Debs Daydreams in the Plotting Shed

Hot Water Bottle Anyone?

2012-01-16T18:22:00.003Z

Well I don't know about you, but I'm freezing. Okay, so technically I'm not, but it was white on the roads this morning and I spotted the occasional frosty windscreen as I drove to work. I think last night was the first time this winter that the temperature dropped to zero. Brrr.

The only heater I have in The Plotting Shed is a small fan that I bought a few years ago from a local shop for about £8. However, fingerless gloves, several scarves, warm boots and cups of tea help a little.

Grumps doesn't seem too bothered, as long as he has his daily dental chew and the odd biscuit when we're out there, he spends the rest of his time sleeping on his new chair.

All I can say is, roll on summer!

This Year I'm Going To...

2012-01-08T11:53:00.003Z

My resolutions for this year are to live, laugh and love. That's it.

Every year I make the same resolutions to find an agent, get published, lose weight, eat more healthily, etc. Then, the other day when I was sitting in my shed, I noticed this sign Rob bought me a few months ago.

I do spend a lot of time thinking about, planning, working on my writing. I do exercise, by walking the dog and sometimes by messing about on the Wii with my daughter; I eat well, but also eat chocolate and drink wine some evenings; I work hard at my job, but I love it. I don't have an agent and haven't yet seen my books in the shops, but apart from the few things I still hope for, I do have a great life.

So, instead of wanting more, this year my only resolutions (while I still work hard at my writing, of course) is to Live, Laugh, Love and make sure I enjoy every damn moment.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:14:00.001Z

We're ready for 2012, are you?

Grumps helped me sweep the shed earlier yesterday (if you can call trying to kill the broom helping) and now I'm ready to get writing. I've had a few weeks without my writing because I thought it would be nice to make the most of having my son, daughter and various family members in the island for Christmas. However, I'm now itching to get going again. It doesn't suit me not to write for too long and I can't wait to get started with a new book and polishing others.

So, I'd like to wish you a very healthy (most importantly) 2012 and may this year be filled with lots of writerly success for us all.

I'm looking forward to the paperback copy of, Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After, coming out in the near future (more info about that as soon as I have it); reading new books for Novelicious, for Women's Fiction Thursday, and writing/editing and keeping in touch with you all over the next twelve months.

Happy 2012!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T10:44:00.005Z

It must be Christmas time because...

The decorations are up & even the Christmas lights are working.

I have papercuts from wrapping hundreds of presents.

The house is groaning with food.

I'm groaning from too much chocolate.

I'm smiling from too much mulled wine.

The postman (poor overworked chap who must hate Play.com for all the parcels he delivers to this house) is smiling.

The bin men are chirpy.

I have a diary full of people visiting and parties/meals I'm going to.

I have five days off work.

The teenagers are arguing/sulking/bored despite having endless sources of entertainment (laptops, Sky, Ipads, phones that do everything apart from sort their washing or tidying up).

I have written endless cards (despite being determined not to).

I've circled the Radio Times with tv programmes that I will be watching.

The dog is sulking in his bed.

I love this time of year!

Happy Christmas.x

I'd Like To Thank...

2011-12-18T12:57:00.005Z

I'm thrilled that the Tears and Laughter team have received fabulous reviews of our ebook, Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After.

The most recent review has been from the well respected and highly successful short story writer, Teresa Ashby. Now, when you ask people to review your book, it's very nerve-wracking and especially so when you ask someone, like Teresa, who is so successful. So, I was very excited to read that not only did Teresa love our book, but that she enjoyed my story too. *happy dance*.

Thank you, once again, Teresa.

Here are links to a few other people I'd also like to thank - very much - for their incredible support of our book.

Kirsty over at Novelicious.com who designed a beautiful advert for our book.

Also, here are a few links to wonderful reviews of our book. Don't worry, this I promise to leave my family, friends and Grumps out of my list.

The very lovely: Talli Roland, Louise Graham, Sue as Sue's Book Reviews, Shazjera (aka Sharon Goodwin), Book-Shelf. We also have some fabulous 5* reviews over at Goodreads and on Amazon. So, thank you very much.

At the moment you can buy, Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After in eformat here and soon you'll be able to buy the paperback version of the book. I'll post with links closer to the time (of course). You can also read Della Galton's lovely review on the Tears and Laughter website and keep up with blog posts from the Tears and Laughter team here.

Thank you.

Janice Horton Visits The Plotting Shed

2011-12-17T05:34:00.007Z

Janice Horton’s new e-book ‘Reaching for the Stars’ is about a Scottish celebrity chef called Finn McDuff who is media stalked and disillusioned after winning his third star and losing his third wife. He decides he’s had enough of all the food campaigns, the TV cookery shows, the constant frenzy surrounding his private life and, after giving up all his accolades and closing down his restaurant, he disappears.

With the enfant terrible of the kitchen missing, two rival newspapers, having lost their media meal ticket, compete against each other to whip up further public curiosity in the missing chef.

Love him or hate him, everyone is out looking for Chef McDuff. Who will find him first and whose side will you be on...?

Scottish author Janice Horton launches her latest book ‘Reaching for the Stars’ this week in e-book format and I’m delighted to be hosting her as part as her blog tour. Janice writes romance novels with a Scottish flavour and I asked her where was her favourite place to write them?

This is the view from just behind my cottage on the side of a hill in Southern Scotland. As I set all my novels here, when the weather allows, sitting up here on the hill overlooking the beautiful Nith Valley is my very favourite place to write.

Here there are no distractions except for the fabulous sweeping views or the call of the birds, so I take a pencil and a notepad and I write freehand. I find it both inspiring and liberating, which is especially useful if I’m stuck or have a story plotting problem.

I’m often accompanied by my two little Westies, Polly and Ruby, and our free range rescue hens. It’s the perfect spot in the summer. In the colder and wetter months of the year however, you’ll find me wherever it is warm and peaceful. I do have a home office but, as my self employed husband uses it too and is often talking to clients on the phone, it’s not exactly conducive to my writing. The kitchen table is a good spot, right in front of the Aga - but not if the kids are home. Then the sitting room is more likely to be the quietest place in the house and it’s often where you’ll find me - and the doggies - right in front of the wood burning fire!

Reaching for the Stars is published in e-book format.
Buy ‘Reaching for the Stars’ now at the special launch price of just 99p
Amazon UK and Amazon US.

Links:
Janice Blogs at:www.janicehortonwriter.blogspot.com
Janice is a www.loveahappyending.com author
Follow her on Twitter @JaniceHorton
Facebook Author Page: http://on.fb.me/nbaWed

More about the author:
Janice writes romantic novels with humour which are, for the most part, inspired by the beauty of the heather-filled glens around her country cottage. When Janice is not writing novels, she write lifestyle articles and has had work published in national and international magazines and regional newspaper. She edits The Review Chair for the innovative reader/writer website Loveahappyending.com. She is also the bestselling author of the humorous romance ‘Bagpipes & Bullshot’.

Thanks for visiting us in the shed, Janice, and good luck with Reaching For The Stars!

Christmas Preparations...

2011-12-10T15:40:00.004Z

This picture was taken out of my bedroom window a few evenings ago. In the distance is the sea, not that you can see it here, but I love the colours.

I can't believe Christmas will soon be here, but thankfully I'm slowly crossing things of my various lists (events to go to/shopping/things to do). I love Christmas, but some are busier than others. I share my children with their father and this year they will be with me on Christmas Eve and with him for most of Christmas Day/Boxing Day. Next year, when they're with me, I'll be making lunch (with Rob's help) for about 20 family members, and it's always great fun. This year though, it'll be quieter and I feel like I've forgotten something not having to do all the extra food shopping.

The decorations are up, but the worst job of all, the wrapping, still needs to be tackled. Groan. I really should do that this weekend. I've only managed to make a list of people I need to send Christmas cards to, so I should get on with that soon too.

How are your Christmas preparations coming along?

Confidence Boost

2011-12-03T12:34:00.006Z

Yesterday, as I sat in the lounge with Grumps - I probably looked grumpier than he did - I wondered if I was just kidding myself that I could ever write a decent book.

Bored with feeling sorry for myself and my stomach ache - a bug I managed to pick up from somewhere - I checked my emails and was thrilled to find one from The Harry Bowling Prize people. They told me that although, Broken Faces, hadn't made the longlist as it '... didn't have an obvious urban setting', they were intending giving '...it a special commendation on our website'.

Having read and re-read this fabulous piece of news I did a *happy dance* and decided that maybe I did have it in me to write a book that others might want to read. I've received lots of wonderful comments on Facebook, Twitter and also personal emails congratulating me, and these are much appreciated. I love writing and can't imagine ever stopping, but it is such a relief to receive a confidence boost like this one.

Needless to say, I'm looking much chirpier today. He isn't, but that's his natural expression so he can't help it. I'm sure he's feeling jolly on the inside!

Have a great weekend.

21 Shopping Days Til Christmas...

2011-11-30T21:06:00.002Z

And if you need a couple of suggestions for presents, ahem...

How about treating yourself to a copy of Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After? My sister downloaded a copy to her smart phone. Here's the link.

You can read a couple of our reviews here and here and here. The paperback will be out late December/early January.

You could buy the paperback version of Watching Willow Watts by Talli Roland, out today, and you can also read my review over at Novelicious (from 1.30pm 1st Dec).

I've pretty much done most of my Christmas shopping (although I'm bound to have forgotten some) and now I need to start thinking about all the presents I must buy for the birthdays in early January.

Grumpy's New Chair

2011-11-24T17:44:00.007Z

HIS CHAIR: Yesterday Rob noticed that there was a pink Lloyd Loom Lusty chair up for auction. Naturally, I decided it would be perfect for Grumps to snooze on in the shed and a great replacement for the white, plastic, garden chair he occupies now.

I emailed in my bid and Rob collected it for me today. Here's a picture of Grumps looking decidedly underwhelmed with his present. For some reason, I don't feel that he's as impressed with my purchase as I was!

MY CHAIR: This is my chair. I love it. They almost match and I'm sure he'll be much happier when I put it in the shed next to mine and he can curl up and go to sleep.

Well, that's the plan anyway...

RNA Winter Party

2011-11-20T09:49:00.004Z

I'm back at home after attending the RNA Winter Party where I caught up with, and met, so many fabulous writers, agents, editors and generally all round glamorous people. In fact I was so busy chatting that despite taking my camera, I only ended up with one photo of the event. Here's me with the very lovely Denyse Kirkby and Bernadine Kennedy.

Talli Roland arranged a Tweet Up and a group of us met up for a few pre-party drinks. Then it was on to catch up with everyone else at the party. You can find more pictures here at the RNA blog.

So, after all that glamour, champagne and fun, it's time to get back down to earth and focus on the washing, changing beds and dealing with one particularly grumpy Miniature Schnauzer who needs a long walk and a bath. After that though I'm going to treat myself and sit down to read Trisha Ashley's, The Magic of Christmas.

Oh, and did I mention that I have a couple of stories in, Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After (out now in Kindle eformat and in paperback in December). I did? Oh, okay then. Until next time...

Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After

2011-11-15T21:08:00.005Z

I'm so excited *places back of hand against forehead and reclines in chaise longue* that, the Kindle edition of Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After has now been published.

You can buy it on Amazon,

You can make friends with us (and 'like' us if you wish) on Facebook,

You can follow us on Twitter,

Or, simply find out more about the book and authors on our website.

Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After is a vibrant and varied collection of stories from writers who between them have had hundreds of short stories published in women’s magazines in the UK and around the world! Contributors have also won or been placed in dozens of competitions, published novels and written non-fiction for many UK magazines.

As the title suggests, the twenty-six stories encompass the dizzying heights of happiness, the heartbreaking depths of sadness and every emotion in between. Within the pages of this book you’ll meet a housewife with a surprising secret, a beekeeper with a problem and an undertaker with something unusual on his mind. You’ll also encounter angels, ghosts, aliens and many other intriguing characters. And, in the end, you may just find the path to happy ever after.

This is what people have said:

“This anthology has something for everyone. It’s a delight. I only wish I was in it!”
Della Galton

“Like diving into a big box of Quality Street.”
Kate Long

The authors are: Deborah Carr (me!), Karen Clarke, Sarah Dunnakey, Leigh Forbes, Helen M Hunt, Bernadette James, Helen Kara, Jenny Maltby, Kathleen McGurl, Tamsyn Murray, Sally Quilford, Jill Steeples and Cally Taylor.

I hope you enjoy reading our book.

Past & Present

2011-11-12T17:13:00.008Z

It's my gorgeous daughter's seventeenth birthday this week and although the thought of her driving is a little nerve-wracking, I'm sure she'll love the freedom of not having to wait for buses or for me to take her where she needs to go. She is funny, a little ditsy (like her mother), and truly fabulous. She is special in her own right, but having suffered three miscarriages after my son was born, I didn't expect to ever have her. Happy Birthday to Sx

The day after S's birthday would have been my paternal grandmother's birthday (she's on the left of the picture). She was born in Meerut in India in 1906. Her father was in the 17th Lancers and after he retired they made their home in Cardiff. He died young in 1922 and my grandmother came to live over here after meeting my grandfather while on holiday. She was very beautiful and on the day she died, my sister-in-law gave birth and my youngest sister celebrated her seventeenth birthday. I was holding a party for my sister at my house too. A day of very mixed emotions.

My maternal grandmother was born in 1915 in Kinsale, Ireland and went to live in London when she married. Thanks to the war and constant moving around, her three daughters were born in different counties. In 1950, my grandmother came to live in Jersey with her second husband and it was here that my uncle was born. My son had a special bond with her as, although she was in her eighties when he was born, she looked after him for me many times while I worked. She died seven years ago on 9th of this month.

One grandmother was evacuated from Jersey (apparently on the last boat) with her two small sons and a nephew. She spent the war years in England, living in various places. The other lived in London and worked in a shop during the day and helped fire-watching on the roof of the shop at night. Both were seperated from their children on occasions, either because they'd been evacuated to the homes of strangers, or because they'd been sent to live with relatives. Both had husbands fighting for their country, one in the navy and one in the army. Both experienced the Blitz.

Both women were incredibly strong, supportive and dignified, but most of all I remember their sense of humour. I still miss them both very much, but have so many happy memories of times spent laughing with them that it never saddens me to think of them. I was so lucky to have had them in my life.

11.11.11 - Lest We Forget

2011-11-11T00:00:00.004Z

For Remembrance.

All I Want For Christmas...

2011-11-10T17:41:00.004Z

All I want for Christmas, apart from having fun with my mad, noisy family, is a few days off from my lovely job to laze about, write and read.

The best Christmas present I've ever received was a typewriter that my parents bought for me when I was nine-years-old. I was so excited and although I don't remember typing anything worth keeping on it, I do remember that I wouldn't let my little sister near it.

The very lovely, Cally Taylor has her second book out today. Home For Christmas sounds like my sort of book and having read, and loved, her first book, I can't wait to start reading this one.

Here's the blurb:
Beth Prince has always loved fairytales and now, aged twenty-four, she feels like she's finally on the verge of her own happily ever after. She lives by the seaside, works in the Picturebox - a charming but rundown independent cinema - and has a boyfriend who's so debonair and charming she can't believe her luck! There's just one problem - none of her boyfriends have ever told her they love her and it doesn't look like Aiden's going to say it any time soon. Desperate to hear I love you' for the first time Beth takes matters into her own hands - and instantly wishes she hadn't. Just when it seems like her luck can't get any worse, bad news arrives in the devilishly handsome shape of Matt Jones. Matt is the regional director of a multiplex cinema and he's determined to get his hands on the Picturebox by Christmas. Can Beth keep her job, her man and her home or is her romantic-comedy life about to turn into a disaster movie?

Sounds fab, don't you think? You can buy Home For Christmas here.

So, what do you want for Christmas?

Luna & NaNoWriMo

2011-11-05T16:26:00.005Z

The puppies have now gone to their new families, but I thought you'd enjoy seeing this picture of Luna, the pup that my sister decided to keep.

Luna is cheeky, funny and my sister insists she's the dog version of me! I gather she's referring to the clumsiness of the pup. She breaks into a run (not something I'm known for doing unless: a) it starts raining, b) a shop is about to close and I need something, usually a book, shoes, or chocolate, c) I've been writing and can smell food burning (the most often cause of me breaking into a trot).

Oh, as I was saying...Luna breaks into a run...and then somehow manages to fall over her own feet. Now, this IS something I do at regular intervals at great amusement to my beloved family. She is, above all, cuddy and adorable, although I don't think we share those attributes so much. Adorable, of course (ahem!) but cuddly (other than to look at) no.

You may have noticed (how could you not?) the odd post here, on Facebook, and Twitter about Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After. Please go to Facebook and 'Like' it, if you haven't already done so. Thank you.

Good luck to those of you who are taking part in NaNoWriMo. I thoroughly enjoyed doing it in 2009 and 2010 and found it really helped me get my thoughts down onto the page. How are you doing so far?

Hope you're having a fun weekend. x

Tears & Laughter & Happy Ever After

2011-10-26T16:38:00.003+01:00

I'm thrilled to have two short stories included in this fantastic anthology. Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After is filled with stories from the best and most successful short story writers around. It will be published as in Kindle format in mid-November and in paperback a month later.

‘Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After’ is a vibrant and varied collection of stories from writers who between them have had hundreds of short stories published in women’s magazines in the UK and around the world! Contributors have also won or been placed in dozens of competitions, published novels and written non-fiction for many UK magazines.

As the title suggests, the twenty-six stories encompass the dizzying heights of happiness, the heartbreaking depths of sadness and every emotion in between. Within the pages of this book you’ll meet a housewife with a surprising secret, a beekeeper with a problem and an undertaker with something unusual on his mind. You’ll also encounter angels, ghosts, aliens and many other intriguing characters. And, in the end, you may just find the path to happy ever after.

The idea for this book came from the successful ‘A Story A Fortnight’ writing group which brought the writers involved together in a project which has inspired and supported them in their short story writing.

Who’s been up to ‘Monkey Business'?

What's happening in 'The House At Summer's End’?

Who is 'The Girl In The Yellow Dress'?

If you want to know, you have to read ‘Tears and Laughter and Happy Ever After’.

You can find out more on our website and keep up with the news on Facebook and follow on Twitter @tears_laughter .

Tweet Treats from Jane Travers

2011-10-21T01:55:00.003+01:00

I'd like to welcome Jane Travers to my blog today. Jane is the author of a clever recipe book inspired by Twitter. I'll let Jane tell you more...

If life had taken another path I’d have been an inventor. I’ve always had ideas about how to make things better, or things that didn’t exist, but that I really wanted. When my daughter was a baby I had dozens of ideas; from a blanket that would actually stay on a squirming baby at night, to a gadget that would quickly and efficiently sterilise a pacifier if it fell on the ground.

However, my complete knack of makerly know-how scuppered me every time I came up with an idea for something. How would I make that gadget? I knew nothing about casting, moulding, or manufacturing, and so each idea would rattle annoyingly in my brain for a while, until it went to the place where ideas go to die. (Although I did make a kitchen implement I’d always wanted in a pottery evening class once! It’s rather odd though, and I don’t think anyone else would want one...)

Then in April of last year I had another idea. I was about to go and lie down in a darkened room until it too went away, but I realised that I could do this; I could collect hundreds of 140 character recipes through Twitter, I could badger celebrities to contribute, I could combine them all into a book that would be useful, cute and entertaining, and I could give the royalties to charity!
The great thing about this idea was that it required no technical know-how. I needed only two things; words and Twitter. Oh, and lots and lots of my time. And some serious balls. And a smattering of insanity.

Ok, more than two things.

Actually, there was another thing I’d need that I hadn’t thought I’d get – help. I had no sooner thrown the idea out there than I was bombarded by offers of help from Twitter friends, some of whom I’ve met in real life, most of whom I haven’t. They went forth (virtually) and spread the word, rounded up celebrities, coerced, cajoled and celebrated with me. I couldn’t have done this without Team Tweet Treats.

Anyway, I’m delighted to say that for once my daft idea has come to fruition. Tweet Treats was published this week by The O’Brien Press and is available from Play.com, Amazon, The Book Depository, Waterstones, Easons, Dubray Books, O'Brien Press and all good bookshops. All royalties are being donated to Medécins sans Frontières, an incredible organisation who are on the ground giving medical care to those who need it most in Somalia, Haiti and Pakistan, to name but a few. Every copy of Tweet Treats that’s sold directly benefits those who need it most.
Maybe I’ll turn my attention to the perfect mouse trap next time...

Highland Storms & Deerhounds

2011-10-17T07:04:00.004+01:00

Thank you for having me as your guest in the lovely Plotting Shed again, it’s great to be back!

Last time I was here I think I talked about dogs, because of Grumpy and the fact that my first novel featured two little dogs just like my own. I hope you won’t mind if I do it again? As you’ve probably gathered, I love dogs (well, all animals really, as long as they have no more than four legs!), so I guess it won’t be a surprise to hear that I decided to include a dog in Highland Storms as well – a deerhound called Liath.

This time, however, I gave him more of a starring role. Perhaps because a deerhound is so much bigger than the small, fluffy pooches I wrote about before, I was able to include him in the plot to a greater extent. And being an intelligent hound, he’s also a whole lot more obedient than the ones I live with in real life – trust me, you couldn’t get less obedient if you tried! Anyway, Liath is the heroine’s constant companion, friend and guard, and boy does she need him! He saves the day at least once and does his best to help out in every way, and that, to me, is what a proper guard dog should do.
The best thing of all, however, is that Liath likes the hero and decides not to guard the heroine against him, which annoys her no end at first! To me, this just showed that Liath was clever and knew a good person when he saw one, but it takes a while for the heroine to reach the same conclusion. I had great fun writing those scenes!

Different breeds have different characteristics, of course, and I tried to incorporate those of a deerhound into Liath. The lovely features and the fact that although they’re big, they are gentle and docile if treated right. The more I read about them, the more I wanted one, but sadly I don’t think my current dogs would accept another one into their pack. One day maybe …

I enjoyed all aspects of researching this novel, because I love Scotland and all things Scottish. It was a great excuse for visiting the Highlands and taking my daughter to see Loch Ness, where she hadn’t been before. Urquhart Castle, Eilean Donan and all the other sights we saw were breathtaking. We also enjoyed getting to know a small herd of Highland cattle (which are also mentioned in the story), owned by a friend of mine. The calves were adorable and some of the bigger animals allowed us to go near and even comb them! (I was a bit wary of those horns though.)

But enough about animals, I think. Instead, here is a short synopsis of Highland Storms:-

Who can you trust?

Betrayed by his brother and his childhood love, Brice Kinross needs a fresh start. So he welcomes the opportunity to leave Sweden for the Scottish Highlands to take over the family estate.

But there’s trouble afoot at Rosyth in 1754 and Brice finds himself unwelcome. The estate is in ruin and money is disappearing. He discovers an ally in Marsaili Buchanan, the beautiful redheaded housekeeper, but can he trust her?

Marsaili is determined to build a good life. She works hard at being housekeeper and harder still at avoiding men who want to take advantage of her. But she’s irresistibly drawn to the new clan chief, even though he’s made it plain he doesn’t want to be shackled to anyone.

And the young laird has more than romance on his mind. His investigations are stirring up an enemy. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what he wants – including Marsaili – even if that means destroying Brice’s life forever …

To win a signed copy of this novel, please tell us which breed of dog you like best and why?

Sunny & I'm Inside Editing

2011-10-15T15:39:00.007+01:00

The weather has been gorgeous for the past few days and I think it's set to last into next week. I'm inside editing, of course, but here's a picture of Grumpy standing at the front door about half an hour ago. He seems intrigued by whatever it is that Rob is doing. Notice how he isn't helping though.

It was the anniversary of Rob and I meeting up (wedding anniversary is in August) and my lovely husband bought me these beautiful roses as well as some chocolates. I would have taken a photo of the chocolates...

Well, you know how it is? Chocolates aren't made to be looked at, they should be eaten.

This week I'm thrilled to have two guest bloggers telling us all about their new books. Can't wait.

Have a fun weekend. x

Tui - Before & After

2011-10-09T12:41:00.005+01:00

Meet Tui.

She's the only long-haired black pup and so pretty. Don't you think she looks too sweet?

This was naughty Tui ten minutes later!

Poor sis, I do hope her garden recovers soon.

Pups Leaving, YA Novel & NaNoWriMo 2011

2011-10-07T15:10:00.004+01:00

Do you think Milo is sad that he's leaving the rest of the puppies? Actually he's one of three leaving early next week and I'll be sorry to see him go. The beautiful pup I posted on Facebook (Mowgli)is also going as is one of the black girl pups. Milo is going to a friend of my sister's so my sis will still be able to see him regularly, which will be nice. The pups are causing a bit of mayhem now and sis's garden looks like it's been ransacked.

I'm 2/3 through editing my WW1 novel and having received wonderful suggestions and support from my RNA NWS Reader, I hope to finish my edits by the end of this weekend. I'll then probably take a few days to read a book before I take a look at the dirty draft of my first attempt at a YA novel. I started this during NaNoWriMo 2009 and haven't had the time to look at it since then. So maybe now is the time to do so. I enjoyed taking part in NaNoWriMo 2010 too and managed to write the required 50,000 words for both the years I took part.

If you haven't taken part before and need something to spur you on, then NaNoWriMo 2011 is a great way to do it. Both times I reached the half-way point and wondered why I was putting myself through such a battle, but in the end it was very satisfying to achieve 50,000 words in 30 days.

I'll be visiting the pups again tomorrow morning before having lunch with a very good friend who is over in Jersey with her husband for a week. Can't wait. What are you hoping to do this weekend?

Renovation, Renovation, Renovation by Nell Dixon

2011-09-30T07:39:00.006+01:00

This week sees the e-publication of Nell Dixon's latest romantic comedy, Renovation, Renovation, Renovation by Myrmidon, with the paperback to follow 2012. Nell won Love Story of the Year in 2010 with Animal Instincts and having read her books, I can assure you this will be a fabulous read.

Kate insists she's had enough of her boyfriend, Steve. After seven years together she was hoping to settle down, get engaged and maybe start to think about having a few babies together. Instead, Steve invests in Myrtle Cottage, a rundown Elizabethan cottage with, it seems, occupants other than themselves from the English Civil War. Her sister suggests they sign up for Evening Classes and Kate agrees to join the course, Research The History Of Your House. If she's going to discover what's making the suspicious noises in her home, this seems like a good place to start.

This book is great fun and well worth reading. Here's an excerpt:

Overworked, over budget and just so not over him! Kate would like an engagement ring from Steve but instead he's lumbered them with a thirteenth renovation project, and doing up Myrtle Cottage disturbs a ghost from the English Civil War who has romance troubles of her own.
“This bloody door is stuck again!”

The door was old, possibly original and it wedged tight every time it rained. Steve had been promising to plane the edge ever since we’d moved in. My family usually used the back door when they visited, unless it was wet, like today, when picking their way through the weeds tended to be a slippery and soggy exercise.

Whoever was on the other side gave the door a helpful shove, and sent me scooting backwards straight into Steve who’d come into the hall behind me. He caught me in his arms and steadied me. He held me securely but gently around the tops of my arms.

“Kate?” My sister was on the doorstep clutching a bag containing what looked like a takeaway and a very welcome bottle of wine.

I jerked myself back upright away from the familiar comforting hardness of Steve’s bare chest. My heart thumped against the wall of my chest and I had become a little breathless.

Lou’s mouth was a round ‘o’ of surprise.

I glared at her. “Damn door, I nearly broke my neck.”

Lou raised an eyebrow and stepped into the hall. “Thought I’d better come in the front way to dodge the jungle you so fondly call your back garden. I bought us an Indian.” She gave a Steve a pointed look.

“Catch you later, LouLou.” He flashed her a smile and slipped past us both, disappearing up the bare wooden stairs of the cottage.

“I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?” Lou asked as she made her way into the kitchen.

I followed behind her clutching the mug I’d rescued from the stairs. “Puhlease, you know how it is between me and Steve. It’s over, done, finished. If we could get this bloody house completed and off our hands I would be so out of here.” I ignored the little voice at the back of my mind that tried to suggest that my statement wasn’t entirely truthful.

(C) Nell Dixon 2011

Available from October from all good e-tailers.

Pups First Day Outside

2011-09-25T18:20:00.011+01:00

I went to my sister's house the other day to help her watch the nine puppies when she let them out into the garden for their first outing. As you can see, they were a little nervous, but were soon persuaded to give it a go and ran around, played and generally investigated the garden for about half an hour.

This picture is for James. He wanted this pup so much, but is about to start his third year at university, so it wasn't possible. He helped my sister when Mowgli was born and fell in love with the little chap. Mowgli is going to a family with two little boys who were beside themselves when their parents bought them to see the pup.

What? I haven't got anything in my mouth!

I think this one is Milo, he's the only blonde boy (the other boy is Mowgli) and is nearly 4kgs. He's adorable and is going to a friend of my sister's so she'll see him grow up, which is lovely.

Fun pulling Tigger across the patio.

This cheeky one, is Luna and the one my sister is keeping. She's the most placid out of the nine pups and is like a cuddly teddybear. I'm glad she's keeping one, so we'll be able to see her grow up. They're a handful now, but so adorable and I'm going to miss them when they go to their new homes in about three weeks.

However, as gorgeous and cuddly as the pups are - and they really are - His Grumpiness will always be #1 in the Plotting Shed and with me. He's had to stay away from my sister's house sine the pups were born and I look forward to being able to take him there again and introduce him to Luna.

Competitions at Novelicious

2011-09-21T20:01:00.005+01:00

We've got two fantastic competitions over at Novelicious this week.

You can read my review of Persuade Me, Juliet Archer's second novel in her Darcy & Friends series published by Choc Lit. It's a fabulous book and I'm not just talking about the cover. To be in with a chance of winning a copy you'll need to go to Novelicious (from Thursday morning) and leave a 'Pick Me' comment.

Also, Novelicious has teamed up with the Festival of Romance and you can win a full day ticket, including access to all events, refreshments and a two-course lunch.

To find out more and to enter, please go to Novelicious from Thursday (22/9) lunchtime.

Good luck.

If I Could Be Anybody I'd Like To Be...

2011-09-14T17:47:00.005+01:00

Florence Boot (1863-1952). She was a Jersey girl, born in St Helier and her parents owned a bookshop. Florence met Jesse Boot (founder of Boots The Chemist) when he visited Jersey from Nottingham.

Florence worked with her husband and as Lord and Lady Trent they became great benefactors to the island. As well as F B Fields (sports fields in St Clement) they built Florence Boot Homes, La Motte Street School, Coronation Park (beautiful parks, with playground and paddling pond) and various other developments for the local people.

After her husband's death in 1931, Lady Trent commissioned Rene Lalique to design the incredible works of art in St Matthew's Church (aka The Glass Church). It's one of my favourite places to visit and if you ever come to Jersey you should definitely make the most of seeing so much Lalique in one place.

Today is Launch Day for Talli Roland's second novel, Watching Willow Watts. You can buy a copy of Willow on Amazon UK for £1.71, or on Amazon.com for $2.99. (Paperback coming in November).

Here's the blurb:

For Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop and nights watching TV, as the pension-aged residents of Britain's Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when a YouTube video of Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation gets millions of hits after a viewer spots Marilyn's ghostly image in a frame.

Instantly, Willow's town is overrun with fans flocking to see the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by the villagers -- whose shops and businesses are cashing in -- Willow embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and ramming herself full of cakes to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves.
But when a former flame returns seeking the old Willow, Willow must decide: can she risk her stardom and her village's newfound fortune on love, or is being Marilyn her ticket to happiness?

So, who would you like to be?

Puppies, Zumba & Reading

2011-09-13T17:48:00.004+01:00

Isn't this the cutest little puppy?

Actually it's one of nine. Some short-haired, some long, six blonde and three black labrador x retriever puppies. They're four weeks old tomorrow and their mum (my sister's gorgeous bitch, Gyps) is the most placid dog I've ever come across - and the complete opposite of the Grump!

Zumba was great fun again on Monday night. I was still doing a pretty good impression of a tomato an hour after the class had ended. Talk about red-faced! I went with sis and sis-in-law and together with about 15 other women we had fun as we danced and tried our best to follow the zumba instructor. Such a relief that I enjoy it so much, especially as I've paid for a 12 week course!

Better get on, I have to finish reading The Generation Game so that I can review it for Women's Fiction Thursday over at Novelicious. All comments welcome and if you wish you can also vote for the site in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards.

9/11 Anniversary

2011-09-11T14:08:00.003+01:00

Remembering the bravery of those who were killed on that fateful day 10 years ago and the families and friends who've had to live with the consequences of the actions of a few. Also to those who've been killed since that date in the fight against terrorism.

I think what happened that day changed all of us in some way.

Give Me Sunshine

2011-09-01T17:50:00.002+01:00

Aren't these delightful? I received them as a thank you recently and was so thrilled. I love sunflowers, although I have to admit that they terrified me as a small child. I must have been a bit of a wuss!

After a long, not so glorious summer - weather-wise - it's back to school for my daughter on Tuesday. She did very well in her GCSEs and is about to start her Alevels. She's taking Maths, Physics, ICT and History and was hoping she'd get a high enough mark in her Maths GCSE so that she didn't have to do English instead. When I asked her what was wrong with English, she said, "Er hello? I'd have to read all those boring books." I ask you how did I end up with a daughter who:
a) Doesn't like reading novels
b) Is not only good at Maths & Physics (she got As for both in GCSE!) but enjoys the subjects. *shakes head in bewilderment*

My son was lucky enough to get a placement for the summer holidays working in finance, but the twelve weeks have flown by and he'll be leaving on Sunday to return to Reading, where he'll meet up with his girlfriend and they'll go travelling in Europe for three weeks. *sniff*

I, on the other hand, will be waiting nervously to see what my RNA NWS Reader's report says about my WW1 novel, reading books to review over at Novelicious where today I've reviewed Christina Jones' fantastic new book, Never Can Say Goodbye and Nina Bell's also wonderful book, The Empty Nesters (both published 1 September) - please pop over and leave a comment . I also start my Zumba classes on Monday, so that should keep me quiet for a bit.

Right now, I'm going to forget that son is leaving soon and go back into the garden and make the most of the sunshine while it lasts.

Have a fun/relaxing/calm (delete where applicable) weekend. x

Dead Silent Blog Tour - Shirley Wells Visits The Shed

2011-08-26T05:07:00.003+01:00

First, I must say a huge thank you to Debs and Grumps for welcoming me to The Plotting Shed. It’s wonderful to be here!

Debs and I are both members of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me “But you write crime novels. Why are you a member of the RNA?”. That question always takes me by surprise.

I became a member of the RNA in the early nineties when I was writing romances. Since then, I’ve made countless friends, enjoyed parties and conferences and learned so much. One of the highlights of my month is the Northern Chapter meetings. What can be better than talking shop with good friends over a tasty lunch?

By definition, writers spend long hours shut away from the world with only a keyboard or pen and paper for company. They slog away for months on end on something that may never be published. They go through the pain of rejections or bad reviews. They experience the joy of a new contract, a wonderful book cover or a great review. And I believe that the only people who understand a writer’s lot are other writers.

I also believe that writers, and it matters not a jot whether they give us crime, romance, sci-fi or steampunk, are the friendliest, most generous people on the planet. They’re always there to offer advice and sympathy when a bad review spoils your day (week). They’ll punch the air with delight when you share the good news. They willingly share hints and tips when it comes to publishers requirements, marketing or writing software. In short, they’re the best.

Where would I be without the RNA? It’s difficult to say. I was already published when I joined so was unable to make use of the wonderful New Writers’ Scheme, but I’ve learned so much from fellow writers about the whole publishing business. It sounds strange but I don’t think I’d be shouting about the release of my seventh mystery novel without the help and support I’ve received from the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Thank you for having me, Debs and Grumps. You’re very gracious hosts! Thank you so much for visiting us here Shirley.
--------------------

Having had several hundred short stories, ten serials and ten novels published, Shirley Wells is finally getting the hang of this writing lark. She’s lived in Orkney, Cyprus and the Cotswolds, and now lives in Lancashire where the Pennines, with their abundance of great places to hide bodies, provide the inspiration for her popular mystery novels. She shares her home with her husband, two dogs, two cats and any other stray animals that fancy being pampered. You can connect with Shirley via her website, Twitter or Facebook.

Her latest Dylan Scott mystery, DEAD SILENT, is available from Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and all good e-book retailers.

Puppies - One Day Old

2011-08-21T12:08:00.004+01:00

Here's a picture of my sister's puppies. I was going to upload a video, but it took forever, so I gave up.

They were born on Wednesday and although I was only at her house for three hours while the last few were born, I was exhausted. All I did was faff about in the background and make her children supper, change the youngest for bed and help lift puppies away when another was about to be born.

I don't know how my sister managed especially as there were nine puppies. They are adorable and Gypsy, their mum, is the most placid, sweet dog I've ever encountered. She was calm and quiet throughout, which is more than can be said for me.

I'm off to see Alfie Boe with Rob this evening and I can't wait, but before then we're entertaining his nephew who's coming over for the day from St Malo where he's been visiting his French grandmother. He actually lives in New Zealand, but is taking time out to travel for a few months. Lucky devil.

Right, I'd better get on and do something with my nails. I can't go out with them in the state they're in. I've always said I'm not made for housekeeping. Unfortunately, I'm the only one who seems to think this way.

The Star Struck Blog Tour - Shed Visit

2011-08-15T05:07:00.003+01:00

And so, here I am, back in the shed. Oh, in a good way, obviously, I’m not locked in – look, door opens and everything – and there are still biscuits. Although I must say, I think she’s hidden the HobNobs, I can see crumbs everywhere but all I’ve got is a Jammy Dodger...

Anyway. I’m not here to talk about the lack of oaty goodness, and it is very good of Debs to allocate me this cushion on the floor. No, I’m here to tell you about my latest novel, Starstruck which, as we speak, should be rolling its way off THE presses and making its way to a the retail outlets, ready for the grand release on 01 September.

What? I hear you cry, so soon? Yes indeed, my hungry friends... ’tis but a matter of less than three weeks away! And, if you fancy a taste of heat and dust (items with which this summer has been sadly underendowed if you ask me), then this is the book for you – set in Nevada, where the sun is hot and there is no underendowedness of any kind.

A small snippet, to allow you to MEET a couple of the characters as they meet each other...
‘Oh. My name’s Jack, by the way. And you’re…?’
‘Skye. Skye Threppel.’
‘Well, Skye. Here’s to hiding from the world.’ Jack picked up another glass from next to the laptop and raised it, seeming to toast the screensaver picture of purple-heathered moorland, as though he was blocking out the Nevada desert with a picture of home. Then he plonked himself on the floor, knees drawn up. The only chair in the room was in front of the laptop and covered in papers, so for want of anywhere else available, I sat on the bed.
‘Are you? Hiding from the world?’ I asked, jiggling my wine between my fingers.
‘Ah, now there’s the question.’
‘I know. That’s why my voice did that going up at the end thing,’ I replied a little sharply. I was nervous and being nervous made me edgy these days, and defensive. ‘Maybe I should write the conversation down for you.’ Jack seemed nice, a little tense perhaps, but the raw feeling of connection that we’d shared earlier had ebbed and I was concerned that maybe I’d imagined it. I couldn’t always trust the way I felt, when those feelings were built on memories or associations I could no longer recall. It was as though my body reacted in certain situations without my mind having any kind of control and I was very conscious that this made me easy to take advantage of.
He made an appeasing gesture, holding his hands out and spilling some of his drink on the T shirt. ‘Point to you. I’m still struggling with the lack of dramatic convention.’ He sipped and looked at me over the rim of the glass.
I felt the blush start again and the edgy sensation that my nerves had all been driven to the surface.
‘Maybe I should go. Rather than sit here and force you to make conversation.’
‘Maybe.’ Jack rested his glass on his knees and looked up at me. It might have been my imagination but I was fairly certain that what was in his glass wasn’t wine. It was too clear, too transparent. ‘But I’d quite like it if you didn’t.’
Despite the Valium I could feel my skin growing clammy and my hands had moistened as though beads of blood were seeping through the palms. ‘I ought...’ My voice sounded croaky and about a hundred years old. I cleared my throat but it didn’t help, just made the air thicken around me so that I had to concentrate on breathing.
‘What is it you’re frightened of, Skye? You look terrified right now, and no-one’s ever found me that scary before – arrogant and self-righteous, yes, scary, no.’ His head tilted to one side. ‘Panic attacks worse when there’re lots of people about, yes? And yet being alone, closed in, scares you too. Am I getting warm?’
Suddenly uneasy at the intensity with which he was looking at me, I drained my glass in one gulp. ‘I’m not scared. It’s stress related, I get... when I’m a bit... when things are different, when I don’t know what’s going to happen next, sometimes I get panicky. But it’s not that, I’m just worried that Felix will wonder where I am.’
Jack stood up and refilled my glass. ‘Do you want me to leave the door open? Will that help?’ He was looking at me with an expression that seemed partly compassion and partly curiosity and I hated myself suddenly, which surprised me. Hated this pathetic, helpless Skye with her inabilities and her carefully modified behaviour. ‘I’m guessing the panic attacks have to do with feelings of loss of control,’ he tilted his head to one side, stubbing out his nearly completely smoked cigarette without taking his eyes off me. ‘You might feel better if you know you can run whenever you want. A bit more in control of the situation. And if Felix comes back, you’ll be able to hear him.’
I gave a short, tight nod and he snicked the door off its latch, propping it open with a lone trainer. ‘Thank you.’ I could feel my airways relaxing. ‘It isn’t you, I’m sorry, they think it’s something to do with the accident, the head injury, it’s been over a year and a half and I still can’t…’
‘Oh, and there was me feeling special.’ Jack grinned and his face was suddenly attractive.

So. There you go. I hope you enjoyed that taster... more of a HobNob than a Jammy Dodger, I think you’ll agree. And thanks again to Debs for allowing me in here to chat to you all. Now, I’d better go and ... hang on, the door opened a moment ago... must be stuck...
If you’re reading this blog, please send help, a locksmith and HobNobs...

Jane Lovering is, we are assured, real and not a cover for the McVities biscuit advertisers. She writes books, which, now you come to mention it, do seem to have a lot of biscuits in them, has five children (largely raised on biscuits), and has taken to keeping chickens (to dispose of the excess biscuits). She also works in a school, in a job which doesn’t feature biscuits at all. She is often described as ‘quirky’, and cannot understand why, since everybody loves biscuits.

If you've been following Jane's blog tour you'll know about the competition to win one of three copies of this fab book. If now, here's how it works, follow Jane's blog tour to be in with a chance of winning one of the three copies, together with some delicious Montezuma chocolate and pick out the word in capitals and write it down. Each succeeding blog will have another, or maybe several capitalised words and each one of those must be noted. When the tour is over you should have a collection of words which you then have to put in to a sentence, which will form a question. You then e-mail the answer to Choc Lit.

Although we're part of the way through The Starstruck Blog Tour, you can visit the previous stops to find the words you need to take part and then carry on with the final two stops after this one. They are as follows:

18 July – The Nut Press

25 July - LoveRomancePassion

01 August - Dizzy C’s Little Book Blog

08 August - Katy Little Lady

11 August - Novelicious (for my review, but no words for the competition!)

15 August - Debs Daydreams In the Plotting Shed

22 August - Lucie Wheeler

29 August - Choc Lit Author’s Corner

Starstruck is Jane's second novel is published by Choc Lit pm 1st September. You can pre-order it from Play.com, Amazon UK, or The Book Depository.

Zumba, Battle of Flowers, Book & Puppies

2011-08-11T20:12:00.005+01:00

This is me. Okay, that's a big fat fib, how can it be me, I'm blonde. Hang on a sec, that's a fib too. Well, this is how I expect to look at the end of my 12 week Zumba course. Shouldn't be too hard? Should it? Hmmm? Well?

Today was the Battle of Flowers parade and as fun and jolly as that is, sitting in one place in your car for 40 minutes on the way to work while the floats make their way to the grounds is a bit of a bore. My usual 20 minute journey took an hour and I was late for work. Not fun, especially as I spent most of the time trying to figure out how my car radio worked so that I could listen to the local news about the traffic. Needless to say, I didn't get it to work, and as I wasn't moving it was pretty obvious, even to me first thing in the morning, that whatever they said, I couldn't take a different route, so really didn't matter too much.

The winner of the copy of The Woman He Loved Before by Dorothy Koomson is Mama J. I've left a comment on her blog and will be posting off her copy of this fab book as soon as I know her address. Thanks everyone for entering.

Hope you have a fab weekend. I'll be 'on call' as my sister's labrador x retriever (the sweetest dog I've ever known) is due to have her puppies any day now. I'll probably be more of a hindrance than a help, but I thought I could at least offer my assistance. (Nurse Debs, I'm not, so this should be interesting).

Dorothy Koomson Day at Novelicious

2011-08-04T06:25:00.002+01:00

Today we're having a Dorothy Koomson Day over at Women's Fiction Thursday on the Novelicious site to celebrate the publication day of Dorothy's brilliant latest book, The Woman He Loved Before, out today (4th August).

There are four copies of this fantastic book waiting to be won over at Novelicious, as well as my review, an interview with Dorothy Koomson, discovering about her writing space and much more. All you'll need to do is visit Novelicious and leave a 'pick me' comment at the bottom of one, or if you like, all of the features on the site.

I also have one copy to give away here, so should you wish to be in with a chance of winning, please leave a 'pick me' comment below and I'll announce the winner next Thursday when I also post the winners of the four copies of, The Woman He Loved Before.

Good luck.

St Malo With Himself

2011-07-29T16:16:00.004+01:00

Yesterday it was my gorgeous husband's birthday and he wanted to go to St Malo for lunch with me. How could I refuse?

We arrived at 11.30 (1 hr ahead of us in Jersey/UK) and after a bit of a wander around the town and a drink, we finally decided to have lunch at Les Voyageurs (near to Chateau Briand - turn right at the main entrance to the walled town). I hadn't eaten there before and I'll definitely be going again. The food was delicious, as was the bottle of rose I managed to consume (with a little help from Himself, I hasten to add) and we relaxed in the sun as we slowly worked our way through several courses. Then it was off to find some white peaches for his mum and chocolate for my daughter/son.

Whilst we were sitting having yet another drink at yet another bar, Rob spotted a policeman from the Hampshire Constabulary and being a nosy chap (Rob, not the policeman) he asked him what he was doing in St Malo. Apparently he'd been partrolling the streets with a couple of the French Gendarmerie for three weeks to help with any undesirable british holidaymakers. What a clever idea.

Our last visit was to L'Absinthe, a small bar where the floor is covered in fine sand and you sit around huge barrels with parasols even though it's inside. Highly recommended.

On the boat on the way home, we were invited up to the wheelhouse by the captain - Rob knows a few of them - and he was surprised when I didn't want to join him. The sea, although calm, was a little choppy and I'm happiest sitting down when the boat moves (at all!). When Rob came back and said for the umpteenth time, "You would have loved it, you should have come to the wheelhouse." I finally said, "How would you feel if I asked you to come with me to a literary festival so you could listen to one of the authors giving a reading from a romantic novel?" He grimaced. "That's exactly how I feel at the thought of spending time in a wheelhouse hearing about how a ship's engine works." "Oh, I see what you mean," he replied. Bless!

Today I'm editing, and tomorrow, and the next day... However I've done more than enough for the timebeing and the sun is shining, so I'm going to go and make the most of it and read the latest Dorothy Koomson novel that I'm going to be reviewing for Novelicious this Thursday. There'll also be my interview with her and a piece on Dorothy's writing space, as well as a book giveaway, so do try and visit the site if you can.

PS Does anyone know how I can preserve an ivy leaf? (Odd request, I know!)

PPS I promise I'll catch up with all your blogs this week. x

Shakespeare & Co

2011-07-18T18:01:00.002+01:00

I've just returned from an incredible few days in Paris. I especially enjoyed Montmartre where I watched artists drawing portraits of diners; wandered passed other artists displaying their paintings and visiting small galleries.

Then walking through the streets from the grandeur of Sacre Coeur down passed Le Bateau Lavoir where the likes of Picasso, Matisse, Mondigliani painted whilst mixing with actors (Gertrude Stein, etc) and art dealers.

I spent hours wandering around Pere Lachaise taking countless photos and gazing at the gothic graves of many people and spotting among others the graves of Jim Morrison, Rene Lalique, Edith Piaf, and Oscar Wilde (covered in lipstick kisses).

One of best places I visited was Shakespeare & Co the second-hand bookshop on the Left Bank shown recently on The Book Show where writers including Ernest Hemingway have congregated since the early part of the Twentieth Century. I could have stayed for hours resting on one of the comfy settees, or sitting in a little cubby-hole where writers (including moi) have left short notes about their time spent in this fascinating place.

I was also there doing research and made a thrilling discovery, but it's something I needed for the book I've just finished writing, so I won't post about it for now. Suffice to say that sometimes in life things happen that are so serendipidous that if you wrote about them they would seem hard to believe.

The End

2011-07-09T19:58:00.002+01:00

I've just typed 'The End' on my historical romance which at 124,000+ words is too long, but with editing I'm sure I'll bring it safely within the 120,000 word limit for the RNA NWS. I still have to edit before sending it off hopefully in early August, but for now I'm thrilled.

I've loved writing this book. It's set in WW1 and follows the harrowing experiences, passion and betrayal of four characters, two men and two women, whose lives are unavoidably interlinked and ultimately altered forever.

I'm going to go and have a glass of wine now to celebrate and will be taking a couple of days off to read and get used to the idea that I've finished the first draft.

This picture of the moon above hydrangeas growing over nextdoors wall was taking a couple of nights ago.

Have a lovely weekend. x

Chainsaws & Holidays

2011-07-08T07:50:00.003+01:00

This picture is of the beautiful roses my son's girlfriend bought me as a thank you when she was staying with us last week. Aren't they lovely?

Today is the first of 17 days off work. I'm so excited to have time off, even though I do love my job, so that I can spend more time with the family, read, relax and ultimately finish the first draft of my book. I'm already up to 121k words and still have to write the final couple of scenes, but I know that after edits it will come down under the 120k words I want it to be and then I'll be able to send it off to the RNA NWS for their report.

I was up at 6.30 this morning. I know, you'd think that as it's my first day of the holidays that I'd at least stay in bed for a while, but once I'm awake, I'm ready to get on with things. So, the laptop was switched on at 7.30 and instantly a chainsaw started revving (do they rev?) and cutting down the elderflower hedging from the nextdoor property over looking the field behind us. So noisy and so much for a couple of hours of peace before I have to get going with other things ie hairdresser for daughter, visiting parents, shopping, etc.

Nevermind, Grumps is thrilled to have me at home, even if it does mean that I spend a lot of the time tapping away at my laptop.

Happy Independence Day

2011-07-04T17:21:00.003+01:00

Happy Indpendence Day to those of you who are celebrating today.

I hope you like the picture of my husband's Stars & Stripes flag. Usually we have the Jersey flag flying, but on 4th July each year he hoists the American flag for his grandfather who was born in the USA.

Busy, But Fun

2011-06-30T18:13:00.005+01:00

After a busy week of preparations for my daughter's prom; a house full of her friends coming to stay the night afterwards(we're talking much shoe envy from me!); my son's lovely girlfriend coming to stay; son and girlfriend getting their 2nd year exam results from university (both did fine); and finally reaching the last 10k or so words of my 120k-word novel (hence the pic of Grumpy on his chair in The Plotting Shed), I know I'm in for a busy weekend of writing (and partying on Saturday) before I can take a deep breath and relax for a couple of days. But I've loved every minute of it all.

I do wish I was able to go to Helen Hunt's (very successful short story writer) workshop on Saturday July 30 from 10.30am to 4pm at a brilliant cost of £30, including lunch/refreshments and the critique of one story.

If you enjoyed Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, then you'll probably enjoy The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly, reviewed (by moi) over at Novelicious today.

It's been wonderful having my son back in Jersey for the past few weeks and even though he's working full-time, I'm enjoying having him back in the house when he's there. He's on his way home now and my daughter, who has just finished her GCSEs is down at St Brelades Beach with her friends. I keep trying to persuade her that now is the time to look for a summer job, but 'manana' seems to be the order of the day where that particular topic is concerned.

Have a fabulous weekend and here's hoping the sun keeps on shining.x

Wish I was going to...The Bromley Literature Festival

2011-06-22T18:31:00.006+01:00

The Bromley Literature Festival Ladies Who Love Day -
Sat 25th June
Bromley Literary Festival will be celebrating romantic fiction with a day to fall in love with at Bromley Central Library. Whether you’re a reader, a writer or a romantic, join the celebrations.

Romantic Heroes Workshop with expert romantic novelists Pia Fenton & Sue Moorcroft, Saturday 25th June 12pm-1pm, Bromley library, £7.50
Have you fallen in love with your hero, yet? And what about your heroine – is he the man she can’t get out of her mind? Are your readers going to want to spend lovely long hours enjoying his company? Join this lively workshop to create the hero none of us can get out of our minds.

Acorn's Self-Publishing masterclass with digital publishing successes Simon Gould & Conrad Jones, Saturday 25th June 12:50pm-1:50pm, Bromley Library Workshop, free
This self-publishing masterclass will walk you through the basics of just what self-publishing is and how to do it well. Simon & Conrad have self-published and sold thousands of e-books this year - find out how.

Ladies Who Love Panel Event hosted by Jenni Nock from Novelicious Saturday 25th June, 2:00-3:15pm, Bromley Library Hall, £4
Put the lovely ladies in the hot-seat, ask them anything from how to get their reader's pulse racing to how they warm their hearts. Featuring: Dorothy Koomson, bestselling author of Richard & Judy bookclub pick, My Best-friend’s Girl; Victoria Fox author of Hollywood Sinners, Julia Williams, author of The Summer Season; and Juliet Archer, author of The Importance of Being Emma.

Impromance - Saturday 25th June, 3:45pm-4:45pm, Bromley Library Hall, £5‘Impromance’ is the new way to create the romantic novel of your dreams (or nightmare depending on the audience suggestions). Bring us a prop, anything you like, and join our writer du jour for a literary adventure in romance. Who knows how it will end (or start), but let us help you live happily ever after… Let there be music...let there be love... Brought to you by Exquisite Folly Theatre with the Musical Director of award-wining Tony Blair: The Musical

Tickets available from http://bromleylifest.co.uk/tickets 0208 249 7474. For more info/high res pics contact Eleanor Richies at el@bromleylitfest.co.uk

Also, don't forget to visit Novelicious. This week on Women's Fiction Thursday there's a review of Menna Van Praag's book, Happier Than She's Ever Been... , Cesca Martin has reviewed Milly Johnson's book, Here Come The Girls, and we have an interview with Nicola Cornick, author of Whisper of Scandal. Please visit whenever you like and please feel free to leave a comment or two.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-18T20:40:00.003+01:00

Happy Father's Day to my fabulous dad. He's always been so caring and loving and even looks after Grumps when I go away with Rob. This is a picture of him with his youngest grand-child, Amelie, who was born on Christmas Day 2010.

I hope he has a lovely day tomorrow.

Today, I've been delivering the quarterly parish magazine with Rob as the person who usually does this round is away. Well, Rob did the running back and forth through showers from house to house, whilst I tootled along in the car shouting orders. He said, "You obviously take after your grandfather." (He was a Major in the army!).

I've been enjoying Ken Follett's Fall Of Giants, which is the first of this trilogy. You can hear 3D Audio if you go here. Although this is clever, I have to admit that I found it a little off-putting, so will just read the book as I usually do as the sound effects are in my imagination already.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Sometimes It Happens

2011-06-14T18:03:00.003+01:00

So much is happening at the moment, my son has returned from university for the summer, my daughter is in the middle of GCSEs and is looking forward to her prom next week and I'm in the middle, well near the end, of the first draft of an historical novel and loving it.

Sometimes it's good to step away from it all and I love wandering off to the conservatory with Grumps and spending time reading a good book. The latest book I've enjoyed is Sometimes It Happens by Pauline Barclay.

Sometimes It Happens is a story about Doreen, a single-mother to a lively seventeen-year-old daughter, Trish. Doreen wins over eleven million pounds on the lottery and goes on holiday to Villas Bonitas where she meets an array of characters including larger-than-life Jack and his snobby wife Sheila who believes she's far more important and impressive than she actually is. She treats everyone with contempt especially Doreen, but Doreen has a lot to keep her busy. She isn't used to this new way of life and isn't sure if she can fit in with the other residents, then when she meets up with Pat Greenwood, the man who she loved and lost when she was very young, she starts to wonder why he's suddenly appeared at this time in her life and if he's everything he seems to be.

There are other fantastic characters in this book and all of them were entertaining and their stories funny as well as occasionally sad with several twists and surprises that I didn't expect. I really enjoyed this book and will now have to buy Pauline's other two books. You can read Chapter One on Pauline's website

You can buy Sometimes It Happens here, and as well as finding out more about Pauline on her website, she has an entertaining blog and can be followed on Twitter @paulinembarclay and on facebook.

It's Not The Winning...

2011-06-06T18:20:00.004+01:00

...it's the taking part that counts and although this year The Plotting Shed (aka Grumpy's Palace) isn't a category winner I had a great time being involved in the competition.

The worthy winner of The Garden Office category was Calum's Shed, which is the head quarters of the charity Mary's Meals, a charity that supplies meals for chronically hungry children in developing countries. As I said, a worthy category winner.

1,570 sheds took part in the Shed of the Year 2011 Competition with 11,000 votes being made. Here are the rest of the category winners. Now the judges including Sarah Beeny and Simon Mayo will be choosing the ultimate winner during Shed Week which starts on 4th July.

Any shed owner who is considering taking part next year really should have a go, as a 2009 Category Winner I can assure you it's great fun.

Thanks once again for all the Tweets, Facebook sharing and voting.

Yesterday I took part in Race For Life with my daughter, sister & her dog, two neices and sis-in-law (with baby in pushchair). We all had great fun and as usual the Esplanade (along the beachfront) was awash with all shades of pink between 11 and 12noon. I've just heard on our local news that the 1,200+ women for this event raised approximately £100,000. Isn't that wonderful?

Reading, Writing, Chillin'

2011-06-03T15:58:00.004+01:00

The sun is shining (my lawn is brown, but let's not worry about that for the moment) and I feel like summer is here already. Bliss.

It's my daughter's Prom in three weeks (we have the dress and have nearly decided which shoes to buy), my son returns to Jersey next week for the entire summer (yay), Rob is threatening to bring out the barbeque once again (what's wrong with an oven), and all I want to do is put my feet up and relax. Okay, so I do have to work and I still have to finish writing the last 25k or so words of my first draft of the Wip, but all in all (if you ignore the deathly pallor of my bank balance) all is right with the world. Long may it last.

Thanks for all the support and for everyone who's tweeted, facebooked, commented and ultimately voted for The Plotting Shed. I've no idea how we've done, but we'll find out next week either way, but it's been great fun to take part and I urge any of you with your own sheds to consider taking part next year.

Have a great weekend.

Taking It Easy

2011-05-30T12:55:00.003+01:00

I've spent the last few days holed up in The Plotting Shed with Grumps trying to finish edits so that I can forward them on to someone who's very kindly agreed to read through this 'dirty' draft and give me feedback.

Now the email has been sent off I'm taking it a little easy and making the most of the last day of the long weekend. I did intend sunbathing, but that's not going to happen, cloudbathing doesn't quite fit the bill, so I'm going to take the freshly bathed Grumps for a walk on the beach and then put my feet up in the conservatory with The Provence Cure For The Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher.

Only a few more days until the public voting ends for the Shed of the Year 2011 competition and if you haven't yet voted and would like to here's the link

Thank you so much for all the votes and comments I've received so far, even if we don't (Grumps and me) get anywhere it's been great fun taking part, even though the picture of my chair is a little distorted and must make you think that I have an exceptionally bad case of 'writer's bottom'.

Have a relaxing Bank Holiday.

Sue Moorcroft & Reviews @ Novelicious

2011-05-26T16:26:00.006+01:00

There's a lot to see over at Womens' Fiction Thursday on the Novelicious site today.

Sue Moorcroft tells us, 'Why Heroes Aren't Born On Page 1'
Cesca Martin - @CescaReviews - has her fab review of To My Best Friends, by Sam Baker up on the site, and
I've reviewed Sue Moorcroft's latest wonderful book, Love and Freedom.

Please go and have a look.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Please Vote for The Plotting Shed (Shed of the Year 2011 Comp)

2011-05-16T22:09:00.005+01:00

Some of you may remember that my shed was a Category Winner in the 2009 Shed of the Year Competition. Well, voting has now started for the 2011 competition and I'd be grateful (as will His Grumpiness) if you could vote for The Plotting Shed (aka Grumpy's Palace) HERE

Please feel free to leave a comment if you like. The public voting ends at noon on 5th June 2011, when the shed in each category with the most votes will go through to the judging panel (including Sarah Beeny and Simon Mayo) and one will be crowned Shed of the year 2011. The winner will be announced during Shed Week from the 4th July 2011.

Amo Sorrento

2011-05-13T18:58:00.010+01:00

Rob and I had a blissful few days in Sorrento last week. We spent the time relaxing, walking (a lot), eating (too much), drinking and I spent rather a lot of time trying not to panic over the heights of various things, ie balconies, steps, etc.

This is the view I woke up to each morning.

This is the view from our balcony down to Marina Grande, one of those old-fashioned places that inspire countless stories.

I love it there and we'd go down in the morning and have a drink while watching the fishermen bringing in their catches.

We took the boat to Capri for the day on Saturday and took the funicular up the side of the mountain to the main town, which had the most incredible shops, Hermes, Roberto Cavalli, Prada, etc. We stopped for lunch and then had a drink in the main piazza. Needless to say I only window shopped in Capri.

Me outside the hotel gazing at Versuvius on the other side of the Bay of Naples.

As we knew we wouldn't be driving anywhere whilst on holiday, Rob hired Francesco Marrapese to collect us at the airport and take us to Sorrento and also for the return trip and if you ever need a driver for Sorrento I can heartily recommend him!

Busy Bee

2011-05-12T06:01:00.003+01:00

This is a picture of me on our balcony overlooking Marina Grande (one of my favourite places and used in a scene in one of my books). You'd never know I was afraid of heights, would you? Then again, if you'd seen me grasping hold of handrails and bracing myself several times over the course of the trip, it would've been fairly obvious.

I'll post more about our fab trip in a few days, but today I'm linking to Novelicious where over the course of the day you can find three reviews written for Women's Fiction Thursday, by Cesca Martin and moi!

The reviews featured today are:

Catch Me A Catch by Sally Clements, shortlisted for the RNA Joan Hessayon Award for New writers
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
The Beauty Chorus by Kate Lord Brown

Please pop over and maybe leave a comment, or two, or even three.

66th Anniversary of the Liberation of Jersey

2011-05-09T09:03:00.008+01:00

Today is Liberation Day in Jersey.

Liberation day was celebrated yesterday in Guernsey as they were liberated the day before we were. Around the island people will hoist their Jersey flags - I took this picture a few moments ago of ours - and spending the day taking part in the 66th anniversary celebrations which take place all over the island.

Some of the parish churches allow you to go and take turns ringing the church bells. I've done this at our parish and it's a little nerve-wracking climbing the ancient stone, narrow steps to get up to the ropes.

Various German bunkers will be open for visitors to go and have a look around and as always there's the fascinating, but haunting Jersey War Tunnels which is definitely the place to go if either the Occupation or WW2 interests you at all.

There's also been a four day Liberation Music Festival running from 6-9 May, in fact when Rob and I were at Gatwick going to our Gate to Sorrento, we passed Gate 55 (usually the one to Jersey) and saw James and Ola Jordan who were coming over for the Jersey Music Festival for L'Histoire du Tango at the Jersey Opera House.

So Happy Liberation Day to everyone who'll be celebrating, whether they can be here in the island today, or not and to James especially x

International Chick Lit Month, Kindle Downloads & an Award

2011-05-03T19:05:00.006+01:00

May is International Chick Lit Month and Novelicious will be taking part together with Chick Lit Is Not Dead and Chick Lit Club sites. There's going to be so much happening throughout the month of May at these sites, so please make sure you check them out.

Talking of fabulous girly books, I was excited to find that the lovely and talented Christina Jones has now got two Kindle books for those of you with e-readers. I've already downloaded them to my Kindle and you can buy them here and here

Thank you to Lucie Wheeler and Rosemary Gemmell for my Versatile Blogger Award.

I have to tell you seven things about me that you don't already know, so I'll try to think of something... um, here goes:

1. I can't bear not to have nail varnish on my toes, usually red or pink
2. I used to do aerobics four times a week and run the other three days, but now you're lucky if you can get me to leave the shed and walk as far as the kitchen to the kettle.
3. I love to sing, but I'm tone deaf - or so my children tell me.
4. My favourite films are pretty much anything by David Lean.
5. My parents sent me to have my ears tested when I was small because they thought I may be a little deaf - noisy child - the specialist told them to listen to me occasionally and maybe I wouldn't be quite so noisy.
6. My first wedding was a major production, with a huge meringue - dress, that is, not the cake - and people flying from various countries to attend. My second wedding was at the Registry Office with a lovely summer dress, with the children and a party at home afterwards - much more fun too.
7. I wanted to be an actress when I was younger. Not sure what happened there, but the only audience I have now is The Grumpy One.

I'd like to pass this award on to anyone of you who would like it, but please let me know if you do take it, so that I can make sure I don't miss your own list of seven things.

May Already & I've Burnt My Thumb

2011-05-01T17:57:00.005+01:00

I love May with the garden starting to blossom and all these bank holidays to enjoy.

We have an extra Monday off this year as we celebrate Liberation Day on 9th May, so the flags will be hoisted again, in my garden too, and hopefully the weather will stay sunny and warm on all these long weekends.

As I mentioned, I've burnt my left thumb. Not badly, but being a little dopey, I accidentally touched the hot hob. I won't do that again in a hurry, hopefully.

I've been reading my mss outloud in the shed. Either Grumps doesn't understand a word I'm saying, or it's incredibly dull, because he's been snoring for most of the time. I suppose it could be worse, he could be pestering me to let him out.

My daughter is revising for GCSE's, in between enjoying her social life, and is back to school on 3rd for a few weeks before being allowed off for study-leave.

Ouch, I think I need to run this damn thumb under the tap again...

Lots Happening Over at Novelicious

2011-04-28T09:28:00.002+01:00

There's so much happening throughout the day today over at Novelicious. We've got reviews, an interview with Kate Lord Brown and she's also kindly told us about her writing room. Later today I'll also be posting - at Novelicious - the winner of both Margaret James's wonderful books, The Silver Locket and The Golden Chain, so please pop over and leave a comment on one (or more) of the posts. Thank you.

I'm now off to continue reading, The Beauty Chorus by Kate Lord Brown. I put it down for a moment last night and then couldn't find it anywhere, it turns out that my daughter picked it up and was most put out that I wanted it back, as she was already on the second chapter.

Have a great day.

A Week Off Work

2011-04-26T15:56:00.002+01:00

We've had some incredible sunsets lately. This picture is of the sun going down last night, I think it looks rather like a huge blood orange.

I can't believe we've had such amazing weather over the Easter weekend, the days have been so hot that it's felt like the middle of July. Long may it last. I was out with the girls on Thursday evening and had a great time at Rach's house catching up over bubbles and a delicious chicken curry she'd cooked. On Friday I was a little quieter than usual, thanks to an over indulgence, but still made the most of the sunshine and read in the sun for most of the day.

On Saturday, I met up with my fabulous friend, Christina Jones for lunch with her lovely husband, daughter and son-in-law and it was great to catch up with her again. Sunday was another day of reading in the sunshine and on Monday I planted over 60 plants. The garden should look very colourful in the summer, but I'm a little achy from all the bending and digging.

I've got the next few days off work and today I've collated all the paperwork so that I can complete my Tax Return. It's one of those things that won't take long to do, but I absolutely hate doing it. I've also set up a new HP printer delivered from Play.com today and downloaded a book to my Kindle, which took far longer than it should have done, but I can never remember how to do it and Sas is at the beach with her friends!

Now, I'm off to write some reviews and then it's time to work on the last 30k words of my WiP.

So, what have you been doing?

Talking to Margaret James

2011-04-22T06:39:00.005+01:00

I'm thrilled to be taking part in Margaret's blog tour for her latest book, The Golden Chain, which is out on 1st May. (I've been lucky enough to receive a copy and have sore eyes from staying awake reading it for too long. I'll be reviewing it over at Novelicious next Thursday).

Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions Margaret.

1. Can you tell us what the best/worst bits of writing are for you?

Let’s start with the best bits! These are finishing a first draft, reading it through, and realising the story makes some sort of sense. Of course, it’s going to need a lot more work. It’s still very rough around the edges, the minor characters are still in greyscale rather than colour, and there could well be loads of continuity mistakes which I’ll have to put right. But at least there’s a satisfying story line, and the characters end up where they want and deserve to be, at least in my opinion.

As for the worst bits – the big challenge for me is always pushing and shoving my way through a first draft. It’s like slogging through an alligator-infested swamp with a heavy rucksack on my back and concrete boots on my feet, with the sun beating down on my head and the cicadas laughing at me.

Whenever I start something new, I always try to make a plan, and I usually know how a story ends. But the middle of a first draft is always a hideous mess for weeks or even months, and that’s when the three o’clock in the morning panics often start getting to me.

When I was writing the middle part of The Silver Locket, I was also thinking about how I could develop the story in The Golden Chain and beyond. So I had to make sure I planted the seeds of future stories, which I did by spinning a thread in The Silver Locket that turned into Daisy’s story in The Golden Chain.

2. How important is it for you to get your characters names right before you start writing the book?

It’s very important indeed. In fact, it’s vital, because I don’t seem to be able to write about them until I’ve got their names right. I hate having to change a name because it always seems as if I’m changing the character, too. I don’t know why it should be, but lots of authentically Victorian and early twentieth century names just don’t sound right to twenty-first century readers. I write historical romance, but I definitely couldn’t call a hero Archibald or Albert or Wilfred or Percy. A heroine called Doris or Gertrude wouldn’t be right, either – although I did sneak an Elsie into The Silver Locket as a minor character, just for authenticity. I love flower names for women, and luckily these are popular right now. So Rose and Daisy are fine, and there’s a Lily in the next book of the trilogy, although she’s not the heroine.

3. Do you start with the characters or the plot?

I always start with my characters and ask them what they want, in the hope this will give me a story. What’s your dream, I ask them. If you could have anything, what would it be? If I talk to them for a while, they usually start to talk to me and suggest how their stories could be told. I sometimes wonder if this is certifiable behaviour on my part. A few days ago, I was on a train and realised I was actually talking to myself out loud, which was a bit worrying. I’m hoping the other passengers thought I was praying, which somehow seems more acceptable. But I expect I sounded more like Professor Snape muttering spells to protect Harry Potter in that Quidditch match in the first book of the series – do you know the one I mean?

So basically, the characters come first and they suggest a story. I don’t think I’ve ever done it the other way round, although I do sometimes have a vague what-if premise wandering around in my mind, looking for some characters to act in a story.

4. Could you describe a typical writing day for you?

I don’t tend to have typical writing days. I try to be organised, but I do so many different writing-related things that I can’t always work according to plan. I never know what might be waiting for me in my inbox. I work for the UK’s Writing Magazine, and column deadlines tend to sneak up on me. Or my creative writing students all decide to work very hard and send in lots of coursework. Or I come up with a short story outline which I have to write down before it goes out of my head.

An ideal day consists of starting work about ten – I’m not a morning person – answering emails, blogging and doing promotional stuff until twelve or so, then doing some creative writing of my own in the afternoon. I tend to set aside whole days for magazine work and tutoring. After dinner is usually my most productive part of the day. It’s when I tend to have sudden inspirations for story lines and plot developments. I sit on the sofa with my laptop, ignoring the television buzzing away in the background, and tapping away contentedly.

5. What is the best piece of advice you’d give to an unpublished writer?

It’s the advice which was given to me many years ago by someone who was (and remains) a very successful novelist – choose your rut carefully, because once you’re published you’ll probably be in it for a very long time.

My first published novel was a historical romance, which is a genre I’ve always loved, and am happy to go on writing forever. Although I have always made (and probably always will make) a few short forays into the modern world now and again, the past remains my adventure playground.

Many thanks, Margaret.

You’re very welcome – it was a pleasure to talk to you!

Margaret is a novelist, journalist working for the UK’s Writing Magazine, and she teaches creative writing for the London School of Journalism. She’s written a dozen published romantic novels and hopes to write many more. She’s on Facebook and Twitter – www.twitter.com/majanovelist and you can visit her at her blog or on her website.

Novelicious: Women's Fiction Thursday With Debs

2011-04-21T06:20:00.004+01:00

Please come and join me every Thursday where I'll be posting reviews, interviews, My Writing Room features and all things Women's Fiction over at Novelicious.

Please let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like me to include, all suggestions welcome, although unfortunately I don't have any more pictures of A&F topless models for you, more's the pity.

Phew, It's The Weekend...

2011-04-15T19:45:00.005+01:00

Here's a picture of the Abercrombie & Fitch model. Please excuse the strange picture, but I've had to cut my daughter from the photo (despite the huge grin on her face when she was photographed).

Lovely chap and so sweet when I went to take the picture and pressed the Off Switch instead, causing him to have to stand for longer than he should have needed to whilst I switched the camera back on again and figured out how to actually take a photograph!

And finally...

Here's the picture of the Art Deco house. Isn't it gorgeous?

We had a wonderful roast chicken supper outside this evening and thankfully it looks like the weather is going to be glorious again this weekend, so I fully intend to make the most of it, which basically means making the most of my lovely son before he returns to university on Monday (sniff!), driving my daughter to various parties and drinking coffee in my sister's glorious garden, then going home and reading, editing outside at home.

Have a fabulous weekend.x

So Much Fun

2011-04-11T19:27:00.002+01:00

My birthday weekend started with my beautiful neice delivering this wonderful cupcake arrangement to my office. Needless to say these light and very tasty treats didn't last very long.

On my birthday, I opened my thoughtful and beautiful presents, then met up with Rob, my children and family members (14 of us) for lunch. The afternoon was spent in the sunshine at home drinking champagne and chatting, followed by a Chinese take-away that evening. On Sunday I was taken out to tea by one of my sisters and then on Monday I met up with my Mother and Godmother for a lobster lunch down at St Catherines.

The weather has been glorious all weekend, as I'm sure it has been all over the UK, and I can't believe how many incredible presents I've been given.

So, thanks to my generous family and friends and to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday on Facebook and Twitter. I've had an fabulous time. x

Exhausted, But Happy

2011-04-05T18:44:00.002+01:00

Grumpy was very unhappy that I went away for a couple of days, but Sas and I had a wonderful, although exhausting weekend shopping in London.

On Saturday we were up bright and early and made our way to Oxford Street. I was already exhausted by this point! We shopped until the point of exhaustion, then returned to the hotel with hands numb from the weight of our purchases. I say 'our' but Sas's clothes out-numbered mine by approximately 10-1!

Abercrombie & Fitch was the next place on our list. We arrived at the street and I pointed to a lengthy queue and said to Sas, 'I wonder what's going on there?" "Mum," she said, a glint in her eyes. "That's Abercrombie & Fitch and they're queuing to have their photo taken with the topless model." I rolled my eyes and went to the back of the queue, grumbling quietly under my breath. Eventually, we were allowed inside and, well, all I can say is, it was worth the wait.

Sas stood next to this beautiful man, whilst a beautiful girl took a polaroid of them. I said, "Smile," and went to take a picture with my own camera. Asking Sas if the flash had gone off, the topless model smiled and said. "I think you've just turned the camera off." (Note to self: Learn how to use the camera). Eventually I managed to take a picture, then Sas called me over and I had my picture taken with him too. Needless to say, I was still a little dazed as we wandered through the dark rooms while people danced on balconies and Sas shopped.

That evening we went to see Legally Blonde, which was excellent. Who knew Denise Van Outen could sing so well? The little Chiuaua who played Bruiser missed his lines at first, but no-one cared because he was adorable and did seem to remember the rest of his script. Great fun and definitely worth going to see.

Sunday we went to the Imperial War Museum and then it was time to fly home. Rob collected us from the airport, saying that my younger sister had phoned earlier asking him to pop to her house to check a problem with her car. When we got there she told me to go into her sitting room and look at her pictures (she's recently moved in and had only just put them up). I walked in and saw someone a lady sitting down. I remember thinking, who is this woman in Rach's house, then realized it was my mother! She'd come over as a surprise for my birthday (on the 9th) and I was so tired I hadn't even recognized her for a moment or two. So exciting and a perfect end to a memorable weekend.

Cuckoo Review & Prom Dresses

2011-03-31T17:11:00.005+01:00

I've just finished reading Julia Crouch's debut novel, Cuckoo and you can find my review over at Bookersatz. Please go and have a look and let me know what you think.

Good luck to fellow RNA member, Janice Horton who's book Bagpipes & Bullshot is being launched today. To find out more about the book, links to interviews with Rosemary Gemmell, Liz Fenwick and Anita Burgh, to enter a one day competition (1st April only) to win one of two Kindle beach protectors, or simply just to learn how to make a Bullshot, please go to Janice's blog here

My daughter has her prom in June and I've been saying for a few months that we really should start looking for a dress. Sas is an enthusiastic shopper - as my credit cards can verify - but she hasn't found anything she liked enough so far. Unfortunately, living in Jersey, there are only so many shops that you can buy suitable dresses from and when all your friends and other local schools are holding proms, trying to find something no-one else has is a little difficult.

Anyway, after hours (and I mean hours and hours and hours) of searching online, debate and disappointment that the colour she wanted etc wasn't available, I'm hoping (crossing everything, even toes, well attempting to) that we may now have one ordered. When I was her age, the only prom dresses I ever came across were the ones in the film Grease. I'd have loved to go to a prom.

I told her she'll need to wear heels, which isn't something she's ever done and when she tried on a pair of mine she looked worried and said, "Mum I don't think this looks right." "Why ever not?" I asked. "Because my legs look far too long like this." I took a deep breath (never having been lucky enough to possess a pair of endless legs) and explained that having long legs is not something most people worry about. Sigh. Right, now we just have to start looking for the shoes...

PS Have just received confirmation that the dress will be on its way to us mid-April. Phew!

It's The Weekend & Earth Hour

2011-03-25T16:29:00.004Z

It's been a busy week this week both at work and finalizing edits at home. Now though it's the weekend and my edits are finished, so I'm going to relax and take it easy for a few days. One of the first things I'm going to do is watch Made In Dagenham and then I'll finish reading Julia Couch's excellent novel, Cuckoo and start reading Kate Johnson's, The Untied Kingdom. Bliss.

The weather has been glorious all week and if it holds, there's a gorgeous Art Deco house I discovered a few months ago that I want to show to Rob. So we'll walk the grumpy one to see it. We can only look at it from a distance, but it's near the beach and we can at least walk past it and have a quick look across the garden.

Don't forget it's Earth Hour, Saturday 26th March 8.30pm - here's more about it.

What are you doing this weekend?

A Mixed Day

2011-03-19T17:17:00.006Z

This is a picture of the sunset the other evening taken from my conservatory door.

Today has been a bit of a mixture.

On the negative side:
- Ex-husband and I have bank accounts at the same branch and when he went to withdraw funds from his account to pay them into mine yesterday, it appears that they've somehow withdrawn the funds FROM my account! I phoned them and now have to complete a form to investigate this error. Meanwhile I'm missing a couple of hundred pounds.

- Both of my printers - one newish Kodak ESP-3 that may have cheaper cartridges (as advertised) but they seem to empty far quicker than any other printers I've ever had and always seem to be running out, and another printer have both given up and neither will print well enough for me to read through my edits. Printing problem now solved by kindly sister printing up my wip at her house and bringing it over.

On the plus side:
- Glorious sunny weather
- I've finished editing my book (again).
- I've lost 6lbs since giving up chocolate for Lent and starting to count calories.
- Here's a chance to win five copies of Pippa Wright's, Lizzie Harrison Loses Control over at Novelicious

Now, if the bank will just sort out my money issue and either of my printers will start printing so that I can read my wip out loud and correct any errors, I'll be most grateful.

Until that time, I'm going to pour a glass of wine and go and sit in the conservatory and read. Ahhhh.

Authors for Japan Auction

2011-03-15T17:25:00.005Z

If you're anything like me, you'll have been horrified to see the devastation in Japan and will want to do something to help. One way is to visit Authors For Japan, where Keris Stainton has set up an auction. You can bid for anything from signed copies of various novels to a dedication in Jill Mansell's next book.

To bid (the auction is live now) you need to leave a comment, with the amount of your bid in the comments box (not here, but at Authors for Japan (Click on the picture).

The auction will close at 8pm on Sunday 20th March, when the highest bidders will be deemed the winners of each Lot.

Winning bidders will be notified by email and instructed to make their donations to the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal.

Pure Passion Awards, Book Reviews & The Hating Game

2011-03-09T18:01:00.008Z

Congratulations to all the winners and shortlisters at the RNA Pure Passion Awards 2011.
Winners were: Penny Jordan - Outstanding Achievement Award, Jill Mansell - Romantic Comedy Award (a review of her latest book, To The Moon & Back can be read here at Novelicious), Jojo Moyes - Romantic Novel Award, Elizabeth Chadwick - Historical Novel Award, Louise Allen - Love Story Award & Josephine Cox - Lifetime Achievement Award.

You can see some fabulous photos taken by Liz Fenwick at the Romantic Novelists's Association Blog and Phillipa Ashley has posted all about the Awards and has more photos.

My gorgeous friend, Christina Jones was shortlisted for the Romance Comedy Award for her brilliant book, The Way To A Woman's Heart. You can read all about her jelly wrestling with Jill Mansell here

I've recently read an excellent book, The Blasphemer by Nigel Farndale, I just hope my review, posted here at Bookersatz, did the book justice.

Thanks to Helen for posting my review. I needed cheering up. It's the first day of Lent and I've given up chocolate. With best intentions at heart, I went to work and at 9.30 was chatting in the kitchen with a colleague. One of the girls had celebrated her 21st birthday and bought in several M&S tubs of treats. Guess who took a Rocky Road, (chocolatey, marshmallow & heavenly) popped it in her mouth and relished every second before realizing in horror that she'd only managed to last 9 1/2 hours into Lent! Needless to say, I still intend keeping off the chocolate, but it goes to show how I eat without paying any attention at all!

Happy Publication Day today to Talli Roland for her fab book, The Hating Game. Talli's book came out as an e-book in December and rose to 24 on Amazon UK Kindle and 460 on Amazon.com. It's a great read, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Awards & Winners

2011-03-06T13:00:00.006Z

Firstly, thank you to Janice Horton - whose book, Bagpipes & Bullshot is out on Kindle on 1st April - for presenting me with this gorgeous Stylish Blogger Award, which came just when I needed a little 'pick me up'. The rules are that I post seven things about me that you didn't know and then nominate seven other bloggers for this award.

1. I love animals and have so far had 5 horses, 3 dogs, 3 cats, but right now I have one dog who probably makes more noise than all the others put together.
2. Last year I left my job of nine years to work for Play.com and love it there.
3. I used to have a landscape gardening business.
4. I live close to two beaches and can see the lights on the coast of France from my bedroom window.
5. I can't park in a straight line no matter how many times I try to do it.
6. When my mother was pregnant they thought I was twins (!) I still have the x-ray they took, which is weird, but sweet at the same time.
7. I'm a member of the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers' Scheme.

I'd like to nominate: pat posner, sue (flowerpot), karen clarke, Talli Roland, B.E Sanderson, Pauline Barclay and Kath at The Nut Press for this award.

Talking of awards, on Friday I attended the Jersey Enterprise Awards. Approximately 850 people were at Fort Regent for the awards which were televised (local tv thankfully, just in case I can be spotted dressed from head to foot in black as if I'm going to a sequin inspired funeral), and the keynote speaker was Heather Rabbatts, Chairman of Shed Media and who was 2008 Business Woman of the Year, among other things. It was a fun, evening with entertainment provided by Honeybun, a local girl band who sang backing vocals on Joe McElderry's latest album and various sponsors, including Play.com sponsored well-earned awards to various businesses, schools and other enterprising groups.

The Pure Passion Awards are being held on Monday for the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award as well as other awards including the Romantic Comedy Prize - which my lovely friend, Christina Jones is up for with her brilliant book, The Way To A Woman's Heart, the Historical Novel Prize and Love Story of the Year. You can find the shortlists here and I look forward to hearing all about the winners, outfits and seeing photos of everyone who went.

Talking of winners, the winners of the signed copy of Christina Courtenay's excellent novel The Scarlet Kimono goes to Janice Horton. Christina has been shortlisted for the Historical Novel Prize at the Pure Passion Awards for her first novel, Trade Winds. The winner of the copy of Kate Johnson's novel, The Untied Kingdom, out on 1st April, is Pat Posner.

Guest Blogger - Kate Johnson & The Untied Kingdom

2011-03-01T01:12:00.001Z

Hi Debs, it’s such a pleasure to be here in your gorgeous shed! I’m quite jealous, all I have for my Writing Cave is the spare room, complete with two old computers, several St Patrick’s Day Guinness hats, a futon and usually a cat or two hiding away (it’s hard to count sometimes, they keep changing places. A lesser woman would freak out over the strange noises froming from behind the furniture, but I know any intruders or ghosties are likely to have four legs and a tail).
But enough about my Crazy Cat Lady tendencies. I’m here to talk to you about my upcoming release from Choc Lit, The Untied Kingdom. Here’s what it’s about:

The portal to an alternate world was the start of all her troubles - or was it?

When Eve Carpenter lands with a splash in the Thames, it's not the London or England she's used to. No one has a telephone or knows what a computer is. England s a third world country and Princess Di is still alive. But worst of all, everyone thinks Eve's a spy.

Including Major Harker who has his own problems. His sworn enemy is looking for a promotion. The general wants him to undertake some ridiculous mission to capture a computer, which Harker vaguely envisions running wild somewhere in Yorkshire.

Turns out the best person to help him is Eve. She claims to be a popstar. Harker doesn't know what a popstar is, although he suspects it's a fancy foreign word for spy . Eve knows all about computers, and electricity. Eve is dangerous. There's every possibility she's mad.

And Harker is falling in love with her.

One of the first questions I get asked about this book is, “Where on earth did that title come from?” The second is, “How did you ever think of that idea?”

The first is easier to answer. It has to do with a misspelling, a friend from Texas, and Yahoo Internet Messenger. You can probably guess the rest!

As for the world itself...that’s harder to explain. I could spin you the story about my same Texan friend and how she thought it was hilarious that the BCG injection routinely given in Britain was considered by her medical textbooks (she’s a nurse) to be a drug only given in third world countries. “Did you know you live in a third world country?” she asked me. “Well, it’d explain the transport system,” I replied.

And from there things just...grew. My friend and I joked about over Instant Messenger about what this world would be like—about key moments in British history that could be changed or reversed. What if we’d lost one or both of the World Wars? What if we’d never had an empire? What if the Industrial Revolution had happened to someone else?

And suddenly, I had a book taking form in my head.

Usually whenever anyone asks me how on earth I come up with ideas from my book, the look I give them is as blank as the one they’re giving me. “What do you think about when you’re washing dishes or driving the car or hanging out laundry? Don’t you have these stories running through your head? Isn’t your mind full of other people?” For all my powers of imagination I can’t imagine what it would be like to not be constantly dreaming of heroes and villains and stories. And yet when it came to The Untied Kingdom...yes, I remember exactly how it started.

With a misspelling.

Kate is a prolific writer of romantic and paranormal fiction. Born in 1982, Kate is Choc Lit’s youngest author and lives near Stansted. She is a self-confessed fan of Terry Pratchett, whose fantasy fiction has inspired her to write her own books. Kate worked in an airport and a laboratory before escaping to write fiction full time. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and has previously published short stories in the UK and romantic mysteries in the US. She’s a previous winner of the WisRWA's Silver Quill and Passionate Ink's Passionate Plume award.

Her UK debut novel The Untied Kingdom has had rave reviews from everyone who has read the manuscript. This eagerly awaited novel will be published in April 2011 by Choc Lit.

Thanks to Kate for visiting The Plotting Shed and telling her all about The Untied Kingdom. I can't wait to read it and if you'd like to be in with a chance of winning a copy, please leave a 'Pick Me' comment. You have until 6pm on Saturday 5 March. Good luck.

Christina Courtenay & The Scarlet Kimono

2011-02-25T09:03:00.010Z

Hi Debs, thank you so much for letting me visit you in your lovely shed! It’s great to be here and I’ve been wanting to meet “Grumpy” for ages as I’m a huge dog fan.
I also like the sound of your garden and since you live in Jersey, I’m guessing that spring comes earlier to you than on the mainland? It can’t come fast enough for me! Don’t get me wrong, I love winter and especially the months before Christmas. I don’t mind it getting darker then as it gives that cozy feeling of wanting to curl up in front of the fire with a good book and some chocolates (although I get that all year round, come to think of it, apart from the fire bit). But then January arrives and all the festivities are over and suddenly every day seems dull, grey and cold. That’s when I start longing for spring.

Now I’m really here to talk about my new novel The Scarlet Kimono, which is coming out soon, but since it’s set in Japan, that made me think of spring as well. Nowhere in the world is this season more noticeable than in Tokyo, I think, as the cherry blossom begins to unfurl on the trees all across the city. Normally, it’s a teeming, mostly modern, metropolis with lots of high-rise buildings interspersed with more traditional ones. And like every other big city, it’s very busy with lots of traffic and enormous crowds. But come blossom time, it is totally transformed

Suddenly, you begin to notice how beautiful the streets are, lined with sakura – cherry-blossom – or ume – the slightly different flowers of the plum trees. Once the first blooms have erupted, they begin to fall (all too soon!), but that in itself creates an even prettier picture as they float slowly to the ground and are carried around by the breeze. Eventually they end up like little snow drifts of pale petals and even those are lovely to look at.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit twice in the last couple of years, and each time we managed to time our holiday there perfectly to coincide with the blossom season (which only lasts a week or two, three if you’re lucky). Now I’m longing to go back again, but I have to be content with writing about it for the moment. Which brings me back to The Scarlet Kimono. Let me give you the blurb:-

Abducted by a Samurai warlord in 17th-century Japan – what happens when fear turns to love?

England, 1611, and young Hannah Marston envies her brother’s adventurous life. But when she stows away on his merchant ship, her powers of endurance are stretched to their limit. Then they reach Japan and all her suffering seems worthwhile – until she is abducted by Taro Kumashiro’s warriors.

In the far north of the country, warlord Kumashiro is waiting to see the girl who he has been warned about by a seer. When at last they meet, it’s a clash of cultures and wills, but they’re also fighting an instant attraction to each other.

With her brother desperate to find her and the jealous Lady Reiko equally desperate to kill her, Hannah faces the greatest adventure of her life. And Kumashiro has to choose between love and honour …

The Scarlet Kimono is published by Choc Lit on 1st March, ISBN 978-1-906931-29-2

(For more details and an extract, please go to www.choc-lit.co.uk ) If you’d like to win a signed copy of the book, please leave a comment below and tell me what is your favourite season and why? (Debs: I'm half way through this fabulous book. You're immediately transported back to 17th century Japan and even though I've never visited Japan - although Rob tells me it's amazing and loves it - everything in this book is so beautifully depicted that I feel I know it and the characters well).

Thanks again for having me! (Debs: Thanks for visiting and bringing your adorable dog).

(If anyone would like to know more about me, my website and blog are at www.christinacourtenay.com and I also regularly blog in the Choc Lit Authors’ Corner at www.blog.choc-lit.co.uk )

Guest Blogger (him, not me)

2011-02-21T18:52:00.004Z

The Grumpy One is this weeks guest over at Dino's and Spike's Guest Page.

Dino is Anthony Molyneux's (@LordFerrister) gorgeous Rhodesian Ridgeback and each week he invites a guest over to his blog. This week Dino and his friend Spike have welcomed Grumps to their page. I'm not quite sure when he trotted over there, but I presume it must have been when I was rummaging around in the kitchen cupboard for yet another Alpen strawberry and yogurt bar.

Please go here to see what Grumps has to say.

Shed of the Year 2011 Competition

2011-02-13T16:25:00.003Z

I've just finished uploading a couple of new pictures (with the help of Uncle Wilco, organizer of the competition). Some of you may remember I was a category winner in 2009, and was therefore automatically entered in to last year's competition, but being a little (okay, a lot) switched off, I didn't realize this until voting had almost ended and pretty much missed most of the fun involved in taking part.

This year I'm a little more on the ball (thanks to a reminder email...) and as The Plotting Shed aka Grumpy's Palace has had a bit of a makeover since 2009 and the inside of the shed has seen a few changes, notably the arrival of my tatty, but much beloved, pink Lloyd Loom chair, I thought I'd update the photos.

So, although the public voting doesn't start until 17th May (don't worry, I'll remind you closer to the time) I thought I'd add a link to the site where you can see a few more pictures.

The judges include Sarah Beeny, Simon Mayo, Gordon Thorburn, with the winner receiving £1,000 and various other prizes. If you have a shed you may also want to enter one of the categories for this competition. I've entered mine in the Garden Office Category, however there are others, including Eco Shed, Cabin/Summerhouse, Tardis, Pub Shed, Workshop/Studio, Normal Shed, etc. The link to enter is here. You can find out more by following Shedblog.co.uk or following @unclewilco on Twitter.

The Cake Tree

2011-02-06T14:10:00.003Z

This was the Cake Tree a month ago when we had snow. The children called this tree, the Cake Tree, because when Rob put lights around it at Christmas time, or to help light the garden whenever we have a summer party, it looks a bit like a cake.

Unfortunately, the tree is very close to a neighbour's wall and over the years, the back has been trimmed repeatedly so that it didn't overhand her driveway. Subsequently, the tree was heavier at the front than the back and a nasty crack appeared in the wall. We came to the conclusion that the Cake Tree had to come down.

This was the Cake Tree on Thursday. Now, instead of all that green fir, we have a large gap where it used to stand and our tree has been replaced by a huge pile of logs for the fire and mulch for the garden, which I'm supposed to be helping distribute to the flowerbeds right now...

The youngsters are sad, as am I, but Rob and I have bought a new tree to replace the old one. Sadly, the new tree is not much more than a 10 foot stick with a few spindly branches. I'm told it'll grow quickly. Here's hoping...

Please Don't Stop the Music - Guest Blog with Jane Lovering

2011-01-28T07:40:00.009Z

Firstly I have to say a big ‘thank you’ to Debs for allowing me into the shed today, although the Lloyd Loom chair is not quite equal to both of us and I have had to stand in the doorway. It’s very nice to be here, and the cup of tea and Nice biscuit were most welcome.

Ow. Hold on, got myself hooked on the door handle. Think I might have spilled some tea on Grumpy, sorry.

Now, where was I? Ah, yes. I’m here, covered in tea stains, to tell you about my latest novel from Choc Lit, ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music’. But first of all, to whet your appetites, here’s the blurb.

‘How much can you hide?
Jemima Hutton is determined to build a successful new life and keep her past a dark secret. Trouble is, her jewellery business looks set to fail - until enigmatic Ben Davies offers to stock her handmade belt buckles in his guitar shop and things start looking up, on all fronts. But Ben has secrets too. When Jemima finds out he used to be the front man of hugely successful Indie rock band Willow Down, she wants to know more. Why did he desert the band on their US tour? Why is he now a semi-recluse?
And the curiosity is mutual - which means that her own secret is no longer safe ...’

I know they say all writers fall in love with their heroes, and I am no exception. Well, Ben is gorgeous and troubled and poetic and all that, but he is also a touch on the unconventional side of good looking. Put it this way, he doesn’t have a face that looks like it’s been hewn straight from a quarry and he doesn’t have shoulders so wide that he has to turn sideways to go through doors. Because I have to admit a certain..ahem.. unconventional taste in men and this tends to rub off on my fictional heroes. Men in real life who suffer ...I mean, who are subject to my attentions, tend to be more on the slender and diffident side. Not for me the alpha male with the bruising kisses and the punishing gaze (always wondered about punishing gazes. Really long eye lashes that can whip you from nine yards or something?). No. My ideal man is a little bit more.... all right.

To give you a taster of my kind of hero, here are a few. Tony Robinson (yes, really). David Mitchell, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi. I hope you can find it in your hearts to understand.

And so, for a chance to win a copy of Please Don’t Stop the Music,
please leave a comment and confess...I mean, tell me about any of your more – shall we call them unusual heroes. I promise not to laugh. Come on, I told you about Tony Robinson....

Oh, and if anyone fancies meeting me in the flesh (and there’s quite a lot of flesh to meet), I shall be signing copies of Please Don’t Stop the Music at Waterstones in York, on Saturday 12th February,2-5pm and I would love to see you there! If you need an additional lure (apart from me, that is) there will be chocolates!

Please Don’t Stop the Music is published by Choc Lit Publishing on 01 February. Jane can be followed on Twitter @JaneLovering, or you can find her at www.janelovering.co.uk. And, usually, behind the fridge with a guilty expression and an empty box of Thorntons' chocolates.

Thanks to Jane for coming by my rather untidy shed and for writing such a fabulous book.

PS, I'm lucky enough to have read Please Don't Stop The Music and have reviewed it for Novelicious. Although I'll link to my review when it's posted, I have to tell you that this is a great book with an easy to fall for hero and definitely a book I'm sure you'll enjoy.

PPS The winner of the copy of Please Don't Stop The Music is Karen. Jane will be contacting you. Congratulations.

Versatile Blogger Award

2011-01-23T13:20:00.004Z

Thank you to Pauline Barclay for passing this gorgeous award on to me. I love Pauline's blog and also follow her on Twitter @paulinembarclay and was thrilled to receive this.

The rules are that I have to tell you seven things about myself and also pass this on to seven people.

So, let me think. Um... I've mentioned in the past that I write in a shed, can ride side-saddle, my father survived a plane crash and that when I was small I had three cats and called them all Smokey.

1) I used to be the only one of my siblings with darker hair - I know, who would have guessed I'm not a natural blonde - and believed my sister when she told me that I was adopted. Of course, having a wild imagination, I then went on to configure an entire scenario of where I'd really come from, until my mother insisted she'd actually given birth to me and put a stop to my fantasy world.

2) I've been trying to locate a photograph of my great grandfather for years. He died in 1922. My grandmother was an only child and her mother burnt all his photos. His family originate from Stroud, so my next step it to try and contact someone there who may be descended from his family. Not sure who.

3) Having insisted I wouldn't ever get used to an e-reader, I now have a Kindle and love it. I still prefer actual books though.

4) I like my job.

5) My uncle brought the Beatles over to Jersey in the 1960s, but hasn't kept any of the memorabilia.

6) I love New York City & Sorrento, but can't decide which I prefer.

7) I used to put on plays for the family at Christmas time with me getting all the best parts and my cousin Jane always playing 'the crowd scene'. She still talks to me too.

Now I have to pass this on to seven other versatile bloggers:

Talli Roland
Faye over at Summit Musings
Sue at Flowerpot Days
Debs at Bluestockingmum
DJ Kirkby
Kath at The Nut Press
Karen at Coming Down the Mountain: From Reclusive Writer to Published Author

Zen & the Art of Sleep

2011-01-15T15:57:00.003Z

Here's yet another picture of my shadow! I didn't know this dog of mine could sleep so much. One of the things about this bug is that I seem to be either tired or asleep and whichever it is, Grumps is always lying next to me, usually snoring.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments on my last post. My uncle is now out of Critical Care and although I think it may take a while, he seems to be on the mend, which is a huge relief. My mother seems fine too.

I haven't done any writing, although I have mulled through various scenes, ways to develope certain characters, so that's something and I've just finished Please Don't Stop The Music by Jane Lovering, which I've reviewed for Novelicious.*whispers* worth pre-ordering this book. Publish date 1st Feb.

I follow Sarah Duncan's excellent blog and subscribe to her daily blog posts. Here's the link to her blog if you don't already have it. Certainly worth checking out for any unpublished writers as there's so much useful information/advice about all aspects of writing.

I'll be spending the rest of the weekend taking it easy, mainly by sitting in front of the fire, as it's back to work on Monday. I'm looking forward to the final episode of Zen (Sunday 9pm). Rufus Sewell is watchable in everything he does, but I'm loving watching him play, Aurelio Zen, an honest detective in Rome. Even my son is watching this. I do hope they commission a further series as it's excellent.

It Could Have Been Worse...

2011-01-11T18:17:00.005Z

It's been a strange few days.

On Friday, I received a phone call letting me know that my uncle (a cantankerous but charismatic chap) had been rushed to hospital and was lying in the HDU, and that if it hadn't been for my aunt's instincts getting him there so quickly, he would've apparently died within two hours. As it was, on Friday we were told that it was 50/50 whether he would make it through the night.

On Saturday, my mother was staying with friends at their beach house (in South Africa) and whilst they were on the verandah drinking cocktails and enjoying the warm evening, burglars broke into the house and were ransacking the rooms.

On Sunday, I started to feel achy and realized that my beloved had very generously passed on the virus that's been making him miserable all over the Christmas/New Year period. This was apart from New Year's Day, when he rallied and made it to a friend's house party where he knew there would be the best curries in the island, only to have a relapse the following day!

The positive side - hence the rainbow picture taken two days ago - is that:

My uncle: though still not conscious, is out of danger and we can all breathe a huge sigh of relief and look forward to him being back to his amusing, eccentric self.

My mother & friends: despite losing jewellery, money and various other bits, didn't even see the burglars, which is a relief as they usually carry guns, and so no one was hurt.

Me: I may feel like someone has hit me across the back of the head before bulldozing me, but at least I can spend my time getting better lying in a warm bed with a guard dog snoring next to me, who only grumbles every so often to be let outside.

Grumpy's Disappointment

2011-01-07T14:18:00.013Z

Just before Christmas a very generous friend arranged for this enormous Fortnum & Mason hamper to be delivered to me.

I can't tell you how exciting it was to open the beautiful wicker basket and unload all the delicious goodies ranging from Turkish Delight, Earl Grey tea, Vintage Marmalade cake, Piccadilly biscuits, English assorted chocolate creams, preserves, the list goes on and on. I've kept some of these delights back and now we've finished off our Christmas food supply, we're going to cheer up a rainy, cold month and enjoy some of these treats.

The only member of the family not to find anything to fit his taste was the grumpy one and as you can see from this picture, he had a pretty good nose around to make sure he didn't miss anything.

All was not lost, as despite his initial disappointment, he was eventually pacified by a dental chew.

PS Please let me know if you like the footprints on this blog, or if they're a bit too hard on your eyes. I haven't made my mind up yet...

Happy New Year from the Pink Chair

2011-01-01T12:05:00.003Z

Happy New Year and Happy Quillers 4th Blog Takeover Day.

This is the'ancient'Pink Lloyd Loom chair that Her Ladyship sits on hour after hour in the shed as she taps away at her laptop.

I must admit that I find her use of the word 'ancient' when she describes me, as a little insulting. I may be between 60 to 80 years old, but I'd hardly call that 'ancient'. Cheek. I think I'm rather beautiful and I know she loves me to bits. After all, she did defend me when Rob was asking how a £27 chair she'd found on Ebay - that's me, I suppose - happened to cost nearly £80 to deliver it to Jersey. Personally, I can't see what his problem is and I doubt she could either by the way she was smiling at me as she spoke to him.

She sits here with that grumpy looking dog next to her and I can just tell by the way he looks at me through those narrowed eyes that he'd rather sit on me than the plastic white chair she covers with a towel for him.

She's a little later than usual today, but I heard her mumble something about staying up until nearly 4am to watch the two final episodes of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, whatever that may be. She's quieter than normal too, so maybe I won't hear her reading out odd extracts of pages she's been writing, or mumbling to herself.

There she goes, off to make another cup of tea, I suppose, and thankfully she's taking that miserable looking dog with her.

A New Niece & Too Much Chocolate

2010-12-28T16:06:00.004Z

Phew, that was a busy Christmas. My son was a little delayed, but arrived on 23rd, the same day my sister in law went into hospital to have her daughter.

Amelie finally arrived just after 1am on Christmas morning, so the family has more to celebrate than usual this Christmas. The weather was gloriously sunny and everyone had a wonderful time. I had some fabulous presents, including a new camera, a Kindle (sooo in love with it), the Les Miserables DVD celebrating the 25th anniversary concert and a CD, a gorgeous poppy mug (favourite flowers), a docking station for my Ipod (am going to try listening to music whilst I write in the shed), and a calendar with pictures of the grumpy one on every month.

We've just come back from The Old Smugglers Inn where we had lunch before my step-son had to go to the airport to return home. My son has helped me move the furniture back to where it should be and am now working my way through loads of washing. (James has finally unpacked his uni bag...)

It's back to work for me tomorrow, but only for two days, then I can look forward to another four days off. Having eaten far too many chocolates, it isn't going to be too hard to think of my New Year Resolutions for 2011.

Merry Christmas From Debs & Grumps

2010-12-24T17:39:00.003Z

Snow & Twelve Days of Christmas

2010-12-19T13:16:00.006Z

I woke up to more snow this morning, but thankfully it's a Sunday and I don't have to go anywhere. My stepson arrived from Manchester yesterday, although he was slightly delayed, and now I'm just hoping that the weather warms up for Thursday when my son is coming home for Christmas.

I have to admit that all this snow has made me feel far more festive than I usually do and apart from one or two presents still to buy, pretty much everything is ready for 25th. I'll have fifteen family members coming for lunch on 25th and my brother and his fiance are expecting their first baby. She's already overdue and I can't wait to be an auntie again

Thankfully, with all this excitement going on, I only have two working days between 24th December and 4th January, so will have plenty of time to catch up with any writing and editing, and intend spending the rest of my time in front of the fire reading Trisha Ashley's best selling book, Twelve Days of Christmas, which is now at #1 in the Island Book Charts. You can read Kira Slaughter's review on Novelicious here.

So, what plans do you have for this Christmas?

Pure Passion 2011 - Romantic Novel of the Year

2010-12-16T20:07:00.005Z

I told you Christina Jones's latest book, The Way To A Woman's Heart, was good (you can read my interview with the lady herself over at Novelicious) and if you don't believe me, just look at the long list for the 51st Romantic Novel of the Year Award for 2011 which has just been announced.

In alphabetical order by author:

To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick (Little, Brown - Sphere)
The Good, the Bad and the Dumped by Jenny Colgan (Little, Brown - Sphere)
The Golden Prince by Rebecca Dean (HarperCollins)
Sons & Daughters by Margaret Dickinson (Pan MacMillan)
Kissing Mr. Wrong by Sarah Duncan (Headline)
A Perfect Proposal by Katie Fforde (Random House)
The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall (Little, Brown - Sphere)
Amazir by Tom Gamble (Beautiful Books)
The Island by Elin Hilderbrand (Hodder & Stoughton)
The Queen of New Beginnings by Erica James (Orion)
The Way to a Woman’s Heart by Christina Jones (Little, Brown - Piatkus)
I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk (HarperCollins)
His Last Duchess by Gabrielle Kimm (Little, Brown - Sphere)
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbour by Lisa Kleypas (Little, Brown - Piatkus)
The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes (Hodder & Stoughton)
Virgin Widow by Anne O’Brien (Mira)
Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn (Little, Brown - Piatkus)
The Search by Nora Roberts (Little, Brown - Piatkus)
The Legacy by Katherine Webb (Orion)
Hope Against Hope by Sally Zigmond (Myrmidon)

The shortlist (six titles) will be announced on 10th February 2011 and the winner will be named on Monday, 7th March 2011 at a champagne reception at The Royal Horseguards, Whitehall Place London.

I've read a few of the books on this list and can see why they were included in the list. To read more please go to the Romantic Novelists Association website here.

The Way To A Woman's Heart by Christina Jones

2010-12-08T20:12:00.002Z

I've just finished reading this fabulous book and to be in with a chance of winning a signed copy of The Way to a Woman's Heart, please go to Novelicious. You'll need to leave a comment (on the Novelicious site) about the most delicious meal you've ever had. The competition will be open until Sunday 12th December and a winner will be chosen at random. (UK ONLY though I'm afraid).

Also, to find out more about how Christina goes about writing her wonderful books and more about her characters in The Way to a Woman's Heart, please read my interview with her, also over at Novelicious here.

Good luck.

Footprints in the Snow

2010-12-02T06:40:00.004Z

The shed is out there somewhere...

Well, the schools are closed and buses aren't running and I've got to try and find a way to get into work, as apart from the fact that we (in Jersey) tend to grind to a standstill if we see the mere hint of more than a dozen or so snowflakes, the only way to get into St Helier (where most of us work) from where I live, is down one of a choice of hills. Then there's the fun of getting home again afterwards.

My garden has been white, and I have to say very pretty, since last Friday, which is amazing for over here and it's lovely as long as you don't need to navigate these roads, but at least I can be grateful for having an inside bathroom. Poor Grumps has to go outside to conduct his ablutions and then go through the trauma of having his feet dried when he comes back inside again. Poor Him.

P.S. I didn't make it in to work and have spent the day mostly staying on the inside looking out.

The Hating Game by Talli Roland

2010-11-30T19:55:00.000Z

Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.

No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more.

The Hating Game, published by Prospera Publishing will also be coming soon in paperback and to keep up with the latest news you can go to Talli's website at http://www.talliroland.com/, or go to her excellent blog which is updated most days.

About THE HATING GAME:

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £2000,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

You can also follow Talli on:
Twitter: @talliroland, or on Facebook

'Where We Are' - Southgate & Leigh

2010-11-27T10:03:00.003Z

Recently I came across the new band, Southgate & Leigh and thought I'd have a quick listen to their music, one track lead to another and I enjoyed their album so much I had to buy it. Now, if you knew me, you'd know that I rarely buy CDs.

'Where We Are' is a mixture of soul, pop and ska and is so good. You can find out all about the band on their official website, read the lyrics, listen to the tracks and buy their debut album, 'Where We Are' here. They also have a Christmas single coming out on 12th December called 'Christmas Time Next Year'.

Phil and Phillipa were kind enough to answer some questions for me:

1. I really enjoyed your songs, both the music and the lyrics, and was wondering where you find your inspiration?

Phil: When I sit down at the piano I practice scales or work out how to play something I heard on telly recently or on the radio and as I’m practicing I invariably get distracted and start mucking around (that’s not a very dignified word for it, but it really seems the best way to describe what I do). When I try to compose I’ll often churn out material that’s technically OK but not necessarily very exciting. Then, without warning, and apparently for no reason, I’ll play something and think, “That’s interesting, I like that”. If Phillipa’s around she will know instantly when I’ve had such a moment and she’ll badger me until I record it for her so she can get working on lyrics for it. In that sense Phillipa is my muse because until she came along I wallowed in the satisfaction of composing melodies without taking the much harder step of crafting half-baked ideas into meaningful compositions. In summary then, my “secret” is to work hard at being a serious musician while being hopelessly unable to avoid the distraction of playing for fun.

Phillipa: I love stories so when I write lyrics I often try to tell a story. Inspiration can come from anywhere really. For example one day I got approached in the street by a "modelling agency" which, of course, turned out to be a scam. I told Phil about it and he was like "We have to write a song about that" so we did. It's called "Fashion Photographer" and it's the first track on our album.

2. I have no idea how someone would go about writing songs, so could you tell me if you write the lyrics or the score first, or is each song produced differently?

Phillipa: All the songs have slightly different ways of coming about. I would say though, that most of the time Phil composes the music first then I write the lyrics to fit. Phil writes pretty quickly and I like to finish one song before I start the next so I always have a sense of urgency when I'm writing but I also don't like to rush. If it's not right I won't use it. I will re-write and re-write until I'm happy.

Phil: I tend to compose in bursts. I’ll go for weeks without composing anything at all and then I can’t seem to play without composing.

3. How long have you been writing/performing your music together?

Phillipa: We performed covers together for about five years but we didn't really start writing together until about 18 months ago.

4. Have you both always wanted to be in the music industry, or was it something that evolved for you both?

Phil: I’ve worn many hats but in my heart of hearts I always knew music was what I wanted to do.

Phillipa: I think it evolved for me. Doing this album has definitely built up my confidence. I really respect Phil so the fact that he believes in me helps me to believe in myself.

5. I don't think I'd be able to choose a favourite song from your album and think that different songs would probably appeal to different moods as some are more upbeat or soulful than others. At the moment my favourites are You Make Me Smile and Bluebells. Do you have a favourite song from your debut album, Where We Are', and if so, what is it?

Phil: Well first off, it’s probably a bit egocentric of me, but I do still genuinely enjoy listening to our album even after all the thousands of times hearing it through the whole recording process. I love the raw power of Phillipa’s voice in What Do You Want, the Bowie-esque middle bit in Marie, the sound of the rhythm section in Don’t Wait, the strings in You Make Me Smile… We were so lucky to be able to work with such fantastic session musicians and hearing them play something you’ve written yourself is a huge privilege. Sorry to avoid the question but picking a winner is tricky for me!

Phillipa: Yeah I find it hard to choose too. I'm so glad you like "Bluebells" though because the lyrics are a true memory from my childhood visiting my grandparents. There is a lyric that goes "It's just something I remember, I wonder if you do too" you might like to know that after they heard it they told me that they do.

Thank you Phillipa and Phil for giving me your time and good luck with your new single and this excellent album.

Here are some links for Southgate & Leigh:
Website: Southgate & Leigh
Twitter: @southgateleigh
Facebook: Southgate and Leigh

50,000 Words

2010-11-25T20:04:00.002Z

I've reached my 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo, so I've now finished. I still have a way to go before actually finishing the first draft of Twice Shy, but have loved taking part in NaNo again this year and by doing so now am well into this book.

It's been great fun, although I'm now going to spend a couple of days catching up with some reading and will carry on writing, although not at the pace as I've been doing for the past 25 days.

Good luck to all the other NaNo'ers taking part.

Now I think it's time for a little I'm a Sleb on the telly and maybe a cup of tea.

Eleven Days To Go

2010-11-20T13:29:00.003Z

As you can see from this pic of my NaNoWriMo blog widget I've passed the 35,000 word mark (yesterday) and with only eleven days to go I still have to keep going each day to make sure I make it to the 50,000 words by 30 November.

I know there are differing opinions about whether or not taking part in NaNo is actually a worthwhile writing exercise and some do say that it's not possible to write so many words well in such a short time, and without further editing I'm sure they're right. However, for me it means that a book I've been researching/writing for the past 18 months without finishing, thanks to spending too much time worrying about historical details, can now be written.

With NaNo I've used the opportunity of allowing myself this month to write the next 50,000 words of my book and having this deadline means I'm simply telling the story without procrastinating about details. They can come later when I edit. The book won't be finished by the end of the month, but I can continue putting down rest of the story in December.

I'll feel much better having a dirty draft written - I was going to say filthy, but that may suggest more explicit sex scenes than those already in the book - and at least I can make sure the details, as well as the grammer, story arcs, etc are as they should be when I start editing.

So, what do you think of NaNo? Are you taking part? If so, are you enjoying yourself? I know I am.

Have a great weekend.

Confusion: Tom Builder v Lucas North

2010-11-13T11:52:00.003Z

It's been a strange week for various reasons, but I was a little taken aback to find that I was more upset at the death of Tom Builder in Pillars of the Earth, played by the gorgeous Rufus Sewell than I was when Lucas North (Richard Armitage) died in Spooks.

What is the world coming to? Has the axis in my romantic world tilted somehow? Or could it just be that I didn't see the Tom Builder murder coming? Sigh. It was a traumatic moment. This week I'm going to miss their (fairly equal) dulcet tones on my tv screen.

At least my NaNo attempt seems to be going well and as of last night I'd passed the 23,000 mark. I can't even say it's been difficult because I love my characters so much that telling their story is very enjoyable and the only reason I haven't been writing more is because my eyes are so tired after finishing work.

It's my wonderful daughter's sixteenth birthday tomorrow. It's hard to believe this little blonde curly-haired cherub is now taller and seemingly far cleverer than her mother. And even though I seem to be a source of unending entertainment for her (though I'm not sure why the things say seem to be quite so funny half the time) she is a delight and great fun to be around. I'm very lucky.

So, Happy Birthday to Sas. x

Lest We Forget

2010-11-11T08:27:00.006Z

Every year I'm saddened by thoughts of all of the casualties from past and present wars and this year, as I research The Great War for my wip, I find it even harder to imagine the horrors and difficulties the survivors have had to overcome.

The Royal British Legion, St Dunstans, and others do such wonderful work and as I was lucky enough to have one of my poppies attached to my coat by a charming Chelsea Pensioner the other day, I couldn't help thinking how much we owe to these incredible men and woman.

Lest We Forget...

And The Winner Is...

2010-11-06T11:23:00.004Z

Fee.

Congratulations to Fee and thanks for leaving comments both here and at Bookersatz. Please email your address to me at debs(dot)carr(at)jerseymail(dot)co(dot)uk. Thank you also to Margaret for kindly letting me have a signed copy of her excellent book. This is a beautifully told story and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to everyone who entered and left comments. In case you were wondering how the winner was chosen, I listed the all the names who entered both by leaving comments at this blog and at Bookersatz and numbered each one. Then I went to Random.org and the number 15 was selected. Fee's name was next to number 15 and it was through her comment at Bookersatz that she won this book.

Tomorrow I'll be posting about another signed copy of a book I'm currently enjoying, however, this will be the last signed copy of a book I'll be able to offer, well, at least until the next time, but that won't be for a while yet.

This week I've been concentrating on my NaNo entry and as of last night I've managed 11,200 words and I don't think they're too terrible, at the moment. We shall see.

Congratulations once again to Fee and many thanks for everyone who entered.

Have a lovely day.x

Publication Day, Launch Day & Giveaways

2010-11-01T17:08:00.005Z

Today is Publication Day for The Silver Locket by Margaret James. I loved this book and to find out more about it, you can read my review over at Bookersatz.

To be in with a chance of winning a signed copy, please leave a comment either here, or at Bookersatz, or if you want to increase your chances of winning, why not leave a 'pick me' comment in both places. You have until Friday, 5th November at 6pm to do so.

Today is also Launch Day for Phillipa Ashley's debut US novel, Dating Mr December, which has already been made into a film there. Dating Mr December is the US version of her fab book, Decent Exposure.

To be in with a chance of winning a signed copy of the US edition wherever you live in the world (it's one of Phillipa's author copies) please visit her blog or her Facebook Author page and let her know you'd like to be entered into the draw.

I thoroughly enjoyed both these books and can't recommend them highly enough. Right, I'd better get on with my NaNo book, otherwise I'll never get to 2,000 words, never mind the 50,000 I need to produce.

Limbering Up for NaNoWriMo

2010-10-31T09:54:00.002Z

I'm raring to get going with my NaNo story. I know some people have concerns about the content with people's NaNo entries, but for me it's a way to keep to a deadline. The camaraderie and daily increase on the word counter keep me writing when I'd otherwise probably find a reason/excuse not to and it's easier to work on a dirty draft than no draft at all. I pretty much know my story and characters and can't wait to get going.

No doubt by Wednesday I'll be wondering why I'm putting myself through this self-imposed torture, but towards the end - going my my experience last year - I'll be obsessed with getting my story down and the feeling of achievement at the end is well worth the month of maniacal typing and angst.

My family simply think that I'm a little crazy, but that's nothing new, and I'll still be reading/reviewing for Novelicious and Bookersatz throughout the month, but as I only work part-time and have one teenager at home, I have more time than most to do any writing.

Good luck with everyone taking part. If you haven't already entered and think that it might be fun to give it a go, there's still time as it doesn't start until 1st November. Here's the link

Note to self...

2010-10-25T18:51:00.005+01:00

This morning got off to a dramatic start. A driver under the illusion that he's Jensen Button decided to overtake three cars at once, then as he flew by me in a blur, the van in front started to pull out, just noticing the speeding fiend in time to pull in and let him pass. Just as JB wannabe passed the third car I noticed another car coming the opposite way. How he didn't collide with anyone is beyond me.

Sitting at my desk at lunchtime, I decided to have a quiet look at a few blogs on my blogroll. I started with Christina Jones's Bucolic Frolics where she posts about the local Am Dram Society putting on Rebecca in the scout hut. You have to read this, because I can't explain it well enough to do it justice. I began to laugh and just when I was almost hysterical trying to hold back my amusement, if not my tears of laughter, my Manager thankfully made a joke giving me a reason to laugh out loud. I'm sure he and the rest of the team think I'm a little odd - probably always have done so - as his joke wasn't funny enough to induce such amusement.

So! Note to self: If you don't want to get caught out reading blog posts whilst at work, do not read Christina Jones's blog posts. Save them until you can laugh out loud.

I love living in Jersey and am lucky to be able to visit the mainland several times each year, however, I can't go to everything I'd like and here is a picture of some of the Choc Lit writers - Sue Moorcroft, Christina Courtenay, Christine Stovell and Margaret James at their recent Girls Night In held at Waterstones in Bury St Edmonds. Hopefully they'll be doing more and I'll be able to attend one of those.

A Clash of Innocents by Sue Guiney

2010-10-21T00:38:00.001+01:00

A Clash of Innocents is Sue Guiney's second book and as part of the blogsplash to celebrate the publication of her book, Sue very kindly answered a few questions for me.

1. Cambodia is an unusual and interesting setting for a novel and a place that I’ve never visited even though it’s history does fascinate me. Can you tell us what inspired you to write, A Clash of Innocents?
My family visited there in 2006 to work for a couple of charities, building houses for the poor and working in an orphanage. It was an opportunity whose time was right and I had always wanted to visit SE Asia. At the time, though, I had no notion of writing a book about Cambodia. I was still completely absorbed by my work on “Tangled Roots.” But the place took hold of me, and before I knew it, there was a story I wanted to tell about it.

2.Can you tell us a little bit about the main characters in the book, especially Deborah Youngman?
Deborah is a feisty, self-sufficient, no-nonsense American woman of about 60 years old who settled in Cambodia 10 years earlier after working as a nurse for various health agencies throughout Asia. She runs “The Khmer Home for Blessed Children” which she took over from a group of missionaries. She is single, has never been married, and has officially adopted one of her first Cambodian charges, a girl called Sam who, at the time of the book, is just eighteen years old. The idea for Deborah is an amalgam of several women I encountered while in Cambodia, and I started to wonder why someone chooses that sort of life, a life that seems on the surface to be all about self- sacrifice. Especially if their motivation is not religious, and Deborah’s definitely is not, why and how does such a life choice arise?

One morning, an American woman in her late 20’s arrives at the Home’s door wanting to help. Against Deborah’s better judgment, she allows this woman to stay and become a part of the workings of the Home. But who is she and why is she there? And here’s a fun fact: careful readers of “Tangled Roots” will recognize that this woman is Amanda, the woman whose own wedding begins the novel, whose wedding is seen through the eyes of her favourite uncle, John, the physics professor. (I love doing that sort of thing!)
And I must mention Kyle Mackenzie, the irascible, adorable, larger-than-life Australian minesweeper.

3.Do you plan a book before writing it, and if so how much planning do you do before starting your first draft?
I tried something different with “A Clash of Innocents” in the hope that it would take me less than nine years to write (that’s how long “Tangled Roots” took). I used something called “The Snowflake Method” which leads you to completely outline each chapter in exact detail planning carefully where each conflict will arise and timing it all to a tee. Actually, it drove me crazy and I ended up just using the idea of it. So I did outline the entire structure, planning what would happen in each chapter, so I always knew where I was going. I just didn’t know how I would get there. That bit of inspiration I left up to the little writing magician in my head. I did, though, write out details of each character’s life in advance – who they were, where they came from, early lives etc. I do need to know who a character really is before I throw him/her life into turmoil.

4.Can you tell us something about your road to publication? How long it took and how you went about finding a publisher?
This itself is a long, roller-coaster of a story. It started back in 2005 when on a whim I sent the text of a poetry play, “Dreams of May,” to an indie press whose work I liked called bluechrome. He published the poetry and then after struggling in the States to find a big publisher for “Tangled Roots,” I gave up and gave it also to bluechrome to publish. I was luckier than some. My novel was published in both hard and soft covers and distributed fairly well. Alas, I never got any royalties from it because the publisher subsequently went bankrupt, but I did have the invaluable experience of being a published writer.

Fast forward to 2009. I’m chatting with another former bluechrome author, Adele Ward, at the poetry launch of a mutual friend. Adele knew my work and began to cautiously feel me out on the subject of publishing with a new indie house that she was about to form with Mike Fortune-Wood, formerly of Cinnamon. Several weeks of talks followed and I had to decide whether I wanted to throw myself into the maelstrom which is finding an agent (my previous one had retired at the same time bluechrome tanked – talk about bad timing!) and then trying for a big publisher. It was a difficult decision and forced me to think about my goals and the reality of the present market (especially for new literary fiction). But when I did, I realized that it was a great honour to be asked to be a company’s first publication and to launch my book along with Ward Wood. I also know about and trust the business acumen of the two principals. I felt that by joining Ward Wood I was doing something bold and daring, but also sensible. And I’m absolutely thrilled. I know it was the right decision and I know that my work has now found a home. I guess I’m just an indie girl at heart.

5.You lead a very busy life writing not only fiction, but plays and poetry too, so I imagine that you have to be pretty disciplined to be able to fit everything in. Do you have a specific daily writing routine?
I most certainly do, although it’s had to change over the years. The big step for me was announcing to myself and the world that writing was my job. Okay – not a full-time job, but a job nonetheless. That meant I had to find a time when I sat down to do it, whether I felt like it or not, and for me, that’s mornings. The 3 hours before lunch became the time I would go to a specific place and either write, or apply myself to the business of writing. While I still had kids at home, that meant taking a look at my diary each week and finding the 2 or (if I was lucky) 3 mornings for my writing job. And that’s what I did for years and I was able to accomplish an amazing amount just by setting aside time and sticking to it. Now that I am in my second year of being an “empty-nester,” I find I work all the time. And I mean ALL the time. Whether it’s actually writing, or submitting or blogging or writing articles or networking, I’m always at it. And I fold in my work with my theatre charity, CurvingRoad. You see, with no kids around and a husband who has always worked crazy long hours, I do finally have time. But to be honest, I’m doing too much right now and realize that I need to find some balance and down time. It’s especially difficult to turn on my “writing brain” when my “business brain” is in overdrive.

Thank you to Sue for such interesting answers and good luck with A Clash of Innocents, which you can buy from her publishers, www.wardwoodpublishing.co.uk , Play.com, etc. You can also follow Sue on Twitter @sueguiney and her blog can be found here

Racing Hither & Thither

2010-10-18T17:29:00.002+01:00

This past week has been hectic to say the least. Last Sunday, Rob and I travelled (plane, train, coach) to see my son who has just started his second year at uni. We met for lunch and he was thrilled to tell us that he'd just been given a job (Sundays), then we went with him to see the house he's sharing with four friends. I shan't comment on their living room (the only spotless thing in there was the new tv they've clubbed together to buy), or the kitchen (um, enough said), but there was a new carpet on the stairs(!) and their rooms are lovely. Then it was time to take a coach and train to Southampton, where R & I stayed the night.

On Monday we donned our finery and were thoroughly spoilt when we attended the celebrations for Cunard's new liner the Queen Elizabeth. We enjoyed tours around the ship, drinks reception, lunch, Naming Ceremony with the Queen. Robert Powell (he of the beautiful voice, Holby & Jesus of Nazareth fame) announced the protocol for all attending; Sir Ben Kingsley gave a speech, then I nearly ran into him as the poor man was making his way to the Gents and I was thundering from the Ladies to find Rob. He's Rob said, "I'll bet you never thought you'd ever be in the same place as the Queen, Gandhi and Jesus all at the same time." Then it was coach, train, plane back to Jersey where we eventually arrived home (having collected the dog) at 9pm.

Tuesday - I was up at 4.50am for the red-eye to Gatwick, a 1.5hr taxi ride and an all day meeting. Then it was taxi, plane and home, again for around 9pm.

Wednesday - I was rather tired and couldn't wait to finish work and go home, but being a bit of a fool, I'd stupidly eaten a chewy sweet at the meeting the day before and managed to pull out a crown, so it was off to the dentist as soon as I'd left work.

However, today, Novelicious is back after the summer hiatus. You'll find interviews, my review of Victoria Connelly's fab book, A Weekend With Mr Darcy and so much more.

Helen at Bookersatz has posted my review of The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society. This is a timeless book and I can't think why it took me so long to read it, so if you haven't read this yet, please go and read the review.

Right, I'm off to light a fire and start reading Margaret James's, The Silver Locket. Can't wait.

The Tapestry of Love by Rosie Thornton

2010-10-15T11:52:00.003+01:00

Yesterday was publication day, so I'm afraid this post is a little late, but I'll tell you more about my busy week in my next post. To find out more about Rosie Thornton's, The Tapestry of Love you can read Helen Hunt's wonderful review for Bookersatz here.

Rosie's site tells us the following: "A rural idyll: that's what Catherine Parkstone is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. Divorced and with her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you're no longer just on holiday, and Catherine finds herself with unexpected battles to fight. French bureaucracy, the mountain weather, the reserve of her neighbours - and most unsettling of all, her own fascination with the intriguing Patrick Castagnol.

The Tapestry of Love is the story of how a woman falls in love with a place and its people: a portrait of landscape, a community and a fragile way of life." You can buy the book here.

But that's not all. Inside The Tapestry of Love you'll find some fabulous recipes and if you can't wait until you read the book to discover them, you can leave a comment either including your email address, or contact me through this blog and I'll email the electronic recipe leaflet to you.

Enjoy.

And The Winner Is...

2010-10-07T17:57:00.004+01:00

The winners for the copies of Trade Winds by Christina Courtenay are as follows:

Livbet wins the signed copy (from the competition at this blog) and Lane has won the unsigned copy from the competition over at Bookersatz.

Thank you to everyone who entered both here and at Bookersatz and if Livbet and Lane could forward their addresses to me at: debs(dot)carr(at)jerseymail(dot)co(dot)uk, I'll get your books in the post. Congratulations, I'm sure you'll enjoy reading this fabulous book, I know I did.

Trade Winds by Christina Courtenay - Competition

2010-09-30T00:05:00.005+01:00

Happy Publication Day to Christina Courtenay.

Today is Publication Day for Trade Winds, Christina's fabulous book published by Choc Lit Publishers and to celebrate I have one signed and an unsigned copy to give away.

To be in with a chance of winning the signed copy, please leave a 'Pick Me' comment in the comment box below, and if you want to give yourself an extra chance of winning a copy (unsigned) of this truly wonderful book (and who wouldn't) please go Bookersatz where they've very kindly agreed to post my review today to coincide with the book's publication and leave a 'Pick Me' comment there. You have until Wednesday 6 October at 6pm before two winners will be picked at random.

I have to admit that I've read all the books published by Choc Lit and as with my previous reads, Trade Winds was wonderful.

To read more about Christina Courtenay please go to her website. You can also follow her on Twitter here. If you can't wait until next Wednesday to find out if you've won a copy, then why not order a copy from Play.com.

Greyhounds & the Wip

2010-09-25T12:51:00.005+01:00

I recently bought a copy of this beautifully written by Victoria Kingston & Hilary Johnson. I love greyhounds and the woman who clips the Grumpy one looks after rescue greyhounds here in Jersey. It's a book celebrating greyhounds and includes a foreword by the actress Annette Crosbie OBE who is also a Patron of Wimbledon Grehound Welfare Kennels in Hersham where all the profits from this book are being donated. If you want to support this invaluable place and read the collection of inspiring and emotive stories by people who have adopted their own greyhounds and looked after many more, why not buy your own copy here.

I have a quiet household this weekend. Rob is either working or catching up on his sleep; Sas is with her father; James is back at uni; Grumps is acting as my shadow, which means sleeping whilst I'm reading or writing, so therefore he's mostly sleeping. So, it's copious amounts of tea for me as I work on my Wip. I also have a couple of reviews to write up, so will do those too and when I can think of no reason at all to put it off any longer, I'll do some ironing. Groan.

The weather was so glorious earlier this week that I was able to write outside wearing a bikini and sarong, I hasten to add. Now, of course, it's a little more autumnal and with that comes much better tv programmes. I can't wait for Downton Abbey to start on Sunday night, then of course it'll be Spooks again on Monday.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Research, Reading & Richard Armitage

2010-09-18T10:36:00.003+01:00

There's one thing guaranteed to consume hours of my time and get me nowhere and that's researching my great-grandfather. Now, I know where he was born, died, served in the 17th Lancers, etc, but what I need is a photo of this man. Unfortunately he died in 1922 and my great-grandmother was so enraged at his dying so young that she burnt every photograph she had of him. My grandmother, an only child, never had one. My father, now in his seventies has always desperately wanted to see a picture of his grandfather, especially as he was always told how he was the image of him. It's all so frustrating. I think the next thing to do is write to a local newspaper to see if anyone in the area - Badbrook, Stroud - knows of anyone related to the family. And on it goes...

This weekend I'm going to spend time lazing in the conservatory, Earl Grey tea at the ready, Grumps snoring on the large cushion on the back rest of the two-seater and read, A Weekend With Mr Darcy. I've been trying not to add too many books to my TBR pile, but obviously lack the book-buying-discipline gene.

Summer is definitely over, but I do enjoy Autumn, not only because the glorious colours throughout the garden and the thought of lighting the fire once again in the sitting room, but also because the tv programmes seem so much better. Spooks is back on Monday and I can't wait, and although Sas and Rob will roll their eyes heavenward and groan at my adoration, they will, at least with this programme, sit quietly and enjoy it too, something they never did when I was absorbed by Robin Hood. Talking of which, I watched Russell Crowe's version last night and I know I'm useless at recognizing accents, but I distinctly heard his irish accent morph into a Liverpudlian one. What was that all about?