14 February 2021

 Valentine’s Day. But no restaurants are open. Everything’s still one global internet shop owned by Bezos, the Christian philanthropist. The G7 doesn’t run the world. It’s Faangs:  Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google. And the pandemic’s played into their hands, forcing everyone to use their services. Today they’re as much part of our landscape as the milkman and the coalman used to be in mine in the ‘50s. When we look out of our prison homes, all we see are delivery vehicles and supermarket vans. Inside, we’re all clicking and ordering. But I yearn for the days when we had large department stores and high streets thronged with people. I feel for traditional retailers who have seen their livelihoods stolen by Faangs, the former having to pay exorbitant business rates far greater than those with out of town giant warehouses. As lockdown eases: increase corporation tax for Faangs, revive high streets by increasing free shoppers’ carparks and reduce business rates for shops. Maybe then it’ll be Faangs for the memory!

14th February 2021

 Valentine’s Day. But no restaurants are open. Everything’s still one global internet shop owned by Bezos. The G7 doesn’t run the world. It’s Faangs:  Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google. And the pandemic’s played into their hands, forcing everyone to use their services. Today they’re as much part of our landscape as the milkman and the coalman used to be in mine in the ‘50s. When we look out of our prison homes, all we see are delivery vehicles and supermarket vans. Inside, we’re all clicking and ordering. But I yearn for the days when we had large department stores and high streets thronged with people. I feel for traditional retailers who have seen their livelihoods stolen by Faangs, the former having to pay exorbitant business rates far greater than those with out of town giant warehouses. As lockdown eases: increase corporation tax for Faangs, revive high streets by increasing free shoppers’ carparks and reduce business rates for shops. Maybe then it’ll be Faangs for the memory!

FREE download to celebrate its release. Last few hours so hurry. Simply click on the cover image on the right.
Meanwhile, here’s another review to whet your appetite. Thank you Just4books:

“...The time slip back to the 17th Century gave way to some gorgeous descriptions of Italy at that time, and Clementina’s confusion and comparisons to her own life were endearing and often funny. The relationship between Tina and Antonio Stradivari developed nicely, despite their different life experience, and had she stayed it would no doubt have led to a romance. I almost wanted her to stay there, the atmosphere of those times was so vividly brought to life. At the same time, I was keen for her to return home to tell her brother all about the trip. Having lost his sight, Tina brought colour to his world. Little did she know that her father and brother, Andrea, were having an adventure of their own.

This story lends itself well to a series as more challenges await. A teacher – Mr Verdegris – gives Clementina a pendant to be used whenever she feels she is in trouble, it will summon the teacher to her immediately while she is in the other time dimension. There she is tasked with finding and bringing back a genuine Stradivarius violin. Prior to Clementina’s quest, her school friend Ruby had been tasked to find the Dead Sea Scrolls, and another girl, Saffron, is destined for the next mission. But who is the intended recipient of these items? Well, running alongside Tina’s story, a professor waits in the Arctic to hear of her success or failure. This subplot delves into the topic of climate change, but as to the full reason behind the girls’ time travel, that was never really clear to me – maybe that becomes more obvious in the next book. The magical elements of the story, the pendant, the time travel, and the backstory of Ruby’s prior challenge, made for interesting reading, and the author did a good job in depicting an authentic image of 17th Century Rome.”

Another lovely review for The Violinist’s Apprentice:

“This was a very interesting, original read which is perfect for readers who like books containing time travel and magic.

Firstly the author does a great job of setting the scene so that the reader really feels like they are there watching everything unfold. It was definitely an interesting period to live in and I enjoyed learning more about it. 

Clementina is an interesting character who I thought was quite brave going off on adventures by herself. I quickly warmed to her as I thought her interactions with her blind brother was very sweet and her confusion when she time travels made me wish I could reach into the book to give her a hug. Tina’s relationship with Antonia was wonderfully described and I enjoyed watching it develop. I almost wanted her to stay in the past forever as I didn’t want it to end.

Overall I thought this was a fun and entertaining read which I hope is the start of a series as I’d definitely like to visit Clementina again. The plot is perhaps a little confusing at the beginning with all the different stories but once you’ve read a little bit it soon becomes obvious. 

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.”

Overtherainbow book blog

Welcome

Welcome book lovers!  My new novel as Isabella Mancini was released on 5 January 2020 and is currently featured on Rachel’s Random Resources blog tour. Want to read what the reviewers thought?

“My Thoughts…

The Violinist’s Apprentice is told predominantly from the viewpoint of Clementina. She is sent back in time to retrieve an invaluable artefact from the period – a Stradivari violin. A novice player of the violin herself, she becomes apprenticed to none other than the creator, Antonio Stradivarius himself.

The first thing that that really impressed me with this book is the descriptions! I’m not the sort of person that loves to travel; although Italy is the country I haven’t been to that I would like to visit. If I hadn’t gone into this book that way inclined already then I certainly would be by the time I finished! It’s easy to step into our MC Clemetina’s shoes and share the sights, smells and experiences she lives through.

I like that the gap in science and technology was bridged by a sort of magic, based loosely on the early understandings of science and chemistry. Otherwise, this would have been a very difficult tale to write and get to a conclusion. It incorporates a bit of magical realism into the narrative but I personally really enjoyed this. Something else I enjoyed is the variety of characters and the diversity in the interactions between them. I do feel there is a lot to learn about some of the characters though, which may be addressed if this is a series. There are a number of unexplained events and interactions that I feel could hint at a series being made of this, or otherwise need elaborating on more.

Italy in that period has its beauty and lavishness, but it does have its darker side too. The story touches on the previous devastation caused by civil war, and the consequences of plague and illness in the presence of many orphaned children. The tale isn’t painted through rose-tinted glasses by any means, but rather adds greater depth and background to a realistic portrayal of Italy at that time. Overall the historical element to the novel is pretty authentic.” Reviewsfeed Blog

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“Thoughts

I am always intrigued by timeslip novels and found the parts of the story which were set in 17th Century Rome to be the most enjoyable chapters. There is a lovely link between the present day Colosseum and the past and all the sections which described the teeming city were full of atmosphere and detail. 

    In addition, there is plenty of scope for several further novels to continue the quests. I found the added theme of the need to save the planet from global warming to be both surprising and thought inducing. If only there could be a dose of magical realism to sort it all out! 

In short:  Atmosphere and intrigue across the centuries.”  Books, Life and Everything Blog

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“Review

I dived into this book at the start of my grey commute, and honestly, almost missed my stop the first day! Part-mystery, part-timeslip, part-magic, and a lot of adventure, we meet Clementina as she prepares for a school-trip to Rome. Although her concern for her brother is at the forefront of her mind, it’s clear that there’s also excitement that her dreamy geography teacher will also be in attendance. But just what is he up to, and what’s the meaning behind the gift he gives her, that she is warned to tell nobody about?

Tina is as much in the dark as we are, as she is whisked back to the 1600s, and a Rome which is dark and dangerous, especially to somebody as different as she is. There is action a-plenty as she tries to solve the riddle she’s been set, as well as find her way safely home.

I found this a real page-turner, as the pace builds, and loved the account of a period in Rome’s history that I’ve not read much fiction about. We get the detail of a city very much torn between the haves and have-nots. Meeting young Antonio Stradivari was fascinating too!”  Historical Fiction and Spirit

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