Some Reasons People Become Catfish

There can be all sorts of reasons why people become Catfish online [create fake profiles], but some I've read of are: one woman who did it to fool her employers and a man who did it to kill his girlfriend, by posing as an online stalker before he killed her.

Another woman did it to humiliate her boyfriend and one man created 130 fake Facebook accounts to harass his sixteen year old girl friend. ** Article link: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20123755-504083/calif-man-creates-130-fake-facebook-profiles-to-harass-ex-girlfriend-pleads-no-contest/

While to many it can seem pretty harmless creating fake profiles and becoming a 'Catfish', and of course it can be just someone with low self esteem trying to live out a fantasy life online, to the victims it can cause pain and upset, even death in rare cases.

Other reasons I've heard of why people become Catfish is to check up on their partners or previous partners, to try to lure them to see if they take the bait or just to nose around on their Facebook page as someone else, if the person has blocked them. Sometimes they do it to appear anonymous on Facebook so that people they know won't recognise them.

It's a minefield as there are estimated to be around 83 million fake Facebook accounts. The best thing you can do as a social network user is to protect yourself by looking for the signs that someone is a fake. If you answer YES to any of these questions about your Facebook friend, then it should hold up a red flag:

1. Does your FB friend's profile picture look too good to be true? Quite often they look like models or celebrities or just extremely attractive.

2. Do they have few photographs and none taken with friends and/or family?

3. Is there no tagging of photographs by themselves or friends?

4. Does the information they say about themselves sound too good to be true? For example, they are in the modelling business, a fashion designer, etc.

5. Do they have only a few friends listed on their page?

6. Are there few posts on their wall and lack of comments by friends?

7. Do you just 'have a feeling' that somehow they are too good to be true?

8. Are they always making excuses why you can't see them on webcam or get to meet them?

9. Have you been asked for money by the suspect Catfish? If so, it could be a Nigerian Scammer behind that profile pic or some other con artist.

10. Has this person declared undying love or got keen far too soon? Another red flag.
Protect yourself by:

1. Dragging and dropping their 'perfect image' into Google image search, it might throw up photographs of that image elsewhere online and you might find they are posing as someone else to others.

2. If you are arranging to meet up, ensure you talk to them on webcam first so you can see they are the person in the photograph, or failing that, get them to take a photograph of themselves holding up that day's newspaper clearly showing the date or a card with your name on it. Of course, if they are the person they say they are, it still doesn't mean they're not trying to con you in some way!

3. Google their full name. If they are supposed to be a successful model, designer or other, their name should show up somewhere online, if it doesn't, see it as a probable red flag.

4. You can also contact a couple of their Facebook friends to ask what they know about the person, although you may need to be careful how you set about doing this. Chances are they might not know them either or it could be the suspected Catfish has other profiles they've added as friends.

5. Often if a person is a Catfish they will keep making excuses why they can't send you a photograph, appear on webcam or keep breaking potential dates and they often have elaborate excuses, such as they were involved in a car accident, their parent was suddenly taken ill, so see anything like that as a potential red flag.

6. There are various websites where you can discover a person's location from their email address or email header info. Here's one:

http://www.ip2location.com/free/email-tracer

7. It's possible to waste a lot of time with a Catfish online as they keep dangling that proverbial carrot, so give yourself a time limit and think if so and so hasn't proved him or herself by such and such a date, they're not worth bothering with. With today's technology it's not that difficult or expensive for someone to get a webcam or send a photograph to show they are the person on their profile pic. If they can't do that, it's the biggest red flag of all!
Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is!

Author Kayla Star has written a fictional book about Catfish. Over 18 only.
http://www.amazon.com/Indecent-Seduction-Kayla-Star-ebook/dp/B00TSQO2GA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427673137&sr=8-1&keywords=indecent+seduction

Interview with Author, Graham Watkins

Author, Graham Watkins

Welcome, Graham. I’ve just read your excellent book, ‘The Iron Masters: An Historical Novel of the Napoleonic Wars’ [Kindle Edition] Graham, what made you choose that particular topic in the first place?

The idea first came to me when I visited Vaynor churchyard with my wife. She's researching our family history and found a gravestone with the inscription, 'Watkin Watkins, Farmer, Departed this life 8th June 1730.’ I turned to look at a nearby grave, bigger and more imposing; an eight ton slab of pink granite surrounded by iron railings. The words were simple, ‘Robert Thompson Crawshay, Died May 10th 1789, aged 62 years, God Forgive Me.’ My curiosity took command. Who was the man buried beneath the enormous rock and what terrible wrong did he do that needed God’s forgiveness? Robert Thompson Crawshay’s monument would be my muse. From it would come the idea for my book, The Iron Masters.

 What sort of research did you have to carry out for your novel?

It took me two years to research the history of the period and the story of the Merthyr iron masters. Much of it came from the internet but researching the book also took me to Boston to see the USS Constitution, the first American warship. She fought the Royal Navy during the American war of 1812. A war declared by America because the Royal Navy was stopping American merchantmen and pressing the seamen into the service of the king. Like the HMS Victory which we visited in Portsmouth, she's still a commissioned vessel. A strange fact about the Victory is that many of the cannons on board are now fibreglass replicas. Another trip was to Baltimore to see Fort McHenry, bombarded with mortars cast in the foundries of Merthyr. My wife says they were holidays but a writer never stops looking for ideas. Standing in the information centre at Fort McHenry while American visitors saluted their flag was a surprisingly moving experience but when I told them their national anthem was written by a man on a British warship and he pinched the tune from a popular British song of the day, they weren't impressed.

Did you get the idea for your lead character of ‘Nye’ from anywhere in particular?

Nye Vaughn is a composite of different iron masters, principally the Crawshays. Richard Crawshay was a Yorkshireman who left home to seek his fortune when he was 18 years old. Nye comes from Llangadog but he also leaves home aged 18. Many of the events featured in the book actually took place. The 500 guinea wager that Trevithick's engine wouldn't work for example and Nelson's visit to Merthyr when a saluting cannon killed a small boy who happened to be standing nearby.

When you were researching this novel were there any facts that surprised you?

I was staggered by the scale and reach of the Napoleonic Wars. It was a brutal period and life was cheap. At Waterloo 75,000 men were killed or wounded during one days fighting. No provision was made for the men lying wounded on the battlefield at the end of the day. No water.  No first aid. They were just left to be robbed and die. Later, the corpses were stripped of their teeth which were packed into barrels and shipped back to Britain to be sold as false teeth.

What sort of role did Merthyr Tydfil play during the Napoleonic wars?

Merthyr was the biggest armaments factory in the world. It was key to winning the war with France and defeating Napoleon Bonaparte. Merthyr cannons were aboard HMS Victory at Trafalgar. To get some idea of how many guns were being produced it's estimated that the Royal Navy's rearmament programme, after losing the American Colonies, would require about 500 warships to fight the French. That's something like 50,000 cannons. No wonder, the Iron Masters of Merthyr were making vast fortunes for themselves.

What did you learn by writing this novel?

I learned a great deal about European history of the period and of the importance of South Wales in the scheme of things. On a different scale I learned about the lives of ordinary people in the 18th Century. One of my sources was a book called the Diary of Thomas Jenkins. Jenkins was a carpenter from Llandeilo who kept a diary from 1826 to 1870. It's a treasure trove of information about daily life. In one entry he describes how his five year old son goes down with a fever. The doctor calls and prescribes that the boys head be shaved and wrapped in cold towels to reduce the head and then attaches leeches to his temples. He dies two days later. Then Jenkins, matter of factly, records that his wife goes down with the same fever. You probably remember a similar scene in my book.

What got you into writing in the first place?

I started writing in 2003 when we moved back to Wales. We live in the Brecon Beacons and inspiration is everywhere. My first books were a series of walking books called 'Walking with Welsh Legends.' The idea behind them was to retell each legend and link it to the local geography with a walk. The plan was to investigate each walk when the sun shone and write when it rained. It became a three year project exploring Wales and great fun resulting in five walking books and a compendium book containing eighty Welsh legends.

Where do you write?

I write in my study at home using a desktop computer. Sometimes when I'm struggling with a story line or a plot I move to the kitchen with a laptop where I can try ideas out on my wife. She listens and frequently suggests ways to deal with a particular situation. Writing The Iron Masters is a case in point. Her comments made me redraft the female characters. One in particular needed more work. Delyth started as a minor player but her role in the story grew until I found she was becoming more interesting than some of the men portrayed. Delyth became a murderer, seductress and all round schemer; a thoroughly nasty piece of work. As a result, I discovered, an evil woman is a joy to write about.

Do you have a particular writing routine?

I read somewhere that Enid Blyton wrote about 6000 words a day. It's a lot but she was writing about Noddy and dictating to a secretary. My average is about 1000 words a day. I write in the morning while I'm fresh. By lunchtime I start to flag and move on to other things that have to be done to complete an historical novel. The Iron Masters storyline was constructed using an excel spreadsheet to create a timeline covering 50 years with dates and details of historical events, notes of when characters are born and die, and links to source material. While writing the book I created more than fifty character profiles so that I could keep track of who was who. So you see, getting the story written was only part of the work in progress.

Do you have any plans to write any more novels set in this time period?

The Iron Masters end with the coming of the railways. The sequel is at the planning stage and will cover the building of the Trans-Siberian Railway using Merthyr iron rails, gun running from Wales to the Confederate States during the American Civil War, the Rebecca Riots and a host of other historical events. At the moment, I'm writing a novel about the Boer War and the siege of Mafeking. The idea came from a recent tour of South African Battlefield of the Zulu and Boer Wars. Colonel Baden Powell was the Commander at Mafeking and there is a very interesting back story to the siege.

Finally, where can people purchase your book, ‘The Iron Masters’?

The Iron Masters is available as an eBook and in paperback form from Amazon. There are links to it and all my books on my website at http://www.grahamwatkins.info/

Fascinating! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Graham J

How to Net a Catfish: If you love the MTV show 'Catfish' then you'll lov...

How to Net a Catfish: If you love the MTV show 'Catfish' then you'll lov...: Is Olivia In love with a 'Catfish'?

Trailer: Indecent Seduction by Kayla Star out now!!

Indecent Seduction was released on the 25th of February. Already it's having a big impact, it even beat 'Fifty Shades of Grey' last night on Amazon Spain in the 'Best Sellers in Erotica' in English section!

Blurb:

Warning: Explicit Sexual content 

When Olivia's husband of eight years walks out on her for a younger woman, she is left devastated. She seeks solace in the form of an online relationship with an Italian man who calls himself 'Romeo'. 

Although she agrees to speak to him on Skype, there is always some excuse why he does not show himself on camera to her, although she does get to hear his sultry voice. Despite being frustrated by this, she finds herself falling for his charms. One evening after a couple of glasses of wine, she ends up undressing on the webcam for him and pleasuring herself by engaging in something she's never tried before, cybersex, which enables her to reach the dizzy heights of rapture. A feeling so erotic, powerful, and comforting, that she keeps yearning for more to sooth her emotional pain. 

The cybersex starts to become an addiction as she begins to lose touch with reality. But is Romeo who he says he is, and will she finally get to meet her Latin lothario?

Purchase book here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Indecent-Seduction-Kayla-Star-ebook/dp/B00TSQO2GA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425372027&sr=8-1&keywords=Indecent+seduction

Under a Hot Sicilian Sun Excerpt

She wrapped her large beach towel around herself and came above deck to find Dante had already changed into a pair of white swimming trunks. She held her breath when she saw his tanned, trim body. He had a smattering of black hair on his chest and looked very muscular. His chest was broad, and she longed to run her fingers over its contours and lay her head on it. She inhaled, exhaled, and tried to keep her composure.

“Come on, Joanne,” he teased.“Drop the towel.” His chocolate brown eyes glinted devilishly.

She let her towel fall to the floor and watched as his eyes widened with desire.

“Mamma Mia. Why do you fear showing your body to me? You are beautiful…and that gold chain around your stomach, it makes you look very sexy…”

No one had ever called her sexy before, ever. Her mouth dry, she licked her lips.

“I haven’t let a man see me in a bikini for years, Dante. I’m not as slim as I used to be.”

“No, no, Joanne. To me you look fabulous. I love your curves. They suit you. A man needs somewhere comfortable to land.” He laughed, making her laugh too, and it helped to ease her heightened nerves. He pecked her on the cheek and then, much to her astonishment, he turned, walked to the side of the boat, climbed on the edge, and dived into the water, sending up a huge splash of sea spray.

She stood and peered overboard but couldn’t see him for a few seconds; her heart thudded. Where had he gone? Then there was a splash as he emerged and wiped the water out of his eyes, laughing and bobbing up and down in the water. 

“Come on in here, join me please, Joanne,” he urged. She hadn’t been expecting this at all.

Gingerly she sat on the side of the boat. “Will you help me into the water?” She bit her lip.

“Of course, amore mio. Jump to me, I will catch you.”

She closed her eyes and with blind faith threw herself into his arms. For a moment the combined weight made them dip under water and she began to panic a little. Then they were fully submerged, and eventually returned to the surface, bobbing up and down. There was a small ladder at the side of the boat she could cling to if she wanted to and that reassured her somehow. Who could fail to feel safe with Dante around?

“But…but…where are we?” she spluttered.

“Joanne, we are only just off the coastline of Sicily. Over there are the Aeolian Islands.” He pointed and she made out some dark shapes in the distance. “We shall have a little swim here, rest later, and eat too. Then I am going to sail the boat over to one of them. It’s called Lipari and it’s the largest island, it’s volcanic. The food there is out of this world.”

“You are full of surprises, Dante.”

“I know.” He smiled and drew her close to him, stroked her face, and then pressed his lips down on hers, stealing her breath away as his tongue danced with hers. “Like that you mean?” he asked, drawing away.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“And like this?” He wrapped his arms around her and untied her bikini top. She gasped at his cheek and watched as he spun it around his head and tossed it aboard the boat.

“What did you do that for?” She blinked several times.

“Because you have a beauty, Joanne, that needs to be admired.” He cupped a breast in his hand and lowered his head to suckle. She groaned as a tingle of desire coursed around her body. “Please do not worry, there is no one to see us here like this.”

He pushed her up against the boat; the water was so clear, so aquamarine and warmer than she thought, though that might have been because he had switched on her button of desire. There were some fish swimming down below in among the fronds and rocks. She gazed in awe.

“Yes, this is a good place to catch fish, Joanne. I have been scuba diving here. You should join me sometime.”

She laughed. “I think this is as much of the ocean I can stand, Dante. I’m not a strong swimmer.”

He ran a wet finger along her cheek. “Ah, you are frightened, I can see that, but you need not be when you are with me. I can teach you about so many things.”

She shivered; without a doubt, there were many things Dante Alphonso could teach her, not least of all love-making. He was her tutor and she was about to become a very willing student...

Review of: 'Sticks and Stones' written by Thea Hartley

The Devil Rides Out meets Miss Marple! 

The second in a series of crime fiction books, [the first being Kith and Kill], Ms. Hartley steps up the intrigue here. People are being poisoned and the police are baffled as there is no obvious motive or connection between victims.

So who is doing it and why?

Resa James, a criminal psychologist and specialist in Victimology, becomes embroiled in all these cases. Especially so, when a member of her own family is targeted and put in danger of her own life as a result.

It’s all too close to home, literally.

What I love about this novel is the continuing romance between Resa and Superintendent Mike Thompson and her own up and down relationship with teenage daughter, Laura. Adding touches of humour to the plot is Resa’s mother Edna. Who appears to be acting like a teenager herself as love blossoms for the senior citizen. Edna’s off the wall quips made me smile at times, adding warmth and humour to a story with a serious subject matter, murder!

Ms. Hartley writes with so much heart and soul that I can hear the characters’ voices in my head and see the scenes unfold before me as she builds up the suspense and takes the reader on a roller coaster of a ride. I love the way she has interwoven witchcraft and herbal poisons into the plot. Not your average plot granted but then again, Thea Hartley is no average writer! She’s one to watch out for in the future.

This is one novel you won’t want to miss out on. Highly recommended!

Purchase book here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sticks-Bones-criminal-psychologist-mysteries-ebook/dp/B00QZIQ0LO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424206250&sr=8-2&keywords=thea+hartley

The Counterfeit Wife by Thea Hartley

In this dark, gothic tale, there are many disturbing secrets.  Mara marries a man who is unable to love and that man is her boss, Edmund De Quintin.  

She yearns to change him but finds in her frustration that she turns to someone else...her wedding planner, Tasha.  Mara tries her best to forge a relationship with her cold-hearted husband but spends hot nights in bed with Tara.  After all, there is only so much rejection a woman can take.

One night, she and Tara discover a hidden BDSM dungeon at the manor house and the truth about her husband and his family is about to be revealed...

Mara's love has put her life in danger.  Can she survive the secret and who will come to her rescue?  Or is it too late?

There are so many twists and turns and dark secrets in this gem of a novel.  It's like opening a box of 'Black Magic' - who knows the secrets of the black magic box?  

Bite into those centres and you get a myriad of tastes: there's Midnight Truffle, Hazelnut Swirl, Coffee Crescent, Almond Crunch, Pure Black Magic amongst the flavours.  What I'm saying is that this is a bitter sweet story.  On the one hand there's Mara's constant yearning for the unrequited love of her husband, on the other, there's her passionate affair with the wedding planner, and on the other, [if there were three hands]...is a box full of secrets...ready to unfold.

This is a well-written story that takes the reader through the multi-layers of the chocolate box, where each individual chocolate has to be tasted and savoured before the box is emptied.

Who indeed knows the story of the Black Magic Box?  You decide!

Highly recommended!

Click here to purchase!

 

Black Diamonds [Historical Romance] Lynette Rees

A trailer for my historical romance, 'Black Diamonds' due out with Knox Robinson Publishing April 14th.

Slide Show of 'Black Diamonds'

I've made a Slideshow for my novel, 'Black Diamonds'.  You'll need to have the page on full screen to view the captions.

http://www.lynetterees.co.uk/414379798

Newspaper Article Regarding Book Launch!

I'm really pleased with the article that was printed about my book in today's edition of The Merthyr Express.

[Click on newspaper article to enlarge!]

I hope it speaks for itself.

Another Great Review for 'Black Diamonds'

I was really pleased with this review for my upcoming historical romance, 'Black Diamonds'.

Lynette Rees transports the reader into the era of coal mining in the South Wales Valleys of 1865 with a rare talent for producing an authentic atmosphere.

She brings to life a cast of characters who leap out from the pages, their personalities inhabiting the imagination. The story unfolds at just the right pace, taking the reader on a journey which crosses continents and touches all the emotions.

The book begins with a depiction of the trauma and poverty following a mine disaster, which expertly introduces us to the various characters.

The poverty of the time is written about with empathy, especially when visiting the immoral and criminal area of the town, known as "China."

The heroine is a character with whom the reader will immediately relate to and share all her trials and tribulations. Her life becomes a roller coaster in more ways than one, with the reader becoming gripped by all her adventures, good and bad.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It will keep you reading through the day and night, as you will be unable to put it down.

I look forward to the sequel, as I keep wondering what will happen next in this enthralling saga.

Reviewed by Thea Horton author of

 "The French Letter King."

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Beat Convention

I just heard this hip hop version of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' [my favourite Christmas Carol] played on Songs of Praise BBC1 tonight and I love it.  It's performed with the Carlisle Cathedral choir and is the brain child of a Chaplaincy worker for Cumbria.  Hope it does well!

Memories of a Christmas Past

 

My daughter Leyna, son Nathan, and grand daughter Lowri, were here the other day helping to decorate the house for Christmas and we all made Christmas cookies!  It's a tradition I've had going since they were young children.

Anyhow, Leyna pulled out a box of old cards she discovered in the attic that can't have seen the light of day for many a year, maybe even since we moved to this house about twenty years ago!  One photograph she found in a little cream card frame was the one above and embossed on the back of it in gold lettering was 'Seasons Greetings from Cwmbran Shopping Centre'.

The strange thing is I have absolutely no memory of that photograph being taken at all.  Though I remember well Leyna in that little green coat with the black velvet collar and the dolly she clutches in her arms.  I bought her the coat from Woolworths in Newport circa 1989 [when that photograph was taken] for the pricely sum of £12.50.  It was a bargain.  The original price had been £25.00.  Even that was a good price for such a lovely coat, she looked so smart in it when she wore it to Chapel on Christmas day that year.

Nathan in that pic I would say is around six or seven weeks old, Leyna about two years and nine months and I am almost twenty nine.

I think there maybe a couple of reasons I have no recollection of that photograph as usually I have a fantastic long term memory that amazes people of how much detail I remember.  The first reason is because if that photograph had not seen the light of day since that year it's understandable I would forget it.  The second reason is because I was suffering from a severe depression, though that might not appear to be the case!

When I was around six or seven months pregnant I began to get feelings of being 'under a cloud' I would say.  The symptoms began to steadily get worse, not helped by the fact I was put on bed rest as I began to bleed and I feared I'd lose the baby.  The bed rest was at home not hospital and all was well after a few days, thankfully.

I remember telling my assigned midwives at the time how I was feeling and although they were both lovely well experienced women, I don't think they took me seriously.  In fact, I don't know if anyone did.  I remember my husband going to play squash one day and me feeling, 'He's going to play squash and I feel like killing myself.'

Yes, I did get mild suicidal feelings but at the back of my mind was my thoughts for other family members and how it would affect them all if I did away with myself. 

I also remember the early morning waking.  I'd be wide awake at around 5 a.m and it would take a couple of hours to get back to sleep.  I cried a lot and I didn't know why.  All the joy seemed to disappear from my life, things that usually gave me pleasure, didn't any more.  I felt detached from life and people.  It felt almost as though I were in a glass bubble and couldn't reach out to anyone.  It was a really scary place to be and I felt like I'd be like it for the rest of my life.  I can also see looking at some photographs of that time that my eyes are dead.  Though I don't think they are in this photograph, so no doubt I was well onto the road of recovery there.

Eventually, my G.P. who was a great bloke and partially disabled, was so understanding and although they thought it unsafe for me to take anti depressants after diagnosing depression, he got in touch with a professor in London, who said a very low doze of Diazepam would be safe to take when I felt very anxious, to take the edge off.  I managed with it for a while but once Nathan was born I was prescribed anti depressants and got well very quickly.  I also believe my involvement with the local chapel and my faith in God got me through.  There was one day when all I could do was get on my knees and pray and it got me through the day.

Unusually perhaps, I was off the anti depressants within 3 to 4 months but a lot of that time I wasn't functioning as well as I wanted to, it's hard enough when people have depression any how but when you have a two and half year old child and a new baby to care for, it's even harder.  Initially, me, the strong coping carer that people turned to for advice, had to drag herself out of bed in the morning and it was an effort to even make a cup of tea for myself.

My days were rooted in fear.  The anxiety started in the pregnancy and I became afraid of things.  It all sounds crazy now but I feel it was because my first pregnancy had gone wrong and I'd discovered that this pregnancy I was carrying a boy like the first one.

I'm proud of what I did though to help myself.  I didn't stay in the house.  My mother came over to help me and stayed for a few weeks and I made sure I made lists so I had to do things by a certain time.  For example my day might have been something like this:

1.  Get out of bed, washed and dressed well before 10 am.

2.  Put washing in machine.

3.  Make breakfast etc

I ticked off everything I did and it gave me a feeling of satisfaction that I could cope.

My GP thought it best that I breast fed as I had done on my previous pregnancy to ensure I bonded with Nathan and my mother helped out as much as she could taking Leyna to play group etc and helping with some household chores.

As time went on the midwife thought it best that my mother returned home so I could cope alone.  I say cope alone as my husband worked long hours on shift work and often worked overtime at that period of our lives.

The first day or so was scary but eventually by keeping to a routine and keeping the list going on a daily basis I got through the days.  I even managed to take the children to Women's Chapel Meetings where children were welcomed.  I did that twice a week and eventually ended up helping to run the mother and toddler group at the chapel with another woman and later also worked in the play group there twice a week.

I was lucky that I had the support of my family and the Church and I got better very quickly, some aren't so fortunate.  My heart goes out to the family of the young mother and baby who lost their lives this week.  I think the medical profession needs to be aware that pregnant women are vulnerable during their pregnancy and afterwards and care needs to be taken of how they are feeling.  Maybe it would be a good idea if they were asked questions at various parts of the pregnancy to ensure they are coping.  Lessons need to be learned of how a young woman who was already vulnerable was able to walk out of a hospital with a newly born baby without questions being asked.

Review: Kith and Kill by Thea Hartley

Five Stars

Review of Kith and Kill by Thea Hartley
[I was sent a review copy of this novel]

Resa James, a criminal psychologist and divorced mother of a teenage girl, is brought in for consultation by the police regarding multiple murders that appear to be connected to a local fertility clinic in Cardiff. 

Resa’s life is already complicated by an acquaintance who appears to have a crush on her when she is already on the verge of a relationship with someone new and exciting she’s just met.

The killer in this story is meticulous and cunning.  But what is their motive?  And why are they targeting infertile couples?

Victimology, which is a way of studying the victims’ personal lives [their likes and dislikes etc] appears to be the way forward to catch the killer.   If Resa can discover what the killer has in common with the victims then she might be able to uncover who the serial killer is as they probably move in similar circles.

A poison pen letter out of the blue, puts Resa on her guard as it could threaten both herself and her daughter, Laura.  She is fiercely protective of her home life and there are plenty of people who are suspects in this story, including a husband and wife team who are against forms of IVF.  And what about the person who has a serious crush on Resa?  She’s acting out of character and seemingly dangerous, could she have something to hide?  Also workers at the clinic could any one of those possibly have a motive?  There are lots of characters in this novel who make the reader wonder if they are the killer.

The murdered couples themselves have been secretive about their use of IVF further complicating the issue which makes Resa’s work as a profiler much more difficult to undertake.

This is a great ‘who done it?’ mystery which keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout this novel. 

It’s a story that grabs the reader by the throat and doesn’t let them go right from the very first page.   A tale that is interwoven with secrets and intrigue, mystery and emotion.   A first class psychological thriller with a little romance thrown into the mix.

Ms. Hartley has a way of drawing the reader in from the very first paragraph, taking them on a roller coaster of a journey.  This isn’t a tale for the faint heartened, it’s gritty and realistic, a story that wouldn’t be out of place as a television drama.  It could give ‘Cracker’ and ‘Silent Witness’ a run for their money.

The settings take place in South Wales, in and around the Cardiff area, which is a refreshing change to read a crime fiction novel from those areas instead of London or Edinburgh or any other major city in the UK where these stories are often set.  Indeed Cardiff itself becomes a character in its own right in this novel as does the IVF clinic.  Which is part of the art of good writing that draws the reader in and never let’s go.   Thea Hartley is one Welsh crime novelist to watch out for in the future and I’m sure there is lots more intrigue to come from this wonderful writer.

Reviewed by Lynette Rees
Author of Beneath a Sicilian Sun and Watching You




https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912130-lynette-rees

Thongs for the Memories!

 

These days ladies’ underwear is skimpier than ever.  I’ve always been of the old adage ‘less is more’ but when it comes to underwear, maybe more is more, if you get my drift.  I’ve always thought that thongs were really unattractive, even if you’ve got a tight, well-toned butt that could crack a walnut!  I’ve never understood the attraction of why someone would wish to have their derriere on show and flossed with something akin to a piece of cheese wire!

Thong

 

 

In Victorian times pantalettes or pantaloons as they were known, were long undergarments for women which were well over the knee.  I thought they were known of as bloomers, but apparently those are something entirely different.  A sort of short trousers worn under a dress.

Pantaloons

 

I remember my great grandmother who was born in 1891, wearing some sort of pantaloons.  Though not frilly ones.  I only knew of this as my grandmother took care of her until she died aged 87, and as the house was so small, sometimes I’d be there when she was being dressed.  By that time her mind was wandering so she had to be helped to get dressed along with other things.  That generation were very stoic and didn't put the goods on show and rarely told everyone all their business!  You wouldn't have seen them on The Jeremy Kyle Show airing their dirty laundry, pardon the pun!

 

I’m not a lover of thongs and obviously these days, wouldn’t wear pantaloons unless it was for fancy dress!  What I do think is attractive though is the fifties style of underwear.  I haven’t got any myself, but it looks so glamorous, well the women were back then.  They didn’t let it all hang out, they kept an air of mystery and kept most things well hidden.  Less is more in that case!

Fifties Style

Great Review for Beneath a Sicilian Sun!

I just got a great review for Beneath a Sicilian Sun from Ind'tale Magazine!  So pleased about that!

http://www.indtale.com/reviews/contemporary/beneath-sicilian-sun

Beneath a Sicilian Sun

 

Joanne Smith is a renowned journalist for Life Today magazine. Her latest assignment is to interview Dante Alphonso. He is trying to get positive publicity for his pet charity, an organization that grants wishes to dying children. What he didn’t plan on was to be attracted to the beautiful Joanne. He invites her to go to Sicily with him at his expense to visit his vineyards and see the other parts of his life. He even takes along one of the magazine’s photographers. Things start to get hot and spicy between Dante and Joanne as he shows her the beautiful things the island has to offer. Then Dante is betrayed and he places the blame on Joanne. Can their relationship ever recover?

 

The scenery is described so well that it feels as though the reader is magically transported to Sicily. One can see the vineyards as they spread out over acres of land and the color changes between the different colors of the five different varieties of grapes that are grown there. The tension between Dante and Joanne can be felt so well that it almost makes the reader feel like an interloper! One is right there with Joanne, experiencing her angst as she questions her relationship with Dante after she returns home. This is a very emotional book that will leave haunting memories well after the story is finished!

Reviewer: Belinda Wilson

Purchase book here:

http://tinyurl.com/mu5ppuh [US]

http://tinyurl.com/ocel8nk [UK]

 

Snarky Book Review Comments and Stalking

 

Have you noticed how so many people are getting offended these days?  Often it's not over big things either but silly little things.

I started rereading a book which is now on Kindle by one of my favourite romance authors.  She'd had 258 Amazon reviews for her book.  Most were 5 star reviews but there was a handful of 1 star reviews which really puzzled me.  Now bearing in mind, I thought this book was great 10 years ago in paperback, so when it was republished by Kindle I jumped at the chance to read it again.

 I looked at the bad reviews which said things like, "Don't Waste Your Time With This Book" and "Not Worth It".  No one had commented on the bad reviews except for one thread  where the author was attacked for her political views.  The author replied that they weren't her views but those of the character, but still the reviewer carried on with comments which went over my head as she mentioned rapists.  I hadn't read anything about rapists in the plot and neither had I noticed any of the many typos she referred to.  The author replied once more saying the character's comments were intended as a joke like something from the Jay Leno Show and weren't intended to offend.  Unfortunately, the reviewer then made an issue about the mention of Jay Leno's name saying she found it insulting his name was mentioned!

 At the end of the day, I don't think you can argue with irrational people like that or even stick up for yourself as they will always turn things around to make you the bad guy.  I looked at all the reviews this woman had given to other books and there were many.  The odd thing about her reviews was that she either gave 5 star reviews to books where she highly praised them or 1 star reviews where she slated books, there was nothing in between.

Only this past week I read of one author who tracked a reviewer down who had slated her books, so far as to discover her real name and where she lived!  This Goodreads reviewer has since closed down her Twitter page and other social media networks either gone or turned to private.  Now that seems to be to be a form of reverse stalking, if that term exists.  It’s usually someone who stalks the author and not the author doing the stalking.  Some people have praised the author for doing this, there was even an article she wrote about it in the Guardian.  Guardian Article:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/18/am-i-being-catfished-an-author-confronts-her-number-one-online-critic

Lots of bloggers/reviewers have condemned the author for tracking down the reviewer all for the sake of a 1 star review.

 I think the best thing an author can do is not respond to bad comments or reviews.  Just as we meet people who don't like us or anything we do in real life [and those who might be irrational and even nasty], we will encounter them online also.  It's tempting to bite back but simply not worth it.

 I just left a comment underneath the reviewer's telling the author how much I'd enjoyed her book and was even reading it for a second time!  It wasn’t worth angering the reviewer, she’s entitled to her opinion and I suspect she would then have turned her rants on me if I had said anything directly to her.

The amount of 5 star reviews and great comments the author has are testament to how good her writing really is and why the odd bad review really shouldn’t matter.

 

Little need for a winter coat?

Yesterday I was having lunch with a friend and we  both remarked on how warm it was for Halloween.  I said it was strange but years ago when I was young I remember how we always had a winter coat of sorts and how these days there seems to be little need for one.  I bought a beautiful cobalt blue one with a fur collar two years ago.  I think I've only worn it less than a handful of times.

Back in the sixties and seventies, the winters got so cold that the miniature milk bottles froze in their crates at school.  Us school children couldn't even pierce the foil tops with our straws.  The teacher used to defrost the bottles near the radiator.

Many a time we were sent home from school when the boiler broke down or it snowed and snowed and snowed as if God was shaking his feather mattress above us.  I loved those times of going home and playing outside in the snow with our sleighs.  It brought a rose bloom to our cheeks and we came home chilled to the bone ready to thaw out by the fireside.  I once built a snowman that lasted almost a whole week in my grandmother's garden until my brother knocked its head off.  I was devastated.  My great grandmother who was in her mid eighties then and slightly senile, was living with my gran and I distinctly remember her shouting about my brother, "Tell him I'll knock his head off for him!"

My brother had a habit of destroying things I made.  I once remember him trampling over a Sindy Kitchen I'd put together following instructions from Lesley Judd on Blue Peter using a cardboard box and sticky back plastic.  But that's another story!

To get back to this one, I think I enjoyed wearing my winter coats and polo neck sweaters.  I loved it when the temperatures were more extreme: warm in summer and cold in winter.  Sometimes it got so cold that there was ice on the inside of the windows, we took water bottles to bed [after all we had no central heating and only one coal fire to heat the whole house], we even had to make do with coats on the bed as extra bedding.  Thank goodness we had those winter coats then.

Today there's an article in the Daily Mail about the fact people aren't buying winter coats this year and they're on sale at great knock down prices.

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2816485/Get-winter-wardrobe-HALF-PRICE-Balmy-weather-s-left-stores-unsold-winter-outfits-cash-just-gets-cold.html

So bag yourself a bargain if you can...but I can't guarantee you'll get to wear it much this winter!