Fake Friday With Lisa Hill #TuesNews

Today I have the lovely author Lisa Hill on my blog. Her debut novel, Meet Me at Number Five is published by Choc Lit on the 20th June 2017. 

Lisa and I first met, way back in 2011 at the RNA Conference as wannabe authors and have been friends since. We have quite a lot in common, especially both being mothers to boys. (Lisa has three, I stuck at two). 

I am thrilled to have Lisa on my blog as a published author! And I can't wait to read her book. 

Hello Lisa. Tell me, which of your characters is your favourite, and why?

So, Meet Me at Number Five is about heroine, Grace, who is desperate to have a baby but four days before she is due to start her first round of IVF her husband, Charlie, announces he’s got another woman pregnant and also heroine, Hennie, who is Grace’s cousin and is a single mum who has renounced men because all the hot ones take one look at the children and look away and those who aren’t frightened off by the children are dull. Hennie lives with Grace and Hennie’s Nana, Clara, who is the matriarch of the family; a septuagenarian racehorse owner who likes to live the high life. Clara is by far my favourite character; she is glamourous, forthright, kind and loves to be the puppeteer and meddle in everyone’s affairs (nothing like me, of course).

Did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere?

No, the first book I ever wrote was called Meant to Be. I was a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and it received a fantastic critique report but after going on a writing retreat with Julie Cohen I could see why it didn’t work so I rewrote it entirely and entitled it Heart in the Right Place. It’s set in Yorkshire and is about a heroine called Lottie who is the daughter-in-law in a family of estate agents and is desperate to have more than a part-time role whilst looking after her three kids. When the famous period drama actor, Tom Thorpe, arrives on the scene and offers Lottie the opportunity to act as a Relocation Agent for celebrity friends of his, it drives a big wedge between Lottie and her husband Drew and they go on a journey to overcome their differences. Heart was shortlisted in the 2015 Choc Lit Search for a Star competition and, having edited it some more, is currently under review with Choc Lit again so hopefully my original heroine, Lottie, will have her time in the limelight very soon.

Do you have a favourite author?

Yes and she knows how much I love her! I started reading Jill Mansell when I finished my A-Levels in 1998 and pretty much spent the entire summer reading her back catalogue. I think she is an inspiring author; I love her ability to make her stories about some quite serious subjects but with a light hearted tone too. She’s extremely talented. My favourite novel is Head Over Heels and it eventually inspired me to try and write a novel of my own.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee! I never drink tea; if you cut me open I swear caffeine would spurt forward!

I think this is why we get on so well. Our love for coffee! 

Starbucks or Costa?

Not fussy, especially if someone else is paying ;) Cappuccino every time which is a bit strange seeing I only every drink black coffee at home.

Thanks so much, Lisa, for popping over to my blog. Congratulations with the publication of your debut novel and good luck with the sales and reviews! 

Author Bio:

Lisa grew up in the village of Bussage, near Stroud, in the Cotswolds until she returned to Cheltenham as a teenager. She is married to her very own hero, Matt, and has three sons, Hamish, Archie and Laurence. Her first encounter of a romance author was chats over the garden wall between her father, Godfrey, and Mrs Cooper from the neighbouring village of Bisley. It came as quite a surprise in later life to find that Mrs Cooper was in fact Jilly Cooper! Lisa’s writing inspiration now comes from other Cotswolds authors including Jill Mansell and Katie Fforde.

Lisa writes contemporary romance with a light-hearted tone. What interests her most is people, their interactions, emotions and relationships. It’s probably why her career to date has been based in property; she confesses herself that she is ‘naturally curious’.

When she’s not busy writing, helping Matt run his electrical empire, or being her sons’ taxi service Lisa enjoys running with her gun dog, Sparky. They are both currently training for the Stroud half-marathon although Sparky’s motivation lies much more in chasing bunny rabbits.

Lisa is a graduate of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme and attributes this supportive and informative scheme to her winning the Choc Lit Search for a Star competition 2016 with her debut novel, Meet Me at Number Five.

Blurb:

What if finding happiness was a race against time?

Grace Cavendish knows a thing or two about horses – but what she doesn’t know is that her husband, top horse racing trainer Charlie Carrisbrook, is having a literal ‘roll in the hay’ right under her nose.

When the painful truth is revealed Grace has no choice but to move in with her highly-strung grandmother Clara and cousin Hennie; a single mum who has renounced men (at least that’s what she says!)

Determined to start again, Grace takes a job at the local restaurant, Number Five. And whilst serving up coffee and cake is a far cry from the stables, she enjoys it – especially as she gets to work alongside the rather scrumptious Sam Whittaker.

But the past is racing to catch up with Grace. Can her life still be a romp to victory or will a devastating secret stop her dead in her tracks?

Amazon UK: goo.gl/xc4Dxd
Amazon: goo.gl/cnirgC
Kobo: goo.gl/XHd8dC
iBooks: goo.gl/16tMWo
Choc Lit: goo.gl/FYD8kF

Author Links:

Twitter: @lisahillie
Facebook: goo.gl/bcjhE1
Website: www.lisahillwriter.wordpress.com

Advent Calendar Day 19 #ChristinaCourtney

Door 19 opened! Pia Fenton, aka Christina Courtenay is on my blog today!  

As I’m half Swedish and grew up in that country, Christmas for me is associated with a lot of Swedish Christmas traditions. We call it “jul” (the same word as the English Yule and pronounced the same way) and our Santa Claus is “Tomten”.

A “tomte” is normally a tiny leprechaun type of being who supposedly lives in every Swedish household and is responsible for the well-being of all the inhabitants, including animals. I love the thought of this and there are a lot of “tomtar” featured in our Christmas decorations, such as these tiny ones I keep next to my advent candles (another tradition – we light one candle each Sunday in the four weeks before Christmas Eve).

Where I come from, there are huge forests which are beautiful in winter, deep with snow and with all the branches covered in frost or snowflakes. That is the one thing I really miss as it’s a truly magical sight! But who knows, we might get some snow over here this year? I’m always hopeful.

Now that I live in England and have an English family, I really enjoy mixing the two countries’ traditions and having the best of both. Tomtar and angels, smörgåsbord followed the next day by a full turkey dinner – what could be better? It’s twice the celebration!

Wherever and however you celebrate, I wish you a Very Happy Christmas!

Short author bio:-

Pia Fenton (writing as Christina Courtenay) writes historical romance, time slip and YA contemporary romance, all published by independent publisher Choc Lit. She is half Swedish and was brought up in Sweden. In her teens, she moved to Japan where she had the opportunity to travel extensively in the Far East. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association. Her novels Highland Storms and The Gilded Fan have both won the RoNA Award for Best Historical Romantic Novel of the Year (in 2012 and 2014 respectively). Her latest novels are The Jade Lioness (historical) and New England TLC (YA contemporary romance).

The Jade Lioness blurb:-

Can an impossible love become possible? (Nagasaki, 1648)

Temperance Marston longs to escape war-torn England and explore the exotic empire of Japan. When offered the chance to accompany her cousin and Captain Noordholt on a trading expedition to Nagasaki, she jumps at the opportunity. However, she soon finds the country’s strict laws for foreigners curtail her freedom.

On a dangerous and foolhardy venture she meets Kazuo, a ronin. Kazuo is fascinated by her blonde hair and blue eyes, but he has a mission to complete and he cannot be distracted. Long ago, his father was accused of a crime he didn’t commit – stealing a valuable jade lioness ornament from the Shogun – and Kazuo must restore his family's honour.

But when Temperance is kidnapped and sold as a concubine, he has to make a decision – can he save her and keep the promise he made to his father?

Website: http://christinacourtenay.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/christinacourtenayauthor?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay

Buy links:-

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jade-Lioness-Kumashiro-Christina-Courtenay/dp/1781892377/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1444222646&sr=1-1

Amazon US http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1781892377?keywords=The%20jade%20lioness&qid=1444222741&ref_=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2&sr=8-1

Fake Friday with Rhoda Baxter

It's been a while since I've had a guest visit my blog, and so today I have Rhoda Baxter returning to promote her new book - Please Release Me. 

Hello, Rhoda! So.... 

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be instead?

Chocolate taster. Or maybe a bookshop ‘character’ who doesn’t actually do any work, but hangs out in the armchair in the bookshop, drinking tea, chatting and recommending books to people. I’m doing lots of reading and eating chocolate to keep my eye in, in case the opportunity comes calling…

Oh, that does sound like a fantastic job. Doesn't pay so well though... 

If your latest book was made into a film, who would you want to play

• Your hero? Ben Wishaw. Oh yes.

(I need to check out this guy... I have no idea who he is).

• Your heroine? I’ve got two heroines in my book. For Sally, Keira Knightley. For Grace Ayesha Dharker (Grace is mixed race and I pictured her as a kind of taller version Ayesha Dharker).

Have you ever read a book that you’ve wanted to throw against the wall?

Oscar and Lucinda. I simultaneously love and hate that book. It’s wonderfully well written and I cared about the characters SO MUCH. And then… that ending… gnnnnh. I’m going to have to go have a lie down until smoke stops coming out of my ears. Excuse me.

Oh, I haven't read that book... maybe I won't now, if the ending isn't so satisfying... 

What do you like to achieve in your writing?

I want to make people laugh, pause and then think. I think I understood a lot about how other people felt by reading. I want the same thing to happen with my books. I write comedy because I’d rather have fun people talking in my head than grim ones. That said, they have very angst-ridden lives sometimes.

The Wuthering Heights debate – do you love or hate Heathcliff?

Oh, I don’t like him. I think he’s a wrong ‘un. Don’t like Cathy much either – wild wicked slip of a girl.

Phew! I agree. She's probably the reason Heathcliff became so vile. This book isn't a romance, it's a tragedy.

What’s your favourite TV show?

At the moment, it’s The Big Bang Theory. I’m very fickle though. Next week it’ll be Firefly again.

From TV, books or film:

Who is your favourite all time hero?

Easy. Willy Wonka. He’s a genius. He’s a millionaire. He looks like Johnny Depp under all that make up… and… He owns a chocolate factory. (I’m assuming he pays the Umpa Loompa’s decent rates and is a good employer, obviously.)

Who is your favourite all time heroine?

Amelia Peabody Emerson from Elisabeth Peters’ books. She’s an archaeologist, amateur medic and a total kickass lady. She and her husband Radcliffe get up to all sorts of adventures.

Some fab answers there! Thanks so much, Rhoda, for taking the time to answer the questions for my blog. 

Please Release Me

Buy link: myBook.to/PleaseReleaseMe

The very silly Lego book trailer: https://animoto.com/play/DBE2BHWxYkaRBiFK2Yehww

Blurb:

What if you could only watch as your bright future slipped away from you?

Sally Cummings has had it tougher than most but, if nothing else, it’s taught her to grab opportunity with both hands. And, when she stands looking into the eyes of her new husband Peter on her perfect wedding day, it seems her life is finally on the up.

That is until the car crash that puts her in a coma and throws her entire future into question.

In the following months, a small part of Sally’s consciousness begins to return, allowing her to listen in on the world around her – although she has no way to communicate.

But Sally was never going to let a little thing like a coma get in the way of her happily ever after …

I will be donating 50% of my royalty earnings to Martin House Children's Hospice http://www.martinhouse.org.uk/

My website link: www.rhodabaxter.com

Twitter: @rhodabaxter

Bio:  Rhoda Baxter likes to write about people who make her laugh. In real life she studied molecular biology at Oxford, which is why her pen name might sound suspiciously similar to the name of a bacterium.

After trying out life in various places, including the Pacific island of Yap (it’s a real place!), Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Didcot, she now lives in East Yorkshire with one husband, two children and no pets or carnivorous plants. She has a day job working in intellectual property and writes contemporary romantic comedies in whatever spare time she can grab.

She can be found wittering on about science, comedy and cake on her website (www.rhodabaxter.com) or on Twitter (@rhodabaxter) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/RhodaBaxterAuthor).

Fake Friday with Rhoda Baxter

Kids are back to school, and we're already wishing is it Friday yet? Therefore I have  real treat today for Fake Friday!

I am thrilled to have Choc-Lit author, Rhoda Baxter on my blog today talking about writing and her latest book, Doctor January. 

Hi, Rhoda, have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes. I also wanted to be over 5ft tall and an astronaut. I didn’t manage those other two.

Did you manage to get the first book you wrote published, or is it tucked in a drawer somewhere?

My first book was too long and too wordy and I really was trying hard to be writerly, which made it not very reader-friendly. I have it on my computer still, along with revisions which are much, much shorter than the original. One day I’ll edit it into shape. Until then, it’ll be there to remind me how far I’ve come.

What’s so special about your hero that makes your heroine fall in love with him?

Hibs from Doctor January – he was her friend first. He’s kind and considerate and clever. He makes her feel safe and he’s very supportive of her decisions (a lot of people in Beth’s life have not been). Notice I’ve not mentioned that he’s handsome. He is, but Beth has learned the hard way that handsome isn’t everything.

Why do you like writing romance?

I love that first kiss feeling. You know the one, when you’re watching a film (I ‘see’ what I write like a film, hence the example) and the two main characters look into each other’s eyes and you feel the excitement anticipation of their first kiss. That feeling. I can’t go around falling in love with random men all the time – I have a husband and, besides, who has that TIME for all that chasing around – so I just make up people who do it for me.

What do you do with a paperback once you’ve read it? 

I rarely read paperbacks now. I read on my Kindle. If I do buy a paperback, it’s usually a keeper. I have been known to read a kindle book, then go out and buy hardcopy to keep. If I do have a paperback I don’t want to keep, I tend to donate it to the local library.

What’s the best bit of writing advice you’ve ever received or read?
Write something you’ll enjoy. My first book (see above) was very worthy and I was trying too hard to be literary. When I let go and started to write a book with jokes in, I felt so much better. I also had more fun writing it, which shows. So don’t write what you feel you should be writing. Write what you want to write. In other words, have fun.

Are you nervous about friends reading your book? 

No. But I worry about my mum reading them. Which is why there aren’t any graphic sex scenes.

Cocktail or shot? Cocktail please. I really don’t want to be shot.

Tea or coffee? Tea. I only have coffee I want to feel hyper.

Chocolate or ice cream? What? It’s a choice?? Oh, okay. Chocolate. Or chocolate ice cream if that’s on offer.

Dogs or cats? Dogs. Awwww.

Thanks so much, Rhoda for taking the time to come on my blog! 

Author Bio

Rhoda Baxter always wanted to be a writer, but her parents told her she needed to get a ‘real’ job and write in her spare time. So she became a scientist and works in Intellectual Property. She now writes contemporary romantic comedies in whatever spare time she can fit around her day job and her family. Which means her parents were right all along. How irritating

Her latest novel, Doctor January is published by Choc Lit.

Rhoda can be found wittering on about science, comedy and cake on her website www.rhodabaxter.com, Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rhoda.baxter.5), Google+ or on Twitter (@rhodabaxter). Please pop by and say hello.

Blurb for Doctor January:

If you keep looking back, you might miss what’s standing right in front of you …

Six months after a painful break-up from Gordon, Beth’s finally getting her life back on track. She has faith in her own scientific theories and is willing to work hard to prove them. She’s even beginning to see Hibs, her dedicated lab partner, as more than just a lousy lothario in a lab-coat and goggles.

So when Gordon arrives back from America without warning and expects to be welcomed back into Beth’s arms, she’s totally thrown. She also quickly begins to see that Gordon isn’t the man she thought he was … Hibs has always held a candle for Beth, but he can only wait so long for her to realise there’s more to life than being patronised and bullied by the one who’s meant to love and protect her.

Will Beth forsee the explosive nature beneath Gordon’s placid surface before he destroys everything she’s worked for, both inside and outside the lab?

Want to Know Sue Moorcroft's Secrets?

(Did you see what I did there, Sue?) 

So excited! I have Sue Moorcroft on my blog today to talk about her new book, The Wedding Proposal. 

*Takes deep breath and suppresses the inner fangirl* 

Sue, as you know, I’m a huge fan of your books. I love them all, however I would say, Ratty (Miles Rattenbury, Starting Over) is still my favourite hero of yours (closely followed by Martyn Mayfair, Love and Freedom). I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again; Every girl needs a guy like Ratty.

How does your new hero, Lucas Rose in The Wedding Proposal compare? Why will we love Lucas?

Thanks for all your kind words, Teresa. I don’t think I’ve ever quite fallen out of love with Ratty.

I think that those readers who liked Ratty, and also Jed from Is This Love?, will like Lucas Rose. He’s the kind of guy who has the courage of his convictions. He thinks right’s right and wrong’s wrong and he hates secrets. He’s the first to admit he has a huge jealous streak. When Elle used to know him he worked in marketing but after a spell in a California vineyard and now working as a divemaster in Malta, he’s let his hair grow. You can usually find him in board shorts and bare feet. It’s quite a look.

I’m loving the premise for The Wedding Proposal. Where do you get your story ideas from? Do events happen in life? Do you meet someone and think they’d be interesting to put in a book?

My ideas come from all over. Something will enter my mind and I’ll explore it and want to write about it. In the case of The Wedding Proposal I decided it was time I set a book in my beloved Malta again and I wanted to write a reunion book. I love reading them. Had I known how much extra plotting was necessary, I may not have been quite so keen … You have to know SO MUCH about the backstory, it’s untrue.

The book is dedicated To anyone who was ever young. And made a mistake. Not being allowed to forget a mistake is the theme of the book. Part of Elle’s story has things in common with my own life – but I won’t tell you which parts.

The story is set in Malta, not Middledip, like most of your books... any particular reason for this?

I just like to ‘be’ in Malta in my mind from time-to-time. When I was a little girl we could see a yacht marina from our balcony and that’s where I have moored the two boats in the book, the Shady Lady and Seadancer. I thought it would be fun to get together two people who parted four years ago and put them on a 42’ boat for the summer, then see what happened.

Having attended your talk on ‘Matchmaking Heroes and Heroines,’ at the RNA conference recently (brilliant workshop by the way), which came first for this book, the hero or the heroine? Then did you build the other to match-make them?

Thank you! I think Elle came first, but, to be honest, my hero and heroine tend to grow in my mind together as I’m interested in their relationship dynamic from the start. Elle and Lucas are not the ‘match made in heaven’ couple, they’re more the ones who butt heads a lot – opposites attract, you could say. That’s my favourite combination and I think it suits alpha male heroes. My heroes are driving forces in my books every bit as much as my heroines.

The big conflict between Elle and Lucas is their differing attitudes to … well, Lucas would call it ‘secrecy’ whereas Elle would call it ‘privacy’. She doesn’t feel the need to expose everything about herself whereas he might sometimes see this, and her self-sufficiency, as rejections of him. I suppose he’s a possessive guy but trying not to be because he knows it’s uncool.

Last silly one; if you were stranded on a desert island with one of your heroes, which one would it be and why?

Wow. Good question. You know, I think it might be Ratty – because he was the first of my heroes who I really truly fell in love with.

PS You didn’t give him his full name in your opening. It’s Miles Arnott-Rattenbury. Under the tattoos and the car oil, he’s pretty middle class, you know!

I am so sorry, Sue. I will admit, I went to the blurb on the back of the book, and took his name from there. Lol! It’s been a while since I’ve read Starting Over, but I think it’s due for a re-read. Thank you so much for visiting my blog! Good luck with The Wedding Proposal. I already have it pre-ordered. :) 

The Wedding Proposal

Can a runaway bride stop running?

Elle Jamieson is an unusually private person, in relationships as well as at work – and for good reason. But when she’s made redundant, with no ties to hold her, Elle heads off to a new life in sunny Malta.

Lucas Rose hates secrets – he prides himself on his ability to lay his cards on the table and he expects nothing less from others. He’s furious when his summer working as a divemaster is interrupted by the arrival of Elle, his ex, all thanks to his Uncle Simon’s misguided attempts at matchmaking.

Forced to live in close proximity, it’s hard to ignore what they had shared before Lucas’s wedding proposal ended everything they had. But then an unexpected phone call from England allows Lucas a rare glimpse of the true Elle. Can he deal with Elle’s hidden past when it finally comes to light?

Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels of dauntless heroines and irresistible heroes. Is this Love? was nominated for the Readers’ Best Romantic Read Award. Love & Freedom won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011 and Dream a Little Dream was nominated for a RoNA in 2013. Sue received three nominations at the Festival of Romance 2012, and is a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner. She’s a past vice chair of the RNA and editor of its two anthologies.

Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles, writing ‘how to’ and is a competition judge and creative writing tutor.

Sue’s latest book The Wedding Proposal is available as an ebook from 4 August 2014 and as a paperback from 8 September.

Website www.suemoorcroft.com. 

Blog http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com/ 

Facebook sue.moorcroft.3 and https://www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor

Twitter @suemoorcroft

Book Review: Dream A Little Dream by Sue Moorcroft

Dream a Little Dream by Sue Moorcroft
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On the front cover, Katie Fforde says, "I love all of Sue Moorcroft's books." Can I ditto that?

I've read all of Sue's Choc Lit novels and although this may not be quite my favourite - still in love with Ratty in Starting Over - this book doesn't disappoint.

Dominic Christy is a very strong, sexy male, and determined to get what he wants, including Liza Reece.

Liza has a warm heart, but Dominic needs to break through the tough shield she's put around her, a fear that she's not good in relationships.

Don't like to say too much as I don't want to give away spoilers. But if you're looking for a fresh voice, and a bit of romance, I recommend this book. Sue has a great way of making her characters feel very real, giving them plenty of ups and downs to tackle.


View all my reviews

Is There Such A Thing As Too Many Books?

Not sure if my Kindle is a blessing or a hindrance. I bought another ebook the other day as it was only 72p - Jane Lovering's Please Don't Stop The Music.

The problem is when I see it so cheap... I can't help but click 'buy'. 

I'm a bit of a fan of the Choc Lit authors (and secretly dream - though not much of a secret now - of being one myself. I just fear I'm not quite right) and would like to read as many as possible of them - eventually. So far I've read all of Sue Moorcroft's and one of Christina Courteney's (with another on my shelf to read).


I have quite a collection of books, on my bookshelf and on my Kindle, and wondering if my target of 40 a year should be upped! However, if I read more, I'd write less. And it's all about finding a balance. Well, I assume. Doesn't help I'm reading Harry Potter to my son, but I'm enjoying that too much to give up on (and the books count to my yearly total :D).

The thing is, with Choc Lit novels, I quite like having the physical book because their covers are lush! But until I'm a paid writer, I can't justify buying lots of books - plus I have so many on the bookshelf to read, I really, really must not buy any more.

One messy, cluttered bookshelf.

At least when I buy an ebook it's not taking up any more space (that I don't have) on my bookshelf. This is the plus side to a Kindle. I can treat myself to a book occasionally and it's hidden away electronically.

Currently I am reading Matt Dunn's Ex-Girlfriend United (in paperback not ebook) - which is really funny. I can't stop smiling as I read. I wanted to read a romance written by a bloke. And the story is in male first person. My next book I will be writing will be more about the hero than the heroine, so I wanted to get the 'male voice' in my head and hope reading things like Matt Dunn will help me. See it's all research.

I think the best thing about writing is that it has made me read more. 

What are you reading right now? Do you own a Kindle/eReader? Do you have to stop yourself from buying more books?

A Good Start To 2012

Happy New Year, everyone! 

The new year means trying to join the Romantic Novelists Associations New Writers' Scheme. I decided to give it a go, especially after being at the conference last year and meeting so many wonderful Romantic Writers.

The rules stated you could not send your email before 00:01 2nd January 2012. Which meant I was up until midnight last night, waiting for my PC's clock to click over to 00:01 to send my prepared email.

My friend Morton Gray was also doing the same, and we were messaging via Facebook, reassuring each other that we weren't nuts, and confirming we both felt a tiny bit nervous and sick about pushing the send button.

Morton heard early this morning that she was in. I therefore feared the worse, as I checked my inbox every five minutes there after and saw no email! At 13:11 today, finally I was put out of my misery. I'm in! I've got a place on the New Writers Scheme. Whoooo hoooooo! *does Joey from Friends happy dance*

This now means I need to knuckle down and get writing. Admittedly I do have The Wedding Favour finished, which I'm slowly editing - and now need to speed up on -  but I would like to send Perfect Isn't An Option to the manuscript appraisal system. This so far stands at 33,000 words (as my little box to the right indicates). I've just ordered Rob Lowe's autobiography which comes out in paperback 19 January - this is research for Steve, my hero. I think January will be tidy up and finish The Wedding Favour, and February start concentrating on my second novel. If I do 1000 words a day again, I'll get it finished by end of March latest. I've got till the end of August, so I won't start panicking yet.

This has also made a decision for me. I need to concentrate on the novels. I will try to get a short story written and entered into competitions etc. occasionally. But I really need to make sure that I'm on track with both of my novels before other things get in the way. (I will send my short story off to the Choc Lit competition though, as that's almost ready!)

Anyway, it's been a big plus today for me. I'm going to take this acceptance into the RNA NWS as a good sign for 2012!

That Cheered Me Up!

I won a book!

Luckily, I was checking my junkmail folder last night and I saw an email from Choc Lit saying congratulations, I'd won their Flavour Of The Month competition.  (Look at the right hand column! I'm at the top).

The idea is to describe your favourite Choc Lit hero in terms of chocolate.  I'd described Ratty from Starting Over by Sue Moorcroft. 

"Dark bitter chocolate on the outside, but gives you a lovely surprise when you bite into him, revealing his true nutty, can’t get enough of him flavours." 

So Ratty.  He was seriously addictive.  He's been my favourite hero so far this year.  Every girl needs a guy like Ratty.

The reason I entered, I thought I'd put my Goodreads review for this book over on the site, and while I was at it decided to attempt describing Ratty as chocolate.  So it does pay to do a book review!

The book I've won is Christina Courtenay's The Scarlet Kimono - which is her latest release.  It's a historical, and I was indecisive about buying it.  Now I'm going to get to read it anyway (so watch out for a review).

I really needed cheering up, and this certainly did it yesterday.