Book Review: Flirting With Italian by Liz Fielding

Flirting With Italian by Liz Fielding

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As per usual, Liz Fielding does not disappoint. Engaging, charming characters with a flavour of Italy.

Even without the sex on the page, this sweet romance has sizzle factor. A sensual, flirty and fun read. There is a gentle comic element that Liz does so well - there is some great dialogue between her two characters.

Liz manages to get the emotions and passion and all those tingly feelings that go with romance and love amazingly on to the page.



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Next book!? I'm afraid Charlaine Harris' Deadlocked is going to have to jump the to-be-read queue!

Two SQUEES In A Week!

Seriously, I didn't expect the second squeeee! but I got asked by another publisher for the full manuscript of The Wedding Favour on Monday. (I know, I know, I'm sorry I'm telling you about it now!)

They sent the email around 3.05pm - just as I'm about to do the school run, plus I was taking the kids to Puxton - and all I wanted to do was send the manuscript off! However, I did have a submission form to fill out, and that took some time and care, and I hit the send button sometime Tuesday morning.

So that's it now. All four publishers have the full manuscript. I imagine I won't hear anything till July or August. I can't crack open the champagne yet... there still maybe disappointment at the end, but there is some relief that I've done things right so far! I need to just crack on with Perfect Isn't An Option and not think about it too much.

I will give one word of warning to you all thinking of sending off a synopsis to a publisher. DO NOT do it until that manuscript is finished. I mean truly finished, polished, you feel you can do no more to it.  THEN send the synopsis out, or whatever the submissions guidelines state.

In January, I was thinking, shall I send it off, while working on the editing of the last few chapters, because it will be weeks till I hear something.... No, it was days! Now the MS is sent, I might have to wait weeks...

If a publisher only requests a synopsis or the first few pages as part of its submission guidelines, they will get back to you quickly to say whether they want to see the full or not. And then they will inform you how long you may have to wait.

So glad my betas talked me out of that one! (Yes, I'll mention good old Becky Black again! I would not be here without her and another good beta friend!)

In other news, I will be hosting a blog tour for Doris O'Connor and Mandy Baggot over the next week. Both have new books out! Mandy's is actually out today - so congratulations, Mandy!

I need to get back to writing, but my RSI has flared up, which is really, really annoying, as I don't want to stop the momentum of Perfect Isn't An Option. However, I might have to sit back a couple of days until it's settled. Really annoying! Grrrr...

Here's Bradley Cooper to ease my pain....

 

See I always reward you in the end! There's something about a man who can handle heavy artillery :D 

First Squeeeee! Moment

As you all know, I have sent The Wedding Favour out to four publishers. And if you are a friend on Facebook you will already know that two days later, I got an email from one of the publishers asking for the full manuscript.

Yes, my heart was going barmy like a hamster in a wheel. Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!

Moments of panic as to whether the format was right etc. etc. Then, I sent it off.

Obviously, I still can not get too excited, because it could still get rejected, but this particular publisher only took the first five pages of the book, plus a short blurb (which I've already shared, although it has been edited slightly). That's the first five pages - double spaced! So we're not talking a lot of words!

However, I did do my little happy dance (you know, the one that Joey does in Friends) that those first five pages might be just a tiny bit okay!

I've also realised that I really do need to pull my finger out with Perfect Isn't An Option. Because, let's say for example, luck was on my side and a publisher accepts The Wedding Favour. I will need to drop everything to concentrate on the edits.

I want Perfect Isn't An Option finished ASAP and sent off to the RNA New Writers' Scheme by 31st August 2012. Okay, I could send a partial, but I really, really want to send a full.

Anyway, it's all gone quiet again, so I've probably got to sit it out for the next twelve weeks, and just knuckle down with Steve... Aiming to have his story finished by the middle of May.

Cue hot Bradley Cooper picture... (It links to the source.)

Book Reviews And Their Benefits

I'm going to tie in two blog posts into one! Mainly, because I've finished the book I was reading last night, and although it was a good book; a Mills and Boon Blaze - an enjoyable hot read. There's not much else to say about it.

Becky Black covered on her blog once about authors thanking for reviews left for their books, etc. (Gosh, I'm mentioning Becky a lot lately :D). And it gets into a bit of a discussion, are you leaving a review as a reader or writer.

I always leave a review on Goodreads, for me as a reader than anything else, and for other readers too. And because it has the handy widget I transfer over to my blog, giving my blog posts different content from time to time.

I have occasionally transferred these reviews to the Mills and Boon site, and Choc Lit, and even Amazon, but it's rare, because it's just time consuming!

Hot fighter pilot cover!

Well, I received an email from Mills and Boon the other day asking if they could use part of a review I'd left on their site for a RIVA book, on the author's new book. It will get edited down to fit their requirements, but my name will be put on her book! Hundreds and thousands of books! (Depending how well it sells I suppose). They will send me a copy of the book as a thank you - I love free books! - so don't fear, I'll be posting pictures when it arrives! Plus, it means I get another RIVA to read and review!

So, below is the book review for my last book (I'll be honest, because of time, and I didn't really have that much to say about the book, it's short and sweet this time).

Oh, and this is the actual cover... can't seem to find it anywhere to get my librarian friend on Goodreads to change it. 

Think I'll pick up Liz Fielding's Flirting With Italian next.

The Daredevil. Kira Sinclair by Kira Sinclair

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a Mills and Boon Blaze, and it is HOT!



It's an enjoyable read, and interesting that it's the hero who's having to convince the heroine that they're meant to be together.



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Nail Biting Times Ahead

I can officially tell you what it feels like to submit a novel to a publisher - it's scary as hell! God, did I hover over the send button, reading the submission letter one last time, then one last time again. 

This is how grey hairs form! The kids haven't sent me grey - yet - but submitting novels will.

Luckily, I did take Becky Black's advice and sleep on it for the night, because in the morning, I noticed my blurb, which was also drafted on my blog, had Sophie Fletcher not Sophie Trewyn, like my first five pages of my manuscript that followed. How stupid would I have looked?

Ages ago, I decided to change Sophie's name to something more Cornish, as she comes from Cornwell. But obviously, digging through my various documents that I'd started to write summaries, these were still in Fletcher, and so didn't even notice. (I've changed it on my blog post too now ;-))

I also ummed and aarrred about my pen name. I've sent it as Teresa F Morgan. I can discuss this with the publisher if any are interested.

So, it is official. The Wedding Favour is now out there! At the moment, I've sent to three publishers, which I think I will be waiting a long time for. But these are my favourites - and fear rejections will be from all of them, but hey ho! This does mean I can concentrate on writing Perfect Isn't An Option, which might be slightly off target for finishing end of April. It more likely will be the middle of May. It depends on if it reaches 80,000 words. For some reason, this one is actually appearing shorter - and yet I felt there was more plot to this story lol! Am I becoming a better writer?

I think this causes for a mild celebration! Sambuca's all round?

Or shall we have a celebratory Bradley Cooper picture?

Image credit John Baer

 Or just both? Drinking sambucas with Bradley Cooper would be nice...

He doesn't look that bad hung over.