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June 27, 2009 10:36 PM
BOOK NEWS: The Popularity Rules
Abby McDonald, author of teen novel Sophomore Switch, has penned chicklit novel The Popularity Rules which will be released in September. Here's the info...
Rule 1: All's fair in love, war and popularity...Kat Elliot is no social butterfly: she's spent her life rebelling against phony schmoozing - and it's led her nowhere. Just as she's ready to give up her dreams and admit defeat, in steps Lauren Anderville. One-time allies against their school bullies, Lauren and Kat had been inseparable. Then one year later Lauren returned from summer camp - blonde, bubbly and suddenly popular, and Kat was left to face the world alone. Lauren finally wants to make amends by teaching Kat the secret to her success: "The Popularity Rules". A decades-old rulebook, its secrets transformed Lauren that fateful summer. And so, tempted by Lauren's promises of glitzy parties and the job she's always dreamed of, Kat reluctantly submits to a total makeover - only to find that life with the in-crowd might have something going for it after all. But while Lauren has sacrificed everything to get ahead, is Kat really ready to accept that popularity is the only prize that counts?
To know more about Abby, check out her website. Or go here to pre-order The Popularity Rules on Amazon.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 27, 2009 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (1)
BOOK REVIEW: Molly's Millions by Victoria Connelly
Let's face it, we've all wondered what we'd do if we scooped the lottery jackpot. How would you spend your winnings? What would you buy? Would you share it? Victoria Connelly's heroine wants to do exactly that in Molly's Millions, a unique story that hilariously explores the lottery dream.
Florist Molly Bailey wouldn't mind a bit of extra money, just to help her get by. After all, there's nothing she enjoys more than her flowers, and The Bloom Room is her pride and joy. But she's struggling with her finances, and Molly wouldn't mind a few extra pounds for a treat every now and then.
However, all that's about to change when Molly buys a lottery ticket for the first time ever - and scoops four million pounds.
Four. Million. Pounds.
With the misfortune of hailing from a family of Scrooges, Molly doesn't dare let her miserly relatives in on the secret of her new-found riches. After all, what's the point of having money if you can't enjoy it? And what on earth can she do with four million pounds? Kind-hearted Molly is determined to keep just enough for herself, and give the rest away...as soon as possible.
It's only a matter of time before Molly's family hears of her windfall...so she sets out alone in her trusty yellow VW Beetle on a mission to get rid of her cash.
After depositing a stack of fifty pound notes and a single yellow flower in the honesty box of a local farmer, Molly sets off on her road trip across England to help out those in need like a modern-day Robin Hood (minus the stealing, of course). Meanwhile, journalist Tom Mackenzie is in search of a story. Working at a local publication where big stories are rare, he just needs one headline-worthy article in order to save his career. And after hearing of the anonymous donation by chance, Tom is certain he's onto something, and heads off with the intention of finding out just who is behind the anonymous donation.
Molly is soon becoming a national heroine, leaving behind a trail of good deeds (along with yellow flowers.). Little does she know, Tom is not far behind her, questioning everyone she meets on the way. And thanks to Tom's freelance articles in the national press telling of the mysterious Molly, not only are her personal encounters exposed, but her family is now aware of her millions, setting out on a trail of their own to track down unselfish Molly before she does something she regrets.
But nothing's stopping Molly and her good deeds. She's quickly gained fame, with the public wanting to know more about the girl giving away her cash, and the media hunting her down. With Tom and her money-grabbing family still swiftly on her heels, it's only a matter of time before she's found.
Will Molly give herself up, or will she continue on her journey to share her wealth? And will Tom succeed in finding out everything there is to now about Molly Bailey? And what if there's more to her life that she's only just about to find out?
Molly's Millions is a delightful read that I devoured in one sitting. Molly's kindness is addictive, making this not only an immensely fun (and very amusing!) read but also heart-warming. Despite this book relying a lot on coincidences (which is a personal pet peeve), I still couldn't put it down. Am already looking forward to what Victoria Connelly has to offer next!
Rating: 5/5
Order your copy at Amazon.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 27, 2009 in Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (4)
June 24, 2009 12:24 PM
MOVIE NEWS: The Time Traveler's Wife
The movie adaptation of bestseller The Time Traveler's Wife (by Audrey Niffenegger) is almost here. Here's the official trailer...what do you think?
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 24, 2009 in Movie Magic | Permalink | Comments (6)
June 23, 2009 4:34 AM
AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jaishree Misra
Jaishree Misra is the author of Secrets and Lies, a novel about friendship and mystery that's due for release on 25th June. (And trust me, it's going to be one of this summer's most addictive reads!)
Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer.
‘Secrets & Lies’ is about four women who share a terrible secret from their schooldays.
What inspired you to write ‘Secrets & Lies’?
My own girlfriends, and the realization that women are capable of going to great lengths in the name of friendship. It’s a sort of celebration of female friendship, really, but with a dark heart.
Where do you do most of your writing?
Sounds decadent, but I do like writing in bed. Mostly because my bedroom’s got a cupola on the ceiling through which morning sunlight pours in on good days. Then, before the rays reach a certain part of the wall, I have to get up and go to work! The rest of the day’s writing is scrappy and unpredictable, depending on work, hubby, daughter, home, social stuff etc etc. A friend once described the pressures faced by women authors as ‘writing between two whistles of a pressure cooker’.
What is your favourite chick-lit book?
I enjoyed ‘Ralph’s Party’ by Lisa Jewell and I like everything Marian Keyes says and does. Humour takes precedence over romance for me, I have to say.
Do you have a favourite heroine?
I remember identifying, for all kinds of curious reasons, with Fanny in Austen’s ‘Mansfield Park’ – this, when I was a teenager growing up in Delhi and 19th century England couldn’t have been further away! Much as I tried liking Elizabeth Bennett, Fanny always came across as nicer, possibly because she wasn’t setting her cap at the richest man in the neighborhood!
Are you working on anything new at the moment?
I’m working on my next book for Avon Harper Collins - it’s a story about hooking up with old flames, exploring the thrills and spills that can follow.
Do you have any tips for readers who want to become published authors?
Persevere, if you really believe in your writing and know how to enjoy it even for very little reward. Then, when the manuscript is complete to a high standard (making sure there are no grammatical errors) send it around to carefully chosen agents who have had success with the kind of book you have written. Don’t be disheartened by a few rejections. If it all seems to be taking an inordinate amount of time, use the delay to start writing your next book (I did say you’d have to enjoy writing enough!). If your work is any good, an agent will soon appear on your horizon who will be doubly delighted if you have two manuscripts to show, rather than one. The rest will fall into place pretty quick. Good luck!
Thanks, Jaishree!
To find out more, visit Jaishree’s website. Or to pre-order a copy of Secrets and Lies, head on over to Amazon.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 23, 2009 in Interviews | Permalink | Comments (1)
June 21, 2009 12:07 AM
June releases from Little Black Dress
Summer's here, in terms of fab summer reads, you can't get much better than the Little Black Dress collection. LBD have two new releases for this month - Girl From Mars by Julie Cohen, and Marisa Heath's Perfect Image...
An edgy, glitzy, addictive romance – be careful what you wish for.
Young, naïve and stunning, Katrina is trying to make it as a model in Paris, sharing a tiny, run-down dorm and only just scraping a living. She’s about to cut her loses and head back to London when she’s spotted one night and asked out by THE ultimate movie heart-throb, actor Dominic Cayley. She knows not to get too excited though – his girlfriends never last longer than a few dates. But when he keeps turning up on her doorstep, whisking her off for super-glam party weekends in Monaco, showering her in expensive jewels and designer clothes, she’s more than happy to be swept off her feet...
Check out Little Black Dress Books for more information and fun.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 21, 2009 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (3)
June 20, 2009 1:46 AM
BOOK NEWS: Air Kisses
Fans of The Devil Wears Prada will enjoy the debut novel from Australian writer and former beauty editor, Zoe Foster. Air Kisses will be released in August and personally? I can't wait. Here's the blurb, courtesy of Alison & Busby...
If the devil wears Prada, then God wears La Mer.
Hannah Atkins - the girl most likely to be sporting unblended foundation, orange wrists or a wobbly trail of liquid eyeliner - has bluffed her way into the position of beauty editor at Gloss magazine. Just as she's carving a path into the shiny world of guerrilla air kisses, achingly hip PR campaigns and goodie-bag overload, she reads about her boyfriend and another girl in the gossip pages of the local rag. Then she gets dumped. By text.
Vowing to claw back some dignity and make her ex regret what he's done, Hannah adopts a manifesto of hardcore rules. Don't become best friends with the scary girls at work. Don't drink fourteen glasses of Moët & Chandon at PR launches. Don't go home with inappropriate men. And certainly don't get all besotted with your best friend's brother.
As her rules start to slip away, Hannah finds herself having to decide on more important things than just the perfect shade of lip gloss . . .
Pre-order your copy at Amazon.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 20, 2009 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (3)
June 16, 2009 8:52 PM
COMPETITION: Win a signed copy of Wedding Babylon
Imogen Edwards-Jones, author of Hotel/Air Babylon, is back - and this time, she's focusing on the wedding industry in Wedding Babylon.
The potential for things to go horribly, horribly wrong is never higher than at a wedding. Wedding Babylon reveals all… the scams which inflate the prices of everything, from flowers to cakes to marquee hire, stories of high jinxes at the altar and disastrous low comedy in the speeches! Everyone loves a good wedding...
Transworld have 30 copies of the book to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, email your worst wedding nightmare, in no more than 100 words, to weddingbabyloncomp@transworld-publishers.co.uk by June 30th.
To order your copy from Amazon, go here.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 16, 2009 in Competition | Permalink | Comments (4)
June 15, 2009 11:54 AM
BOOK NEWS: I'm So Happy for You
What happens when your best friend outshines you in every possible way? I'm So Happy for You, by Lucinda Rosenfeld, is a novel about best friends and will be released in the States on July 29.
What if your best friend, whom you've always counted on to flounder in life and love (making your own modest accomplishments look not so bad), suddenly starts to surpass you in every way?
Wendy's best friend, Daphne, has always been dependably prone to catastrophe. And Wendy has always been there to help. If Daphne veers from suicidal to madly in love, Wendy offers encouragement. But when Daphne is suddenly engaged, pregnant, and decorating a fabulous town house in no time at all, Wendy is...not so happy for her. Caught between wanting to be the best friend she prides herself on being and crippling jealousy of flighty Daphne, Wendy takes things to the extreme, waging a full-scale attack on her best friend-all the while wearing her best, I'm-so-happy-for-you smile-and ends up in way over her head.
Rosenfeld has a knack for exposing the not-always-pretty side of being best friends--in writing that is glittering and diamond-sharp. I'm So Happy for You is a smart, darkly humorous, and uncannily dead-on novel about female friendship.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 15, 2009 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 12, 2009 10:01 AM
Review: The Lost Daughter by Diane Chamberlin
Cee Cee Wilkes has had a pretty miserable life. Deserted by
her father when she was born, her mother
died of cancer when she was just
twelve and she spent the rest of her
childhood in a succession of children’s homes. At the age of 16 she finds work
in a café to help fund her way through college and soon falls head over heels
with Timothy Gleeson, the handsome, older college boy she serves each day.
Tim seems to reciprocate her feelings and Cee Cee is on cloud nine until one day Tim confides in her that he and his brother are planning to kidnap the governor’s pregnant wife and hold her hostage to secure the release of their sister who is currently on death row for murder. He asks her to help him, and while Cee Cee is horrified by what he plans to do, she cannot refuse because she loves him so much.
Cee Cee cannot return to her normal life after her part in the plot and she disappears, takes on an assumed identity and never sees Tim again.
Two decades later the fragile happiness that Cee Cee has built up for herself is placed in jeopardy when the body of the Governor's wife is discovered but there is no sign of her unborn child. The sensational case becomes national news and Timothy Gleeson is charged with murder and now faces the death penalty himself. Cee Cee is the only person who can save him as she knows that Tim did not kill the governor’s wife and she also knows exactly what happened to the baby. Telling the truth will destroy not only her own life but that of her family. Can Cee Cee let an innocent man die to protect her lifetime of lies or will she listen to her conscience and destroy the lives of those she loves the most to save him.
This is a superb book. It is well written and Diane Chamberlin’s background in psychology has led her to create believable, fully drawn characters with real strengths and flaws. It is testament to the strength of her characterisation that while the reader is appalled by what Cee Cee has done they still want everything to work out for her because she seems so real, so likeable and because we fully understand the reasons for her actions. The story is so haunting that you will not be able to put the book down until you know what happens and you will find yourself reading well into the early hours every night. This is not a light, fun holiday read but I would highly recommend it. It is powerful and moving and raises issues about living with the consequences of decisions we make when we are young and foolish and in love.
5/5
By Wendy Knowles
Posted by Aigua Media on June 12, 2009 in Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (3)
June 11, 2009 10:22 AM
BOOK NEWS: French Kissing
Blogger Catherine Sanderson (of Petite Anglaise fame) has penned a novel, French Kissing. It's out on 27th August. Blurb will follow...
Name: Sally Marshall. Status: single mother. Age: 32. Nationality: 10 years in France, yet still English through and through. I like: living in Paris, playing with my daughter Lila (4-years-old), the company of good friends, the smell of baking bread. So reads Sally's ad, posted on a French online dating site called Rendez-Vous. Sally left Nicolas, her French boyfriend of ten years and Lila's father, after she discovered he was having an affair with his secretary. Six months have now passed, she's beginning to bounce back. But making a new start is fraught with complications, and to what extent can she keep Lila and her love life separate...
Click here to read Catherine's blog.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 11, 2009 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (2)
June 10, 2009 10:01 AM
AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Cathy Yardley
Recently I posted the news of Cathy Yardley's new novel, Turning Japanese, and was thrilled when Cathy agreed to an interview! Here, Cathy talks books, manga, and the 'hapa' experience...
Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer.
An artist travels to Tokyo to follow her dream.
The manga industry doesn't appear to be represented much in chick-lit. Was it difficult to convey this to readers who don't know much about manga?
It was a little difficult to describe to editors who weren't manga fans. I'm hoping that readers who don't know manga will try some after this!
What inspired you to write a chick-lit book set in this industry?
Two things inspired this book. I have enjoyed manga and American comic books for years: I still have my original copies of AKIRA, and the graphic novel collections of Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN series (and God, that man can write!) Then my brother was working at an anime house, on the business side of it, and I saw what it was like to be half-Asian working for an Asian company (and specifically a Japanese company, at that.) I'm Vietnamese-Irish-American, and I wanted to be able to capture the "hapa" (half-Asian) experience.
Where do you do most of your writing?
At home, when my son's asleep. But I try to sneak off and write in libraries or bookstores when I get the chance and have childcare!
What is your favourite chick-lit book?
I can never pick just one! I always loved Caren Lissner's voice in CARRIE PILBY. I've been reading a lot of paranormal lately, and I love the Chick Lit feel of Mary Janice Davidson's UNDEAD series (UNDEAD AND UNWED, UNDEAD AND UNEMPLOYED, etc.)
And what's your favourite manga? (Come on, I had to ask!)
AKIRA is my all-time favorite (I'm geekishly thrilled to see a live action coming out with Leonardo DiCaprio in it!) but I have a soft spot in my heart for THE WALLFLOWER series. It's very "My Fair Lady" in the most strange, Japanese, manga-way possible.
Do you have a favourite heroine?
Too many to name! :)
Are you working on anything new at the moment? (And if so, can you tell us?)
I'm finishing up a trilogy for Harlequin Blaze, and I've got two more projects in the work that are more hush-hush: one paranormal, one YA. Fingers crossed!
Do you have any tips for our readers who want to become published authors?
Get into a critique group: meet with other writers who are actively writing, at least once a week if you can, but no less than every two weeks. The accountability and support will help you finish your projects and help you weather the inevitable rough spots.
Thanks, Cathy!
To read more about Cathy and her books, visit her website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 10, 2009 in Interviews | Permalink | Comments (0)
BOOK NEWS: Best Friends Forever
Best Friends Forever, the new novel from Jennifer Weiner (author of Good in Bed and In Her Shoes) is due out in the States on July 14th. Watch this space! For now, here's some info about her latest book...
Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That's what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they're both nine years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her schools scapegoat.
Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents’ house in their small hometown of La Prairie, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the internet. She has just returned from Bad Date #6, when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, with terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. "Something horrible has happened," Val tells Addie, "and you're the only one who can help."
Best Friends Forever is a grand, funny, edge-of-your-seat adventure; a story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and small town secrets. It’s about living through tragedy, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends together forever.
Click here for Jennifer's blog.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 10, 2009 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 8, 2009 4:16 PM
BOOK REVIEW: The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Elizabeth Leiknes
Last month I had the pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth Lieknes, author of The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns. And I have to say, this is one of my favourite reads so far this year.
Lucy's life was perfectly fine - until at eleven years old, when she lost any future normality by writing a letter 'to whom it may concern' as her sister lay in a coma after a road accident. Willing to do anything to get her sister back, Lucy had unknowingly signed up for a real deadly job - and when He decided to write back, Lucy found that her future life as facilitator to Hell was set.
Despite being the one to do the Devil's dirty work and bring the evil to the Hell's portal (which, inevitably, is Lucy's basement), there are some perks: Lucy can eat whatever she likes without gaining a pound, she can have the long legs and great looks that she's always wanted. With each birthday comes one wish, and all she has to do to get whatever she wants is ask...
However, 29-year-old Lucy is starting to find her role a little bit of a chore. Bringing bad guys to their fiery ends can be rewarding in its own way, but due to her job and...well, overpowering boss, Lucy is unable to have a stable relationship or see her family. Hiding away from her parents and sister, Lucy lives alone, beautiful yet lonely.
The sister that Lucy tried so hard to save is still alive, corresponding only in letters. But what good was the bargain if she can't see her precious family? And when Lucy meets professor Luke, she finally decides that she wants out of her pact, even if it does mean losing out on the cosmetic benefits. Lucy assumes that she's bound for life to her job, but when a person who she's known for the majority of her life lets her in on a little loophole, Lucy realises that there is a way out, after all...and all she needs is a replacement.
The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns was an unputdownable read. Who can resist the tale of a girl who's responsible for the portal into Hell? But despite Lucy's job, she has a sensitive side, conveying the innocence that she handed over when her deal was made. Her sister's life...for a lifetime of work. Finding a replacement is a task Lucy might just be able to handle, and she'll waste no time in trying...
Elizabeth Leiknes is clearly a talented author with an excellent writing style showing serious plot dashed with plenty of humour. I'm already looking forward to her next offering!
Rating: 5/5
For more information about Elizabeth, check out her website.
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 8, 2009 in Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (1)
June 7, 2009 11:42 PM
BOOK NEWS: Turning Japanese
Cathy Yardley, author of chick-lit writing guide Will Write for Shoes, has just released her new novel, Turning Japanese. Being a manga fan, I can't wait to get my hands on this! Here's the info, courtesy of Cathy's site.
Meet Lisa Falloya, an aspiring half-Japanese, half-Italian American manga artist who follows her bliss by moving to Tokyo to draw the Japanese-style comics she's been reading for years. Leaving behind the comforts of a humdrum desk job and her workaholic fiancée, Lisa has everything planned-- right down to a room with a nice Japanese family-- but hasn't taken into account that being half-Asian and enthusiastic isn't going to cut it. Faced with an exacting boss and a conniving “big fish” manga author, Lisa risks her wedding, her friends, and her fears for a shot at making it big.
Head on over now to read an excerpt!
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 7, 2009 in Book News | Permalink | Comments (2)
June 4, 2009 2:33 PM
TV NEWS: The Take
Fans of Martina Cole will be pleased to hear that The Take has been adapted for the screen.
Starting on June 17th, The Take will see a host of British stars including Tom Hardy, Brian Cox and Kierston Wareing in the gripping family drama based on the novel.
The show starts at 9pm on Sky1 - see below for the trailer!
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 4, 2009 in Television | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 3, 2009 8:04 AM
BOOK REVIEW: A Brand New Me by Shari Low
For me, January 1st is one of my favourite days of the year, simply due to new year resolutions; a slightly tipsy bid to change your entire life by the time the evening rolls round again. 'Write that novel, go to the gym three times weekly and save the world' are just some of the usual goals on the annual-to-do list. But hardly any get done.
Just like Leni Lomond; a twenty-something I could relate to in the latest offering from the hilarious Shari Low (author of The Motherhood Walk of Fame). Excited at the prospect of the year ahead, Leni vows to change her life for good - by finding the perfect job, the perfect man and the perfect life.
Leni's resolutions are normally broken within days, but not this time - pretty soon, she finds herself landing a job as PA to Zara Delta, TV astrologist and crazy lady to boot. Zara's zany ways are sometimes hard to endure, and she's not exactly the peace-loving, quiet astrologist that she makes out to be on TV, either. But Leni needs the job, and if working for the demanding Zara is what she has to do, then she'll do it. Besides, it's a start to her fabulous new life. Not to mention the perk of working in the presence of handsome Conn, Zara's son.
But when Zara reveals her latest moneymaking project - a dating bible - Leni soon finds herself unwillingly dragged into the research.
The project requires Leni to date twelve men - each a different sign of the zodiac. Reluctantly, she agrees...besides, dating twelve strangers can't be that bad...can it?
Cue the mishaps, including a gay footie fan and his mouthy mum, a game addict and a nurse who seems positively perfect...except for the little issue of his girlfriend.
Leni's mission to find a man isn't exactly turning out so peachy. But there's still time - after all, she has a whole year...
And can she still find the perfect job?
A Brand New Me is a great read. Not as funny as Shari's previous novels, but amusing and aspirational nonetheless. As a fellow resolution-maker, Leni's self-promises and actions seemed rather familiar. Shari's writing style is addictive and fun, and already I can't wait for her next offering.
Rating: 5/5
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 3, 2009 in Rating: 5/5 | Permalink | Comments (2)
June 1, 2009 10:56 AM
GUEST BLOG: Lola Jaye
My First year as a... erm… published author…?
By Lola Jaye
Has it almost been a year since I became a writer? No, I’d always been a writer… I just wasn’t a published one. But that all changed last summer when my novel ‘By The Time You Read This… ‘ (Harper) appeared in real life (where you go and pay for stuff) shops!
And what a year it has been.
Where do I start, as I set about writing an article that doesn’t make me sound boastful and smug?
I’ll just tell the truth.
It’s been great, tiring, fun, surprising, amazing, knackering, normal, abnormal, amazing, far OOOUT (a term borrowed from the sixties and a certain colleague from New Zealand) and brilliant.
It has been life changing.
Those of you, who have followed my Blog from the early noughties, know how long I’ve harbored the dream of becoming a published author. The hard slog, the tears, the prayers and determination that finally led to that wonderful moment when my manuscript was accepted for publication. My second Blog then chronicled the ‘dream’ as it finally happened – watching my books slide off the printing press, seeing them in the shops for the first time – everything.
I managed to calm down long enough to embark on Book Two after which I was asked to write a quick Read detailing HOW I did it all. And along came Reaching for the Stars – How to Make your Dreams Come True. Which meant that at one point in 2008, I was writing Novel 2 AND my Quick Read AND holding down a job… but hey I managed it (the joys of multitasking) but I’ll admit it was amazingly knackering and I may have forgotten to sleep once or twice!
What else happened?
I found slots of time to have a life. Went to a few ‘literary events’ and also added to the ‘friend pool’ in the form of ‘writer friends’ who I meet up with from time to time to discuss word counts, deadlines and erm… blokes. It’s strangely comforting sitting in a restaurant with a bunch of girls just as neurotic as I am about writing. Talking of manic: WRITERS ARE NUTS!!!! Well at least I am anyway. I thought the neurosis would stop once I got a publishing contract – but it still remains, albeit in disguised forms.
Will I reach deadline number 2?
Will I think of another book idea?
Will my books sell?
Will I reach deadline number 3?
Do they really like it or are they just being polite?
Will I reach deadline number 102?
Can I think of another book idea?
Do I look good in this top?
(Okay the last one has ALWAYS been around – but you get my drift…).
Nuts I tell you!
Luckily I did think of another book idea and that book in all it's raspberry pink loveliness is out in the shops like…. NOW. Here’s a little taster:
Lena has always kept her two sisters Millie and Cara in check. Beautiful but lazy Millie relies on her sister for everything. She needs to pull herself together and get a job but is constantly distracted by the string of men in her life! Cara runs a successful bar with her adoring boyfriend Ade. He can't wait to start a family but Cara isn't ready. Will she ever be? But when Lena is involved in an accident and falls into a deep sleep, her sisters forget their own issues and rush to her side. As they desperately try to wake Lena, they begin to learn things they never knew about themselves and discover their much-loved sister had a few secrets in her closet! A funny and heartwarming tale about family, love and living for the moment.
That’s all you’re getting – for now! But I will note this; the book’s main character is asleep… The character in my first book was dead, I see a pattern forming here in time for book 3. BOOK 3?? I DON’T HAVE AN IDEA FOR BOOK THREE?? Well I do, but….
But I digress.
Back to my first year as a published author…
Actually, I am unable to fit everything into this article, as there has been so many ‘pinch me’ moments over the past year. But what has touched me the most have been some of my Guestbook entries. You see, when I was writing the novel I was basically writing it for me – but as soon as it got ‘out there’ and into the hands of others, my words began meaning different things to different people. Those who had lost loved ones, people who had enjoyed reading for the first time in a long while. I have been moved to tears by some of the emails.
Then there are the people I have met - so lovely – especially the teenagers! And I am still recovering from the shock of being asked for my autograph more than once (did that really happen?). Yeah I got a bad review on Amazon, but when I look at the rest, which were great, I don’t dwell on it. Anyway, being an unpublished author gives you great training in dealing with the ‘bad’ stuff. Besides, I wrote that book for ME and to know that others have enjoyed it, cried (sorry) and just felt enough about it to write to me… well that’s just too amazing.
I was recently on the panel of a ‘How to get Published’ master class at the start of this years London Book Fair. I felt so honored to be in the position to offer words of encouragement to those embarking on a quest to become published (even though I still didn’t feel quite ‘worthy’ to be up on stage with the mighty Kate Mosse with an E!). I thought about how weird it was that only a few years ago I had toyed with the idea of going to one of those seminars… and here I was sitting on the panel! Same with the Winchester Writer’s conference. I once listened to a newly published author give the after dinner speech and this year – guess whose been asked to give it…?
So before I go and continue living the life of a glam Carrie Bradshaw-esque writer (erm, loading the washing machine) I’ll just summarize my first year as a published author…
I have never worked so much in my life.
I have never enjoyed so much in my life.
I’ve published THREE books
I passed my driving test
I hugged (and let go of) Will Smith
I saw my words printed in other languages
I actually started to believe ‘I am a writer now… ‘sort of!
While you were Dreaming (6.99) By Lola Jaye, OUT NOW!!!! (Buy it, please buy it, I’ll do anything!!!! Pretty pleeaase!)
Posted by Elle Symonds on June 1, 2009 in Guest blogs | Permalink | Comments (4)
