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.

Take Mum Out Blog Tour: We chat to Fiona Gibson.

Published March 13, 2014 | By Laura

We’re delighted to be part of Fiona’s blog tour for her new book, Take Mum Out which is published by Avon today.

Fiona Gibson is also the author of other titles including The Great Escape and Mum on the Run. We will be reviewing Take Mum Out later today but first, we chat to Fiona about her new book, her favourite night out and her advice for writers.

Can you tell us about your book, Take Mum Out?

Alice is a single mum to two teenage boys. Although she’s not desperate to meet a man, her three best friends have other ideas. They hatch a plan where they’ll each present her with an eligible, hand-picked man – all Alice has to do is choose her favourite. This book was huge fun to write, as there are first date horrors galore – plus, Alice has to deal with her sons’ scathing remarks, who can’t understand why she wants a boyfriend at all. ‘Presumably,’ she says, ‘I should interact only with tradespeople and the staff at Tesco Metro.’

What would be your idea of a perfect night out?

A few G&Ts in the Sheraton Hotel in Edinburgh – they have a mind-boggling selection of gins! Then dinner at somewhere like The Dogs, which is lively, fun and delicious. And my best friends from London would have come up for the occasion.

Continue reading →

Sue Moorcroft

Published March 12, 2014 | By Laura

Sue Moorcroft is the author of Want to Know a Secret, Starting Over and Is This Love?

Sue Moorcroft

Sue also contributed to Truly Madly Deeply which is a collection of stories with other authors including, Carole Matthews, Adele Parks and Katie Fforde. We chat to Sue about her advice for writers, whether she’s a planner and her favourite word.

What makes you laugh?

Verbal wit, usually. I don’t watch a lot of TV but I do love QI and Have I Got News for You? I’m also a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory, which is one of the best and most consistent comedies I’ve seen. I love sharing chat and laughter over a meal with my friends. And teenagers are just inherently funny. It’s their world view, I think.

Is there a fictional character you’d like to meet? Is there one you’d like to swap with for a day?

This is incredibly self-important of me, but I’d love to meet one of my own characters, Ratty, from Starting Over. I think he was the first hero I got right, and he’s been one of my most popular; the only one of my heroes to have received his own fan mail. If I’m allowed to choose Ratty then I would like to be Tess, my heroine from the same book. Preferably on one of the days when Ratty’s not irritated with her.

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Deeper by Robin York.

Published March 10, 2014 | By Laura

Piatkus, Jan 2014.

Deeper is the first book in the Caroline & West Series.

Book Review by Laura.

Caroline has a promising future as a lawyer. That’s until her ex boyfriend posts some sex pictures of her on the Internet in an act called ‘revenge porn.’ Now her future isn’t looking so bright and she doesn’t know what to do to make things right. Then, when a boy she barely knows punches her ex, Caroline finds herself getting closer to a boy that she knows isn’t good for her.

West is not someone she should be with. She knows this and even though they both tell each other that they are just friends, their feelings intensify until they can no longer pretend.

In this time, Caroline doesn’t know what she wants to do but has to find courage to fight back.

I didn’t know whether I was going to like this book because I have to admit, I assumed it was going to be a little ‘shades of grey’ genre but I was very pleasantly surprised and once I began to read, I couldn’t put it down and I feel so bad for having mentally put it in that category. Caroline and West were interesting characters to get to know. Apparent complete opposites but both of them are searching for something. It was good to see their relationship develop and it got to the point where I was willing them to kiss.

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Robin York/Deeper Blog Tour: NK Chats to Robin York.

Published March 10, 2014 | By Laura

Robin York, also known as Ruthie Knox, is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance.

Robin York

We are very delighted to be part of Robin’s blog tour for her new novel, Deeper, which was released on 6th March. Robin tells us about her new book, her best moment as a writer so far and her advice for aspiring writers.

What is Deeper about?

Deeper is a love story and a coming-into-adulthood story. It focuses primarily on Caroline, a college sophomore who is struggling after her ex-boyfriend publishes sexually explicit pictures of her on the Internet, along with her full name, her location, and her Facebook page. Caroline is smart and ambitious — she wants to go to law school and become a judge, like her father — so when these pictures go viral it threatens not just her sense of self-worth, but also her future. What we see over the course of the novel is how Caroline adjusts and comes to terms with what happened to her, partly on her own, partly in a relationship with West Leavitt, a guy she’s always considered dangerous but who she can’t seem to stay away from. Eventually, we get to see her grow into a kind of fierce righteousness that is very satisfying.

Is there a book you’ve read that has made an impact on you?

I’ve never read another book about revenge porn, but certainly I’ve been influenced by all sorts of novels. One of my favorite New Adult novels is Charlotte Stein’s Sheltered, which is a beautiful story of a young woman from a very strict fundamentalist religious family who is falling in love — and experiencing a sexual awakening — with a dangerous-seeming stranger.

Continue reading →

Events

Published March 7, 2014 | By Laura

By Maria Vassilopoulos.

Book events can be held at any time of year and either in store, online or at literary festivals. It is a chance to tell your direct audience about your product. It is a chance to sell your product. Christmas may seem like an ideal time to hold a book reading or event, but bear in mind just as your social calendar may get busy, so will the bookstores. They will be gearing up for their busiest time of year and might not have the facilities to host events at this time (Think staff and more demanding customers).

However some stores hold Christmas events where a number of authors attend and get table space in order to sign copies so it may be worth doing some research in your area to see whether this happens at your local bookstore – you may even want to suggest it.

Other good times to hold events are during the spring when festivals start happening and stores need to keep customers coming into them – Christmas is only once a year and so events provide community interest in the bookstores when that’s not there.

There are a few types of event format: Continue reading →

Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Published March 7, 2014 | By Laura

Novel Kicks talks to Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Barbara Taylor Bradford started writing fiction when she was seven years old and sold her first short story when she was ten. Her first novel, A Woman of Substance was published in 1979. She’s had 29 novels published including her latest book, Cavendon Hall released in January.

What do you think appeals to people when it comes to the saga?

Someone once suggested that I write novels about large families because I am an only child. And my husband is an only child. But I don’t think this is really the reason. I love writing about large families because of the relationships, and the most terrible things happen in families. So I have plenty of drama, emotions, and intrigue to carry me through.

Continue reading →

Magical Objects

Published March 7, 2014 | By Laura

Fiction Friday: Magical Objects.

Fiction Friday

Every Friday is Fiction Friday. We post a prompt. You write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’re done, you don’t edit. Just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: You come across a seemingly ordinary object. It can be anything – a scarf, shoes, a lamp, a remote for the TV. You almost discard it but then magical things start to happen. When you realise it’s this object making things happen, you decide to keep and use it. What happens next?

Gretel in The Dark by Eliza Granville.

Published March 6, 2014 | By Laura

The mysterious fairytale based novel set across two different centuries.

Hamish Hamilton, Feb 2014.

Gretel in the Dark focuses on two time zones – 1899 in Vienna with Dr Josef Breuer and then years later in Germany around World War II which is where we are introduced to Krysta.

Dr Breuer has a new patient who brings mystery. Found in the middle of the night and brought to his home, the girl has no name and claims to not even be human and that she is there to kill the monster.

Krysta is a young girl who is sheltered by her father, (he works in the infirmary with the ‘animal people.’) She spends her days listening to the fairy stories made up by Greet, the house servant. Tragedy then strikes and Krysta is forced into a concentration camp.

The idea of this book intrigued me from the moment I read the synopsis and when I started reading, I couldn’t stop or put it down (even when I was meant to be sleeping before a night shift.) Continue reading →

Paige Toon Reveals The Cover For New Book.

Published March 6, 2014 | By Laura

Simon & Schuster, 2014.

Thirteen Weddings by Paige Toon.

Paige Toon revealed the cover for her new book earlier this week and we think it’s very pretty. The novel is called Thirteen Weddings and will be released on 22nd May 2014. It sounds great.

About The Book:

Last year, Bronte left Sydney for a wedding in England, where she met newly single Alex. After a night of passion they parted ways, and Bronte returned to Australia. Now working on a picture desk for a magazine in London, Bronte is about to meet her new colleague, who turns out to be all too familiar. Although awkward at first, as Alex is now engaged to the girl he was on a break from when they met, they soon become friends. In her free time, Bronte is a wedding photographer, so Alex enlists her to do his wedding. Unable to refuse, Bronte is stuck with the job. But as the two get closer, and the wedding day looms, it is clear that Alex and Bronte have unfinished business… Will Alex leave his bride at the altar, or will Bronte be forced to photograph the wedding of the man she herself should be marrying? A charming bittersweet novel from the author of The Longest Holiday.

Books To Movies – Part Two.

Published March 6, 2014 | By Laura

Films being adapted into movies.

Last week we listed some of our favourite book to movie adaptations. With so many books still being the inspiration for movies, there are quite a few being adapted into films over the coming year. Here are some of the ones we’re looking forward to seeing.

The Fault in Our Stars.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by John Green, this is about Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters who meet at a Kids Cancer Support Group. The two teenagers bond over many things, including the novel, An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten. I am fairly new to John Green’s novels and blogs but from the moment I began reading this book last year, I fell in love with it. It’s such a beautiful, bittersweet love story and proof that young adult novels don’t have to be confined that audience. I am looking forward to seeing this adaptation. Anyone who follows John Green’s ‘Vlog Brothers’ posts will know that Green has been a regular visitor to the set. This has somehow given me confidence that the movie is being done right. The trailer had an enormous amount of hits within twenty-four hours of its release and it looks great. The film will star Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace, Ansel Elgorth as Augustus and Willem Defoe as Peter Van Houten. It’s due for release in June 2014.

(Temple Hill Entertainment/20th Century Fox.)

Continue reading →

Portia MacIntosh

Published March 5, 2014 | By Laura

My Constantly Changing Writing Space.

I started writing novels as a way to tell the world about my experiences touring with bands – something I have been doing since I was fifteen-years-old, and I’m in my mid twenties now. I wanted to tell my stories anonymously, so using them to inspire works of fiction seemed like the best way to do it.

The thing is, when I started working on Between a Rockstar and a Hard Place and How Not to be Starstruck, I had no idea that one day a publisher like Carina would pick them up, so I had to keep up the day job, and I had to keep myself in material. This meant touring with more bands (I’m not complaining, I love it) and trying to fit writing in around that, which was tricky at first.

When Novel Kicks asked me about my writing space, I realised that I didn’t have one. I hadn’t give it much thought, but soon realised that most people have their desk or place where they write and that’s where the magic happens – one thing I can say for certain, I haven’t ever written at a desk.

Continue reading →

New Arrivals.

Published March 5, 2014 | By Laura

New and Upcoming Arrivals.

We’ve received some great new books here at Novel Kicks and they are giving us a very good reason to snuggle up under a blanket with a book and a warm cup of tea. It’s all about romance this week….

The Sweetness of Liberty James by Janey Lewis.

First up is the new release from Janey Lewis. There seems to be lots of romance which is good enough for me.

Sweet-natured Liberty believes the recipe for her own happiness is making others happy, and she sets about gathering the ingredients for the perfect life. She does well at school, makes glamorous friends and marries her university sweetheart Percy, the heir to the Radley Bank fortune. Now all that’s missing is the icing on the cake: a baby. When a traumatic event changes everything, she finds herself on a journey to rediscover her love of food that takes her from Florence to the French Riviera and finally back home to the Sussex village of Littlehurst, with a crazy plan to open her own patisserie. With flirtatious Fred the blacksmith and the dark, brooding Edmund on her doorstep, will she finally find that elusive ingredient: love?

(Published by The Book Guild – 27th March 2014)

Continue reading →

Stick With What You Know?

Published March 4, 2014 | By Laura

As a new author, should you stick to what you know?

So you want to write a book? You have an idea, so now what? I have read so many fantastic books through my life so far. I have read romance, mystery, crime and historical novels and the one thing they have in common is that the author makes the act of writing a book look so easy… of course, it isn’t. It can be rewarding and fun but can be frustrating; sometimes banging your head against a brick wall seems more productive than trying to complete the word count you’re trying to write.

Writing what you know may in many ways make it easier, right? Does it though? Yes, I think in some ways it can. Having previous knowledge of something adds depth to a plot or character.

Continue reading →

Jane Costello

Published March 3, 2014 | By Laura

The new novel from the author of The Wish List and Girl on The Run.

We love romance here at Novel Kicks (if you’ve not guessed already,) and we are looking forward to the new novel from Jane Costello, The Time of Our Lives.

Three best friends. One five-star hotel. Will it be the holiday of a lifetime …? Imogen and her friends Meredith and Nicola have had their fill of budget holidays, cattle-class flights and 6 a.m. offensives for a space by the pool. So when Meredith wins a VIP holiday at Barcelona’s hippest new hotel, they plan to sip champagne with the jet set, party with the glitterati and switch off in unapologetic luxury. But when the worst crisis of her working life erupts back home, Continue reading →

Jane Austen Short Story Award 2014

Published March 3, 2014 | By Laura

Short Fiction inspired by Austen’s Novels.

This competition celebrates the life and works of Jane Austen. The closing date is 31st March 2014 so there is still time to enter.

They are looking for short stories of 2,000-2,500 words in length.

The theme is ‘a character from one of Jane Austen’s novels’. You can be inspired from any character, male or female. He or she must be recognisable in terms of personality and name but your story can be set in any location and in any time period. All genres are acceptable (crime, romance, literary, ghost stories, sci fi, etc but not children’s stories.)

First prize is Continue reading →

Jon Rance

Published March 3, 2014 | By Laura

Jon Rance is the author of Happy Endings and This Thirtysomething Life.

Today, Jon talks about the book that has had the most impact on him..

There have been quite a few books that have influenced me over the years from the brilliant Catcher in the Rye as a teenager, to Mike Gayle’s Turning Thirty, but today I’m going to talk about One Day by David Nicholls.

For those who haven’t read it (which is probably no-one), it’s a heartbreaking, funny, poignant, and romantic book following two people (Dex and Em) over twenty years on the same day each year.

The reason this book had such a huge impact on me is because it wasn’t just wonderfully written, the characters weren’t just incredibly well thought out and the plot wasn’t just gripping, but above all that it had this perfect and novel idea at the heart of it. Two people. Twenty years. One day.

You see the thing is, Continue reading →

Writing From A Different Perspective.

Published March 1, 2014 | By Laura

Writing Room is our online writing group.

Anyone can take part and post their work and this month, it’s all about seeing things differently.

Write about a past family gathering. Write the story in as much detail as possible, explaining what you saw, what you did, and how you felt. Then rewrite the same story from the perspective of someone else who was there. You can keep writing until you think it’s done or you could time yourself?

Once you’re done, post in the comments below.

Continue reading →

March – Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Published March 1, 2014 | By Laura

Phoenix, 2013.

Book Corner is our monthly online book club.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is our pick this month. We’ve heard good things about this book and we’re looking forward to reading it. Have you read it? Are you planning on reading it?

How this works: Anyone can take part in our book club; just simply comment below. I will be adding some questions relating to the book throughout the month.

A little about the book:

Who are you? Continue reading →

So You Think You’ve Finished?

Published February 28, 2014 | By Laura

That elusive ending…

I was sat in front of my PC a couple of days ago thinking, so what shall I write about in this my second Blog post? What pearls of wisdom shall I share? As usual when you have these thoughts, nothing comes to mind. Not really a surprise! Then, miracle of miracles, the clouds parted and blew away the cobwebs.

For about a week, I’ve been trying to write the ending of my second book, but I just couldn’t get that last paragraph right. No matter what was put down, it never looked or sounded ‘it’. Of course, what’s down now I’m not 100% happy with and I doubt if when I finally decide that I can’t make it any better that I will be either. But, it does mean that it’s finished. Approximately 6 – 7 months of toil. Okay, I did enjoy writing this much more than my first, but perhaps that’s because I actually like my lead character this time. Don’t ask me why I didn’t like her in the first, it just ended up that way and I’d rather not dwell on it.

So, it’s finished. Is it? Of course not, the hard work has only just begun. I believe there are those talented individuals out there Continue reading →

The List

Published February 28, 2014 | By Laura

Fiction Friday

Which three things would your character like to try?

Fiction Friday: 28th february 2014.

List three activities that you could have your character doing. It could be anything from sky diving to a road trip from one end of the country to the other. Once you have your three things, pick one. If you are working on something at the moment, use your main character and write from the point of view of your character whilst they try this activity. If you’ve not got a character, open the book nearest to you and pick a name from there.

Write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going. Once you’re done, don’t edit. Just post.

Continue reading →

Undreamed by Paul Western-Pittard

Published February 27, 2014 | By Laura

Published by Paul Western-Pittard -Sept 2012)

Review by Helen Jackson.

Undreamed is a dark psychological thriller that tells the tale of Alice, a woman trapped between reality and a dream.

Alice is trapped in a nightmare. She leads two lives, both real to her, both flawless in their logic and texture, both filled with people that she loves and hates. One of these is a dream. She has no way of knowing which. A borderline junkie-heiress in Manhattan, or a recovering psych patient in Sydney, when Alice sleeps in one life, she wakes into the other.

Other than her own memory of them, her worlds are separate and seamless. In both her lives she tries to find clues to discover the root of her sickness, but nothing crosses over. She may as well be two completely different people. Caught in this impossible status quo, never able to bring herself to believe that the life she’s leading is true, Alice is trapped. Not believing either, she believes nothing. Then one day, her lives are fractured when something does cross over. First in Sydney then Manhattan, Alice meets a girl dressed in green. She knows this girl for what she is: the key to her escape. But as she unravels the girl’s secret, the realities of not one but both lives are challenged.

The question becomes: who is it that she’s really waking?

Continue reading →

Our Favourite Things: Book to Film Adaptations

Published February 27, 2014 | By Laura

It was hard to pick but here are some of our favourite book to film adaptations.

I love books. I try to read the book before I see a movie else I can’t form it properly in my imagination and it spoils the book if I do then try to read it. I prefer the stories in book form but these are five of the adaptations we think were great.

The Taming of The Shrew/10 Things I Hate About You.

Yes, OK, this is essentially a teen movie adapted from one of the great Shakespearian plays. It’s been given a modern twist and is set in a Seattle high school but I just happen to think it’s a great film. There were many Shakespeare references too, (Stafford sisters.) Of course it’s not a serious film (the part with Can’t Take My Eyes off You is testament to that,) but it’s funny and by the end, you have a warm fuzzy heart-warming feeling. Plus there was Heath Ledger. It was worth watching just for him. A fun, tongue in cheek, light-hearted adaptation that you can re-watch and still love – definitely one of our favourites.

(The Taming of the Shrew: William Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library. 10 Things I Hate About You: Touchstone/Buena Vista, 1999.)

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption/The Shawshank Redemption.

This film was adapted from the novella by Stephen King. Although The Green Mile was Continue reading →

Graeme Simsion

Published February 26, 2014 | By Laura

Graeme Simsion (photo: Michael Clayton-Jones)

Graeme Simsion’s brilliant debut, The Rosie Project has been our book corner title this month.

It began life as a screenplay before he wrote the novel. Graeme joins us to talk about his new book, his favourite word and editing.

Can you tell us about your book, The Rosie Project?

The Rosie Project is the story of Don Tillman, a socially-challenged genetics professor, and his search for a life partner. Don constructs a 16-page questionnaire to find the perfect woman. Instead he finds Rosie, a woman who ticks none of the boxes, but who requires his help to find her biological father through surreptitious DNA testing of the candidates – every male student in her mothers’ medical graduation class. It’s a comedy – but I like to think it explores some serious ideas and may provoke a few tears as well as laughter..

What’s your writing day like?

There’s no such thing as a typical writing day for me. I don’t write every day because I have other commitments (meeting readers and booksellers, answering questions from bloggers…) and because I spend time thinking about what I’ll write, or how I’ll improve what I’ve written. When I was working on the sequel Continue reading →

Giving The First Draft A Chance

Published February 26, 2014 | By Laura

Your first draft needs faith.

I have been thinking about my first draft a lot recently. When I am not trying to start it, I am thinking about it – how I want the story to go, the characters and their backgrounds, the odd piece of description or dialogue that I think could work (most of the time I manage to write things down before they disappear out of my head forever. I have had things disappear and then I curse myself for not keeping a notebook nearby but that’s for another post.)

There are a few ways in which I have attempted to begin my story as I try to figure out where to begin. Should I start it with dialogue? Inner monologue? That’s the problem – you over think and then the false starts pile up and before you know it, you have 1,000 words of roughly the same scene. I end up going back to the beginning as I convince myself that what I am reading isn’t good enough. I worry Continue reading →

Bella Osborne

Published February 26, 2014 | By Laura

Bella Osborne

Bella picks the book that’s impacted her the most.

This is a very difficult question to answer. A few obvious answers immediately flew to mind, like the Boden catalogue as this is a book that impacts my bank balance on an all too frequent occurrence. A little more thought brought my favourite childhood book to the fore which was ‘The One Hundred and One Dalmatians’ by Doddie Smith although the only real impact I think that book has had is my compulsion for things that are spotty (see earlier reference to Boden addiction).

There was a chicklit book that I once read that when I had persevered to the end it gave me the encouragement that if they had been published then I at least stood I fighting chance – book and author will of course remain nameless.

When you sit down and really think about it, it’s amazing how many books you have read and loved and remember fondly. I love a bit of poetry so Wendy Cope would always make it into my top five books but to choose just one is a hard task.

So after a few cups of tea Continue reading →

Which Classics?

Published February 25, 2014 | By Laura

Which Classic Novel Should You Read?

There are many novels that are considered classics. When I began to list the ‘great novels,’ it amazed me to see how many of them I’d not read. Despite reading many things about it, I’ve not read A Catcher in the Rye. I own a copy but have never got past that. It just sits on my shelf hoping that one day I will get around to reading it.

Lord of The Rings is another example. I read The Fellowship of The Ring but then gave up in the middle of The Two Towers and never got to The Return of The King. I decided to watch the movies instead.

There are many other great novels Continue reading →

Rosie Blake

Published February 25, 2014 | By Laura

How To Get A (Love) Life is the brilliant debut novel from Rosie Blake.

It was published by Novelicious Books in January and we are very delighted to take part in Rosie’s blog tour. Rosie joins us for a chat – favourite words, ideal dinner guests, Albus Dumbledore and Charmed.

Hi Rosie, can you tell us a little about How to Get a (Love) Life?

The story focusses on Nicola Brown, an uptight and introverted young woman who has never had a date on Valentine’s Day. Following a bet with a work colleague, Nicola has to put aside her hang ups to go on as many dates as she possibly can in order to find the perfect man in time for February 14th. Of course, lots of hijinks ensue including a disastrous date or two.

Can you give us a few fun facts about Nicola?

Fun facts about Nicola! Of course! She likes to eat her chocolate mini roll at a certain time of the day, keep the cellophane on all her furniture and make long lists about … wait … did you say fun? Oh. Erm. Yeah.

Continue reading →

We Review How To Get A (Love) Life by Rosie Blake

Published February 25, 2014 | By Laura

The Dare: To Get a Love Life by Valentine’s Day.

Nicola has success in her professional life (she enjoys her job working for a talent agency,) she loves her family (even though her mother can be hard work,) and she has lovely friends. However, she doesn’t have a boyfriend and when her colleague, Caroline, discovers that Nicola has never had a boyfriend for Valentine’s Day, she sets Nicola a challenge to get a love life and that she needs to find herself a man by Valentine’s Day. For a girl set in her ways (and frankly has a case of OCD,) this isn’t an easy task.

Nicola’s important quest begins with some awful dates with horrible sounding men and at times, it was cringe worthy to read – I felt sorry for Nicola. The book was great and had me laughing out loud in some places.

Continue reading →

JoJo Moyes

Published February 24, 2014 | By Laura

The One Plus One is the new novel by the internationally bestselling author Jojo Moyes.

We’re huge fans of JoJo Moyes and we’re not embarrassed to admit that the ending of Me before You made us cry…just a little. We’re looking forward to reading the latest book which is called, The One Plus One. It’s being released by Penguin on 27th February. No long to wait.

About the book:

One single mum

With two jobs and two children, Jess Thomas does her best day after day. But it’s hard on your own. And sometimes you take risks you shouldn’t. Because you have to . . .

One chaotic family

Jess’s gifted, quirky daughter Tanzie is brilliant with numbers, but without a helping hand she’ll never get the chance to shine. And Nicky, Jess’s teenage stepson, can’t fight the bullies alone.

Continue reading →

Rosie Project Competition Winners

Published February 21, 2014 | By Laura

Penguin, 2014

And the winners are…

Thank you to all who entered our competition to win a copy of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.

Well done to our three winners: Caroline Stockwell from Clacton on Sea, Theresa Baker from Wakefield and Danny from London.

About the book…

‘I’m not good at understanding what other people want.’‘Tell me something I don’t know . . .’Love isn’t an exact science – but no one told Don Tillman. A thirty-nine-year-old geneticist, Don’s never had a second date. So he devises the Wife Project, a scientific test to find the perfect partner. Enter Rosie – ‘the world’s most incompatible woman’ – throwing Don’s safe, ordered life into chaos. But what is this unsettling, alien emotion he’s feeling?

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is published in paperback by Penguin, £7.99 paperback.

Mslexia 2014 Woman’s Short Story Competition

Published February 21, 2014 | By Laura

Mslexia’s Short Story Competition is now open.

Mslexia are looking for entrants to submit an unpublished short story for their 2014 Short Story competition.

Stories can be up to 2,200 words and can be on any subject so you can pick your theme and content. All winning stories will be featured in the Jun/Jul/Aug edition of Mslexia.

The judge will be Jane Rogers.

The first prize will be £2,000 plus you get two optional extras – a week’s writing retreat at beautiful Chawton House Library plus, you can also opt to have a day with a Virago editor.

Continue reading →

Easy Ways to Promote yourself…

Published February 21, 2014 | By Laura

By Maria Vassilopoulos – Organic Books.

When I worked as a bookseller, there were three main ways I would get asked for books by customers. One was if a certain celebrity or known person had written a book, people would come in and already know what they wanted – for example, the new Jamie Oliver or *insert celebrity’s name here’s* biography. The other one was by title or cover, some customers would actually ask for “that red book” or “that tractors in Ukraine book”. The last one was for children’s books and centred around the age suitability of chapter and picture books, “is this ok for my *age* child/friend’s child to read?” kinds of questions.

It’s important to think about these questions when promoting your book and others that customers may ask. Also, it’s paramount to make sure that the booksellers know about them too. I only recommended books I knew something about.

By something I am meaning any extra information or activity that goes with the actual book, including launches, events, media coverage (big or small) and the main gist of the plot. This helps when people walk into bookstores wanting booksellers to tell them about good content.

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NK Fiction Friday: Money Money Money

Published February 21, 2014 | By Laura

Fiction Friday

Fiction Friday – 21st February 2014.

The prompt for today’s fiction friday: You find a money clip on the ground whilst walking down the high street. It contains £10,000. What do you do next? Which problems does it create? Solve?

Write for five minutes minimum and then keep going. Once you’re finished, post in the comments box below.

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Favourite Character Names

Published February 20, 2014 | By Laura

Five of our favourite character names.

There have been many characters with great names over the years. Who would not have a soft spot for a bad boy named Rupert Campbell Black? Or want to look after a boy called Pip? Here are five of our favourites. Which ones would you add?

Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind, MGM (1939.)

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Giovanna Fletcher’s Second Book Announced

Published February 19, 2014 | By Laura

Giovanna Fletcher reveals the title and cover for her latest book.

We loved her debut novel and have been waiting with excitement for the follow-up to Billy and Me. The book is called You’re The One That I Want and it’s due for release by Penguin on 22nd May 2014. A beautiful cover, don’t you agree?

Victoria Fox

Published February 18, 2014 | By Laura

Victoria Fox offers her five writing tips.

1. Don’t stop until you reach ‘The End’ – you must have something entire to work on and edit, and it doesn’t matter if your first draft is raw.

2. Never give up. It’s trite, but true. You will face rejection at some point, no author gets away with this, and you must have faith and a thick skin.

3. Love what you’re writing. Is this the kind of book you would be excited to read? Have fun with it – this will inject so much life and energy into your voice.

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Robert Galbraith’s Second Novel Due in June

Published February 18, 2014 | By Laura

The Silkworm

A second outing for Cormoran Strike.

The second novel by Robert Galbraith (the pseudonym of J.K Rowling,) will be published by Little Brown. It will be the second novel to feature private detective, Cormoran Strike and his assistant, Robin Ellacott, the first book being, The cuckoo’s Calling.

This one, called The Silkworm, will feature a novelist who is brutally murdered after writing poison pen portraits of people he knows. Little Brown have described it as ‘a compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn.’

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days – as he has done before Continue reading →

Lynne North

Published February 18, 2014 | By Laura

Lynne North

Lynne North’s Best Writing Moment.

That has to be having my first book accepted by Ghostly Publishing, and having it launched at Earl’s Court Book Fair in London. You don’t get much bigger than that for a launch, do you?

Lynne North is the author of two children’s books, Caution: Witch in Progress’ and ‘Zac’s Destiny. For more information on Lynne and her books, visit her website.

A Novel Ending?

Published February 18, 2014 | By Laura

Which Novel Has The Best Ending?

The beginning of any book is important. That first sentence is used to draw your reader into your story, but it’s usually the ending of the book that stays with me. The great ones have you thinking about them long after you’ve read that last page and put the book down.

The Hunger Games is one example. A surprising ending (especially with the changes in power. I don’t want to give too much away,) and as a consequence, one that I am still thinking about and I finished that in the middle of last year.

I adored the ending to PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. I was sad that Gerry was gone but optimistic that Holly was going to be OK.

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CLIC Sargent’s Get in Character Campaign

Published February 17, 2014 | By Laura

Have you ever wanted your name immortalised in a book?

An amazing selection of authors have joined CLIC Sargent for the ‘Get in Character’ campaign. It’s a chance for you or a loved one to have your name used for a character in a book.

It’s a unique 10-day Ebay auction and the aim is to raise £10,000 to help provide clinical, practical and emotional support to children and young people who are fighting cancer as well as support for their families.

Authors taking part include, Continue reading →

Mystery Postbag

Published February 17, 2014 | By Laura

New and upcoming books that have arrived with us this week.

We are feeling the mystery this week with the recent arrivals at Novel Kicks and we like a good puzzle. Here are a selection of new and upcoming releases that are on our to read pile.

The Accident by C.L Taylor.

About a week ago, I started receiving black envelopes with 10th April 2014 stamp on the back. Inside, was a diary page saying, ‘this secret is killing me.’ I got two of these in total before a black box arrived, containing a copy of this book. It really helped build the mystery and I now can’t wait to read. It’s due for release in April.

Fast-paced and suspenseful The Accident is perfect for fans of Before I Go to Sleep, Gone Girl and Sophie Hannah. A gripping debut about the deadly secrets your children can keep … Sue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma she is forced to face a very dark reality. Retracing her daughter’s steps she finds a horrifying entry in Charlotte’s diary and is forced to head deep into Charlotte’s private world. In her hunt for evidence, Sue begins to mistrust everyone close to her daughter and she’s forced to look further, into the depths of her own past. Sue will do anything to protect her daughter. But what if she is the reason that Charlotte is in danger?

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Trisha Ashley

Published February 17, 2014 | By Laura

Simon & Schuster, 2012

Trisha Ashley talks about a book she’s read that’s made an impact on her.

One of the most memorable books I’ve read recently is Leah Fleming’s novel, The Captain’s Daughter. The story begins with the sinking of the Titanic and something that happens amid the ensuing carnage and confusion, which will have repercussions that echo down decades.

There’s more than one love story in this huge and sweeping epic and more than one kind of love, as the stories and lives of several families are entwined over the years. To say a novel took you on a journey is a cliché, but this one certainly did – and a mystery tour at that, since I found it impossible to guess where we were going until we got there. I don’t want to give anything away if you haven’t read it, but the resolution literally hangs by a lacy thread…

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Diary of an UnSmug Married Blog Tour: Novel Kicks chats to Polly James.

Published February 16, 2014 | By Laura

Polly James

We are very happy to be part of the blog tour for Polly James and her debut novel, Diary of an UnSmug Married.

We had a chat with Polly to ask about her book, her ideal dinner guests and who she would like to swap places with for a day…

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given?

I can’t recall who it was who told me to read everything I write out loud, but it’s definitely the most useful advice they could ever have given me. It’s so much easier to tell if your dialogue sounds natural or whether something makes sense if you say it aloud, and it helps with comic timing, too.

I write a lot of dialogue, as I think it’s one of the best ways to help the reader get to know the characters you’ve created, and Diary of an Unsmug Married is written in the first person, so it was particularly important that Molly (who’s the main character) should have a distinctive and believable voice – because she’s the one telling everyone else’s story, as well as her own.

I found it much easier to decide if something I’d written sounded like something she would actually say when I read it out loud, and I think doing that is what helped me to bring her alive – or that’s what I hope readers of Molly’s story will think, anyway!

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Book Review: Diary of An Unsmug Married by Polly James

Published February 16, 2014 | By Laura

Diary of an Unsmug Married by Polly James is published by Avon (February 2014,) and is available in paperback and e-book.

The blurb:

What happens to love when life gets in the way?
Meet Molly Bennett. Married to Max and mother to two warring teenagers, she’s just ‘celebrated’ a significant birthday. Bridget Jones would call Molly a “smug married”. So why doesn’t she feel it? Is it because everyone seems to be having a better time of it than her? Or is it that Max has started showing more interest in ‘business trips’ and less interest in their sex life? Molly begins to despair. And then an old school friend starts flirting with her through Facebook …

I had not read the fictional columns on which this book is based so I had no idea what to expect (however, I am a huge fan of Adrian Mole and Bridget Jones. This book has been compared to both.)
Molly is what Bridget would describe as a smug married. She has a job working for a back bench labour MP called Andrew (who she calls the boss.) He’s a little bit of a liability to her and Greg (a colleague.) She has a mother who has a Continue reading →

Win a Copy of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Published February 15, 2014 | By Laura

Penguin, 2014

We have three copies of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion to give away.

To celebrate The Rosie Project being our book club title for February, we’ve got three copies of the book to give away.

About the book…

‘I’m not good at understanding what other people want.’‘Tell me something I don’t know . . .’Love isn’t an exact science – but no one told Don Tillman. A thirty-nine-year-old geneticist, Don’s never had a second date. So he devises the Wife Project, a scientific test to find the perfect partner. Enter Rosie Continue reading →

International Book Giving Day – 14th February.

Published February 14, 2014 | By Laura

Today is International Book Giving Day.

International Book Giving Day is a day dedicated to getting new, used, and borrowed books into the hands of as many children as possible, to share the love of books & the generosity of giving … all on a day synonymous with love. It’s run on a purely voluntary basis by a team of dedicated children’s book enthusiasts from around the world, highlighting the importance of books for children.

It was built and created by Amy Broadmoore, founder of the American children’s book website, Delightful Children’s Books, in 2012. Inspired by her son’s desire to ‘invent a holiday when people gave books to each other’, the determination to link that with Valentine’s Day was born just 10 days before the day itself!

‘People not only give books to kids in their communities, they also share stories and photos via Twitter, Facebook and International Book Giving Day’s website. Connecting with others who are giving books to kids, is part of what makes this an inspiring holiday,’ says Amy.

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Winners – It Felt Like a Kiss

Published February 14, 2014 | By Laura

Published by Corgi, Jan 2014

Five winners announced in our ‘It Felt Like A Kiss’ competition.

Thank you to all who entered our competition. Five winners have now been picked at random.

Well done to: Dawn Totton from Newcastle Upon Tyne, Victoria Cunniff from Wigan, Gail Reid from Catterick Garrison, Diane Moston from Southampton and Clint Howat from Carlisle who have all won a copy.

About the book:

Ellie Cohen is living her dream. A great job at an exclusive Mayfair art gallery, loyal mates, loving family, and really, really good hair. Well, there’s the famous rock-star father who refuses to acknowledge her and a succession of ‘challenging’ boyfriends, but nobody’s Continue reading →

Musings of an Aspiring (Male) Romantic Writer

Published February 14, 2014 | By Laura

Mick Arnold

We’re happy to welcome Mick Arnold to his very own column, Mick’s Musings.

I suppose you could trace my writing aspirations back to Christmas 2010 when my wife had just finished reading what I generically termed a ‘Chick-lit’ book and insisted that I must read it and kept on persuading me until I relented. Two days and not much in the way of sleep later and I’d finished. Then I read it again; and again and after another two days, I woke up with this idea for a story in my head. I recall that I was reminded that I hadn’t eaten ten hours and about thirty (probably unreadable) pages of A4 later.

Annie Sanders; ladies, you have a lot to answer for. Prior to this book, I was likely an a typical male reader. You know the stuff. Science-fiction, fantasy. I still read Terry Pratchett, so I can still claim a degree of expected male testosterone, but now my shelves show a majority of Carole Matthews, Trisha Ashley and Miranda Dickinson alongside Mr Pratchett. So perhaps, in hindsight, it’s not that surprising that I write in the genre I do. Whether these Continue reading →

Is it Love?

Published February 14, 2014 | By Laura

Fiction Friday

Fiction Friday: Friday 14th February 2014: Is it Love?

For today’s prompt, it’s all about love (as it’s Valentine’s Day.) Your two main characters are Lucy and Tom. Have they just met? Are they are at a turning point in their relationship? Is it about to end? That’s all your choice. What will you have happen to Lucy and Tom?

Write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Don’t edit, just post in the comments below.

Writing Tips – Graeme Simsion

Published February 13, 2014 | By Laura

Graeme Simsion (photo: Michael Clayton-Jones)

Graeme offers his five writing tips.

1. Enrol in a writing class – or at least join a writers’ group. A class will give you theory, discipline, feedback, industry savvy and encouragement.

2. Plan. Yes, some writers write by the ‘seat of their pants’ without a plan, and if that works for you, good luck and I’ll shut up. I bet it won’t. I bet you’ll get stuck about 25,000 words in, or later you’ll find you’ve written an unstructured mess. If that happens, go back and write a synopsis, then a chapter-by-chapter summary. Then start writing again with confidence you know where you’re going.

3. Write for Continue reading →

Book Themed Necklaces

Published February 13, 2014 | By Laura

Five Literary Themed Necklaces.

There are some wonderful literary themed jewellery available and they can make lovely, unique gifts for people who are into books. With it being Valentines Day tomorrow, here are five that would be on my wish list.

I thought this necklace was beautiful. It quotes one of my favourite poems (which I have to admit, I first heard a Cameron Diaz film,) i carry your heart by e.e. cummings. It’s handmade too. It’s available from Etsy for £19.81. Continue reading →

The First Time We Met by Pippa Croft

Published February 13, 2014 | By Laura

Extract from The First Time We Met by Pippa Croft.

The First Time We Met is the first book in the Oxford Blue Series. Released today, it is now available to buy in ebook format. We had a chat with Pippa yesterday (you can read our interview here.) Today, we’re featuring an extract from the book and we can’t wait to read it and find out what happens.

“By the time I get out of the hall, the tears are pouring down my cheeks. I tried, I really did, but apart from Immy and a few others, they’re a bunch of snobs and creeps, Rupert most of all. Why did I think this was a good idea?

Leaning against a wall, I gulp in the cool air and it helps a little, but it’s raining again and my dress is getting soaked. I’ve only been here a day and I already hate the weather and the people. So much for my big dreams of sophisticated independence when I can’t even handle a welcome dinner!

In my head, Todd’s laughing at me, clucking his tongue with his ‘Poor little Lauren, I told you you’d be better off staying home.’

No. I will not give up so easily. The Cusacks don’t quit. My father taught me Continue reading →

Calling Mrs Christmas

Published February 13, 2014 | By Laura

Review by Mick Arnold.

‘Calling Mrs Christmas’ is that rare breed of seasonal tale, in that behind the story of someone finding their calling to help them over a personal crisis (unemployment here) there are some serious social issues dealt with here that from a lesser author could have easily taken a lowly second place. Of course, this doesn’t detract from the main storyline as we follow Cassie through a Christmas certainly never to be forgotten, such is the skill of this author.

The story centres around Cassie, at the start deep in the depression caused by unemployment. She’s in a long-term relationship with the stoic Jim, a caring warder at the local Youth Detention Centre. Deciding to put her organisational talents to use, she starts up a business – the title of the book. As the business booms, from wrapping presents and decorating trees, to arranging corporate parties, life starts to look good for her again and the two of them have never been happier. Enter a rich client called Carter, Continue reading →

That Elusive First Sentence

Published February 12, 2014 | By Laura

That first sentence has become my nemesis.

I’ve now settled into the New Year and have just about stopped writing 2013 when I should be writing 2014. The new year brought new but familiar writing goals which is to get the first draft finally written in time to submit to the RNA in August (especially as I didn’t manage it last year.)

I have been thinking a lot about the first sentence as I attempt the first draft. How do you pick the moment and the words that will begin your novel? It has caused a little bit of stress particularly as it’s easy to overthink. Of the many books on ‘how to write a novel,’ that I own, having a good first sentence that grabs readers attention seems to be a common thread.

Of course, I know that Continue reading →

Cathie Hartigan

Published February 12, 2014 | By Laura

Cathie Hartigan-

Cathie Hartigan was a pianist and a music teacher until she swapped keyboards and became a writer and teacher of creative writing. She talks to us today about the novel that has impacted her the most…

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

The sheer size of Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy creates an impact. Its fat spine takes up four books-worth of space on the shelf. I took this monster thirteen hundred page novel with me on holiday twenty years ago and although I was in Italy, for much of the time I was transported to India.

But it wasn’t the foreign travel that provided the book’s greatest hook for me. At the heart of the novel is a simple question. Continue reading →

Pippa Croft

Published February 12, 2014 | By Laura

The First Time We Met by Pippa Croft is due to be published by Penguin on 13th February 2014.

The first in the Oxford Blue Series, it promises aspirational glamour alongside a steamy and captivating love story. On the eve of publication, we catch up with Pippa, to ask her about her new book, what’s currently on her desk and what we may not know about her…

The first time I fell in love, I was :

At Oxford! This may seem really lame (as Lauren might say) but I had a massive crush on a boy from my VI form but it wasn’t until I went away to university that we got together. He turned up one night very late at my room, having driven down from Manchester as a ‘surprise’. Well, I could hardly let him sleep out in the Quad, could I? And … er… Reader, I eventually married him.

You might not know this about me, but I:

Am terrified of heights. You know, the whole sweaty palms/heart racing/compelled to jump off type of terror. I decided to go abseiling as research for my first novel and while I survived, I would never ever do it again. It didn’t help that the radio was playing ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper’ as we drove up to the rock face, but I did use the terror in the book…

When I’m feeling down, I find that I’m always cheered up by:

A phone call from my daughter, finding my husband has booked a surprise day off work or checking the surf conditions on MagicSeaweed.com (I can’t really surf but I do try very hard.)

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Right Casting?

Published February 11, 2014 | By Laura

Does it ever live up to expectation?

When I write, I cast my characters. I find it helps to develop the person in my head. I also like to have a clear vision when I am reading a book. Imagination is great as it allows for so many possibilities. I try to read the book before I see any kind of adaptation, otherwise, I can’t visualise the characters correctly – as was one of my problems when I tried to read Twilight.

I watched the trailer for the upcoming release, Continue reading →

The Illusionists by Rosie Thomas – Winner

Published February 11, 2014 | By Laura

The Illusionists by Rosie Thomas.

Thank you to all of the people who entered our competition to win a copy of The Illusionists by Rosie Thomas.

Well done to Janet E from Scunthorpe.

About the book:

London 1870.

A terrifying place for a young, beautiful woman of limited means. But Eliza is modern before her time. Not for her the stifling if respectable conventionality of marriage, children, domestic drudgery. She longs for more. Through her work as an artist’s model, she meets the magnetic and irascible Devil – a born showman whose dream is to run his own theatre company. Devil’s right-hand man is the improbably-named Carlo Bonomi, an ill-tempered dwarf with an enormous talent for all things magic and illusion. Carlo and Devil clash at every Continue reading →

Charlotte’s Working Space.

Published February 10, 2014 | By Laura

Charlotte once again joins us from Harper Impulse for A Moment with The Editor. This week, we ask – What’s your working space like?

I think the photo says it all… books, books and more books.

Also,

“I do not have OCD OCD OCD.”

Charlotte Ledger began working in publishing in 2011 and has always been a book lover but, since watching her first episode of Dawson’s Creek when she was 13, she’s found it impossible to resist a good love story! Pacey Witter stole her heart and her life it seems as her addiction for all things romance eventually led to her working at Mills & Boon. Thrilled to be at Harper Impulse, she Continue reading →

It Felt Like a Kiss by Sarra Manning – Blog Tour: Sarra’s Writing Space

Published February 8, 2014 | By Laura

Where the magic happens * wink, finger gun *

By Sarra Manning.

This is as tidy as I ever get, which is practically minimalist compared to how my desk used to look when I was on magazines. The piles of paper, mags, CDs, books, were so high that I literally could not see over the top of them. One of my proudest yet shaming moments was when an ergonomic expert took a picture of my workspace and showed it to the entire company as a good example of a fire hazard. So, progress!

Desk – Fifties, formica kitchen table, I got for free when I bought a 1930’s lounge suite, which fell apart within six months. The table is still going strong.

Chair – 1960’s chair that started life in a French hairdressers.

Macbook Pro – I have NEVER been PC, never will. Don’t even get me started. Although I write on a laptop, I have to work at my desk, no sprawling, legs akimbo on the floor in madcap Carrie Bradshaw-esque abandon for me.

Papers – that’s the marked up manuscript of the first draft of the novel I’m working on right now. Unfortunately, most of the bits I did mark-up I’ve now decided to cut and the bits I didn’t mark up, I wish I had. It’s a process. That notebook also has about version five on my outline.

Books – Continue reading →