In this beautiful edition we find Bertie Wooster and Jeeves embarking on foolhardy quests and inspired rescue missions. We discover Ukridge, the ever-optimistic animated blob of mustard, undeterred in his big broad outlook, no matter how bleak things look, while the Fifth Earl of Ickenham, better known as Uncle Fred, continues enjoying life, quite oblivious to the embarrassment he’s causing.

And, as snow falls on the links outside the Angler's Rest, Mr Mulliner, the Oldest Member at the Golf Club, settles in to recount tales of romance and ghosts, and keep the tide of intellectual – albeit rather one-sided – conversation flowing.

Goodreads I Amazon



This title includes 13 stories in all. Some feature the more famous P.G.Wodehouse characters like Jeeves and Wooster, Mr.Mulliner and Ukridge and some are different stories brought together in this collection. As the title suggests, the stories have a common theme – well mostly so, and is perfect for Christmas mood setting (even though I read it in the month of February).

My favourite amongst the 13 stories is ‘One touch of nature’. The story tells us about one doting father who shifts from one continent to another when his daughter gets married. He loves baseball, and meets two strangers who are just as taken with the sport. He invites them to dinner and what follows is just pure and undiluted funny. I also loved ‘The story of William’ featuring Mr.Mulliner where he launches into telling a story about an American he met at the pub. Besides these two, ‘Indian Summer of an Uncle’ also kept me entertained.

Well those are the three of my top favourites in the book. Needless to say, the rest of them are pretty enjoyable too and comes with the quality that P.G.Wodehouse commands. I am always left short of words when I read a Wodehouse book as time and again he delivers something that almost takes you to an alternate reality from where one never wishes to return. His narration and comic timing is just perfect as always. Though after reading so many Wodehouse books, I have to say that one or two of the stories did feel a bit predictable, but that did not, in any way, take away from the reading experience.

Also, I prefer paperback over everything. But this once I was glad to have received the Hard Cover which simply exquisitely designed.

Author Stephen Merlino lives in Seattle, WA, where he writes, plays, and teaches high school English. He lives with the world's most talented and desirable woman, two equally fabulous children, and three attack chickens. Stephen is the winner of the 2014 PNWA Award for Fantasy, and the SWW Award for Fantasy.  He recently launched The Jack of Souls, first in a series of fantasy novels available on Amazon in ebook, paper, and hardback.

Find him at: stephenmerlino.com



Interview with the Author:

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
When I experienced great stories as a kid. I think we are all wired for story, but maybe some of us are wired to experience them more deeply than others--sort of the way maths can “speak” to some, but not to others. (With regard to maths, I am one of the “others”; it might as well be binary code to me, or the sound a fax machine makes.) But stories resonate deeply with me. And with a very good story, I become one of the strings of the instrument, so it thrums through my whole being. 
Also, part of the experience of reading story is the deep immersion and concentration of the act. It’s a form of meditation, a loss of self in something greater. And that is also what happens for me in writing. 

What inspires you to write?
What inspires me to write is the question, “What if…?” 
What if there was a world where…
What if there was a girl who… And what if something horrible happened to her and she had to..
Those questions summon visions of people and places and troubles and the story starts to coalesce around them. And as I write, more “What ifs” emerge and add to the story, and it takes on a life of its own. 

How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
Stephen King talks about stories beginning when he sees a specific character and setting in his mind. He then gives the character a problem, and watches them spring to action to fix the problem. From then on out it’s like following a string through long grass—never sure where it’s going, but pretty sure of the direction. 
That’s definitely the way I experience writing. For The Jack of Souls, I saw a young man on the edge of a frontier, stuck in a place he didn’t want to be. I saw a girl who ran to the frontier to escape a bad place. 
I knew I wanted them together, but I also knew them as very different from each other. He is a trickster rogue. She is an honorable knight. So something greater than themselves had to unite them. 
For that I imagined a queen like Shakespeare’s Queen Elizabeth—alone, resented by many who wanted a warlike king on the throne—who teeters on the bring of civil and foreign war. When her immortal enemies invade the frontier with a plot to unseat her, the rogue and knight must unite in her defense, or lose everything they ever loved. 
Plus, I love Shakespeare, so I wove in a romantic subplot from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
From there on out, it became a matter of following the string through the grass. 

Is there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?
Yes. It’s a middle-grade fantasy called, Dragon Bait. It was good enough for two separate agents to accept and shop around, but they never could sell it.

Tell us about your writing process.
I tend to begin by revising what I last wrote, and that gets the creative juices flowing for new composition/helps me pick up the string where I left off.

What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
The opening scene. 
Harric’s mother cursed him to die on his nineteenth birthday. When the story begins, she is dead and gone, and Harric has a day to live; in an hour, he’ll host his own wake. Most of the frontier town will be there, including many who simply want a share of his loot when he dies. Caris, his knight friend, is new to town, and didn’t know his mother, so she doesn’t even believe there is a curse. Nevertheless, she agrees to be his body guard to keep the beggars away while he writes his will.  

Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
Yes. I am a rule-bender, rule-tester, like Harric.
I also remember what it was like to be young and idealistic, like Caris.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?
My face takes on an evil, villainous intensity when I write a wicked character. My kids have caught me doing this.

What is your usual writing routine?
I must be truly alone without interruption. Deep immersion is important. I tend to write in the morning, after a cup of coffee and an hour or so of puttering (also alone). Then I dive in and don’t come up for four hours, sometimes six. It’s bliss.

Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Curse of Chalion series is magnificent. She has such a deft and subtle understanding of human relationship interactions, which she captures in subtly handled prose. I read her work over and over and study how she does it. 
George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones has had a big impact on the genre (and me) with his realism and strict departure from the classical “white wizards and dark lords” of The Lord of the Rings. “There are no dark lords,” Martin once said. “We are all gray lords.”  I think he’s right about that, so I try to give all my characters light and dark streaks. Even the most irredeemable madmen have some small streak of lightness. It makes us have to think a bit, wrestle with hard questions. 

What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
Read a lot. Write a lot. 

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
Write a lot. Keep a journal no one has to see. Don’t worry about sharing it with anyone at first. But when you do, share with other writers of your level and experience, and help each other with encouragement and insights. Then find a good writers critique circle that is run well by an experienced moderator/leader who keeps the norms carefully.

Detective Jake Roberts and FBI profiler Mika Scott return in the murder mystery Mind Over Murder––the long awaited sequel to After the Evil. Both await the arrival of the flight that brings the infamous serial killer Lori Powers back to the U.S. to face charges escorted by Interpol agents. 
Jared Hamilton is a genius, has earned multiple PhDs, and is twenty-five years old. His father Richard Hamilton is of one of the wealthiest men in the world. His mother Contessa was once an international supermodel. Jared has turned down offers by captains of industry, presidents of Ivy League universities, and Wall Street bankers. What Jared wants most is to be a criminal. He is already a world-class hacker and has committed a variety of felonies. Now he wants to experience the feel of blood on his hands. Jared wants to be a serial killer like Lori Powers and he wants Lori to be his consort. He devises a heinous plot to get Jake to bring Lori to him. When Jake discovers that he is Jared’s next victim he puts together a plan, albeit illegal, to stop him. 

Goodreads I Amazon


The story picks up after a few years of ‘After the Evil’ and Lori Waters has finally been caught and is being brought to stand trial. There has been enough publicity on her case and even a book has been written about her. Jake Roberts and Mika Scott are looking forward to justice being served. But what they do not know is that there is a new player around who is following their every move and has a plan in place. Inspired by Lori, Jared Hamilton plans to play a deadly game of murder which ends with the death of Jake Roberts. In a race against time, Jake Roberts is ready to do whatever it takes to survive and apprehend Jared.

Like the first novel in this series, here too the author has laid down all the major cards for the readers to see. There is no ‘whodunnit’ game to play as the culprit is shown from the beginning. But the thrill lies in the chase and in trying to guess what the next step going to be. It is different from traditional mysteries and I love it.

Jake Roberts seems to have matured over the years and the author has developed him well. I liked his character more in this installment. He not only steps up to do what it takes to do his job, but also to fulfill a reader’s expectation His relationship with Mika Scott is another aspect of the novel that intrigues me. Then there is Jared Hamilton. If Lori Powers were a formidable opponent, Jared is even more so. I love the way each character has his/her own back story to help us understand them better.

Overall, this is a thrilling follow up to the first novel in the series. In fact, I liked this more that After the Evil. 

The Wife Maker by Karey White 

Charlotte has spent years as the husband maker, sending every guy she dates off to enjoy marital bliss with the next girl he dates. But things have now changed, and she's determined to use her husband-maker abilities one last time--on herself. And she finally knows exactly who she wants. Angus has loved Charlotte since they were teenagers, but he's tired of waiting for her to realize how good they could be. She's broken his heart one too many times, and it's time to move on with his life. Maybe a position halfway across the country will be just what he needs to get over her. But when Charlotte won't let him go without a fight, Angus has to decide if he's willing to let her in again or if she's too late.
Author Karey White 

Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist. She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.








   
  $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 3/13/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.     a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cary Allen Stone was born in 1953, began flying in 1972, and received his Bachelor of Arts in 1976. He was hired by his first airline in 1982. Aviation has given him a very unique perspective of life and led to his writing. In 1992, he flew for film director Sir Ridley Scott. It gave him an opportunity to discuss his writing with Sir Scott who remains a major influence for him.
In addition to his career in aviation and writing, he had a non-speaking character role in an AAA Club advertisement, has been an extra in “The Dukes,” and Phoenix film “Recession Road,” and has done voice-over radio commercials. He is a member of the Phoenix Writer’s Club, the Arizona Authors Association, the Desert Sleuths, the Author Social Media Support Group and the International Thriller Writers.
He is currently writing his fourth Jake Roberts novel.

Website I Facebook I Twitter I Pinterest I Goodreads

An Interview with the Author:

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
When I was 10 years old and got into trouble, I could tell an awesome story to get out of trouble–great fiction. 

What inspires you to write?
It is a sense, some visual input, a sound, or a feeling, a thought too important to let pass. 

How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
I’m writing the fourth of my Jake Roberts series––AFTER THE KILL. The story strains Jake’s soul in so many ways. 

Is there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?
I have pages of concepts not in a drawer but on my external hard drives, some eventually are deleted, but some wait for their moment in time.

Tell us about your writing process.
I listen with my headphones to background music that I think will capture the mood of the scene. My Mac screen is split between an outline and my manuscript.

Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
I study people and use their characteristics, but in some way, all of my characters expose a part of me. A writer must do this or the story is barren, and it is the hardest thing for a writer to learn to do––expose oneself.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?
I must be alone. When you are alone, and it’s quiet, you can search your deepest thoughts and emotions.

What is your usual writing routine?
I write everyday, all day long, but not at a keyboard. Wherever I am, I’m writing inside my head. When I get to the keyboard I let it flow onto the page. 

Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?
I read everything and everybody. I live in Phoenix, Arizona, which is a mecca for writers. All of them pass through here at some time. They all have contributed to my writing in some way.

What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
Write what you know, of course. And remember what Picasso said, “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” You see it when you read a variety of great writers––their own views of the same ideas.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
Believe in make-believe. Dedicate yourself to the craft. Everyone wants to write, but not everyone is disciplined to write.

What would be the Dream Cast for you book if it was to be turned into a movie?
I have a picture in my mind of my characters (all A-list) while I write, but the filmmaker’s vision will choose the actor. 

If you were to be stranded on the famous deserted island, what three things would you carry?
A volleyball named “Wilson.” A copy of “Survival for Dummies.” A map to find the others who made the island famous. 

How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?
There is a Japanese park here in Phoenix that is a very peaceful place to walk and contemplate.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list?
As an aviator for many years, I was taught that you had two buckets: an empty bucket of experience and a full bucket of luck. It was your job to fill the experience bucket before the luck bucket was empty.

Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
I find everything funny including hospitals and funerals. I talk in a different accent depending on where I am. I pretend to know what animals are thinking and pass it on to humans.    

What do you have in store next for your readers?
“AFTER THE KILL – A Jake Roberts Novel” (spring release) Jake will face devastating challenges that will either destroy him, or save him. He has already been through more than his share in the first three books.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
Yes, there are so many talented indie writers that are waiting to be discovered. Find them and let them become your favorites.

About the Author:

Dee Walker is the pen name of S.V.Divvaakar

S.V.Divvaakar, an alumnus of the IIT Delhi, assists international businesses to invest, set up, grow their India businesses, and serves on boards as a professional director. He is also an international Monitoring and Evaluation specialist working for several UN and other international agencies. 
'Serving one another, prospering together!' is his motto for a collective and compassionate world.
He has now ventured into writing, picking up the genre of realistic fiction, aiming to connect with young people, who he believes are the key to a better world, a better tomorrow.





An Interview with the Author:

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
The first stirrings were sometime in primary school, when I tried to improvise on stories I had heard. It was fun to concoct completely different versions of movie plots for my friends who hadn’t yet seen them. Once, I even made an action movie out of a maudlin love story and filled it with the hero fighting a rhino and tiger (I was bashed up and had to reimburse the ticket money, of course). I realised that it is fun to interpose fiction amidst fact to take it to a different track. 

What inspires you to write?
I guess I am a reader first. And my profession demands that I write a lot. But the real inspiration is always to wonder how a set of characters decide to expose themselves to me and strings of words that did not exist manifest suddenly as fingers touch keypads. It is as if the characters have a life and want me to note them. The wonder aside, I am also inspired by the fact that good writing gets good readers, which one does covet. I would like to one day be seen as a writer who sincerely tries to give the reader her time and money’s worth.

How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
The idea came about from my professional work, and the possibilities of misuse of the national database for personal and political gain. I wanted to give truth its full power even when the whole world is against it, and that is the high point of the story.

Are there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?
There are some, but it is best that they remain buried in the crannies of my memory, for bringing them out will destroy many happy lives. That’s too heavy a price for a selling book. Maybe when we are all gone, these stories will be published. 

What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
The last one and the epilogue. Can’t expand, for it will be a spoiler. But I felt satisfied that complete justice is done, and Truth wins finally, comprehensively, by itself, without anyone’s support.

Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
I have sprinkled a bit of myself into all the main characters.  The laughing, lying, the gluttony… you’ll know when you read.

What is your usual writing routine?
It happens in spurts. There are the intense phases, days on end when I write more than ten hours a day, and then days – especially while on missions – when I can barely get a few sentences in. But on average, I do a manuscript in twelve to fifteen months.  

Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?
I read a lot, mostly self-help books and thrillers. I have many favourites. Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie, Jeffery Archer, Sidney Sheldon, Frederic Forsyth, Dan Brown, and now I am reading all of Ken Follet’s thick books. I also read a lot of others, including some Indian writing – Ashwin Sanghi and Ravi Subramanian especially. I do read Chetan too, to figure out where the magic is.

What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
Write for your own soul, not for fame and glory, for they may never knock at your doorstep. 

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
I would say the same, know why you wish to write, be clear of the consequences, and do not depend on writing for livelihood. 

What would be the Dream Cast for you book if it was to be turned into a movie?
Early days. May that day come.

If you were to be stranded on the famous deserted island, what three things would you carry?
 A woman I’d like to be stuck with, an IPad mini loaded with a thousand books, and a bottle of poison, when I’ve tired of the first two. 

How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?
My interests are very simple: I love food, books, movies and lively people. My constant travel (93 countries, counting to a 100) gives me ample opportunities to come across an amazing variety of all of these. 
Unwinding: for me it’s always either the bliss of home and family, and outdoors, the mountains and the sea - the grandeur of Nature in its powerful quietness. 

Can you share with us something off your bucket list?
Machu Pichu, Xian (two wonders left in my list; meeting Amitabh Bachchan and reciting Madhushala together, producing a low-cost movie with all new talent. )

Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
I laugh midway while reciting something funny, and never get to complete it.
I can lie convincingly (as shared earlier) and even earned the title of Gappodi Mal (fibber) at school. But I never lie about important things.
I throw music parties to impose my singing on others. Not too much a price to pay for great food and booze, hey!

What do you have in store next for your readers?
Don Daud Abraham is Dead:  the manuscript has been finished and is being edited as we speak, I intend launching it this winter. It is again, an alternative pathway about the final exploits of the most elusive man, and connects the dots of real events with credible doses of fiction.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
Do write in with your feedback, I promise to take it seriously and will use it to improve my work, my craft.

About the Book:
A political thriller about national ID numbers, power and greed.

Orphan Harsh makes it to the billionaire club with a burning vision, sheer intellect and the blessings of his political Godfather. The favours must now be paid back through a huge Guru Dakshina. To honour his Master’s wish, Harsh, with the help of his fellow IITians, sets out to create a never-seen-before governance technology around the national ID numbers, that will change the face of democratic India.
Everything is at stake: money, reputations, egos and morals. Even lives.
Will they succumb to insatiable greed in the murky games of politics, backstabbing and subterfuge or will they be redeemed by the ‘Ten Commandments’ that once forged their ideals at college?
If you thought that supreme technology and unalloyed power can bring lasting change or that e-governance and transparency can address the ills of our system, The Winner’s Curse will force you to think again. For what’s at stake is: YOU.
The Winner’s Curse: the turbulent voyage of talent and intellect in the morass of turpitude.

Beyond Reach (True Calling #2)
By Siobhan Davis
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian Romance
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: April 30, 2015

Blurb:
Now back on Earth, Ariana is caught in a dangerous crossfire between clandestine rebel organization Clementia and the power-hungry government. Refusing to divulge the location of the secret information entrusted to her by her father, she desperately tries to bargain for her Mom, Lily, and Cal’s rescue. But she’s fighting a losing battle, and the clock is ticking.

Conflicted by evidence of fiancé Cal’s apparent betrayal, she loyally defends him despite her concerns. As she grows closer to ex-boyfriend Zane, her heart is increasingly troubled.

When the stakes are raised, a succession of shocking revelations rocks her world, setting her on a path that will not only change her destiny but the fate of humanity.

Confronted by a memory so abhorrent comes a truth she would do anything to forget.
But some things just can’t be undone.
***
Beyond Reach is the gripping second novel in the True Calling trilogy, continuing the story of Ariana Skyee in the weeks after she arrives back on Earth.

First book in this series:
True Calling (True Calling #1)
By Siobhan Davis
Genre: Dystopian/Science Fiction/Romance
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: August 1, 2014

Blurb:
Planet Novo, nestled in space twelve hundred miles above the surface of the Earth, is the new home of 17-year-old Cadet Ariana Skyee. Confused by the government-sanctioned memory erase and distressed at her impending forced marriage and motherhood, Ariana’s plans for the future are thrown into complete disarray.

As the traumatic events within her family life enfold, Ariana grows increasingly alarmed at the authorities apparent pre-occupation with her and feels progressively more isolated and alone.

Her growing feelings for fellow Cadet Cal Remus intensify as the recently announced pageant, ‘The Calling’, gets underway. Struggling to comprehend the continuous, inexplicable dreams of the mysterious Zane, discovering the past helps shape her future, with devastating personal consequences.

About the Author:
Siobhan Davis is the author of YA science fiction romance series True Calling.
A self-diagnosed ‘teenager forever’—at least when it comes to books, music and movies; Siobhan is totally addicted to teen fiction and superhero/blockbuster movies. Siobhan loves baking, crime novels, shoes, bags, make-up, anti-wrinkle cream, anything pink, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and Robert Pattinson (definitely Team Edward).
Siobhan has forged a successful corporate career, in Human Resources, over the last twenty years.
A member of the IWI writers group, Siobhan resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
Contact Siobhan at: www.siobhandavis.com

You can find and contact Siobhan here:
- Website
- Author blog
- Book website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Google +
- Goodreads

Sample chapters, quotes, reviews and book excerpts are all available to download from the authors website

About the Author:
Rishi Vohra relocated back to Mumbai after completing a Green MBA from San Francisco State University and a Masters Diploma in Environmental Law, prior to which he had an extensive career in the Indian Entertainment Industry. His debut novel Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai was a bestseller and awarded a special mention at the Hollywood Book Festival. He writes for delWine and is a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW).