Tuesday 21 May 2019

New Release Spotlight & Review: Bloom Where You're Planted by Lasairiona E. McMaster



Bloom where you are planted (Life the Expat way) by Lasairiona E. McMaster

Are you contemplating a move abroad?
Don’t panic!
From culture shock to capable, from language barriers to lifelong friends, and from foreign land to the familiar. Being hurled into life in a strange new place can be daunting and overwhelming, but it can also be exciting and enjoyable.
Rich with tips on how to expat like a boss, Lasairiona McMaster’s “Bloom where you are planted”, takes you on a journey from packing up her life in Northern Ireland to jumping in at the deep-end as an expat in two countries.
An experienced expat from a decade of living abroad, her honest and uncensored tales of what to expect when you’re expatriating, are as funny as they are poignant, and as practical as they are heartfelt. If you’ve lived abroad, or you’re considering the move from local to expat. If you’re looking to rediscover yourself, or simply wondering how on earth to help your children develop into adaptable, resilient, and well-rounded people, this book has something for you.

Amazon UK      Amazon US 

Wanting a change of scenery and dream about living in another country? This book is a useful tool and source of practical information especially if the US and India are on your radar.

I picked up this book purely because I'm a foreign implant in the country where I now live. The author's experiences differ to mine due to
our geographical locations, however, wherever you are, there will always be common occurring matters to address, therefore her insightful knowledge should be of interest for anyone thinking of upping sticks and flitting overseas either temporarily or permanently.

'If I knew then what I know now' resonates with me when I look back on the time I move across the sea to a new life and a whole new culture to get used to. Gaining as much information as possible
about your chosen place to reside, of course, makes sense. Yet, there will still be issues cropping up which you are unprepared for even if you're the most researched and informed person. Helpfully, this book covers lots of practical advice matched to likely scenarios. They may not be specific to where you are heading, but highlights situations you may encounter anywhere and with advice on how to tackle them.

More than a fact book, Bloom Where You're Planted is full of the author's own anecdotes and wisdom giving a first-hand account of how she and her loved ones navigated there way through red-tape and hiccups along their ex-pat journey.

Overall, not everyone's journey to a new life will be the same, but there will always be a common set of 'need to know' advice wherever you land and this book is concise and thorough and should cover any incident you encounter. 

Lasairiona McMaster grew up dreaming of an exciting life abroad, and, after graduating from Queens University, Belfast, that is exactly what she did - with her then-boyfriend, now husband of almost ten years. Having recently repatriated to Northern Ireland after a decade abroad spanned over two countries (seven and a half years in America and eighteen months in India), she now finds herself 'home', with itchy feet and dreams of her next expatriation. With a penchant for both travelling, and writing, she started a blog during her first relocation to Houston, Texas and, since repatriating to Northern Ireland, has decided to do as everyone has been telling her to do for years, and finally pen a book (or two) and get published while she tries to adjust to the people and place she left ten years ago, where nothing looks the same as it did when she left.


Cover Reveal: Singles, Set and Match by Elaine Spires




Singles, Set and Match by Elaine Spires

The fifth and final book in the Singles’ Series takes us to the Mediterranean island of Ibiza then back to the Caribbean island of Antigua, where it all began.

After making a hard decision two years earlier Eve Mitchell has moved on with the hand that life has dealt her and she finds herself on the White Island working a tennis holiday. While it isn’t a job she would have chosen, in her typical pragmatic way Eve gets on with it, working hard to ensure that her diverse group of singles, with their hopes, expectations character flaws and baggage, have the best time possible. And as she binds together tennis sessions, social gatherings, meals and trips Eve hears some tragic personal news that brings her to another crossroads in her life. Will she and the love of her life Melv finally make a life together and live happily ever after?


Publication Date – 1st July 2019
Amazon UK      Amazon US 


Elaine Spires is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and actress. Extensive travelling and a background in education and tourism perfected Elaine's keen eye for the quirky characteristics of people, captivating the humorous observations she now affectionately shares with the readers of her novels. Elaine has written two books of short stories, two novellas and seven novels, four of which form the Singles Series - Singles’ Holiday, Singles and Spice, Single All The Way and Singles At Sea. Her latest book, Singles, Set and Match is the fifth and final book in the series. Her play Stanley Grimshaw Has Left The Building is being staged at the Bridewell Theatre, London in May 2019. Her short film Only the Lonely, co-written with Veronique Christie and featuring Anna Calder Marshall is currently being in shown in film festivals worldwide and she is currently working on a full length feature film script. Only the Lonely won the Groucho Club Short Film Festival 2019!  Elaine recently returned to UK after living in Antigua W.I. She lives in East London.


Twitter: @ElaineSWriter
Instagram: elainespiresauthor