Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape. There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone. I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha. I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then. When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time. I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.

Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Write it in a Letter

Published July 24, 2015 | By Laura

Friday 24th July 2015.

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: Tell a love story in a letter. It could be a current love, a long lost love or a relationship between elderly relatives or friends. It could be a series of letters. It’s up to you.

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Blog Tour: Tracer by Rob Boffard

Published July 23, 2015 | By Laura

A huge space station orbits the Earth, holding the last of humanity. It’s broken, rusted, falling apart. We’ve wrecked our planet, and now we have to live with the consequences: a new home that’s dirty, overcrowded and inescapable.

What’s more, there’s a madman hiding on the station. He’s about to unleash chaos. And when he does, there’ll be nowhere left to run.

In space, every second counts. Who said nobody could hear you scream?

(Orbit, 16th July 2015.)

We are happy to be welcoming Rob Boffard to Novel Kicks today. We review Tracer but first, we asked Rob a few questions about his new novel and his writing process.

Hello Rob, thank you so much for joining us. Can you tell us about your novel, Tracer?

Thanks for having me. Love what you’ve done with the place. Anyway, Tracer is a sequel to Breaking Bad, and it’s the story of how Walter White faked his death and found another stoner meth cook to… oh no, wait, I wasn’t supposed to tell you about that. Forget I said anything. What Tracer is really about is a courier named Riley, ferrying packages across a city-sized space station that holds the last of humanity. She gets ambushed, and discovers that she’s carrying evidence of a deadly conspiracy.

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Competitions: Red Queen Winners

Published July 17, 2015 | By Laura

As part of the blog tour for Red Queen and to celebrate the books release, Orion and Victoria gave us THREE copies of Red Queen to give away. To read our review and an interview with Victoria, click here.

Well done to Debbie Patrick, Susan Carruthers and Karis who have all won a copy of Red Queen.

About the book:

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

Continue reading →

Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Solving Problems

Published July 17, 2015 | By Laura

Friday 17th July 2015.

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: Whilst on a second honeymoon, a devoted family man solves a ten year cold case.

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A Moment With Hannah Vincent

Published July 15, 2015 | By Laura

Hannah Vincent, whose debut novel, Alarm Girl was released by Myriad Editions in August last year tells us about her writing room.

I write in bed. I could justify this with the excuse that this way I am closer to the dream state and an unconscious mode in which words and feeling flow but the truth is, my bed is comfy, smells nice and my cat likes it when I write there. It is highly un-ergonomic: I lie with my neck crooked on cushions, typing straight onto an ancient laptop with Twiggy the Siamese pinning down one arm.

I once read that humans crave greenery because of our outdoor ancestry. The view from my bedroom window is bland and grey, which is useful in that it’s not a distraction but sometimes I move to the kitchen table to work. Ours is a topsy-turvy house with an upstairs kitchen that is slightly above the level of the garden, so when I look out of the windows I feel as if I am in the trees with the squabbling sparrows and busy blue-tits. Continue reading →

Author Interview: Anna North

Published July 14, 2015 | By Laura

Anna North, author of The Life and Death of Sophie Stark joins us today. Thank you for joining us Anna. First, Do you have any writing rituals/habits?

I like to write either in a chair by the window in my apartment, ideally with a cup of tea and maybe a candle burning, or at a coffee shop in my neighborhood, again with a cup of tea or maybe a cappuccino. I write all my first drafts long-hand in a journal; I feel like I’m much more imaginative writing this way than at a computer. I try to write for about an hour in the early morning each weekday, and again for an hour or a little more on Saturday or Sunday (depending on the week, though, I might write a little more or a little less).

Which fictional character would you like to swap places with for a day and what would you do?

Maybe this is cheating because it’s TV and not books, but I’d trade places with the Doctor and travel through time and space. I’d go back in time and visit Queen Elizabeth I and Shakespeare, and then go to Gallifrey and hang out with the Time Lords.

Your book is called, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark. Can you tell us a little about it and how the idea originated?

The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is the story of a brilliant and enigmatic filmmaker, told by the people who loved her most. I had wanted to write about a filmmaker named Sophie Stark for years before I started the book; I even wrote a few pages, but then put them aside. After I finished my first book, America Pacifica, I started trying to write about Sophie again in earnest, and that’s when I got the idea of writing the book from multiple perspectives. Once I realized I could tell Sophie’s story through multiple points of view, the book started to come together.

What’s your favourite word?

I don’t know if I have a favorite word, exactly, but I have some words I use a lot (maybe too much). In America Pacifica I used the word “filthy” a lot — in my defense, the post-apocalyptic world I was describing was really filthy. In The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, my editor pointed out I used the words “mad,” “sad,” “bad,” and “whiskey” more than was strictly necessary, which I guess says something about the mood of the book. I ended up replacing some of them; now the characters occasionally drink wine instead of whiskey, and get angry instead of mad.

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Writing Room: Swapping Bodies

Published July 14, 2015 | By Laura

Tuesday 14th July 2015: Swapping Bodies

Today’s prompt: One day, your character wakes up in someone else’s body. Who is it they’ve woken up as? Where have they woken up? How would their life change? Write across one day and about the experience your character has in this new body? Do they try and go to see the people in their old lives and how do they react? Do they manage to get back to their own body?

Try to write between 500 and 1700 words.

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Blog Tour: Review – The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lupton

Published July 10, 2015 | By Laura

On 24th November Yasmin and her deaf daughter Ruby arrive in Alaska.

Within hours they are driving alone across a frozen wilderness, where nothing grows, where no one lives, where tears freeze and night will last for another fifty-four days.

They are looking for Ruby’s father. Travelling deeper into a silent land. They still cannot find him. And someone is watching them in the dark.

This was the first book i’ve read by Rosamund Lupton so I was not sure what to expect. The premise of the book sounded interesting though. I started this book and finished it the day after I had started. I could not put it down.

Yasmin and Ruby arrive in Alaska expecting to see Matt standing there waiting for them. Instead, they are met by the Police with news that Matt has been killed by a fire in the small village he had been staying in, Anaktue. Not convinced that he is dead and determined to find him, Yasmin and Ruby set off on a perilous journey across Alaska. Not only do they battle with someone following them (where you assume he wants to hurt them) but also against the fierce and unrelenting elements.

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Competitions: Win a Copy of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Published July 9, 2015 | By Laura

As part of the blog tour for Red Queen and to celebrate the books release, Orion and Victoria have given us THREE copies of Red Queen to give away. To read our review and an interview with Victoria, click here.

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart . . .

HOW TO ENTER:

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Blog Tour: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Published July 9, 2015 | By Laura

I am very excited to be welcoming Victoria Aveyard to Novel Kicks. Her novel, Red Queen was published by Orion on 2nd July and we are so happy to be a part of the blog tour. We review the book and also have a chat with Victoria but first, here’s the blurb:

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart . . .

Hi Victoria. Thank you for joining us. Can you tell us a little about Red Queen?

RED QUEEN is the story of Mare, a girl who lives in a world divided by blood, split between normal redbloods and superpowered silverbloods. Even though she’s normal, bleeding red, Mare discovers she can control electricity, an impossibility that plunges her into a devastating court of betrayal, danger, and corruption.

Do you have any writing rituals (do you plan much, need lots of tea, writing in silence etc.)

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My Favourite Book: Have You Met Miss Jones?

Published July 7, 2015 | By Laura

BridgetJonesDiary

Picador, 2001

Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding will forever remain one of my favourite books. I can’t remember whether I read the book first or saw the film but I remember being quite late to the book – discovering it a few years after it got published. I was in my early twenties but still found it relatable all the same.

Not knowing what to expect, once I started reading, I devoured it. For me, it’s one of those rare books that I feel really transferred well onto screen from the page and it is a relatable story to a lot of people, especially women of any age. I lost count of how many times I said out loud whilst reading “this is me.”

For me, Bridget is a great heroine. She is very flawed (along with a lot of us.) She strives to be better but something always seems to go wrong. She’s the type of character that would get her skirt caught up in her knickers, walk down the road and get spotted before she notices and I love that about her. She’s not perfect – she is a real and relatable person who is just trying to find love. Also, like her I’ve had a few awkward moments at social gatherings where I have stood there in silence not knowing what to say and then when I do speak, just sounding like a complete idiot.

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Competitions: July’s Which Book is This Anyway?

Published July 6, 2015 | By Laura

Fancy a book surprise through your letterbox? It’s July. Summer is officially here and it’s time for this month’s Which Book is This Anyway?

Many of us judge books by their covers and make our choices based on that and the accompanying blurb. Our competition adds a little mystery.

The prize for this competition is a book but the identity of that book will not be revealed until the lucky winner receives it. It could be a recent new release or a well-known classic. Who knows? We won’t even reveal the genre. It’s a surprise. If you feel like having a guess in the meantime though, that’s OK, just comment below (you don’t need to guess to enter. You just need to leave your name. The guessing is just for fun.)

All we will reveal about July’s choice is ‘this book has been described by one reviewer as the perfect book. It’s about rediscovery, a trip of a lifetime, determination, falling in love and everything going wrong.’

How to enter:

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Author Interview: Howard Robinson

Published July 6, 2015 | By Laura

Howard Robinson

Howard Robinson

Hello Howard, thank you for joining us. First, could you tell us about your route to publication?

It’s such a complicated route for most writers that sometimes I feel like I need a sat-nav to get there. I self-published my first book and was fortunate that Micah Seven Five was picked up by a great little independent press, Inspired Quill. It’s really tough without an agent and finding an agent is really tough because most publishers won’t even look at submissions unless they’re from an agent. It’s like trying to break into a very closed shop. I have so many emails being very positive about my writing but saying they’re just not in a position to take things forward. So each book needs to be pitched from scratch, which is both time-consuming and, at times, a bit soul-destroying especially when the emails come back so quickly, you just know they’ve not even been read. Hopefully, somebody will pick up the new one; we’ll see. So the answer is there’s no easy route – you have to just keep banging on doors.

If you were told you could only own three books, which three would you pick?

Empire Of The Sun by JG Ballard, The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Are you much of a planner and do you edit as you go?

I’ve tried being very planned and very unplanned and my favourite way of working is somewhere between the two. I like to have a general route map of where I’m going and how I’m going to get there but then I like the freedom to change as I write or to move off into slightly unforeseen directions. I tend to write everything and then go back and edit quite severely afterwards. I usually do two or three redrafts.

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July’s Book Club: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Published July 6, 2015 | By Laura

Orion, February 2012

Orion, February 2012

Book Corner is our monthly online book club. Anyone can join.

How it works…

We love books and we love chatting about them even more. Every month, we pick a new book for discussion. We will post a question to kick things off and then you can talk about any of your thoughts about the book in the comments box below. The best thing about our book club is that EVERYONE CAN TAKE PART. It’s open to all. You can read the book at any point in the month or if you’ve already read it, tell us what you think.

This month, our pick is: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell.

About the book…

It’s 1999 and for the staff of one newspaper office, the internet is still a novelty. By day, two young women, Beth and Jennifer, spend their hours emailing each other, discussing in hilarious detail every aspect of their lives, from love troubles to family dramas. And by night, Lincoln, a shy, lonely IT guy spends his hours reading every exchange.

At first their emails offer a welcome diversion, but as Lincoln unwittingly becomes drawn into their lives, the more he reads, the more he finds himself falling for one of them. By the time Lincoln realizes just how head-over-heels he really is, it’s way too late to introduce himself. What would he say to her? ‘Hi, I’m the guy who reads your e-mails – and also, I think I love you’.

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Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2016: Winner

Published July 1, 2015 | By Laura

Thanks to Bloomsbury, we had one copy of the 2016 edition to give away.

Well done to Clair Bendle who has won herself a copy.

With 80+ articles, the Yearbook is now in it’s 109th printing.

The new edition is to be published by Bloomsbury on 2nd July 2015.

The yearbook is acknowledged as the indispensable companion to navigating the world of publishing. This book provides guidance on writing for newspapers, magazines, scripts for film, radio and TV; advice on writing and submitting plays, poetry, non-fiction and fiction of all genres and how to contact publishers and agents; managing finances as a writer; negotiating legal issues, such as copyright; understanding the editing process; self-publishing and conventional routes; digital and print.

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June’s Which Book is This Anyway: Winner

Published June 30, 2015 | By Laura

It is time to announce the winner of June’s Which Book is This Anyway? Did you guess which book it was? (May’s book was Daughter by Jane Shemilt.’)

All we said about it was that ‘this is a book from a popular Irish author which focuses on large changes in the lives of the characters, their relationships and the importance of friendship.’

Well done to Caron Edwards who is our winner this month. The competition for July will be open soon.

About ‘Which Book is This Anyway?’

Many of us judge books by their covers and make our choices based on that and the accompanying blurb. Our competition adds a little mystery.

Continue reading →

Blog Tour: The 3rd Woman by Jonathan Freedland

Published June 30, 2015 | By Laura

Jonathan Freedland PHOTO CREDIT Philippa Gedge 2015

Photo Credit: Philippa Gedge

The 3rd Woman Jacket image

HarperCollins, July 2015

I am very pleased to welcoming author, Jonathan Freedland to Novel Kicks today. His latest novel, The 3rd Woman is due to be published later this week on 2nd July. Here’s the blurb:

SHE CAN’T SAVE HER SISTER

Journalist Madison Webb is obsessed with exposing lies and corruption. But she never thought she would be investigating her own sister’s murder.

SHE CAN’T TRUST THE POLICE

Madison refuses to accept the official line that Abigail’s death was an isolated crime. She uncovers evidence that suggests Abi was the third victim in a series of killings hushed up as part of a major conspiracy.

SHE CAN EXPOSE THE TRUTH

In a United States that now bows to the People’s Republic of China, corruption is rife – the government dictates what the ‘truth’ is. With her life on the line, Madison must give up her quest for justice, or face the consequences…

Jonathan is an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster. He writes a weekly column for The Guardian and his also presents BBC Radio 4’s The Long View. He has written seven books (two are non-fiction) as Jonathan Freedland and has also written best-selling novels under the pseudonym, Sam Bourne.

As part of the blog tour, we review the novel but first, Jonathan (and HarperCollins) have kindly shared an extract. Enjoy.

Nothing that suggested a struggle. Maddy recalled the words and, above all, the expression on the detective’s face as she had said them. How dared she imply that Abigail had been some kind of willing participant in her own death? Of course it was murder, of course it was. Madison just had to get the police to realize it. And soon: she had covered enough homicide cases to know that speed was critical. They always talked about that ‘golden hour’, the period immediately after a homicide has been discovered when detectives are able to gather the most, and the best, forensic evidence from a crime scene. Maddy feared that time had been and gone. That while they played around with their absurd sex-game theory, valuable evidence might be vanishing.

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Review: A Little in Love by Susan Fletcher

Published June 29, 2015 | By Laura

Paris, 1832. A street girl lies alone in the darkness, clutching a letter to her heart.

Eponine remembers being a child: her swing and the peach tree, and the baby brother she loved. But mostly she remembers being miserable. Taught to lie and cheat, and to hate the one girl, Cosette, who might have been her friend.

Now, at sixteen, the two girls meet again and Eponine has one more chance. But what is the price of friendship – the love of a boy.

I am only familiar with Les Misérables as far as the Hollywood film version (with Hugh Jackman.) I know, I know. The book has been on my to read pile for so long and now, after reading A Little in Love, I might have to get around to reading it.

The story of A Little in Love begins when Eponine is sixteen and it then goes back to when she was a child. Out of all the characters in Les Misérables, Eponine is the character I have always been intrigued with the most. She wants to be a good person – decent and kind but the circumstances of her life conspire against her.

She does not have the best start in life and in trying to gain her mother’s love, she turns her back on the one girl who may have been her friend – Cosette. I found Eponine’s story so heartbreaking. Anyone who has an idea of the story knows what happens to her but that did not stop me from willing it to end differently.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Four People

Published June 26, 2015 | By Laura

Friday 26th June 2015.

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: Pick four people (it could be anyone.) Your character is having them around for dinner. What would the conversation be about? Do they all get on? Write this entirely in dialogue.

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Book Haul: Five Books For June

Published June 25, 2015 | By Laura

It is time for another book haul. I have brought and been sent some great and interesting titles this month and I wanted to share five of them with you. The five books below have been sent via publishers. What books have you received/brought this month? I’d love to know in the comments box below.

The first book is The Astrologer’s Daughter by Rebecca Lim.

I am loving this cover. This is the first book I will have read by Rebecca Lim (she is the author of the Mercy series) and I am looking forward to reading this book. It sounds very interesting. It is published by Text Publishing on 25th June 2015. It’s available in paperback and also as an e-book. Here’s the blurb:

The Astrologer’s Daughter is the story of Avicenna Crowe, whose astrologer mother has suddenly gone missing. Avicenna Crowe’s mother, Joanne, is an astrologer with uncanny predictive powers and a history of being stalked. Now she is missing. The police are called, but they’re not asking the right questions. Like why Joanne lied about her past, and what she saw in her stars that made her so afraid.

The second novel is The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon.

This book is one I am particularly looking forward to reading. It sounds very intriguing and I very much like the sound of the premise. It was one of those ideas that, when I read the blurb, I said to myself ‘I wish I had thought of that idea.’ Available in paperback and electronically, it’s published by W&N (18th June 2015.)

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Competitions: Win a Copy of the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2016

Published June 24, 2015 | By Laura

With 80+ articles, the Yearbook is now in it’s 109th printing.

The new edition is to be published by Bloomsbury on 2nd July and we have ONE copy to give away.

The yearbook is acknowledged as the indispensable companion to navigating the world of publishing. This book provides guidance on writing for newspapers, magazines, scripts for film, radio and TV; advice on writing and submitting plays, poetry, non-fiction and fiction of all genres and how to contact publishers and agents; managing finances as a writer; negotiating legal issues, such as copyright; understanding the editing process; self-publishing and conventional routes; digital and print.

This year’s edition includes articles from Alison Weir, Ben Schott, Susan Hill and Rose Prince.

The 2016 edition is available to pre-order in paperback and eBook (e-book will be published on 6th August 2015.)

Thanks to Bloomsbury, we have a paperback copy of the 2016 edition to give away.

How to enter:

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Review: Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher

Published June 18, 2015 | By Laura

Dream a Little Dream

Penguin, 18th June 2015

Dream a Little Dream is the third novel from Giovanna Fletcher. It’s released today (18th June) by Penguin and is available in paperback and as an e-book.

I have to say, I absolutely ADORE this cover. It reminds me very much of Lisa Jewell’s earlier covers – beautiful and romantic. Love, love, love!

Here’s the blurb for Dream a Little Dream:

Sarah is doing just fine. Sure she’s been single for the last five years, and has to spend an uncomfortable amount of time around her ex-boyfriend and their mutual friends, and the rest at her tediously mundane job, but it’s fine. She’s happy(ish).

But it’s not surprising that when Sarah starts dreaming about a handsome stranger, she begins looking forward to falling asleep at night. Reality isn’t nearly as exciting. That is until her dream-stranger makes an unexpected real-life appearance, leaving Sarah questioning everything she thought she wanted.

Because people never really find the person of their dreams… do they?

I was a big fan of Billy & Me and I recently read You’re The One That I Want and loved that too so I was really excited when the review copy of Dream a Little Dream got delivered.

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Events: The Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize

Published June 18, 2015 | By Laura

British writing will be celebrated later today when the winners of the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize will be announced in London at the Jerwood Space.

Fifteen books in total have been long listed (this is the first year the list has been released prior to the winners being announced.) The prize, established in 2010 is now in its fifth year. The prize is unique and it aims to showcase great British fiction.

“With writers from Swansea, Newcastle upon Tyne, Bath, Brighton, Lancaster, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Glasgow and London, and publishers from Yorkshire, Wales, Scotland and Norfolk, this year’s longlist presents an exciting snapshot of contemporary British fiction writing and publishing,” said Founder and Director Sophie Rochester.

Later today, eight winners will each be awarded £5,000. WH Smith Travel will be running an eight-week summer promotion featuring all eight winning Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize titles. Titles will feature in stores across the UK from 25 June 2015.

The fifteen books in contention for the prize money are:

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June’s Book Club: Daughter by Jane Shemilt

Published June 7, 2015 | By Laura

Daughter

Penguin, August 2014.

Book Corner is our monthly online book club.

How it works…

We love books and we love chatting about them even more. Every month, we pick a new book for discussion. We will post a question to kick things off and then you can talk about any of your thoughts about the book in the comments box below. The best thing about our book club is that EVERYONE CAN TAKE PART. It’s open to all. You can read the book at any point in the month or if you’ve already read it, tell us what you think.

This month, our pick is: Daughter by Jane Shemilt

About the book…

Jenny is a successful family doctor, the mother of three great teenagers, married to a celebrated neurosurgeon.

But when her youngest child, fifteen-year-old Naomi, doesn’t come home after her school play, Jenny’s seemingly ideal life begins to crumble. The authorities launch a nationwide search with no success. Naomi has vanished, and her family is broken.

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The Island Escape by Kerry Fisher: Review and Extract

Published June 6, 2015 | By Laura

The Island Escape is the latest novel from author, Kerry Fisher. It was released by Avon on 21st May 2015. It’s available in paperback and as an e-book. The cover is absolutely beautiful.

Kerry and the lovely people at Avon have shared an extract with us today. Enjoy!

That was three hours ago. I prayed I’d be able to hold on all night. I perched on the mattress, sitting with as little buttock touching it as possible. I wondered if Alicia was asleep. I hated the thought of her going to school in the morning all strung out and exhausted. The memory of her bewildered face as the police marched me away, that teenage bravado long gone, threatened my fragile composure. I hoped she’d heard me shout, ‘Don’t worry, darling, it’s just a bit of a misunderstanding,’ over my shoulder as I ducked into the squad car. I hoped – probably in vain – that Scott had been more interested in comforting her than making sure she understood that ‘I’d driven him to it’.

There was no air. Every time someone opened the door outside in the corridor, the smell of stale urine wafted around. I saw the occasional shadow move past the opaque window to the outside, convincing myself every time that it must be Scott coming to save me. A man was singing ‘Why are we waiting?’ in the cell opposite. Whoever was next to me was trying to batter the door down.

A fetid gust signalled the arrival of someone. The metal shutter was pulled back. Then a dark-haired policeman I hadn’t seen before came in, carrying a paper cup. Another person to feel humiliated in front of. Sitting there in a garb more suitable for carrying out a crime scene investigation made normal interaction impossible. I didn’t even dress up for fancy dress parties. The hairs on my arms lifted with static as I crossed them over my chest.

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Writing Room: Take a Letter

Published June 4, 2015 | By Laura

Writing Room is our online writing group.

We post an exercise. Once you’ve written your piece, feel free to post it in the comments box below for discussion. Anyone is welcome to take part and it’s an opportunity to post work plus give and gain feedback.

Today’s exercise: Take a Letter…

Pick a character from a current work in progress or if you’re not working on anything at the moment, pick a character from a favourite book. Get them to write a letter. It could be to their nemesis or it could be a letter themselves to be opened in the future or it could be to their past selves. What would they say? What does it reveal about your character or the plot of your story. Could you use it in either what you’re currently writing or use it to begin a new story?

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Review: The Turning Point by Freya North

Published June 4, 2015 | By Laura

The Turning Point by Freya North is released by HarperCollins and is available to buy from today (4th June 2015.)

Everyone deserves a new beginning. But sometimes fate isn’t on your side…

Over one short weekend, when Canadian musician Scott Emerson and British children’s author Frankie Shaw meet by chance, a profound connection is made. Their homes are thousands of miles apart: Frankie and her children live by the coast of North Norfolk while Scott’s roots lie deep in the mountains of British Columbia. Against all advice, they decide to see where this might go.

Over oceans and time zones, they make sacrifices and take risks, discovering along the way new truths about love and family. For the first time in a long while, it seems life could be very good. But fate has a tragic twist in store, one that could destroy all that was hoped for.

I was excited when I received a review copy of The Turning Point from HarperCollins. I knew little about the plot when I started the book but from the first few pages, I was hooked. I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go at first but I quickly became invested in the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen to them.

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Winner of May’s Which Book is This Anyway?

Published May 31, 2015 | By Laura

It’s time to announce the winner of May’s Which Book is This Anyway? Did you guess which book it was? (April’s book was The Rosie Project.’)

All we said about it was that ‘this book has been a part of Richard & Judy’s book club. A story that asks us how well do we know our children?’

Well done to Leila Benhamida,who is our winner this month. The competition for June will be open soon.

About ‘Which Book is This Anyway?’

Many of us judge books by their covers and make our choices based on that and the accompanying blurb. Our competition adds a little mystery.

The prize for this competition is a book but the identity of that book will not be revealed until the lucky winner receives it. It could be a recent new release or a well-known classic. Who knows? We won’t even reveal the genre.

Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Randomness

Published May 29, 2015 | By Laura

Friday 29th May 2015:

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: Randomness. Place all of these random things into a story where your main character is a man named Mike. The items you need to put into your story are: A set of scales, eyes, a magnet, a house, a tent, insects, a compass, a magic wand and happiness (or lack off.)

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Review: Polly and The Puffin by Jenny Colgan

Published May 21, 2015 | By Laura

Polly and The Puffin is the first children’s novel from author, Jenny Colgan whose previous novels include the Little Beach Street Bakery series.

Here’s the blurb:

Polly heard a CRASH downstairs. Was it a monster? NO! Was it a spider alien? NO!

It was a little puffin with a broken wing…

When Polly discovers an injured puffin, she and her mummy look after him in their cottage by the sea.

Slowly, Neil’s wing heals and Polly must prepare herself to say goodbye to her new friend. Will she ever see him again?.

Let’s get straight into it… I love this little book. It is so cute. When it arrived from Little Brown, it came with a sweet little cuddly puffin (whose name is Neil and he now sits on my desk.) For people who are not familiar with Jenny’s previous novels, Neil the Puffin first appeared in the Little Beach Street bakery series.

With it being a children’s book (I definitely don’t fit into the age range of its target audience,) I didn’t know whether I was going to like it but it’s so sweet and adorable.

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Novel Kicks Calls on Avon

Published May 21, 2015 | By Laura

Laura, Parastou, Claudia, Helen and Amy.

Recently, Helen and I were invited to attend an author event at Avon Publishers HQ in London (Avon’s Digital event to be more precise.)

With a mixture of excitement and nerves (which always seem to strike when I go to these types of events,) I made my way up to London. As someone who would love and is trying to write her first book, I am always so grateful to get the opportunity to chat with other writers (even if I spend most of the time trying not to gawk at these amazing, talented group of people who have published many novels between them.)

We arrived at Avon HQ which is situated near the Shard in London (The Shard looks both amazing and intimidating up close.) After being led up to the top floor, we were met by the lovely Parastou from Avon. It was great to meet her. Plus, she gave us a tote bag full of books. Always a bonus. We were then greeted by the most spectacular panoramic view of the London skyline. Helen and I couldn’t stop looking at it.

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Blog Tour: Always The Bridesmaid by Lindsey Kelk

Published May 18, 2015 | By Laura

I am so excited to be welcoming Lindsey Kelk back to Novel Kicks. We’re the final stop for her ‘The Bridesmaid Blog Tour’ for her new novel, Always The Bridesmaid which was released by Harper on 7th May. We’ve reviewed the book plus Lindsey and Harper have shared an extract with us but first, we chat to Lindsey about her new book, fictional places and books…

Hi Lindsey, thank you for joining us. Which fictional place would you like to visit?

OOH. Narnia might be nice for a getaway. I bet their wifi reception is terrible, I might actually get some peace.

Is there a fictional character you’d like to swop places with for a day and why? What would you do?

My mind has gone completely blank. Is there a character who can fly and make themselves invisible who is utterly, blissfully happy all the time? No? Oh. Then I’ll just be Frog from Frog and Toad Forever because he had a lovely life.

Can you tell us about your new book, Always The Bridesmaid and how the idea originated?

Like most of my stories, it came from my friends and our lives. We’re mostly all in our early to mid-thirties but we’re all over the place on the relationship spectrum, married, happily and unhappily, single, divorced, with kids, without kids. I wanted to tell a story from someone in the middle of the two intense situations happening at the same time – one friend getting married and the other getting divorced. From there, Maddie just came into her own.

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Blog Tour: The Chateau on the Lake by Charlotte Betts

Published May 13, 2015 | By Laura

1792. As a teacher at her parents’ Academy for Young Ladies in the heart of London, Madeleine Moreau has lived her life sheltered from the outside world. But on the night of a dazzling Masquerade, tragedy strikes and she is left alone in the world. Desperate to find the family she never knew, Madeleine impulsively travels to France in search of them. But with war around the corner, and fearing for Madeleine’s safety, the enigmatic Comte Etienne d’Aubery offers her protection at his home, Chateau Mirabelle.

Chateau Mirabelle enchants Madeleine with its startling beauty, but it is a place of dark and haunting secrets. As the Revolution gathers momentum and the passions of the populace are enflamed, Madeleine must take control of her own destiny and unravel events of the past in order to secure a chance of future happiness.

I was enthralled with this novel from the first chapter. I have a love of history and this book very much appealed to that interest. It is set during the French Revolution and so I couldn’t wait to get started.

The prose is beautifully written and it sets the scene so well. I really did get the feeling that I was in Paris during the Revolution. There has obviously been a lot of research going into details – the danger and the atmosphere was palpable.

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Review: The Happy Ever Afterlife of Rosie Potter (RIP) by Kate Winter

Published May 13, 2015 | By Laura

Falling in love is never simple. Especially when you’re dead.

When Rosie Potter wakes up one morning with what she assumes is the world’s worst hangover, the last thing she expects is to discover that she’s actually dead. With a frustrating case of amnesia, suspicious circumstances surrounding her untimely demise, and stuck wearing her ugliest flannel PJs, Rosie must figure out not only what happened last night, but why on earth she’s still here. (Warning: Small spoilers.)

The title for this book alone made me intrigued. It also made me laugh so I was looking forward to reading it. From the first page, I was pulled into the story. The writing style made it so easy to read and so before I knew it, I’d been reading for a while and not realised that time had passed (when I should have been sleeping. I blame this book for a want to snooze at work. Haha.)

I did think that the main character dying at the beginning would put a downer on the story but Kate Winter writes with such warmth and humour that I found myself laughing out loud in many places throughout the book.

Rosie is unusual in that from the offset, she’s dead. The point of view is quite unique in that respect. She is likeable, funny and relatable and I liked her from the beginning and this kept me turning the page as I wanted to find out what happened to her.

I loved Charles. He is a lovely hero and the story is so bittersweet as you know that, despite the fact that the promise of love is there with him, you know that it is too late. Jenny was a lovely best friend and, like with Rosie, I felt sorry for her and what she had been through prior to the story starting. I did not like Jack. He is a great character if you love to hate him.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Myths

Published April 24, 2015 | By Laura

Friday 24th April 2015: Myths

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: Write a story that has elements of mythology in it. From what time period is up to you.

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Author Interview: Ben Adams

Published April 23, 2015 | By Laura

Ben Adams is the author of 6 Months to Get a Life. Thank you for joining us, Ben. Can you tell us a little about your new book?

Thanks for inviting me on to your blog.

Six Months to Get a Life is the story of a man trying to come to terms with his divorce. The book follows Graham Hope as he strives to get over his ex, to maintain his relationship with his children, to build new friendships and to work out a way of having sex again at some point in his life.

How did the idea for the book originate?

I recently went through a marriage break-up myself. I started writing Six Months to Get a Life as a way of capturing my own thoughts. If you like, it was therapy for me.

So is it about you then? I thought it was fiction?

It is fiction. About two days into the writing process, I realised that the book shouldn’t be about me. It shouldn’t be about my ex or my children either. What right did I have to write about them? And who would want to read it if I did? If it had been about me, people would have slit their wrists by the end of Chapter 3.

So instead of writing a memoir, I created a fictional tale. I invented a new ex, new friends, new children, new events and new debacles. Did the marriage guidance scene happen to me? No. Did I meet my ex in a sexually transmitted diseases clinic? Er, no. Have I ever twerked in a nightclub? Maybe, but that’s another story. Have I got a big ego and a small penis? No comment.

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My Favourite Books: Harry Potter

Published April 22, 2015 | By Laura

prisoner of

Copyright: JK Rowling

I have always been a big reader. Even at a young age, you were more likely to find me reading than watching TV (the only rival to my reading would have been colouring books.)

I have loved going on different adventures, falling in love with characters and loving to hate the villains. I’ve been thinking back to the books that have stayed with me even years after I’ve stopped reading the last page and in this new feature, I wanted to share some of my favourites with you.

One of the books that has stayed with me, is Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling.

I was late coming to the Harry Potter series. I think the books came to my attention when browsing in a book shop one day around the same time that the first film had appeared in cinemas. As the film had just been released, I’d been hearing a lot about the series (or the books that had been released up to that point,) and I was intrigued so I picked up the first book in the series. Let’s just say, within three days, I had to buy the rest. One of the things I love about this book series in particular is that it appeals to all ages and covers a variety of themes. I am fascinated by how these seven books all interconnect – how a small piece of information in the first book, like the fact that the wands are brothers is the thing that ends up saving his life later on.

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Book Haul: Five Books I’m Excited To Read

Published April 22, 2015 | By Laura

I have a HUGE obsession with books. I have been sent some great books over the past few weeks and I have also brought a few new books too. Despite the fact that I have quite a large TBR pile, it doesn’t stop me from adding to it on an almost daily basis. You can never have enough books, right? It was hard to pick but I wanted to share five of them with you – five I am looking forward to reading and reviewing soon. Let me know in the comments if you’ve read any of the books below and what you thought? Do you have any more you’d recommend?

The first book is We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman.

I love Rowan Coleman. Simple. I am also adoring this cover for her upcoming novel. It’s beautiful. It is due to be released on 21st May 2015 by Ebury who were kind enough to send me a review copy. I can’t wait to get stuck into this book and going by the blurb, it sounds great.

The blurb… Do not miss me, because I will always be with you…I am the air, the moon, the stars. For we are all made of stars, my beloved… Wherever you look, I will be there. Stella Carey exists in a world of night. Married to a soldier who has returned from Afghanistan injured in body and mind, she leaves the house every evening as Vincent locks himself away, along with the secrets he brought home from the war. During her nursing shifts, Stella writes letters for her patients to their loved ones – some full of humour, love and practical advice, others steeped in regret or pain – and promises to post these messages after their deaths. Until one night Stella writes the letter that could give her patient one last chance at redemption, if she delivers it in time…

The second novel I wanted to share is Freedom’s Child by Jax Miller.

This book sounds like such a roller coaster and it sounds so intriguing. I like mysteries (if you’ve not already guessed.) This is the debut novel from Jax and it is due to be released by Harper Collins on 30th July. I love it when books arrive with little surprises from the publisher. This review copy arrived at my house with a mini bottle of Southern Comfort which the husband will enjoy immensely.

The blurb…A heart-stopping debut thriller about a woman named Freedom, who will stop at nothing to save the daughter she only knew for two minutes and seventeen seconds. Call me what you will: a murderer, a cop killer, a fugitive, a drunk…There’s a lot people don’t know about Freedom Oliver. They know she works at the local bar. They know she likes a drink or two. What they don’t know is that Freedom is not her real name. That she has spent the last eighteen years living under Witness Protection, after being arrested for her husband’s murder. They don’t know that she put her two children up for adoption, a decision that haunts her every day. Then Freedom’s daughter goes missing, and everything changes. Determined to find her, Freedom slips her handlers and heads to Kentucky where her kids were raised. No longer protected by the government, she is tracked by her husband’s sadistic family, who are thirsty for revenge. But as she gets closer to the truth, Freedom faces an even more dangerous threat. She just doesn’t know it yet.

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Review: The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

Published April 21, 2015 | By Laura

The Red Notebook tells the story of Laurent Letellier, a bookseller living in Paris. One day, he finds an abandoned ladies handbag. Looking inside with a hope to reuniting it with its owner, he finds no money, wallet or personal contact information. What he does find is a small, red notebook which is full of handwritten private thoughts, lists and jottings. The longer he spends in possession of this notebook, the more it reveals someone who Laurent wants to get to know – a woman named Laure. This book is his journey to try to find her in a city full of strangers.

Written by Antoine Laurain, this book has been translated from French by Jane Aitken and Emily Boyce. I’d previously read The President’s Hat so I had a small idea of what to expect. I loved that book so I was very excited and intrigued when The Red Notebook arrived. I love the covers of both this book and The President’s Hat. They are beautifully drawn and adds to the whimsical theme of the book.

This book isn’t very long. It is under 200 pages so I read it in a couple of sittings. It’s perfect for if you want a book for a train journey or a lazy afternoon. The style of writing is easy to get into and I was reading it not realising a huge chunk of time has passed.

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Writing Room: Varying View Points

Published April 8, 2015 | By Laura

Writing Room is our online writing group.

We post an exercise. Once you’ve written your piece, post it in the comments box below for discussion. Anyone is welcome to take part and it’s an opportunity to post work plus give and gain feedback.

Today’s exercise: Varying View Points.

Today, it is a short story (minimum of 600 words.) The scene is a doctor’s surgery. It is 10 o clock in the morning. The decor of the room is cream and there are leaflets and posters up on the wall.

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Review: Campari For Breakfast by Sara Crowe

Published January 28, 2015 | By Laura

Campari For Breakfast is the first novel for actress and author, Sara Crowe.

Sue is mourning the loss of her mother and is not happy that her father seems to be moving on so soon after her mother’s death. Estranged a little from him, she goes to live with her Aunt at Green Place in a home that is pretty much falling down around them. Sue begins to try and rebuild her life as she tries to find the truth about her mother. In the process, she discovers a lot about herself and the people closest to her. This book is told from the point of view of Sue in 1987 and of her Aunt Coral, in the form of journal entries starting from when she was a girl.

I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect from this book when I read the blurb but from the first few pages, I was hooked and could not put it down. Sue is a wonderfully original voice who is trying to discover who she is. She wants to be a writer and her short story, snippets of which are featured occasionally through the book are very witty.

Sue is very innocent and naive at the beginning of her story but I found that she’d come into her own a bit by the end.

The supporting characters were a cross between wonderful Continue reading →

A Moment With…Talli Roland

Published November 30, 2014 | By Laura

Day thirty of National Novel Writing Month. Earlier, author Julie Cohen took us through her editing process and now Talli Roland talks to us about her experience with self publishing.

Self-publishing provides another route for authors to get their books directly to an audience. I think it’s wonderful to be living in a time when authors have choices. No longer do they need reach readers through a publisher – they can decide what is right for them and for the book.

I had a wonderful relationship with my publisher, but as a small independent, their distribution reach was limited. Most of my sales were ebooks, and I’d spent a great deal of time building up my platform. It made sense for me to go out on my own, hire a cover designer and an editor, and keep my profits. It was very scary jumping ship – jumping off the ship! – but I’m so pleased I did.

It’s been an amazing journey – hard, challenging, and somewhat obsessive – but I’ve really enjoyed having control over everything from cover to content to timelines. And it’s been wonderful to make living from writing, too. That said, like any business, sales can fluctuate, depending on many factors. You don’t have the security of an advance from a publisher, so that can be a little daunting.

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A Moment With…Julie Cohen

Published November 30, 2014 | By Laura

This is it. Day thirty of National Novel Writing Month. Well done to all who have finished, good luck to all the people who are still going and if you didn’t manage it, you’ve still got words written that you didn’t have when you began which is fantastic. Today, Julie Cohen joins us to chat about her editing process (she uses Post-its and I have to say I like her style.)

After I’ve finished the first (very rough) draft of my novel, I usually have a list of all the things I want to change. I write it all down as instructions to myself.
After that, I often spend some time analysing what I’ve written. I find that Post-Its are really handy for this. I outline the entire book, event by event, using colour-coded Post-Its for each story thread. Then I arrange in them in order on the wall, or on paper.
This method lets me see all of the story at a glance. It can make it much easier to understand where you’ve got problems, and to see where new parts can fit, or irrelevant parts need to be cut.
Here’s a picture of one of my novels after it’s had the Post-It treatment.

Julie is the best-selling author of Getting Away With It and Dear Thing and Where Loves Lies (which was released by Bantam Press on 31st July.) To find out more about Julie, visit her website: http://www.julie-cohen.com

A Moment With…Jane Fallon

Published November 29, 2014 | By Laura

Jane Fallon’s books include Getting Rid of Matthew, Foursome and Got You Back. Her latest, Skeletons was released by Penguin earlier this year. She’s also a producer whose credits include Teachers and This Life. On day twenty-nine of National Novel Writing Month, she talks to us about supporting characters:

Your supporting characters create your world. They’re your colour and texture. Without them your book will feel two-dimensional and flat. Every character, however small a part they play needs to feel authentic and alive. It’s always a temptation to try to use shorthand to get across a character who is only going to appear a few times in your book. Everyone understands a cliche. But if you do that your reader is going to lose their sense of disbelief. You’ve asked them to immerse themselves into the world you’ve created so it’s important that world never feels cliched or flimsy. Make sure they’re as real as your leads.
Lesser characters can also be like a breath of fresh air – light relief, a pause from the intensity of the main story. They can throw a different light on your main characters. allowing us to see our heroes in a different way. They are what makes us feel we have entered a world that exists whether we’re there or not. Don’t underestimate them.

To find out more about Jane, visit her website: http://www.janefallon.co.uk

A Moment With…Cathie Hartigan

Published November 29, 2014 | By Laura

Cathie Hartigan-

Cathie Hartigan-

National Novel Writing Month finishes tomorrow. I can’t believe we are almost at the end of another year. I hope you’ve had a good month. If you’re still going; that 50,000 word goal still being elusive, you can do it! Today, Cathie Hartigan talks about whether there is a right place to write:

Is there a right place to write? Perhaps there is, but it certainly isn’t the same place for everyone. I’ve met writers who can only work in a café or with the television on and those who need complete silence and become all night long writers. My friend and colleague, novelist Sophie Duffy writes in a lovely shed at the bottom of her garden, although she also recommends writing in bed. Hopeless for me! I fall asleep almost immediately.

My writing space is doubles as the HQ for CreativeWritingMatters and it’s chock full of files, books, several computers and stationary for England. We all know writing is sedentary so in order to get some exercise and not be distracted by a sudden need to turn on the washing machine, I take myself to the wonderful Devon and Exeter Institution (it’s a library, honest!) as often as I can. There I can sit at a huge mahogany table, which has nothing on it except a fabulous shine. Perfect. I’m nose to screen until from across the green I hear the Cathedral clock strike five and it’s time for the library to close.

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Book News: Bella Osborne To Release Debut Novel

Published November 20, 2014 | By Laura

Bella Osborne

It-Started-at-Sunset-Cottage-Cover

Harper Impulse, Feb 2015

I am so delighted that Bella Osborne (from our Bella’s Scribblings column,) has secured a two book deal with Harper Impulse (an imprint of Harper Collins.) The cover for her debut novel, It Started at Sunset Cottage has been revealed by Harper Impulse and I LOVE IT. So pretty.

It sounds fantastic and we want to say congratulations to Bella. Her novel is due for release in electronic form on 12th February 2015 followed by the paperback release on 23rd April 2015.

About It Started at Sunset Cottage:

Kate Marshall is slowly getting her life back on track after losing her fiancé. As an author she has been able to hide herself away from the world and its expectations – but now one of her books has been optioned for a film and Hollywood suddenly comes knocking on her door!

When Kate is given the opportunity to stay at a beautiful country retreat and concentrate on the screenplay, it’s an offer she can’t refuse. Encouraged by her best friend, sharp-tongued single mum Sarah, Kate sees it’s finally time to stop letting life pass her by.

Looking for confidence and inspiration in the idyllic Cotswolds countryside, the last thing Kate expects is for Timothy Calder, A-list actor and leading man in the movie adaptation of her book, to turn up on her doorstep, hoping to lie low after his latest tabloid scandal! But after a rocky start, with Tim narrowly avoiding death by watering can, they find they have a few things in common: a liking for Lady Grey tea, walnut whips and bad ‘knock knock’ jokes. Actually, the bad jokes are just Tim.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Going Back

Published October 24, 2014 | By Laura

Friday 24th October 2014: Going Back.

Fiction Friday is our weekly prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: Have you ever wished you could go back to a time and change it but going back knowing what you know now? After you fall over and bang your head, you find that you’ve gone back in time to an important point in your life – a crossroads for you and you have the chance to alter the outcome. Where do you go back to and what happens? It can be based on fact or you can completely make up the situation (if you are working on a character, where would they go back to?)

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Cover Reveal: The Forgotten Holocaust by Scott Mariani

Published October 24, 2014 | By Laura

We are very excited to be taking part in the cover reveal for the new release by Scott Mariani.

Ta-dah!

The new book is called The Forgotten Holocaust. It’s due to be released by Avon on 29th January 2015. It’s the latest adventure starting Ben Hope and we are looking forward to reading it.

About the book:

A lost, aimless and hard-drinking Ben Hope has wandered back to his old haunt in Ireland. The ex-SAS soldier is searching for peace, but trouble soon appeared when Kirsten Hall, a young journalist, is brutally murdered right in front of him. Unable to prevent it, Ben is driven by guilt to hunt down the killers. All he has to go on is a handful of clues from Kirsten’s research – but how can the journals of Lady Stamford, the wife of an English lord during the time of the Irish Great Famine, have put Kirsten in mortal danger?

Ben’s quest for the truth leads him across the world and finally Oklahoma, USA, where a deadly secret awaits. What connects the journals, a wealthy American politician and an intrigue surrounding the Irish Famine?

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Novel Kicks Chats To… Nicci Gerrard

Published October 24, 2014 | By Laura

Nicci Gerrard is one half of the writing duo, Nicci French. She is also the author of The Winter House, Missing Persons and The Moment You Were Gone. Her latest novel, The Twilight Hour was released by Penguin on 23rd October. We chat with Nicci about her writing, her new novel and her favourite word.

Hello Nicci. Thank you so much for joining us. Can you tell us about your novel, The Twilight Hour and how the idea originated?

Thanks so much for having me! And for asking me these questions.

The Twilight Hour is really about the past and present life of Eleanor Lee. Now in her nineties and blind, she needs to tidy away her life before her family discovers secrets that she has kept hidden for seven decades. She is about to be moved from her old house by the sea to a home and she employs a lost young man called Peter Mistley to go through all her papers and photos. Gradually he – and the reader – are drawn back into Eleanor’s turbulent history, her love and her guilt. I wanted the novel to shift between two times and to unwind a story that still has power over the present. I also wanted to show how the old – who are often invisible to us – contain all the selves they have ever been. Eleanor might be in her mid-nineties and close to her death, but she is also youthful, caustic, purposeful, passionate and complicated. She still has hopes and desires. She is brimful of memories.

I first thought of writing The Twilight Hour when I and my siblings were moving my very old and extremely frail parents out of the family home. It was very poignant, gathering together a life and packing it away, deciding what to keep and what to discard We came across a film of their wedding day, and that ghostly sense of their young and radiant selves was powerfully moving.

Do you plan much before a novel and do you edit as you go?

I do plan – or at least, I have to have a sense of the journey the novel will make and I have to know why I’m writing it, what is its beating heart, if that makes sense. But then, my plan always goes awry, because of course a novel isn’t like a machine. It won’t obey you. Characters don’t want to do what you thought they should. They go their own way – and that’s good, it’s when the novel is working and taking on life.

I edit as I go – which often means throwing things away and starting again. And then when I’ve finished. And then after my agent has read it. And then after the publisher has read it….But often I think that I know from the start if something is working or not, and if it isn’t all the editing in the world can’t save it.

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October’s Book Corner: Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson

Published October 3, 2014 | By Laura

Book Corner is our monthly online book club.

How it works…

We love books and we love chatting about them even more. Anyone can take part in our book club. Every month, we pick a new book for discussion. We will post a question to kick things off and then you can talk about any of your thoughts about the book in the comments box below.

This month, our pick is Before I Go To Sleep by S.J Watson.

About the book:

Memories define us.

So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep?

Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love – all forgotten overnight.

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Blog Tour: The Rosie Effect Winner…

Published October 2, 2014 | By Laura

Thanks to Graeme, Penguin and FMcM Associates, we had ONE copy of The Rosie Effect to give away.

Well done to Derek Norton from Co Durham who has won a copy of the book.

About the book:

With the Wife Project complete, Don settles into a new job and married life in New York. But it’s not long before certain events are taken out of his control and it’s time to embark on a new project . . .

As Don tries to get to grips with the requirements of starting a family, his unusual research style gets him into trouble.

To make matters worse, Don has invited his closest friend to stay with them, but Gene is not exactly the best model for martial happiness. As Don’s life with Rosie continues to be unpredictable, he needs to remember that emotional support is just as important as practical expertise.

Join Don and Rosie in the next chapter of their weird and wonderful journey.

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion is published by Michael Joseph on 25th September, £14.99 hardback

Follow Graeme on Twitter: @GraemeSimsion

Review: After Before by Jemma Wayne

Published September 30, 2014 | By Laura

That was the day that Mama made the rules: If they come, run. Be quiet and run. But not together. Never together. If one is found, at least the other survives….
During a cold, British winter, three women reach crisis point. Emily, an immigrant survivor of the Rwandan genocide is existing but not living. Vera, a newly Christian Londoner is striving to live a moral life, her happiness constantly undermined by secrets from her past. Lynn, battling with an untimely disease, is consumed by bitterness and resentment of what she hasn’t achieved and what has been snatched from her.
Each suffering their own demons, their lives have been torn open by betrayal: by other people, by themselves, by life itself. But as their paths interweave, they begin to unravel their beleaguered pasts, and inadvertently change each other’s futures.

After Before follows the lives (before and after) of three women, all living in London. The overall idea of the story was very interesting. I like stories where characters who are apparently strangers are then brought together and become connected and where history is gradually revealed. In my opinion, flashbacks are used well and don’t stall the story in any way.

To me, this is a story of forgiveness and acceptance.

The plot elements concerning each of the three women are all interesting and compelling (and in parts outright heart-breaking.) I didn’t find myself favouring any story over another and I didn’t find that I was battling through one character’s story in order to get back to another.

Emily is alone in the city having escaped the Rwandan genocide. Deciding to make something more of herself, she decides to train to be a carer as she tries to escape the memories of her past. Emily is lost and vulnerable and from the beginning you sense that there is a huge part of her she is holding back. The book starts with Emily’s story and it immediately pulled me into the story. I was intrigued as to how she would develop as a character.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Building Suspense

Published September 26, 2014 | By Laura

Friday 26th September 2104: Suspense.

Fiction Friday is our weekly prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: Carry on from this sentence (max word count, 1,000.) Build the suspense the further you get into the story.

‘I don’t know what will happen if you flick that switch. I have never tired to find out what it does.’

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Blog Tour: Win a Copy of The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

Published September 23, 2014 | By Laura

Thanks to Graeme, Penguin and FMcM Associates, we have ONE copy of The Rosie Effect to give away.

About the book:

With the Wife Project complete, Don settles into a new job and married life in New York. But it’s not long before certain events are taken out of his control and it’s time to embark on a new project . . .

As Don tries to get to grips with the requirements of starting a family, his unusual research style gets him into trouble.

To make matters worse, Don has invited his closest friend to stay with them, but Gene is not exactly the best model for martial happiness. As Don’s life with Rosie continues to be unpredictable, he needs to remember that emotional support is just as important as practical expertise.

Join Don and Rosie in the next chapter of their weird and wonderful journey.

How to enter:

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Blog Tour: Review – The Rosie Effect

Published September 23, 2014 | By Laura

With the Wife Project complete, Don settles into a new job and married life in New York. But it’s not long before certain events are taken out of his control and it’s time to embark on a new project . . .

As Don tries to get to grips with the requirements of starting a family, his unusual research style gets him into trouble.

To make matters worse, Don has invited his closest friend to stay with them, but Gene is not exactly the best model for martial happiness. As Don’s life with Rosie continues to be unpredictable, he needs to remember that emotional support is just as important as practical expertise.

Join Don and Rosie in the next chapter of their weird and wonderful journey.

I have been looking forward to this book for months. I loved The Rosie Project so there was a little bit of an expectation with this follow-up. I don’t think you’d be able to read this one without reading The Rosie Project first. It doesn’t stand on its own.

It picks up where The Rosie Project left off. Don and Rosie are now married and are living in New York (I love this fact as New York is one of my favourite cities. I had my honeymoon there.)

I have to say, it was so lovely being back in Don’s company. He’s like a friend I’d not seen in a while. There is something so nice and endearing about him and something interesting in how he sees the world. He’s become one of my favourite characters. It was nice to catch up with the other characters in this book but to be honest, both books for me are about Don and how he copes with the world around him and this book certainly gives him loads to try and cope with. His and Rosie’s relationship is tested and some of what they go through can be very relatable.

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Blog Tour: The Rosie Effect

Published September 23, 2014 | By Laura

We are very delighted to be welcoming Graeme Simsion to our blog today and his blog tour for his new novel, The Rosie Effect which is the follow-up to the fantastic, The Rosie Project. Graeme talks to us about how writing much of the novel in New York influenced it.

I had about half of The Rosie Effect drafted, and a clear idea of where it was going, when I arrived in New York with my wife for three weeks in December 2013. We had spent seven months there in 2010, and this was a chance to catch up with friends and revisit favourite places. A holiday: but I had vague intentions of working on the novel, which I felt would benefit from being written ‘on location’. By the time we arrived, those intentions had crystallised into a plan: I would try to write two thousand words every day and finish the draft. As motivation, I promised myself that any day on which I failed to meet the target would be an alcohol-free day.

One of the pleasures of NYC is its bars and restaurants, and I’m a reasonably enthusiastic consumer of wine and the occasional cocktail (‘occasional’ meaning ‘on the occasion of being in New York and it being evening’). I didn’t miss a day. My wife was particularly impressed to find me up at 7 a.m. on Christmas morning, writing diligently. We had champagne with the turkey.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: A Document

Published September 19, 2014 | By Laura

Friday 19th September 2014.

Fiction Friday is our weekly prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: You find a document about your life. As you begin to read about the current day, things from the page start to happen in real life. Continue on the story. What happens next?

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Bella’s Scribblings: Post Holiday Blues (PHB)

Published September 18, 2014 | By Laura

Bella Osborne

Oh my word it’s hard being back at the proper job! All those wonderful days relaxing in the sun are so quickly a distant memory as you walk back into the office, open your in-box and start catching up. It all takes so much effort to keep your brain focussed in the room and not wandering off back to that sun lounger by the pool, with the warmth of the sun of your skin, the gentle breeze and the distant laughter of children splashing in the pool… sorry what was I saying? Yes, keeping your attention on the day job is tricky, but essential, because it’s the one that pays the bills.

Somehow after a holiday it all seems just a little bit more pointless than it did before you went away. Before you went on holiday, you were excited about the plans for the second half of 2014, you knew you were adding value, heck you actually enjoyed your job but something has changed. Of course nothing has actually changed – it’s just post holiday blues (PHB).

So question is how best to overcome them? There are probably quite a few right answers for this but here’s just a few suggestions that I tried:

Cake – no don’t laugh, I’m serious. There isn’t much that can’t be solved with cake. Also if you share it with others it means less calories and lard points for you and a kind gesture to others suffering from PHB.

Tea or Coffee – More frequent tea/coffee runs gets you away from your desk, which stretches your legs and gets the circulation going again. Giving yourself a break from a computer screen is good for your eyes. So physically this is a good thing.

Lists – I love lists. It may be because they involve stationery and I have a proper fetish about stationery but any list is a good way to concentrate on the ‘must do’ things. Just take it one day at a time. Too much on the list makes it a ‘laugh and tear up’ list, you need it to feel achievable. You will also feel great as you tick things off your list. Make the first item on the list – Make a list!

Choices – You do have a choice. You don’t have to do the day job. You could quit and do something completely different or do nothing at all but you choose to stick with what you know. Sometimes it helps to accept that it is your choice to stay in your current job, you could choose to leave but you dislike the alternatives more than staying so you choose to stay. Oh yes you do – I’m not saying it’s a great choice but it is a choice!

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Book News: R.S Pateman

Published September 18, 2014 | By Laura

The Prophecy of Bees is the new book from the author of The Secret Life of Amy Archer.

I loved R.S.Pateman’s first novel and so I am looking forward to reading his second novel. It’s due for release by Orion in hardback and e-book on 20th November 2014 and then in paperback on 31st December 2015.

About The Prophecy of Bees.

Moving to Stagcote Manor was meant to be a fresh start for Lindy and her teenage daughter Izzy. A chance at a new life in the country after things went so wrong in London. But for Izzy it is a prison sentence.

There’s something about the house that she can’t quite put her finger on. Something strange and unnerving. As Izzy begins to explore the manor and the village beyond its walls, she discovers the locals have a lot of bizarre superstitions and beliefs. Many of them related to the manor . . . and those who live there.

When Izzy begins to investigate the history of the estate, her unease deepens to fear as the house’s chilling past finally comes to light.

The Prophecy of Bees is available for pre-order

Read our review of The Second Life of Amy Archer.

Writing Room: Photo Prompt

Published September 18, 2014 | By Laura

Writing Room is our online writing group.

We post a prompt. Once you’ve written your piece, post it in the comments box below. Anyone is welcome to take part and it’s an opportunity to post work plus give and gain feedback.

Today’s prompt: Pathway.

Photos can be great for inspiration. What does this photo make you think about? Does it inspire a story? Using this photo, make a list of all the words and themes it makes you think of and then write a story between 500-1000 words.

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