I’m helping Kaff out at The Nut Press today. (Yes, believe it or not, VIS’s like me do sometimes have to get their paws dirty and do some work!) It doesn’t feel very much like work though, ‘cos we’re hosting one of my lovely writer friends, Christina Courtenay. (You’ll remember that I met the lovely lady earlier this year up in Abergavenny.) She’s kicking off the blog tour for her latest novel, Highland Storms, a sequel to her terrific debut novel, Trade Winds. As you can see from the photo, I scampered out among the heather in my full tartan glory earlier today to have a read and it is excellent. Here’s a taster for you:

Betrayed by his brother and his childhood love, Brice Kinross needs a fresh start. So he welcomes the opportunity to leave Sweden for the Scottish Highlands to take over the family estate.
But there’s trouble afoot at Rosyth in 1754 and Brice finds himself unwelcome. The estate’s in ruin and money is disappearing. He discovers an ally in Marsaili Buchanan, the beautiful redheaded housekeeper, but can he trust her?
Marsaili is determined to build a good life. She works hard at being housekeeper and harder still at avoiding men who want to take advantage of her. But she’s irresistibly drawn to the new clan chief, even though he’s made it plain he doesn’t want to be shackled to anyone.
And the young laird has more than romance on his mind. His investigations are stirring up an enemy. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what he wants – including Marsaili – even if that means destroying Brice’s life forever …

There’s an interview that Kaff’s done with Christina and there’s also a competition to win a copy of Highland Storms over on The Nut Press and I’m going to be judging it. All you have to do is to make up a book title including a place name and a type of weather. I’ll pick a winner from all your fab entries on Thursday. (See? I just never stop, do I? Such is the life of a celebrity squirrel.) So, why not scamper over there and check it out?

Highland Storms (ISBN: 978-1906931711) is Christina’s third novel and is out next month. You can read the first two chapters here and it is available to pre-order from Amazon UK, Amazon.com and The Book Depository. Christina’s previous novels Trade Winds and The Scarlet Kimono are also available from Choc Lit and all good booksellers. Trade Winds was short listed for the Romantic Novelist’s Association’s Pure Passion Award for Best Historical Fiction 2011. To find out more about Christina, you can read her Author Page, visit her Author Website or Follow Christina on Twitter. 

Yesterday afternoon, Kaff and I went out for the day. We hadn’t been anywhere for aaaaaaaaaaages, so I was super excited about the road trip. It was brilliantly sunny and a warm Spring day and we drove up the Heads of the Valleys road and dropped down over the hills into Llanfoist to have lunch with Geek-boy’s parents. His mummy, June, came into Abergavenny with us and almost immediately Kaff’s nose went twitchy and she led us along at a cracking pace. I knew from how frantic she was that she had either sniffed out chocolate or books. And what do you know? …. It was both!

Margaret James and Christina Courtenay, two lovely authors published by ChocLit (as you’ll appreciate, Kaff loves their books) were in Waterstone’s doing a book signing, and those writerly temptresses had chocolate to lure people in. It worked with Kaff! and *cough* I might have tucked a couple of Twirls down my jumper. Also there was another super lady we know from Twitter, Maureen Vincent-Northam, so we had a fab tweet-up. We spent the afternoon chatting and eating choc (yum!) and watching Margaret and Christina chat to people about their books and then signing them. Here’s a picture of me with Margaret and Christina and the wonderful display of their books and chocs in Waterstone’s Abergavenny.

Afterwards, we all went for a cup of coffee and then it was time to hot-paw it to Cardiff to meet Geek-boy off the London train.  It was a really fun day and I had a smashing time out and about. I don’t like to blow my own trumpet but I think I was a bit of a hit with the ladies, too…

Kaff and I have loved both of Christina’s books, Trade Winds and The Scarlet Kimono and we’re currently really enjoying Margaret’s novel, The Silver Locket, which we’re reading at the moment. In fact, we’re just about to take it out into the sunny garden and read some more. Have a sunny Sunday, folks!