author bios - amanda cadabraauthor bios 1. cozy paranormal mystery author of the humorous and...
TRANSCRIPT
AuthorBios
1.
CozyparanormalmysteryauthorofthehumorousandquintessentiallyEnglishAmandaCadabraserieswithsuspenseandmagic.
2.
BritishauthorHolly’sloveofstoriesfloweredfromlongexperienceofnon-fictionwriting,photographyandvideography,intotheAmandaCadabraseries.
Havingreadandre-readAgathaChristieandJRRTolkien’sLordoftheRingsfromchildhood,thecreationofcosyparanormalmysterieswasthenaturalchoice.
3.
Catadorerandchocolatelover,BritishauthorHollyBellisaphotographerandvideomakerwhennotcreatingnovels.Shehadlongexperienceofnon-fictionwritingbeforebeingtoldshecouldwritecosymysteries.
HollydevouredalloftheAgathaChristiebookslongbeforesheknewthatMissMarplewasthegodmotheroftheCosyMystery.HerdevotiontoJRRTolkien’sLordoftheRingsmeantthatherfirstliterarycreationinthisareawouldhavetobeacosyparanormal.
HavingderivedimmensedelightfromtheadventureofwritingAmandaCadabraandTheHidey-Holeanditssequels,Hollyhasmoreinthepipeline.
InterviewQuestions
Howdidyougetfromwritingnon-fictiontofiction?That’squitealeap.
I’vewrittenalotofreviewsoffilmsandsongs,eachofthoseisbasicallyastory.Mydegreeisinhistory,whichisagain,alotofstoriesbothfactandfiction,ifyouincludeliterature.Ihavealsobeenaphotographerandvideographerformanyyearsandifapicturepaintsathousandwordsthenavideohasanevenbroadercanvas,butagaineachtellsatale.Inhindsight,itwasonlyamatteroftimebeforemyfirstloves,allworksoffictionwouldfindaliteraryoutlet.
YourbooksarequintessentiallyEnglishandyetyourstoriesarefullofcharactersfromdiverseculturalbackgrounds.Howdothosetwothingsgotogether?
Iknewfromthestartthatmystorieswouldbesetinavillage,andasacitygirlitwouldhavetobeoneontheedgeofametropolissothatIcouldunderstandit.AsaBrit,itwouldbeanEnglishvillageandoneontheedgeofLondonwouldinevitablyreflectthediversityofthatcapital.
AfeatureofvillagescanbeatendencytoexclusivityandSunkenMadleyhasthatinthatitdistinguishes,inahumorousfashion,betweenthosewhoarelong-standingresidents,regardlessoftheirculturalheritage,andthosewhohavejustmovedinoronlyvisiting.Hencewehavethebestofbothworlds,andEnglish,orratheraBritish,villagewithessentiallythecharacteristicsofthoseinPGWodehousebooksorColdComfortFarmortheEalingComedies.
Cozyparanormalmysterieshaveacertainformula.HowistheAmandaCadabraseriesdistinctive?Amandaisadifferentsortofwitch.She’sacraftspersonlikesomeothercozyheroines,afurniturerestorerbutshe’sasthmatic.Sheis,infact,disabled.Shecan’trun,jump,chasevillainsorsurviveforlongindustyatticsandcellars.Ontheotherhandshehasamagicalfamiliarwhoisinasenseaservicecat.
Sleuthsarenormallysuper-observant.HoweverAmandaisalsoonthespectrumandthatgivesherbothintellectualadvantagesandblindspots.UnlikeMissMarpletherearealotofthings,especiallyaboutpeoplethatshejustdoesn’tsee,andanyoneoftheautistim/Aspergersspectrumwilllrecogniseandrelatetothat.
Herlifedependsonhersecrecyregardinghermagicalpowers,soshehastobeunobtrusive.Shecan’taffordtobeoutthere,tobesexy,sassyorsnarky.Althoughactuallyit’sinhernaturetoberetiringandcircumspect.
Thegenreyouwritewithinislightentertainment.Isthatallthatyouaretryingtoprovideorarethereanydeepermessagesinyourbooks?
ThediversecommunityinwhichpeopleareacceptingofoneofanotherissomethingthatIhopewillinspireacceptance.LessonsI’velearnedinlifeIdopassonthroughthevoiceofGrannyandGrandpaandChiefInspectorHogarth.Also,thebookscarryamessageofrespectfortheuseofpowerandthatresponsibilitiescomewithextraordinaryabilities.Aboveallthough,Iwanttoshowthebestofpeople,oftheworld,toencourageoptimismandthebeliefthatgoodwilltriumph.Iwantpeopletoputdownthebookattheendandfeelhappier,lighter,morehopeful,empoweredandcompletethantheydidbefore.Iftheydo,thenmyworkisdone…untilthenextbook!
Cozywitchesareusuallyattheheartofafamilyorcommunity.Whyhaveyouchosennottofollowthattrend?
It’strue,she’snotatthehubofthecommunitybutshe’sloved.Shehasaverysmallfamily,justhergrandparents,andhersurrogateaunt.IntheUKandtheUSagrowingnumberofpeoplelivesoloandalotthemlikeit.Amandarepresentsthose.Sheiscontentandatthesametimehasthedesiretoshareherlifewiththerightpersonattherighttime.Ithinkthat’sahealthyexample,andonethatmaycomfortandencouragereaderswhoarebythemselvesinonewayoranother.Alsoalthoughthevillagerssometimesirritatehershe’sunfailinglykindandthoughtfultowardsthem.Ihopethatshowsthatyoudon’thavetobesociabletobeagoodperson.
Areyourbookschicklit?ThemaincharacterisfemalebutIthinkshe’dbeinthesameboatifsheweremale.Romancehasabackseatinthebooks.Amandadoesmeetmenwhoareattractiveorfindherattractiveinsomewaybutit’sexpressedincommunicationorherthoughtsaboutthem.Thereisagrowingconnectionwithanothercharacterbuttheirprofessionalrelationshipkeepstheminaformalholdingpattern.
Soyes,there’saromanticthreadbutit’ssubtleandasub-plot.IfchicklitisaimedatyoungsinglewomenI’dsaymostofmyreadersarenotinthatdemographicandforthatreasonalonetheserieswouldn’tfitintothechicklitcategory.
Iseetheattractionofstorywritingbutwhycozyparanormalmystery?Whyisitimportanttoyoupersonally?
I’magreatbelieverinfeel-betterentertainmentwhetherit’sabook,film,performanceorvisualart.Cozyparanormalmysteryisescapistinapositiveway,itcombinesmagic,humourandapuzzle.TheauthorsthathavejourneyedwithmethroughlifeandgivemethosethingsareinparticularCSLewis,Tolkein,AgathaChristieandGeorgetteHeyer.I’vecomebacktothemagainandagain.Theyhavebeenthesupportingtreesinmethathavebournefruitandthatfruitis,naturally,cozyparanormalmysteries.Inthisway,Icangivemyreaderswhatthoseauthorshavegivenme.
Arethereanyuniversalthemesinyourbooks?
Thetriumphofgoodoverevil,isthemostobvious.
ButIthinkmanypeopledolivecovertlivesofonekindoranotherbecauseofbeingorfeelingdifferentandthatthosedifferenceswillbeunacceptabletothosearoundthem.Evensomejobsrequiregreatdiscretion.Themaincharacter’s
needtokeepherwitchcraftsecretissomethingthatmanyreaderswillrelatetoeitherforthemselvesorsomeonetheyknow.
Whatarethechallengesoftouchingonseriousthemesinwritingcozymysteries?
It’simportanttokeepthingslight.Thisisentertainmentafterall.Evenmomentsoftensionneedtobequicklyfollowedwithrelieforhumour.Thesignpoststodeeperlevelsneedtobeapparentforthoselookingforthemandeasilyignoredbyreaderswhojustwanttoenjoytheplot.Aboveall,ifyouhadtosomeupinonewordwhatyouwantyourbookstoinspire,whatwoulditbe?
Laughter.
SampleFeatureArticle
ThepaperbackversionoftheAmandaCadabraandtheRiseofSunkenMadleyisabouttobereleased.ThisisthefourthintheBritishhumorouscozyparanormalmysteryseriesbyUKauthorHollyBell.
Whileeachbookhasaself-containedmystery,thereisaconnectingstoryarcthatreaderswillwanttofollowthroughBook4.Readerswhopreferthetouchy-feelyexperienceofarealpaperbookwillbeeagerlyawaitingthelaunch.TheKindleversionisalreadyonAmazon,andthepaperbackwillbeavailablefrom29thOctoberintimeforHallowe’en.
AfterthesuccessofthetwofreedaysontheKindlestoreofBook1withtheebookreleaseofBook4,from29th–31stOctober,Book2,AmandaCadabraandtheCellarofSecretswillalsobefreetodownloadfromAmazon.
InBook4WefinallycomefacetofacewiththenotoriousFlamgoynes,arch-rivalsofAmanda’sgrandmother’sfamily.InspectorTrelawney,emotionallychallengedbytheemergingtruthofhismagicalpast,onceagainhashisunderstandingofhimselfandhishistorychangedbyrecoveredmemories.Thereareunexpectedencounters,connections,courage,abody,naturally,thesignificanceofSunkenMadley’slegacy,touchingmomentsandaboveall,revelations.
AmandaCadabraandTheRiseofSunkenMadleyhasnewdetailsonthevillagemap.Wegettoknowstatelyhome,TheGrangebetterandaplanoftheprincipalroomsisincluded.FoodiesespeciallywillenjoyanupdatedglossaryofBritishEnglish.
Thefirstbookintheseries,AmandaCadabraandTheHidey-HoleTruthwaspublishedattheendofAugustlastyearwithasequelreleaseeverythreetofourmonths.
Hollyhaswrittenmanyreviews,eachofwhichfollowsastory.Herdegreeisinhistory,whichisagain,storiesbothfactandfiction,ifyouincludeliterature.Shehasalsobeenaphotographerandvideographerformanyyears,andifapicturepaintsathousandwords,thenavideohasanevenbroadercanvas.Itwasonlyamatteroftimebeforeherfirstloves,allworksoffiction,wouldfindaliteraryoutlet.
‘I’magreatbelieverinfeel-betterentertainment,’saysHolly,‘whetherit’sabook,film,performanceorvisualart.Thecozyparanormalmysteryisescapistinapositiveway;itcombinesmagic,humourandapuzzle.‘
HollyBelllivesintheUKanddrawsonarichframeofreference.LifelongfavouriteauthorsareCSLewis,JRRTolkien,AgathaChristieandGeorgetteHeyer.Asshesays:
‘I’vecomebacktothemagainandagain.Theyhavebeenthesupportingtreesinmethathavebornefruit,andthatfruitis,naturally,cozyparanormalmysteries.Inthisway,Icangivemyreaderswhatthoseauthorshavegivenme.’
HollyisaregularcontributortotheBooksGoSocialMagazine,andherlatestarticlehasjustappearedintheireditionforHallow’een.
Reviews
‘ACozyMysteryThatHadMeHooked.Ilovedthisbookandcouldn'tputitdown.It'sgoteverythingthatIlookforina5-starread;greatscenesthatgettheadrenalinepumping,anintelligentmysteryortwotogetthelittlegreycellswhirling,nailbitingtensionandwellwrittenhumour(theremayevenbeabitofromanceonthehorizonforourheroine).’Goodreads,FloraGatehousereviewer–AmandaCadabraandTheHidey-HoleTruth
Dec16,2018Krystynaratedititwasamazing
‘ThepasthasbearingsonthepresentAwesome.Quitedifferenttothefirstbookbutawonderfulread.Spies,ghostsandmagicinanenthrallingtalethatspanstheyears.’
AmandaCadabraandTheCellarofSecrets
May23,2019PaulaPtomeyratedititwasamazing
‘IreceivedafreecopyofAmandaCadabraandtheFlawlessPlanforanhonestreview.ILOVEDTHISSTORY!!HollyBellhasdoneitagain!’
AmandaCadabraandTheFlawlessPlan
Oct07,2019Lornaratedit:itwasamazing
‘Fabulousseries!Thereissomethingveryaddictiveaboutthisseries.IsowanttoknowwhoisaFlamgoyneandistheregoingtoberomancebetweenAmandaandtheInspector?ThesemysteriesarewellwrittenandIamdrawnintoSunkenMadlystraightaway.IcanpictureeverythingclearlyandamlivinglifealongsideAmandaasshetriestoworkoutwhokilledherfamilyandwhy.Definitelyrecommendthesebookstheyareendearingandmakeyousmile.’
AmandaCadabraandTheRiseofSunkenMadley
‘Anenchantingpage-turner.’TimBrown,Author-AmandaCadabraandTheHidey-HoleTruth
‘Thiswasafun,lightread…Buyit,readit,andenjoyit,justforthefunofit.I'mnowanxiouslyawaitingthenextbookintheseries.’
Jude,Reader-AmandaCadabraandTheHidey-HoleTruth
Netgalley
AmandaS,Reviewer
‘Humor.Witches.Mystery.Youhavemehooked.AmandaishilariousandfunandIlovethisstory.Iswear,thiskindofgenreismykryptonite.’
AnnaMariaG,Reviewer‘It'sthesecondbookIreadinthisseriesandIenjoyedboth.It'sentertaining,enjoyableandwellwritten.Itwasgreattomeetagainthelovelycastofcharacters.Themysterywasgoodandentertaining.Ilookforwardtoreadinganotherinstallmentinthisseries.Highlyrecommended!ManythankstothepublisherandNetgalleyforthisARC,allopinionsaremine.’
AmandaCadabraandTheCellarofSecrets
AileenG,Reviewer
‘Alovelylight-heartedmysteryconcerningayoungwitch,herfamiliar,ghostlyhelpersandfurniturerestoration.Mademechuckle.I'mreallylookingforwardtothenextoneintheseriestoseewherethecliffhangersfromthisonego.Amostunusualsortofmystery.Ienjoyedit.Thebritishnessofthewritingdidn'tputmeoffatall.It'sagentlesortofmysteryandI'mlookingforwardtoseeingwhathappensnextinAmanda'slife.’#AmandaCadabraAndTheHideyHoleTruth#NetGalley‘Anenjoyableandhumoroustalewithengagingleadcharacters.’BouncingTiggerReviews‘Thoroughlyenjoyablewithcharmandsuspense.’
PrincessFuzzypants-Reviewer
Siddhesh
5.0outof5starsCompelling.
21September2018
Format:KindleEdition
Iwasmesmerized.IneverhadalikingtowardsthisgenrebutIcouldn'tsimplystopreading.Keepsyouengagedandforcedtokeepreading.AmazonIndia
AmazonUS4.1/5with27ReviewsAmazonUK5/510Ratings
Goodreads
4.2/5125ratings,23Reviews
KatherineWilliamsDeMoure-AldrichrecommendsHollyBellAuthor.
11May
Delightful,enjoyable,well-written,veryBritishcozymysterieswithlocationssowelldescribedthatyoufeelthatyou'rethere.Eachcharacteriswell-roundedandstaystruetotheircharacterinthebook.It'sanopenwindowintovillagelife.’
PhilippaShallcrassrecommendsHollyBellAuthor.
14August2018·
‘Thestoryisarealpageturner.Beautifullywritten,greatstory.Igottoknowthevillageanditspeople.Ihopetherearemoretocome.’
StephenLambertreviewedHollyBellAuthor–5star
2November2018
‘IreallyenjoyedAmandaCadabraandtheHideyHoleTruth.OnceIgotstartedIprettymuchkeptgoinguntilIfinished.Iwaskindasorryitended.Reallylookingforwardtothenextone.’
AlexMorrisonrecommendsHollyBellAuthor.
18November2018·
‘Alovelyread,thankyouHollyBellx’
AuthorImage
LatestBookCover
One-Sheet:
Amanda Cadabra and The Rise of Sunken Madley
The British humorous cozy paranormal mysteries
by Holly Bell Canyouweatherthestorm?Amanda,covertwitchandasthmaticfurniturerestorer,findsabodyatTheGrange.Accidentormurder?Itmatters;shehadnoalibi.Butafarmorepressingproblemisafoot.TheFlamogynesareabouttoattackhervillage.WasittheywhosentherunpleasantfamilyovertheCornishcliffallofthoseyearsago?CanAmandabuytheintrepidInspectorTrelawneythehourheneedstocompletehisowndangerousmission?Willherfamiliar,grumpycatTempest,stayawakelongenoughtohelp?Inthemomentoftruth,willshestandaloneasherrecurringdreamshowsher?OrwillsheseeTheRiseofSunkenMadley?Action,adventure,humour,spies,ghosts,murderandrevelationsaboundinthisclimactictale.Book4intheAmandaCadabraSeries
Title:AmandaCadabraandTheRiseofSunkenMadleyAuthor:HollyBellCategory:Mystery:CozyParanormalFormat:eBook,paperbackASIN:B07GZQH8P8Pages:289pagesEbookPrice:$5.99internationalpricesvaryPublicationdate:30August2018Paperbacksize:5.25x8inches
Price:$5.99Internationalpricesvary.Availablefrom:Amazon
Reviews‘ThetensioninthisquintessentiallyEnglishcozyparanormalmysteryfranchisejuststeppedupanotch;Icouldn'tstopreading.’Flora,BookReviewer5starsonAmazon.comPublicityPaperbacklaunch:29Oct.SeriesBook2onfreeKDPpromotion29-31Oct.BooksGoSocialtwittercampaign.BookTrailerLaunchvideopostsonFacebook,Twitter,Instagram,PinterestandYouTubechannel.
AboutHollyBritishnon-fictionwriter,photographerandvideographerturnednovelist,inspiredbyalifetimeofreadingofAgathaChristie,Tolkien,CSLewis,GeorgetteHeyerandPGWodehousetowritetheAmandaCadabraseriesofhumorouscozyparanormalmysteries.