Blog Archives

Naked men are taking over the universe.

29/6/2015

My next book is written. I haven’t given up, but we’re having a spot of bother deciding on a cover. So I had a go myself. Have you ever tried making your own cover? How hard can it be, right? Well actually, pretty darned hard.
The hardest part of all was working out what you want on there. What would sell your story in a single picture; capture its mood, its dark and its light? Does it manage to tie in with you other novel and keep in with your style? I spent HOURS trawling through picture sites, searching for that one image that spoke to me, that said THIS is the essence of your book. It was hard!
And it’s not even as ‘simple’ as that. Some images might be very relevant, but they aren’t pretty to look at; they don’t inspire you to pick up the book and read. And I haven’t even started on the ‘what to do once you’ve found one’ bit.

So, what do you look for in a cover?

I walk around shops and judge books, instantly, based on their cover. Certain styles of cover I won’t even go near. I judge what kind of story it is and think ‘that’s not for me’.
   I like realism, colour, romance and softness. It’s stupid really, because the ones I pick up might not necessarily be a story I would like to read, but that’s where I start.
   On the back of this dilemma, I decided to trawl through Amazon and see what covers appealled to me, to hone in on what I really liked when thinking about my own. I looked at the first 200 romance books and was attracted by none. Lots of hot men being hunky and man-handled by women, not for me I’m afraid. (In literature anyway!) So I switched to historical romance - a favourite of mine and tried again. Maybe I was in the wrong genre – ironic since it’s the one I write!
   A few less topless men and a little more colour, but still nothing that leapt out at me. I have to mention at this point, however, that I spotted several in there that I have read and loved, thus proving the fallability of my plan. But let's not let that stop me whilst I'm in mid flow!
   I skimmed through over 300 in women’s fiction, finding only a few and then, indesperation, I searched anywhere. Was I really that fussy? It seemed so. I trawled through fiction, science fiction and eventually realised most of the colour was to do with the place, the setting of the story and if I wanted colourful covers, I was going to have to start writing about India, or countries in the Mediterranean, at least.
   But here are a few that I liked: (All HarperImpulse covers were excluded in the making of this article! - said in a swiftly mumbled voice. LOL)

Not a naked man in sight. But it seems naked men really are taking over Bookworld. Have a look. They're everywhere! A part of the e-reader revolution? Or maybe I’m just old.

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The trials of motherhood.

22/6/2015

1 Comment

Is it only me who resists the call for sleepovers with a passion? My son worked out it was 7 years since he had last been allowed a sleepover (apart from those rare few, foisted on him when family friends visit). What can I say? I like my peace and quiet, and the strain of looking after other people’s children is something I can do, but in small doses. I need to know there's a light at the end of the tunnel and that I can look forward to the hour when they are all gone, mine are in bed and I can relax . A sleepover destroys this.

It was my eldest son’s birthday and he asked for a sleepover. No party, no treat, just a sleepover with a few friends. What could I say? A whimpering, ‘Okay then'.

The house was clean and the day arrived. Three perfectly nice boys appeared at the front door. Their mothers wished me luck and gave me tips for coping - usually something to do with wine, or chocolate. To my delight, they were polite and friendly, they talked nicely to his younger brother and didn’t spill food and drink all over the floor (well not everywhere). It was as good as I could have hoped for. But…

Four teenage boys, having played a bit of football, all huddled around one Xbox in an enclosed room! And the noise of the fun had in there!

I spent the next week finding all the nerf darts shot around the house. I had to restock the kitchen with food and drink, but I survived. And then...

His younger brother had the same idea (were they scheming?) and his birthday was only a few weeks after that. Four sporty eleven year olds on a winter sleepover. When it goes dark outside around four in the afternoon. Four eleven year olds… for 24hours… bored and noisy and driving me crazy? I needed therapy.

Pulling in a (not too deep) breath I told myself I could do it. I'd survived one. I could survive his one too.

And I did. Just. Three out of the four had NO sleep all night. And the trip to KFC for tea...??? I won't even go there.

But I'm smarted now. Another 7 years, I said.
Fingers crossed they'll both be off on their travels by then!
I’m such a miserable mother.
Is it just me?
Don't answer that. ;-)

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You don't have to be William Shakespeare to be creative...

15/6/2015

4 Comments

Shakespeare is credited with inventing over 1700 words now in common use in the English language, like bedroom, dwindle and gust, but there are words, in our family, that have arisen over the years, too. They are peculiar to our family and we understand them, but it struck me the other day, that with the frequency we use them, what if my kids were to end up using them in public?

Some words have come from us. For example: SPLOON. Sploon is a peachy colour that was created on a train journey to Birmingham. My husband and I were doing a crossword and we only had one question to go. Pinky-orange colour - S_L__N. We couldn't come up with one, so to finish the crossword, I said with great authority, 'sploon', and evermore it has been thus. I know, it was supposed to be salmon (now). Not anymore!

Another case, is our meals. Breakfast and brunch everybody knows. Lunch and tea, likewise, but have any of you ever heard of LEA? It comes between lunch and tea, or at least, it does in our house. And BICKFAST which is when the boys replace their breakfast on a weekend with biscuits. No? You're missing out.

Then there're the ones that others have introduced and we have claimed. One child that my sons played football with had a difficult time admitting he was wrong, but instead of saying the decision was right or wrong, he decided, in this particular instance, it was a case of INBETWEENY-MIDDLEENY, and who can argue with that?

A more recent addition was a colleague of my husband's, who admitted to seeking CUPPERTUNITIES - opportunities for a cup of tea.

The possibilities are endless. What words will become your legacy?

Take me back to the hop... http://www.julievalerie.com/fiction-writers-blog-hop-june-2015/

4 Comments

I need a hero! Selecting a future husband.

8/6/2015

7 Comments

With me today on the blog is the fabulous author and Readers’ Crown finalist from the Southern Rockies, Aileen Harkwood. She has a very exciting book bundle to tell you about in a bit, but first she's agreed to talk heroes with me, one of my favourite topics...

Darcy vs. Mr. Knightley

Ask any woman who has ever read Jane Austen which of that author’s heroes is their favorite, and you’re likely to hear a distinctly non-21st century swoony sound, followed by a single utterance. “Darcy.”
   As someone who, during bouts of insomnia and Chocolate Therapy ice cream overload, embarrassingly moons over the video of Colin Firth rising dripping wet from the lake at Pemberley, I can testify to the truth of Darcy’s heroic sublimeness.
   Or, as Lizzy says to her father in the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, “I didn’t always love him, but I love him now so very dearly. He is truly the best man I have ever known.”
   Yes, but is he Austen’s most perfect hero? I would argue that while he is the romantic equivalent of a bungee jump in the arms of someone you know will never let you plummet to your death, another of the author’s heroes should also be considered.

I'm all ears.

Wildly underestimated in comparison to Darcy, Mr Knightley from Emma is the hero I believe many of us would actually bond with in the real world. Darcy plays the larger-than-life stranger who dangles happiness in front of a socially straight-jacketed Lizzie, but Mr. Knightley—the mild-mannered country neighbor to spoiled, rich girl Emma—represents a love so intuitive and understanding it can never go wrong.
   Wait. I hear the cries of dissent now.

That was me!

Yes, yes, a nice man, plus he’s rich, which never hurts, but boring!
   Mr. Knightly is steady, solid and familiar, which does sound boring, though his steadiness is one secure enough in his manhood to allow Emma to explore her world without trying to force her back into society’s mold. His solidness offers Emma a safe, rock-sure foundation to which she can always return. He does have a spine, readily calling her out for her thoughtlessness toward poor Miss Bates and meddling in Harriet's love life. Yet his ability to forgive is never in question, as Lizzie fears is the case with Darcy during her moment of crisis. And as for being familiar, I find something completely satisfying and, yes, romantic, in knowing you have always been accepted for who you are, always loved by another.
   Let me fantasize a galloping epic of a love story with Darcy, but in real life, please direct me toward my own Mr. Knightley.

Though I don't mention it above, I was thinking about my hero in The Last Wedding at Drayhome, the novella included in Magical Weddings. Ax isn't an exact match for Mr. Knightley, not by a long shot. For one, he's rather Celtic-warrior-brutish to the other's refinement, nor is his standing in the community terribly high. However, he's a strong hero when you need one, who possesses a startling gift in his own right, and his love for the heroine has remained steadfast, if unspoken, for years.

Okay, I'm starting to see your point. So tell us a little more about this box set you're part of. (I have to confess, I've already booked my copy. - Lots of great authors!)

Whether real or only in the hearts of the bride and groom, the magic of weddings is undeniable. And irresistible! As these 15 enchanting happily-ever-afters by bestselling and award-winning authors prove.
From sweet to spicy, the romances bundled into this set, 14 of them new releases, cross time and unite hearts, cast spells of laughter, battle wedding jitters and fight back tears, while weaving love’s hopeful magic throughout 1400 pages.

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1GEDBPe
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1ewV9SE
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1dyBCRp
B&N: http://bit.ly/1dAAdtJ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1SrS6us
iTunes: http://apple.co/1RcL2Ai
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/1emycBp

Looks fab! so tell us a little bit about your particular book, Aileen.

The Last Wedding at Drayhome is the prequel to two concurrent series of fantasy romances, Spell Touched: Breens Mist Witches, Book 1, and Wedding Spell, first in the Breens Mist Weddings series, due out in September 2015. She’s passionate about green chile and the mysteries hiding in antique photographs. Never underestimate the power of a witch and warlock in love who have nothing left to lose.

I can't wait!!!

Okay, this magical box set is out on June the 16th - only just over a week to go, so grab your copy now.

Thanks so much for coming on, Aileen and all the best with your books. :-)

7 Comments

Loving all things Vintage.

1/6/2015

0 Comments

I have the lovely Jane Linfoot on my blog today. (www.janelinfoot.co.uk) Jane writes fun, flirty fiction, with feisty heroines and lots of heart. She lives with her family and pets in Derbyshire, and loves hearts, flowers, happy endings and all things vintage. Jane, I'm not a vintage person, well not in taste, anyway. I like old music, but my love for that stems from nostalgia - the songs my dad used to play when I was little. Can you tell me, what inspired your love of Vintage?

I’m quite arty, I enjoy creating things and I love design and style too. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of restoring old houses. It was lots of fun, and much cheaper, to scour the auctions and junk shops to find furniture to go in them, rather than going out and buying new.
It helps that I love painting and transforming things too. And living in an old farmhouse in France, and trudging round French flea markets, carried on the obsession.
I love the way vintage lets you have something unique, that no one else has, but at the same time gives you amazing quality and timeless style. Although having said that, a lot of my things have so much patina they’re actually falling to pieces. I remember one rather portly friend came round and squished three rescue garden chairs in succession. I think you could say he exceeded the weight limit.

Sacre bleu!
Now your latest book is set around an old cinema. Is it somewhere you know, or entirely from your imagination?

I used to go to furniture auctions in what used to be The Palace Cinema, and that seemed a perfect space to choose for the shop in the book. It doesn’t actually look much like a cinema from the front, but you can still see the high window that looks onto the street from the old projection room, and the auditorium space inside is vast.
Matlock has become the unexpected vintage capital of the area lately, with loads of retro shops opening, and Derwent Street in the book is based on a real street called Dale Road. The cinema building is actually on that street in real life, although strangely enough it’s the only vacant building on the road at the moment. Waiting for The Vintage Cinema Club perhaps?

Oh, absolutely!
Our lovely old cinema in my home town was a grand place with white pillars outside. See? They converted it into a MacDonalds. - Not happy!

So tell me, if you could live in any building in the world, would it be fancy and new, or vintage?

The cottage I live in has tiny windows, low ceilings and lots of beams, so I’d love the chance to live anywhere with lots of sun flooding in. I love Georgian houses, because I love the proportions of the sash windows, and the light rooms. I actually like seventies style too, again because of the huge windows.
A good compromise would be to live in a Frank Lloyd Wright house.

Okay, rushing off to look that up... I'm a fan of Georgian houses too. And if you could have a shop selling anything, what would you choose and why?

Easy, I’d definitely like a vintage shop, because I love vintage stuff so much. I could probably stock it three times over, with the contents of my garage.

Bet your other half would be grateful if you did. LOL
So tell us about your new book, Jane. It sounds right up my street.

Izzy is a wow at making unwanted things pretty, but with three brothers and her shabby chic furniture business to run she doesn’t have time to date. Could a fabulous French proposal change her mind?
   Single mum Luce’s vintage bridal dresses are exquisite, but there’s no way she’s ever going to wear one or walk down the aisle for that matter. She’s a strictly no romance, one night kind of woman – or so she thinks…
   Dida seems to have it all – a chocolate and banana cake recipe to die for, lovely kids (most of the time!) and a great lifestyle. But what good is a fabulous home, when your marriage has more cracks than a pavlova and your husband is having it off with half of Lithuania?
   Three retro fabulous friends, in love with all things vintage, run their dream business from the faded grandeur of a rescued cinema. When that dream comes under threat, they’ll do whatever it takes to save it.

This vintage delight is out now and you can download the little gem for all readers here:
http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/the-vintage-cinema-club