Tag: Beaches

A sunny hello – Hola!
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A sunny hello – Hola!

Caroline James AuthorLeave a comment

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.



THE SPA BREAK

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.



BOOMERVILLE AT BALLYMEGILLE


Sending love to you all from sunny Espana.
Happy reading,

Caroline xx

Caroline James Author

Autumn News – Scotland, Bertie Bear and Boomerville is Back
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Autumn News – Scotland, Bertie Bear and Boomerville is Back

Featured Caroline James AuthorLeave a comment

Happy Autumn Everyone

Scotland in the Highlands

SCOTLAND

September has arrived and I managed to take a much-needed break to beautiful Scotland. travelling along part of the Northern 500 – a route around the coast that begins and ends in Inverness.

  • Looking towards Skye
Views along the way

It was wonderful to go walking in the hills in Highlands and on some truly stunning beaches on the west coast. Too chilly to swim but warm enough for a paddle. 

  • Cromarty

A really interesting town north of Inverness is Cromarty, situated at the tip of the Black Isle on the southern shore of the mouth of Cromarty Firth. Here you can see at least 14 huge oil rigs that have been towed into the estuary due to the collapse in oil demand caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Locals I spoke to object to the rigs being there and hope that the situation is short-lived and the rigs will return to work when drilling resumes in the North Sea. I thought that there was something quite captivating about them and found the view fascinating. Cromarty is a gorgeous little place and well-worth a visit.

NEW BOOK

Boomerville at Ballymegille – new!

Boomerville at Ballymegille

I am thrilled to announce that my next book Boomerville in Ballymegille will be published on October 6th. The book is based in southern Ireland, in a fictional town based on the fishing port of Kinsale – a place that holds many happy memories for me.

Beautiful Kinsale

For those readers who enjoyed The Best Boomerville Hotel you can now travel to the Emerald Isle and virtually stay at Boomerville Manor in Ballymegille. Join in with the shenanigans at the opening party where guests are sure to get more get more than they bargained for. Early reviews are great and you can pre-order the book here:

BOOMERVILLE AT BALLYMEGILLE

“Caroline writes quite beautifully – a perfect escape read”
Cathy B Book Reviews

Boomerville is back!

Join Hattie and Jo as they head to Southern Ireland to open Boomerville Manor, a holiday retreat for guests of ‘a certain age’. There’s Irish craic and shenanigans aplenty for the colourful cast of characters as everyone gathers for the grand opening.

Meet Melissa, an ex-cabaret singer running from her abusive husband, and Bill, a bachelor bullied from beyond the grave by the ghostly voice of his mother. Along with local bobby Harry the Helmet, ageing aquatic team the Boomerville Babes, eccentric artist Lucinda Gray, and heartthrob Finbar Murphy, they gather in Ireland and the fun begins. But murder is in the air and there’s mischief afoot. Will the residents get more than they bargained for at Boomerville?

Set in the beautiful Irish countryside, ‘Boomerville at Ballymegille’ is a heart-warming story of friendship, fears and new beginnings.

As an extra treat The Best Boomerville Hotel is currently on promo for only 99p (in the UK).

Grab your copy here:

The Best Boomerville Hotel

COMPETITION – WIN A BERTIE BEAR!

With lockdown easing, Bertie, the gorgeous bear from The Best Boomerville Hotel, would like to go travelling again. If you would like to WIN a Bertie Bear, complete with his own travelling bag and a signed copy of The Best Boomerville Hotel, simple head over to my Facebook page and say where you would take Bertie on his travels:

LINK: WIN A BERTIE BEAR

If you don’t use Facebook, drop me an email with your answer (caroline@carolinejamesauthor.co.uk) and you will be included in the competition.

We continue to live in a difficult time with the pandemic very much still in evidence. I wish you all, wherever you are in the world, a safe and healthy passage on this journey. Please stay safe and look after each other.

With love and happy reading

Caroline xx

BOOKS BY CAROLINE JAMES

Beach time in Britain
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Beach time in Britain

Caroline James AuthorLeave a comment

Britain is basking in the hottest summer for years. Heavy weekend traffic winds to the coast and an early start gets ahead of the queues, where a day out at the beach beckons. Gulls squawk as they wait for the picnics to commence, swooping down on scraps of discarded bread from mum’s bacon butties, prepared as dawn rose and sleepy kids were lifted out of their warm beds.

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Wales. The destination for childhood holidays and now a regular pilgrimage as an adult, with family in tow. Colour dots the long beach as stones are pounded on wooden poles into windbreaks braced like soldiers against sudden gusts. Blobs of canvas spring up and with grandparents installed in tepee like structures, children race to the shore, buckets in hand.

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The beach café is buzzing. Staff in fraying aprons speed around the kitchen delivering plate after plate to hungry diners. Sausage, fish, scampi, chicken – fried food piled high, moments away from being drenched in vinegar, salt and sauce smeared in dark pulsating veins over fleshy mounds of fat, tasty chips. An ice cream van appears, a tuneful arrival summoning bathers and beach walkers to crisp cornets, dripping with frozen vanilla and milk chocolate Flakes. Give the dog a cone! A sign on the van announces, Frozzie Doggie for the Coolest Canine!

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The sun is hot as the tide races in. A quad bike hurtles noisily over the estuary, the modern-day lifeguard warning families to head back to the safety of the shore. A woman, large and perspiring begins to shout. A man, silent and sullen leads a dog away from her squabbling and wanders across bumpy pebbles, gaining distance from the bickering he’s heard a thousand times before. She buys an ice cream, the melting mass eaten in silence as she glares out to sea.

A ball thwacks against a bat as a cricket game starts up. Children laugh and scream, egging each other on under the glare of the delicious summer sun. Adults light a barbeque, sausages sizzle and smoke trails through the heat haze as burgers in soft soggy buns are handed out.

Beaches of Britain. No finer place on a sunny day.

Novels by Caroline James
Novels by Caroline James