Author Archives: Dianne Ascroft

About Dianne Ascroft

I'm a Canadian writer and author, living in Britain. My Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries series is set in 1980s rural Canada.

It’s Week 4 of my Virtual Book Tour!

Posted on November 17, 2008 by Dianne Ascroft

It’s Week 4 of my Virtual Book Tour already! Time is really flying as I scoot from one visit to another. Last week I was kept busy answering questions for 3 interviews and this week I’ll get a chance to … Continue reading →

Posted in November 2008 | Tagged book reviews, Dianne Ascroft, historical fiction, historical research, Kilcullen, Operation Shamrock, second world war, virtual book tour, World War II | Leave a comment

Haven’t we seen enough of wars?

Posted on November 11, 2008 by Dianne Ascroft

CHAPTER 7 County Cavan, Ireland Christmas 1950 The familiar colourful paper decorations criss-crossed the kitchen and holly sprigs adorned the pictures on the walls. Daddy Davy sat by the fire, his pipe smoke wafting around the room. Erich liked … Continue reading →

Posted in November 2008 | Tagged Armistice Day, Dianne Ascroft, First World War, historical fiction, Hitler and Mars Bars, Ireland, Remembrance Day, Remembrance Sunday, trenches, Veteran's Day, World War I | Leave a comment

Join me for Week 3!

Posted on November 10, 2008 by Dianne Ascroft

Last week kept me on my toes – lots of interviews with quite a variety of questions. I had to keep my thinking cap on. There were also a couple reviews of ‘Hitler and Mars Bars’ and I even contributed a … Continue reading →

Posted in November 2008 | Tagged Dianne Ascroft, historical ficition, Hitler and Mars Bars, Operation Shamrock, second world war, virtual book tours, writing | Leave a comment

Second week of 24/2 – I’m just gathering steam

Posted on November 1, 2008 by Dianne Ascroft

Week 1 of 24/2 has just ended – it was hectic and fun! I visited a variety of sites – I wrote guest posts about topics such as how I came to write the book and my thoughts on Halloween in Ireland … Continue reading →

Posted in November 2008 | Tagged Barmbrack, Canadian, Dianne Ascroft, fiction, Germany, historical fiction, Hitler and Mars Bars, Ireland, Northern Irish bloggers, Operation Shamrock, second world war, virtual book tour, World War II | Leave a comment

Competition at http://irishtaxi.org tomorrow!

Posted on October 27, 2008 by Dianne Ascroft

The last few days have been busy – answering interview questions, writing guest posts and chatting on the radio. I’m really enjoying it and have had great visits at http://www.newgreatbooks.blogspot.com and http://www.sharp-words.co.uk. Last night (it was afternoon for Lillian) I … Continue reading →

Posted in October 2008 | Tagged Dianne Ascroft, Halloween, Hitler and Mars Bars, Irish Taxi Organisation, Lillian Cauldwell, Operation Shamrock, radio interviews, virtual tour, World War II | Leave a comment

24/2 – Join ‘Hitler and Mars Bars’ on the Virtual Book Trail

Posted on October 22, 2008 by Dianne Ascroft

Well, I’m about to embark on my first Virtual Book Tour. It’s really exciting! I can’t wait to tell readers more about Erich’s heartwarming tale. Come and join me for 24/2 – my two month tour, beginning and ending on … Continue reading →

Posted in October 2008 | Tagged Another Bloody Blawg, Armchair Interviews, Bay City Rollers Pen Pal Reunion, BCF Book Reviews, Fermanagh Authors Association, Germany, Great New Books blog, Hitler and Mars Bars, Ireland, Irish Taxi Organisation, Lillian Cauldwell, Operation Shamrock, Passionate Internet Voices Talk Radio, Sharp Words blog, virtual book tour, World War II | 3 Comments

Two German Boys – Erich and Bruno

Posted on October 3, 2008 by Dianne Ascroft

In my last post I said that I’d met Bruno, in John Boyne’s ‘The Boy In The Striped Pajamas’. As I mentioned, a teacher in County Fermanagh, Ireland who read ‘Hitler and Mars Bars’ commented that she found similarities between … Continue reading →

Posted in October 2008 | Tagged Ascroft, Boy In The Striped Pajamas, Brian D'Arcy, concentration camps, fostering, historical fiction, Hitler and Mars Bars, Ireland, Irish fiction, John Boyne, second world war, World War 2, writing | Leave a comment

Lessons and Meetings – and time to reflect on this milestone

Posted on September 20, 2008 by Dianne Ascroft

The leaves are starting to change colours and soon will be falling to the ground; it’s the end of the summer. Today is a milestone for me but it’s not an end. It’s still the beginning. I’m only getting into … Continue reading →

Posted in September 2008 | Tagged books, Brian D'Arcy, historical fiction, Hitler and Mars Bars, Ireland, Irish fiction, John Boyne, News Letter, The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, virtual book tour, writing, www.artistfirst.com | Leave a comment

Our senses bring back the past

Posted on September 10, 2008 by Dianne Ascroft

It amazes me how the senses are so closely connected with our memories. Sean McElgunn, in ‘World Without Women’, writes “…memories were linked in some mysterious combination with all five senses”. Sights, sounds and smells all conjure up memories for … Continue reading →

Posted in September 2008 | Tagged autumn, Billy Joel, Canada, Dianne Ascroft, historical fiction, Hitler and Mars Bars, Ireland, memories, nostalgia, Roger Miller, Sean McElgunn, World Without Women, writing, writing techniques | Leave a comment

The Last Day of Summer

Posted on August 31, 2008 by Dianne Ascroft

I can hardly believe it’s the last day of August today – summer’s already over and, for those of us in Britain, it never really started. We’ve had the worst summer weather (or rather, lack of summer weather) for years. I … Continue reading →