Book Spotlight: The Time Of My Life By Samantha Tonge
I’m pleased to be welcoming Samantha Tonge back to Novel Kicks and we shine a light on her latest book, The Time of My Life.
How far would you go to change your life?
When Eliza Woods sees an advertisement for someone’s whole life for sale – their house, car, all their belongings, even their clothes and cat – not to mention a trial-run in their job and an introduction to their friends… she decides it’s fate.
Grabbing a different life with both hands is exactly what she needs. Even if 26-year-old Carrie’s wildly-social life and job in a bar couldn’t be more different from Eliza’s quieter existence.
As for Carrie, she’s heading off to Greece, desperate to run away from everything she’s familiar with in England. The two women message each other after the deal has gone through, with Eliza excited to go for cocktails with Carrie’s friends before her first shift at her new job.
What Carrie doesn’t tell her is why she put her life up for sale. And what Eliza doesn’t tell Carrie is that she’s about to turn 75. And that isn’t her only secret…
Don’t miss this absolutely brilliant, escapist read. Available now!
The Time of My Life was released by Boldwood Books on 10th March 2026. Click to buy on Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones.
The Time of My Life Is currently available for only 99p!*
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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: The Aquarium’s Night Shift
Welcome to Fiction Friday, our weekly flash fiction challenge.
Here’s how it works:
Set a timer for five minutes and start writing
Keep going for as long as you can once the timer goes off
No editing allowed—raw writing only
When you’re finished, feel free to share in the comments (but there’s no pressure)
Today’s Prompt: The Aquarium’s Night Shift –
You’ve taken a job as the night curator at the city’s largest aquarium, a role no one else seems to want. Your responsibilities are straightforward: monitor the tanks, feed the fish, maintain water chemistry, and ensure the building’s security until morning staff arrives.
by Book Review: The Last To Know By Laura Jane Williams
Ash has met her perfect match.
So has CJ.
Unfortunately for them, it’s the same man.
Mid-thirties and feeling the pressure, they’re ready to fight for him. Even if it means sabotaging each other.
As Ash and CJ turn up on each other’s dates, ruin one another’s chances, and accidentally end up spending an awful lot of time together, their friends begin to wonder. Are they fighting over the same guy? Or are they fighting their feelings for each other . . . ?
*****
Cj loves her life in Portugal. She’s the manager of a successful business, has a “friends with benefits” situation with her best friend/colleague but most importantly, she has a son who is her whole world.
Ash is on a journey to find life. Having been the odd one out in her family and always being one for organisation to within an inch of her life, she’s attempting to open herself up to opportunities in Portugal for a few weeks.
When the women meet each other, it’s dislike at first sight. However, can they both find a way to thaw when it comes to each other?
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Assembling Your Story
Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room and the Plot Challenge.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve focused on plotting a piece of fiction, one task at a time.
These have potentially helped you master plot structure by writing all major plot points, then analysing how each element builds toward a cohesive story.
Task 7: Assembling Your Story.
Today, the focus will be putting all the work you’ve done together and reading it through.
Copy all five sections of your work from the previous weeks, excluding the story conception task, into one document and read the entire story aloud (or in your head, without stopping). I’d suggest doing this at least a couple of times actually – one to make notes, one to check the flow of the story.
by NK Chats To… Gareth Alun Thomas
Hi Gareth, thank you for joining me today. Can you tell me about your book, No Chance and what inspired it?
My book “ No Chance” is set in the 1980s and follows the fortunes of Will Evans in his pursuit of Ruby, a girl he has been infatuated with since University. Will leaves university thinking his chance of a romance with Ruby is over, until he receives a letter from his university friend Pete. Pete has organised a four week holiday, interrailing across Europe, and invites Will to come. Will discovers Ruby is one of the group going on the trip and he excitedly accepts the invitation, as it gives him four weeks to further pursue the woman of his dreams. During the next few weeks Will has to contend with awkward encounters, bad timings and a love rival Tom Bellows, not to mention a bad stomach in his endeavours. Travelling through twelve countries will the girl of his dreams finally succumb to Will’s wish of becoming his girlfriend.
What was your route to publication and what’s the one thing about the process you know now that you wished you’d known then?
I sent off my book to four publishers. I didn’t get an agent. I was offered a contact with all four publishers but some with a fee involved. I got the impression that only the last publisher “Blossom Spring Publishing,” actually read my book as the others were vague in their critique. I signed a contact and was excited to see my book in print. I wished I had looked at the contract more closely now because even though the paperback version on Amazon is priced at £10.75 I only get about 98 pence per copy, so I don’t think I’m going to be rich anytime soon. But that was never the intention, I just wanted to write a book that people would enjoy and keep reading to the end and I think I have achieved that. I was a bit surprised to find how difficult it is to get people to read my book. My sister-in-law for example is supposedly an avid reader but still has not got around to reading my book.
What’s your typical writing day like? Do you have any rituals?
I work part time so could only write on my days off. I would get up and walk the dog for an hour. I would then get myself a cup of coffee and sit down with my laptop and write for three to four hours a day depending on the weather. If it was horrible outside I tended to write better. I would usually have to stop late afternoon to make the tea for everyone, depending on who was around. The only ritual I suppose is walking the dog first before starting and a nice milky coffee to start with.
In your opinion, what are the essential elements that make a good story?
I think the essential elements that make for a good story are characters you can relate to. I like to focus on insecurities, awkwardness and the unusual situations people find themselves in. I like to write about places people may not have had the chance to visit too.
How do you approach the writing process from idea to first draft, to edits to final draft?
by Book Club
