SCAM definition: a dishonest scheme to gain money or possessions from someone fraudulently, especially a complex or prolonged one. Hello again my friends, it’s been a while since writing my last blog. What with the house move, settling in to new surroundings, and the reason behind the title of my blog. The never ending scam emails jumping into our inbox! We both made a decision a few years ago to remain as independent authors, to publish both of our work ‘in house’, just to allow us the time...

As independent writers, we, here at Under The Oaks, are constantly approached by marketers advising us to utilise their services for cinematic book trailers, and I personally feel a certain sense of conflict. I’ll explain why, Growing up in the seventies, books played a pivotal role in my childhood, my shelves were filled with untold books, Saturday mornings couldn’t come round fast enough, a trip to town to spend my pocket money on yet another literary masterpiece (well, if you count Snow...

With Yule fast approaching, I always find myself in a period of self-reflection, this year being no exception. 2025 has been quite a year and I am so excited to say goodbye to the year of the snake and welcome in the new energy from the fire horse! In August we received news that our home of the past twelve years was to be no more, and to say that I was devastated is an understatement. To be honest, I was scared, the house where our younger family members grew into the wonderful people they...