I’m celebrating with my good friend and fellow Romaniac, Catherine Miller today, as her new novel,
is released.
The book is on tour and receiving cracking reviews. To see more, check out Catherine’s Facebook page.
Blurb:
What if your entire life changed in the space of a weekend? When Rebecca’s friend Abi convinces her to get away from it all at the fabulous Hawksley Manor hotel in York, it seems too good to be true. Pampering and relaxation is just what Rebecca needs to distract herself from the creeping suspicion that her husband, Greg, is hiding something from her. She never imagined that by the end of the weekend she would have dined with celebrities or danced the night away in exclusive clubs. Nor could she have predicted she would meet famous footballer, Alex Heath, or that he would be the one to show her that she deserved so much more … But no matter how amazing a weekend is, it’s always back to reality come Monday morning isn’t it? 2014/15 Winner of Choc Lit & Whole Story Audiobooks Search for a Star competition.
I have almost recovered from the whirl that was the 2016 RNA conference. Held in Lancaster, a seven hundred miles round trip, I left Dorset at 02:45 on the Saturday morning, 9th July, and arrived at the university at 08:30, just in time to help with The Romaniacs Sparkle Spotlight interviews, all of which can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaqfWTBjiNvdZ67625p2kwA
The following day I was a member on The Romaniacs panel – Pens, Pals and Pompoms – which was a high energy discussion on the highs and lows of writing, with a few cheerleading moments thrown in to celebrate the successes of everyone in the room.
Over the two days I attended workshops and panels all of which were informative, interesting, enlightening and fun. The journey home was shared with my good friend and fellow Romaniac, Catherine Miller, whose company always makes long journeys appear brief.
An excellent weekend of socialising, laughter, information, friendships, pens, pals and pompoms.
Now it’s head down and on with book four.
Take care.
I’m over at The Romaniacs today, gearing up for this coming weekend and the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Conference.
Celebrate Good Times! Presenting the Award-winning Romaniacs!
It’s been a busy week in the James household, preparing for next week’s launch of my third novel, What Doesn’t Kill You, working on the book trailer, and attending the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Winter Party.
The big news is that my writing sisters, The Romaniacs, won an industry award!
Both the RNA and The Bookseller reported on the awards. Congratulations to all the winners and runners-up, who gave brilliant and heartfelt speeches.
Please click here to go to the Romaniacs page to find out what we would have said on Wednesday evening, having been presented with our certificate and star, had we not lost the power of speech … :D.
Finally, thank you to my wonderful, always supportive local radio station, Wessex FM who not only shared the story online, but aired it in the six o’clock news last night. Thank you so much, Wessex FM.
We (The Romaniacs) are working on the logistics of sharing the beautiful glass star between eight of us, but it will be on show at our upcoming Sparkle weekend, when we will be getting together to plan for the year ahead.
Have a great weekend and take care.
I have emerged from my writing cave, having completed book 3, currently titled, What Doesn’t Kill You, and I’m over at Romanics HQ today, chatting about how I approached this novel differently to the first two. The post can be read here.
Take care.
Closing In: Sue FortinI have been away from my site as I have been in my edits cave working hard on making book 2, Follow Me Follow You, the best it can be, but I’ve stepped blinky-eyed into the daylight.
As a reward for completing round one of my edits, I took a day out to read my friend and fellow Romaniac, Sue Fortin’s latest HarperImpulse book, Closing In.
Blurb:
For fans of Emily Barr & Rosamund Lupton
Helen has had to leave everything she’s ever known behind; her home, her family, even her own name.
Now, returning to the UK as Ellen Newman, she moves to a small coastal village, working as a nanny for Donovan, a criminal psychologist. Attractive, caring and protective, this single father and his sweet daughter are a world away from Ellen’s brutal past. She thinks she’s escaped. She thinks she’s safe.
But Ellen can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong.
Strange incidents begin to plague her new family, and their house of calm is about to become one of suspicion and fear. Who can be trusted? Who is the target? Who is closing in?
Closing In had me from page one. It’s a gripping, fast-paced read, set on the south coast. I’ve seen some of the area about which Sue writes, and her descriptions are spot-on. Her love for West Sussex is apparent, and a delight to read, as are her interactions between a child and an adult.
The mutual warmth and love between Donovan and his eight-year-old daughter, Isobel, leap off the page. Ellen, a nanny, is a natural with children, and it’s obvious how much she cares for Isobel.
I am always moved by the way Sue captures the beautiful intimacy between a parent and child.
The two main characters are perfectly matched. Ellen, determined not to be a victim, has to battle her past with every weapon in her arsenal – strength, reserve and courage. She is not weak, but her vulnerability draws the reader to her.
Donovan is a great hero – he’s strong, caring, confident, and knows what he wants from life. He’s a criminal psychologist, but that brings its own problems, and recriminations. Would I feel safe in his arms? Yes. He’s hot. That’s all I’m saying.
The touches of humour made me laugh out loud, the twists and turns kept me swaying and guessing, and the action left me on the edge on my seat. I had to find my Kindle charger as there was no way I was going to let the battery power run out before I’d read the entire book.
It was a fab way to spend my day. A perfect reward. A brilliant read.
I highly recommend Closing In.
Thank you, Sue, for taking me on a thrilling journey.
Loved it.
Not only is Vanessa Savage one of the loveliest and kindest people I know, she is an incredibly talented writer, and an amazingly gifted artist ‒ designer of the Romaniacs Shorts eye-catching, and characterful cover.
Vanessa – tell me about art in your life.
I dithered in school when it came to college choices between art and English. I chose art college, spent four years in Doc Marten boots, with a pierced nose and hennaed hair, studying textile design, graphic design and illustration. After a side step into arts marketing, I started my own graphic design company with two other designers. One of our clients is the Telegraph Hay Literature Festival and working with them means I get to combine my loves of design and literature!
How closely linked are art and writing?
I often get inspired by art – I see an image and a story forms in my mind. Imagery and scenery are very important to me when I’m writing a book and I use a lot of visual reference material when I’m planning.
When you’re writing, do you have a clear image of the scene? Do you think having an artistic eye helps with scene setting in stories?
Every scene I write runs like a film in my head – sometimes I get frustrated when I can’t capture in words the mood of a scene in my head! I always start with character and place when I start a new writing project.
You have three entries in Romaniac Shorts ‒ 100 Ways to Love, The Hand That 
Holds The Knife, and Dog Days. As a successful short story and flash fiction writer, how did you choose which three to include?
A lot of the stories I write tend to be quite dark, but I wanted a mix for Romaniac Shorts, so 100 Ways to Love is a love story – first love and the love between mother and daughter, The Hand That Holds The Knife is much darker, and Dog Days is a comedy.
The success doesn’t stop at the shorts. Please do tell me about the Harry Bowling Prize!
I’m unbelievably thrilled to be on the shortlist for the 2014 Harry Bowling Prize for New Writing for my book The History of You which went through the RNA’s new writer’s scheme last year. It’s such a prestigious award and getting the phone call to tell me I made the shortlist was the highlight of my January!
Are you able to give a sneaky peek in to your latest work?
The working title of my latest work-in-progress is Hunting the Light. I’m always fascinated by what goes on behind closed doors – the real truth behind the framed picture of the perfect family on the wall … so Hunting the Light is about family, the ways we hide from each other, the lies we can live with and the secrets we can’t.
What’s next for Vanessa Savage?
I’ve set myself the challenge of entering at least one short story / flash fiction competition a month in 2014, as well as finishing Hunting the Light. Plus I woke up in the middle of the night last week with the idea for my next book…
Quick Fire Round:
Red or white? Red
Singing or dancing? Dancing – I would love to sing but no one else would love to hear it!
Leeks or red onions? Red Onion
Opera or classical? Classical
Cropped trousers or denim cut-offs? I wish I had the legs for denim cut-offs, but sadly I’m cropped trousers all the way 🙂
Dr Who or Torchwood? Dr Who
Comedy or weepy? Can I have both?
Vanessa ‒ you have created a wonderful cover for our first ever anthology. You’ve captured the spirit the Romaniacs in eight pairs of freshly washed shorts. And have I mentioned what an incredibly talented writer you are?
Wishing you every success, and cheering you on in our traditional, Romaniac pom-pom waving way.
Vanessa’s Biography:
Vanessa lives by the sea in South Wales with her husband, two daughters and an accident-prone cat. She is a graphic designer and illustrator, and has previously worked in arts marketing for theatres and a dance company. She is a member of the RNA’s New Writer’s Scheme and has had short stories published in Writing Magazine, a short story anthology produced by Words With Jam, Writer’s Forum and broadcast on radio as a highly commended winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Competition.
She is represented by Juliet Mushens at The Agency Group and her work has been longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition, shortlisted twice for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance and her current novel is on this year’s shortlist for the Harry Bowling Prize.
Happy Birthday and Publication Day, Romaniacs. 2 today!
As part of the team, I am thrilled to announce the release of our first anthology, Romaniac Shorts.
All the news is at Romaniac HQ: http://theromaniacgroup.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/birthday-celebrations-in-romaniac-shorts/
We hope you enjoy our short stories and flash fiction.
Have a great day.
Out there in the open – it’s Romaniac Shorts, hanging on the washing line for everyone to see.
What an exciting week it’s been. As part of the Romaniacs, a wonderful group of fellow writers, and my very good friends, I enjoyed a cover reveal on Thursday.
Romaniac Shorts is a diverse collection of short stories and flash fiction, ranging from romance, to crime, to fantasy, written by the eight Romaniacs, whose writing styles are as different as the shorts on our cover. It will go live on Amazon, as an eBook, this coming Thursday 13 February, in celebration of our two years together. All proceeds are to be shared between Dyslexia Action and the RNA.
To find out a little more, please visit the Romaniacs blog, here.
In the meantime, here is the fantastic cover, designed and created by our very own, Vanessa Savage.
Can you guess which pair of shorts is mine?
