Rhodia Essentials Box Review/Competition
I was over excited when the Rhodia Essentials box landed on my doorstep. It’s stationary. Enough said really. I have a slight obsession with notebooks, pens and pencils in particular (it’s getting out of control in fact,) so this box is right up my street. Up until now, I have been unfamiliar with this French brand but I am pleased I’ve discovered it.
The box itself is good quality and I like the orange colour scheme. It’s bright (which makes a change from all of my black covered notebooks.) It contains one A5 size notebook (the cover flips upwards.) There are two A6 size notebooks and there is also a shopping list style notebook. Completing the box, is two Rhodia pencils with an eraser on the end. I write with pencils a lot and always carry one in my bag. I’ve been carrying one of these around for a while and it is very durable and smooth across the page. It’s lovely and so comfortable to write with. I like that you get two pencils too.
by 
Blog Tour: Mile High by Rebecca Chance – Author Interview
I am very pleased to be welcoming author, Rebecca Chance to Novel Kicks today. Her novel, Mile High was released on 13th August 2015 by Pan.
First class is about to get dangerous . . . Pure Air’s new LuxeLiner is flying from London to LA – its inaugural journey – with a first-class cabin packed with A List celebrities. As the feuding crew compete to impress their famous passengers, the handsome pilot tries to win the attention of a pretty young stewardess.
But one VIP singer is battling something seriously sinister: watching her every step is a very determined stalker, someone who will go to any lengths to get the star to satisfy their desires. At thirty thousand feet there is nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide . . .
As part of her blog tour for her new novel Mile High, we got to chat with Rebecca.
Welcome Rebecca. Thank you so much for joining us. Your new book is called Mile High. Can you tell us a little about it and where the idea originated?
It’s a glamorous thriller set onboard a night flight from London to LA, on a very luxurious plane whose first class cabin is absolutely gorgeous! Because it’s a new route for the airline, there’s a whole gaggle of A-list celebrities aboard to publicise it – a beautiful singer who’s going through heartbreak, a very randy chef, an Oscar-nominated actress. And the airline boss too, who’s modelled on quite a famous one… But there’s also a stalker on board who’s determined to join the Mile High Club with the singer, so the tension builds all the way through to a very dramatic ending.
What planning did you undertake before beginning this book? Did you get any first hand accounts of what it is like to work as cabin crew?
OH yes! I have several flight attendant friends and they were fantastic at giving me advice and telling me all sorts of saucy behind-the-scenes stories! I sat down with them over drinks and listened for hours before I even started to outline as I wanted the book to be as accurate as possible.
What is your writing day like and where do you like to write? Do you have any writing rituals?
Get up around 9, have a very strong cappuccino, read through my Facebook and Twitter, read what I wrote the day before, tell myself I have to start writing before I turn on Judge Judy. Turn on Judge Judy….
Continue reading
by Blog Tour: Ally Hughes has Sex Sometimes by Jules Moulin – Review
Life is a juggling act for single mother Ally Hughes. Between the classes she teaches at the local university, a monster of a boss, a home that’s falling apart at the seams and a young daughter who doesn’t miss a trick, there isn’t time for anything else in Ally’s life. Especially romance.
Then she meets Jake, and for one incredible, mind-blowing weekend, anything seems possible. But timing is everything and as the weekend draws to a close, fate is not on Ally’s side.
Ten years later, and fate has Jake knocking at Ally’s front door. Now the one that got away is back, and Ally has some serious decision-making to do…
Is there such a thing as perfect timing? Or is love always a game of chance?
The premise for this book intrigued me so I was excited when asked to be a part of the blog tour for Ally Hughes has Sex Sometimes. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel but the title is brilliant. I love it. I feel that this book is exploring the idea that it is never too late to seek a happy ending. You just need to have the courage to take it.
It took a while for me to get into this novel but once I got into my stride, I found myself falling into it in a big way. I couldn’t stop reading. I got involved with the characters specifically Ally and Jake (I really liked them as a couple. Jake, even at twenty-one seemed a mature voice.) Ally is now in her forties. She has spent most of her time either raising her daughter or looking after her ailing mother. At the beginning of the novel, her daughter is now twenty and her mother has passed away and she finds herself at a point where she doesn’t know what to do – a situation many people find themselves in at some point in their lives. She can’t quite let go of the responsibilities that don’t exist anymore.
by Writing Prompt: Parents
Tuesday 11th August 2015: Parents.
Today’s prompt: When going through a parent’s things, you find a letter to you from them. The circumstances surrounding this are up to you. Could the parent still be alive and the letter unearths something prematurely? Who knows. Try and write a minimum of five hundred words.
by Book Haul: Six Books with Beautiful Covers
I can’t believe we are almost in the middle of August already. Time is really flying. I thought it was time for another book haul. I’ve been sent or brought some great books over the last month and here are six of the ones I am looking forward to reading and six books where I love the covers.
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (Penguin, 8th January 2015.)
I have heard so many good things about this book. It’s been recommended on You Tube as well as friends who have read it and said that it’s good. It’s a book I’ve been looking at for a while and so I brought it. The premise of it sounds interesting and relatable in that it deals with mental health. I am really interested and itching to read this book. The cover is pretty too. It’s due to be made into a film so I want to read it before it’s released.
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.
Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.
When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the ‘natural wonders’ of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself – a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink. How far will Violet go to save the boy she has come to love?
by Book Club
