Reagan -The White Horse Boy

Ever wondered about why people took so much effort to carve out White Horses on the sides of hills? Or why thirteen of them were clustered within a 20-mile radius of a certain village in what was ancient Wessex?

Reagan has to do a lot more than just wonder; his life depends on identifying the site for the next White Horse to be built. His talents for reading ley-lines, recognising patterns and understanding the secret geometry of crop circles lead him on an exciting journey around the countryside. He can't tackle this mammoth project on his own, and pressure mounts as a series of increasingly dangerous accidents raise the stakes, ending with a mysterious illness plaguing the villages' children.

Luckily, the universe sees fit to help by offering the services of a spirit guide and a master trainer with a warped sense of humour, who infuriates the nearest thing they can find to an expert, the blacksmith, Reeve. But every step forward takes two steps back as the council leader withholds several key clues, and Reagan's debilitating headaches lead to discovery of the fate of several prior "Chosen Children."

Find out more about the characters in Reagan here.

Bella Italia

Lake Como is a gorgeous piece of Paradise, filled with snow-capped mountains, colourful villages and fabulous vistas. Menaggio was Magnificent (the town and the Grand Hotel), even did some line dancing to the Eagles "Get Over It." Beautiful Bellagio (no dancing fountains, but you can see where Vegas got the inspiration) was only a couple of stops away on the ferry; the next one down is Villa-tastic Verenna.
After 3 hours in Monastero, we hiked up a mountain trail worthy of Cader Idris, only to find a further four flights of knee-crippling stairs to hit the top of the tower. The views were well worth it, and the ghosts were great fun. A 12th century church and spectacularly ornate graveyard made Gravedona worth a visit, and Como Cathedral has rich detail which makes York (and Canterbury) pale into the shade. The purple rose? That's what the cute maid did with my nightie - a different, more complex sculpture greeted our return to the sumptuous room every day. And don't get me started on the food: not a pizza all week, but every dish was so exquisite, it even got Bri raving about the porcini mushroom lasagna - and he normally hates pasta.

Beltane Deals

Phew, what a month!
To celebrate May Day, Archer is at the knock-down price of $1.99/£1.38 for a couple of days. You can buy it here:US /UK

 I cannot tell you how excited I am: not only is the 6th book, Aurora, about to wing its way to my fabulous editor Hannah Sullivan, but I've had a total breakthrough on the way the whole story wraps up in the 7th book. The words are just pouring out.

To celebrate this, I'm putting the 1st three books at a fraction of the cost for all three ($14.97/£10.80):
US $4.99: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CXN4YNK/ or in the
UK £3.42: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01CXN4YNK/.
That's like, 66% discount on the normal price - or buy one, get TWO free. I'm gonna let this one run for a week while I immerse myself in Italian culture, food and wine (but not necessarily in that order).