Wednesday, 21 March 2012

The Lucky 7 MEME award!


Thank you Lucie Wheeler for awarding me ‘The Lucky 7 Meme’. I'm loving the opportunity of taking part in this challenge. Lucie blogs over here and if you follow the link you will see her own extract from her own WIP, Head over Heart.

The rules for this challenge:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines, sentences, or paragraphs, and post them as they’re written.
4. Tag 7 authors
5. Let them know

The following extract is from No such thing as...immortality.  I am beyond delighted to say that this MS has been accepted by Choc Lit and will be published in 2013.  It is still very much a work in progress, however.  Edits have yet to take place and with this being a debut novel, I fear they are going to be rather extensive :)  

*****
 
A particularly worrying thought intruded into my mind, despite its turmoil. ‘Elizabeth, Frederick…’ I said slowly, struggling to get my words out. ‘This is very important.  We really need to keep... this incident…away from James.’
‘No can do, bruv,’ Frederick said, with feigned regret.  ‘We called him when we were all in a panic, and he and Mads parked up down the road, just in time for the matinee.  Can’t you hear their thoughts?’
Dear God!  How could this get any worse?  Now I focussed away from Rowan’s turmoil ― and my own ― I could.  With a great deal of effort, I silently spoke, ‘James ― bugger off!  That is the last time you ― no, any of us — will ever see her naked!’
‘Will, mate - Congratulations!  Who would have thought you’d have progressed matters so quickly?  And that wasn’t bloodlust you felt ― was it?’
And then I heard his laughter.  Not through his thoughts.  I could hear it from two-hundred metres down the road.  
God help me!  

*****
And here are the 7 lovely people I am passing the award onto:

Hywela Lyn
Sue Fortin
Donna Trinder
Sarah Callejo
Phillipa Ashley
Emily Harvale
Rachael Dove
 
There is absolutely no obligation to take part so please don’t worry if you do not have the time to participate or if you just simply want to give it a miss :)
 
Thank you again Lucie!  :-)




Wednesday, 7 March 2012

An exciting time to be joining Choc Lit and hey hey for the mantra!




This week saw two of my fellow Choc Lit authors scooping prestigious Ronas (Romantic Novelists Association Awards). Christina Courtenay won best historical with Highland Storms and Jane Lovering, best comedy romance for Please Don’t Stop the Music.  Kate Johnson narrowly missed out, after being shortlisted for best contemporary for The Untied Kingdom


The publishing media is chocka full of Choc Lit’s success.  Not that anyone who has read their books should be remotely surprised at that.



Christina (Pia) and Jane now join Katie Fford (contemporary, Arrow), Rosie Thomas (epic, Harper Collins) and Caroline Green (young adult, Picadilly Press) on the shortlist for the ultimate accolade, Best Romantic Novel of the Year.  The result will be announced in May and for the next month everyone can vote here 

So please get voting!  

I am so excited for Pia and Jane (and disappointed for Kate. The Untied Kingdom is a great book). 

I confess to feeling rather daunted too.  Afterall, I am the newest member of the Choc Lit family which comprises high-calibre, award-winning authors!  I challenge any debut novelist not to feel daunted by that.

But I am relieved to say, after much mantra-chanting, determination has got the upper hand.  Determination to do the Choc Lit family proud.

Hey hey for the mantra!

No such thing as....immortality will be published by Choc Lit in 2013.  

Saturday, 3 March 2012

I've signed with Choc Lit!


I’ve signed with Choc Lit!   Arrrggghhhhhhhhhh!  Yep, a few weeks after the event but I am still on cloud 9zillion.  Choc Lit have signed my debut novel, No such thing as…immortality ― the first in the No such thing... paranormal romance series. 

It seriously doesn’t get any better than this.  Choc Lit were my number one choice of publisher and I still can’t believe they ― and their readers ― loved it!  Thank you guys. 

For anyone not familiar with Choc Lit ― start reading their books now!  I read a lot. Make that an awful lot.  And I can safely say their books are exceptional, standing above and beyond so much of the competition.  This year, three of their books have been nominated for the prestigious Romantic Novelists Association awards.  Jane Lovering for best Romantic Comedy, Christina Courtenay for best Historical and Kate Johnson for best Contemporary Romance. 

I didn’t for one moment think they would take me on.  They were something to aspire to.  But they did!  And I feel so incredibly privileged. 

So there you have it.  My news.  I’ll be on here providing updates as No such thing as…immortality progresses further along the road to publication.  No doubt I’ll be on here with my ramblings too.  I have a feeling that now I’ve started, there will be no stopping me.  In the meantime, good luck to Jane, Christina and Kate for Monday!

Yesss!


Yessss! I have somehow managed not to balls-up the endeavours of the very wonderful Hywela Lyn whose help in getting this up and running has been invaluable.  Thank you Lyn!  I've been meaning to get a blog and website up together for rather a long time.  Latest developments have ensured there can be no more procrastination.  My next post will explain all.   

First Post

Well here we go.  My first post and everything crossed it works…