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Cruisin’ down the river ~~~

September 18, 2013 by Patricia Sands Leave a Comment

The always entertaining writer Sheryl Browne has a new release to celebrate! Today she’s visiting to share a glimpse of her equally entertaining personal life with us!  Let’s join her for a wee cruise on (what she calls) her wee boat!

SherylwithdogsHi Patricia. Thanks so much for allowing me to share a little bit about myself and my new release, Learning to Love, on your fabulous blog. I thought I might include an excerpt, but not wanting to be too boring – and having read Patricia’s recent excellent Travel Novel Review  in regard to her fabulous book, The Promise of Provence, which incorporates some fabulously evocative descriptions of France and the French landscape, I thought I might also share a few pictures of the UK landscape, taken from a boater’s point of view.  We have a little boat, called Aquaduck, on which my partner and I can often be found cruising the inland waterways (and from which, being crew, I can often be found falling off).

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.03.19 PM

Our wee boat, 30ft in length, also once sank after hitting a submerged bridge, leaving us rather shocked, wet and bedraggled (silver lining and all that, though, I did manage to save the wine before she went down!). So, why would you do it, you might ask, in the UK – in the rain?!

Well, obviously we’re quite mad. That aside, however, I think we do it because it gives us time to stop and smell the roses, to pause and reflect on the beauty around us that life as we tend to live it – in the fast lane – doesn’t allow us. Pictures often explain so much better than words:

Our first morning:

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.04.31 PM

The local wildlife:

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.06.12 PM

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.05.24 PM

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.07.24 PM

Those roses!:

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.09.24 PM

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.10.15 PM

Reflecting after a hard day’s locking:

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.11.13 PM

Worcester cityscape – beautiful seen from a new perspective:

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.12.04 PM

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.12.48 PM

Oh, and Snoops is quite into boating, too!

Screen shot 2013-09-12 at 8.13.39 PM

And that is why we do it! (Come wind or rain, there is, of course, always the local waterside pub at the end of the day to do look forward to).

OK, now for the not so interesting bit (I do hope not). As mentioned I do have a recently released book, a romantic comedy: Learning to Love. I’ve included the blurb below, so I won’t go on too much about it, except to say that Learning to Love started life as a short, entitled The Memory Box – the theme of which is bereavement in childhood, which was accepted by the Birmingham City University to be published in their Anthology, Paper and Ink. Obviously, I was really thrilled.

Learning to Love

Exploring the Fragility of Love, Life, and Relationships

Widower, Dr David Adams, has recently moved to the village – where no one knowsL2L cover him, ergo there’s no fuel for neighbourhood gossip – to start afresh with is ten year old son, if only he can get to a place where his son wants to speak to him. Angry and withdrawn, Jake blames his dad for the death of his mother, and David doesn’t know how to reach him.

Andrea Kelly has too many balls in the air. With three children and a “nuts” mother to care for, her fiancé can’t fathom why she wants to throw something else into the mix and change her career. Surely she already has too much on her plate? Because her plates are skew-whiff and her balls are dropping off all over the place, Andrea points out. She needs to make changes. Still her fiancé, who has a hidden agenda, is dead-set against it.

Meet Sheryl

Sheryl Browne brings you Fabulous, Poignant, Heart-breaking Romance. Her novel Recipes for Disaster, commissioned by Safkhet Publishing, was shortlisted for the Innovation in Romantic Fiction Award. Sheryl now has five books published under the Safkhet Soul imprint –

Recipes for Disaster – Sexilicious Romantic Comedy combined with Fab, Fun Recipes.

Somebody to Love – Sigh with contentment, scream with frustration. At times you will weep.

Warrant for Love – Three couples in a twisting story that resolves perfectly.

A Little Bit of Madness – White Knight in Blue rescues The Harbour Rest Home.

Learning to Love – Exploring the Fragility of Love, Life and Relationships.

– and has since been offered a further contract. A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Sheryl grew up in Birmingham, UK, where she studied Art & Design. She works part-time in her own business and is a mum and a foster mum to disabled dogs.

Sheryl is currently romping about on her Romantic Heroes tour!

Do you have the name of a ROMANTIC HERO to add to the list?

 romantic heroes

 

 

LINKS:

Sheryl’s Website

 Safkhet Publishing

 Amazon.co.uk

 Amazon.com

Author Facebook     

Romantic Novelists’ Association

Sheryl is a Loveahappyending Lifestyle Author and Feature Editor.

Twitter: @sherylbrowne

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Filed Under: Author Promotion, Blog

About Patricia Sands

Family, writing and travel are my passions ... okay, and chocolate ... and I'm seldom without a camera. I write women's fiction and keep in touch with readers by a monthly newsletter that also has giveaways and contests. Come and join us by signing up on the right. See you there!

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Comments

  1. wordsfromanneli says

    September 18, 2013 at 5:13 pm

    You’re very brave to be on the boat so much of the time. Somehow inland waterways seem to be more dangerous than the open ocean. So many more things to bump into.

    Reply
    • Sheryl Browne (@SherylBrowne) says

      September 19, 2013 at 6:05 am

      And we do, Anneli. Oh, how we do!! Thanks for stopping by, sweetie! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Patricia Sands says

    September 19, 2013 at 4:54 am

    What I like about the idea is that it will always be easier to swim to shore than out on the ocean. I’m a wimpy water traveler!

    Reply
    • Sheryl Browne (@SherylBrowne) says

      September 19, 2013 at 6:04 am

      Unless you are an a fast flowing river, Patricia. High amber alert, approaching a weir…. Eeeek! I looked over the back and saw a distinct lack of rotation from the propeller. Yep, engine failure. We were being swept towards the weir with no power. Fear not!!! Superwoman Sheryl managed to grab a tree and clamber up onto a motorway bridge. Trouble was, it was iron – nowhere to tie the rope. Tie it around your waist says the man. The boat weighs TONS!!! Ye-essss. 🙂 xx

      Reply
  3. Sheryl Browne (@SherylBrowne) says

    September 19, 2013 at 6:06 am

    Thanks so much for hosting me on your lovely blog, Patricia. Pics look fab, particularly Snoops!!! 🙂 xx

    Reply
  4. Crowing Crone Joss says

    September 19, 2013 at 4:14 pm

    loved reading this and discovering another person who lives an adventurous nomadic type life. So much to see and do and learn.

    Reply
    • patriciasands says

      September 29, 2013 at 10:57 am

      It’s great fun to peek in on other people’s adventures. Who knows, you may find yourself on a similar vessel at some point in your travels!

      Reply
      • Crowing Crone Joss says

        September 29, 2013 at 1:03 pm

        I’ve thought of it, actually. Maybe in Holland. Who knows where all this will lead. We head up to Normandy on tuesday.

        Reply
  5. filbio says

    September 20, 2013 at 12:38 am

    Such a nice feature. Great pics and love the boat. Such a cool way to live life. Saving the wine – Sheryl sounds like my kind of gal!

    Reply
    • patriciasands says

      September 29, 2013 at 10:56 am

      Sheryl is a corker, that’s for sure! Always there with a smile and a laugh … and a talented writer to boot!

      Reply
  6. Linn B Halton (@LinnBHalton) says

    September 20, 2013 at 4:09 am

    Love the photos – what a way to relax, Sheryl! The perfect thing after your hectic ‘work’ life. I would be worried about bumping into things though…

    Reply
    • patriciasands says

      September 29, 2013 at 10:55 am

      Just looking at the photos is relaxing, isn’t it? This is definitely on my “to do” list.

      Reply
  7. theamateurcamera says

    September 27, 2013 at 11:53 am

    I’ve always loved the idea of living on a boat like this, at least for a while, just to try it out… it seems like such a chilled out way to live (apart from when you hit submerged bridges of course… well done on saving the wine!) 🙂

    Reply
    • patriciasands says

      September 29, 2013 at 10:54 am

      Hehe! Above all else … save the wine!

      Reply

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