Hello lovely subscribers, thank you for opening this post. Please read on for my spring news and the chance of a chocolate treat and cuddly Westie giveaway.
Spring is truly glorious in the UK at the moment. The weather is warm, and there has been plenty of sunshine. It is such a pleasure so early in the year. I’ve been getting ready for the release of my new novel, The Spa Break, which publishes on April 15th as an ebook. The paperback will be published on July 7th. Between writing and publicity, I have occasionally escaped with one or two trips.
BABY NEWS
A long-awaited trip was, at last, to meet my precious granddaughter, Willow. After a difficult pregnancy and a very traumatic birth followed by life-saving surgery and many weeks in ICU, Willow was finally able to come home to her mum and dad. Meeting this precious child has been monumental for me, and I have to proudly say that she is quite simply adorable. Both parents and daughter are progressing well and love being at home together.
AFTERNOON TEA
My ever-thoughtful other half treated me to a weekend in Harrogate and afternoon tea at Betty’s tearooms. Betty’s is a popular and quite famous institution that began over 100 years ago when a young Swiss baker and confectioner, named Fritz Butzer, dreamed of opening his own business and left his home to travel to England. He had no money, no job, couldn’t speak English and certainly had no idea of the extraordinary legacy he was about to create. To dine at Betty’s is to step back in time and experience superb food in elegant surroundings with exemplary service. Afternoon tea can be booked in the Imperial Room, where piano music is played, and uniformed staff attentively cater to your every whim. We started with a glass of bubbles and had a delicious tea with dainty sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and divine little cakes. A treat indeed.
GRANGE WALKS
We’ve enjoyed some bracing walks locally in these early months of the year. On a windy day, this is the beach at the head of the bay near Grange in Lancashire. Fred, our Westie, adores this walk and will run forever along the sand.
Grange-over-sands (as it is known)was an isolated fishing village until the Victorian era when the railway arrived. Then it became a popular seaside resort. With spring water available and bracing sea air, one of the first sanatoriums in Britain was set up near Grange for those suffering from tuberculosis or breathing difficulties. In the 1930s, a lido, initially filled with salt water, was located overlooking the bay, but it closed in 1993. Today, there is a campaign to restore and re-open this fabulous art deco structure. As a ‘Friend of Grange Lido’ I will be one of the first to dive into the pool when it re-opens.
LAKE DISTRICT
Heading into the Lake District in Cumbria on a chilly Sunday, we found the hills laced with snow and lake Ullswater inky dark and deserted, with no leisure boats or steamers. Ullswater is 9 miles long and the second largest lake in the area. It is my favourite lake. When I owned a hotel in Cumbria, I spent many happy hours walking with my collie dog around this beautiful stretch of water.
LANCASHIRE
My next novel, The Spa Break, is set in what is now my home county of Lancashire, in an area called the Trough of Bowland. It is classed as an area of outstanding natural beauty where there are hills covered in heather and magnificent views as far as the eye can see. With grassy banks to roam over, sheep graze idly, and a river meanders alongside a remote twisting road.
The spa in the The Spa Break is named Sparadise. It is a luxurious retreat set in mature gardens by a lake, where four mature friends, Bridgette, Emily, Marjory and Serena, spend a weekend celebrating Bridgette’s big birthday. comments are favourable, and advance reviewers describe the book as uplifting and funny, the story that encourages us all to come out of our comfort zone, no matter what age.
THE SPA BREAK – coming soon…
You can grab a bargain and pre-order The Spa Break at a reduced pre-publication promo price by clicking on the link below:
GIVEAWAY
Receive a gorgeous box of luxury chocolates and a cute cuddly ‘Fred the Westie’ – a dog in The Spa Break. To be in with a chance to win this lovely gift, simply go to my Facebook page and say why you’d like to win. If you don’t use Facebook, you can email me too.
Please use the links below.
Click this link: Giveaway on Facebook
or
Email Caroline at: caroline@carolinejamesauthor.co.uk
The winner will be announced on publication day, April 15th 2022 and entries are invited from wherever you live.
Covid still rages globally and I find reading the perfect anecdote to the frustration and bewilderment of current world events, especially the horrors unfolding in Ukraine. I hope that reading brings you much pleasure too. I send my thoughts and prayers to everyone suffering at this difficult time.
As the clocks go forward in the UK and the nights get lighter I wish everyone celebrating Mother’s Day on 27th March a very happy day. Until next time, wherever you are and whatever your day-to-day brings you, I wish you good health, happiness and peaceful and fruitful life.
Stay safe,
With love
Caroline xx
Caroline James Author Blog 