#Blogtour How to Hear Ghosts by David Griffiths

It's my turn on the Blogtour How to Hear Ghosts by David Griffiths.

About the Author

For many  years David Griffiths has taught a variety of subjects (including English, Psychology, History and Sociology) in Further Education colleges in East Yorkshire - the inspiration for the setting for his book. More recently he has taught English and Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. David completed How to Hear Ghosts as part of a PhD in Creative Writing while attending Manchester Met University as a student. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, he now lives in Formby, Liverpool.

About the book

In the wake of  his mother’s death, 16-year old Ollie is thrust into the world of his uncle, Dominic Quinn, a renowned stage medium. Communing with the dead runsi in Ollie’s family – or so he believes. But as he starts to hear voices in his head, he must confront the possibility that they are no more than a spiral into hereditary madness.

Haunted by the mysterious letter that plagued his mum’s final days, Ollie embarks on a quest for answers. With the help of one of his uncle’s mysterious books and the support of his classmate, Hannah, Ollie delves into the secrets surrounding his mother’s past.

But as he navigates the blurred line between reality and the paranormal, he must face a daunting question: will it make him famous like his uncle, or dead like his mother? In this gripping young adult novel, Ollie discovers that sometimes, the most terrifying ghosts are the ones we carry inside.

Review

I think the author does an excellent job of creating a mystery within a question to which there is no answer, because the truth is we don't know everything and don't have access to all the information to be able to answer the question with absolute certainty. Is there something beyond death, is there a possibility of communicating with what remains of the dead - the spirit, soul or energy even?

Or is all it just a grand ruse? An illusion within hundreds of smaller ones, perpetrated by the intuitive, the clever con-people, the scam artists, and the people under the guise of inherited ability connected to folklore and legend. Those groups being divided again by profit, a deep need to help others soothe their pain and conscience, and actual believers.

In this story Ollie falls into another group, into the mental illness category. When voices are nothing more than a figment of imagination, a symptom that can be medicated, and also be manipulated by others. But the question - the real question in this story - is what is real, what is truth and what is Ollie's reality?

Will there be more? Is this just the beginning of our relationship with Ollie as he navigates what he has discovered about himself and the world he inhabits or the world he thinks he inhabits? And what will he do with his truth?

It's a good read, one that keeps the reader on the cusp of something similar to a door, which has been intentionally opened just ever so slightly so we have a quick peep and become just a tad curious about the rest. Okay then, what's next!

Buy How to Hear Ghosts at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Wrate's Publishing; pub date 4th April 2024 | Paperback £9.99 | Kindle £3.99. Available via Amazon and to order in all good bookshops. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The No-Hopers Christmas Club by Geraldine Ryan

 It's my turn on the Blogtour The No-Hopers Christmas Club by Geraldine Ryan.

About the Author

Geraldine Ryan is a proud Northerner who has spent most of her life in Cambridge – the one with the punts. She holds a degree in Scandinavian Studies, but these days only puts it to use when identifying which language is being spoken among the characters of whatever Scandi drama is currently showing on TV. 

For many years, she worked as a teacher of English and of English as a second or foreign language, in combination with rearing her four children, all of whom are now grown-up, responsible citizens. Her first published story appeared in My Weekly in 1993. Since then, her stories have appeared in Take a Break, Fiction Feast and Woman’s Weekly, as well as in women’s magazines abroad. 

She has also written two young adult novels – Model Behaviour (published by Scholastic) and The Lies and Loves of Finn (Channel 4 Books.) She plans for Riding Pillion with George Clooney to be the first of several short story anthologies. 

Keep up to date with Geraldine’s news, be the first to hear about her new releases and read exclusive content by signing up to her monthly newsletter Turning the Page. By adding your details, you’ll also receive a free short story. Use this link to subscribe: Turningthepage. Follow @GeraldineRyan on Twitter, or Facebook geraldineryanwriter

About the book

As warming as a mince pie and a glass of sherry, these eighteen festive-themed shorts are just waiting to be unwrapped.

• A lonely dog shelter volunteer battles to find new homes for her long-time canine residents while realising her own future is just as uncertain. As the new year approaches, can a fellow animal lover give her the fresh start she so wants for her dogs.

• A widowed grandmother prepares to reunite with her forbidden first love, only to discover the grand country pile from where he’s sent her a Christmas card isn’t quite what it seems.

• A single woman finally meets a man to couple up with over the festive season, but will the eccentric mistress of her late father destroy her plans?

• An ambitious 20-something attends a lavish Christmas party with only one aim – to bag a rich husband. But her plans are derailed when a troubling connection with the aristocrat she’s set her sights on is revealed.

Geraldine Ryan is a prolific short-story writer whose work has appeared in Woman’s Weekly and Take a Break’s Fiction Feast magazines. This yuletide collection follows hot on the heels of her first published anthology Riding Pillion with George Clooney. While Christmas comes but once a year, these moving and humorous tales will stay with you for a lifetime.

Review

If you take as a theme - It's a Wonderful Life, where the balance between hope, dismay, carrying on or giving up is often just a moment of clarity or reflection. For me this was at the core of these short stories. Perspective is everything. Allowing yourself to take a different turn in the road. 

This is a collection of what appears to be cosy stories, but if you look close enough you can see the glimpses of human nature - good, bad, ugly and even the slightly messy. You can see the moments where the roads collide, and decisions must be made, which is quintessentially the way the majority of us live our lives.

I'd recommend this to readers who want a read that wanders through a variety of emotional depth. Short glimpses of situations and lives centred around the festive season. A story for everyone, and perhaps even some that will jolt memories, make you smile or vanish into the short interludes.

Buy The No-Hopers Christmas Club at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.  Publisher: ‎Wrate's Publishing, pub date 14 Nov 2022. Buy at Amazon com.