Paula F. Andrews

Here's a link to my You Tube channel where you can view my book trailer and my interview with Radio Scotland's Nicola Meighan: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Paula+andrews+oranges+and+lemons+trailer Here is the link to an interview I did with journalists, Jill Brown and Jan Patience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwCfxzRRSW8 Virtual Book Launch Sunday 1 November Having waited and waited to have a physical launch of my debut novel for teenagers, Oranges and Lemons, and eventually, having given up, I had a very successful Virtual Launch on Sunday 1 November with around 65 people in attendance. We were able to show my newly completed book trailer and include a short segment of my interview with Nicola Meighan on Radio Scotland's Friday Afternoon Show as well as plenty of time for reading excerpts and Q&As. A new review from book blogger ChapterInMyLife 29 June 2020 #BookReview #OrangesAndLemons Paula Andrews @PaulaAAuthor #YAFiction #YoungAdult 49015667. sy475 Source: Amazon Purchase Taking a step outside my usual genre, I am delighted to be reviewing this debut novel, Oranges and Lemons, from Paula F Andrews. Before I share my thoughts, here's what the official blurb says: Gregarious teenager, Jessifer Jordan, has always been loyal and open, and her love of acting has made her an expert in pretence. So, when six-year old Victorian ghost, Adeline, appears in her life and Jess's best friend won't believe her, deceit becomes Jess's natural ally. Previously fun-loving and sociable, she becomes serious and isolated in her quest to discover what Adeline really wants. Always curious, she finds herself whisked back in time to 1863 and into the clutches of a volatile doctor with an obsession for morphine. As she journeys back and forth into the past, she realises that Adeline reminds her of her dead sister and her submerged grief resurfaces. Will her great aunt Ruby's counsel help her? Can she outwit the deranged medic? And whose is that smoky cat which keeps turning up out of the blue? My thoughts: My head has been in some dark places recently with my reading materials so I decided to give myself a bit of a breather with my next choice. Oranges and Lemons is a debut from Paula F.Andrews. With a target audience of Young Adults, it is a delightfully quirky tale of ghostly goings on in York. Jessifer Jordan lives with her aunt and while relatively settled in her life, she has an inquisitive mind and a flair for drama. Her friends think she is being overly dramatic and attention seeking when she confesses to her ghostly visitations. Oranges and Lemons follows her as she is compelled to find out exactly what happened to the little Adeline back in the 1860s. This was a ghostly and ethereal read switching effortlessly between present day and Victorian York. I really enjoyed the scenes where Jess slips between past and present and if I were reading this as a child I'd be totally caught up in this intriguing mystery and ghost story. It was so easy to become immersed in Jess's life and her quest. I particularly enjoyed the scenes set in the 1800s, I thought they were extremely vivid and realistic, it is clear the author has done her research here. Full of delightful little plot twists and some spooky moments it presents a fascinating cast of characters, some of whom you will love and others not so much. It is also full of fascinating facts and information without being a pedantic information dump, a great source of social history exploring the Victorian era and is bound to raise discussion points for young readers. But it also manages to do this without the reader feeling they are being "taught". I think this would be ideal for kids who don't engage as much with traditional learning, the issues raised may pique their interest further? A perfect read for ages 10+ and a delightful read for an adult wishing to escape back into a childhood full of limitless imagination. Check out my website for my blog about writing, being published, musings on books, characters, topics associated with my debut novel, Oranges and Lemons, and occasional random other stuff! If you like it, please feel free to comment and subscribe. http://www.paulaandrews.co.uk It was lovely to have my guest posts published on the following book blogs, too: Book Inspector https://bit.ly/2NRqjZ9 and A Little Book Problem https://bit.ly/2v9yyci