Animals: What’s Your Purr-fect Companion?

I know. It’s a corny title, but it suits this post.

As I passed SplatCat Rascal on the landing today, and having only moments before finished reading Shani Struther’s The Haunting of Highdown Hall, I got to thinking about the use of animals and pets in novels.

In Shani’s story, I met Jed, a dog. He is a wonderful companion to the heroine, Ruby, and I confess, I formed an attachment to him from the off. As writers, we know everything we put into a novel must have a purpose – to move the story forward, give insight into our characters, cause and/or resolve conflict, set the scene – and Jed has a purpose. You’ll have to read the wonderful book to find out what, but he’s not there for his cuteness alone.

Declan, my hero in Truth or Dare?, has a cat called Toto. As much as Toto would have loved a major role, he was written in for three small, but significant reasons: to show the hero’s caring nature, to illustrate to the reader Declan possesses the ability to form attachments, and to act as Declan’s confidant. Declan talks to Toto and shares with him his innermost thoughts. I do it all the time with Daisy and Rascal …

In my work-in-progress, What Doesn’t Kill You, Griff Hendry, the male protagonist, has an old English sheepdog. Why have I written a dog into the story? My hero is a man who needs a dog. Without Ozzy, Griff feels incomplete. They’ve been together for a few years and they are best buds. Sometimes Ozzy is the only one who responds to Griff. Sometimes Ozzy is the only member of the family Griff totally understands. Ozzy never criticises, never moans and is always happy to see his master, but the old English sheepdog is the one who, albeit unwittingly, compels Griff to give serious consideration to his strongly-held beliefs.

What have animals brought to your novel? What’s your favourite book where the animal is the main character?

And yes, before you ask, Black Beauty made me cry.

Follow Me, Follow You, my new paperback with Choc Lit, has no animals … wait a minute … Did I hear a baa?

Take care.

Laura x

For more photos of SplatCat Rascal and friends, please follow me on Pinterest. The Board is called Mad Cats and Englishmen.

Follow Me, Follow You: Preparing to Launch

It’s been an exciting few days as I’m now in a position to start putting together the invitation for the book launch of my first paperback, Follow Me, Follow You, published by Choc Lit , out September 2014.

Together with three local Weymouth writers, Kathy Sharp, Kate Kelly and Carol Hunt, I am hosting an author afternoon and launch at the Chesil Beach Centre, run by the fabulous Dorset Wildlife Trust. It is the perfect location, as Chesil Beach plays a major role in Follow Me, Follow You, and it also features in my debut novel, Truth or Dare?. My current work-in-progress also uses Chesil, Portland, Abbotsbury and surrounding areas as the backdrop, so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to show friends and family why I love writing with Dorset as the setting. Perhaps I should call the books The Chesil Series.

I’m in the process of creating the invitations, but here are the details as they stand:

Saturday September 6th

14:00 – 16:00

Chesil Beach Centre, Ferrybridge.

There is a plenty of parking (pay and display) and a café attached to the centre. With the pebbly beach and sea either side, it is a beautiful spot. I would like to thank Dorset Wildlife Trust for the wonderful support.

We would love to see you there – there will be giveaways and the opportunity to chat with the local authors, buy the books, and if you would like, have them signed.

And so you know, I’ve been diligently practising my signature … 🙂

I look forward to seeing you there.

Take care.

Laura x

My Name is Laura James and I Write Romantic Fiction.

My name is Laura James and I write romantic fiction. The romantic fiction I write is published in novel, short story and flash fiction form.

This isn’t a secret. Nor is it a brag. This is me standing up, taking aim and shooting out arrows of positivity. Whoosh!

During the 11th to the 14th July 2014, I attended my third Romantic Novelists’ Association conference.

Lisa Eveleigh, Gillian Green, Lyn Vernham and Matt Bates: The role of booksellers, publishers & agents in a new book buying age.

It was fabulous – a concoction of workshops, discussion panels, friends, food and wine. I never fail to learn at these events. My friend and fellow Romaniac, Sue Fortin has posted a wonderful round-up of the weekend here. The RNA has a great post here.

At one point of the proceedings, there was an interesting, unscheduled chat about how comfortable we feel saying we write romantic fiction.

In my early days … okay, two years ago … I was slightly ill at ease telling people I was a writer. It had nothing to do with the genre – I am incredibly happy to be reading and writing romantic fiction – it was more that I had nothing solid to show for my efforts. In April 2012, when my 1500 word story, Bitter Sweet, achieved the runner-up position in Choc Lit’s short story competition, I had my first writing credit, and it was a little easier to speak the words, albeit it quietly, ‘I am a writer.’

Later that year, at the RNA conference in Penrith, the lovely Miranda Dickinson presented a workshop and everything I’d experienced, she too had been through, but she was a writer, and the more she said it, the easier it became to repeat and believe.

I left that presentation motivated and inspired, and still have the postcards Miranda gave out that day, asserting ‘I write, therefore I am a writer.’

Things have progressed for me since then, with Bitter Sweet finding a home in the RNA’s Truly, Madly, Deeply anthology, stories in Romaniac Shorts, publication in Choc Lit’s Love Match, with a second anthology from them out soon, my debut novel, Truth or Dare? digitally published last October and my first paperback, Follow Me, Follow You due out this September. All my stories are romantic fiction.

I’m hoping you’re reading this and picturing me talking about it to you, my eyes wide with excitement, my speech a little too fast for clarity, because I love what I do. I love writing.

And I love writing romantic fiction.

I believe in self-fulfilling prophecies and affirmations. I believe that by saying something often enough, that dream, that hope, will happen. Whether caught up in the enthusiasm or reacting to the broken record, others start to believe too, and things happen.

Yes, we make our own luck, seek out the opportunities, put ourselves forward, but we need to believe in ourselves and in what we do to have the energy to pursue the dream. And that energy and belief will draw people in.

Negative energy will repel.

My name is Laura James, and I write romantic fiction.

It’s a fabulous genre.

Take care.

Laura x

A Day to Remember. Meeting Jill Mansell.

The 1st of July 2014.

It was what my mum would have called a Red Letter Day, and one we’d have loved to have spent together.

It was an emotional, poignant and exciting day which completed a circle in my writing life.

At Exeter Central Library, I met three intelligent, witty, talented authors – Sheila O’Flanagan, Veronica Henry and Jill Mansell.

My mum, who was an avid reader and booklover, introduced me to Jill Mansell’s and Sheila O’Flanagan’s books a number of years ago. It was in Jill’s Good At Games, which I read first and enjoyed so much I devoured from cover-to-cover, where I first came across the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Jill wrote so enthusiastically about the organisation, I was compelled to investigate its website. I was thrilled to discover some of my favourite authors were members, and there was a scheme for new writers. As someone who believes there’s a novel in everyone, and as a person who’s penned poems, songs, comics and plays from a young age, I’d hit gold.

Jill Mansell showing an example of her novel planning.

I was inspired and motivated to take action.

Four months later I joined the RNA on the New Writers’ Scheme.

In 2013, my debut novel, Truth or Dare? was released and published as an eBook by Choc Lit.

In September this year, my second novel, Follow Me, Follow You will be released digitally and as a paperback. A dream come true.

The evening of chat at the library was entertaining, informative and engaging, with the three ladies sharing their experiences and knowledge about novel writing. For me as a writer, their advice was invaluable, and as a reader I cannot wait to get started on their new books.

This truly was a RLD.

I am so pleased I was finally able to thank Jill in person for the inspiration she provided and for shining the light in the right direction.

And I’m so glad my mum had an excellent taste in authors.

Take care.

Laura x

Jill Mansell – The Unpredictable Consequences of Love

Sheila O’Flanagan – If You Were Me

Veronica Henry – The Beach Hut Next Door

It’s National Chocolate Day!

I say that like I need an excuse to enjoy chocolate, but it’s not an excuse, it’s a reason.

My dependency on chocolate goes in phases. Believe it or not, there are times when I don’t fancy it.

Sorry. I should have warned you to sit down before I made that confession. I tend to go for savoury more than sweet – salted, buttery popcorn, cashews, black olives. I wonder if chocolate-covered black olives would be palatable …

But fear not, I’m experiencing a long phase of chocolism at the moment. I’m wondering if it’s my age, or if it’s because I’m a writer. Or perhaps my body is in desperate need of trace elements contained in a Galaxy bar.

There is never enough to share. Just saying.

I do enjoy a hot chocolate in those chilly, icy months. I had one last week at my son’s school sport’s day. Yes, I know it was June, but I was blue with cold. And I have a frozen shoulder.

You think me doth protest too much?

Hot chocolate is a soothing drink and was used as a form of medicine way back when. It’s feeding and comforting and smooth.

As I was thinking about this post, I realised both Truth or Dare? and Follow Me, Follow You have hot chocolate mentions and scenes, and all for different reasons.

In Truth or Dare? Declan makes the drink for Elle as a peace offering and an invitation to talk:

He pushed himself up, approached the kettle and prepared two hot chocolates. Two minutes later, he was on the landing, outside Elle’s bedroom, tapping on her door. ‘Elle?’ He gave her a moment to reply, but was met with a silence that was becoming too familiar. ‘I’ve made us hot chocolates.’ He heard rustling and shuffling, two floorboards creek and a nose blow, indicators Elle had been lying in bed crying; another familiar scenario. Yesterday, Elle propped Declan up, supplying cups of tea and plates of toast. Today, it was his turn to be strong. It wasn’t a conscious decision to alternate, but thank goodness they didn’t sink to the bottom together. They were a source of support for each other, and for that, Declan was grateful. The door opened.

In Follow Me, Follow You, out September 2014, Victoria remembers her dad supplying mugs of hot chocolate in times of upset and sadness. It provides her with strength. It’s her go-to drink when she needs bolstering.

A waitress, wearing regulation black, and sporting a Santa’s elf hat, placed one hot chocolate and one lemonade on the table. Victoria smiled her thanks, and reclined. The bench, though dressed with cushions, was uncomfortable, but its style was in keeping with the rest of the interior; dark mahogany beams across the ceiling, white wooden sash windows, and porthole lights. Christmas decorations hanging overhead like jungle vines brought colour, but it was the heat and glow from the central log burner that gave the room its warmth. The place had character. More than Victoria remembered. Not that she’d paid much notice to it in her youth, her eyes and mind being all about Chris.

And on this day, it seems appropriate to add I’m published by the wonderful Choc Lit.

My short story, Bitter Sweet, published in the RNA anthology, Truly, Madly, Deeply, is about a chocolate sculptor, and in Melt, a story appearing in Romaniac Shorts, Carissima Sweet owns a café called The Chocolate Bar.

I’m beginning to see a theme …

One last thing. Do you like your chocolate straight from the fridge or eaten at room temperature?

Happy National Chocolate Day!

Take care.

Laura x

Finding Inspiration in Unexpected Places

For our daughter’s fourteenth birthday, we took a family trip to the Harry Potter Studios in Watford. I grew up in Watford but moved away a little before Leavesden Aerodrome was turned into a Warner Bros studio lot. I have family in that direction, so we have driven passed the site on occasion and seen the famous purple Knight Bus.

Our daughter is a life-long fan of the Harry Potter series and can answer any trivia question thrown at her. I, on the other hand, have never read the books or seen all of the films. I know. It’s a crime. I apologise. It’s something I will rectify once I’ve liberated the books from our daughter’s bedroom. I might have to carry out an early morning raid …

London Book Fair. Andrew Davidson, seen here with a photo of his etched cover for the most recent Harry Potter covers. The new designs, all by Andrew, are aimed at an older reader. — London Book Fair. Andrew Davidson, seen here with a photo of his etched cover for the most recent Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone cover. The new designs, all by Mr Davidson, are aimed at an older reader.

The thing is, I admire J K Rowling. Not long after I started writing novels, I watched her bio pic and even allowing for artistic licence, I found it an emotional and inspiring story.

So, yes, I was excited to be visiting the studio, but I was thinking in terms of the films, looking forward to seeing the sets, the costumes and our daughter opening the doors to the Great Hall (a birthday treat). What I didn’t expect was my emotional response to a quote from J K Rowling, posted on the wall in the queuing foyer.

It positively choked me. I had goosebumps, shivers and a deeper understanding of what it is to be a writer.

Everything we saw at the studio started as a seed of an idea in a writer’s head.

The day took a completely different turn for me, and I looked at everything through a writer’s eye. Perhaps I should have been doing that from the start, but we were there to see the incredible animatronics, Diagon Alley and Privet Drive, and we did, and they were amazing, but I love the fact we were reminded that Harry Potter, the boy wizard, first appeared to us on a page in a book.

Unexpected.

Fantastic.

Laura x

High Five for Choc Lit: Kindle Promotions

High Five

Truth or Dare?, with its fantastic new cover, has been chosen by Amazon to be part of June’s Kindle Monthly Deal. The special offer is for the UK, France, Germany and Spain.

What do you get for 99p?

Suspense, dilemmas, two antagonists, two heroines and Declan O’Brien, a gorgeous, intelligent, gentle Irish man with dark hair and arctic blue eyes.

You will journey from Bedfordshire to Dorset, chill out on the beautiful Chesil Beach and enjoy a coffee in one of Weymouth’s best cafés.

It’s a story of friendship, passion and obsession, and knowing when to do the wrong thing for the right reason.

My fab publisher, Choc Lit, celebrating its fifth birthday, has five titles in Amazon’s promotion, including Truth or Dare?.

For less than a fiver, you can take a trip back in time with Margaret Kaine’s Dangerous Decisions, read Christina Courtenay’s The Guilded Fan, winner of the 2014 Best Historical Novel of the Year Award, fall in love with a maths genius in Alison May’s Sweet Nothing, a modern take on a Shakespearean classic, and be ‘seduced as much by life in the sleepy boatyard as by the infuriating but gorgeous Matthew Corrigan’ (Myslexia magazine), in Christine Stovell’s Turning The Tide.

And if you’ve enjoyed the books, a review would be wonderful and very much appreciated.

Why not download now, before the promotion ends? It’s a great start to your summer holiday reading list 🙂

Take care,

Laura x

Rheumatoid Arthritis, Plants vs Zombies & Purple Trainers.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Week – 16th – 22nd June 2014.

I have rheumatoid arthritis – RA. I’ve had it since I was eighteen, but I was aware of its existence five years before that when my mother was diagnosed with the condition. It was a shock to learn she had this debilitating and painful disease. I remember crying and wishing I could take it away from her. If only I had it instead of Mum …

RA is considered an invisible disease because many of its symptoms cannot be seen – pain, chronic fatigue, sleeplessness, to name a few.

I can show you my hands and you’ll see scars, nobbly knuckles and fingers with an amazing ability to point round corners, but to see me from across the street, you’d struggle to identify the problem.

And, if you do see me from across the street, that means it’s a good day, and one when I am able to go out. Perhaps the weather’s warm and dry, or I’ve had a rare, but wonderful night’s sleep, or maybe it’s shortly after my weekly injection.

Look at my shoes. They’re comfortable, supportive, sensible. Okay, maybe not sensible in the strictest sense of the word, but there are no killer heels in my wardrobe. Am I wearing trousers? Jeans? Crops? probably, because I struggle to find shoes to wear with skirts and dresses. I have too many dropped or inflamed joints in my feet and my ankles are too weak to withstand fashion footwear.

Dawdling is often my top speed, pulling a zip up on my coat is an achievement worth celebrating, and discovering beautiful pens I can hold takes me way beyond thrilled. Seriously. I love pens. You knew that.

For me, RA is a way of life. I’ve never been a homeowner or worker without it, I had RA years before I met and married Gajitman, and our children have grown up accepting Dad’s the parent who will roll down the hills with them, take them kayaking, or instigate a bundle in the living room. But that’s dads and children, isn’t it?

I’ve had the honour of sharing my love of reading and music with our children, the pleasure of discussing the merits of defending a virtual garden with tallnuts when the zombies attack, and the joy of cuddling up together to watch Disney’s Peter Pan fifteen times in one week.

It’s probable I’d have done the same even if I’d not had rheumatoid arthritis, and if I was offered a guaranteed magic cure, I’d take it, but I am certain I’ve seen things in my life I would have passed by had I been going at full steam.

For more information about rheumatoid arthritis, please visit the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society page.

Take care.

Laura x

Meeting My Main Character

Thank you so much to friend and fellow Romaniac, Celia J Anderson, for inviting me to take part in the Meeting My Main Character blog hop.

Celia introduced us to Mab, from her debut novel, Sweet Proposal, and you can meet both ladies here.

What is the name of the main character? Is she real or fictitious?

Victoria Noble is a fictitious thirty-five-year-old. Known as Vicky Paveley in her youth, the divorced mother is the director of the highly successful EweSpeak.

When and where is the story set?

The story begins in London, but swiftly moves to Weymouth and Portland, in Dorset, my beautiful home county. Chesil Beach plays a major role in my character’s life, as it does in mine.

What should we know about her?

Having been let down and betrayed twice by the male of the species, Victoria has pulled the plug on romance. She wrestles with the work-life balance, throwing most of her energy into maintaining her business, and her relationship with her four-year-old son, Seth, is at breaking point.

What is the main conflict? What messes up her life?

Left to raise a child with whom she has little connection, everyday life is a struggle for Victoria. There is huge conflict between her and Seth, and simple tasks such as giving him a bath and putting him to bed create anxiety and tension. He is resistant, belligerent, and on occasion, violent. Victoria believes she provides well for him, but realises it’s not enough when the draw of her EweSpeak office is greater than his cry for love.

If the men in her life had kept their promises, she wouldn’t be caught in the vicious circle of daily battles with her son. She holds one man in particular responsible ‒ Chris Frampton, Victoria’s first love.

What is Victoria’s goal?

To let go of the past, stop blaming others for her mistakes, and heal the damaged bond between her and Seth.

What is the book’s title?

Follow Me, Follow You.

Paperback due out September 2014, published by Choc Lit.

Thanks so much for tagging me, Celia – I’m now passing the baton to my friend and fellow ChocLiteer, Alison May – find out about her main character here – http://alison-may.co.uk/blog/ and also the lovely Christine Stovell, whose new release, Follow A Star, is available for pre-order http://homethoughtsweekly.blogspot.co.uk/

I’m looking forward to reading about their main characters.

Enjoy.

Laura x

Closing In: Sue Fortin

I 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.

Laura E. James

Truth in Fiction

Animals: What’s Your Purr-fect Companion?

Laura x

Follow Me, Follow You: Preparing to Launch

Laura x

My Name is Laura James and I Write Romantic Fiction.

Laura x

A Day to Remember. Meeting Jill Mansell.

Laura x

It’s National Chocolate Day!

Laura x

Finding Inspiration in Unexpected Places

High Five for Choc Lit: Kindle Promotions

High Five

Laura x

Rheumatoid Arthritis, Plants vs Zombies & Purple Trainers.

Laura x

Meeting My Main Character

Laura x

Closing In: Sue Fortin

Closing In: Sue Fortin

Laura x