Competitions : Oh Dear Silvia Competition Winners.
Thank you to everyone who entered our Dawn French competition.
Penguin, June 2013.
Well done to Janet Parfitt and Joanne Varney who have both won a copy of Oh Dear Silvia.
by 
NK Fiction Friday : Week 8: Music
For week 8, it’s all about music.
Pick one of your favourite songs and use it as your inspiration. Your main character’s names are Katy and Ryan.
Write for 5 minutes minimum and then keep going. Don’t edit and post in the comments box below.
by NK Chats To.... : Trisha Ashley: My Most Memorable Writing Moment.
Looking back on my long writing career, there have been many memorable moments and one totally unforgettable year – 1983, when I not only gave birth to my son, but also had my first novel accepted. Fast forward a couple of years and I’m listening to the talk by Diane Pearson of Transworld which was to lead me to my agent, Judith Murdoch, and the publication of my first romantic comedy with Piatkus, Good Husband Material.
by My Advice : Lulu Taylor.
Finish something – if you do that, you’ll be miles ahead of everyone else.
If you never edit yourself, start. Don’t be afraid to cut and change.
If you edit yourself too much, stop. You will never create a perfect first draft, just get one finished.
Don’t get close friends or family to critique your work. Their praise isn’t entirely unbiased and their criticism will annoy you.
Be prepared to put the novel in a drawer and leave it for six months while you start something else. Then go back to it and see what it’s like fresh. You’ll be surprised.
by Book News :
Orion, July 2013.
On 31st December 1999, ten-year-old Amy Archer went missing from her local playground. Her body was never found and the lives of her parents, Beth and Brian, were torn apart.
On the tenth anniversary of the disappearance, Beth is alone, still struggling with the enormity of her grief and the horror of not knowing the fate of her only child. But the fear and confusion have only just begun, and Beth’s world is turned upside down when a stranger knocks on her door, claiming to know what happened to Amy.
Beth is introduced to a little girl who is the uncanny double of her missing daughter, who knows things that only Amy would remember; the name of her favourite toy, the place where she scratched her initials, what Beth likes for breakfast. But this can’t be Amy, she hasn’t aged a day…
Now Beth is forced to question everything she has ever believed in, and push her faith and her sanity to the limits, if she is to find out the truth about what happened to Amy.
by Competitions :
Penguin, June 2013.
We have two paperback copies of Oh Dear Silvia by Dawn French to give away.
The blurb:
Everyone knows the real Silvia, don’t they?
Silvia Shute lies in hospital in a coma. Family and friends gather at her bedside, each thinking they know the real Silvia. But do they? For Silvia hides a secret. One she can never tell. And as her visitors congregate so the truth about Silvia is slowly revealed. Again, and again and again . . .
To enter: Continue reading
by Book Reviews : Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell.
Arrow, May 2013.
London, 1920. Arlette works in Liberty by day, and by night is caughty up in a glamorous whirl of parties, clubs, cocktails and jazz. But when tragedy strikes she flees the city, never to return.
Over half a century later, in the grungy mid-’90s, her granddaughter Betty arrives in London.
She can’t wait to begin her new life. But before she can do so, she must find the mysterious woman named in her grandmother’s will.
What she doesn’t know is that her search will uncover the heartbreaking secret that changed her grandmother’s life, and might also change hers for ever…
Laura’s Verdict:
by NK Fiction Friday :
Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Week Seven.
This week, write a piece using your favourite nursery rhyme as inspiration. Write in a third person point of view.
(Rules: Write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going. Don’t edit and when you’re done, post below in the comments.)
by Discussions :
It’s a question I ask all of the authors I interview as I am always intrigued by the answer. Everyone’s choices are so varied and different. I have often wondered who I would invite over if I could have a dinner party and invite anyone.
It changes all the time but I think, at the moment, I would love to invite, John Lennon (I am a Beatles fan and the man fascinates me,) Queen Elizabeth I (the woman was amazing,) JK Rowling (so we could talk about Harry Potter and writing,) and my husband (as he always make me laugh – plus, he’s not a bad cook.)
Who would you have over to dinner?
by Discussions :
Music and books are two of my favourite things. Music tends to be on in the background and it’s amazing how much of a help it’s been when I’ve been trying to write. Music can inspire as much as books can. I think my favourite album to write to at the moment is + by Ed Sheeran. How about you? Which songs, artists, albums or types of music do you listen to whilst writing or reading?
by NK Chats To.... : Jenni Fagan
Jenni Fagan (credit: Urszula Soltys)
Jenni Fagan is a Poet and Novelist. Her debut novel, The Panopticon, was released by Windmill Books in April. We had a chat with Jenni and asked her about her writing day, what makes her day and the fictional character she’d like to meet.
What’s your typical writing day like?
I have three main writing days per week, they begin with getting my toddler up, dressed, breakfasted and out the door. Then I usually make myself porridge, check e-mails, have a coffee. I like to start by 9am so I then have four hours to work in peace. I usually have to read through some of the chapters, or if I am confused I might have to print the entire novel off and go through it all with a biro, make notes, restructure. If I am doing a first draft then I just aim for momentum and try not to worry too much about whether it is any good or not. Around 1pm I will have lunch. If I have interview requests or other mails to respond to then I try and do that later once the writing is done.
by Book News : Little Sacrifices by Jamie Scott
Kindle Edition. Amazon Media.
How much would you risk to stand up for your beliefs?
When the Powell family moves to Savannah Georgia in 1947, they hope against hope that they’ll be welcomed. But they’re Northerners and worse, they’re white civil rights advocates almost a decade too early. The American South is deeply segregated.
At first May can pretend they’re the same as everyone else. It means keeping quiet when she knows she should speak up, but it’s worth the sacrifice to win friends. Unfortunately her parents are soon putting their beliefs into action. And when they wake to find that they’re the only family on the block with a Ku Klux Klan cross blazing on their front lawn, the time comes for them to finally decide between what’s easy and what’s right. Jamie Scott is the pen name of Michele Gorman, the best-selling chick lit author of the Single in the City series and Bella Summer Takes a Chance.
by Book News : Through It All by Kristyn Lewis.
Sphere, July 2013.
Released: 4th July 2013.
The first step is the hardest . . .
Waverly Brown is the anchor that keeps her tight circle of friends together. Loyal and generous with her time, she would do anything for Kate and Amy but she can’t bring herself to tell even her best friends the truth about her bakery and her increasing debt. She’s so consumed with her own worries that she almost misses what is right in front of her; something is wrong with Amy, terribly wrong.
Try as they might to reach out, Waverly and Kate can’t make Amy open up to them. She refuses to admit there’s anything wrong but Waverly is convinced Amy is in trouble and she’s terrified. Can Waverly convince her friend to save herself before it’s too late?
by NK Chats To.... : Lucy Clarke’s Best Writing Moment.
Lucy Clarke (credit: James Bowden.)
Lucy Clarke, the author of our Book Corner title this month, The Sea Sisters, talks about her best writing moment so far…
Hearing the news that The Sea Sisters had been picked for the Richard and Judy list was very exciting. I was in the Philippines researching for a future novel when I got the call. My editor said, ‘I’ve got some wonderful news for you. The Sea Sisters has been chosen to be in the Richard & Judy Book Club. Congratulations, Lucy!’ I think I babbled something like, ‘Oh my god, oh my god! That’s amazing ! I can’t believe it!’
by My Advice : Milly Johnson.
Read lots – you’ll absorb style and vocabulary
Write as often as you can – practice makes perfect
Get yourself a dedicated workspace and lots of stationery. If you want to be a writer – you need the official tools
Remember that writing isn’t easy – you will always hit sticky parts and think ‘this is rubbish’ – it’s quite normal
Don’t be held back by fear of rejection – if you have talent and resilience you will eventually find a door that opens for you and then you will be soooo glad that you fought for and won the best job in the world.
by NK Chats To.... : Marlen Suyapa Bodden
Marlen Suyapa Bodden’s debut novel, The Wedding Gift was published by Century in May 2013.
What can you tell us about your new book The Wedding Gift?
It’s my debut novel and it’s set in the 1850s pre-Civil War American South. When Cornelius Allen gives his daughter Clarissa’s hand in marriage, he presents her with a wedding gift: the young slave she grew up with, Sarah. Sarah is also Allen’s daughter and Clarissa’s sister, a product of his longtime relationship with his house slave, Emmeline. When Clarissa’s husband suspects that their newborn son is illegitimate, Clarissa and Sarah are sent back to her parents, Cornelius and Theodora, in shame, setting in motion a series of events that will destroy this once powerful family.
by Literary Fact : 5th July 2013
Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, author of A Doll’s House, kept a live pet scorpion in an empty beer glass on his desk while writing for inspiration. Yikes, rather him than me.
by NK Fiction Friday : # Week 6: A Letter To Your Sixteen Year Old Self.
Your character is post 50’s. They write a letter to their sixteen year old self. What would it say?
(Write and then post. Don’t edit.)
by Literary Fact : 4th July 2013.
Book News : A Night On The Orient Express by Veronica Henry.
Orion, 4 July 2013
A new life is just a ticket away…
The Orient Express. Luxury. Mystery. Romance.
For one group of passengers settling in to their seats and taking their first sips of champagne, the journey from London to Venice is more than the trip of a lifetime.
A mysterious errand; a promise made to a dying friend; an unexpected proposal; a secret reaching back a lifetime…As the train sweeps on, revelations, confessions and assignations unfold against the most romantic and infamous setting in the world.
Buy via Amazon.
by The President’s Hat by Antoine Laurain – Competition Winners.
Thank you to all the people who entered our competition to win a signed copy of The President’s Hat by Antoine Laurain.
Gallic Books, March 2013.
Well done to Mandy Carter (who’s superpower would be to look into the future,) Susan Nisar (who would like the power to heal,) and Kathleen Gallagher (who would like to be able to turn nasty food delicious.)
by Literary Fact : Tuesday 2nd July 2013
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams was originally a radio comedy which first broadcast on 1978 on BBC Radio Four.
by Book Corner :
Harper, 2013.
Two sisters, one life-changing journey…
There are some currents in the relationship between sisters that run so dark and so deep, it’s better for the people swimming on the surface never to know what’s beneath . . .
Katie’s carefully structured world is shattered by the news that her headstrong younger sister, Mia, has been found dead in Bali – and the police claim it was suicide.
With only the entries of Mia’s travel journal as her guide, Katie retraces the last few months of her sister’s life, and
by Writing Room : Writing About Something You Know.
This month, pick a subject you know a lot about and write as much as you can about it. Sometimes this helps if you’re suffering a little from writers block.
by NK Fiction Friday : # Week 5: Predicting the Future.
Week 5:
Write in the first person about suddenly having the ability to see into the future.
(Don’t edit, just post in the comment box below.)
by Literary Fact : Friday 28th June 2013.
A.A. Milne, the author of the Winnie the Pooh series, used his son as inspiration for the character Christopher Robin. However, when Christopher Robin was born, Milne and his wife had wanted to call him Billy but then decided it would be too informal.
by Competitions :
We have three signed copies of The President’s Hat by Antoine Laurain to give away.
Gallic Books, March 2013.
To enter: Comment with your name and town. Also, just for fun, tell us what magical power you would have if you could pick one. The winner will be picked at random after the closing date which is Wednesday 3rd July 2013 at 23.59. The winner will be announced on the blog on Thursday 4th July 2013. (UK and Ireland residents only.)
About the book:
Daniel is dining alone in an elegant but expensive Parisian Brasserie and can hardly believe his eyes when President François Mitterrand sits down to eat at the table next to him. It’s once the President has left that Daniel finds Mitterrand’s black hat. After a few moments of soul searching, Daniel decides to keep the hat as a souvenir – a reminder of an extraordinary evening. The hat is a perfect fit. When Daniel wears it, he starts to feel somehow different.
by Literary Fact : Thursday 27th June 2013
Shakespeare is credited for creating many phrases.
If you use the phrases, “vanished into thin air,” be that as it may,” and “the truth will out,” then you are quoting Shakespeare.
by Diary of a Wannabe Writer, aged 32 : Another Point of View…
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So, I’m plugging away at my first draft, fighting the ever plaguing voices of self doubt in my head; the voices telling me that ‘this is rubbish’ and ‘what the hell do you think you’re doing? What makes you think you can write a book?’
My main debate this week however, has been point of view. Which one do I choose for my novel? Third person or first person? All these questions and I know I’m not the only first time writer to ask them and I won’t the the last.
by Literary Fact : 26th June 2013
Harper Voyager, Special Edition, 2013.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury started off as a novella called ‘The Fireman.’
by NK Chats To.... : Antoine Laurain
Antoine Laurain was born in Paris in the early 1970s. As well as being a novelist, Antoine has also directed short films and written screenplays. His latest book, the wonderful The President’s Hat was released in March by Gallic Books. We had a chat with Antoine and asked about his ideal dinner guests, whether he’s a planner and which book has had the most impact on him…
Can you describe your typical writing day?
You mean the ideal writing day… I feed my cat before going to do the market. I spend the morning reading over what I wrote the day before; meanwhile I’ve got a pot au feu on the stove. Lunchtime arrives and I eat the pot au feu, then I work until aperitif o’clock and … that’s the writing over for the day.
Can you tell us a little about your latest book, The President’s Hat.
by Literary Fact : 25th June 2013
Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone was sent to a number of Publishers prior to publication. Reports say between eight to twelve Publishers rejected the manuscript.
Bloomsbury 1997. C. JK Rowling.
It took a year before Bloomsbury offered to publish it and now it’s one of the most successful book series having first been published in June 1997.
by My Advice : Sophie Kinsella.
Sophie Kinsella, the author of the Shopaholic series gives her five tips for new writers:
Don’t talk about your work except to someone you absolutely trust. Certainly don’t announce to the world ‘I’m writing a novel’ as your family and friends will never stop asking you about it.
Write the book you would love to read yourself.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. You may not find your voice or style straight away.
Halfway through your project it will all seem impossible and you will be tempted to jack it in and begin another, far more exciting idea. Trust me, that idea will get difficult halfway through, too.
Finish!
by Literary Fact : Monday 24th June 2013.
It’s claimed that the earliest Public Library in England was the London Guildhall and was established in 1425 whereas Charleston’s St Philip’s Church Parsonage in the US had a Parish Library in 1698.
by Book News : Avon Releases Two Short Story Collections.
Avon Books (Harper Collins Publishers,) are releasing two free e-book short story collections. Each will also contain exclusive extracts from the authors’ upcoming titles.
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THE PERFECT MURDER is available now. It’s a spine chilling collection of short stories from some of Avon’s talented crime authors including Paul Finch and Jacqui Rose.
THE PERFECT ESCAPE is a collection of short stories from some of the top names in women’s fiction. Featuring irresistible tales of love, friendship, betrayal and passion, authors include Sunday Times bestsellers Claudia Carroll, Miranda Dickinson and Julia Williams. THE PERFECT ESCAPE publishes on 27th June.
by Book Reviews : The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Harper, 2013
War has come to the Long Earth….
Humankind has spread across the new worlds opened up by stepping, which Joshua and Lobsang explored a mere decade ago. Now “civilization” flourishes, and fleets of airships link the multiple Earths through exploration, trade, and culture.
Humankind is shaping the Long Earth, but in turn the Long Earth is shaping humankind. A new America that has christened itself “Valhalla” has emerged more than a million steps from the original Datum Earth. And like the American revolutionaries of old, the Valhallans resent being controlled from afar by the Datum government.
In the intervening years, the song of the trolls—graceful, hive-mind humanoids—has suffused the Long Earth. But in the face of humankind’s inexorable advance, they are beginning to fall silent . . . and gradually disappear.
Joshua, now married and a father, is summoned by Lobsang. It seems that he alone can confront the perfect storm of crises that threatens to plunge all of the Long Earth into war.
by Izzy’s Attic Competition Winner…
Thank you to all of you who entered our competition to win a beautiful bookmark from Izzy’s Attic.
Well done to Aimee Talbot from Kings Lynn. Your prize will be on it’s way to you shortly. Aimee would like to meet Hazel Grace Lancaster from John Green’s Fault in Our Stars.
The bookmarks are available to buy from Izzy’s Attic.
Read more about Izzy’s fantastic charity, Eyes Alight.
by Literary Fact :
Everyman, 1998.
Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables, liked to write naked. It was said to help with writer’s block.
by NK Fiction Friday : #4: Online Dating.
Week 4.
Your character has just come out of a relationship and is talked into joining an online dating site.
(As usual, write for 5-15 minutes and remember, don’t edit. Just write and post.)
by NK Chats To.... : Freya North
Freya North
Freya North is the author of Pillow Talk, Love Rules and Rumours. Freya talks to us about her best writing moment so far, what makes her happy and which celebrity she wants doing her washing up….
Can you describe your writing day?
I have to cram it between school runs – and I never work weekends. If I’m distracted at home, I take myself off to the local library to work.
Are any of your novels/characters based on you or people you know?
Continue reading
by Book Reviews : Who is Mr Satoshi by Jonathan Lee.
Paperback ed. Windmill Books, July 2011.
Soon after his mother dies, forty one year old reclusive photographer Rob Fossick finds an unexplained package addressed to Mr Satoshi in his mother’s belongings. The quest that follows will propel Rob into the urban world of Tokyo and with the help of some new and colourful acquaintances; he will start to unravel the mystery surrounding the identity of Mr Satoshi. However, before he can do this, Rob will have to face his own past and reconnect with the world.
This book had been sat on the pile for a while but when I did start reading, I couldn’t stop. I found the plot instantly interesting.
by Daily Fact – 20th June 2013
Daily Fact….19th June 2013
J.M Barrie (Sir James Matthew Barrie) died on this day in 1937. Great Ormond Street Hospital in London owns the copyright to Peter Pan.
by Book News: About A Girl by Lindsey Kelk.
Harper, 2013
Released, July 2013.
Here’s the blurb…
Tess Brookes has always been a Girl with a Plan. But when the Plan goes belly up, she’s forced to reconsider.
After accidently answering her flatmate Vanessa’s phone, she decides that since being Tess isn’t going so well, she might try being Vanessa. With nothing left to lose, she accepts Vanessa’s photography assignment to Hawaii – she used to be an amateur snapper, how hard can it be? Right?
But Tess is soon in big trouble. And the gorgeous journalist on the shoot with her, who is making it very clear he’d like to get into her pants, is an egotistical monster. Far from home and in someone else’s shoes, Tess must decide whether to fight on through, or ‘fess up and run…
by Daily Fact…
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813.
Its orginal title was ‘First Impressions.’
by Mike Gayle’s advice for New Writers…
Every time you hear the theme tune to EastEnders start writing. When you hear the end credits stop. Do the same for the Sunday omnibus and you’ll have a book within a year. Jenny Colgan told me that and I believe her.
Mike’s new book, Turning Forty will be released in July.
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Thanks to the wonderful Izzy’s Attic, we’ve got this beautiful red home bookmark to give away as well as a copy of Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher (as they go so well together,) to one lucky winner.
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Penguin, 2013. |
To enter:
Comment on this post with your name, town and just for fun, tell us who your favourite book character is and why. The closing date for entries will be Sunday 23rd June 2013 at 23.59. A winner will be picked at random from the entrants and announced on the Novel Kicks blog on Monday 24th June 2013.
The bookmarks are available to buy direct from Izzy’s Attic.
To learn more about Izzy’s fantastic charity Eyes Light, click here.
by Best Writing Moment… Phamie MacDonald.
Children’s book author and creator of The Planets series, Phamie MacDonald talks about her favourite writing moments and shares her writing space….
My favourite writing moment so far – is any moment at all when I get lost in the story. Every writer knows that frustrating blank page syndrome when all the words seem to have fallen out of your brain so it’s always a joyful, glorious time when the words flow, the story fits together and you can feel a new world being created. Bliss.
 Phamie MacDonald |
 Phamie’s writing space. |
My favourite, favourite, favourite writing moment ever was when I first conceived my children’s book series idea, The Planets. Continue reading
by Book News: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
Jonathan Cape, Oct, 2013.
Coming October 2013.
I’m stupidly excited about the third installment and the follow up to Bridget Jones Diary and The Edge of Reason.
Here’s the blurb for Mad About The Boy:
Fielding introduces us to a whole new enticing phase of Bridget’s life set in contemporary London, including the challenges of maintaining sex appeal as the years roll by and the nightmare of drunken texting, the skinny jean, the disastrous email cc, total lack of twitter followers, and TVs that need 90 buttons and three remotes to simply turn on.
by The Language of Spells Winner…
Thank you to all the people who entered our competition to win a digital copy of The Language of Spells by Sarah Painter.
Carina, May 2013
The winner is… Irene Wright from Morecambe.
by NK Chats To.... : Gill Paul
Gill Paul is the author of Women and Children First. Her latest book, The Affair was recently published by Avon.
What’s your writing day like?
I’m at my desk at 9am and spend half an hour pottering on Twitter and answering emails that came in overnight before I settle down to edit what I wrote the day before and continue with the next chapter. There are dozens of stops for tea but while waiting for the kettle to boil I’m thinking about the sentence to come. I swim every day in an outdoor pond on Hampstead Heath and in winter it closes early so I’ll go up there at lunchtime to break the ice and get my endorphin rush. (Yes, I’m aware it sounds completely mental…) In summer the pond is open later so I go at 6ish when the light is beautiful. I generally work until 6 or 7 then try to go out somewhere in the evening so I’m not a completely boring hermit.
Can you tell us a little about your novel, The Affair?
by Diary of a Wannabe Writer, aged 32 :
A blank page makes me nervous but the first sentence makes me even more anxious. I have an idea – an idea that won’t go away but getting it down on the page seems to be more of an issue.
I sit down at the computer, I open up a word document and I begin. The motivation and momentum is strong but it’s not long before these run out and the lack of confidence creeps in, at which point I will stop writing, read what I’ve written and then decide it’s not good enough despite it being a first draft.
by NK Chats To.... : Lezanne Clannachan.
Lezanne Clannachan’s debut novel, Jellybird was released by Orion earlier this year. We chatted to Lezanne about her book, what makes her happy and her advice for new writers.
Can you tell us about your debut novel, Jellybird?
Jellybird is a chilling tale of first love, loss and murder. Jessica Byrne’s childhood sweetheart, Thomas, disappeared seventeen years ago under violent circumstances, presumed drowned. The discovery of an old postcard sends Jessica in search of the truth. Risking her marriage and career to discover what happened the night Thomas vanished, she unearths lies and secrets, including an unsolved murder.
What’s your writing day like?
by Woman’s Prize For Fiction Competition Winner…
Thank you to all of you who entered our competition to win the Woman’s Prize For Fiction shortlist.
Well done to Catherine from Leeds. Sh has won all six books. She is looking forward to reading Flight Behaviour the most.
 Faber & Faber. |
 DoubleDay. |
 Granta Books. |
 Hamish Hamilton. |
 Weidenfeld & Nicolson. |
 Fourth Estate. |
by Book Reviews : Inferno by Dan Brown.
Bantam Press, May 2013.
‘Seek and ye shall find.’
With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings.
A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of Florence. Only Langdon’s knowledge of hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers.
With only a few lines from Dante’s dark and epic masterpiece, The Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artefacts of the Renaissance – sculptures, paintings, buildings – to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat.
Dan Brown’s books are not everyone’s cup of tea. They are a guilty pleasure of mine.
by On This Day... : 9th June…
On this day in:
1860 – The 1st US ‘Dime’ novel was published.
1790 – ‘The Philadelphia Spelling Book’ became the first book to be copyrighted in the US.
1956 – Patricia Cornwell was born.
1939 – Charles Webb (the author of The Graduate,) was born.
by Blott Notebook Competition Winner….
Thanks to the lovely people at Blott, we had this gorgeous notebook to give away. Thanks to all of you who entered.
Congratulations to Beverley Kirwin from Salford. This notebook will be on it’s way to you shortly.
Check out Blott’s website for some lovely and inspiring stationary. Go on, treat yourself.
by Competitions :
Carina, May 2013
We’re pleased to have been one of the stops on Sarah Painter’s blog tour.
Thanks to Sarah and her publisher, Carina, we have a digital copy (kindle or e-pub format,) of her debut novel, The Language of Spells to give away.
To enter: Continue reading
by Book Reviews : The Language of Spells by Sarah Painter.
Carina, May 2013
Gwen Harper left Pendleford thirteen years ago and hasn’t looked back. Until an inheritance throws her into the mystical world she thought she’d escaped. Confronted with her great-aunt’s legacy Gwen must finally face up to her past. The magic she has long tried to suppress is back with a vengeance but gift or burden, for Gwen, it always spells trouble. She has to stay – she has nowhere else to go – but how can she find her place in the town that drove her out after branding her a witch…?
This book has such an interesting premise. I love books that hint at magic and so this was right up my street.
I liked Gwen from the first page (she was a great protagonist,) and I immediately wanted to know what had happened to her and what was going to happen. Cameron was a great love interest and, to me, he had a slight ‘Mr Darcy,’ air about him.
by NK Chats To.... : Sarah Painter
Novel Kicks is very pleased to be part of Sarah Painter’s blog tour. We had a chat with Sarah to talk about her typical writing day, her favourite word and her ideal dinner guests…
Can you tell us about your novel, The Language of Spells?
Certainly! It’s funny, romantic fiction with a touch of magic. Gwen Harper has the uncanny ability to find lost things and a family with a history of magic. What she most wants, though, is to be normal. At eighteen, she left home and vowed not to go back, but when she inherits End House from her mysterious great aunt Iris she has no choice but to return and face the town that branded her a witch.
What’s your typical writing day like?
by Book Club
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