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I won a true-life story
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Tips for writing historical fiction

(Tips for writing historical fiction from myself and other writers, links to other articles included!)   Historical fiction is a delicate balance of wanting to express the history of the setting or event and providing fictional characters with empathy, for the reader to connect to. Therefore, in my novels I focus on building the world and the rules of that world. I include historical details about daily life which can add historical context reader, but I aim to balance that detail with familiar and relatable details to keep my stories…

Research for my novels are half the fun of writing them!

Immersing myself in this history of the Island The German occupation of the Channel Islands lasted for most of the Second World War, from 30 June 1940 until their liberation on 9 May 1945. Whilst I conducted research for The Guernsey Novels, I steeped myself into the island’s history, especially its Occupation and eventual Liberation. I was kindly donated a couple of diaries kept by islanders who lived during that time period and it provided me with a very realistic account of what everyday life was like. Food was scarce,…

Books which take me back to childhood

Books which take me back to childhood Books have a wonderful power to take us back to a time or place. Indeed, the escapism books can offer us is no doubt a comfort for us all during the COVID19 crisis! I sometimes receive feedback from my readers (which makes my day) and a recent comment said that my books had ‘refreshed her memories’ of Guernsey, where she was born as a child, but where she does not often get to visit and therefore found a comfort in the people and…

Post lockdown, will we all emerge with novels written?

Post lockdown, will we all emerge with novels written? …….I hope so! I very much feel inspired by the settings around me and wonder if there will be many novels written, created by just that: exactly what we see in front of us! My novels all take place in Guernsey – while I was not born there, I know it very well and enjoyed living there for fourteen years. I first visited the island in 1987, and one-year later migrated with my three children. I fell in love with the…

Anne Allen is a keynote speaker at the 2019 Guernsey Literary Festival

Anne Allen will be delighting fans by being a keynote speaker at this year’s Guernsey Literary Festival which is taking place on 1st-6th May 2019. The Guernsey Literary Festival has been established as one of the island’s greatest arts events. It is based right in the centre of the island’s beautiful St Peter Port. Anne will be holding a talk at the festival about her brand new novel, The Inheritance – The Guernsey Novels book 7, which is being launched on 8 April and available to pre-order now. The Guernsey…

Special Offer for Kobo Readers of The Guernsey Novels

Hi Readers! Over the past few months I have been uploading all my books – including 2 box sets – to other digital retailers, including Kobo and ibooks. To celebrate ‘going wide’ I am running a promo with Kobo from today 23rd August – 27th August, offering a 40% discount on books 2-6 of the Guernsey Novels. All you have to do is go here.   When you reach the checkout quote code 40AUG to receive the discount. Easy, huh?   Happy reading! Anne x  

Winners of The Guernsey Novels prize draw

During the month of June 2018, Anne Allen organised a fabulous prize draw to win a short break to the gorgeous island of Guernsey, in conjunction with the following partners: Hotel Ziggurat Visit Guernsey TripFiction and Marco Polo Guides Aurigny Airline Go Guernsey Bike Hire Prize draw winners A big congratulations to the following winners: First prize:      Brenda Bree Runners-up:   Emily Smith and Samantha milner

The Betrayal – Book 6 of The Guernsey Novels – on Pre-Order Now!

I am so excited to  announce(finally!) that The Betrayal can now be pre-ordered on Kindle Launch Day is Friday 20th October and the best bit? The early launch price is only £1.99/$2.99! The paperback, available from Amazon and all good bookstores, will be available by early November £7.99 Click on the cover to buy now! Here’s the story: Treachery and theft lead to death – and love Teresa Bichard and her baby are sent by her beloved husband, Leo, to England as the Germans draw closer to Guernsey. Days later…

2017 Diamond Book Award – Echoes of Time

Re-blogged from The 2017 Diamond Book Awards Winner Posted by Kev on August 19, 2017 in Updates Please join me as I congratulate and celebrate with this year’s Diamond Book Awards winner… Anne Allen Anne Allen’s, Echoes of Time was the book chosen by the DBA panel as 2017’s award winning book. 1940. Olive marries farmer Bill Falla. The Germans occupy Guernsey. All too soon Olive realises she has made a mistake. Her life changes when she meets Wolfgang, a German officer- but there’s a price to pay. . . 2010. Natalie Ogier returns to Guernsey to escape an…

Echoes of Time – Short-listed for The Diamond

Diamond Book Awards Finalists for 2017. Posted by Kev on July 21, 2017 in DBA Reviews, Updates Well folks, the time has arrived for the announcement of the three finalists nominated for the Diamond Book Awards 2017… Please join me as I congratulate our finalists! Please feel free to support them by checking their works out on Amazon, up-voting their reviews, and if you haven’t already, buy their books… You’ll be glad you did. It was a very tough decision as all the books entered for the competition this year were brilliantly penned and made excellent memorable reads.…

☺☺ Cover Reveal for The Betrayal -Book 6 The Guernsey Novels ☺☺

Sooo excited to finally reveal the beautiful cover for The Betrayal, No 6 in The Guernsey Novels series. It will be coming out in both kindle and paperback versions around September /October and I’ll post when it’s ready to pre-order. Here’s the story: Treachery and theft lead to death – and love   Leo, of Jewish descent, is sent to a concentration camp by the Germans occupying Guernsey. He was betrayed by his friend, Ernest, who then steals Leo’s valuable paintings, including a Renoir. Leo never returns. His family escape to England.…

A celebration of Guernsey writing talent

Re- blogged from The Guernsey Literary Festival A celebration of Guernsey writing talent Local writers, novelists, poets and dramatists will have their work – and themselves – on display at the Writers’ Fair in the marquee on the lawn next to the shop in Castle Cornet on Friday 12 May. Also there will be a stand for a publisher of Guernsey-linked writing, a local children’s book club, and the Guernsey Society. The Writers’ Fair will be part of the event organised by the Guernsey Literary Festival in conjunction with Museums at…

The Guernsey Novels -on Flash Drives!

I was lucky enough to receive some custom flash drives from the super company USBMemoryDirect in the US. And don’t they look fabulous! The memory size is sufficient to store the different ebook files of each of my 5 novels – brilliant for selling to readers at a book-signing, for example. Lots of my followers come along when I’m signing paperbacks, but they actually read ebooks.  I can hand out these little beauties with any or all of the titles to suit. I’ll be attending the GuernseyLitFest next week, 10th –…

☺☺Promotion Time! The Guernsey Novels Books 1-3 Reduced ☺☺

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the publication of Dangerous Waters, I’ve decided to offer the first three Kindle books at the bargain price of 99p/99c – from 24th February to 2nd March only. Three titles for less than £3/$3 – it’s a steal! Here’s the link to all the books http://Author.to/AnneAllen Please let family and friends know about the offer – the more the merrier ☺ For those of you who have read all five in the series, book 6, The Betrayal, is coming along nicely, and I hope to…

♫♫PROMO♫♫ Echoes of Time only 99p/99c !!

From 24th – 27th November ONLY, Echoes of Time is available on Kindle for 99p/99c So for those of you who haven’t yet bought Book 5 in The Guernsey Novels series, here’s your chance to grab a bargain. And if you have bought it, then please feel free to tell your friends and family. Here’s the link http://myBook.to/EchoesofTime Betrayal, injustice and revenge echo down the years… 1940. Olive marries farmer Bill Falla. The Germans occupy Guernsey. All too soon Olive realises she’s made a mistake. Her life changes when she…

♫♫PROMOTION TIME♫♫

In celebration of my latest book, Echoes of Time, launching on 15th August, I’ve reduced the price of the kindle versions of Finding Mother and Guernsey Retreat, to match that of Dangerous Waters.   Only 99p/99c!!! From 12th -19th August ONLY so please get your skates on if you wish to grab a bargain. And remember Echoes of Time is available for pre-order NOW. Will be downloaded to your kindles on Monday 15th. To buy any of the series just click here http://Author.to/AnneAllen or on the image of the books And for…

♫♫ Hear Ye, Oh Hear Ye ♫♫ Echoes of Time is now on Pre-order!

My latest book, No. 5 in The Guernsey Novels series, Echoes of Time, is now on pre-order for kindle, lovely readers! Publication date 15th August. You can either click on the cover above or go here http://authl.it/5n6 And here’s the all-important blurb: Betrayal, injustice and revenge echo down the years… 1940. Olive marries farmer Bill Falla. The Germans occupy Guernsey. All too soon Olive realises she’s made a mistake.  Her life changes when she meets Wolfgang, a German officer- but there’s a price to pay. . . 2010.Natalie Ogier returns to…

♫♫ Promo on Finding Mother and New Price of Dangerous Waters ♫♫

Finding Mother, book 2 in The Guernsey Novels, is reduced to only 99p/99c from Friday 14th – Sunday 16th August for the Kindle version   You can buy it here – Amazon And the price of Dangerous Waters, book 1 in The Guernsey Novels, has been permanently reduced to 99p/99c!! This means you can buy both ebooks for less than the price of  a coffee ☺ Buy Dangerous Waters here –  Amazon Please spread the word to your friends!

“My heart belongs to…”

This is a post I wrote for Karen at http://myreading-corner.blogspot.co.uk  Guest Post by Anne Allen, author of The Guernsey Novels: “My heart belongs to…” I’m delighted to welcome Anne Allen to My Reading Corner.   Anne is the author of four novels set on the beautiful island of Guernsey.  I’ve read and enjoyed Finding Mother (reviewed here last year) and have the remaining three to look forward to. Anne’s fourth novel, The Family Divided, was published in June 2015 and is available in paperback, and e-book for Kindle. Anne has written a…

Interview With Author Anne Allen – by Sacha Black

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ANNE ALLEN Please welcome, Anne Allen to this weeks author interview. You can find Anne, on her website,Facebook, Twitter, or buy her books on Amazon. What are you currently writing/working on? My fourth book in The Guernsey Novels series, The Family Divided. Each story is a stand-alone romance/mystery/family drama, but with links to the successive books. Original main characters pop up later so readers get to find out what happens to them over a period of time. I plan to publish The Family Divided by June 2015. When…

Author Interview Anne Allen & 5* Review of The Family Divided – Re-post from joliffe01.com – Jane Hunt Writer

Author Interview Anne Allen – 5* Review The Family Divided ( #4 The Guernsey Novels series) JULY 3, 2015 ~ JOLLIFFE01 Andy Batiste, at loggerheads with his degenerate cousin, seeks to discover the truth of his family history. Why was his pregnant grandmother forced to flee to France? What really happened to her husband during the German Occupation, sixty years ago? Who accused Edmund, the elder son and Batiste heir, of being an informer? Was he really a traitor – and who murdered him? With Edmund’s brother Harold now head of…

♫♫Double Celebration – New Book – The Family Divided – and New Covers♫♫

I’ve had a busy few weeks not only editing and polishing my latest book, The Family Divided, but also liaising with a designer over new covers for the earlier three books. And here they are!! Blast of a trumpet, someone please . . . . 😛    If I say so myself, I think they’re beautiful – all the backgrounds are shots of Guernsey and this will be the theme from now on. In fact I’m already mapping out Book 5, Echoes of Time. And here’s the brief synopsis of…

Sweet dreams are made of this. . . Re-post from Seumas Gallagher

. . . .sweet dreams are made of this… ev’rybody’s got one… by Seumas Gallacher …it’s not that long ago when Master Richard Gere and that nice Julia Roberts lassie romanced the heck out of us in Pretty Woman… quite apart from the fabulous theme tune by the incomparable Roy Orbison, there’s a bit at the end of the movie that sticks with me… as the closing credits roll, a guy walks across the set and says, ‘this is Hollywood… everybody’s got a dream’… LUV that!… and so it is to be…

Re-Post from Seumas Gallacher

New post on Seumas Gallacher …the beauty of an Author’s writing is in the beholding Reader’s eye… by Seumas Gallacher ...telling a story in the movies is so much different from rolling out a narrative in a book… p’raps that explains why so many film versions fall short of the written WURD… on screen, precious little is left to the imagination of the cinemagoer… even the tone of language and delivery of the spoken passages are all scripted a la Director’s discretion… I’ve shared before, I prefer to read the novel…

KindleCountdownDeal – Dangerous Waters

If any of you lovely readers have not yet read Dangerous Waters – The Guernsey Novels Book 1, then this is your chance to grab a copy for 99p/99c between now and 10th November.  It’s an offer you can’t refuse!  To buy click here http://bit.ly/dangerouswaters  

New Review of Guernsey Retreat – AWomansWisdom

This latest review was posted on awomanswisdom.wordpress.com Guernsey Retreat by Anne Allen Book Blurb The latest page-turner offering mystery and romance from the Award-Winning Author of Dangerous Waters Two violent deaths. Separated by time, but with a fatal connection… A man loses his father. A young woman loses her mother. Both in tragic circumstances that lead, when they meet, to surprising revelations from the past. Louisa needs to find the father she has never known, to warn him of possible danger – for them both. Her search takes her from England…

Re-Post – In conversation with Anne Allen (Jaffareadstoo)

My lovely blogger friend, Jo, at jaffareadstoo.blogspot.co.uk interviewed me today and you can read it here In conversation with Anne Allen ~ interview  I am delighted to welcome back to Jaffareadstoo Anne Allen –   Talking about her latest book Guernsey Retreat         What gave you the idea for writing Guernsey Retreat? Guernsey Retreat is linked to my previous novel, Finding Mother, featuring a gothic mansion set on the cliffs in Torteval, Guernsey. At the end of that book, the house, La Folie, is sold and I thought…

Re-Post from TheBooksMachine Blog – Interview with Anne Allen

Author Interview: Anne Allen     http://thebooksmachine.blogspot.co.uk/ It’s time to present another great author, Anne Allen and her great book Dangerous Waters, a heart-warming contemporary romance TBM: How do you imagine the ideal reader of your book? AA: I imagine my ideal reader being someone interested in relationships – both romantic and familial –but also enjoying stories encompassing secrets and mysteries. My books are all set in Guernsey, in the British Channel Islands, providing the added frisson of a foreign setting for most readers, appealing to people who wish to learn more about…

Re-Post from BeingAnneReading : Author Feature- Anne Allen-Guernsey Retreat

The lovely blogger, Anne Williams, posted this feature and has kindly agreed for me to share. MONDAY, 4 AUGUST 2014  Author feature (Part 2) – Anne Allen – Guernsey Retreat What a lovely weekend for Anne Allen, with Dangerous Waters hitting #1 in the Amazon free book charts! It’s back up to £1.99 now (and worth every penny).  As I mentioned last week, the third of Anne Allen’s Guernsey novels,Guernsey Retreat, will (officially) be published on 8 August, but I’m delighted to tell you that you can already purchase it for Kindle…

♫♫FREE BOOK ALERT♫♫ Dangerous Waters 1st -3rd August ONLY

To celebrate the upcoming release of my latest book, Guernsey Retreat, I’m offering the kindle version of Dangerous Waters FREE from 1st- 3rd August ONLY. This is the first of The Guernsey Novels series so download it now, and if you enjoy it, you have two more in the series to read ☺ Here’s the link: http://authl.it/1tc I will post again soon with details about Guernsey Retreat – watch this space!

Shared Post on Romance Novels

My friend Seumas Gallagher has kindly allowed his post to be shared. I think anyone who loves romance books will love this! …an intriguing Guest Blog from Romance Author, Catherine La Roche…this LUV business it ain’t so easy, Lads and Lassies… #TBSU… …the wealth and depth of superb Guest Bloggers to this ol’ Jurassic’s blog continues with Author, Margaret La Roche… here’s a scribe-ess who not only writes excellent romance material, but delves into the‘Hows’, ‘Whys’ and ‘Wherefores’ of the genre… fascinating post… …but first, where are yer manners, Master Gallacher?… a wee introduction…

Cupid’s Way – A New Book From Joanne Phillips

I would like to introduce you to my lovely friend, Joanne Phillips, who releases her latest book today. Do take a look! Cupid’s Way – the new romantic comedy from Joanne Phillips Buy link: http://smarturl.it/ifgi1x   “When Evie Stone’s grandparents enlist her help to save their home in Cupid’s Way, Evie is happy to oblige. On the cusp of her thirties, and still disappointingly single, Evie’s so-called dream job with a firm of architects has been driving her crazy for months. What she needs, even more than a new man,…

THE WRITER’S BLOG TOUR – IT’S MY TURN!

  I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. Douglas Adams   THE WRITER’S BLOG TOUR – IT’S MY TURN! I was very happy to be invited to join the Writer’s Blog Tour by my fellow writer of Guernsey books, Gillian Mawson . I do hope that you enjoy your visit and will go on to sample the blogs of other writers, highlighted below. We are part of a growing international community of writers, working to introduce each other’s blog to a wider audience.…

The Undercover Soundtrack

Here’s a copy of my post on Roz Morris’s website http://mymemoriesofafuturelife.com/ which appeared on 2nd April 2014  ‘Tragedy and loss are cornerstones of my story’ – Anne Allen The Undercover Soundtrack – Anne Allen ‘Tragedy and loss are cornerstones of my story’ Once a week I host a writer who uses music as part of their creative environment – perhaps to connect with a character, populate a mysterious place, or hold  a moment still to explore its depths. This week my guest is romance mystery novelist Anne Allen @AnneAllen21 Soundtrack by by Philip Chapman, Denis Quinn, Medwyn…

Fiction Addiction Book Tour – Finding Mother by Anne Allen

  There are two stops today, both back on UK soil, and both include the giveaway and a review.   The first is on Karen’s lovely blog –http://myreading-corner.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/finding-mother-anne-allen-fiction.html?showComment=1392288259499#c1756137249053142659   And the second is to be found on Jess’s super blog here – http://anovelthoughtwithjess.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/book-tour-finding-mother-by-anne-allan.html?showComment=1392287756772#c7537061104766793039 So there’s double the fun today 🙂

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