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.

A Moment With…Suzanne McCourt

Published November 27, 2014 | By Novel Kicks

Suzanne McCourt also joins us on day twenty-seven of National Novel Writing Month. Her debut novel, The Lost Child has been released today. She shares with us her writing process and route to publication.

It took me almost ten years to write The Lost Child, in part because I tried to control the process: I thought writing came from my head and it took some time to discover that it needed to come from my heart. Losing my mother and having four family deaths within eight months, taught me a lot about letting go of control. So did Barbara Turner-Vesselago’s freefall writing workshops. But it was only when I let myself trust the voice of a child who’d tried to take over a previous novel—only when I allowed Sylvie to tell her own story—that The Lost Child began to unfold without interference from me.

Nabokov suggests that a writer is part storyteller, teacher and enchanter, and that by far the most important of these is enchanter. One of the great joys of writing from Sylvie’s perspective was that I was able to enter a child’s world of innocence, spontaneity, vulnerability and humour and lose myself in the process.

Continue reading →

A Moment With…Ali McNamara

Published November 27, 2014 | By Novel Kicks

Day twenty-seven of National Novel Writing Month and Ali McNamara joins us today to talk about returning to a character.

It’s lovely to write again about a bunch of characters you’ve got to know in a previous book. It’s like meeting up with old friends again, and that’s exactly how I feel when I return to Scarlett and her Notting Hill friends.

I’ve written about them three times now, and it becomes easier with every book. Both you and the reader already know so much about each character, that you know just how they’ll behave in every situation.

There aren’t many drawbacks – trying to keep a new reader who might not have read the other books in the series, up to date with what’s gone on in previous stories is probably the trickiest thing, as you don’t want to bore fans of the series with lots of information they already know. But hopefully I usually find a way to suit all!

I love writing the Notting Hill series, and I really hope to write more in the future.

Ali is the author of the Notting Hill series which include From Notting Hill with Love Actually, From Notting Hill to New York, Actually and her new novel, From Notting Hill with Four Weddings Actually which was released by Sphere in October.

To find out about Ali and the fantastic Notting Hill series, visit her website: www.alimcnamara.co.uk

You can also follow her on Twitter @AliMcNamara

Review: A Girl Walks into a Blind Date by Helena S. Paige

Published November 26, 2014 | By Novel Kicks

Internet dating is a tricky game to play, but you’ve done your homework and narrowed down your list to three international men of mystery. All that’s left to do now is meet them . . .

* Will you head to Amsterdam to get hands-on with a bohemian sculptor?

* Or does the idea of adventure in New York City with a heroic fireman light your fire?

* There’s also the impossibly handsome Italian count who sends you poetic praise from his palazzo in Venice . . .

Whichever way you decide to go, each twist and turn will lead to an unforgettable encounter. Can you choose the ultimate sensual experience? Remember: if your first choice doesn’t hit the spot, then start over and try something (and someone) new. The power is entirely yours in this fully interactive, choose your own destiny novel.

I have not read many Erotica novels. In-fact, I have only read two (both Sylvia Day,) and I’m also on the list of people who has not read Fifty Shades of Grey so it’s safe to say that Erotica isn’t my novel of choice. I am not sure why. It never normally appeals. What did intrigue me with this novel though, is the chance to be able to pick where I went in the story.

Continue reading →

A Moment With…Tracy Buchanan

Published November 26, 2014 | By Novel Kicks

NaNoWriMo is almost over. Most of you will be almost at the end. Tracy Buchanan talks to us about plot twists.

The best plot twists are the most believable ones. Don’t you hate it in novels or films where a twist is thrown in for the drama, and while it might be a ‘wow, really?’ moment, it doesn’t feel true to the characters as it sinks in.

The actions that lead to that twist need to be completely convincing and not out of character. Subtle hints (foreshadowing, as we call it) need to be littered throughout the novel, so subtle that it’s only when you read those final pages that you realise how it all ties together.

A little technique I use (and this doesn’t just apply to plot twists, it can also apply to ‘reveals’ in general, so elements of information held from the reader until later on) is to list the reveals I want to unveil. Then beneath each one, list how I can hint at these reveals throughout the novel without giving anything away.

Continue reading →

Quick Spotlight: The Art of Getting Started by Lee Crutchley

Published November 25, 2014 | By Novel Kicks

http://leecrutchley.co.uk/

For fans of books like Wreck This Journal and The Pointless Book.

The Art of Getting Started is a little interactive journal. It’s great to kick-start creativity or if you’re like me, something to do when you need time away from a project that is giving you trouble and you want to distract your mind.

What drew me to this book is all the fantastic activities in it. There’s drawing and writing exercises (including list making. Perfect for me. I love lists.) This book had me at the first page as it asks you to fill it with positive words. It’s also filled with great quotes to inspire you too. A small thing but it’s also small enough to fit into your handbag so you can carry it with you if you wanted to.

I am enjoying making my way through this book and I wanted to share it with you.

About The Art of Getting Started:

The ideal companion for all creative minds – The Art of Getting Started is the long missing piece of the creative puzzle. As a self-professed procrastinator, illustrator Lee Crutchley knows the ‘first blank page’ all too well and has used his expertise to devise a unique variety of impulsive habits to kick start the brain. Through a series of hand-written tasks and challenges Lee leads the reader through a range of lively prompts to shift the perspective and get those creative juices flowing again in new and surprising ways.

Continue reading →