Monday 24 February 2014

PRESS RELEASE






Title: Beyond the Past

Author:  Pam Charles

ISBN:  978-1-84386-789-0

Genre: Fiction/Crime/Romance

Price: £10.99

Imprint:  Vanguard Press      


PRESS RELEASE

Pegasus Publishers are pleased to announce the publication of Beyond the Past by Pam Charles, available today from all major book stores or direct from the publisher.

The first few weeks of a new relationship should be exciting and thrilling… in a good way! For Annie and Mark everything started well but a vendetta against their happiness soon became apparent. Someone didn’t want them to be together and was determined to end this relationship, one way or another!

The police become involved but as Annie and Mark both had such a public profile, due to their love of the game of rugby, with so many suspects, how will the police know who to arrest?

The race is on to solve the clues and arrest the culprit before one of them is killed…

CONTACTS

Copies of BOOK can be purchased direct from the publisher by visiting our website at www.pegasuspublishers.com or by calling 01223 370012.

Sunday 23 February 2014

Your past doesn't have to define your future.... or does it?





My teenage years were the Thatcher years. I was from a working class family and my Dad was a public service worker. It is so unjust that people have to fight to work and fight for justice! For me, both these two are essential elements of a civilised society and yet during the 1980s neither were prevalent for hard working families.


Coming from a working class background you almost felt then that you didn’t have a right to dream big.  I was ridiculed when I wanted to be a writer at fifteen. The people I thought was giving me the ‘right’ advice were actually the very people who were holding me back. Wrongly I didn’t follow my dreams back then and in all honesty, didn’t have the confidence to. Why would you? You’re told you will never match up to the privately educated elite and you would be better off getting a steady job in a world where you had to literally fight tooth and nail to earn a decent living. SO I didn’t go to University and I didn’t become a writer. I became an Insurance Broker!!!


I had a decent career but it never filled my life with joy and that had a knock on effect to everything. There was still a piece of me missing and the built in paranoia of somehow I wasn’t good enough to have the best of everything meant I accepted an unworkable and very oppressive marriage. I surrounded myself in people who I thought were my friends. When I had my first child I realised the life that I had built was not me at all! My son gave the courage to stand up to people and I soon realised my marriage was a sham and the so called friends I had, would sooner stab me in the back than look at me. It was a harsh lesson to learn.


I went through a really rough patch when I realised I’d just settled for what I had in life and it was an all-time low for me and was worse than when I found out about Menieres Syndrome.  Funnily enough the illness was a catalyst for me. It was my wake-up call.  I wasn’t going to settle for anything other than me doing what I wanted to do. I wanted to lead by example, show my children that whatever life throws at you, whatever mistakes you make (and you’re human, you do make mistakes), you can regroup and start again.


My greatest fear when the book was published, was not that it wouldn’t sell but people would try to crush my dream AGAIN. Some people tried but this time it wasn’t going to work. My four decades of experience has taught me that there will always be people who want to drag you down and more interestingly, they are the people you least expect to do it. My advice would be to nod, say thank you and listen to the professionals. Don’t let other people’s insecurities put you off your dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” It is very true and it is something I drill into my boys now.



There are public figures and personalities that help define you as a person. Here are a few of those who influenced me:



  • Nelson Mandela for his power to forgive even the most oppressive of people.
  • Steve Prescott for fighting for others when he had a very personal battle of his own
  • Anne Williams and the families of the Hillsborough victims for their dignity, integrity and determination to take on the establishment and find truth and justice. Anne proved to everyone that a mother’s love is a forced to be reckoned with and my boys know that too.
  • Wesley Charles for his outlook on life, his positivity and for his ability to understand now what I didn’t work out until in my forties!!

I will be openly criticised for including my son in this list but I don’t care because he ‘gets it’!! And I’ve done that and that’s what I am most proud of. I have a son who is humble, has his feet firmly on the ground and is doing everything within his powers to follow his dreams. He will be the best he can be. What more can I ask for?



Some people have too much to say about things they know very little about. Writing is what I want to do and actually I am quite good at it too. Don’t get me wrong I don’t believe I am a genius, I just believe I am trying to do my best for the benefit of my boys. It’s as simple as that. I will give 100% support to anyone who dares to have a go. Go on, whatever it is you want to do, have a go!!







Sunday 16 February 2014

Feeling the love right now...

I'm a true romantic but don't believe in it being saved for one day out of the year. Having said that, this year I did have the best St Valentine's Day and I'm single!!

The day started with a bundle of presents and a card from my two boys, a thank you for all that I do for them.  They melt my heart and I know I have brought them up to love and respect the women in their lives, which is such a valuable lesson for boys and one we do take for granted.

On Tuesday, when I met the Lord Mayor of Wetherby I took my youngest with me. I am a strong believer in leading by example and demonstrating that hard work pays off but equally it's important for them to see the rewards that come from the hard work. He was over the moon that I had included him in a piece of my work. It just shows that little gestures go a long way.


Rugbyleague. paper.li mentioned my work again this month. It is so humbling and exciting to be mentioned along side such rugby league royalty.









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Then, Friday, Valentine's Day: Beyond the Past received a tweet from Book Viral and that capped off such a fabulous week for the book.








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In addition to all this my facebook page figures have been very impressive: 46 new likes up 557.1%. People engaged up 145% & Total weekly reach 36%. Thank you everyone! 

All in all it has been a great week. Yesterday I completed another short story for the Mslexia women's short story competition. It's always nice to hear a reader say  'is that it? I want more.' As a writer that is all you can ask for.

Beyond the Past is available from Pegasus Publishing, Amazon or major book retailers. All the links are available on my website. You can also read the first three chapters FREE on my website.

Very best wishes





www.pamcharles.com
twitter: @beyondthepast1


Wednesday 12 February 2014

Thank you Lord Mayor of Wetherby

Yesterday evening I felt deeply honoured to be invited to the Town Council meeting.

Lord Mayor of Wetherby, Councillor Alan Lamb took time out of a busy schedule to receive his copy of my book. 

The book is set in Leeds with Wetherby Police Station as the base for DCI Fisher and DS Davies. The book is a crime romance and follows the lives of the former professional rugby league player, Mark Smith and his new love Annie Swift. In the height of his playing days, Mark Smith was a talented rugby player and the consummate professional. He was accused of raping a girl in a totally fabricated story that could have ended his career. It did end his marriage. He never found out the whole truth surrounding the allegations. Decades on, Mark is retired and works as a TV pundit. At a charity event, Annie Swift caught his eye. Slender and radiant, she lit up the room. Their relationship begins to blossom but out of the blue, Annie and Mark start to receive malicious texts, notes and being followed by a car. When Mark approaches the car, he is knocked off his feet. 

DCI Fisher, the investigating officer only realises the gravity of the case when they are run off the road in a horrific motorway accident. He requests assistance from DS Phillipa Davies, someone he had admired from afar after sharing a Christmas party kiss. Together they unravel the case and find they share a love for rough, playful sex. The extent of the twenty year conspiracy against Mark unfolds with disastrous consequences.

Both my boys play rugby league in Wetherby and my youngest also plays football for Wetherby Tigers Football Club.

The first three chapters are available to read free online at www.pamcharles.com. The book is available from www.pegasuspublishing.com , Amazon and major bookstores.

Sunday 9 February 2014

Now I am actually a published author

It's been a strange couple of weeks since the publication of my book. I purposely organised a number of events for the launch day so that it did not pass by as a 'normal' day. I am sure every new author will agree with me when I say it's a bit of damp squib! You build yourself up for this momentus day and, yes nothing new happens!

BUT, as with everything I seem to do in my life now, I made it happen. I wasn't going to let the day pass me by. I'd worked too hard, literally shed lots of tears and was going to celebrate the day...working, doing what I love to do.

Phil and Ros Caplan own Philip Howards Books Limited on Street Lane in Leeds. It is a quaint treasure trove filled with books from a wide range of genre. My particular favourites are of course to do with rugby league, expecially such legends as Eddie Waring! I presented Ros with a personal copy and received a warm welcome as anyone does when they visit the shop.Trust me if you love books and browsing, this is the place to be.

In the afternoon I had the great pleasure of delivering a signed book to my very first competition winner at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate.

Coincidentally the hotel hosts the annual Theakston's Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival - this year 17 -20 July 2014.


 
Gemma Risebero is the Sales Manager of this stunningly beautiful hotel, certainly a place Mark and Annie may visit in the sequel - watch this space!


Congratulations Gemma. Good luck with all your events you have planned this year.



I have been overwhelmed with the positive responses I have had. Thank you for all those who have taken the time to let me know how much you have enjoyed the book - it really does mean alot. It also means I have to crack on with the sequel now. For those asking, I have thirteen chapters completed. So watch this space....