Showcasing Books by Indie Authors

Books 1-3 of 5

At last, there’s an initiative for self-published writers. The Rhapsody Coffee & Company on the historic High Street, the Old Town, Bridlington, has liaised with local authors to sell their books. And Hornsea Writers are the first to take advantage.

A through room from the coffee shop displays books, both fact and fiction, often featuring places in Yorkshire, especially the East Riding. The genres include crime, romance, historical and family saga. Specifically, all the books are self-published and you won’t find them in the large chain bookstores.

On the first Saturday of each month, a featured author will be there 2-4pm to talk to readers and sign copies. On 1st February Joy Stonehouse will be there to launch the initiative with her popular series of novels set in nearby Reighton in the early 1700s. She will be happy to talk about the background to the stories, the research involved, and explain her ongoing work—a new novel set in Filey during Regency times titled The Boy with Mussel Shell Eyes.

In the coming months, other members of Hornsea Writers will take a turn. Linda Acaster is booked for 1st March when she’ll be there to discuss the writing process, give advice to writers and sign copies of her contemporary suspense novel The Forever House.

As well as a welcoming atmosphere and high quality coffee at Rhapsody, there is a variety of loose-leaf teas, homemade soup, toasted sandwiches and cakes—the perfect place to browse a few books. We hope to see you there. 

If you are too far away, check out her Amazon page. 

Making the Most of a Windswept Book Launch

It was the August Bank Holiday weekend in the coastal town of Hornsea. After the long Covid-19 lockdown the town was open for business, visitors were streaming in, and Saturday was the date of the Artists’ Fair in the garden behind The Townhouse gift shop. 

It was also the launch for Book 2 in my Yorkshire historical series, The Story of Reighton: New Arrivals. What could possibly go wrong?

As can be seen from the photograph below there is no accounting for the British weather. Sun-tops were out; big jumpers and wet weather gear was in. 

I was sharing an open-sided tent with a photographer and a young couple selling slate and glass art. Before we’d officially started, the photographer and I each had to grasp a tent pole to stop them flying out of their sockets in the strong gusts of wind. This was a recipe for disaster. Guy-ropes were being shaken free of their pins. And then it started raining, the spray covering our wares.

Desperate measures were needed. So, trying not to stand on any flowers in the nearby border, I climbed through the shrubs, guy-ropes in hand, to find something a little more secure to fasten them to.  A nearby tree seemed sturdy enough, but throughout the afternoon I still kept a hand on a shuddering tent pole, just in case, and only dare let go to sign copies of my novel.

Me in red making the most of it

Did the weather keep people away? To my astonishment, no. And much to my surprise I sold 20 copies. The day was well worth the effort and it was great to meet and chat with readers.

Joy Stonehouse

Book 1: Witch-bottles and Windlestraws (A Story of Reighton, Yorkshire 1703 to 1709)
Book 2: New Arrivals in Reighton (A Story of Reighton, Yorkshire 1709 to 1714)

Book Launch: 'Witch-bottles and Windlestraws' by Joy Stonehouse

When I started to delve into my family's history I never envisaged the ensuing research would lead to a book, or four. The first launches today.

Witch-bottles and Windlestraws brings to life the inhabitants of Reighton in Filey Bay, 1703-1709. Parish records revealed a close-knit community of large families - the vicar lived in a small vicarage with his wife, son and eight daughters. Researching further, I found an abundance of material for an imaginative reconstruction. How could I not commit it to paper?

The book - fictionalised fact - focuses on the Jordan family of yeoman farmers, and I chose the period because they were one of the dominant families at that time. They were also ancestors of mine on my mother's side, and I soon became totally absorbed in piecing together their lives.

The book opens in November 1703 when The Great Storm is set to hit. The people of Reighton have a wedding to celebrate, and are unaware of the impending devastation that will affect their lives. Courtships, betrayal, unrequited love and an inexplicable death are woven into a tapestry of early 18th Century life and customs, and the ever-challenging weather. 

Available as a paperback and Kindle ebook