Wednesday 23 July 2014

Catching up

Hello! It's been a while, how've you been? You look great... is that a new hair style?

So, what have I been up to? Actually, I'm not that sure. Time has drifted away from me over the past couple of weeks. I wanted to write a new short story, so I made some small attempts that petered out. I knew what I wanted to write about, and the feelings I wanted to create, but something was missing.

And then, last Thursday evening, Hubby took me to a gig with him.

This is Lusty Glaze Beach - it's a small, isolated cove, reached by climbing down a lot of steps. The bar/restaurant is beautiful, and this was the view.

Half-way through the evening, the storms started - amazing flashes of lightning and low, deep rumbles of thunder. And I could have sworn I saw two people sitting on the beach...




Peter Crawford and the beach
And that, for inspiration, was all I needed.

I have the first draft written, and in a moment, I'm going to read through it and cover the print-out with red and green pen.









In other news, it's been hot, hasn't it?

There's a new review of Our Beautiful Child up on A Thousand Words A Million Books, along with a short interview and a giveaway to win either a paperback or an ecopy.

My Facebook page book page also recently reached 200 'likers', so I'm also giving away books to three people - just comment on the pinned post at the top of my page, telling me which book you'd like and in which format!

Where did your last inspiration come from?
What's the weather like? And does anyone have 
any advice on coping with the heat?!


Tuesday 22 July 2014

Happy release day, M.J!

I've just realised it's been a while since I blogged - I've just had nothing to say. I'll try to think of something this week, I promise.

But right now, I want to say a huge congratulations to M.J. Fifield because...

It's Effigy Release Day!

EFFIGY (Epic Fantasy), Book One in the Coileáin Chronicles
by M.J. Fifield

Release date: July 22, 2014

Now available in paperback and on Kindle at Amazon and CreateSpace (other editions to follow soon!)

The survival of a once-mighty kingdom rests in the hands of its young queen, Haleine Coileáin, as it slowly succumbs to an ancient evil fueled by her husband’s cruelty.

A sadistic man with a talent for torture and a taste for murder, he is determined to burn the land and all souls within. Haleine is determined to save her kingdom and, after a chance encounter, joins forces with the leader of the people’s rebellion. She gives him her support, soon followed by her heart.

Loving him is inadvertent but becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. She lies and steals on his behalf, doing anything she can to further their cause. She compromises beliefs held all her life, for what life will exist if evil prevails?

Her journey leads to a deceiving world of magic, monsters, and gods she never believed existed outside of myth. The deeper she goes, the more her soul is stripped away, but she continues on, desperate to see her quest complete. If she can bring her husband to ruin and save her people, any sacrifice is worth the price—even if it means her life.



Add it to your Goodreads List!



About the author:

Armed with a deep and lasting love of chocolate, purple pens, and medieval weaponry, M.J. Fifield is nothing if not a uniquely supplied insomniac. When she isn't writing, she's on the hunt for oversized baked goods or shiny new daggers. M.J. lives with a variety of furry creatures—mostly pets—in New Hampshire's Mount Washington Valley. Effigy is her first novel. Visit her online at mjfifield.com, find her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday 14 July 2014

Cover reveal: Soulless by Crystal Collier

Look what I've got today... Crystal Collier's amazing cover for her new book Soulless. I love that dress!! Crystal is a fantastic blogging friend, and a brilliant writer, and I wish her every success with the latest instalment of her series.


Have you met the Soulless and Passionate? In the world of 1770 where supernatural beings mix with humanity, Alexia is playing a deadly game.

SOULLESS, Book 2 in the Maiden of Time trilogy

Alexia manipulated time to save the man of her dreams, and lost her best friend to red-eyed wraiths. Still grieving, she struggles to reconcile her loss with what was gained: her impending marriage. But when her wedding is destroyed by the Soulless—who then steal the only protection her people have—she's forced to unleash her true power.

And risk losing everything.

What people are saying about this series: 

"With a completely unique plot that keeps you guessing and interested, it brings you close to the characters, sympathizing with them and understanding their trials and tribulations." --SC, Amazon reviewer

"It's clean, classy and supernaturally packed with suspense, longing, intrigue and magic." --Jill Jennings, TX

"SWOON." --Sherlyn, Mermaid with a Book Reviewer

Crystal Collier is a young adult author who pens dark fantasy, historical, and romance hybrids. She can be found practicing her brother-induced ninja skills while teaching children or madly typing about fantastic and impossible creatures. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, three littles, and “friend†(a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese. You can find her on her blog and Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.


COMING October 13, 2014



PREORDER your print copy
or 
Sign up for Crystal Collier's newsletter to receive release news and freebies.

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Guest posts and a new story

To celebrate the release of Our Beautiful Child in paperback, I've been hanging out at a couple of other blogs this week...
Thanks to both Cathy and Sharon for inviting me to their blogs.






Tuesday 8 July 2014

Kyra Lennon talks football and other stuff

Kyra Lennon is touring with her new book, Sidelined, the third instalment of her Game On series. Today she's here with me to talk about football and other stuff. I've got the tea, and the cake, so I think we're ready.

Hello, Kyra, welcome to my blog.

Hello, and thanks for inviting me over!

Now you're here, you have to work for that cake, and answer a couple of questions...
What made you write a series based around a football team? (Yes, football, I’m British!)

Well, I needed something with a large team of famous people, and a sports team was the obvious solution. Football is the sport I know the most about, so I decided to run with it!

Do you understand the off-side rule?

Yes. I mean, in theory. My judgement when I’m actually watching a game is not so good lol.

I can think of a couple of referees who would answer that question the same way!
If you had to pick, which (real) team would you support?

You know, I was thinking about this recently. The reason I don’t watch football much anymore is that I don’t really have a team. Back in the day, it was all about Man U, but that had a lot more to do with Ryan Giggs’ legs than anything else! I’d probably go with a team local to me – it would be pretty cool to back an underdog team and watch them rise! (Well, you know, hopefully!)

Small clubs need all the support they can get. Okay, enough with the football questions… for now…
Game On is a five-part series – Sidelined is #3 – and I know you planned all five novels from the start. Has there been a time when you’ve considered stopping early? (BTW, if you did stop early, I’d have to disown you!)

Yes. Before I wrote Book 3, I did stop and wonder what I was doing. I felt that, since there had been a long gap between 2 and 3, that maybe nobody would care about the series and the characters anymore. Also, it was the halfway point, and I wasn’t sure I even had it in me to keep going for three more books. As it turned out, Sidelined has been well received, and I’m looking forward to getting Book 4 started!

Each of the books so far have had very different tones – how easy is that to write?

It hasn’t been as hard as I thought. I think a lot of authors fear they will fall into the trap of writing characters that are very similar, and have very similar voices. That has always been a big concern for me, I’m very aware of any similarities between my own characters. But with the Game On series, it hasn’t been too difficult. Each of the girls – and, of course, Jesse – all have very distinct personalities. Leah is very British and no-nonsense, Bree is bubbly and bouncy, Jesse is a young guy getting used to fame, and Freya is quieter, more reserved. So there are a lot of personalities to explore, and flipping between them hasn’t been as challenging as I expected.

What’s been your favourite review of the series so far? Which characters have people identified with the most?

This review by Cassie MaePartly because it came with pretty pictures, but also because it made me believe I’d really got it right because Cassie identified so much with Bree.

It’s difficult to know which character people have identified with the most. I think a lot of readers identified with Leah, the small town girl wanting to escape from her life and find out what the world is really all about – but likewise, a lot of people hated her for the decisions she made. People also identified with Isabelle in Blindsided because most girls at some point in their lives feel they have been overlooked, or aren’t good enough. One of the things I like to think is special about the Game On series is that there are so many characters, hopefully there is someone for everyone to relate to!

Taylor is a great villain. How did a lovely lady like you write such a nasty character? And will there be any more like her?

Aww! Well, I don’t think any book series is complete without some kind of villain, and Taylor’s pretty evil! I can confirm, there is one new villain to come – and she makes Taylor seem like an angel!

Ooh, good...
How easy has it been – as a British woman living in Britain – to get the American feel into the novels? Is there anything you’d have done differently?

Haha, I don’t always feel like I’ve done a great job of that. I am aware there could be a lot more, but once I start writing the story, the characters take over and the scenery fades away. If I could afford it, I would go to LA for a while and really experience it so I could inject the feel of the place into the story more.

Well, if you ever need a travel partner, I'm sure I could oblige, or just hide in your luggage!
And finally, what’s next in the Game On series? And, who won the English Premier League this season?

I wanna say Man City…? Or was that last year? Crap, I have no clue!

(Yes, it was City!)

Next in the Game On Series is Freya’s story, which is as yet untitled. Due to the events in Sidelined, I can’t really give too much away about it, though!

I can't wait for the next book, but in the meantime - while Kyra and I eat cake - why don't you take a look at Sidelined...



At the age of twenty-one, Bree Collinson has more than she ever dreamed of. A handsome husband, a fancy house, and more shoes than Carrie Bradshaw and Imelda Marcos combined. But having everything handed to her isn’t the way Bree wants to live the rest of her life. When an idea to better herself pops into her head, she doesn’t expect her husband to question her, and keep her tied by her apron strings to the kitchen.

Isolated and unsure who to turn to, Bree finds herself falling back into a dangerous friendship, and developing feelings for the only person who really listens to her. Torn between her loyalty to her husband and her attraction to a man who has the perfect family she always wanted, she has some tough choices to make.

While Bree tries to figure out what she wants, a tragedy rocks the Westberg Warriors, triggering some dark memories, and pushing her to take a look at what’s really important.

Buy Links: Amazon UK // Amazon US // B&N // iBookstore



About the Author:


Kyra is a self-confessed book-a-holic, and has been since she first learned to read. When she's not reading, you'll usually find her hanging out in coffee shops with her trusty laptop and/or her friends, or girling it up at the nearest shopping mall.

Kyra grew up on the South Coast of England and refuses to move away from the seaside which provides massive inspiration for her novels. Her debut novel, Game On (New Adult Contemporary Romance), was released in July 2012, and she scored her first Amazon Top 20 listing with her New Adult novella, If I Let You Go.

Find Kyra online: Website // Facebook // Twitter // Pinterest // Goodreads // Join My Mailing List

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday 2 July 2014

IWSG: Everything except writing

Welcome to July's contribution to the IWSG...

As always, please check out this link to sign up or visit the other participants.

I'm a bit later than normal with this post. Today I am feeling insecure about everything except my writing. My new book is out, it's going to be a paperback very soon (as in, should have been yesterday) and I've started a new short story.

But my of non-writing life is draining my energy and making me want to hide beneath my duvet. I'm doing an NVQ at work, and I'm worried I'm not good enough to pass; the kids are off school soon, and I'm worried they'll get bored and we'll waste the summer; I'm even worried about interest rate rises later on in the year.

And, worst of all, I'm worried about all the things I can't change, even if I worry about them in just the right way.

It's probably just time to dive into my character's problems and forget my own for a while!