Novel Kicks

About Novel Kicks/Laura... Novel Kicks was founded in 2009 and is run by Laura who is currently living in Hampshire, and lives with husband, Chris and her cat, Buddy. She would love to be a writer. She’s trying to write the novel she thinks so much about. She’s loved reading and writing since ‘Creative Writing’ classes in primary school. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything she can get her hands on, she loves reading, dancing like a loon, and watching Project Runway and Ugly Betty (her two TV guilty pleasures.) She also has an obsession with chocolate and Jammie Dodgers.

Blog Tour: That Part Was True by Deborah McKinlay

Published February 1, 2015 | By Novel Kicks

Photo credit: Paul Stuart

We happily welcome Deborah McKinlay to Novel Kicks and we’re pleased to be a part of the blog tour for her latest release, That Part Was True (published by Orion).

Welcome Deborah. Can you tell us a little about That Part Was True and the inspiration behind it?

I started with a seed of an idea – a woman who was profoundly isolated. That grew into the character of Eve, and the story developed from there.

Who would you invite to fantasy dinner party and what food would you serve?

Paddington Bear. Marmalade sandwiches (natch).

Which fictional character (books, TV or film,) would you like to swap places with for a day and why?

Holly Golightly. New York. The wit. The waistline.

Which three novels (out of all the ones you’ve read,) have impacted you most? Continue reading →

Review: That Part Was True by Deborah McKinlay

Published February 1, 2015 | By Novel Kicks

That Part Was True is the latest novel from author, Deborah McKinlay.

Eve Petworth writes to author, Jackson Cooper to praise him for a scene in one of his books. So impressed by her letter, Jackson replies and soon they discover their shared love of cookery and food and start regularly writing to one another. A friendship develops and soon there is even a suggestion of romance despite Jackson already having quite a complicated love life. Eve also has a tense relationship with her daughter who is not far off getting married. Jackson and Eve soon realise that, beyond all the drama, they may actually have a chance together. All they have to do is actually meet.

I had very few expectations going into this novel when I picked it up. I will say though that it has one of the most beautiful book covers. I love it.

This book has been described as a cross between One Day and 84 Charing Cross Road. However, not having any knowledge of the latter, I didn’t have much to make the comparison. This is also the first of Deborah’s books I have read.

The novel is told from both Jackson and Eve’s point of view with their letters woven in within the chapters. It does jump around between the two of them but I liked this. Continue reading →

February’s Book Club: Everyday by David Levithan

Published February 1, 2015 | By Novel Kicks

Published by Electric Monkey, August 2013

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: Everyday by David Levithan.

About the book:

Every day I am someone else.

I am myself – I know I am myself – but I am also someone else.

It has always been like this.

Continue reading →

Blog Tour: As Good as it Gets by Fiona Gibson

Published January 30, 2015 | By Novel Kicks

Today we are hosting the blog tour for As Good as it Gets, the brilliant new novel from Fiona Gibson. A huge welcome back to Novel Kicks for Fiona who has kindly shared an extract from her latest book. Enjoy.

Chapter One

Present Day

‘Hey, beautiful!’ the blond boy yells, nudging his friend. They watch, admiring, as the shopping crowds mill around us. There are more glances as we walk: some fleeting, others more direct. All this attention isn’t for me; Christ no, that hasn’t happened since Madonna vogued in a gold conical bra. Even then, it pretty much amounted to a bloke up some scaffolding yelling, ‘Your arse looks like two footballs!’ I’d adored my stretch jeans until that sole cruel comment killed the love affair stone dead. Not that I’m the kind of woman to take any notice of construction workers’ remarks. I mean, I’ve only festered over it for twenty-three years… Anyway, of course it’s not me who’s causing virtually every young male in this over-heated shopping mall to perform a quick double-take. I am thirty-eight years old with wavy, muddy brown hair that’s supposed to be shoulder-length but has outgrown its style, yet isn’t properly long – it’s just long-ish. That’s what my hair is: ish. I am also laden with copious bulging bags, like a yak. Judging by the odd glimpse in mirrored surfaces, I note that I have acquired a deathly pallor beneath the mall’s unforgiving lights. I also have what the magazines term ‘a shiny breakthrough’ on my nose and cheeks. Continue reading →

Review: As Good As It Gets by Fiona Gibson

Published January 30, 2015 | By Novel Kicks

As Good As It Gets is the latest novel from author, Fiona Gibson.

I enjoyed Take Mum Out so I was looking forward to reading Fiona’s new novel. The book is told from the point of view of Charlotte Bristow. She is the wife of Will (who has been unemployed for a while and who is not her daughter’s biological father,) and mother to two teenagers, Rosie (who has just been spotted by a modelling agency) and Ollie. She was abandoned by Rosie’s father before she was born and hasn’t heard from him since. Charlotte and Will are in a little bit of a slump at the beginning of the novel.

At Rosie’s first photo shoot, Charlotte is talked into having some photos taken with her daughter for a feature a magazine is running and Charlotte ends up telling a couple of fibs. Before she knows it, her parents have received an e-mail from Frazer – Charlotte’s first love and Rosie’s father . He is wanting to make contact.

First of all, I wanted to say how much I love the cover of this book. So pretty.

I liked the main family. They seemed real and relatable. Charlotte was an interesting character. I found Will a little sulky at the beginning (understandable though considering his job situation,) but he changed gradually throughout the book. There were a few supporting characters but you don’t really get a chance to see them that much as the main focus is on Charlotte, Will and Frazer.

Continue reading →