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Life is luck.

25/5/2015

Have you ever stopped to think about how you got to where you are now? I did, briefly, before I was distracted by something far more trivial and entertaining.
     Think of all the decisions you make every day. You never know which one s might change your life.
     Okay, maybe I should stop now; this has the potential to get entirely too deep and depressing.
     Still reading? Then take me, for instance. My first real decision for my own life - What to study? Where to go? Those 2 decisions - not at all influenced by which university had the hottest guys, honest - put me in the path of my (now) husband.
     A phone call whilst training, answered for someone else because my housemate wasn't there, landed me a conversation and an invitation to visit Hereford. I loved it and now it's my home.
    Once I was qualified, it happened again. A single moment - the end of a very bad day - My parents had flown off to live abroad, I was a junior doc working silly hours and I returned from saying goodbye to my mum and dad to find my (I thought) boyfriend had just moved in with his long term girlfriend! (So that had been a very bad decision, but not exactly life changing, thank God!) My ex phones up, drunk, and wants to take me out. What do I say? Any sane woman would have told him where to get off, but a week later we did go out and have now been happily married for MANY years.
     You make many decisions every day and you never know which of them will shape your life. Luck has an important part to play, but I think, sometimes, we help it along.

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Just dropped by... Bonnie Lass

18/5/2015

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Joining me today on the blog is Bonnie Lass, one of the mysterious Secret Diarists to recently join HarperImpulse. I've been following Bonnie's blog about how she got here since before I knew she was a colleague: http://bonniewriter.blogspot.co.uk
Welcome, Bonnie. Pull up a seat and lets talk men. Who would be your ideal man?

My ideal man would probably be Paul Newman - from the days of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - those blue eyes would melt any heart, so  coupled with the amazingly sexy voice of Richard Burton if possible.

Ooh, nice choice. A woman of class, I see. But was it always thus??? What about in your younger days?

I am showing my age here but my first love was Troy Tempest - the puppet in Stingray with a jaw you could eat your dinner off!! And he had a beautiful 'girlfriend' called Marina and I used to wish I was her!

Suddenly I feel so much better about having a brief thing for the purple Tweenie whilst being house bound with quarantined kids many years ago. - I was stressed, okay; don't judge me! LOL

My 'Hero' would have to be the very same Troy Tempest - I've just googled him and it turns out that Gerry Anderson modelled him on James Garner which explains my crush 'cos I also loved 'Maverick' - this is really showing my age!! Marina was modelled on Bridget Bardot so I wasn't so far off having a crush on her too! I've just spent a happy nostalgic twenty minutes watching YouTube clips of Stingray with Troy singing his love majestically to a reclining Marina - great stuff!

Ah, I can hear it now.

I also had a more realistic crush on George Harrison, just to be different, because everybody else fancied Paul or John.

No, sorry, he's not in uniform. The puppet wins it! So what did you want to be when you grew up, Bonnie? A puppet master? Deep sea diver?

I wanted to be a nurse because I liked dressing up and I was rather bossy. The uniforms back then were very cute, with frilly hats, black stockings and starched aprons nipped in at the waist with a shiny belt! By the time I got round to actually becoming a nurse, the uniform had evolved into a shapeless white sack with poppers down the front. Soooo... disappointing.

Shame! Never in films, though, eh? I take it, being a writer, you read lots as a child? What books stick with you from your early days?

The Ladybird book of Cinderella was my absolute favourite, dog-eared and worn I think it's still in a box somewhere.
   Then, once I progressed to the joys of the public library, I would read anything by Enid Blyton, especially the famous five adventure but I truly adored The Chalet School stories by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, which were pure escapism for a working class kid like me.
   At secondary school I won a book prize of Jane Eyre and at that point, Rochester rather than Troy became my hero!

Good choice! So tell us about your writing, Bonnie.

Originally from the North East of Scotland, these days I spend as much time as I can in a small village north of Rome (and if you've ever been to the grey, cold north coast of Scotland, you'll understand why! ) I am co-author of the recently published 101 Erotic Nights: The Sheherazade Diaries:

Frustrated that the spark has gone out of her marriage and desperate to feel that connection again, Beth Rogers has a plan: to seduce her husband Miles all over again.
   Throughout their new bedtime adventures, Beth keeps a diary. Soon this diary becomes more than just a collection of erotica to arouse Miles in the bedroom, it helps Beth realize she wants more from this marriage than perhaps he can give her…
   A tantalising reimagining of 1001 Arabian Nights for the 50 Shades generation!

Exciting! Well good luck with your writing, Bonnie, and hope to see you on here again.

If you're interested in reading this book, you can find it on all major e-book sites. http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/101-erotic-nights-the-scheherazade-diaries
And you can contact Bonnie on Facebook at The Sheherazade Diaries and on Twitter @bonnielass661 .

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Just dropped by... Audrina Lane

11/5/2015

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Today I'm pleased to welcome Audrina Lane, an independent writer I recently discovered living in my area. Welcome Audrina. Pull up a chair. I have a burning question to ask you. Who would be your ideal man?

That’s a tough question Wendy but I think I’d like to say that he only lives in my Heart Trilogy novels! However it’s not as simple as just choosing one of the main male characters.

I guess James is in reality the Lifeguard turned Fireman and it’s probably something to do with the saving aspect of both of those professions. Oh and the uniform!! (In my mind he looks like Daniel Craig – you know wearing swimming trunks in the Bond movie)

No idea what you mean! ;-)

Then there’s his son Mitchell who is a Dancer and I can’t resist the thought of meeting a guy who could lead me round the dance floor and make me feel like I am the sexiest girl in the world. (In my mind he looks a lot like Brendan Cole from Strictly Come Dancing). Finally and just to throw a spanner in the works I really love the mind of Stephen King – would so love to pick his brain about writing!! A strange mix I know but hey you did ask!!

I did. So where did this fantasy man originate? Who was there at the start?

My first childhood crush was George Michael in the heady days of Wham in the early 80’s. I was 10 at the time and I loved his voice and Grecian looks – I still fancy him now but sadly don’t stand a chance!!
   I also had a crush on Tom Cruise from age 14 and I actually have my first boyfriend to thank for that as his favourite film was Top Gun. So wanting to know why this film was his favourite (from a male perspective probably something to do with the planes and Kelly McGillis) but for me when Tom as Lieutenant Pete Mitchell stepped out of the plane and put his aviator sunglasses on I was lost!!
   Hey – I see a theme cropping up again with uniforms!!
   As far as fiction goes I guess the first hero (if you can call him that) that I swooned over was Rupert Campbell-Black in Riders by Jilly Cooper – who can resist a bad boy who rides horses! And I do still have a soft spot for Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind. I remember spending the entire book shouting at Scarlett in my head trying to tell her that he was the right guy and not all the other weak guys she ended up marrying. But then I also wanted to be Scarlett and flounce down that wide staircase in one of those huge dresses.

Okay, flouncy lady, what did you think you were going to be, back then?

My ideal job at aged 11 was to be a dancer in Hot Gossip on Top of the Pops. Many hours I spent in front of the television or the stereo practicing my dance moves. Sadly this dream was well and truly crushed with the advent of pop videos so unless they ever plan to bring back a vintage Top of the Pops type show then it will remain a dream!

Bring it back! Bring it back! :-) And when you weren't dancing around your living room, what were you reading?

I was lucky that my Nan spent many years of my early childhood reading me the classic novels such as Wizard of Oz, Heidi but I think the first that really struck a chord was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and all the other novels in that series. I wanted to be Jo, I really wanted her to end up with Laurie who was the sort of boy next door dream I dreamed of! All of the characters were so believable and it was the series of books that made me cry. I still have them on my Kindle and have re-read it not that long ago!
Carrie by Stephen King this was the first novel by him that I read, I think I was 13 at the time and the storyline grabbed me. That was all it took for King to seal my fate as a fan for life! I loved the way I could identify with the character and get so deeply into her world. It’s probably not my favourite of his books but it’s up there in the top three.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell and I was 15 when I read this. I had just finished my exams and the long summer stretched ahead of me so I remember Mum telling me to find a book that was going to take me a while to read so she didn’t have to keep taking me to the Library. Well there was this large tomb of a novel with a beautiful heroine on the front in a ball gown. I knew very little about American History and because it was so long I proudly checked it out. I now have my own copy on my bookcase and every few years I pick it up and fall in love with Scarlett, Rhett, Mammy, Ashley and all the other magical characters in this real blockbuster of a novel. Hey a new movie adaption would be good – Aiden Turner as Rhett??

You'll get no argument from me! So tell us about your writing, Audrina.

I live in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, (which is in the UK for those of you who aren't). My first book, Where did the heart go? was published in the summer of 2013...
Stephanie never truly let go of her first love James in 1988. When the relationship ended she kept her diaries, letters and memories safe in the attic and her heart locked away from any future heartbreak. Now her daughter Charlotte is experiencing the same relationship break up that she did. Handing her daughter the diaries she hopes to save her from the bleakness she felt at the loss of first love. The diaries inspire Charlotte to strive for true love as she realises that finding the right man is worth the wait.

Amazon.co.uk - Where did your Heart go?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-your-heart-Heart-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00E0KDRQU/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_2

I have recently published Un-Break my Heart, the 2nd novel in The Heart Trilogy. Amazon.co.uk - Un-Break my Heart.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Un-Break-Heart-Book-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00QEERNN8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417521623&sr=1-1&keywords=un-break+my+heart+audrina+lane

Fab cover. So what's next?

The 3rd book Closer to the Heart will be released by September 2015.

Wow, double whammy. George would approve! Thanks for coming on, Audrina. Best of luck.

Thanks for the invite to do this Wendy, I have loved every minute and I could have gone on and on about all my favourite men!!

And if you want to get in touch with Audrina, you can find her here:
www.audrinalane.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/#!/audrina.lane
Facebook Heart Trilogy page
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Heart-Trilogy/1518803495007973
& Twitter https://twitter.com/AudrinaLane

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Love keeps us moving.

4/5/2015

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I'm rather an unromantic soul, I'm sure my husband would agree, but that doesn't mean I don't value love, or that I'm not interested in it. I love love. I love watching those stories of hardship or tragedy that end up in good things coming to those in need. I love reading about people falling in love. I write about love. It is the love for my family that spurs me on to do all those things I'd rather not... for them.

Love may make us blind; it may make us deaf and definitely dumb too, but what would we be without it? We would be that person we don't even want to recognise. That person we can't even bring ourselves to contemplate. Imagine your life without those that you love and think how worthless it would be.

Love IS what makes the world go round; it's what drives us on and keeps us breathing. Love for our fellow man and beast is what incites millions of pounds to be given to charity every year. It's what makes people travel across the globe to help out when tragedy strikes. And love is in the coin tossed into a beggar's crumpled hat of the crust of bread fed to pigeons in the street. It's everywhere, if you look hard enough. Even in the most hideous of situations.

There may be those whose want for money and power overwhelm this, but I believe they are merely striving to fill the void that not loving leaves behind. They have nothing in their soul to fight for and so nothing will ever be enough. Like a sieve trying to fill with water, it constantly empties. Love cannot be substituted; it cannot be replaced. It is precious and it's all that's wonderful in life.

It's my wedding anniversary today. Nineteen years; twenty-four we've been together. I love my family and my life and every day I am grateful for them and I wish the same for you.

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Life is luck.

Just dropped by... Bonnie Lass

Just dropped by... Audrina Lane

Love keeps us moving.

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