Bella’s Scribblings: Bringing Characters To Life
Could there be a better place on the planet for an excitable individual like me than Walt Disney World Florida? If there is I haven’t discovered it yet.
I have more bounce than Tigger, more manic a laugh than Stitch and I’m more playful than Pluto! So to be lucky enough to be able to go with my family to Disney World meant that I fitted right in and could skip around the Magic Kingdom without anyone batting an eyelid. For the child, Disney is also an amazingly magical place – the stuff of dreams. She saw the characters she has grown to love and the stories she knows so well actually come to life in front of her. She could watch them on stage, experience their world through rides, meet them and have a photograph with them and best of all be able to give them a hug! This is the ultimate holiday for her.
For me this is what writing is like. I have these characters that appear in my mind and they act out their story. Getting it down on paper is the first step in bringing them to life, it makes them more real; with a backstory, a goal and a personality. Seeing them come to life on the page of an actual book and being able to talk about them with readers is very similar to a trip to Disney World.
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It’s May’s Which Book is This Anyway?
Many of us judge books by their covers and make our choices based on that and the accompanying blurb. Our competition adds a little mystery.
The prize for this competition is a book but the identity of that book will not be revealed until the lucky winner receives it. It could be a recent new release or a well-known classic. Who knows? We won’t even reveal the genre. It’s a surprise. If you feel like having a guess in the meantime though, that’s OK, just comment below.
All we will reveal about May’s choice is this: ‘A book that’s been a part of Richard & Judy’s book club. A story that asks us how well do we know our children?’
How to enter:
by Blog Tour: The Chateau on the Lake by Charlotte Betts
1792. As a teacher at her parents’ Academy for Young Ladies in the heart of London, Madeleine Moreau has lived her life sheltered from the outside world. But on the night of a dazzling Masquerade, tragedy strikes and she is left alone in the world. Desperate to find the family she never knew, Madeleine impulsively travels to France in search of them. But with war around the corner, and fearing for Madeleine’s safety, the enigmatic Comte Etienne d’Aubery offers her protection at his home, Chateau Mirabelle.
Chateau Mirabelle enchants Madeleine with its startling beauty, but it is a place of dark and haunting secrets. As the Revolution gathers momentum and the passions of the populace are enflamed, Madeleine must take control of her own destiny and unravel events of the past in order to secure a chance of future happiness.
I was enthralled with this novel from the first chapter. I have a love of history and this book very much appealed to that interest. It is set during the French Revolution and so I couldn’t wait to get started.
The prose is beautifully written and it sets the scene so well. I really did get the feeling that I was in Paris during the Revolution. There has obviously been a lot of research going into details – the danger and the atmosphere was palpable.
by Review: The Happy Ever Afterlife of Rosie Potter (RIP) by Kate Winter
Falling in love is never simple. Especially when you’re dead.
When Rosie Potter wakes up one morning with what she assumes is the world’s worst hangover, the last thing she expects is to discover that she’s actually dead. With a frustrating case of amnesia, suspicious circumstances surrounding her untimely demise, and stuck wearing her ugliest flannel PJs, Rosie must figure out not only what happened last night, but why on earth she’s still here. (Warning: Small spoilers.)
The title for this book alone made me intrigued. It also made me laugh so I was looking forward to reading it. From the first page, I was pulled into the story. The writing style made it so easy to read and so before I knew it, I’d been reading for a while and not realised that time had passed (when I should have been sleeping. I blame this book for a want to snooze at work. Haha.)
I did think that the main character dying at the beginning would put a downer on the story but Kate Winter writes with such warmth and humour that I found myself laughing out loud in many places throughout the book.
Rosie is unusual in that from the offset, she’s dead. The point of view is quite unique in that respect. She is likeable, funny and relatable and I liked her from the beginning and this kept me turning the page as I wanted to find out what happened to her.
I loved Charles. He is a lovely hero and the story is so bittersweet as you know that, despite the fact that the promise of love is there with him, you know that it is too late. Jenny was a lovely best friend and, like with Rosie, I felt sorry for her and what she had been through prior to the story starting. I did not like Jack. He is a great character if you love to hate him.
by May’s Book Club: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
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: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
About the book:
HERE IS A SMALL FACT – YOU ARE GOING TO DIE
1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.
Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.
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A little late but it’s time to announce the winner of April’s Which Book is This Anyway? Did you guess which book it was?
All we said about it was that ‘this story includes a loveable, quirky character who likes order and making lists.’
Well done to Martin Turner who is our winner this month. The competition for May will be open soon.
About ‘Which Book is This Anyway?’
Many of us judge books by their covers and make our choices based on that and the accompanying blurb. Our competition adds a little mystery.
The prize for this competition is a book but the identity of that book will not be revealed until the lucky winner receives it. It could be a recent new release or a well-known classic. Who knows? We won’t even reveal the genre.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Short Story
Friday 1st May 2015: Short Story
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing 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: Write a story based around the following prompt: ‘Able to hear others’ thoughts, a TV presenter goes on a blind date.’ What happens? Try to aim for at least five hundred words.
by Bella’s Scribblings: Paperback Writer
I am riding along on the tip of the foaming crest of a magnificent wave of excitement. I have been really lucky to have received so much support from brilliant bloggers, lovely readers and my ever-enthusiastic friends and family. My novel came out as an e-book on 12th February and has been bouncing around in the Amazon and KOBO charts each day since (my husband is obsessively monitoring it’s fortunes). Yesterday saw my novel ‘It Started At Sunset Cottage’ enter the world as a paperback – an actual real, hold in my sweaty palm (I’m excited and roll-on doesn’t doesn’t work on that part of my anatomy), proper book with paper pages and everything! I have avoided stroking the beautiful cover so far, but it’s been hard. I thought I was excited when the e-book came out but seeing it in real life is a whole new level of excited!
So next week on Wednesday 29th April I am joining four other local authors to hold a joint book launch at Coventry library. We have exchanged e-mails and decided that we will each talk about ourselves and our writing for ten minutes and then read an extract from our book. It suddenly struck me (like a chair in the face) that our audience of lovely readers (assuming someone turns up) will be coming along expecting to see real authors. Right now I feel like I’m masquerading and have sneaked in alongside these multi-published individuals experienced at such book events and there will be a line of proper authors and then… me. I feel it will be a little bit like putting Miranda Hart on Prime Minister’s Question Time – which would be fun for all the wrong reasons.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Myths
Friday 24th April 2015: Myths
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing 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: Write a story that has elements of mythology in it. From what time period is up to you.
by Author Interview: Ben Adams
Ben Adams is the author of 6 Months to Get a Life. Thank you for joining us, Ben. Can you tell us a little about your new book?
Thanks for inviting me on to your blog.
Six Months to Get a Life is the story of a man trying to come to terms with his divorce. The book follows Graham Hope as he strives to get over his ex, to maintain his relationship with his children, to build new friendships and to work out a way of having sex again at some point in his life.
How did the idea for the book originate?
I recently went through a marriage break-up myself. I started writing Six Months to Get a Life as a way of capturing my own thoughts. If you like, it was therapy for me.
So is it about you then? I thought it was fiction?
It is fiction. About two days into the writing process, I realised that the book shouldn’t be about me. It shouldn’t be about my ex or my children either. What right did I have to write about them? And who would want to read it if I did? If it had been about me, people would have slit their wrists by the end of Chapter 3.
So instead of writing a memoir, I created a fictional tale. I invented a new ex, new friends, new children, new events and new debacles. Did the marriage guidance scene happen to me? No. Did I meet my ex in a sexually transmitted diseases clinic? Er, no. Have I ever twerked in a nightclub? Maybe, but that’s another story. Have I got a big ego and a small penis? No comment.
by My Favourite Books: Harry Potter
Copyright: JK Rowling
I have always been a big reader. Even at a young age, you were more likely to find me reading than watching TV (the only rival to my reading would have been colouring books.)
I have loved going on different adventures, falling in love with characters and loving to hate the villains. I’ve been thinking back to the books that have stayed with me even years after I’ve stopped reading the last page and in this new feature, I wanted to share some of my favourites with you.
One of the books that has stayed with me, is Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling.
I was late coming to the Harry Potter series. I think the books came to my attention when browsing in a book shop one day around the same time that the first film had appeared in cinemas. As the film had just been released, I’d been hearing a lot about the series (or the books that had been released up to that point,) and I was intrigued so I picked up the first book in the series. Let’s just say, within three days, I had to buy the rest. One of the things I love about this book series in particular is that it appeals to all ages and covers a variety of themes. I am fascinated by how these seven books all interconnect – how a small piece of information in the first book, like the fact that the wands are brothers is the thing that ends up saving his life later on.
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I have a HUGE obsession with books. I have been sent some great books over the past few weeks and I have also brought a few new books too. Despite the fact that I have quite a large TBR pile, it doesn’t stop me from adding to it on an almost daily basis. You can never have enough books, right? It was hard to pick but I wanted to share five of them with you – five I am looking forward to reading and reviewing soon. Let me know in the comments if you’ve read any of the books below and what you thought? Do you have any more you’d recommend?
The first book is We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman.
I love Rowan Coleman. Simple. I am also adoring this cover for her upcoming novel. It’s beautiful. It is due to be released on 21st May 2015 by Ebury who were kind enough to send me a review copy. I can’t wait to get stuck into this book and going by the blurb, it sounds great.
The blurb… Do not miss me, because I will always be with you…I am the air, the moon, the stars. For we are all made of stars, my beloved… Wherever you look, I will be there. Stella Carey exists in a world of night. Married to a soldier who has returned from Afghanistan injured in body and mind, she leaves the house every evening as Vincent locks himself away, along with the secrets he brought home from the war. During her nursing shifts, Stella writes letters for her patients to their loved ones – some full of humour, love and practical advice, others steeped in regret or pain – and promises to post these messages after their deaths. Until one night Stella writes the letter that could give her patient one last chance at redemption, if she delivers it in time…
The second novel I wanted to share is Freedom’s Child by Jax Miller.
This book sounds like such a roller coaster and it sounds so intriguing. I like mysteries (if you’ve not already guessed.) This is the debut novel from Jax and it is due to be released by Harper Collins on 30th July. I love it when books arrive with little surprises from the publisher. This review copy arrived at my house with a mini bottle of Southern Comfort which the husband will enjoy immensely.
The blurb…A heart-stopping debut thriller about a woman named Freedom, who will stop at nothing to save the daughter she only knew for two minutes and seventeen seconds. Call me what you will: a murderer, a cop killer, a fugitive, a drunk…There’s a lot people don’t know about Freedom Oliver. They know she works at the local bar. They know she likes a drink or two. What they don’t know is that Freedom is not her real name. That she has spent the last eighteen years living under Witness Protection, after being arrested for her husband’s murder. They don’t know that she put her two children up for adoption, a decision that haunts her every day. Then Freedom’s daughter goes missing, and everything changes. Determined to find her, Freedom slips her handlers and heads to Kentucky where her kids were raised. No longer protected by the government, she is tracked by her husband’s sadistic family, who are thirsty for revenge. But as she gets closer to the truth, Freedom faces an even more dangerous threat. She just doesn’t know it yet.
by Review: The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
The Red Notebook tells the story of Laurent Letellier, a bookseller living in Paris. One day, he finds an abandoned ladies handbag. Looking inside with a hope to reuniting it with its owner, he finds no money, wallet or personal contact information. What he does find is a small, red notebook which is full of handwritten private thoughts, lists and jottings. The longer he spends in possession of this notebook, the more it reveals someone who Laurent wants to get to know – a woman named Laure. This book is his journey to try to find her in a city full of strangers.
Written by Antoine Laurain, this book has been translated from French by Jane Aitken and Emily Boyce. I’d previously read The President’s Hat so I had a small idea of what to expect. I loved that book so I was very excited and intrigued when The Red Notebook arrived. I love the covers of both this book and The President’s Hat. They are beautifully drawn and adds to the whimsical theme of the book.
This book isn’t very long. It is under 200 pages so I read it in a couple of sittings. It’s perfect for if you want a book for a train journey or a lazy afternoon. The style of writing is easy to get into and I was reading it not realising a huge chunk of time has passed.
by Bella’s Scribblings: When Stupid Strikes!
I have often read criticism of Women’s Contemporary Fiction, Romantic Comedy, Chick Lit – call it what you will. A frequent comment is that the seemingly intelligent heroine suddenly does something rather stupid. Readers condemn this as ridiculous , out of character and unbelievable. Now, please bear this in mind as I tell you my sorry tale…
I am not a genius (neither Mensa nor NASA are beating down my door and begging me to enlighten them) however, I am also not stupid. I did well at school (I was a bit of a girly swot, actually) I got good grades in my exams and I hold down a fairly pressured job. Even so I have discovered that ‘stupid’ can strike any of us and any time.
I was printing off copies of papers that needed to be stapled together in pairs – a fairly simple task for someone of my experience and deep knowledge of stationery items (I have a serious stationery buying habit) and a task I have accomplished before unaided and without incident.
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It’s April’s Which Book is This Anyway?
Many of us judge books by their covers and make our choices based on that and the accompanying blurb. Our competition adds a little mystery.
The prize for this competition is a book but the identity of that book will not be revealed until the lucky winner receives it. It could be a recent new release or a well-known classic. Who knows? We won’t even reveal the genre. It’s a surprise. If you feel like having a guess in the meantime though, that’s OK, just comment below.
All we will reveal about April’s choice is this: ‘this story includes a loveable, quirky character who likes order and making lists.’
How to enter:
by Writing Room: Varying View Points
Writing Room is our online writing group.
We post an exercise. Once you’ve written your piece, post it in the comments box below for discussion. Anyone is welcome to take part and it’s an opportunity to post work plus give and gain feedback.
Today’s exercise: Varying View Points.
Today, it is a short story (minimum of 600 words.) The scene is a doctor’s surgery. It is 10 o clock in the morning. The decor of the room is cream and there are leaflets and posters up on the wall.
by Blog Tour: His Other Life by Beth Thomas
We’re pleased to be welcoming Beth Thomas to Novel Kicks. She is the author of Carry You. Her latest novel, His Other Life has just been released by Avon. We’ve reviewed it below. As part of the blog tour for her new book, Beth has shared an extract. Enjoy.
CHAPTER TWO
Twenty minutes after Adam has left finds me pacing the living room. I’ve put plates in the oven, got some wine ready and selected a few DVDs for Adam to choose from, but that only took a minute or two. Now I’m walking from the back window to the front, lifting up the curtain, peering out at the street then turning and walking to the back again. There must be a long queue in the Indian. And of course we never actually got round to ordering the food so he will have to wait while it’s prepared and cooked. It could take, ooh, at least, I don’t know, half an hour. But it’s already been… Never mind, never mind, if there’s a queue he could wait fifty minutes, easily. An hour, even. It’s possible. Maybe he’s had to try a few different places. Maybe he’s bumped into someone he knows and has lost all track of time. Maybe he’s bumped into Leon.
After about two hours, I’ve stopped pacing and am now sitting on the edge of the sofa, rocking backwards and forwards and occasionally biting the hard skin around my fingernails. I’ve got my own mobile phone loose in my hand but it’s as good as useless when the one, the only person I want to contact has apparently switched his phone off. That sodding phone of his, full of mysteries and unknowns, always always with him, constantly lighting up and vibrating all over the place; but now, when I really need to use it, when it will be of more use than it ever has before – to me, anyway – in his pocket in complete darkness. Oh my God, why would he do that? Why would anyone? What’s the arsing point of having an arsing mobile if it’s arsing switched off, for arse’s sake?
by Review: All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman
All Tom’s friends really are superheroes. Tom even married a superhero, the Perfectionist. But at their wedding the Perfectionist is hypnotized by her ex, Hypno, to believe that Tom is invisible. Nothing he does can make her see him. Six months later, the Perfectionist is sure that Tom has abandoned her, so she’s moving to Vancouver. She’ll use her superpowers to leave all the heartbreak behind. With no idea that Tom’s beside her, she boards the plane. Tom has, until they touch down, to convince her he’s there, or he loses her forever.
I had seen this book recommended a few times by various people on You Tube. I had also read The Tiny Wife (also by Kaufman ) and loved it so I was excited to read this one. It is only about eighty pages long so it is perfect if you’re looking for a quick read through a train journey or before going to sleep. I read it in pretty much one sitting. This book is quirky and it has a lovely idea behind it.
The writing style makes the story engaging in my opinion and it is easy to read.
Looking at some of the other reviews, I feel that perhaps it is a little bit of a marmite book. You are either going to love it or hate it – you get it or you don’t. Personally, I loved it. Tom is an Continue reading
by April’s Book Club: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
Serpent’s Tail, June 2014.
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: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler.
About the book:
Rosemary doesn’t talk very much, and about certain things she’s silent. She had a sister, Fern, her whirlwind other half, who vanished from her life in circumstances she wishes she could forget. And it’s been ten years since she last saw her beloved older brother Lowell.
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March’s Which Book is This Anyway?
The prize is a book but we’ve not revealed the title and won’t until the winner receives it.
Many of us judge books by their covers and make our choices based on that and the accompanying blurb. Our competition adds a little mystery.
It could be a recent new release or a well-known classic. Who knows? We’ve not even revealed the genre. It’s a surprise.
All we did say about this book is that ‘A young girl’s tale about her strange family. This story has been described as clever, moving, fascinating and funny.’
Thank you to every one who entered and well done to Carol Peace who has been drawn out of the hat this month. Your book will be on its way to you soon.
Keep your eye out for April’s competition.
by Bella’s Scribblings: Holiday Planning
I ragged my holiday – well not exactly.
Any of you lovely people who have read my column before may have picked up the fact that sometimes I quite like to plan things. Okay, maybe it’s a bit more than sometimes and perhaps I really like it… Okay! I admit it I have to plan things and I love it – there are you happy now?
So it should be no surprise that when it comes to holidays these too are planned. I am very proud to say that all of 2015’s holidays were booked by October 2014 and 2016’s main holiday is in the bag. (Smug grin). Now usually that would be sufficient but this year things are a little different, this year we are going to Walt Disney World in Florida and it is a return visit so we have the benefit of our ‘Lessons Learned’ from our trip three years ago (dusts off file).
My husband was not surprised when I counted out the days on the calendar and placed reminders at 180 days before our holiday (that’s when you can make Disney Dining reservations), 60 days before (that’s when you can book your Fastpass Plus times for specific rides you want to go on), up to 30 days before you can customize your Magicband (a very clever bracelet that is your room key, your park entry ticket, your Fastpass Plus selections and a contactless wallet so you can tap and pay and it charges to your credit card!)
Husband and child were not surprised when a spreadsheet was produced that detailed all the information that had been booked and noted down reference numbers and the outcomes of the family discussions we had held e.g. what was our top priority at Universal? Character breakfast with Winnie the Pooh or Lilo and Stitch? Fireworks at Epcot or Magic Kingdom? (Answers were Minions, Lilo and Stitch and Epcot – I voted for Harry Potter but was outvoted – glum face).
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Reversing
Friday 27th March 2015: Reversing
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing 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: What would happen if you woke up one day to find that you were ageing in reverse? You weren’t getting older, you were getting younger. What would you do first? What would happen? How would it end? Can you stop it and would you want to?
by Review: The Day We Disappeared by Lucy Robinson
Annie has a secret. But if she’s not going to tell, we won’t either. It’s a heart-breaking secret she wishes she didn’t have – yet Annie isn’t broken, not quite yet. Especially now there’s someone out there who seems determined to fix her.
Kate has run away. But she’s not going to tell us why – that would defeat the point of running, wouldn’t it? It’s proving difficult to reinvent herself, however, with one person always on her mind.
Scratch beneath the surface and nobody is really who they seem. Even Annie and Kate, two old friends, aren’t entirely sure who they are any more. Perhaps you can work it out, before their pasts catch up with them for good . . .
A gripping and unpredictable story of two young women running from their pasts. We defy you to guess the twist . . .
Lucy Robinson’s books have always been on my TBR list, but they’ve never made it to the top. I loved the blurb on this book, so couldn’t help myself.
I loved this. I couldn’t put it down once I got into it. I was reading in lunch breaks, which I never usually take, when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. When I finished it, I couldn’t get the characters out my mind.
by Author Interview: Miranda Richmond Mouillot
A Fifty-Year Silence is the new book from author, Miranda Richmond Mouillot and was released today. Miranda has joined us to chat about her new book. Firstly, she tells us a little about A Fifty-Year Silence and what inspired her to write it?
In 1953, my grandmother, Anna Munster, packed her bags and walked out on my grandfather Armand Jacoubovitch, taking the typewriter, a grapefruit knife, and their two children.
Five years before that day, in 1948, Armand and Anna bought a ruined stone house in the south of France a month before moving to America to start a new life.
Eight years before that day, in 1945, Anna gave birth to their first child while Armand prepared to begin his job at the Nuremberg Trials as one of just two or three court interpreters who were also victims of the accused.
Eleven years before that day, in 1942, Armand and Anna climbed over the Alps in a snowstorm, reached the border an hour after the guards had gone off duty, and escaped Nazi-occupied France to neutral Switzerland.
Thirteen years before that day, in 1940, when France fell to the Nazis, Armand walked three hundred kilometers to hide out with Anna in a village in the French Pyrenees.
And seventeen years before that day, in 1936, Armand and Anna met in a café in Strasbourg and fell passionately in love.
Or did they?
Here’s the thing: I never knew.
The story of what happened between my grandparents both before and after their divorce was total enigma to me throughout my childhood and young adult life. No one could tell me when or how they had met, or when or why they had gotten married. No one could explain just what had made their separation so acrimonious. No one knew, because half a century later, they still wouldn’t speak to one another. If they referred each other at all, it was in cryptic half-sentences. My grandfather couldn’t even bear to utter my grandmother’s name. All that remained of their life together were a few snapshots in a faded photo album. Those snapshots, those tiny, beautiful remnants of a life the war had completely destroyed – they were the beginning of writing this book: from a young age, I desperately, desperately wanted to know what had happened between them.
by A Moment With: Holly Martin
Holly Martin is the author or The Guestbook, The Sentinel and One Hundred Proposals (as well as One Hundred Christmas Proposals. All published by Carina.) She lives in Bedfordshire in a house with round windows.
She shares her five writing tips:
Read everything, the good, the bad, the ugly, the amazing. See how things work and how things don’t.
Watch people, listen to what they talk about, how they talk, walk and dress so you can create real life characters
Get people you trust to read it and give you feedback.
Don’t take any criticism or feedback personally
Never, ever give up
Learn more about Holly and her books at her blog: https://hollymartinwriter.wordpress.com
by News: Barbara Taylor Bradford Launches Writing Competition
Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE has joined forces with The Sunday Times to help discover the next generation of young female writers.
Barbara is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust, an independent UK charity that transforms lives through literacy.
The Write Stuff short story competition is aimed at girls aged 11-18 and who live in the UK. It was launched nationwide on Sunday (22nd March.)
The competition has been initiated following research by National Literacy Trust of more than 14,000 girls revealing that only one in four girls aged 14 to 16 (23%) see writing as cool, and almost half prefer watching TV to reading (49%).
“I feel it’s critical to reach out to girls and young women who want to share a story they have created and inspire a new generation of female writers and readers. It’s really important that female authors like myself take the lead as role models for girls and young women and encourage them to reach their full potential,” says author, Barbara Taylor Bradford who is due to release her 30th novel, The Cavendon Women on 26th March 2015.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Switching
Friday 20th March 2015: Switching
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing 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: Think about something that has happened to you. It could be something strange, unusual or funny that happened to you as a child, or a teenager or something that happened last week. Once you have something, write about it from the perspective of someone else. You could also think of a situation someone you know has been in and put yourself in their shoes.
by Book News: Upcoming Releases
Spring will soon be on its way. It is only two weeks until the clocks go forward and there is a promise of longer evenings and lighter mornings. It also means new books. I wanted to share with you five of the books that I am most looking forward to reading so far this year…
The Girls by Lisa Jewell.
I love Lisa’s books and so I can’t wait for this one to be released. This one sounds very intriguing. The cover is so pretty too. This is due to be released by Century on 2nd July 2015.
Dark secrets, a devastating mystery and the games people play. You live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where your children run free, in and out of other people’s houses. You’ve known your neighbours for years and you trust them. Implicitly. You think your children are safe. But are they really?Midsummer night: a thirteen-year-old girl is found unconscious in a dark corner of the garden square. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?
by Bella’s Scribblings: Exceedingly Good Expectations
My new claim to fame is that I have had a conversation with Mr Kipling about cakes. Not a dream, but a real life exchange with the real Mr Kipling. (Well, possibly not the real Mr Kipling because I don’t think there ever actually was a Mr Kipling who made the cakes – sorry if I’ve just shattered a fantasy).
Anyway, I love Twitter. Where else can you have a conversation with Mr Kipling? You see you really don’t know do you? ‘Mr Kipling’ (see I’ve put it in inverted commas just to prove that I know it’s not an actual person) asked me what type of Mr Kipling cake my book would be! Well, I was obviously thrilled but also a bit scared by the question.
Have you any idea how many different types of cake, slice and tart ‘Mr Kipling’ produces? Well it’s about twenty-six, which is more than enough to look through when you are put on the spot to decide which one your book is! This is the one only time I wished there was one of those silly questionnaires – ‘What type of Mr Kipling cake are you?’ but no, there’s never one when you need one is there?
Now, it is true, that there is a smidgeon of a chance that I over thought this one and that a complete review of all the Mr Kipling cake types alongside my story synopses was not essential but I had been asked a question and I wanted to give a thought through answer. The first Mr Kipling cake that popped into my head was French Fancy – yours too? How strange? Anyway, my book does have a couple of scenes in Paris but it is definitely not a French Fancy. Now don’t get me wrong, when the mood takes me I enjoy a French Fancy as much as the next person but it’s not my first choice and it’s not right for my book. My book simply isn’t that sweet.
by Competitions: Have You Won a Copy of The Wronged?
We were delighted to welcome Kimberley Chambers to Novel Kicks last week. To celebrate the release of her latest novel, The Wronged, thanks to Kimberley and HarperCollins, we had a The Wronged goodie bag to give away which included a signed copy of the book, a T-shirt, shot glass, poster and branded mug.
Congratulations to Sandra Treppas whose name was picked randomly from the entrants. Well done.
About The Wronged:
When the going gets tough, the Butlers get even… ‘Murdered in 1980 she was, bless her. Now I’ll tell you the story of everything that’s happened since…’ No parent should ever have to bury their child, but God knows the Butlers have buried more than their fair share. Now, Vinny and Michael are planning the downfall of all who’ve wronged them. The Butlers don’t forgive or forget, and they take their secrets to the grave. As yet more tragic events rip the family apart, loyalties are on a knife-edge. Times are changing in the East End, and the brothers who have always stuck together are at each other’s throats. As the old saying goes – you keep your friends close, and your enemies closer…But you keep your family right where you can see them. Continue reading
by A Moment With: Laura Elliot
Vintage: New Ed Edition, July 1996
The Enduring Memory of a Handmaid’s Tale
I like books that scare me. The ones that keep my heart racing and my finger compulsively turning the pages – or, in in this era of Kindle, twitching on the next-page command. Such books usually conjure up a grim, dystopian world and leave me wondering if they could actually materialise as science advances and technology reaches further and further into our personal lives.
It must be twenty years since I read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood yet I can still bring the details of that story vividly to mind. Briefly, it’s about a totalitarian society that reforms after a nuclear explosion lays most of the United States to waste. The land is contaminated and many of the women who survived the catastrophe have become infertile. In this new, male dominated society these women are sent to clear up the nuclear waste and suffer obvious consequences as a result. The only ones to avoid this fate are the wives of the men in power –these men are known as The Commanders –and the ‘handmaids,’ young women like Offred, the narrator, who have remained fertile and are capable of producing children to populate this new world order.
The self-imposed belief in The Republic of Gilead is that only women are infertile, men remain fertile. This, of course, is untrue so many of these handmaids are unable to conceive and live in dread of being sent to the contaminated wastelands. Their babies, if they do conceive, will belong to The Commanders and their wives.
by Cover Reveal: The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die by Marnie Riches
We are very excited to be part of the cover reveal for The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die which is the new novel from author, Marnie Riches.
Ta-dah, here it is. It’s due to be published by HarperCollins on 2nd April 2015.
About the book:
HE’S WATCHING HER. SHE DOESN’T KNOW IT…YET
When a bomb explodes at the University of Amsterdam, aspiring criminologist Georgina McKenzie is asked by the police to help flush out the killer. But the bomb is part of a much bigger, more sinister plot that will have the entire city quaking in fear.
And the killer has a very special part for George to play…
A thrilling race against time with a heroine you’ll be rooting for, this book will keep you up all night! Continue reading
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Back in Time
Friday 13th March 2015: Back in Time.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing 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:
You are accidentally transported back to the year of your birth. How you are dressed and how you look makes you stand out. Write about your arrival. What happens? How do people react? Then someone finds your smart phone and it’s new, magical technology that no one has seen before. What happens then?
by Author Interview: J. Paul Henderson
Hello Paul. Thank you so much for joining us. Can you tell us about Last Bus to Coffeeville and what inspired it?
Last Bus to Coffeeville is the story of five people whose lives, in one way or another, have jumped the tracks. The central story though, and the one that explains the bus journey to Coffeeville, is the fulfilment of a promise made by one friend to another almost fifty years previously, that if she inherits the Alzheimer’s that runs in her family, then he will bring her life to a dignified and timely ending.
My mother suffered from subtle stroke dementia for the last ten years of her life, and the idea for the key story came from watching her disappear and another person take her place. The experience made me wonder if someone in a similar situation, who knew the fate that awaited them, would make plans to bypass such misery.
Where would be the one place you would go if you could and why? (Present or a place in history.)
I’d like to be transported to the 1950s and spend my teenage years growing up in small town Middle America. The times were simpler then, the technology reduced, and I’d have been able to drive a large car with ridiculous tail fins. I also think I’d have enjoyed going to High School. This is an idyll, of course. If my colour changed during the transportation process I might well regret this decision. Growing up in 50s America wasn’t a barrel of laughs if you were black.
How much planning do you do before beginning a book? What has to be in place?
If I’m honest, not very much. I’ll have a vague notion about the story, know how it starts and how it ends, but no clear idea how the two dots join. For me, this makes the writing process more interesting – and also surprising.
by
We are excited to be welcoming Kimberley Chambers today and kicking off her video blog tour for her new novel, The Wronged which is due to be released by Harper Collins on 12th March 2015.
Kimberley was previously a disc jockey, a street trader and a mini cab driver before writing her first novel, Billie Jo. She is now a full-time writer and she lives in Romford. Her latest novel is the third in the Butlers series (the first two being The Trap and Payback.
About The Wronged:
When the going gets tough, the Butlers get even… ‘Murdered in 1980 she was, bless her. Now I’ll tell you the story of everything that’s happened since…’ No parent should ever have to bury their child, but God knows the Butlers have buried more than their fair share. Now, Vinny and Michael are planning the downfall of all who’ve wronged them. The Butlers don’t forgive or forget, and they take their secrets to the grave. As yet more tragic events rip the family apart, loyalties are on a knife-edge. Times are changing in the East End, and the brothers who have always stuck together are at each other’s throats. As the old saying goes – you keep your friends close, and your enemies closer…But you keep your family right where you can see them.
We chat to Kimberley about her new book, her advice for new writers and her favourite place to write.
WIN A SIGNED COPY OF THE WRONGED. THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: 500 Words
Friday 6th March 2015: 500 words.
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: The story, characters and theme are your choice but today, your challenge is that the whole story needs to be 500 words or less.
by News: JoJo Moyes announces book sequel
JoJo Moyes has announced that she is releasing a sequel to Me Before You. The new novel will be called After You and is due to be released in the autumn.
JoJo’s best selling novel, Me Before You is currently being adapted into a movie staring Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games, Love Rosie,) and Emila Clarke (Game of Thrones.)
On her website, JoJo said…
“I hadn’t planned to write a sequel to Me Before You. But working on the movie script, and reading the sheer volume of tweets and emails every day asking what Lou did with her life, meant that the characters never left me. It has been such a pleasure revisiting Lou and her family, and the Traynors, and confronting them with a whole new set of issues. As ever, they have made me laugh, and cry. I hope readers feel the same way at meeting them again.”
After You is due for release by Michael Joseph on 24th September 2015. I loved Me Before You and I can’t wait to find out what happens to Lou. If you can’t wait for the film or the book, Penguin have released a book trailer. Enjoy!
by March’s Book Club: All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman
Telegram Books, Feb 2006.
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: All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman.
About the book:
All Tom’s friends really are superheroes. Tom even married a superhero, the Perfectionist. But at their wedding the Perfectionist is hypnotized by her ex, Hypno, to believe that Tom is invisible. Nothing he does can make her see him. Six months later, the Perfectionist is sure that Tom has abandoned her, so she’s moving to Vancouver. She’ll use her superpowers to leave all the heartbreak behind. With no idea that Tom’s beside her, she boards the plane. Tom has, until they touch down, to convince her he’s there, or he loses her forever.
What are your general thoughts about this book? Did you like it? Dislike it? Discuss in the comments below.
by Blog Tour: Creature Comforts by Trisha Ashley
I am excited to be welcoming Trisha Ashley back to Novel Kicks. Her latest novel, Creature Comforts was released by Avon on 26th February and as part of the blog tour for the book, Trisha and Avon have shared an extract with us. Enjoy.
When we first met, it felt so right that I thought falling in love with him must be part of my preordained destiny. Even though my best friends, Lulu and Cameron, teased me about my conviction that I had a near-death experience and went to Heaven while I was in a coma after the accident, and was sent back only because I had some important purpose to perform in life, I knew it was real. Since then I just had to tune inwards to the voice of my guardian angel from time to time to check I’d taken the right turning … only with Kieran, I think I must have fallen for him so hard that I misread the message.
My path through life had appeared clearly marked till then, for after studying Textiles and Design, I’d accepted a job with the Women’s World Workshops Foundation, which sent me on assignments all over the world, though the majority were in India. The pay was minimal, but the job satisfaction immense: discovering the skills and artistic heritage of each area and finding ways of utilising them in the making of beautiful garments, the sale of which could transform the lives of the local women involved in the scheme and, through them, those of their families and even their whole communities.
And all the time I was amassing a huge portfolio of colours, designs, patterns, ideas and contacts, ready for the day when I would finally go home for good to Halfhidden, the small village in west Lancashire where I grew up, and set up my own business selling retro-inspired clothes.
by Blog Tour: Review – Creature Comforts by Trisha Ashley
Izzy has broken off her engagement to her feckless fiancée Kieran and returned to her childhood home – the sleepy village of Halfhidden.
She soon realizes that life in the village is anything but peaceful – for one thing she’s living with her mad aunt Debo and her pack of dogs, and for another, Izzy has a lot of unanswered questions.
When she was a teenager, Izzy was involved in a terrible accident, involving various inhabitants of Halfhidden. As she sets out to discover what actually happened on the night of the accident, she realizes that her painful past is actually standing in the way of her future happiness. So when a handsome stranger comes to Halfhidden will she let love back into her life?
I have loved Trisha’s previous novels and I was excited to receive a review copy of her new novel, Creature Comforts. I always find a warmth and humour in Trisha’s novels and this one was no exception.
Izzy is a lovely character and I liked her from the beginning. She has a relatable quality to her and I wanted her to be OK throughout the course of the book. She simply wants to get on with her life and the only way she can do this is to find out what happened the night of the accident she was involved in when she was sixteen. She is a lovely girl but is not someone who is going to be walked over and I loved this about her.
The other characters are endearing. I loved Debo and Judy and I loved Lulu and Cameron together. I did not warm to Dan or Kieran at all but I think that was the point. Rufus was a great character and I knew from the beginning that he wasn’t going to be what he seemed or as horrible as people made out. I felt quite sorry for him actually – with all of the things he was having to deal with.
by March: Which Book is This Anyway?
It’s the second month of our new competition, Which Book is This Anyway?
Many of us judge books by their covers and make our choices based on that and the accompanying blurb. Our competition adds a little mystery.
The prize for this competition is a book but the identity of that book will not be revealed until the lucky winner receives it. It could be a recent new release or a well-known classic. Who knows? We won’t even reveal the genre. It’s a surprise.
All we will reveal about March’s choice is this: ‘A young girl’s tale about her strange family. This story has been described as clever, moving, fascinating and funny.’
How to enter:
by Blog Tour: Writing Rituals and Inspriations by Rachel Abbott
Hello Rachel, thank you for joining us. We’re delighted to be part of your blog tour. Your new novel is called Stranger Child. What’s it about and what inspired it?
If I had to find one word which sums up what Stranger Child is about, it would have to be revenge – but that nowhere near covers it.
Emma Jacobs met David – now her husband – several years ago, but they lost touch when she went to Australia. When she came back, she was horrified to learn that David’s first wife had been killed in a car accident, and his six-year-old daughter had disappeared from the scene. Now, six years later, Emma and David have put the past behind them and are happily married with a new baby, Ollie.
And then a stranger walks into their lives, and their world falls apart.
Emma discovers things about her own past that shock her, and when she contacts her old friend DCI Tom Douglas for help, their pursuit of the truth sets in motion a series of terrifying events that neither of them could have imagined.
Emotions run high in this book, and each of the main characters has to face a dilemma that nobody should ever have to deal with.
Can you tell us a little about your route to publication?
I am extremely fortunate in having an amazing agent who really looks after me well. I start with an idea of the story and the characters, and I send it to her. She mulls it over and comes back with the things she likes and the things she hates, and somehow or other we knock the outline into shape.
And then I write. I do nothing else – just sit at my desk and write. I love it, but the first draft is always pretty dire. However, it creates the framework, and from there I can go back and work out the detail.
When I’m happy, it goes for first edit – and I know that there will be lots of changes to be made. These are structural – sometimes quite major – but always good. There are a couple of rounds with the editors, and then it goes to line edit where we argue about the detail. Is this sentence necessary? Would we lose anything if we chopped out this paragraph? Then finally the copy edit – when I’m always surprised at the little details that I’ve missed.
We have Advance Review Copies prepared in paperback – this is something we have started with Stranger Child – and my publicists send out copies to anybody who is keen to review the book.
And as an independent author, I also have to think about the marketing, the cover, the blurb – it’s very much a full time job at every stage.
by
When Emma Joseph met her husband David, he was a man shattered by grief. His first wife had been killed outright when her car veered off the road. Just as tragically, their six-year-old daughter mysteriously vanished from the scene of the accident.
Now, six years later, Emma believes the painful years are behind them. She and David have built a new life together and have a beautiful baby son, Ollie.
Then a stranger walks into their lives, and their world tilts on its axis.
Emma’s life no longer feels secure. Does she know what really happened all those years ago? And why does she feel so frightened for herself and for her baby?
When a desperate Emma reaches out to her old friend DCI Tom Douglas for help, she puts all their lives in jeopardy. Before long, a web of deceit is revealed that shocks both Emma and Tom to the core.
They say you should never trust a stranger. Maybe they’re right.
(Warning: a couple of spoilers.)
This was my first book from author, Rachel Abbott. From the first page, this book had me hooked. I do like books like this; physiological thrillers that I can’t seem to put down. I was reading this book into the early hours where I looked up and suddenly realised it was three am.
by Blog Tour: Stranger Child by Rachel Abbott
Black Dot Publishing, Feb 2015
We’re delighted to welcome Rachel Abbott to Novel Kicks. She is the author of three novels, Only The Innocent, The Back Road and Sleep Tight. Her fourth novel, Stranger Child has just been released on e-book. Today, we will chat to Rachel about her book but first, she has shared an extract Stranger Child. Enjoy!
Emma glanced out at the dismal day. The black clouds heavy with rain were creating such gloom that the kitchen lights were a necessity even this early in the afternoon.
For a moment, she was in a trance, staring at nothing because in her head she could see summer days when the garden was finished, the beds bursting with newly planted flowers. She could almost smell the lavender she would grow in the borders.
She wasn’t sure of the moment that it happened. It wasn’t an instant in time, it was more of a gradual awareness, but as she stared blindly at the black window, dreaming of the happy months ahead, something moved at the edge of her peripheral vision. Her eyes refocused from the garden to the surface of the glass, the bright lights of the kitchen against the dark sky beyond creating a perfect mirror.
Every nerve ending in her body prickled, and she gasped as her brain finally acknowledged what she was looking at.
It was a pair of eyes. A pair of eyes that were behind her, watching.
Close behind her. In her kitchen.
by Competitions: Which Book is This Anyway February Winner
This month, we launched our new competition, Which Book is This Anyway?
The prize is a book but we’ve not revealed the title and won’t until the winner receives it.
Many of us judge books by their covers and make our choices based on that and the accompanying blurb. Our new competition adds a little mystery.
It could be a recent new release or a well-known classic. Who knows? We’ve not even revealed the genre. It’s a surprise.
All we did say about this book is that ‘It is a highly emotive story which focuses on two people and the unusual friendship that develops between them.’
by Guy Mankowski on Writing How I Left The National Grid
The writing process for How I Left The National was so distinct from that of my two previous novels, that it was almost like learning to play the keyboard after you’ve been playing guitar. This seems an apt, if somewhat pretentious description, given that this novel follows the story of an eighties post-punk musician, Robert Wardner. Wardner vanishes after a particularly controversial appearance on Top Of The Pops. During this performance he commits a shocking act which, during the more buttoned-up era of 80s Britain, causes enough of an impact that he never recovers.
My first novel, The Intimates, was mostly written over an intense eight-week period when I was 21. I lived and breathed the novel every single day almost in a hallucinogenic way. My second novel, Letters from Yelena, was written over a year and a half, and its writing coincided with a research trip to Russia in which a great deal of information about the world of Russian ballet was absorbed. This novel was set mainly in 80s Manchester, only a few hours away from me.
Somehow, it took over three years.
by Bella’s Scribblings: Marketing Plans
Apparently I have a marketing plan for my book! I’m very pleased because I was starting to panic when I got asked for the third time what my marketing strategy had been for my book and my answer had been to do a very convincing impression of a retarded goldfish.
I then scurried off to investigate whereupon (that’s a very good and much underused word by the way…) whereupon I discovered lots of wonderful advice about marketing your debut novel. Off the page jumped a very scary piece of advice that said you need to start marketing three years in advance.
So I went to check on the progress of the time travel machine the child is working on and sadly it’s not quite ready for use yet. Cue lots of nail-biting and hair pulling (all my own I’m not that strange).
After a large glass of Baileys (I’m still ‘tidying up’ after Christmas) I had another look at the amassed advice. All of it was very helpful and logical:
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Fly on The Wall
Friday 27th February 2015: Fly on the Wall.
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: Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall for a conversation you want to hear? Well, you are. Who do you hear? What do you hear?
by
Hello Jen. Thank you for joining us. Firstly, congratulations on The Bookshop Book becoming the official book for the 2014 Books are my Bag campaign. Can you tell us a little about it and how you developed the idea for the book?
Thank you! Well, I’ve always loved bookshops; they’re magical places full of nostalgia and possibility. They’re places to get lost in, and discover different worlds. I’ve worked in bookselling for the past seven years (since working part-time whilst completing my degree), and I’ve written a couple of books about the weird things that customers say in bookshops (because lots of weird things are said!). However, I also wanted to showcase the other side of the bookselling world: the bizarre but wonderful stories hidden behind the shelves; the history of the bookshop; the idea of the travelling bookshop, and bookshops in remote places… Book touring with Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops led me to places such as Wigtown, a fantastic town with a dozen bookshops on the west coast of Scotland, which led me to discover that there’s an International Organisation of Book Towns – with several Book Towns across Europe and one in Australia in an old gold mining town. There are so many wonderful places out there that I thought needed to be shouted about: such as a bookshop in Africa that also sells cows, and a man in America called Walter Swan who opened up a bookshop that only stocked his book and nothing else… So, I asked my editor if I could write a book about weirdly wonderful bookshops around the world… and he said yes!
Did you visit all of the shops mentioned in The Bookshop Book?
The Bookshop Book looks at over 300 bookshops across six continents, so sadly I didn’t get to visit them all – though I spoke to people who had. I got to most of the bookshops in the UK, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam (where I lived on a houseboat for a few days). When I was writing the book, I’d get up early and Skype with booksellers in Asia (like Ayuko, who runs a sushi-making class inside a bookshop), and Australia/NZ; then I’d go to work in my own bookshop, before skyping with booksellers in North America in the evening. So, I felt as though I was living in several different time zones – it was a bizarre, but wonderful, time. Continue reading
by
Fourth Estate, 2010.
Vintage, 2004
This week, the Independent published a list of the best novels from the past two decades. A panel of literary experts have put together the list which helped mark the 20th Anniversary of the Bath Literature Festival.
The list was topped by Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel which has ‘transformed the literary landscape’ according to artistic director, Viv Groskop.
I have to admit, I’ve only read one of the books listed below and that is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (which I very much enjoyed.) There are a few that are on my TBR pile though. Do you agree with this list?
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
American Pastoral by Philip Roth
by Postbag: February
We’ve received some fantastic books already this month. We wanted to share a selection with you….
Polly and The Puffin by Jenny Colgan.
As well as her latest novel, Summer at the Little Beach Bakery coming out at the end of February, Jenny has her first children’s book coming out on 26th February. Illustrated by Thomas Docherty, it’s available in paperback and as an e-book. It arrived beautifully wrapped with a cuddy puffin too.
About the book:
Polly heard a CRASH downstairs. Was it a monster? NO! Was it a spider alien? NO!
It was a little puffin with a broken wing…
When Polly discovers an injured puffin, she and her mummy look after him in their cottage by the sea.
Slowly, Neil’s wing heals and Polly must prepare herself to say goodbye to her new friend. Will she ever see him again?
(Little Browns Books for Young Readers, February 2015.)
by A Moment With Jacqueline Harvey
My writing day varies depending on where I am in the world. When I’m at home in Sydney I usually work in my study. It looks out onto two sunny courtyards and across to the upper storey of a beautiful Queen Anne style home. Some days if I’m editing I might walk up to one of the local coffee shops and work there – I like to be around the hum of people depending on what stage of the writing process I’m at.
I start my day with a skinny latte but try to limit myself to one coffee, so after that I’ll have one or two cups of tea.
I’m usually at my desk by 8am and often work until 6pm. I’ve only been writing full-time for two years and one thing I’ve found problematic is my lack of movement! I have to make sure that I get up and walk every half hour or so. To that end I investigated a brilliant standing desk arrangement last year. It has a large flexible arm to hold the computer screen and keyboard so you can adjust it to a sitting position and then push it up so you can stand. The negative impact of sitting for long periods is frightening, apart from the inevitable weight gain, so I hope the standing desk will work for me.
by Writing Room: Party
Writing Room is our online writing group.
We post a prompt. It could be a first line, a suggested exercise to work on plot or characters or it could be about writing about a situation. Once you’ve written your piece, post it in the comments box below. Anyone is welcome to take part and it’s an opportunity to post work plus give and gain feedback.
Today’s prompt: Your character is about to enter a party where they don’t know anyone. Using only dialogue, they meet two new people – one of which they like a lot and one they instantly dislike. Where this party is, the age and gender of your character is up to you. Write between 500 – 750 words.
by The Rosie Effect Book Tour
Graeme Simsion plans second UK bookshop tour.
Graeme’s novel, The Rosie Effect is due to be released by Penguin on 26th February 2015.
The Rosie Project tells the story of socially challenged Genetics professor Don Tillman and his unique challenge to find a wife and how his life is upheaved when he meets a girl called Rosie. It’s sequel, The Rosie Effect carries on and focuses on his life as he settles into a big city.
‘The Rosie Project has touched the hearts of millions worldwide with its irresistible blend of comedy, romance and poignancy. But it’s Don Tillman – a truly memorable creation who can proudly sit alongside Adrian Mole and Bridget Jones – who steals the show and we are thrilled to be reuniting him with thousands of readers and booksellers this Spring,’ says Maxine Hitchcock, the Publishing Director of Michael Joseph
by Author Interview: Julie Shackman
Hello Julie, thank you so much for joining us. Can you tell us about your debut novel, Rock My World and how did the idea originate?
Ruby Cameron is an ambitious reporter for a local paper where she is fed scraps of news, and lives with a man whose “idea of living dangerously is to leave the heating on when we pop out to the shops”. But after catching her squeaky clean boyfriend in flagrante delicto she ups sticks and moves into her own small home, only to discover the ghostly presence of a cheeky rock star who becomes her confidant as the dynamics of her small town, and her feelings about her dashing new boss, begin to throw up more questions than she can answer. Will Ruby discover who she really is, and perhaps more importantly, who she wants to be? I love music, especially rock and have to have music playing whilst I’m writing and the idea for Rock My World just came about from that.
Do you cast your characters and if so, did you have someone specific in mind for Ruby?
Yes, I tend to! I think my dream cast for Rock My World would be Santiago Cabrera for Stevie, my ghostly rock singer. He’s very attractive and has stage presence. For Ruby. someone lovely and passionate like Natalie Portman and for Matt, it would have to be the wolfish Bradley Cooper with those eyes of his!
What’s your writing process like – do you plan, edit as you go?
I tend to make sketchy notes before I start and read over the previous day’s writing to polish it a bit before starting the next chapter. Then once I’ve finished my novel, I’ll go over it again a few times to see where I can improve it.
by Quick Spotlight: Real Monsters by Liam Brown
Real Monsters is due to be released by Legend Press on 1st March 2015.
‘Real Monsters is the story of two young lovers with a war wedged between them; a surreal and ferociously recognisable allegory for our war-torn times,’ says the author, Liam Brown.
It is the debut novel from Liam who is also the lead singer and guitarist for the band, Freelance Mourners.
It will be available in paperback and eBook formats. Click here to view the book on Amazon UK.
About Real Monsters:
We are surrounded by monsters. The lines are now so blurred, no one knows who the real enemy is anymore.
by Author Interview: Kate Riordan
The Girl in the Photograph was released by Penguin on 15h January 2015. Inspired by the beautiful Owlpen Manor in Gloucestershire, it’s the latest novel from author, Kate Riordan.
About the book:
When Alice Eveleigh arrives at Fiercombe Manor during the long, languid summer of 1933, she finds a house steeped in mystery and brimming with secrets. Sadness permeates its empty rooms and the isolated valley seems crowded with ghosts, none more alluring than Elizabeth Stanton whose only traces remain in a few tantalisingly blurred photographs. Why will no one speak of her? What happened a generation ago to make her vanish?As the sun beats down relentlessly, Alice becomes ever more determined to unearth the truth about the girl in the photograph – and stop her own life from becoming an eerie echo of Elizabeth’s . . .
In the video below, Kate talks about her inspiration for the book, her characters, what she wants the reader to take away from the novel and the themes of her novel. Click here to see a book trailer for The Girl in the Photograph.
by Bella’s Scribblings: Publication Day!
So yesterday was publication day for my debut novel ‘It Started at Sunset Cottage’ and I’m still too excited for words (actually bad luck I may be able to squeeze a few more out!) It’s a day I still struggle to believe is real because when I started writing my novel I had no plans, and certainly no expectation, of it being published. I have a million people to thank for getting me to this position but a wise and Yoda-like person (they’re old, not green, they do have quite big ears though…) pointed out that the key to all of this was me because I sat down and wrote the novel in the first place. I brushed it off as modestly as I could because I do genuinely believe that there is a great deal to do with luck and timing when it comes to getting published – your manuscript has to land on the right person’s desk at the right time and in an ever-changing world where everyone is looking for the next big thing (but nobody – I repeat NOBODY knows what that is) it takes a great deal of luck for that person to take a risk on you and your story.
However, Yoda does have a point. I come across so many people who either want to write a novel or are trying to write a novel and my response is always ‘You should do it.’ Interestingly I get a lot of responses to this and very few are ‘You’re absolutely right, I will start today!’ What they usually tell me are a big host of reasons why they can’t do it. Sometimes it’s a lack of confidence, in which case I encourage them to finish it all the same and give it to another writer to read. Because what’s the worst that can happen?
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Unlucky For Some?
Friday 13th February 2015: Unlucky for some?
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:
It’s Friday 13th. It is seen as unlucky for some. Is it unlucky for your character? Is your character superstitious? Write about something that happens to them today and how they deal with it. Are they usually lucky but then experience bad luck or do they get a reversal of fortune on Friday 13th where they suddenly become lucky?
by Blog Tour: Don’t Mention The Rockstar by Bree Darcy
We’re happy to welcome Bree Darcy to Novel Kicks. She is currently on her blog tour for her debut novel, Don’t Mention the Rockstar which was published as an e-book on 15th January 2015.
Hi Bree, thank you so much for joining us. Can you tell us a little about your book, Don’t Mention the Rock Star, and how the idea originated?
It’s essentially a story that examines the power of first love and whether someone can ever truly escape its magnetic pull. Kellie is a reporter for a showbiz website and one day she gets a blast from her past – in the form of her teenage boyfriend Andy (who went on to become a mega-famous singer). But Kellie has moved on with her life and certainly isn’t looking for a do-over with him. The story alternates between past and present, so readers get a glimpse into their relationship and discover why they aren’t together any more. I have no idea where the idea originated, other than these characters crashed into my head one day and simply wouldn’t leave me alone until I resolved their story.
Out of all the books you’ve read, which three have made the most impact and why?
The first book I remember being floored by was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. It’s a coming-of-age story set in the 60s and relates a tale about a guy called Ponyboy who’s dealing with gang rivalry. I have tried unsuccessfully to get my teen daughter to read it – or at least watch the film. Actually – even though the movie involved many of the 80s hottest young actors, such as Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon and Rob Lowe, if you don’t know the story – read it, don’t watch it. The book is SO much better. Although I wonder if the drama of it all will seem a bit ho-hum to a teen today.
An obvious one for a chick lit lover perhaps, but I have to put Pride and Prejudice on this list. Loved Jane Austen’s humour, especially the exchanges between the meddling mother and the exasperated father; the characterisations of the different sisters, the thwarted romances, the repulsive Mr Collins and the haughty but hot Mr Darcy. He was, of course, the inspiration behind my pen-name.
I adored Where Rainbows End, by Cecelia Ahern, from the second I started reading it. I loved how over time something kept getting in the way of Rosie and Alex being together. I guess I have pursued a similar theme in my own book. And it’s probably why One Day by David Nicholls also struck a real chord with me too.
by Book Club
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