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.

Book News: Talli Roland

Published November 12, 2014 | By Novel Kicks

Talli is releasing two new books before Christmas and is also giving away a Kindle Fire.

Talli Roland’s previous novels include Build a Man and The No-Kids Club. She has two new book releases coming before Christmas and she has also announced a great giveaway too (details at the bottom of the post.)

The first book she has coming out is a novella called Married by Midnight: A Christmas Story. It’s due to be released by Notting Hill Press on 14th November 2014 and it’s currently priced at 89 pence* on Amazon UK (a bargain in our opinion,) and $1.49* on Amazon US (it’s already available on the US store.)

It’s a Christmas book so we can’t help but be excited.

Here’s the blurb:

Christmas is coming . . . and so is the biggest day of Kate’s life.

While choosing a vintage dress for her Christmas Eve wedding, Kate finds a cryptic note pinned to the inside of a 1930s gown. As doubts about her own ceremony loom, Kate is determined to track down the dress’ owner and determine what became of her – and the marriage.

Will Kate find the answers she’s seeking to propel her down the aisle, or will her discovery prompt her to call off the wedding for good?

If a Christmas novella wasn’t enough, Talli also has a new Serenity Holland book coming out (the third in the series – Build A Man and Construct a Couple being the first two.) It’s called Marriage to Measure, it’s due to also be released by Notting Hill Press and will be available to buy on 10th December 2014 (it’s available to pre-order at a special price of 99 pence* on Amazon UK and $1.61 on Amazon US.)

About Marriage to Measure:

When Serenity Holland proposes to her long-time boyfriend Jeremy, she’s certain ‘forever’ is a perfect fit. As the wedding train steams forward, though, Serenity starts to wonder if they really are an ideal match. From a crusty old ring to a dilapidated house she’s left to renovate on her own – not to mention the appearance of Jeremy’s clingy ex-fiancée – engagement feels more like disengagement.

Even worse, wedding planning’s like a bad hangover as Serenity juggles the wishes of family and friends with her bossy mother-in-law-to-be, resulting in a Frankenwedding nothing like the simple ceremony she envisioned.

Can Serenity knit her relationship back together and fashion a celebration that suits, or will ‘I do’ become ‘I don’t’?

To celebrate the release of her new book and novella, Talli is giving you the chance to win a Kindle Fire HD 8GB. It’s open to anyone living in the UK & Europe, Canada and the US. There are a few ways you can enter and you can also enter as many times as you like. Just follow this link to see how to enter. The contest closes on 10th December (the day Marriage to Measure is released.)

To find out more about Talli and her novels, visit her website at http://www.talliroland.com/

(*prices correct at the time of publication.)

A Moment With…Milly Johnson

Published November 11, 2014 | By Novel Kicks

On day eleven of National Novel Writing Month, Sunday Times best-selling author, Milly Johnson joins us today as we talk about perfectly imperfect heroes.

When I am thinking up the perfect hero, the first thing I do is make him (ironically) imperfect. A totally perfect hero would be too daunting. George Clooney belongs on a pedestal, not wandering around a car boot sale on a Sunday morning. My heroes have flaws, they have made mistakes in life and become stronger people because of that. They are attainable and interesting. They have a good work ethic and are kind to animals. I could not write convincingly about a hero who kicked cats and preferred life on the dole. Flaws make a hero believable, but you have to find the right balance. A hero with too many flaws would be a pain in the butt and unattractive to readers. A good starting point is writing about someone who would be imperfectly perfect for you. Trawl the internet and find someone you like so you have a visual in your head when you are writing about him.

Lookswise… well, the faces I find most attractive have character. Features might not be flawless, but together they work. My hero’s nose may be slightly large, but on a strong face, a small straight nose would look ridiculous (analyse Liam Neeson’s features – small eyes, crooked nose, thin lips – but dynamite when placed together!). Strong female leads need even stronger men. I would have thought that 99.9% of women find being cared for and protected by someone physically and mentally strong a turn-on.

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Book News: Festive Short Stories and Novellas

Published November 10, 2014 | By Novel Kicks

Happy Monday! It has not escaped my notice that a few more festive treats have appeared in the shops, christmas adverts are appearing on TV and I, for the first time in years, have firmly begun my christmas shopping early. Christmas is definitely in the air here (yes, I know it’s only November.) A few weeks ago we featured some great christmas short stories that were due to be released. As I am finding myself humming Christmas carols under my breath, I couldn’t resist letting you know about a few more…

Skating at Somerset House by Nikki Moore.

This one has such a pretty cover. It’s from new author, Nikki Moore and it’s due for release on e-book by Harper Impulse on 4th December 2014.

There’s nothing Holly Winterlake loves more than Christmas and skating, so working as an Ice Marshall at London’s Somerset House is a dream come true. Noel Summerford hates the festive season and is a disaster on the ice, so taking his godson to Somerset House is his idea of the nightmare before Christmas! Things are bound to get interesting when these two collide…With a forty foot Christmas tree, an assortment of well meaning friends and relatives, and a mad chocolate Labrador, will this festive season be one to remember … or forget?

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Treasure Hunt

Published November 7, 2014 | By Novel Kicks

Fiction Friday

Friday 7th November 2014: Treasure Hunt.

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: An envelope gets put through your door. There is no indication as to who it is from. The only thing inside is one small piece of paper. Written on it are the words, ‘You should go where you swing high to see the world from a different perspective.’

You are invited onto a mysterious treasure hunt. What happens next after you find this clue?

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A Moment With…Victoria Fox

Published November 7, 2014 | By Novel Kicks

Day seven of National Novel Writing Month and Victoria Fox talks to us about finding the discipline to write.

One of the questions I’m most often asked is how I find the discipline to write. Well, the answer is simple. Writing is my job, and, like any job, I have to get up every day, sit down and get on with it. Sure, sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes I feel like doing just about anything if it means getting away from my desk. But if I worked in an office, say, I couldn’t just not turn up one morning because I’d decided I’d really rather stay in bed and watch re-runs of Frasier. I’m a firm believer that if you sit down with your book for long enough, the words will come. They might not be the right words first time, but they’ll move your story forward and keep your plot turning over.

When you’re on a roll, everything is brilliant. When you’re feeling creatively sapped, it’s an effort. And if you don’t have a book contract in place, that’s the hardest bit. Will it be worth it? Will anyone read it? Is it any good? These are questions the vast majority of unpublished writers, including me, have asked ourselves. Discipline, then, becomes something different. It comes from deep inside. You have to believe, in your core, that you’re going to finish this book. You’re not going to do it for anyone else except you – because you want a completed novel and you can’t let your characters float in uncertainty for the rest of time. The publishing contract is the golden prize but it’s not a given. Discipline stems from your own personal desire to write.

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