MORE to BROWSE - Pages that might be of Interest

Sunday, 20 July 2025

A Coffee Pot Book Club Tour for: A MISCHIEF OF MURDER by Me... Helen Hollick. (Jan Christopher episode #6)

STARTING MONDAY JULY 21st!
DO JOIN ME!


About the Book

The village Flower and Veg Show should be a fun annual event – but who added mischief and murder to the traditional schedule?

July 1973 

Old friends and new enemies? Jan Christopher’s Aunt Madge is to be a judge at Chappletawton’s annual village flower and vegetable summer show – a chance for the family to have a holiday in the Devon countryside, especially as Jan’s fiancĂ©, DS Laurie Walker, is still recovering from gunshot wounds and her uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, is enduring injury-related sick leave.

The event should be a fun occasion where friendly rivalry between gardeners, cooks and crafters lead to the hopeful winning of the coveted Best In Show trophy – but who added mischief and murder to the traditional schedule?

"As delicious as a Devon Cream Tea!"

What a fun and entertaining read ... Miss Read meets The Darling Buds of May in St. Mary Mead!”

"The Darling Buds of May, but Devon not Kent.”


FOLLOW THE TOUR!

July 21st









July 22nd









July 23rd
The Writing Desk

A Darn Good Read

Books + Coffee = Happiness

Carolyn Hughes' Official Blog

The Historical Fiction Company

Yarde Reviews & Book Promotion

The Whispering Bookworm

Mary's Bookcase

As you can see, I'll be busy!


The Coffee Pot Book Club
Official Tour Page



PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW 

ON AMAZON! 



Just a 4 or 5 star rating and a brief 

 "I thoroughly enjoyed this book!" will make such a difference!

THANK YOU!


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Friday, 18 July 2025

My Coffee Pot Book Club Tour guest: A Prodigy in Auschwitz: Simon by Fred Raymond Goldman





Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find good books
to enjoy along the way!




About the Book
Book Title: A Prodigy in Auschwitz
Series: A Holocaust Story, Book One: Simon
Author: Fred Raymond Goldman
Publication Date: April 29th, 2025
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 368
Genre: Historical Fiction

When Nazi Germany troops enter Krakow, Poland on September 2, 1939, fourteen-year-old Simon Baron learns two truths that have been hidden from him.

One, the people who have raised him are not his biological parents. Two, his birth mother was Jewish. In the eyes of the Germans, although he has been raised Catholic, this makes Simon Jewish. 

Simon's dreams of becoming a concert violinist and composer are dashed when his school is forced to expel him, and he is no longer eligible to represent it at its annual Poland Independence Day Concert. There, he had hoped to draw the attention of representatives of a prestigious contest who might have helped him fulfill his dreams.

Simon vows to never forgive his birth father for abandoning him, an act resulting in unspeakable tragedies for his family and in his being forced to live the indignities of the ghetto and the horrors of Auschwitz and Sachsenhausen concentration camps.

Throughout his ordeals, Simon wavers between his intense anger toward his birth father and his dreams of being reunited with him. Through his relationships with Rabbi Rosenschtein and the rabbi's daughter, Rachel, Simon comes to appreciate his Jewish heritage and find purpose in his life. Driven by devotion to family and friends and his passion for music, Simon holds on to hope. But can he survive the atrocities of the Nazi regime?

How do you reconcile a decision you made in the past when the world erupts in war, threatening the life of someone you love and believe you were protecting?


Buy Link:

Universal Buy Link: https://geni.us/EpuyQr 


Author Bio:

Fred Raymond Goldman graduated from Western Maryland College in Westminster, MD (now named McDaniel College) in June 1962 with a BA in psychology. Two years later, in 1964, he earned an MSW degree from the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Most of Fred's career was spent in Jewish Communal Service. He served as the administrator of Northwest Drug Alert, a methadone maintenance program at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. In this role, he also acted as a community resource, guiding individuals struggling with addiction toward Jewish services that supported abstinence, counseling, and job placement.
Following that, Fred was hired as the Assistant to the Director of Jewish Family Services in Baltimore.

His final professional role was with Har Sinai Congregation, a Jewish Reform Synagogue in Baltimore, where he served as Executive Director for 23 years, retiring in October 2005.

In retirement, Fred pursued his love of hiking with The Maryland Hiking Club and spent time volunteering at The Irvine Nature Center. There, he led schoolchildren on nature hikes and assisted in the center’s nature store.

Writing had always been a passion for Fred, dating back to childhood, but it wasn't until retirement that he began to take it seriously. He started writing children's books and became a member of the Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Association. Among the titles he wrote are: Vera and the Blue Bear Go to the Zoo, Never Bite an Elephant (And Other Bits of Wisdom), The Day the School Bus Drivers Went on Strike, If You Count, and The Day the School Devices Went on Strike.

Though none of these books has been published, Fred remains hopeful that if the CONCERTO books gain recognition, opportunities for the earlier works may follow.

Fred’s journey of writing the CONCERTO companion books began when he saw a note on a local library bulletin board about a new writer's group led by a local author. He joined and, along with nine other participants, learned the fundamentals of writing: staying in the protagonist’s point of view, building narrative tension, developing distinctive and flawed characters, and the process of writing and rewriting.

Over the course of more than four years, Fred dedicated time to writing, researching, rewriting, and submitting the manuscript. What began as a single book titled The Auschwitz Concerto was eventually split into two volumes and self-published. For a time, the manuscript was also titled The Box.

The encouragement from the group’s teacher and fellow members played a key role in shaping the novels, and Fred hopes his feedback was equally helpful to others in the group.

In the 'Author’s Notes' of the CONCERTO books, Fred outlines the goals behind sharing these stories. Prior to writing them, he had only a general understanding of the Holocaust—knowing that nine million lives were lost and that it was a horrific chapter in history. Through the writing process, he gained deeper insights into both historical events and human suffering, fostering a greater sensitivity to contemporary issues. He firmly believes that what affects one group can quickly impact everyone, and that such awareness is critical today.


Author Links:

Author Page on Publisher’s Website: 
Amazon Author Page: 



read an excerpt
Excerpt from Chapter 70:

Simon sat in Rabbi Strouse’s office with his hands clasped tightly waiting impatiently for the rabbi to finish a note he was writing.

The rabbi finally looked up. “What would you like to talk about today?”  

Simon told him about his meeting with the camp director.

“Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Simon pushed the words out through clenched teeth. “I’m feeling hatred for the man. I want to punish him.”

“How would you do that?”

“By ignoring his request and refusing to contact him.”

“Hatred is a strong word, Simon. Are you sure it isn’t anger you’re feeling?”

“You sound like Rabbi Rosenschtein.”

Rabbi Strouse raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?” 

“He said the same thing to me six years ago.”

“Apparently, it didn’t take. Maybe we’d better talk about it again.”

Simon twisted in his chair. “What’s the difference between hatred and anger? Why does it matter?” he said flippantly. Then Simon relented. “All right, you start,” he sighed.

“You’re being petulant, but I’ll play along.” Rabbi Strouse said. “People hate other people for who they are. We get angry at people we otherwise like for something they did or didn’t do. If Rachel were to come home late from work when you had an important date, you might be angry, but you wouldn’t hate her. You don’t know enough about your father to hate him, but you can be angry for what you feel he did to you.”



Follow the tour:
Twitter Handle: @cathiedunn
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub

Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #WWII #Auschwitz #JewishSurvivorStory #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub 

Tour Schedule Page: 


(note: Helen might not have read the featured title yet)


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Follow Helen On:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Bluesky: @HelenHollick - http://helenhollick.bsky.social/

Twitter: @HelenHollick 

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You might also like books written by 
Helen Hollick 

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New release anthology
by various authors

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Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

JUST RELEASED
Jan Christopher episode 6

*
The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures with a touch of supernatural
 set during the Golden Age of Piracy
If you enjoyed the 1st Pirates of the Caribbean movie,
you'll love these (much better!) seafaring voyages!

*
THE SAXON SERIES
The story of the events that led to
The Battle of Hastings in 1066

Harold the King (UK edition)
I Am The Chosen King (US edition)
AND
1066 Turned Upside Down
an anthology of 'What If'' 1066 tales


*
KING ARTHUR
The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy
 The Boy Who became a Man:
Who became a King:
Who became a Legend... 

*
PLUS...
anthologies (which include award-winning authors)
and non-fiction


More Information:

*
my monthly ' essay' on an interesting topic
)

PLEASE: 

LEAVE A REVIEW 

FOR YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS ON AMAZON! 



Just a 4 or 5 star rating and a brief 

 "I thoroughly enjoyed this book!" will make such a difference!

THANK YOU!

Tuesday, 15 July 2025

Rachel's Random Resources Book Tour of: Murder at Castle Vyne by Louise Marley


Rachel's Random Resources
Book Tours
Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find good books
to enjoy along the way!



About the Book
Murder at Castle Vyne

More than a decade ago, the body of eighteen-year-old Sarah Grove was found floating among the water lilies in the pond at Castle Vyne. The case was never solved. Now her sister Natalie is determined to finally uncover the truth.

But when Natalie appears publicly to discuss Sarah's murder, she never expects it to unleash a deadly chain of events. Within hours, bodies start turning up in the nearby village of Calahurst… it seems someone will do anything to keep the past buried.

As Natalie delves deeper into her family's history – with the help of mysterious castle gardener Bryn Llewellyn – she finds that nothing is truly what it seems. Behind the charming castle walls and chocolate-box cottages, the respectable villagers of Calahurst are hiding some very deadly secrets indeed.

When another young woman is found dead in the very same lily pond where Sarah died, Natalie realises the killer has returned to finish what they started. But in a village where everyone has something to hide, who can she trust? And will she become the next victim of Castle Vyne's deadly legacy?

Set in the world of Raven’s Edge, this standalone gothic cosy mystery will have you up all night! Perfect for fans of Clare Chase, Fiona Leitch and Agatha Christie.
This book was previously published as Nemesis and has since had significant rewrites. 


Purchase Links 


Author Bio – 
Most of my stories are set in small villages filled with quirky characters. These are partly inspired by the places I’ve lived in over the years, although the characters are straight out of my imagination! I currently live in Wales, close to a famous library and two ruined castles. My husband thinks we moved here by accident.

My first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg’s Write a Bestseller competition. As well as nine novels, I’ve written short stories for women’s magazines such as Take a Break and My Weekly. Before becoming a full-time writer, I worked as an administrative officer for the police.

When I’m not writing, I enjoy visiting big old houses, which I use as inspiration for the houses in my novels, and reading other people’s books when I ought to be writing my own…


Social Media Links – 





https://www.rachelsrandomresources.com/
@rararesources
#RachelsRandomResources

(note: Helen might not have read the featured title yet)




*** ***

scroll down to leave a comment

thank you!

*

Follow Helen On:

Facebook: 

Bluesky: @HelenHollick - 

http://helenhollick.bsky.social/

Twitter: @HelenHollick 

*
You might also like books written by 
Helen Hollick 

*


New Release 16th July
the 6th an Christopher cosy mystery


Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

*

New release anthology
by various authors

*


*

The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures with a touch of supernatural
 set during the Golden Age of Piracy
If you enjoyed the 1st Pirates of the Caribbean movie,
you'll love these (much better!) seafaring voyages!

*
THE SAXON SERIES
The story of the events that led to
The Battle of Hastings in 1066

Harold the King (UK edition)
I Am The Chosen King (US edition)
AND
1066 Turned Upside Down
an anthology of 'What If'' 1066 tales


*
KING ARTHUR
The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy
 The Boy Who became a Man:
Who became a King:
Who became a Legend... 

*
PLUS...
anthologies (which include award-winning authors)
and non-fiction


More Information:

*
my monthly ' essay' on an interesting topic
)

PLEASE: 

LEAVE A REVIEW 

FOR YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS ON AMAZON! 



Just a 4 or 5 star rating and a brief 

 "I thoroughly enjoyed this book!" will make such a difference!

THANK YOU!