The 11/11 Sale - Focus on Meredith Russell

Summer in Knowles Brook.

Today I’m here to talk a bit about summer in Knowles Brook, the village setting for my series of books, including Alter Ego, or rather I’m going to share my summertime memories of the real village Knowles Brook was inspired by and take you on a little tour.

Knowles Brook is based on a pretty little village in Staffordshire. I spent a lot of time there as a kid as it was where my maternal grandmother lived. She had this huge house, a bungalow that they had added a second floor to. In fact, the road my nan lived on was called Knowles Hill, which is where the name of my series came from. Out the back of her house she had kind of three gardens, not huge but partitioned, the first garden with Buddleias, attracting butterflies to catch, the second with borders full of roses and a pond where we’d hunt for frogs and newts, and the end garden edged by damson and apple trees, with a couple of swings and lots of places to hide and play make believe with my brother and our toys. It was really beautiful and I remember spending days after school there, weekends and in holiday time.

The village is just as pretty as I remember, and I still go for walks with my husband or my mum in the summer and nice weather. There are a few places in particular we liked to spend our time, some of these places appear in Alter Ego and will do throughout the books. There are some gorgeous woods, a little overgrown these days, but there’s lots of wild flowers and an island in a large pond where swans nest. There are a number of bridges and waterfalls, an area at the outer edge where we used to fish with nets for sticklebacks, and a tree stump I can still find to this day, though it seems a lot smaller than I remember, where my brother and I would take it in turns to sing ‘I’m the king of the castle’ and jump down off it.

Continuing further into the centre of the village, we follow the brook, which runs alongside the main street. Many a sunny day has been spent hanging over the white railings watching the fish and feeding the ducks, and wowing at the houses on the other side of the brook with their pretty gardens full of blooms and their cute bridges for crossing the water.

If we stay with the brook, we end up at a hotel that looks suspiciously like that my character James Hall and his parents run. It has always been one of my favourite buildings, all covered in ivy with its backdrop of trees and the brook. Here the brook makes a sharp turn and disappears through overgrown fields. But at this point is another summer hangout of fishing, wading in the water in our wellies, and lazing on the bank in the sunshine. I miss those kind of things from my childhood but I have it on a promise that my mum and I will be introducing my nieces to the joys of sunny adventures, catching fish and naming wild flowers at that same brook.


Heading back along the brook, we can end the perfect day with a stop at the Spread Eagle pub. This was one place that kept its name in the books. I just love the name and it makes me smile. The pub sits beside the brook, willow trees hanging down and hiding it from the road. On a sunny day it’s great to sit out in the beer garden with a nice cold drink, relax, grab something to eat. I find it quite an escape away from the more busy and full feeling of the town I live with traffic and people. The village is so peaceful, even though children might be on their school holidays. I think it’s perfect, and though it can be sad thinking about the people who used to be there with us, it’s a special place we still enjoy spending time, and hopefully, as my mum is planning, a place to share with the next generation.

Do you have any places that hold a special place in your heart, good memories, and you love to visit again and again?

The Sale Books - Dead Things & Alter Ego

ALTER EGO

For all buy links, reviews and excerpts Alter Ego 

Jay James is the confident, outgoing, flirtatious, lead guitarist of a 70s tribute band. But appearances can be deceiving. Jay James isn’t real. ‘Jay’ was born out of necessity and a way for James Hall to deal with life at home after coming out. James is shy and awkward, and can’t escape the shadow of his strained relationship with his mother. As ‘Jay’, James feels indestructible, like nothing can touch him, and he can have any man he wants. But is that really enough?

When ‘Jay’ meets Danny, he views him as just another potential conquest. Danny, however, has other ideas. The barman has no intention of being just another one night stand and leaves James surprised when he rebuffs his advances.

Danny Ashton is stuck, or at least that’s how he feels sometimes. Five years ago, he dropped out of university to look after his sick mother. He was never prepared for the hand he was dealt—a house to run, bills to pay, and a teenage brother to support. Wanting more than part time bar work, Danny applies for a job at the family run hotel in the village. When he’s called for an interview, he isn’t expecting to see James there but the chance encounter gives him the unexpected opportunity to get to know the real James.

Together, Danny and James realise ignoring their problems will solve nothing, and if they are to stand any chance of happiness and living as the men they want to be, then they need to move forward. Can the two men face their demons? Or will they end up pushing one another away?

DEAD THINGS

Devin never thought he could find hope or love among the ruins of a broken world. Not until he found Noah.

For all buy links, reviews and excerpts Dead Things

 When Devin Reid returned home from his final tour in Afghanistan he thought he’d seen the worst of what people could do to other people. It turned out he was wrong.

The life Devin knew is gone. A deadly virus has infected the world’s population, leaving in its wake two types of people—survivors and monsters. Devin is a survivor, a man almost as broken as the world he struggles to survive in. Devin is part of a group who have found refuge in a high security penitentiary in Kansas State. Resources for the group are limited, but outside the safety of the prison walls, the newly-made undead monsters are hungry and hunting. It's down to a handful of people like Devin to risk their lives scavenging the cities and highways to meet the demands on food and supplies.

On one fateful venture, Devin finds someone with the potential to change a dark future, destined for blood and heartbreak, into one of hope and second chances. He finds Noah Weber.

Together, Devin and Noah work to keep the monsters at bay, but do they have the strength to overcome the hurt and loss they’ve both suffered in the fight for survival? And find love in this harsh, unloving world?
 

Buy Links

For all buy links, reviews and excerpts Dead Things  | Alter Ego

All books in the 11/11 $2.99 sale

The Summer House by RJ Scott
Heat by Chris Quinton & RJ Scott
Alter Ego by Meredith Russell
The Bucket List by RJ Scott
Last First Kiss by Diane Adams
Dead Things by Meredith Russell
The Last Wolf by Sue Brown
And Then That Happened by Liam Livings
Theory Unproven by Lillian Francis
One Night by RJ Scott
The Art of Words by RJ Scott & Meredith Russell