Archive | MauriceHollowayBooks

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NEWSLETTER 14TH FEBRUARY 2024

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Hi to all you romantics . . .

I’m delighted to send you and everyone in my Readers’ List a Valentine’s Day gift – a FREE RomCom short story.

The attached PDF can be easily downloaded and read on all devices: phone, Kindle, laptop, etc.

I hope it’ll put a smile on your face and a little romance in your heart. After all, what could be better than being in love.

If it gets you in the mood for another RomCom, try . . .

(a diet of LOVE image)

Available in ebook or paperback

– click here.

Happy reading and enjoy your Valentine’s Day!

Maurice

www.mauricehollowayauthor.com

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NEWSLETTER JANUARY 18TH 2024

Hi all

Is it too late to wish you a Happy New Year? With Christmas it’s obvious when to stop with the greeting but New Year? All the best for 2024. Keep in touch.

BRIEF NEWS

The Advent FREE stories give-away was a roaring success. Thanks to all who joined in, and your amazing comments are very much appreciated. If you want to make a comment, or ask a question, please feel free to email me at this address.

SEARCHING FOR NEW BOOKS

Many of you have used, or at least heard of, Goodreads. BUT have you tried Shepherd.com . It’s a fantastic site run by a guy called Ben Fox. They’ve been going only a couple of years but have grown from a few thousand followers to over Five Million.

I have a feature on there – “The Best Books for Great Character Definitions” – click to look it up.

If you prefer to browse the site to find out how they can help you with really good stuff to read, click here.

RECENT READS

Close to Home – Cara Hunter – a detective novel from an author I hadn’t read before. Give it a try.
He Is Not Worthy – Lis McDermott – an interesting dilemma when a teacher and pupil fall in love and someone else is jealous.
Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus – a book which made me smile and laugh all the way through. The title is and isn’t what it says. Don’t miss this one.
If you like quirky, it’s hard to beat Jonas Jonasson. If you end up saying ‘this is ridiculous’, you’re right! It’s supposed to be! Try these two zany books:

The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

Hitman Anders and the Meaning of it All

Don’t forget Valentine’s Day. Come on, where’s the romance in your heart!? An excellent token of your love could be “a Diet of Love”, my good fun romance novel (men read it too, you know). Click on the title to find out more.

Maurice

https://www.mauricehollowayauthor.com/

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NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 13TH 2023

Good morning Story Collectors. Surprise, surprise!

I have a present for you –

a BONUS story.

This isn’t an Advent Story but a FREE chapter extract from my latest book, ‘RESTLESS SPIRITS’, a good fun ghost story. Like all my books, it would make a great Christmas stocking-filler. My paperbacks are all around a tenner with Kindle ebooks under four pounds from Amazon. Take a look HERE. It’s a great variety.

Another Advent Story on the way.

Regards

Maurice

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NEWSLETTER 27TH NOVEMBER 2023

Hi everyone

Compliments of the Season to one and all and my thanks for your support throughout the year.

Here’s EXCLUSIVE ADVANCE NEWS of a Super Special Offer starting in a few days.

I’m spreading Peace and Goodwill by giving away a FREE short story EVERY DAY from Friday 1st until Christmas. Twenty-four short stories full of seasonal and meaningful daily calendar quotes – Christmas-themed tales – romances – general Advent fun and frivolity.

Please SHARE THE NEWS with your friends.

They can join in on https://www.mauricehollowayauthor.com/advent

Each story comes as a PDF, easily downloaded and can be read on all devices: phone, Kindle, laptop, etc. Simply open the above attachment for your early Advent present – the first story in the series.

I’ll send you a new PDF story each day from the 2nd December onwards which I hope you’ll enjoy but if you find the idea isn’t for you, just say so and I’ll stop.

HAPPY ADVENT! And happy reading.

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NEWSLETTER 26TH OCTOBER 2023

Get up-to-date! My new website address is:

https://www.mauricehollowayauthor.com/

Change your Favourites or Bookmarks to this address or you might miss out on

the latest books and offers! Take a look AND please share with your friends.

Hi All

Hope you’ve had a good book-reading summer, I certainly have. I’ve listed below some favourites from the last few months – mostly fiction but also a couple of interesting factual books I’ve read with my local Book Group. Check them out on Amazon or Goodreads.

Talking of Amazon, or more particularly Kindle, I understand they’ve now bitten the bullet on their format change. From November, the .mobi format is finally being replaced with .epub on all new Kindle books ordered. All this is hearsay so check with Amazon/Kindle for accurate details.

Time to think of Christmas! Yes, I know, but don’t blame me. I didn’t invent it. Like it or not you’re going to have to get your present-giving organised. You’ve enjoyed these books yourself so give someone else a treat . . .

The FAVOURS series – three Thrillers in the set – a great pressie for exotic travel lovers!

A DIET OF LOVE – a good fun RomCom for your own loved one!

RESTLESS SPIRITS – a Ghost Story with a lot of laughs spanning 150+ years!

More info available on:

https://www.mauricehollowayauthor.com/

or from Amazon

And, if you’re a PRIME or KINDLE UNLIMITED member look out for your FREE books.

Books I’ve enjoyed recently . . .

Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

Britt-Marie Was Here - Fredrick Backman

Great Circle - Maggie Shipstead

Jupiter’s Travels - Ted Simon

Becoming Drusilla - Richard Beard

Burnt Shadows - Kamila Shamsie

Mrs A’s Indian Gentlemen - Neil McCallum

None of This is True - Lisa Jewell

Happy reading, everyone -

Maurice

https://www.mauricehollowayauthor.com/

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NEWSLETTER 20TH JULY 2023

Do you believe in ghosts?

I bumped into a ghost at the Sales the other day . . . she told me she was bargain haunting!

I asked her, ‘What’s the best day for scaring? Saturday, Sunday?’ She said it was FRIGHT-days while the kids were at the Day-Scare centre.

(Sounds a bit Groucho Marx. Not my jokes – I borrowed them.)

***

EARLY WARNING – EARLY WARNING – EARLY WARNING

My latest book will be here in the next few days

A GOOD FUN ghost story . . .

RESTLESS SPIRITS

A footman, Albie Hapless, and his mistress, Miss Trinity, died while attempting to foil a murder plot at Ruddyard Park 170 years ago.They were accused of a terrible crime they didn't commit. Cursed by a fire-and-brimstone priest, the ghosts are unable to leave the property or this world, until they can prove their innocence. Despite a few ridiculous schemes attempting escape, they're stuck here. They badly want to join their loved ones in heaven and, over the years, try to get other spectral residents to help them . . . with some hilarious results.
But now there is hope with the arrival of the new billionaire owner, Rogerson Lovatt, who is searching worldwide for the original furniture and artifacts of this beautiful country mansion. And amongst those, Albie and Trinity will find the key to their freedom . . . if only they can find a way for the dead to communicate with the living. Carla, the Transylvanian housekeeper, thinks she can help, if only she can stop Professor Nutball, Rogerson's friend, interfering. A séance is needed . . .
'Restless spirits . . . ,' Carla began.
'That's us,' Albie whispered to Trinity.
'Sshhhh.'

Keep an eye on your In-Box!

***

NEWSLETTER 3RD JULY 2023

THE SALE HAS STARTED!

To order my ebooks FREE or at 75% DISCOUNT go to . . .

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MAURICEH

SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS, PLEASE

You’ll find . . .

FAVOURS SERIES

Steal a Diamond – FREE!

Smash the Code – 75% OFF – down to only 99p!

Hunt the Buddha – 75% OFF – down to only 99p!

Blood on Charing X Road – 75% OFF – down to only 99p!

The Beachcomber – FREE!

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A note on Amazon and Kindle

This advice is for those of you with Kindle devices or apps only.

As far as I’m aware there is still no significant change with Amazon changing their format, although some customers who have previously been able to use the newer ePub format now find that they have had to revert to the older mobi format.

My suggestion is, in the meantime when ordering from Smashwords, carry on with the old mobi format.

Don’t forget to tell friends and family about these bargains. Thanks.

Maurice

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27TH JUNE 2023

Hello, Readers!

Seems like ages since I wrote to you about a Diet of Love which has been selling well. Thanks to those who jumped into the world of Romance for a change!

I’m excited to announce that a selection of my ebooks will be available as part of a promotion on SMASHWORDS for the month of July in their Summer Sale.

The books I’m featuring are . . .

The Beachcomber – Blood on Charing X Road

AND the complete FAVOURS series:

Steal a Diamond

Smash the Code

Hunt the Buddha

This is a chance to get ebooks you may have missed, along with ebooks from many other great authors, at a DISCOUNT or even FREE, so you can get right to reading. Book summaries are on https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MAURICEH

You’ll find the promo here: https://smashwords.com/shelves/promos starting on 1st July, so save the link.

Please share this with friends and family. You can even forward this email to the avid readers in your life!

As always, thanks for your help and support!

Happy reading!

Maurice

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NEWSLETTER 7th February 2023

Hi everyone

Are you already in the swing of 2023? I think I’m getting there.

Who remembers the days when we had to write cheques? It makes me feel ancient just asking the question! It seemed to take weeks to stop making mistakes, didn’t it? Thirty years ago, we issued around four billion cheques, now it’s only a few million. Today, if you’ve got a phone, you don’t even need to carry a card!

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However you choose to pay, get your money ready because . . .

My next book – A DIET OF LOVE – is available for pre-order on Kindle ebook from Amazon at the

remarkable price of £1.99 *.

*(Orders must be placed before 13.02.23. The price after that date will be £3.99.)

Click Here (Ctrl+Click) to reserve your copy for delivery the day before Valentine’s Day.

Why that date? Because it’s a wonderful, feel-good love story, a Comedy Romance.

(The paperback will also be released officially on Valentine’s Day but, due to the vagaries of the Amazon system, may be available sooner at £9.99. It’s best to check it out and if it’s there, buy it!)

The end of a six-month posting to New York. A pause in an unlikely relationship: donut-loving Tony Velasquez and meal-skipping Chrissie Glass.

Tears fill her eyes. At JFK, Chrissie turns for one final look and sees her Tony kissing a voluptuous woman.

Chrissie can’t use her phone and boards the plane cut off from the world for six hours.

This funny, touching romance which begins in New York, is muddled up somewhere over the Atlantic, gets lost in London and, after Tony traces his family history and Chrissie takes on an exciting new job, has its Happy Ever After in Spain!

Get romantic! Not your sort of read? Buy it for your loved one – much more interesting than perfume, choccies or flowers! Or socks!

***

I belong to a local Book Group where we have some excellent discussions sharing thoughts on the books we read. Last month it was time to discuss possible titles for 2023. To my amazement, one of the members suggested, “Let’s have one of Maurice’s.” I’m flattered.

How about recommending it to your Book Group?

***

READING SUGGESTIONS

Talking of such things, here’s a list of recently read books you might like to consider. Some are better than others, obviously, but all worth a try.

A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night and Book of Life: the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. Witches and vampires with a difference.
Hostage by Clare Mackintosh. Good twists.
Iris and Ruby by Rosie Thomas. Gorgeous view of 1940s Cairo.
Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan. Thought-provoking story about AI.
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier. A surprisingly short book but a well told story.
Mrs England by Stacey Halls. Slow to get going but worth hanging in there.
Round About A Great Estate by Richard Jeffries. Tales from a true countryman and naturalist in late nineteenth century Wiltshire.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Much criticised but also much loved. Better than I’d been told but not as good as it could have been.
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson. Silly masterpiece by the author of the even sillier The Hundred-Year-Old Man . . .
The Girls Who Disappeared by Claire Douglas. Intriguing mystery. Good storytelling.
The Third Twin by Ken Follett. Throws up interesting possibilities for real life twins and triplets.
The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell. Sequel to The Family Upstairs which you must read first otherwise it makes little sense.

***

Finally, please share my website with your friends. Link to Maurice’s Website. (Ctrl+Click)

My best wishes for 2023. Happy reading.

Maurice

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NEWSLETTER

22nd December 2022

Your Inbox is probably pretty full with Christmas Greetings already so I’ll keep mine brief.

Many thanks for your support during 2022 – it’s been a busy year for me with five books published:

THE FAVOURS SERIES – STEAL A DIAMOND, SMASH THE CODE AND HUNT THE BUDDHA

BLOOD ON CHARING X ROAD

THE BEACHCOMBER . . . AND OTHER STORIES OF THE SANDS

Keep your eyes peeled for news of my books to be published in 2023. No guns or knives this time . . .

The first will be a Romance called A DIET OF LOVE which begins in New York, is muddled up somewhere over the Atlantic, gets lost in London and has its Happy Ever After in Spain!

Quite a journey for the lovers involved.

Target for publication is VALENTINES DAY. I’ll let you know when it’s available for pre-order. In the meantime, my website will soon have details.

Happy reading to one and all.

Maurice

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NEWSLETTER

19th July 2022

Welcome to more happy readers! I hope everyone’s having a grand summer while we writers slave over our hot keyboards.

JANE AUSTEN died 205 years ago on 18th July 1817 in Winchester. No-one knew where her manuscripts went. Some believed they were destroyed by her publishers (normal practise in those days once they had the print version!); others thought her sister Cassandra disposed of them. In fact, what happened was . . . . No, I won’t spoil it!

Now, they have been discovered and believed to be worth £100 MILLION. Many people want to get their hands on them - some will even kill for them.

If you haven’t already got your copy of BLOOD ON CHARING X ROAD, get it now to follow the twists and turns of the whole thrilling story.

Available from Amazon and Smashwords in paperback and ebook.

***

My next book, due out soon, is BEACHCOMBER – AND OTHER STORIES OF THE SANDS. A collection of 34 CONNECTED STORIES; memories of a beach, LOOKING BACK FROM 2044.

It is fifteen years since Covid and global warming finally strangled the planet. The temperature is usually around fifty degrees Celsius which is why the once fun-filled beach is deserted except for one man who returns on the same day every year.

In 2044 nothing happens on Wragmouth beach. But it used to – loves, lives and deaths!

And the sands remember them all.

***

There’s about ten days left in the Smashwords Summer Sale where ebooks are at prices from 25 – 50 – 75% OFF, including some of mine, and some are FREE. You MUST take a look.

***

I see Lisa Jewell has published her sequel to The Family Upstairs. It’s already on my shopping list – The Family Remains. As is Gill Hornsby’s Godmersham, another story with Jane Austen connections.

Of recent reads, I can definitely recommend Nikki Burrows A Pair of Killer Genes for some ‘murder most foul’. And you must read Adam Kay’s This is Going to Hurt, his true-life experiences as an NHS Junior Doctor. It’s hilarious, revealing and heart-breaking. Once you’ve read it you’ll want to hug the first doctor or nurse you meet.

Piranesi, my book group’s recommendation, is . . . hmm, unusual. Susanna Clark introduces a troubled character living in what I would describe as an architectural nightmare which may or may not be a parallel world. For most of the story his only contact is with someone he calls The Other. It’s odd but if you want to try something different, give it a go.

As a respite from that I thought I’d dip into a Classic so I’ve just finished Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure. I like Hardy’s writing, over descriptive by today’s standards but he knew how to put words together. In this case it was like wading through one of his Wessex bogs. I should have left Jude to his obscurity.

Just started a Rosie Thomas. She’s always a good storyteller so I’ve high hopes for Iris and Ruby.

***

Two local bookshops are stocking my work – Bert’s Books, Swindon and Devizes Books, Devizes. Pop in if you’re in the area or look them up on Facebook. There’s also a rumour I may be signing copies in a well-known store. I’ll let you know if it happens.

***

In the meantime, happy summertime reading.

Maurice

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NEWSLETTER

24th May 2022

Hi everyone and welcome to new subscribers to my email list. Don’t forget to share the idea with your friends so they can also benefit from the FREE Wee Stories book.

As promised, here’s the latest book with its new, dramatic cover . . .

The back cover outline says . . .

GREED and DEATH invade the famed, once sedate ‘Book Centre of the World’ in LONDON’S CHARING CROSS ROAD.

200-year-old manuscripts worth countless MILLIONS have been discovered in a cellar – originals by one of the world’s most beloved authors.

The finder wants to donate them to the nation.

Others have different ideas.

Avaricious dealers, prosperous collectors and friends will lie, cheat and even KILL to get their hands on the money.

The official publication date is June 20th 2022 for Paperback (£9.99) and Kindle (£3.99) orders from Amazon.

BUT . . .

Now the SPECIAL NEWS! Read it before it’s published. The ebook is available TO YOU for the BARGAIN Pre-sale price of just £2.99 when ordered any time before the official publication date from: https://www.smashwords.com/books/presale/1130064 .

DON’T MISS OUT! Order NOW for £2.99 in any e-format (including .mobi for Kindle devices and apps).

All ebook formats of Blood on Charing X Road are available to ORDER NOW from Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Kindle for ebook delivery on the publication date at the normal price of £3.99.

Want to know more before you buy? Click here for a free sample of the book: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1130064

This special offer is available to you and your friends so please spread the word.

News about Kindle

I understand that Kindle are discontinuing the use of the MOBI (.mobi, .azw) format from August 2022 and replacing it with the EPUB (.epub) format. I believe they’ve sent a communication to all Kindle users (see attached) but if you haven’t received yours and have questions, contact their Customer Service as suggested in the letter.

If you’re used to ordering through Smashwords, you can select EPUB or one of many other formats as you need.

RECENT READS

I’ve had a mixed bag of reading lately but have pulled out these for your consideration.

Check them out on Amazon, Goodreads or similar sites.

Daemon Voices by Philip Pullman – fascinating thoughts on writing technique from a master of storytelling.

The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre – true life story of a Russian double agent.

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout – fairly light American family drama with touches of racism and sexism.

The Zeus Factor by Nikki Burrows – extraordinary tale of Zeus’s family of Gods and Goddesses – still living among us!

Breathe Again by Robert Barker – the sixth outing for DCI Jamie Carver, a man with a bizarre relationship with his quarry.

I Know What I Saw by Imran Mahmood – twists and turns galore with loads of interesting characters. (His first novel: You Don’t Know Me, was recently a BBC four-parter. Also an excellent novel.)

I’ll leave you with my favourite quote of the month. It’s from Jane Austen . . .

‘I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.’

Best wishes and have many happy hours of reading.

Maurice

www.facebook.com/MauriceHollowayAuthor

https://mauriceholloway.wixsite.com/mauricehollowaybooks

**Don’t worry, by re-registering you won’t receive extra newsletters from me.

If you want to unsubscribe, simply send an email to this address with the word Unsubscribe in the subject line. I hope you stay.

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NEWSLETTER

14th March 2022

A brief reminder to everyone that all special offers on the Favours series will expire on 21st March 2022. If you haven’t yet ordered SMASH THE CODE at half price (with the coupon) or HUNT THE BUDDHA at only 99c (with the coupon), do it now. It doesn’t matter if you don’t intend to read it straight away. Don’t miss the deadline. DO IT TODAY!

Coupons still available for a few days by adding your name to the mailing list on: https://mauriceholloway.wixsite.com/mauricehollowaybooks

STEAL A DIAMOND is still available FREE on: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1129100

Do you remember The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? It was a book which became a successful TV series a looong time ago. The writer, Douglas Adams, had this to say about deadlines . . .

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by!

Happy reading.

Maurice

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NEWSLETTER

28 February 2022

Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter. I promise you won’t be bombarded by me. Every now and then I’ll update you on how things are going with my books and anything else interesting in the writing world.

By now, you’ll probably have finished reading STEAL A DIAMOND, the first in the Favours Series. Thanks, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it. If so, please leave a review on smashwords.com or write to me on my facebook page @MauriceHollowayAuthor. It’s interesting that lots of people have read the books and said how much they like them but there’s a reluctance to write a review. Human nature, I guess. If you haven’t yet checked, SMASH THE CODE is available FREE with a coupon from: https://mauriceholloway.wixsite.com/mauricehollowaybooks/welcome

Don’t lose out; it’s for a limited period.

Great news for the publishing industry! Smashwords.com have recently announced their acquisition by Draft2Digital, a company also specialising in working with independent authors. Unlike Smashwords, however, they produce print books alongside ebooks. Between them, they’ll be working with around a quarter of a million authors producing 800,000 books a year.

The Favours series will be out on paperback in the next few months for those who like to have both electronic and paper versions. The process is under way with Kindle but I’ll take a look at Draft2Digital once the new company is settled. I’ll keep you informed.

Once that’s all organised I’ll start working on Blood on Charing X Road, a mystery thriller in a different vein to Titus and Jet’s. There’s an outline on my website if you want to take a look. (If you recognise the storyline it’s because I released it under a different title a few years ago. It’s now being updated and re-titled.) Watch this space, as they say.

BBC Radio Wiltshire interviewed me recently. The interviewer asked where my ideas came from. I told him I often get inspiration by asking ‘What if . . . ?’ as I did with Steal a Diamond. I saw the original diamond in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul and the thought popped into my head – What if someone wanted to steal it? A better answer is this one which I picked up recently:

A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world.

Susan Sontag

Another recent quote:

A book is a dream you hold in your hand.

If you’re interested in hearing the whole interview you can get it through BBC i-player>Sounds. It was on Tuesday 22nd February at 3.30 pm.

I think every writer’s aim is to be able to conjure images which I believe is what the writer of that quote means. Sometimes they’re good dreams, sometimes they’re not but the memory of a good story remains. How many stories can you recall from childhood, for instance?

I’ve read some excellent books in recent months . . .

-The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. Like the neighbours from Hell, only worse!

-Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton. A school hostage tale – in England.

-A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Witches and vampires but not the usual ones.

-Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. A child growing up in the back streets of Glasgow.

-Haven’t They Grown by Sophie Hannah. Weird story of two children who hadn’t grown.

-The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Thought provoking fable about the time between life and death.

All of these can be checked out on sites such as Goodreads and Amazon.

Dates for your diary:

March 3rd –

March 6th – Smashwords 13th begins. Bargains galore!

I’m about to catch up with books written by friends. Next time I’ll let you know how I get on.

Best wishes and have many happy hours of reading.

Maurice

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