piece of the town gets finished and then for some reason the whole thing is ripped up again. Why? Did they forget to do something when they did it the first time? Or has it just come to light that one of the workmen is missing and they need to find him? I think I have said that before, but I really do wonder?

On Wednesday it was our Wedding Anniversary so we decided to go out for lunch. It was meant to be a relaxing trip out, just the two of us, after all the problems my husband has had with his health over the last eighteen months.  Unfortunately Phil didn't feel well half way through the meal and we had to drop everything and come home rather quickly. He got over it later in the dayu, but it was rather a shame it happened.

I am also trying to promote my novel, The Trojan Project.
It is an all action conspiracy thriller and is only 99c/99p until Tuesday 16th Sept.  I have to say the promotion/special offer seems to be going well and I think my publisher is rather pleased at the response. Perhaps the word is getting out that this is a rather good fast-paced read. (Even if I say so myself.  I have to say I was left breathless when writing it, as I tried to put everything into the story which begins in The Cheviot Hills in Northumberland UK, when something terrible happens....



It's my sister's birthday today and I gather her daughter is going around to visit with her young sone, Christopher. Valerie will be delighted as she is over the moon with her first grandchild. And so she should be, he is absolutely gorgeous.

Well I think that is all the odds & ends I have for you at the moment, Except to ask you all to stop by my website sometime, I could do with a few visitors.  Eileen Thornton   :-)

Have a good day!!

Cheers!!

QUICK UPDATE:
Only a few hours left for special offer. Thank you all for your support.

Regarding the situation in Kelso, things have got worse. Today, the traffic was at a standstill when I was driving my husband to the doctor's. We got there in time for his appt, but it was hit and miss.
But we are still smiling - just! Cheers all.


Friday 29 August 2014

I'm Back!!

Hi, everyone, it seems ages since I last posted a blog, but the thing is we have been away.

Okay, I admit, we were only away for one week, but since coming home my poor husband has been in hospital again and I have to say that put me off my stroke, so to speak.

We had a lovely break at Nidd Hall, a charming hotel near Harrogate. The weather was brilliant - in fact it was too hot. I had planned to do all sorts of things to help work off the calories I was soaking up from the delicious food in the restaurant, but the heat was just too much to do anything strenuous. --- Did I say strenuous?  I really meant a little bit strenuous :-)

Thankfully, Phil is home from hospital now and seems to be recovering well, but i came as a bit of a shock to us both.
Only Twelve Days

I have also been very tied up trying to promote the special offer of my novel,
      Only Twelve Days.  --- 99c/99p --- until Sunday 29th Aug.

Published by Creativia Publishing, it's an old fashioned romance about two shy lonely people who meet and fall in love. However, their path to happiness has a few twists and turns. It is set in around 1979, before mobile phones and computers had taken over our world.

If you are looking for some gentle reading for the weekend, then this is the book for you.  (You might also do me a big, big favour and pass that on to any of your friends who enjoy a romantic novel)

I went down into the town, Kelso, this morning as I need to pick up my prescription at the chemist. I really wish I hadn't bothered. The town was packed, one of the streets was closed - goodness knows what they are doing up there. The shops must be afraid of losing trade. And at the end of it all, I couldn't get parked so I still haven't got my pills!!

This is the peak time of the year for visitors to the town and the place looks a mess what with roads closed, parts of the streets cordoned off because of new paving slabs being laid and a new building going up.  All of this upheaval has been going on for two years now.  Yes, you read that right - two years!!

Okay, the pavements look better, and where the cobbles have been relaid in front of the Town Hall are less dangerous, but quite honestly I think the town has lost it's old world charm.

I think that is all for the moment, but I do hope you are all having a great day!

Cheers!!

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Special Offer

All this week Divorcees.biz will be on sale for 99c/99p

Divorcees.biz is a novel of fun and romance. Set in London, the story tells of how four friends decide to set up an online dating agency for divorcees.

Divorcees.biz light and frothy, the ideal holiday read. So if you are planning to jet off to the sun, download a copy now at this super low price.


Enjoy the read

Cheers!!

Friday 8 August 2014

It's Been a While....

It has been a while since I added a new post. I guess you all think I have deserted you. But no, here I am again. You see have been away for a week's break.

We had a lovely break at Nidd Hall. It's a really nice hotel near Harrogate and we have been going there for a few years now. I bet you all thought I was going to tell you we had been off to some distant sun-drenched shores, relaxing on golden sands, sipping long cool drinks from tall glasses.

Well, no, not quite.  Though we weren't on golden sands, I was drinking long cool drinks from tall glasses under the hot sun. Yes, that's right! It was very hot in Harrogate while we were there. In fact it was so hot, I had to keep going indoors to cool off.  I had planned on brisk walks to help keep off the weight after eating all the delicious food, but that wasn't to be. It was just too hot to stride out anywhere.  Nevertheless, we had a great week, simply lazing around and doing absolutely nothing!!

On a more practical front, since we have been home, my husband has bought a brand new scooter. It's Quingo's latest model that does almost everything you could ever want it to. No singing or dancing, but it does climb up into the car by itself. (Okay, you press a button to set it off up the ramp, but who minds pressing a button now and again)  Anyway, my husband is delighted with it and it does mean he can get out and about now. He has an electric wheelchair, but since we now have a smaller car (due to me now being the driver) it is impossible to get it into the car. If anyone out there is looking to buy an electric wheelchair do get in touch.

We also had a visit from a Cardiologist Specialist Nurse. She came to give my husband the full low down on his recent heart failure. Very thorough she was, too. Told us a few things we didn't know.

Kelso town centre is still in an uproar. It strikes me that they are taking up and relaying parts of the pavements they have already done. Did they make a mistake? Or could it be that they lost one of the workmen the first time around and are now having to retrace their steps to find him?  You never know! Could be!




I am hoping to get to visit our lovely nephew, Christopher very soon. He is growing so fast, I doubt I will recognise him when I see him. He certainly won't recognise me or Phil. It has been quite a while since he saw either of us.
 I can't remember whether I added a photo taken of him on his first birthday last June, so I have added it here. Doesn't he look a gorgeous little man?

Well I think that is all for the moment.

Have a great time wherever you are!

Cheers!!

Thursday 10 July 2014

Creativia - My New Publisher



I thought it was about time I told you a little about my new publisher, Creativia. You might recall that, on an earlier posting, I mentioned how Creativia had republished my novel, The Trojan Project.  However, since then they have been in touch about republishing my other two novels, Divorcees.Biz, and Only Twelve Days. I agreed to the merge some time ago, but it has taken Amazon over two weeks to complete the transaction. It seems they were having technical problems. Nevertheless it now seems that all is sorted and All three of my novels are published by Creativia Publishing.

To begin with, Publisher, Miika Hannila, is the great guy behind Creativia Publishing. One of the best things about him, apart from his friendliness to his authors, is that he always reads his emails and replies to our queries very promptly. What more could you want? He is always there to listen/read what we have to say.

So, who are Creativia Authors? Well for a start, we are all a really friendly bunch, who try to help each other along the rather difficult road of getting our novels out there.  Let's face it, getting a novel accepted for publication is only the first step of a long haul flight. Once published the book needs to be promoted. If the readers don't know it's there, how are earth are they going to be able to buy/download a copy? Don't you see? All those readers out there are missing out on a good read, because they haven't heard of our books. But promoting a novel is like walking through a minefield. However with the help of our fellow authors, it can be quite fun. Like I said, we are all very friendly and helpful towards each other. We are all enthusiastic about welcoming new authors who have signed up with Creativia.

However, there is always one person in any group whose enthusiasm stands out above the rest.and Creativia is no exception.  Julie M. Northup is a star when it coming to helping to promote our novels. Nothing is too much trouble for her. You just have to put forward an idea which has been milling around in your head, and before you know it, she has it up online for you.  Even on a trip to the Zoo, she was giving info about getting books out there.  Actually, while we are talking about Julie you might like to take a look at one of her books, Fears Of Darkness, which is only 99c/99p for a short time. I have downloaded a copy myself and am looking forward to reading it.

But it must be said that all the authors are brilliant. From Brian L Porter, writer of several novels about Jack the Ripper,
who I have known online for a number of years right down to some of the newest members, they are all keen to help each other. And this is how it should be. One person plugging away can't reach many people, but if several authors get together - watch out world!

So that's it in a nutshell. You heard it here first - Creativia  is a publisher to watch.

If you would like to take a look at all the books published by Creativia then follow the link and check them out.

Have a Great Day

Cheers!!


Wednesday 2 July 2014

This and That!!

How I would love to be able to tell you about all the wonderful things going on in my life at the moment!!  But I can't!

Not because they are a secret. No it's simply because Life is very quiet. I suppose I should be happy about that - and I am, I can certainly do without any problems rearing their head. I have had enough of those over the last year.  It's just that it would be nice if something wonderful would pop up now and again.

However, I suppose all this quietness has given me time to fiddle around with My Website. Fiddling around with widgets etc is no easy matter for me. Nevertheless, I have managed to add a Twitter live feed showing my tweets and re-tweets. I have also added a link to Amazon Shop Now, which means you can pop straight across to Amazon if you suddenly remember you want to buy something from them. Not necessarily my books, The link simply takes you to Amazon and from there you can buy anything you like. (though it would be nice if you dropped one of my books into the basket at the same time :-D.)

Tomorrow we are going to meet up with two of Phil's cousins. We haven't seen either of them for some while, so it will be nice to have a chat about old times. More about that after the event.

I understand that our gorgeous nephew, Christopher Ian,  really enjoyed his first birthday party. He has lots of young cousins who all came to help him celebrate.

He always looks so happy. Big smiles all the time. Or at least I think the smiles are there all the time. He is always smiling when we see him.  However that is not as often I we would like. Phil's health problems have meant that we can't get there too often.

Never mind, Tracey sends us lots of photos and we look forward to seeing them and  judging from the last few, he is certainly growing fast.

I think that is all for the moment. No doubt I will think of something once I publish this, but then I can always come back  :-)

Have a Great Day.

Cheers!!





Saturday 21 June 2014

Special offer This week!!

I doubt there is anyone in the entire universe who has not heard of my novel The Trojan Project. Well I am sorry to tell you that I am mentioning it again!

But I do have some good news, because all this week the novel will be on offer to download for only 99c or 99p whichever is your currency. It doesn't matter what your currency is, because on both sides of the pond, that is a darn good deal. Certainly one not to be missed.

Meanwhile, things in the Thornton household are going well. I am getting back to the sequel of The Trojan Project, which I started some time ago. I don't know why I suddenly stopped writing it. Perhaps I decided to go for something lighter and wrote Divorcees.Biz followed by Only Twelve Days instead. But for whatever reason, I am back and intend to carry on until the end. Well that is the plan and I have been assured that it is always good to have a plan.

Of course, just because someone has a plan, it doesn't mean everything is going to work out. I had a plan a long time ago that I was going to rich and famous, but so far that hasn't happened and those that know me personally realise that time is running out for me!!  Unless everyone reading this suddenly decides that they can't live another moment without a copy of The Trojan Project on their Kindle. It wouldn't make me rich, but I'm telling you it would certainly make me a very happy bunny.

At the moment, there is someone out in our garden painting our garage. It was starting to look very faded, so we thought it was time to have the whole thing spruced up. I have to say he is making a good job of it. I will add a photo here when he has finished.

Well I think that is all for the moment.

Have a good day wherever you are

Cheers!!

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Character Blog!

Julie Northup has added a short interview with me to her blog.

The interview was about the novel I am working on at the moment.  Why not head on over there and take a look.  Enjoy!

The Link is below:

http://jmnorthup.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/author-eileen-thornton-meet-my-character.html?spref=fb

Wednesday 11 June 2014

More News!! + Update!

My new publisher, Creativia, has produced an new video trailer for my novel, The Trojan Project. How exciting is that? It was something I always wanted to do for myself, but sadly I had no idea how to produce videos. Hopefully you will all be keen to see it, so I have added the link here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GscE2f2iB8

If you could possibly find the 'Like' button, I would be grateful if you would give it a nudge and then pass on the link to your friends and family. (might as well get them involved, too) I really need to get the news out there and I am relying on you all to help.

I hate to say this, but Kelso Town centre is still in a mess. It's a shame for all the tourists coming to see this quaint little town with its cobbled streets only to find the place in an uproar. It will be Civic Week soon, a time when lots of people come into the town to cheer on the riders as they ride the boundaries of the Borders. A tradition which celebrates the historic past of the area. At the moment, the Town Square, where the ceremony is held, is cordoned off while the cobbles have been taken up and are in the process of being relaid. Probably something to do with health & safety :-)  Quite honestly, I have tried to avoid going into the town and I am sure several other people have done the same, which must be a nightmare for the local shops.

Despite my husband being so wobbly on his feet due to his recent health problems, we have managed to get our garden swing out from hibernation in the garage. So now we are hoping for some sunshine so we can gently rock back and forwards while reading our books and sipping something cool and delicious. When you put it like that, it sounds wonderful, and believe me it is. But at the moment, you can never be sure that the heavens won't open and we will be drowned, while gathering up our bits and pieces and clambering indoors.

 The Borders Book Festival, held in Melrose, starts today until Sunday. I have 6 books in the Festival
Bookshop, so I am going to go along when it is quiet, to take a couple of photos. Did I really say 'when it is quiet'? I don't know why I said that! From my experience it is heaving all the time as people gather to hear their favourite authors talk about their books.  And before you ask, no! I am not that famous, so I won't be giving a talk. But if you keep on passing around the info at the top of the page.... you never know!

On that wishful note, I think I will call it a day.

Have a great day and if you are going to the book festival, look out for my books - The Trojan Project & Only Twelve Days. 

The photo above is the Update!!  
I have just got back from the Borders Book Festival and my books are on show.

Cheers!!


Sunday 1 June 2014

Back Again!

Things have been a bit hectic in the Thornton household of late. My husband was whisked away to hospital - again last week. However, they did seem to get to the root of the problem and have done something about it, so hopefully, all will be well.

Of course to find the cause of his problem involved a great deal of X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans and probably a few things that scientists around the globe are still working on.  But I have to say that the Borders General Hospital pulled out all the stops and got him sorted and home after 9 days. So with a bit of luck and a fair wind he is back on the road to recovery.

Today someone came and put some new windows in our garage. We now have glass windows. When the garage was first erected, the company doing the job used clear plastic. I have to admit the plastic or whatever the real name for it is, worked quite well. But as the years went by, the sun turned the clear plastic into a horrible yellowish colour. And if that wasn't bad enough, the  plastic was so thin it began to crack.

Anyway, like I said we have had the five panes changed and I have to say it is looking marvellous. So when the guy comes back to wash down the whole structure and give it a repaint, it is going to look like a Wendy House!

It's a shame I can't say as much for Kelso Town Centre. Oh my goodness! All I wanted to do on Thursday morning was to drop a letter from the hospital into our Dr. The letter was regarding my husband's discharge from hospital. It it hadn't been so important, I would have turned around and gone back home. All manner of things were going on. Including white lining along the road past Lidl's. Anyway, I took a different route home. Is this chaos in our lovely town ever going to end? But then on the other hand, Galashiels, a few miles away has problems, too.

It has been decided to re-open the railway from Edinburgh to Galashiels. The last time I was in Galashiels, I almost lost the will to live. I drove around and around trying to find somewhere to park. The car park nearest to where we were going was closed, as was the bus station! Can you believe it? Even the bus station was closed.  Is the train going to stop in the bus station I wonder??  Even the one way system had been altered, in that, what was once the going up up through the town centre was now the going down through the town centre. Quite honestly, the situation was so awful trying to sort out where I was and where I was going next, I thought I was going to lay an egg.

With all the problems of the Edinburgh Tram System, you would think they would have left well alone. But no! If you are going to muck it up, then really go for it!!
Okay, rant over!!

Our lovely nephew is home from his holiday in Corfu. I have seen one photo of him enjoying his holiday, so I am looking forward to seeing more very soon. I believe he kept his mum and dad on their toes during their stay, so no doubt he had a great time.

Well I think that is all for the moment..... except to remind you all of my new website - www.eileenthornton.com   and that my novel, The Trojan Project has now been re-published by Creativia.

Have a great day!

Cheers!

Wednesday 14 May 2014

Stumped!

Yes, you read that right!  I am absolutely stumped: I don't know what to write about today. Nothing happened yesterday, so far nothing has happened today, and if the trend continues, then nothing will happen tomorrow!

That does not mean I want something horrible to suddenly descend on me just so I can write about it tomorrow. No, far from it. But just think, wouldn't it be wonderful something exciting were to happen today or tomorrow so that I could come back here bursting with news.

I can't even tell you anything about the novels I started am working on some time ago because I don't seem to be able to add anything to them. So you can see how serious the situation is. I used to sit here and ramble away, but I seem to have writers' block. At one time I didn't believe there was such a thing, but I can tell you here and now that there is - and I have got it!


I have just thought of one trickle of news. Our lovely nephew, Christopher sent a little card thanking, both me and my husband for the little Easter present we sent down for him. Of course the little man didn't actually pick up a pen and write it himself, his father did it for him. But I am sure he dictated the message and made sure his daddy got it right. :-)


Christopher is growing up fast. I understand he is going on his holidays to Corfu this year, so he has had a passport sorted out for him. And I am sure that he has made a list of all the things he wants to take away with him. Another big smile here :-D  The little man isn't a year old yet, but I know he has the family organised.  He has even got his first pair of shoes for when he is up and walking, which I gather won't be too long now.

I think that is all for the moment, but, as usual, if something suddenly blows into my mind, I will get straight back here with it.

Oops, nearly forgot, if you have a minute to spare, please log onto my new website. I need a little traffic to show Google search engine the way there!! www.eileenthornton.com 

Have a great day wherever you are,

Cheers!!

Saturday 10 May 2014

My New Website! & a few other things!

Two exciting pieces of news for you today!

I have just launched a brand new website. 

I would really be grateful if you would take a look and let me know what you think of it so far.

I still have a few things to add, but I am getting there. At the moment it is displaying my novels, which is why I set it up in the first place, but I hope to add a few other things of interest. Therefore I would love a few ideas from you all

The address is  www.eileenthornton.com

The Trojan Project now has a new publisher

The recent promotion I organised for The Trojan Project was a great success. A big thank you to anyone who downloaded a copy. I do hope you enjoy the read and pass on the information to your reading friends, group and anyone you can think of.

Since the promotion, the novel has been picked up by a publisher. So how exciting is that?  They also negotiated with the artist who did the cover and have been given permission to use it, so I am quite delighted on all points. I love the cover and it has been well admired.  It seems that the new publisher loved it, too and wanted to keep it.

I have also upgraded my phone. However, I do still have the same number. I think I have got to grips with it now. Technology is way beyond me these days, but I am learning. And I have to say the people I spoke to on the EE help line were really very good.

So all round it has been quite an eventful week for me. I don't suppose anything more exciting will happen for some time - unless I win the lottery this evening.  But that is not going to happen!!

Nearly forgot - I am going on a diet!!

Have a great day wherever you are

Cheers!!

Quick PS!!!  I didn't win the Lottery last Saturday :-( 




Saturday 12 April 2014

Twelve of the Best


   

I know from the title of this post that you are all gong to think I have twelve wonderful things to tell you - well I am sorry to say, I haven't. I can't think of a single wonderful thing that has happened to me since I last posted here. (Apart from Divorcees.Biz doing well on Amazon in my spring sale)

Twelve of the Best: A Collection of Light-hearted Short Stories

However, what I have got to say is that I have a new book out on Kindle.  Not so much a book, but an anthology of short stories, which were all published some years ago in women's magazines in the UK.
The title of the anthology is Twelve of the Best  and is available from Amazon.

The stories are quite short and are all very light-hearted, something to brighten even the dullest of days for everyone. If this works out okay and you are all smiling after reading the stories, I will produce another anthology as I have plenty of short stories to go around. :-)

As I mentioned above, rather briefly, Divorcees.Biz together with Only Twelve Days is in my spring sale at the moment. If you have missed it, then head over to Amazon and download your copy before it is too late. As usual, the links are in the titles.

About two weeks ago my outdoor clothes whirly snapped in the wind with all my washing pegged to the lines. Can you imagine it? We were out at the time, so a neighbour very kindly gathered up my washing and took it indoors. Anyway, I have a brand new one out there now, but not without a great deal of help from my neighbour and a man who comes to do some handiwork for us. The new spear had to be cemented into the ground and then I had to wait a few days for it to set/harden, whatever it is cement does,  before I could use it. However, it is up and running again now, so hopefully this one will last for a good number of years.

Our nephew, Christopher, is doing well.. Now that he has found his feet, he is wanting to pull himself up all the time. I believe he is keeping his mum and dad very busy!

I think that is all for the moment, but if you have any comments, I would be delighted to hear from you,

Cheers!

Tuesday 25 March 2014

The Night I Couldn't Sleep!

Have you ever spent the night trying to get to sleep but find your mind is far too busy?

That is exactly what happened to me the other night. Despite feeling quite tired when I went to bed, the moment I got under the duvet, my mind woke up and suddenly everything and nothing began running through it. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't switch it off.

I wouldn't care if I was thinking about something constructive. Something that was going to make the world a better place. Or even when I was going to get back to the novel I am so desperately trying to put together. Which, incidentally, isn't going well at all. I have got all these characters in a situation and I have no idea what to do with them next....  But there I go again, I am rambling off onto something else.

No! I couldn't focus on anything like that. All I could think about were the stars and the planets hurtling around our solar system. This could have been brought on by a programme I saw on Channel Four a short while ago. The programme was live from the space station and it was focussed on the earth for 90 minutes so we were all able to take a look.

On the other hand it might have been because we organised a star somewhere in the Universe to be named after our nephew, Christopher Swithenbank Dobson. How about that? Somewhere up there in the Andromeda section, a little star has been registered as Christopher Swithenbank Dobson. But whatever the reason, my head was buzzing with thoughts of other planets and whether or not they were inhabited.

I know the 'experts' tell us that the planets nearer to us do not have life on them. They say the lack of atmosphere and no water means these other worlds couldn't support life. But you know, I'm not convinced about that.  The way I see it, we humans here on earth are built the way we are because of our atmosphere and water. Not the other way around.

What I mean is, if we had been born on another planet without these things our bodies would have been built differently - we wouldn't have needed water and air to survive. ---- we would need whatever else the planet had. But then what do I know?

And there's another thing I have a bee in my bonnet about. I understand that NASA has sent out some kind of information about our planet to any passing Alien.  But what Alien in their right mind would want to come here to our world? If they simply took a look at how we treat each other on this planet it would surely put them off from stopping by to say hello. And if I am right, and they are built differently to us, then that's another reason to shoot past earth as quickly as they can. Look at how the different species get treated here. The cruelty to animals on this earth is really terrible.

Anyway all this was running through my mind so I couldn't get to sleep.  Hopefully, now I have got it all oot of my system I will sleep like a log tonight.

Hope I haven't dampened your day, but if I have, then try a glass of wine, which is what I should have done when I couldn't sleep.  Now why didn't I think of that earlier???

Cheers!!

Monday 17 March 2014

Very Quiet!

What do you tell folks when you have absolutely nothing to say?

That is my problem at the moment. I profess to write a blog and I really do try to keep it going, but it seems that when I sit down to write something I find I really haven't any news at all.

The thing about it that is so unnerving, is that I never used to be like that at all. There was a time when people couldn't shut me up. (My husband will probably confirm that if you ask him.)  I could talk the hind leg off a donkey and still have plenty to say. But now, as the years are moving along, I find I'm not really doing much so can't pass on any news at all. (Interesting or otherwise)

Nevertheless, I have one piece of news today. We went to see our gorgeous nephew, Christopher on Sunday. He is nine months old now and what a little cutie he is. He was smiling and happy all the time we were there.
I have added a little photo of him here so you can see what I mean about the smiling part. It was so lovely seeing him again as the time is passing so quickly and I don't want to miss out on any part of it. Though I think he might be walking the next time I see him as he was really trying to get on his feet yesterday.

We had the outside of our house cleaned this week. Yes, you read that right. A man came and washed all the outside walls with suds and then a hose. So it looking all nice and clean for the summer. The problem now is that I should really set about spring cleaning the inside, but at the moment I can't seem to drum up any enthusiasm. No doubt I will get my head around it at some point, but not yet!

Another person called on the same day to replant the little trees we have in pots. We decided that it would be better if they were in the ground as they get dry during the summer months and need me to water them so often. I think they will have a better chance at surviving now they are in the ground. That's what I told them, anyway.  The same man also propped up another tree, which had fallen over in the recent winds. This is the second time he has had to do this, so I do hope it will survive as the birds nest in there during the spring.

Well for someone who had nothing to say, I have certainly rabbited on a bit.  I hope you are all still with me at this point.

I think that is all for the moment, so I will bid you all a farewell and pour myself a drink! It must be about the right time now.   Is there ever a wrong time?

Have a great day,

Cheers!!


Friday 21 February 2014

Forgetful

When I sat down to write this post, I thought of a few things that had happened to me over the last few days that might you smile.  However, now that I have opened up the blog, I can't think of a single thing. Everything I wanted to say has just disappeared from my mind.

I have to say this is not the first time this has happened; and there are times when I wonder whether I should be worried about this sudden affliction. But then I snap out of such thoughts and go off to do something else.

Perhaps that's what I should do now before I bore you all to pieces.  But you see, I'm hoping that if I sit here long enough, I'll suddenly remember what it was I wanted to tell you in the first place. Though by that time, you will all have drifted off to another site or fallen asleep  :-)

Something I did do on Wednesday, was to go to Newcastle with my friend. As usual, we had a good few hours looking around the shops before meeting up for lunch and a glass of wine.  As you are all dying to know what I bought, I'll tell you. I ended up with two pairs of tights, a pair of shoes and.......  a bread bin!
Yes, you read that right, a bread bin. I travelled 70 miles each way on the bus to buy a bread bin. However, it looks rather nice standing on my worktop in the kitchen so it was well worth it.

I was at the Dr's on Tuesday. I was having a strange mole thing, removed from my chest. (I call it a mole, the Dr gave it another name, which I have totally forgotten)  Anyway, what ever it is, isn't cancerous, so that's good news. I ended up having two stitches, which have to remain in place until next Tuesday. Thankfully it all went very smoothly and I didn't faint or anything. :-)

Well think I will have to close now, as I really can't remember what on earth it was I wanted to talk about.  If it comes back to me I'll add a PS

Have a great day,

Cheers!!

Tuesday 18 February 2014

My Website Problems!!


I am in the middle of trying to get my website sorted/brought up to date!!  If you recall, I couldn't get a photo of my latest novel to appear permanently on the right hand side of my blog (and still can't) so you can imagine the problems I am having to get my website into some sort of order.

When I say, I, I really mean my husband, who set the whole thing up for me many moons ago. But now, everything seems to have changed without anyone notifying us, so we are in a fix!

Anyway in the meantime, I thought I would post my three novels here until I can get something else to work.

So here we go, I'm sure there must be something for everyone, so why not take a look? Especially as you are here now  :-)




The first novel I had published was The Trojan Project. a spine-chilling action adventure thriller, set in the Cheviot Hills in North East England






Next came Divorcees.Biz, a novel of fun and romance. Set in London, it tells the story of how four, thirty-something divorced ladies decide to set up an online dating agency for divorcees.


Finally there is Only Twelve Days, a heart-warming, feel-good romance set in 1979. A time before mobile phones and computers had taken over the business world. (Oh yes, these gadgets haven't been here since time began, even if you think they have.) :-)


Thank you for your time, everyone. Let me know your thoughts!!

As I am off to Newcastle tomorrow, I hope to get back to you with a little more news.

Have a great day,

Cheers!!

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Only Twelve Days --- Problems!!









     ONLY TWELVE DAYS

  A Heart-warming romance


 Available from Amazon






    
For the last two days I have tried to add a picture of Only Twelve Days to the left hand side of the page. The idea was that it would stay there permanently together with a blurb about the story- or at least until I wrote another novel, which could be in 2017 at the rate I am going.

However, nothing I did seemed to work, so I have added the photo here in the hope that someone will see it.  I had to do it this way or sit here fuming.  I can't stand it when something suddenly doesn't work. I have never had any problems before. I have simply pressed a few buttons and hey presto! the image has been exactly where I want it to be,  But not this time. Of course I blame Windows. It seems to be since I got this new laptop with the brand new all singing and all dancing Windows 8 that this trouble loomed up from nowhere just to get me down. 

Why on earth can't they leave things alone. Windows XP was brilliant. It worked great and I had no problems at all. In fact everyone I spoke to was absolutely delighted with it. So why change it? But no! They had to bring out Widows 7 and now Windows 8. 

Perhaps that was the problem. Everyone found they could work their PCs perfectly, so the powers that be decided that it must be time to change the whole system.

So like I said, the book cover is shown above. The back cover blurb can be found on the left hand side of the page..... Oh yes! That went up there like a dream, it's only the picture that I am having the problem with.

Anyway, enough of my rant.  I only hope that now I have finally got Only Twelve Days up here you will at least check it out.  The links are in the title, cute eh?  :-)

Take care everyone and have a great day,

Cheers!!

Monday 10 February 2014

A Great Deal of This and That

It has been a while since I lasted posted here. How the time flies . Where does it go? And, more to the point, does it have to go so quickly?  I have even had a birthday since I was last here and that was at least two weeks ago!

We didn't do anything special on my actual birthday day, as my husband had a hospital appointment. Though I have to say the Borders General Hospital has become a home from home these past months   :-)  We did have a coffee and a Kit Kat from the cafe on the ground floor as a sort of celebration, so I suppose all was not lost. The cafe is run by the WRVS and everyone is so friendly.

However the following day our friends treated us both to afternoon tea at the Roxburgh Hotel, which I have to say was very scrumptious!! There were finger sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and the most delicious cakes, all very nicely presented to us around an open fire in the drawing room. I have made a note that we must go back there again.

Apart from that, I haven't done anything at all. The weather hasn't been too good for getting out and about, though I have to say it hasn't been as bad here as it has in the Somerset area. It must be really dreadful for the people who have lost their homes. I only hope the water levels drop soon and they can get back to some resemblance of order. However I doubt anything will ever be the same again for them.

A little more help from the Government wouldn't come amiss. Though now that the River Thames is beginning to rise, I guess they start to do something!

Meanwhile Kelso town centre is still in turmoil due to the 'improvements'. Can you believe it? This has been going on for about a year now and I understand that it won't be finished until the summer. True, some lovely paving stones have been laid and I agree that they look good - very neat and clean --- but did it really have to take so long?? Next on the list is a face lift for the shop fronts, so now I suppose we have have scaffolding all over the place; very probably making a mess of all the brand new pavement. So will it all begin again? Will we have men sloshing water all over the place to clean up the mess made from the shop face lifts only to have to clean the shop fronts again.  Oh my goodness it could go on and on. I could still be writing about all this in two years time!!

You know, I think that if a woman had been in charge of Kelso's face lift, it would have been done and dusted months ago! Did I hear a groan from some of my male readers??

On Sunday, we are going to a meeting in the Tait Hall. It seems the Conservatives have changed the way they select a candidate for Westminster. We are all being given the chance to hear what each person has to say and then we can vote for the person we think would be best for the job. How about that then?? At least we will get a chance to voice our opinion and not have someone thrown at us from above.

And now a couple of snippets about my novels.

1)  My book, Divorcees.Biz is being featured on Wednesday February 12th 2014 at eBookSoda, a new readers' site where they'll send you ebook recommendations tailored to your taste. http://www.ebooksoda.com/ebook-deals/. You might want to take a peek, Well I hope you do.....

2)  Only Twelve Days is being displayed on Fat Fairy Fantastic at the moment. I would be grateful if tou would stop by and add a LIKE by pressing the button on the left hand side of the page. The In-depth review  shown is written by Fran Lewis in the USA and can also be found on Amazon

And now I think I have run out of bits and pieces to tell you and am in need of a glass of wine.  Writing is very dry work :-)

Have a great day,

Cheers!!

Friday 24 January 2014

Quick Update

I have to call this a quick update as I really don't anything to tell you. Yes are a few things I should be doing, but somehow I can't really work up any enthusiasm.

Have you ever felt like that? Stupid question! Of course you have. Everyone must go through that sort of phase once in a while. But it passes and then everything gets back to normal. Well that is how it is supposed to work. The only thing is, I seem to be stuck in this lack of enthusiasm mode and can't get out of it.

I should be working on my sequel to Divorcees.Biz, a fun romance...  I could be thinking about writing a sequel to Only Twelve Days, a heart-warming love story...  I could also add a few words to the sequel of The Trojan Project an action-packed thriller, which, incidentally, was nominated for the Desmond Elliott Prize in 2008... But no! I just can't get my head around any of it.

I did go off to Newcastle with my friend on Wednesday. That was great, but then I do get enthusiastic when it comes to a trip to Newcastle, But I can't do that every day! It's a 140 mile round trip!

So what do you all do when you feel like this? I would love to hear what you do to get through it.

On a brighter note, it's my birthday next week. Did I say on a brighter note?  I think I might have got that wrong.  I'm not sure what is so bright about being one year older, especially as the years are creeping up on me at an alarming rate. I have never known the years to pass so quickly as they are doing now. It doesn't seem fourteen years ago that we crossed into the 21st century. When we were told it was possible that aeroplanes were going to fall out of the sky as computers across the world crashed. Thankfully none of that happened.  I have just read that back and am amazed at how my mind wandered fro my birthday to planes falling from the sky!!

I do hope I have something more exciting to blog about when I write my next post.

Meanwhile, I would love to hear from you all,

Cheers!!


Monday 13 January 2014

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you all.

I am so sorry about the belated Happy New Year, but I don't seem to have caught up with 2014 yet. I don't know what is wrong, but I just seem to be stuck in year 2013. I have no idea why I would want to hang around there for so long. It certainly wasn't a good year for  my husband or for me. Anyway, I have suddenly realised that we are in the middle of January and I haven't posted anything here since December.

I do hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. We went out to The Queens Head here in Kelso for Christmas Day lunch and I have to say it was wonderful. The food was wonderful and everyone was in such good spirits. We will definitely go there again next Christmas... or should that be this Christmas? I never know which is the right phrase to use. I shall leave you to ponder on that one.

And now that all the festivities are over I guess you will be sorting out your holiday for this summer. Up to now we are going to go back to Nidd Hall, near Harrogate. We both enjoy going there. It is so easy going and relaxing. Once I get it booked up we shall have something to look forward to.



Our lovely nephew, Christopher, who was born last June is doing very well. He woke up to lots of wonderful presents on Christmas morning and even
had his own Christmas Cracker complete with his paper hat. He looks so cute in his hat I just had to share a little photo with you.

His mother, our niece, and his father are so proud of him - as are all the rest of the family.

Last week my friend and I made a trip to Newcastle. The weather had been horrendous strong winds and lashing rain for seemed like forever. But surprise surprise, it all eased off for the day so we were able to get there on the bus without any delays.

A good look around the shops and a glass (or two) of wine in M&S certainly works wonders for us. We both felt like new women when we arrived home. However it soon wears off. Therefore we are going back again tomorrow for another dose!!  I think our husbands have got used to the idea of us deserting them one day a week. They might even be delighted to have a day on their own!!

Apart from that I don't think I have done anything else over the last two weeks. The weather has been so bad. However, I guess we weren't hit a badly as so areas were, so for that we are really very thankful.

Just to keep you up to date, Kelso town centre is still in a mess. New paving slabs are still being laid. I am beginning to wonder whether they are just going around in circles!!

My three novels are still on Amazon. If anyone would like to check them out, simply follow the links.

Only Twelve Days, a heart-warming romance.
Divorcees.Biz, a novel of fun & romance.
The Trojan Project, an action thriller.


They are available on Kindle and in paperback.

Take care, everyone and I hope this year, now that I have finally joined it,  is going to be brilliant for all of us!!!

Cheers!!