Caroline James is an author of popular women's fiction. Her novel The Cruise is an Amazon Top Five Best Seller. She has owned businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that features in her novels. She is based in the UK but has a great fondness for travel and escapes whenever she can.
A public speaker, consultant and food writer, Caroline is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association, the SoA and The Society of Women's Writers & Journalists.
In her spare time, Caroline can be found walking with Fred her Westie, or swimming in a local lake.
I haven’t posted here for sometime and if you would like to keep up to date with my news, please join my NEWSLETTER which updates each month with book news, competitions and giveaways. I promise not to bombard you!
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Yes! Someone will win this fabulous holiday and having experienced the cruise myself I can promise you it is a memorable and wonderful experience.
I’m also celebrating a wonderful trip to Egypt where I enjoyed a cruise on the Nile whilst researching for my next novel The Nile Cruise. I know you will enjoy sharing this trip with me and hearing all the news.
I had the pleasure of being shown around the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan, including the room where Agatha Christie stayed and wrote Death on the Nile. What a treat this was! More in the next couple of days in my newsletter…
There are four feel-good discounted books in the newsletter which you can add to you reading list for Christmas,
so do enjoy a bargain while you can! Have you read Atticus Arnott’s Great Adventure? Set during Christmas in Spain it is a lovely festive read. Grab a copy now before the price increases.
This will be my last post here, but it’s not goodbye. I hope you’ll continue the journey with me by joining my newsletter—I’d love to have your company each month.
I wish you every happiness this Christmas season and send my very best wishes for the year ahead. May 2026 be a truly special year for you all, and thank you for your continued support. Without readers, there would be no writers.
We are motoring through November, and I cannot believe that 2024 is slipping away so quickly. I remember getting my driving licence many years ago, as a teen, and seeing that it was up for renewal in 2020. I never imagined I’d get this far! By the time this drops into your mail, I will be recovering from knee replacement surgery, so on a wing and a prayer, I am looking forward to racing around again in the new year.
NEW NOVEL
I am thundering through the final draft of The Cruise Club, which will be published in 2025. So many of you have asked for another ‘cruise’ book, to follow The Cruise, and my publisher agreed. You can expect to see this book online, in bookshops and on a supermarket shelf very soon. There is a new set of characters, taking in the Mysteries of the Mediterranean on the familiar Diamond Star ship, but comedian Dicky Delaney is back, alongside Fran and Sid Cartwright from The French Cookery School.
GIVEAWAY
I have a lovely GIVEAWAYin this newsletter. To enter, simply comment on my Facebook page (or, for those not using Facebook, email me below) saying why you’d like to go on a cruise. A draw will occur on 15th December, in plenty of time for Christmas. The gift is a personalised box of Lily O’Briens chocolates and a signed copy of The Cruise.
I travelled to Canada in October to meet my beautiful new granddaughter, Mika Mei, and my lovely Willow, Mika’s sister. It was a great family holiday. Willow and I made a Halloween house and piping took forever, but she loved the result.
Ontario is beautiful in the fall. I enjoyed exploring quaint towns and gorgeous farmer’s markets, and my favourite pastime was browsing antique and vintage fairs.
HALLOWEEN
Halloween is crazy in Canada, and we had two days of trick-or-treating. It is fascinating to see how much effort is put into decorating houses, and the community spirit and warm welcome that the children receive is heartening.
I found this fabulous model of a cruise ship which lit up. I would have loved to have brought it home and styled it as the Diamond Star (from The Cruise), but it weighed very heavy and would have been impossible.
TORONTO ZOO
We went to Toronto Zoo, a wonderful experience, and met Charles, a fifty-two-year-old Western lowland silver-backed gorilla. Charles was very sleepy and, unlike other gorillas around him, didn’t move around. We were terribly saddened to learn that Charles died the next day, and the initial diagnosis was heart failure. Given that the life expectancy of most Western lowland gorillas is between thirty and forty years in the wild, it is a real testament to the zoo for the care he received that this gorgeous creature had such a long and happy life. RIP, Charles – you will be sorely missed.
FREE READ
If you want a quick read,JUNGLE ROCK is currently FREE! But only for a few more hours…. Please snuggle down, put your feet up and enjoy a romp with much-loved characters Jo and Hattie as Jo’s son Zach becomes a contestant in a reality TV show down under.
99P BARGAINS
Don’t forget that THE SPA BREAK and THE FRENCH COOKERY SCHOOL are currently at a bargain price of 99p each in the UK. For later-life comedy and fun, fill your boots with reading!
TALKS
I’ve wrapped up my talks for 2024 and will start again in mid-January 2025. Thank you to everyone who comes to listen to me. I hope I inspire and entertain in some small way. It’s so good to get out and meet everyone.
RECENT RECOMMENDED READS
I’ve really enjoyed these three books. I realised I’d read the Jo Jo Moyes a good while ago but still enjoyed it immensely. Have you got any recommendations? Do drop me a line 🙂
INTRODUCING ATTICUS…
Christmas is fast approaching, and given that my knee is recovering, we won’t be setting off with Venus and heading to the sun this winter. I shall miss my Christmas day swim in the Mediterranean and enjoying walks with Fred, the Westie, on a sunny beach, but there’s always another year.
I’ve written a book called Atticus Arnott Goes Camping, which tells the story of Atticus, a seventy-year-old who sets off to Spain in his vintage Westfalia Camper with his collie dog called Ness. I love this book and can’t wait to share Atticus’s travels with you in 2025 – watch this space!
Wherever you are in the world, I hope this finds you safe, secure, in good health and happy. As always, lovely subscribers, thank you for all your support. I love my job, and your kind words and messages keep me going when my mind is blank, and I can’t write another word. Your encouragement means so much and helps me write on.
As Winston Churchill said, ‘When you find a job you love, you’ll never work again.’ I hope you found yours. With my love Caroline xx
Hello everyone! hope that the sun is shining wherever you are in the world, and that your summer is going well. Here in Lancashire the weather is very mixed, with hot sunny days one week and cold damp days the next.
Beautiful Cornwall
I have been on my travels and, in May, set off in Venus (my office on wheels) and headed to Cornwall to research a possible novel. I haven’t been to Cornwall for ages, and it is a gorgeous county. I especially liked swimming in the sea at Bude because the sea pool there, on the beach, is filled when the tide comes in. Cream teas are a must in Cornwall and I was treated to a lovely birthday tea with scones and clotted cream.
In May, I also got an invite to the House of Lords for a luncheon to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. It was a great event, hosted by the society’s president, Baroness Floella Benjamin.
I loved a mixed bag of genres and below are my very recent reads. Steve Cavanagh blows me away, his books are gripping, always contain lots of twists and are meticulously researched. If you like legal dramas, get a copy now.
I listen on audio at every opportunity when doing housework, driving etc and have been enjoying Marrying the Mistress by Joanna Trollope – I read this years ago but it is just as good today, as are all her novels.
Shelley Read – new to me but I couldn’t put this down. It is beautifully written and reminded me a little of Where the Crawdads Sing. A stunning book, little wonder this amazing debut has been optioned as a film.
Recent Reads
Canada
I went to Canada in June and had a fantastic trip, travelling from Toronto to Prince Edward County. We stayed in a house on the lake near the town of Picton, and I took the opportunity to swim each day, despite the icy water. The county has great towns, including Bloomfield, Wellington, and Picton, and very arty and hipster places with fabulous shops and eateries.
The countryside is green and lush, and I enjoyed visiting the breweries offering great food and family activities. Ever the ‘tatt’ hunter, I can’t resist an antique store, and there are some great finds in the many barn-like vintage stores that appear on the roadside. I am heading back to Canada in October and feel a book may be bubbling away in my head, so more research is required!
Writing
My writing has gone well this year, and after returning from Spain in January, you won’t be surprised to hear that a new romcom based on the Costas will soon (fingers crossed) be on the way. Readers keep asking me when I will write a follow-up to The Cruise, and I can say, “Watch this space…”
Publisher Party
I was delighted to attend my publisher’s annual party at the wonderful Victoria & Albert Museum in London. It is always a great event and a good opportunity to catch up with other authors.
The French Cookery School is receiving fabulous reviews, so big thanks to you all for those. I am told that it is my best book to date. I have to say that I did fall in love with the characters when writing about their exploits in France, especially Fran, a loveable lady from Blackpool who gets far more than she bargains for when she sets off for a gourmet experience at the gorgeous La Maison du Paradis. This book is available at 99p in the UK, so grab that bargain.
This month’s giveaway is a copy of The Spa Break together with a personalised mug, personally signed to the lucky entry that is drawn on 28th July. To enter, add a comment on my Facebook page: Caroline James Author Or email me here: caroline@carolinejamesauthor.co.uk Just say why you’d like to receive the gift.
That’s all from me. Please keep safe, well and happy. Spread kindness, embrace joy and have a wonderful summer.
Wishing you all many happy reading hours. With love to you and yours.Caroline xx
I am delighted to share this post that appears on the wonderful blog of the talented author, Morton S Gray.
In the post I discuss my journey to writing best-selling novels after being told at school that I would never be good enough…
To the teacher who told me I would never be a writer – Just look at me now!
Remember to follow your own personal dream – you have to have a dream to make a dream come true. To those aspiring writers, also remember that it is never too late to write a novel.
My new novel The French Cookery School is currently on an online book tour and above is an example of posts on the blogs that host the tour. The book is receiving fantastic reviews and I am so grateful to every reviewer and reader who takes the time to post their thoughts.
The French Cookery School is currently on a limited time deal on Amazon: THE FRENCH COOKERY SCHOOL (FOR ONLY 99P!)
I loved researching and writing this story after being inspired by an actual cookery school week many years ago with the talented celebrity chef Valentina Harris, in the Charente region of France.
In The French Cookery School, while shopping in a market, Fran tries ‘Tourteaux Fromage’ – a type of cake with a burnt top Sadly, she didn’t like it.
I was inspired to write this after trying them myself in a market in Chauvigny. I have to say it is an acquired taste …
In The French Cookery School the characters enjoy many outings when away from the kitchen and I thank everyone I met in France last summer who inspired the story. France is a very beautiful country.
Thank you for sharing another year with me. I hope that 2023 has been kind to you all. It was a good writing year for me with the tremendous success of my novel The Cruise, an Amazon Top Ten Best Seller within weeks of publication. So many of you contact me to say that you have enjoyed the book; many say the novel has inspired you to go on a cruise or read it while cruising. It has been a joy to read your kind messages. I am delighted to say that a major cruise line has stocked The Cruise, and I will be setting sail with them in March, to the Mediterranean, to host a book club and talks. More to come…
Promotion
In the UK, The Cruise is currently being promoted for 99p. Please use the link below to take advantage of this offer.
My next novel, The French Cookery School, will be published in April 2024. For many years, I was a media agent, representing celebrity chefs. I fondly remember a cookery school in France run in the summer months by the talented chef Valentina Harris. The venue was Le Manoir du Touvent – a grand old farmhouse and the childhood home of the former French President Mitterrand. Positioned on the edge of the Charente region, it inspired me to write The French Cookery School
Isn’t the cover gorgeous? Big thanks to the clever creative team at One More Chapter for Harper Collins.
Mix together a group of mature students Add in a handsome host Season with a celebrity chef Bring to the boil at a luxurious cookery school in France!
Whip out an apron, grab a wooden spoon and take a culinary trip to La Maison du Paradis, the idyllic French Cookery School!
I had a wonderful time in the summer, heading back to France to research the book. My favourite towns were Chauvigny and Montmorillon and you will find out more about these places in the book.
Author Talks
2024 brings more talks for my diary, and I look forward to getting out and about and meeting many of you. For details of my talks, please visit my website:
In October, I was fortunate to head off to Canada to spend time with family and my precious grandchild, Willow. I especially enjoyed visiting the Amish towns in Ontario and have to tell you that the Amish ladies bake the best butter pies in the world! I loved them.
Just for fun
In the book I am currently writing, there is a delightful collie dog who needs a name. Click on my Facebook page and comment with your choice and the chosen name will be credited to you in the book. Alternatively, you can email me.
As I write, I am in Spain, enjoying a working holiday in the winter sunshine. The Costa Blanca is quiet at this time of year and so unspoilt. Together with Fred, our Westie, I am taking lots of beach walks as I plot and plan another novel.
Wherever you are, I am sending my warmest wishes and hope that 2024 brings you and your loved ones good health and happiness.
The winner of last month’s giveaway is Diane McLean, and her goodies are on the way.
Check my Facebook page for news of the next giveaway.
Summer seems to be passing so quickly this year. After a gloriously hot June where the halcyon days seemed endless, July came in with day after day of heavy rain followed by an equally mixed August.
Leaving the weather behind, I travelled to France in July to research my new novel. Just a working title so far, but it involves friendships and food, two of my favourite topics to write about. I’ll introduce new characters, and an old favourite may also pop up on the pages. I can say that the story is based in a lovely old house surrounded by fields of sunflowers, and at this time of year, it was such a pleasure to drive through miles and miles of yellow gold. Grown for the oil, which is supposed to be healthier for the French than their rich, creamy butter.
Excellent markets are found in most towns in France, and I found my favourite in Chauvigny. The medieval town also has five castles, so I had a fascinating day mooching around. In Le Mans, visiting the cathedral was a breathtaking and spiritual experience. What a magnificent building it is. More of France in future posts.
I attended The Book Party in Blackpool and met with other others and many wonderful readers and book bloggers. It’s a great event and such fun. The next is in Birmingham in December, so if you are in the area and love anything bookish, look out for that.
In early August, we took Venus (my office on wheels) to Anglesey and almost got blown off the island. More rain for most of the week, and winds made nighttime feel like we were at sea. But it is a lovely island, and Fred had a blast, meeting new furry friends and enjoying lots of walks.
The Cruise continues to do extremely well and has received thousands of ratings on Amazon in such a short space of time. Thank you sincerely, each and every reader who takes the time to do this. It means a great deal and helps so much. Thanks, too, to all the lovely readers who contact me to say how much they’ve enjoyed the book. I am delighted to say that an audio version is currently being recorded. I can’t wait to listen to that and let you have details. I love audiobooks!
Thanks too to all the readers who send me photos of The Cruise actually on a cruise, or whilst they read on holiday. It makes me smile when I see where my novel is travelling to.
I apologise for wishing you a late but very happy, healthy and enjoyable 2023.
I am late because I am currently in Spain on a working holiday. We set off in December and travelled slowly through France to enjoy Christmas in the sunshine on the southern Costa Branca. It has been a lovely trip, and I am enjoying doing lots of research for a future novel.
France was extremely cold and sightseeing involved layers of warm clothing as we headed south. But the sun shone, and the trip was terrific despite lots of frost and ice.
This part of Spain where we are right now is very Spanish, and at this time of year, there aren’t any tourists to speak of, just folk like us enjoying travelling and winter sunshine. I am astonished to see some of the motorhomes that come and go. Mobile mansions! Especially those with German number plates. One day I noticed a set-up that involved an outdoor gym, BBQ and lounging area, and I almost expected to see a disco ball appear with a pop-up dance floor!
Fred is with us and getting used to being away from the comforts of his home. He is a great little dog and good company. Not one to get wet, Fred has discovered that he loves the long stretches of beach here. But when the waves come in, he has perfected his ‘dressage pony’ trot to ensure he keeps clear of the surf.
We were fortunate to be in Alicante for the start of The Ocean Race. This yacht race goes around the world, covering thirty-seven thousand nautical miles over six months. Alicante gave the teams a tremendous send-off, and I am enjoying watching the race online as it progresses.
A trip to the mud baths at San Pedro was fun too. The mud there is from the salt lakes, and said to be one of the healthiest places in the world. Spread it on your body, bake it in the sun, then rinse it off and feel like a million dollars! Any aches and joint pains have disappeared.
My new book, The Cruise, will be published in April. Cover reveal and more news to follow. I so enjoyed writing this book as I took the characters to the Caribbean on a cruise of a lifetime, and the trip was a journey along memory lane for me.
The Spa Break is going well. Thanks to you all for reading, and I hope it provides a little escapism in these colder or not-so-cheery months.
If you’d like a trip to a Boomerville Hotel and see what shenanigans the guests are getting up to with managers Jo and that rascal Hattie, Boomerville at Ballymegille is currently on promo at only 99p/99c on Amazon. Hattie is about to appear again in a future book, so watch this space.
Stay safe and have fun if you are trick or treating over the weekend. My pumpkins are ready, and there’s a bag of goodies for any little persons who may call by.
LAKE DISTRICT
It is the gorgeous time of year when the trees are beautiful shades of oranges and reds and living so close to the Lake District, it is a perfect time to visit. I lived in this area for several years and it has been the inspiration for many of my books. In autumn, the crowds are fewer, and the weather is still mild.
GIVEAWAY
I have a giveaway today for a copy of my latest novel The Spa Break and a lovely mug to enjoy a tipple while reading this feel-good novel. To enter, head to my Facebook page on the link below and comment on why you like to win. Or you can email me at the address below. Good luck!
I’ve been out and about on my bike and enjoyed a recent ‘Ride the night’ in Blackpool. Cyclists arrived from all over the region to ride the sixteen miles back and forth on a traffic-free promenade and enjoy cycling through the lights. It was great fun and attracted what felt like thousands of participants. The sunset was stunning too.
AUDIBLE BOOKS
If you enjoy listening to audible books, why not snuggle down this Halloween with Hattie Goes to Hollywood. It is a cosy mystery with my readers’ favourite character, Hattie, who takes over her new role as the ‘Miss Marple of the village of Hollywood.’ This book was my first cosy mystery, and if any of you have read it and would like me to write more, please get in touch. There may well be another Hattie mystery coming soon.
I have THREE FREE audible credits for the first newsletter subscribers who email me and say why they’d like to listen to Hattie Goes to Hollywood. So hurry and drop me a line!
Northumberland on the east coast of England has been calling recently, and I’ve enjoyed a couple of interesting trips. It is a beautiful part of the country, with long sandy beaches, gorgeous castles and quaint and interesting towns. I highly recommend a visit if you have days to spare and don’t forget to try the Lindisfarne mead on Holy Island.
FAMILY
My precious granddaughter, Willow, has occupied my time with some wonderful visits. This precious girl is overcoming so many odds and growing up quite beautifully. Never did I imagine that being a grandmother could be such a joy.
CHILDREN IN READ
Every year the Children In Need charity is helped by fundraising by the wonderful Paddy Heron and his team in an event named Children In Read. Authors contribute signed copies of their novels; everyone can bid in an auction to win a copy. My contribution to Children In Read this year is for a personally signed copy of The Spa Break and a Spa Break Mug. So, don’t be shy; use the link below and place your bid. All proceeds go to this fantastic charity.
There’s never a dull moment in life, and I want to thank the brilliant team on the cardiac care unit at the Royal Lancaster Hospital, who recently looked after a loved one who is doing well thanks to their care. As the saying goes, you never know what you have until you almost lose it.
Please keep your loved ones close and stay safe and well this autumn.
July has been very mixed in the UK, and the heatwave with record temperatures didn’t last long! For a few days it bought the country to a standstill in some areas, but as the month came to an end, the rain fell hard in lovely Lancashire, where I live. Fred, my Westie, despite being brushed and ready, is not keen on getting wet…
GIVEAWAY
The newsletter this month begins with a giveaway. Would you like to virtually jet off to Barbados with a lovely feel-good read?
Coffee Tea the Caribbean & Me was Thomson Holidays InFlight Magazine’s recommended summer read, and I am offering a personally signed copy. Simply head over to my Facebook page and comment on why you’d like to win, or you can email your comment to me. Please use the links below:
The winner will be announced on 12th August. Open internationally. Last month’s giveaway winner was BETHAN DAVIES who is now enjoying her virtual Spa Break and goodies.
MAJORCA
I had a trip to Majorca. Puerta Pollensa is a lovely area in the north of the Island, and it was a very relaxing break. But I came home and tested positive for Covid not long afterwards and have been quite unwell in the following weeks. The second time for me with the dreaded virus. I hope you have managed to steer clear, but if not, please take good care and look after yourselves.
HARPER COLLINS SUMMER PARTY
I was thrilled to be invited to the Harper Collins Summer Party. It was a grand affair in the garden at the Victoria and Albert Museum in Knightsbridge, London. I spent the evening chatting with many lovely authors and folks from the world of publishing, including some famous names and celebrities.
THE SPA BREAK IN PAPERBACK
My new novel, The Spa Break, came out in paperback on July 7th, and I thank everyone who has read it. Your reviews are massively appreciated, as are your comments on social media. The book seems to have ticked the box for both young and older readers. If you have yet to visit The Spa Break, I hope your virtual stay will leave you happy and uplifted as you make friends with Bridgette, Emily, Serena and Marjory. They all have life-changing experiences during their stay, and as I am a great believer in coming out of your comfort zone, especially as we get older, I hope their exploits will encourage you too.
Covid kept me out of the water, but happily, I am back, and my swims in the local lake and the sea when the tide is high have been such a joy.
TALKS
I am ploughing through my talks this year and was delighted to be asked to speak in Preston last week. It was a full house and a very lively audience, many of whom stayed to chat afterwards at my book signing. Thanks to everyone who came along on the day.
NEW NOVEL
As August begins, I shall be hard at work on my new novel. The Cruise will be published next year by One More Chapter (Harper Collins UK), and I am enjoying creating new characters for you to meet very soon. Would anyone like to read more adventures of Hattie & Jo from the Coffee Tea series? I feel they are just waiting for me to put pen to paper, so they can get up to more escapades. Do let me know. I love to hear from readers.
I hope these months find you well and happy, wherever you are in the world.
Sadly, she didn’t like it.
Caroline James Author 