BLOG TOUR - THINGS TOO BIG TO NAME BY MOLLY BEST TINSLEY. REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

Description Things Too Big To Name by Molly Best Tinsley

Margaret Torrens trades academia for early retirement and the solitude of a cabin in the Oregon mountains. Four months later, she is locked in a ward for the criminally insane undergoing assessment, and a charge of murder is in the air. Pried out of her by an impatient young psychologist, Margaret's story features Jane Farrow--a former student, who showed up at the cabin uninvited with an odd, mute child in tow--and Victor--Margaret's alleged victim, who put his claim on both. As Margaret works to control this narrative of the recent past, she is waylaid by secrets, borne by the ghost of her young husband, lost decades before.

Advance Praise Things Too Big To Name by Molly Best Tinsley

“The psychological drama of Things Too Big to Name plunges us into the mind of Professor Margaret Torrens as her plans for rural retirement unravel and she's forced to confront the life choices she’s made since the death of her musician husband years before. One of her first students, Jane Farrow, appears at her mountain cabin with a strange child and asks to be taken in.  Days later, disruption threatens to explode in violence when Victor Primo barges in looking for them. Molly Tinsley's distinctive braided narrative offers intense story-telling, studded with surprises, that keeps us on edge until the end.”- Merrill Leffler, poet, Mark the Music and publisher, Dryad Press 

ITALY BOOK TOURS: A LIFE BY DESIGN - 5 QUESTIONS TO AUTHOR LUCY APPADOO

1. Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

For A Life By Design (The Italian Family Series), I was inspired by this story through the character, Elena who had a role in Dancing in the Rain (The Italian Family Series). Elena was very creative in the previous story with her sister, Valeria from Dancing in the Rain, so I wanted to have a character that showed her creative skills in fashion. I adore Italian fashion with the most modern trends, so I wanted to be a part of that excitement of creating modern and contemporary fashion. Elena is the part of me that loves to create (as I like to write), and I have a fascination with Italy as I had visited Italy a number of years ago. The plot came to me by knowing Elena’s character and how her feisty character would be able to handle all the intrigue that came her way. Generally, my inspiration for my other stories comes partly from my imagination (when I’m in a meditative space) and partly from past experiences that are similar or embellished.

WHAT KIND OF PRINT BOOK READER ARE YOU? - THE WISDOM OF LISTENING BLOG TOUR (AUTHOR GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY)

I have come to realize there are at least three kinds of print book readers I see on a regular basis. First is the tidy reader, second is the messy reader, and third is the hybrid reader. Do you know which you are?

 To the tidy reader, reading a book is like eating a gourmet meal in a five star restaurant. All of their books are purchased brand new, although exceptions might made for signed first editions. They want to be the first to crack that stiff spine open and love that new book smell. In a bookstore these readers never take the front book from a shelf or the top book in a stack. They reach behind and under to find the most pristine copy they can. 

 New books are brought home with as little jostling as possible and stored carefully on a bookshelf or stacked neatly on a table next to their reading chair. When they read, they sit upright and always turn a good reading light on. No drinking or eating is allowed to avoid staining the pages. No notations are ever made or corners turned down to mark their place. Only a proper book mark will do. When finished, the books are still in pristine condition. Only another tidy reader would know that its spine had already been cracked. 

At the other end of the spectrum is the messy reader. Reading for them is more like eating while camping with no table, chairs or utensils. Books come from every source – new and used book stores, thrift stores, library sales, garage sales and friends. It doesn't matter whether the book is in fabulous condition or a little raggedy; is clean or a little marked up; and dog eared pages aren't even noticed. As long as all the pages are intact and it's a good read they're happy. 

STOLEN OBSESSION BLOG TOUR - INTERVIEW WITH MARLENE M. BELL + GIVEAWAY

Interview with author Marlene M. Bell

What do you hope readers take with them after they’ve read Stolen Obsession? 

There are many morals in this book. Here are the top three: First, you are stronger than you think you are. Shown by Annalisse’s trials with personal loss and helping those around her. Secondly, keep those around you close to your heart because you never know when they can be taken away. Annalisse experiences a great deal of personal loss. Third, judge people not by what others say about them, but by how they truly are. Give people a chance to redeem any negative qualities that come from hearsay. Annalisse learns this with Alec Zavos, her love interest in Stolen Obsession. The tabloids paint him with a broad womanizer brush, and Annalisse takes her time deciding for herself who Alec is and if he can be trusted.  

How long does it take you to write a book?

Stolen Obsession took 8 years from start to finish due to the learning process. I’m working toward publishing the 2nd book, Spent Identity in 2019. I’m at 70,000 words so far!

Where did the idea for Stolen Obsession come from? What was the inspiration? 

The main character, Annalisse is a lot like me. Through 8 drafts of the story, the focus changed dramatically. The genre moved from Women’s Fiction to Romantic Mystery. I wouldn’t say the story came from one inspiration because of the long learning process. It has naturally morphed into the final version through plot changes and tons of edits.

Describe Stolen Obsession using seven words.

Ancient Curse Collides With Three Jewelry Pieces

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I write every day, even if it’s a few hundred words. First thing in the morning after the sheep are fed. By 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on a good day. On very good days, I can knock out a single chapter in 4-5 hours of work. 1-2 chapters each week with editing along the way. I’m a constant editor, especially since using the Hemmingway App.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

When I can, I stop and read other authors to keep the creative juices flowing. Spending time with the lambs in their pastures with a camera along is also worthwhile as a pick-me-up when words clog my mind and are disjointed on the page. If my writing stinks, there’s no sense in staying at the keyboard. It’s nice to have options like photography, drawing, painting and of course, sheep.

What do you think makes a good story?

It’s all about the reader turning pages. Whether I write mystery, suspense or the occasional love scene, it’s important to leave a scene to hang with an important question in the reader’s mind. The goal is to create a page-turner by whatever means possible.

Book Details

Book Title: Stolen Obsession by Marlene M. Bell
Category: Adult Fiction; 284 pages
Genre: Romantic Mystery / Thriller
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Release date: March 20, 2018
Tour dates: Sept 10 to 28, 2018
Content Rating: R (Small bit of language and one detailed sex scene)

BOOK UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT - ETERNITY'S ACCOUNT: RULERS

Book Details

Book Title: Eternity's Account: Rulers (Book #4)
Authors: Julie Bryson & Catherine Sharpe
Category: YA Fiction, 364 pages
Genre: Sci-fi and Fantasy
Publisher: Createspace
Release date: April 1,2018
Tour dates: Aug 13 to 24, 2018
Content Rating: G

Book Description

Patterns. They are the material weaved to make the intricate fabric of the universe. The one guiding the threads is the one teaching the 12 chosen children to recognize the complex design within the fabric of time. Each stitch aligns the essential elements of the story, revealing the intended pattern to be followed. Owr, the master creator, has tucked the invisible into the hem of the visible, allowing the children to peek between the tightly drawn threads to study how the spiritual affects the physical.

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY - THE SONGS OF YOU AND ME BY MYLISSA DEMEYERE

The Songs of You and Me by Mylissa Demeyere 

Jane Hartford fell head over heels for Jackson at the tender age of fifteen. She spent most of high school pining for him, until she realized he wasn’t going to see her as anything more than his baby sister’s best friend. Now she finds herself single with a daughter, a broken heart, and songs that remind her of a long lost love. Jackson Wright is a man living with regret. His biggest one, never acting on his feelings for Jane. 

When he returns to Bellebrook, the town they grew up in, he literally runs into her and his world gets tossed upside down and sideways. This time, Jackson isn’t willing to give up. With a meddling sister eager to push both of them together, he believes things might actually work out. 

That is, if they can overcome the heavy baggage they both carry. Follow Jackson and Jane as they revisit their past, figuring out what went wrong so long ago. Will they learn they have the power to make things right in the present?    

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY - THE HOPE OF AZURE SPRINGS

The Hope of Azure Springs by Rachel Fordham

 Seven years ago, orphaned and alone, Em finally arrived at a new home in Iowa after riding the orphan train. But secrets from her past haunt her, and her new life in the Western wilderness is a rough one. When her guardian is shot and killed, Em, now nineteen, finally has the chance to search for her long-lost sister, but she won't be able to do it alone.   For Azure Springs Sheriff Caleb Reynolds, securing justice for the waifish and injured Em is just part of his job. He's determined to solve every case put before him in order to impress his parents and make a name for himself. Caleb expects to succeed. What he doesn't expect is the hold this strange young woman will have on his heart. Debut author Rachel Fordham invites historical romance readers to the charming town of Azure Springs, Iowa, where the people care deeply for one another and, sometimes, even fall in love.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Barker Publishing

  Praise for The Hope of Azure Springs

 “With unusual charm and warmth, Rachel Fordham opens the door to Azure Springs, a place as memorable as the people who inhabit it—namely the unique Em, a hero of a sheriff, and an assortment of heart-tugging, endearing townsfolk. A memorable story of faith, family, and happy endings!” ~Laura Frantz, author of The Lacemaker 

BOOK UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: THROUGH A BROKEN HEART BY COLLEEN MEISSNER

Five Questions to the Author

Hello and welcome to FLY HIGH, Colleen.  My first question for you is ... How did you do research for "Through a Broken Heart?

This book was written primarily from my own journey and education. My education which includes a Master’s in Clinical Counseling, has helped me to understand why people think and act the way they do, why they repeat patterns – like dating the same type of guy over and over again or why they avoid relationships all together.

MEET FLAVIA BRUNETTI, AUTHOR OF ALL THE WAY TO ITALY + GIVEAWAY

   

Hello and welcome to FLY HIGH, Flavia! My first question for you is, where do you get inspiration for your stories? 
     
     A kernel of truth often develops into something more: something will happen to me in my everyday life, and when I go to write it down, it takes on its own shape. For example, one of my favorite short stories in All the Way to Italy came from a walk in the woods during the summer and the sound of katydids. From there came the story What Sings in the Night!

Do you write every day?

I’d love to say yes, but the truth is, everyday life very often gets in the way of writing every day! I find that there are days (especially when traveling, or in a new place) when ideas and thoughts demand to be written down almost constantly, and that’s one of the reasons I carry a notebook around with me everywhere I go. But there are stretches of time when the inspiration is much less present, and I try not to force it—or else it would stop being fun!

In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper? 

This ties in well with the previous question—the truth is, I have a very real obsession with notebooks and pens. I adore picking out new ones, and I always have a notebook with me, and usually also a pen with crazy-colored ink. I jot down random sentences or thoughts that I can then go back and flesh out properly, and that’s usually when a laptop comes in handy!

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY - MY SISTER'S INTENDED BY RACHAEL ANDERSON

Blog Tour - March 28th to April 12th

    My Sister's Intended by Rachael Anderson

For as long as Prudence can remember, it has been understood that her sister will one day wed the eldest son of their nearest neighbor. Such an alliance will benefit both families and bring a great deal of joy to all parents involved. Unfortunately, Prudence has never been able to feel as joyful. She believes her sister is mad to consider marrying a man she hardly knows, even if he will one day make her a countess. Titles and wealth shouldn't factor into matters of the heart, and as an aspiring romance novelist, Prudence cannot fathom how anyone could even think of settling for less than love. She certainly wouldn’t, and she doesn't want her sister to either. Unable to stand by and do nothing, Prudence sets out to help the awkward couple discover the best in each other with the hope that they will eventually find love. What she neglected to foresee, however, was the possibility that she might fall in love with Lord Knave herself. 

Excerpt

When Prudence lifted her eyes to his again, they sparkled with a challenge. “I was going to save this question until later so as not to shock you from the get-go, but I really do need to know . . . What does it feel like to kiss a woman?”

A large lump formed in Brand’s throat, and his mouth went dry. What the deuce? She had promised not to ask questions that would make him uncomfortable, but already he wanted to flee like a frightened kitten. How could he possibly explain how it felt to kiss a woman?

Brand searched his mind for a way to avoid answering until he heard a snicker escape her lips. She was laughing at him. Him! Hildebrand Ethan Cannon, Viscount Knave—a man at least eight years her senior and a great deal higher in social standing.

PLUNDER WITH INTENT BLOG TOUR: FIVE QUESTIONS FOR AUTHOR JOANNA D’ESTE CLARK

Plunder with Intent is a beautiful story of love, justice and tragedy about the family of a 19^th Century English aristocrat who steals a line of beautiful marble statues (the Parthenon or Elgin marbles) from their rightful home in Greece. The novel follows the story of the statues from their creation in 5^th Century BC to present day; friendships, love affairs and destines are shaped by people’s interaction to the statues. 

     

     After reading this short introduction I was really curious about Plunder with Intent and sent a few questions to author J.E. D’Este Clark to discover more. Here are her answers.

      When and how did you fall in love with the Classical world and all-things-Greek?

My love affair with the Classical world began when I was a child. Always asking ‘why’ from the age of eight, lead me to read the classics and study the great Greek philosophers.  If you want to understand yourself there is no better place to start than with Plato, Aristotle, and of course my favourite, Socrates, who features throughout Plunder with Intent. Homer’s Odyssey was my next big love, and I read it three times while researching my novel.  Reading it as a young person brought the ancient wisdom even closer and has stayed with me ever since. I fell in love with classical architecture while studying history of art and design at university.  Those massive Doric columns enchanted me. There was, of course, a more romantic reason for my passion for the Classical world, but perhaps I’ll keep him a secret… 

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY: READ AN EXCERPT FROM PERFECTLY YOU & WIN $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD

Perfectly You by Robin Daniels  

Ivy Nixon is the student body Vice President at Franklin High School. Each year, the school holds a date auction to raise funds for the senior class graduation party, and this year, Ivy’s in charge. Planning the event is a huge task and Ivy is determined to prove she can get the job done right. Unfortunately, she’s still one participant short and her deadline is looming. Andy Walker, her cute but socially reclusive art class table mate, is her last resort. He may not be popular, but he’s funny, talented, and full of surprises. With a makeover and some major social marketing, Ivy is sure he could fetch a decent price at the auction. Andy reluctantly agrees to help, but the more time Ivy spends with him, the more her feelings shift from professional to romantic in nature. To top it off, she’s done her marketing so well, that other girls are starting to notice Andy too. Come auction time, will Ivy be able to let him go to the highest bidder? Or will she find a way to keep him for herself… Content Description: This is a stand-alone YA contemporary romance with companion novels set at the same high school. It contains minor language, innuendo, and crude humor, some steamy kissing, a party scene where underage drinking is taking place, and a brief but tasteful conversation about sex. The author has attempted to write characters who make good choices in questionable situations, in effort to keep the content appropriate for teens. This book contains no sex, written or implied, and no explicit language. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

CHASING THE SUN BLOG TOUR - KATY COLINS: TRAVEL PACKING HACKS

Who’s Katy Colins?

A successful travel blogger and published writer, of course. But she is especially a very brave woman who has  succeeded in turning a devastating experience into a wake-up call. We all have much to learn from her. This is why I’m very happy to have the chance to introduce her to you all on occasion of the publishing of her fourth book, Chasing the Sun.

What’s her story?

After Katy’s wedding was called off in 2010, she made the life-changing decision to travel solo around South East Asia, leaving behind her successful career and selling everything that wouldn’t fit into a backpack. As she travelled, Katy finally put her adventures and thoughts into words and secured a six book deal with Harper Collins.

Chasing the Sun is Katy’s fourth novel featuring the inimitable Georgia Green and the perfect beach read for this summer! 

                                         Read Katy’s personal story on her website 

BLOG TOUR - THE GHOST OF YOU AND ME BY KELLY ORAM

   The Ghost of You and Me by Kelly Oram

How do you tell someone who hates you and blames you for the death of his best friend that you miss him? From the bestselling teen and young adult author of Cinder & Ella comes a new heart-wrenching romance sure to bring all the feels. The tragic death of Spencer Schott unravels the lives of the two people he loved most—his girlfriend, Bailey, and his best friend, Wes. Secrets and guilt from that fateful night keep both Bailey and Wes from overcoming Spencer’s loss and moving on with their lives. Now, nearly a year later, both Bailey and Wes are still so broken over what happened that Spencer can’t find peace in the afterlife. In order to put his soul to rest, he’s given one chance to come back and set things right...even if that means setting up his girlfriend with his best friend. With the emotional resonance of Jellicoe Road and the magical realism of The Lovely Bones, The Ghost of You and Me is a story about overcoming grief, finding redemption for past mistakes, and the healing power of friendship and love. Fans of John Green, Sarah Dessen, and Nicholas Sparks are sure to love this haunting new tale from Kelly Oram. This is a clean young adult romance stand alone novel that reads like contemporary drama romance and has just a touch of magical realism.

BOOK UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT - EDWARD GLOVER, A MOTIF OF SEASON

“Reading them for the first time, Victoria was struck by the written words: I will do what people want but only as I want it to be. They summarised pithily her own approach to life.”

A Motif of Seasons: The Story

Overshadowing the social games and vindictive gossip of the European elite, a dark and threatening cloud steadily draws across Europe. On 28th June 1914 an Austro-Hungarian archduke is assassinated and the mounting tension finally snaps. War is declared and the lives of two families will be changed forever.

Set in the latter half of the 19th century, A Motif of Seasons tells the stories of two powerful European families – the von Deppes in Germany and theWhitfields in England – still locked in an ancient rivalry, triggered by an ancestral union. The unexpected marriage in 1766 between the beautiful, capricious and musically accomplished young Arabella Whitfield and the older Prussian military officer Count Carl Manfred von Deppe has left a legacy of distrust and prejudice.

Against the backdrop of a widening and destructive gulf between England and Germany, A Motif of Seasons follows three women – Victoria Elise von Böhm, Alice Bartlett and Arabella von Eisenwald – kindred spirits of the feisty Arabella, who share her musical talent and her passion for life. The three women find love, uncover family secrets locked away in an 18th-century music book and define their individuality in a patriarchal landscape of social straitjackets and dictated norms. But the past proves a formidable opponent.

With tales of hidden illegitimate children, sensual affairs and young soldiers braving the horrors of First World War battlefields, A Motif of Seasons is an adventurous, gripping and touching epic about family, love and social freedom.

DREAMING SOPHIA BLOG TOUR - AUTHOR GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY

Sophia Loren once said: Credo in sogni, sogni diventano realtà—I believe in dreams, dreams become reality. This idea resonates with me, and it is one of the themes of my new book “Dreaming Sophia”. It is a novel about Italy and weaves together many strands of Italian culture in a mixture of fantasy, romance, art, and history. “Dreaming Sophia” is also about turning fantasy and whimsy into tangible realities. I have always believed if you can dream it you can do it!

THE BREEDLING AND THE CITY IN THE GARDEN BLOG TOUR - INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR KIMBERLEE ANN BASTIAN & GIVEAWAY

About the Book

Absolute obedience, servitude, neutrality.

​

These were the laws that once governed Bartholomew, an immortal soulcatcher, until one ill-fated night when he was forced to make a choice: rebel against his masters or reveal an ancient, dangerous secret.

He chose defiance.

Imprisoned for centuries as punishment for his decision, Bartholomew wastes away—until he creates an opportunity to escape. By a stroke of chance, Bartholomew finds himself in the human world and soon learns that breaking his bonds does not come without a price. Cut off from the grace that once ruled him, he must discover a new magic in 1930s Chicago.

Armed with only a cryptic message to give him direction, Bartholomew desperately tries to resume the mission he had started so long ago. Relying on the unlikely guidance of the streetwise orphan Charlie Reese, Bartholomew must navigate the depressed streets of the City in the Garden. But in order to solve this riddle, he must first discover if choice and fate are one in the same.

MY INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR KIMBERLEEE ANN BASTIAN

Hello and welcome, Kimberlee! Let’s start with my first question. THE BREEDLING AND THE CITY IN THE GARDEN is the first instalment of your Element Odysseys saga. What are the main features/themes in your series?

The main features in the series are the historical setting and elements I use to surround my fictitional characters. It was important to me to create a historical fantasy that is set apart from those traditionally thought of, especially those in Europe. Setting it in America during the Depression Era gave me the leeway to use a melting-pot of beliefs, folklore, and myths to create an unique world building mythology, as well as provide a setting that would cater to the plausibility that supernatural elements intereacted with the “real” world. 

Two of the biggest themes of the series deal with the notions of free-will verses destiny, and the honor of keeping ones word.

When and How did your fascination with mythology start?

I was a Disney Kid, through and through, so I have always been facinated by make-believe and fairytales; but I think my love for mythology was fully realized in sixth grade when my class read and studied Homer’s Odyssey.

Time travelling is one of the elements in your saga, especially in this first book.  How difficult is it to write about different time periods, especially past periods. Do you work a lot on research?

SPOTLIGHT ON ... EVERLASTING LIES BY BARBARA WARREN

About the Book

Edina Paxton is kissed at twelve, seduced at fourteen and married with child at fifteen. She immediately regrets her marriage to Charles Vernon and is relieved when he leaves to fight in the trenches during WW1. She soon finds love, comfort and sexual satisfaction with Bill, another soldier and the boy who first kissed her.

Charles is invalided out of the army and is sent to India on a hospital ship. There, he becomes a manager of a coalmine in Britain’s Indian Empire, with all the privileges that his position rewards, including sexual favours from female employees. At the end of his army service in 1920 he returns to England to collect his family and return to India, only to be greeted with the news that while he was away Edina was at play. She is pregnant.

Reluctantly, Edina and her three children sail for India with Charles and Edina gives birth to her fourth child while sailing south on the Red Sea. On reaching India Charles finds his Indian mistress is pregnant and Edina finds Charles’s Indian boss to be very attractive. It’s a mutual attraction. Neither Edina nor Charles is a saint.

HAVEN BLOG TOUR - SPOTLIGHT & GIVEAWAY

About the book

Haven (Chronicles of Warshard #1) is the 2nd place winner of World's Best Story!

Princess Haven was never meant to be Queen.

Her immortality has saved her time and time again, but when the last of her royal family dies at her feet, she is next in line to rule a nation on the brink of war. With no formal training on how to be Queen, Haven must rise to the occasion with the help of her best friends, and personal guard, or risk losing everyone she has ever loved.

With war to the West, and no escape to the East, the evil tyrant Kadia sets her sights on the six kingdoms. Haven's neighbors are quick to fall under the swords of Kadia's shadow soldiers, leaving a sea of bodies and a clear path to Haven's only home. Haven must make a choice; take her people and flee to the foreign Republic across the sea or lead a last stand against a powerful dictator.

Amazon  ~   Barnes & Nobles  ~  Book Depository ~  Indigo Chapters

RAGE BLOG TOUR - A SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM A GREAT THRILLER

... dark – and darkly humorous – European crime fiction at its best... (Reader Dad Blog)

Rage is a book by Poland’s number one crime writer, Zygmunt Miłoszewski, which has been released just yesterday in English.  It became one of the bestselling books in Polish literary history when it came out last year.

Zygmunt Miłoszewski is the biggest name in Polish crime fiction, his addictive, gritty novels have been compared to the Scandinavian crime masters. The first two novels Prosecutor Szacki series (A Gain of Truth and Entanglement) have been made into films and BBC Radio 4 are currently in the process of dramatizing Grain of Truth for radio. His books have been translated into over 13 different languages. 

Here’s a special excerpt for you,  readers of FLY HIGH! 

Chapter Two

For a while Szacki was lost. He remembered Olsztyn’s Warszawska Avenue as a wide road leading out of town past the university, but it turned out to have an uglier sister—a short extension lined with scruffy little tenements right next to the Old Town. He had to turn left by Jan’s Bridge. The hospital was located opposite something that called itself the “regional beer center.”

He showed the guard his ID and found a parking spot between the buildings. This had once been the German garrison hospital, probably of lesser importance, as the buildings of immortal red brick looked much smaller and more modest than the neo-Gothic blocks of the city hospital. Part of it looked neglected, and part had been renovated, with a modern interior that was nicely integrated with the German architecture. The place had the atmosphere of a building site, arising from the fact that Olsztyn’s university medical faculty had only been up and running for a few years. In a short time a squalid military hospital had been transformed into a clinical marvel. Szacki had been to see Żenia’s mother here last year and had realized that on the whole it had quite a human dimension, compared with the various medical monstrosities he had seen in his career. That had been during a hot spring, when the chestnut trees were flowering among the buildings, and the old brick walls exuded a pleasant chill.