Book review of It's a Mad World by Susie Kelly

It's a Mad World, Travels Through a Muddled Life Susie Kelly

It’s a Mad World – Travels Through a Muddled Life

My review today is for It’s a Mad World – Travels Through a Muddled Life, the latest humorous memoir from Susie Kelly.

 

Susie and husband Terry have led a far more interesting life than I have, and despite Susie claiming otherwise, don’t seem to be afraid of adventure. They are well-travelled and come across as engaging, open-minded and happy to talk to the people they meet. Strangers soon become friends, who lead them on exciting detours and ensure their holiday experiences won’t be forgotten in a hurry. They have certainly given 100% to whatever life has thrown at them.

 

In this book, Susie expertly takes us on a journey revisiting some of the memorable moments from her life and travels. Her childhood in Africa, sailing in the Solent, flying free over France, skiing in Bulgaria and relaxing in Greece, to name just a few. No matter where in the world she finds herself, adventure and situations that could go from hilarious, to embarrassing, to terrifying, seem to find her. 

 

This is a well-written book in Susie’s honest and humorous style, that covers the bad days as well as the funny ones and is another great read from her that you won’t want to miss out on. 

 

It’s a Mad World – Travels Through a Muddled Life is available now in ebook and paperback formats and links to Amazon can be found below.  

Read my reviews of Susie’s previous memoirs here:

In Foreign Fields

La Vie En Rose

Safari Ants, Baggy Pants and Elephants

Best Foot Forward

Travels with Tinkerbelle

The Valley of Heaven and Hell

Swallows and Robins

 

You can find Susie on Facebook and Twitter.

From the Writing Desk of Susie Kelly

 

Read my interviews with Susie here:

From the Writing Desk

France et Moi

French Village Diaries book reviews on a French Theme

From the Writing Desk of Susie Kelly

From the Writing Desk of Susie Kelly

From the writing desk, of Susie Kelly

 

Welcome to the French Village Diaries interview feature, From the Writing Desk, where this week, to coincide with the release of It’s a Mad World – Travels Through a Muddled Life, I am delighted to be (virtually) joining author Susie Kelly at her writing desk in France.

 

Susie was born in Wimbledon, where the Wombles came from, but moved to Kenya where she spent most of the first 20 years of her life. 

 

She later lived in the Cotswolds for many years until she moved to south-west France in the early 1990s and has been there ever since. That’s when she was inspired to begin writing. ‘It’s A Mad World’ will be her twelfth published non-fiction book.

 

Home is an old farmhouse in a tiny hamlet, where she lives with two pygmy goats, two dogs and an African Grey parrot. It’s a pretty good life. 

 

Your writing space

 

Susie, how important is your desk space to your writing? Do you only write at your desk, or are you happy sitting anywhere?

 

Susie: I bought a laptop and planned to use it so that I could write anywhere, but I generally work at my desk, with a larger keyboard to accommodate my large fingers, and a large monitor so I can see what I’ve written. I find the laptop rather fiddly.

 

Susie's Chinese soapstone brush holder

Do you prefer your workspace to be tidy and well-organised or creatively cluttered?

 

Susie: I would love it to be tidy and well-organised. Ideally my desk would only hold my computer and an exquisite Chinese soapstone brush holder that is one of my favourite pieces of collected oriental carvings. It is so intricate, every time I look at it I find something new to love and admire. The photo doesn’t do it justice. 

 

However, during the day it will be joined by notebooks, battery chargers, cups of tea, sticky notes, cookery books and small pieces of plastic or metal objects that don’t seem to belong to anything.

 

How important is daily writing to you?

 

Susie: It’s not a must-do for me Jacqui. There are days when there are other things I need or want to do, and I never make myself write if I am not in the mood. It has to be a pleasure, not a task.

 

Do you prefer to work to a deadline, and if so, do you set yourself targets?

 

Susie: Hm. That’s an interesting question. Some people work best to a strict deadline; I don’t. As above, I would not enjoy writing under pressure, but at the same time I think you do need to have some kind of plan if you want to complete a project. I prefer to set a notional target and work towards that. With so much stress affecting us all at the moment, I do whatever I can to avoid it, and having to write ‘to order’ would only increase it.  

 

Writing during Covid-19

 

As a writer, with a desk and computer at home, life and work would have continued for you throughout lockdown, but has the pandemic affected your motivation to write? 

 

Susie: When lockdown first began I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to concentrate on writing.  I never imagined it would go on for so long and have such a devastating effect all over the world. As time has gone on I’ve found the travel restrictions quite demotivating, especially as I am unable to visit my daughter. I haven’t seen her for nearly three years.  

 

Although I am normally happy with my own company, after all these months I have begun to feel in need of a change of scene and atmosphere. Sometimes I feel like curling up in a ball and hibernating until it’s all over. 

 

However, we are so lucky to live in a rural area where we have space, peace and quiet all around us. I cannot imagine what it is like for people living in crowded cities and confined spaces, so I count our blessings.

 

Have you noticed any unexpected benefits to life in lockdown?

 

Susie: I’ve saved a lot of money on lipstick. And petrol.

 

Was It’s a Mad World – Travels Through a Muddled Life your lockdown project? 

 

Susie: It actually started before lockdown, when I was convalescing from my cancer operation. Then along came lockdown, and the writing became a much needed distraction and eventually therapy.

It's a Mad World by Susie Kelly

 

Your latest release

 

It’s a Mad World – Travels Through a Muddled Life, your latest memoir is out now, can you tell us a bit about it?

 

Susie: I think the title sums it up! I believe there are people who sail through life smoothly and nothing ever goes wrong. My life has never been like that. More things have gone wrong than have gone right. Going through my diaries and photo albums bringing back many of those memories cheered me up and made me laugh when I was reminded of all the things I’ve done, places I’ve been and people I’ve met. Although it may have been nice to have had an uneventful life, I think it’s probably a lot more interesting and fun when things fall apart. I hope readers will enjoy reading about my mishaps.   

 

Life outside of writing

 

What do you look forward to, when you’ve saved the document and switched off the computer, as your treat at the end of the writing day?

 

Susie: During the chilly winter months when I’ve finished working I enjoy having a quiet meal and then sitting with Terry, the dogs and parrot and binge-watching Netflix. When I’m tired I take a cup of hot milk and spice up to bed and read for half an hour before going to sleep. It’s my interpretation of a rave. 

Once summer comes we’ll all be chilling out in the garden. 

 

How would you normally celebrate the release of a new novel, and will it be different this year?

 

Susie: I roll up my sleeves and tackle all the tiresome things I’ve managed to avoid while I’ve been writing. After that I need a good rest, and like to catch up on my reading for a few weeks before planning the next writing project. No change this year!

 

Thank you for taking the time out of your writing day to let me join you at your writing desk. 

 

Susie: Thank you Jacqui.

 

It’s a Mad World – Travels Through a Muddled Life is a collection of adventures from Susie’s life. She is one of those people who always finds someone interesting on her travels, often finding herself in situations that could go from hilarious, to embarrassing, to terrifying, but show Susie and husband Terry have certainly given 100% to whatever life has thrown at them. This is another interesting and humorous read from Susie that you won’t want to miss out on.

 

It’s a Mad World – Travels Through a Muddled Life is available now in ebook and paperback formats and links to Amazon can be found below. 

 

Join me on the blog this Wednesday when I will be posting my full review.

You can find Susie on Facebook.

 

Read my reviews of Susie’s previous memoirs here:

In Foreign Fields

La Vie En Rose

Safari Ants, Baggy Pants and Elephants

Best Foot Forward

Travels with Tinkerbelle

The Valley of Heaven and Hell

Swallows and Robins

Lazy Sunday in France shaking off the winter blues

Migrating cranes flying over the house on their way north

Lazy Sunday in France

It has been a while since I posted a Lazy Sunday in France post, so that was my plan for today. A relaxed breakfast of coffee and croissants with homemade jam, and then maybe a book, a chair and a bit of me time.

 

I peered out of the window to see if sitting in the garden would be a possibility, the weather having thrown all sorts at us this week, although there is certainly a noticeable rise in the temperatures. I didn’t have to look far to see that nature has been anything but lazy.

 

The daisies, speedwell and violets are flowering in the grass (which will need its first cut soon) and one of the plum trees is about to burst into blossom. The migrating cranes have filled the sky above the house most days this week, circling high, flying in formation and calling between themselves as they make their way north. 

Wild daffodils

 

Yesterday’s twenty-two kilometre bike ride was a battle with the wind, but worth the effort to see the first cowslip flowers in ditches that only a few weeks ago were full and flooded, plus banks of purple periwinkle, tall, delicate hellebores in the woods and the tiny, pale daffodils that grow semi-wild just outside the village.

 

I know Covid-19 can make life feel like it’s on hold, but time certainly isn’t standing still. Four months have now passed since we enjoyed a sneaky autumn break in the Cahors vineyards, which was when lockdown two was announced in France. In the run up to Christmas we kept ourselves busy decorating upstairs, but dates on photos show that we put down the paintbrushes three months ago, even though it seems only a few weeks have passed. I am pleased to report the clutter hasn’t made it back to the newly decorated spaces. 

 

It will be interesting to see if France avoids a third lockdown situation, especially as it’s currently school holiday time and anyone who can, seems to have hit the motorways and headed off on holiday. We are yearning to hit the roads on our bikes, even if it is just for a few days, but we’re happy to wait for the school holiday madness to subside. Now it’s still light at almost seven o’clock in the evening, the six o’clock curfew is certainly starting to feel a lot more restrictive.

 

With the spring equinox now only one month away, two-thirds of winter are officially done and dusted. Which probably explains that feeling in my fingers, an itching to declutter. It doesn’t happen often, so I really must channel it, but at the moment I just seem to find myself wandering from room to room, horrified at the amount of stuff, and not sure where to start the sorting. I shall spend the rest of my lazy Sunday planning where to begin. This week it would be nice if we can continue to enjoy morning coffee and lunch in the garden, a motivating treat as I attempt to tackle a cupboard, drawer or shelf each day.

 

What signs of spring to you look forward to seeing to give you the motivation to shake off the winter blues?

  

Book review of The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Vérant

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Vérant

My review today is for The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux by Samantha Vérant.

 

This book starts on a high. The buzz of excitement and anticipation in the kitchen of a prestigious New York restaurant can be felt as the chefs await an important phone call. Then wham! In an instant it’s all taken away and Sophie sees her dream of being a Michelin recognised chef disintegrate around her. As her name is ruined, I felt the dull ache of pain in my chest at the injustice of what had happened to her. Sophie spirals into despair as she loses her way, both in life and in the kitchen, and the risk of turning into a broken woman, like her mother, suddenly seems very real. 

 

A little bit of French magic can help to heal even the most broken of hearts and that is just what is offered to Sophie. Although it has been many years since she spent any time in France with her Grand-mere Odette, a telephone call to say Odette is not well, is enough for Sophie to pack her bags in New York and fly into Toulouse to be with her. She may have pushed her happy memories of summers in France to the back of her mind, since her mum died, but being back in the chateau and seeing familiar faces brings them alive once more, and she begins to realise what she has sacrificed to follow her dream. 

 

In order to move forward, Sophie needs to understand more about the past and together with Odette, they slowly work through things that have been too difficult to voice for many years. Not everyone is happy with her sudden arrival, and it will take time and work to regain her confidence and prove her place in the chateau. With support from a few special people and the strength she has from Odette and her notebooks, Sophie tries her best to rebuild her life and her dreams. 

 

There was a lot to keep me entertained in this book, including a great fun and sometimes quirky cast of characters. Sophie came to life through the emotionally charged moments, from the despair at the beginning to the understanding and acceptance that came with the family secrets revealing the missing pieces of her life. I found it easy to visualise the chateau, the markets and the streets of Toulouse, as well as the smells of the kitchen and the produce from the garden and vineyards, and as an added bonus there are recipes included for some of Sophie’s favourite dishes. The more I read, the more I was filled with hope that she would find herself and her home. 

 

If you enjoy novels with strong characters, a sense of place and a little bit of French magic, you will love this one. 

The great news is that the second book in this series, Sophie Valroux’s Paris Stars will be released in October this year. Links to Amazon can be found below.

 

Samantha Vérant has also published two memoirs about her extraordinary love affair with France and her Frenchman, and the kindle version of How to Make a French Family is currently reduced on Amazon.

 

Read my reviews here:

Seven Letters from Paris

How to Make a French Family

 

Read Samantha’s France et Moi interview here 

From the Writing Desk of Alison Morton

From the Writing Desk of Alison Morton

From the writing desk of Alison Morton

 

Welcome to the French Village Diaries interview feature, From the Writing Desk, where this week, as part of the blog tour for her latest novel, Double Identity, I am delighted to be (virtually) joining author Alison Morton at her writing desk in France.

 

Alison writes thrillers featuring tough, but compassionate heroines including her award-winning Roma Nova series which one kind reader called “intelligent adventure thrillers with heart". Alison puts it all down to her deep love of anything Roman, six years’ military service, a masters' in history and an over-vivid imagination. Now she blogs, reads, cultivates a Roman herb garden and drinks wine in Poitou Charentes where she lives with her husband and where part of her new thriller Double Identity is set. As she hasn’t much to do, she’s drafting a sequel to that at the same time as her next Roma Nova novel. 

#DoubleMirrorTour

 

Your writing space

Alison, how important is your desk space to your writing? Is your desk tidy and well-organised or creatively cluttered? 

Alison: Down in the dungeon, sorry basement, lies part of the garage area we converted into an office using the IKEA Contract desking from my old UK office. That still looks good; the paraphernalia strewn over it, not so much.  But it’s large enough to accommodate a standing desk with a Mac desktop and a sitting-at desk with a laptop.

 

Do you try and write at regular times of the day?

Alison: [Collapses in laughter] More seriously, I try to work on the current book draft in the morning. Usually it’s writing, but sometimes research which can be a huge time suck and complete enthrallment. Often, I get a second burst of writing push in the early evening when I’ve dragged myself off social media and other marketing delights.

 

Do you prefer to work to a deadline, and if so, do you set yourself daily or weekly targets?

Alison: I set a vague deadline, e.g. I must get this book out this year, but the biggest impetus is the fanbase that I’ve built up over the past eight years. I’m very aware they are waiting for the next book. At least, that’s what they say…

 

Wordcounts, hm. I aim for 500-1,000 a day. It varies so much because of research. You might have to spend half a day checking the calibre of Glock pistols, Roman warfighting tactics or the SNCF timetable for the Paris-Strasbourg TGV. Other times, I fly through the day and end up with 2,500 words.

Writing during Covid-19

As a writer, with a desk and computer at home, work would have continued for you throughout lockdown, but has the pandemic affected your motivation to write? 

Alison: Ha! Yes, to some extent. I ended up writing a blogpost about it and nine ways to try to remedy it (see here). But it’s not easy. The key is balance between guilt and kindness to yourself.

In August, I was fed up with my dilly-dallying so set myself a 30-day challenge to write a daily blogpost on a writing theme. The pressure of doing that got me back into the groove. I did spread it over six weeks in the end as there was other stuff going on that I needed to blog about.

 

Do you think the content of your future writing projects will be influenced by the pandemic?

Alison: This is a great debate among writers! It depends what kind of book you are writing. I’d completed Double Identity when the pandemic hit and the story would have been impossible with masks and social distancing. If you were writing a story set specifically in 2020/2021 including the pandemic and consequences, those elements would need to be an integral part of the story. Very many fellow writers are not including it; I tend to prefer that as I feel we need escapist books at present.

Double Identity Alison Morton

Your latest novel 

Double Identity is a very different book to your previous Roma Nova series, can you tell us a bit about it and where the inspiration came from? Is this a standalone novel, or will there be more from Mélisende des Pittones?

Alison: I can’t seem to keep away from thrillers! There two motivators. Conn Iggulden, the (rather wonderful) historical fiction writer, was reviewing the draft of INSURRECTIO, the third in the Aurelia series of the Roma Nova books. He gave me a terrific front cover quote, but also messaged me, 

‘You clearly have the knack for fast plotting tension. I kept coming back to see what happened next.’ 

He suggested I recast one of my Roma Novan heroines into a modern day European agent and write a story as a crime thriller. So I did. Double Identity is the result. The second inspiration was that I wanted to write a heroine with strong French connections, preferably with one born and brought up here in Poitou.

This is the first of your books that is set in France, around the area where you live. Did you enjoy bringing your corner of France into your writing?

Alison: I loved it! Mel/Mélisende has a French father and English mother which reflects the dual French/English life I lead here (when not cowering in the house during the pandemic!). Poitou is rural, yet an ancient land peopled by the Pictones tribe before the Romans appeared on the scene. Mel finds tranquillity here and is very attached to her family and terroir, but she feels she has no role here. So at eighteen, she joined the French Army as a trainee NCO and has been very successful in her career. As well as some time in London, Double Identity takes Mel to other French-speaking areas – Brussels and Strasbourg – and she even has a bruising encounter with Canadian French! Spending ten days in Montréal and Québec certainly gave me an insight into it!

Life outside of writing 

What do you look forward to, when you’ve saved the document and switched off the computer, as your treat at the end of the writing day?

Alison: A large glass of red wine or sometimes a more elegant flûte of Saumur bubbly

 

I know I have really missed a French café terrace, a café alongé and a spot of people watching, what aspect of normality have you missed most in the last year? 

 

Alison: Lunch, definitely lunch out, and chatting to our neighbours over a glass of something. But I also miss the wider mental freedom to bumble about places e.g. a walk along the Thouet riverbank or though the centre of Poitiers without having to worry about being within two metres of others.

 

How would you normally celebrate the release of a new novel, and was it different this year?

Alison: I used to have big launch events both in the UK and France, carry out book signings and speak at events throughout the year, especially conferences. There’s nothing to compare with talking to readers at events, milling around between sessions and generally chilling surrounded by books. In 2020, three of the UK festivals where I was due to speak were cancelled.  But for Double Identity, it’s Facebook, Twitter and blogs. I’m currently on this blog tour with another historical fiction writer ‘turned to crime’, Helen Hollick, then I go on a solo one in March. Hopefully, the sequel will be launched in person!

 

Thank you for taking the time out of your writing day to let me join you at your writing desk. 

Double Identity the first in a brand new thriller series was released on 7^th January 2021 and is available in paperback and ebook formats. Links to Amazon can be found below.

 

Buying links for Double Identity 

Amazon universal link  

Other ebook and paperback retailers 

 

Read my review of Double Identity here

 

Double Identity Blurb

 

Deeply in love, a chic Parisian lifestyle before her. Now she’s facing prison for murder.

It’s three days since Mel des Pittones threw in her job as an intelligence analyst with the French special forces to marry financial trader Gérard Rohlbert. But her dream turns to nightmare when she wakes to find him dead in bed beside her.

 

Her horror deepens when she’s accused of his murder. Met Police detective Jeff McCracken wants to pin Gérard’s death on her. Mel must track down the real killer, even if that means being forced to work with the obnoxious McCracken. 

 

But as she unpicks her fiancé’s past, she discovers his shocking secret life. To get to the truth, she has to go undercover and finds almost everybody around her is hiding a second self.

 

Mel can trust nobody. Can she uncover the real killer before they stop her? 

 

A stunning new thriller from the author of the award-winning Roma Nova series, fans of Daniel Silva, Stella Rimington and Chris Pavone will love Double Identity.  

 

 

Alison Morton

Social media links

Connect with Alison on her thriller site 

Alison’s writing blog 

Facebook author page 

Twitter     

Book review of An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse

An Ordinary Life, Amanda Prowse

An Ordinary Life by Amanda Prowse

From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Corner comes a tale of love, loss—and one last extraordinary dance.

Christmas Eve, 2019. Ninety-four-year-old Molly lies in her hospital bed. A stroke and a fall may have broken her body—but her mind is alive with memories.

London, 1940s. Molly is a bright young woman, determined to help the war effort and keep her head up despite it all. Life becomes brighter when she meets and falls in love with a man who makes her forget everything with one dance. But then war forces her to make an unforgettable sacrifice, and when she’s brought to her knees by a daring undercover mission with the French Resistance, only her sister knows the secret weighing heavily on Molly’s heart.

Now, lying in her hospital bed, Molly can’t escape the memories of what she lost all those years ago. But she is not as alone as she thinks.

Will she be able to find peace—and finally understand that what seemed to be an ordinary life was anything but?

 

Blog tour An Ordinary Life, Amanda Prowse

My review

In the 1940’s, Molly was an independent young woman, determined that the life of housewife and mother, tied to a kitchen sink and sticky toddlers, wasn’t for her. She embraced the opportunity to work that the war had provided, and with excellent language skills, knew she was making a difference. A chance meeting, a dance with a young man and a walk along the Embankment, changed her ideas, her dreams and her life. 

Looking back with Molly, we move through the years, visiting the defining moments in her life; the happy times, the sad times and the difficult ones where the decisions she made had far reaching consequences. We meet those she loved, those she lost and those she made sacrifices for. We join her during the bombing raids in London, in Occupied France and at her cosy cottage post-war. With each new decade, we subtly notice how life, society and the expectations of the new generations of her family are changing.

This is a book that dragged me into its pages. The vivid descriptions, especially of the traumatic events, left me feeling like I was there. I felt Molly’s grief and anger at the injustices of what she went through, and the hurt when those who should have supported her, turned her away. I even woke one morning recalling that my dream had mirrored the chapter I’d read the night before. 

This is also a book filled with love and a strong sense of family that packed such a punch of emotion it will take some time to diffuse. 

There were times it felt like a knife in my heart or a blow to my stomach, other times, there was so much love it was like I was wrapped in a warm hug.

If you are looking for an emotional page-turner with strong characters, family secrets, social history and more, look no further.

 

Purchase Links

 

 https://bit.ly/_AnOrdinaryLife_

 

Amanda Prowse

Author Bio

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose twenty six novels and seven novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. Her books, including the chart topping No.1 titles 'What Have I Done?', 'Perfect Daughter', 'My Husband's Wife', 'The Girl in the Corner', 'The Things I Know' and ‘The Day She Came Back’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.

A popular TV and radio personality, Amanda is a regular panellist on Channel 5's 'The Jeremy Vine Show' and numerous daytime ITV programmes. She also makes countless guest appearances on BBC national independent Radio stations including LBC and Talk FM, where she is well known for her insightful observations and her infectious humour. Described by the Daily Mail as 'The queen of family drama' Amanda's novel, 'A Mother's Story' won the coveted Sainsbury's eBook of the year Award while 'Perfect Daughter' was selected as a World Book Night title in 2016.

Amanda's ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night, great characters that ensure you take every step with them and tales that fill your head so you can't possibly read another book until the memory fades...

An Ordinary Life, Amanda Prowse tour banner

Praise for Amanda Prowse:

'A powerful and emotional work of fiction' - Piers Morgan
'Deeply moving and emotional, Amanda Prowse handles her explosive subjects with delicate skill' - Daily Mail
'Uplifting and positive, but you will still need a box of tissues' - Hello!
'A gut-wrenching and absolutely brilliant read' - The Irish Sun
'You'll fall in love with this...' - Cosmopolitan
'Deeply moving and eye opening. Powerful and emotional drama that packs a real punch.' - Heat
'Magical' - Now magazine

Social Media Links 

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Check out my website 

French Village Diaries book reviews