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 🙂
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.
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.
I’ve been out and about recently, and feeling a little guilty. I should be dwelling in my edits cave, but my forays into the fresh air have been writer-based. Promise.
On Friday 21st, I recorded an interview with my local radio station, Wessex FM, with snippets played the following Sunday during the news programmes.
At Radio Solent
The next day, I gave my first-ever live radio interview with Radio Solent’s Breakfast in Dorset DJ, Steve Harris. I was concerned I would clam up, but I needn’t have worried. I was made very welcome, and the chatter flowed.
Both interviews were centred on the surgery I’ve had to help manage my rheumatoid arthritis, and how this helped me achieve my dream of writing a novel and becoming a published author. I was keen to thank the Rheumatology and Orthopaedic teams at Dorset County Hospital for the care I’ve received, and continue to receive.
I also featured in the Dorset Echo and View From. It was a busy few days.
In the process of transforming a previous sculpture into three iconic authors
On Saturday 5th April 2014, I had a lovely time at Weymouth’s Sandworld, attending as a local author. This was in celebration of the opening of their theme for the season, Literally in Sand. Five authors with links to Weymouth enjoyed the wonderful hospitality and friendly atmosphere, chatting with people who’d come to view the amazing sand sculptures, and have a look at our books.
I spent a more than pleasurable evening preparing my new promo postcards for the occasion. #stationerylove.
Edits, edits, edits. Three rounds. The first has dropped in to my inbox. This time last year, I had no idea what to expect from the edits. This time last year I was an unpublished writer. This time last year, I was in Orlando, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, performing in their version of American Idol, our daughter decided she would like to take up photography, our son was a trained padawan and Gajitman was looking forward to our trip to the Kennedy Space Centre.
I’m considering setting book 4 in Orlando. Research may be required.
As usual, I digress.
I have received my editor’s report for Follow Me, Follow You, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to improving the book. Since submitting the manuscript, I’ve made notes as to what to add, what needs to change or be explored further, and what I feel is irrelevant. Now that I have the report, I can start to physically alter the manuscript – track changes on, of course – and polish those sections that are a little lack-lustre.
I enjoy this process and intend to fully immerse myself in Victoria and Chris’s world.
I am delighted, thrilled and excited beyond belief to announce that my second novel, titled, Follow Me, Follow You, is to be published by Choc Lit in both digital and paperback formats later this year.
This will be my first book published as a paperback, and I cannot wait to hold a copy. The very talented artist and writer, Berni Stevens, designed the beautiful cover and has once more produced a perfect work of art and captured the essence of the whole novel.
I think this is a stunning cover. Thank you Berni and Choc Lit.
I feel privileged to be able to share this today, as it’s the second anniversary of the passing of my lovely mum. I started writing this book in the January of 2012, and was 60,000 words in to the first draft before Mum died, and whilst she never had the chance to read Follow Me, Follow You, she was kept abreast of the characters’ comings and goings.
As I stated before, she was a great supporter of my dream to write, and I can imagine her smile upon seeing this. She would say the cover was totally me.
Okay. She probably wouldn’t use the word ‘totally’, but she would instinctively know how much I love the colours, and the sheer pizzazz of the shooting star.
Sharing this today is fitting, and for me, completes another circle.
Take care.
Laura x
Follow Me, Follow You:
Victoria Noble has pulled the plug on romance. As director of the number one social networking site, EweSpeak, and single mother to four-year-old Seth, she wrestles with the work-life balance.
Enter Chris Frampton, Hollywood action hero and Victoria’s first love. His return from LA has sparked a powder keg of media attention, and with secrets threatening to fuel the fire, he’s desperate to escape. But finding a way forward is never simple. Although his connection with Victoria has lasted the test of time, has he been adrift too long to know how to move on? With the risk of them breaking, will either follow their heart?
Today is Blog Tour Day. This blog tour is where writers and authors answer questions about their writing process. My friend and fellow Choc Lit author, Janet Gover, posted hers last week. It’s a great read. Very interesting. I love finding out how writers tackle novels. You can check out Janet’s writing process here.
I have four questions to answer.
You see, now I’m thinking of the Two Ronnies. This isn’t the first time. It’s the ‘four’ that does it. I’m instantly transported to a hardware store, watching Ronnie Barker harass Ronnie Corbett with ‘four candles.’ I’ll show you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz2-ukrd2VQ
As usual, I digress, but what a marvellous, comic display of writing and acting.
Without further ado, or forays into the past, I shall answer my four questions.
1) What am I working on?
I have Book 3 planned and underway. Its working title is What Doesn’t Kill You, and it’s an issue-driven romance, with a strong focus on family relationships. It’s set in Weymouth and Portland, an area I love with a passion. It has so much drama and beauty. The recent storms have provided the opening backdrop and set the tone of the story. My hero, Griff, is a coastguard – strong, protective, and in command. He is master of his own destiny. He respects and loves his father, a courageous, dominant being in his youth, but age, illness and disability has withered the old man, stolen his strength, and destroyed his independence, all things Griff fears. Throw into the maelstrom a demanding job, a two-year-old son and an errant teenage step-daughter, and Griff’s eighteen month marriage to Evie is at breaking point. His relationship is all at sea.
What Doesn’t Kill You is an insider’s view of the pressures and difficulties faced by today’s sandwich generation, and like Truth or Dare?, there will be dark before the dawn.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
There is an edge to my work that is not always expected in a romance. One review of Truth or Dare? put it succinctly: ‘A love story without the soft edges.’ And my publisher, Choc Lit, have got my number: ‘Laura E James tackles some thorny issues in this new Choc Lit Lite, showing that contemporary romantic fiction is not all flowers and swooning heroines.’
3) Why do I write what I do?
I’m a big fan of Jodi Picoult, and love the way she tackles taboo subjects. This is reflected in my books, but because I also enjoy romance, my characters will always search for the hopeful or happy ever after ending.
4) How does my writing process work?
Hmm. That’s under debate.
I’m on book 3, and have made an effort to plan this one. For Truth or Dare?, and Follow Me, I had a beginning and an exact end – I knew what was being said, by whom and where. I had a rough idea of how to get from A to Z, but for the most part the paths were built on ‘what if’, as I went along.
I now have a cartoon image of manoeuvring rocks over tree trunks, pulling the last log out, and hauling it to the front, to continue the forward motion.
I enjoy the organic growth of the characters. On occasion, they surprise me, and one or two of them have been known to solve plot problems on my behalf.
For What Doesn’t Kill You, although I’ve planned, it’s not to the enth degree. There’s plenty of room for improvisation and what ifs.
I write in silence, and it can take me a while to enter ‘the zone’. I don’t set a daily word count – I write as much or as little as is in me, and I cannot switch off my inner editor. If something isn’t right, I have to fix it ‒ otherwise I cannot move on. I don’t write a dirty first draft, but I am acutely aware it is still the first draft, and I love editing – it appeals to my ‘correct’ nature.
NEXT WEEK:
I am thrilled my three friends, Sue Fortin, a fellow Romaniac, whose debut novel, Unites States of Love is available here,Nikki Goodman, recently signed by HarperImpulse, and Crooked Cat author, Kathy Sharp, Isle of Larus, have taken the Blog Tour challenge. They will be sharing their writing processes next Monday on their blogs, as follows:
Sue Fortin: Sue writes women’s fiction; contemporary, suspense and time-slip. All with romance and a touch of danger.
Lover of cake, Dragonflies and France. Hater of calories, maths and snakes. Sue was born in Hertfordshire but had a nomadic childhood, moving often with her family, and for a time, did actually think her name was ‘The New Girl’. However, having lived in West Sussex all her adult life, it does feel like home and, these days, she knows what my name is!
Sue is married with four children, all of whom patiently give her time to write but, when not behind the keyboard, she likes to spend my time with them, enjoying both the coast and the South Downs, between which they are nestled.
She is a proud to be a spoke in the wheel of The Romaniacs – her lovely supportive friends who she wouldn’t be without and without whom, she says, she wouldn’t be here.
Sue is delighted to be part of the Harper Collins group, through Harper Impulse, who have published her debut novel ‘United States of Love’.
She is also a contributor to the RNA/Harlequin short story Anthology Truly, Madly, Deeply (2014).
A finalist in several writing competitions including Novelicious Undiscovered 2012, she graduated from the RNA New Writers’ Scheme after four years and has contributed to their magazine Romance Matters. She has far too much fun attending the annual RNA conference and has previously chaired a panel and taken part in a workshop at the Festival of Romance.
She blogs about some of her favourite things – Writing, Work and Wine – at http://nikkimooreauthor.wordpress.com/ and believes in supporting other writers as part of a friendly, talented and diverse community.
You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NikkiMooreAuthor or on Twitter @NikkiMoore_Auth and she invites you to pop in for chats about love, life, reading or writing!
Kathy Sharp: Kathy Sharp is the author of Isle of Larus, a fantasy tale inspired by the Jurassic Coast, and published by Crooked Cat Publishing in 2013. She is now working on the sequel, Sea of Clouds. Blog: http://tinyurl.com/pq8jenp
If I could clap, I would express my excitement at having ‘Truth or Dare?’, published by Choc Lit, selected by Amazon as a Kindle Deal of the Month. For the rest of January, you can download ToD HERE for 99p only!
By downloading and reading ToD, for less than a pound, you will travel from Leighton Buzzard to Weymouth and Portland, take a short trip on the London underground, and spend two evenings at the theatre. And meet Declan O’Brien. He’s Irish, and in a recent survey (not mine, although I wish I’d thought of doing it), the Irish accent came out on top as the world’s sexiest.
Thoughts like that keep me from counting down the days to complete freedom for The Hand. My wrist surgery went well, but I am still in a cast, waiting for my ligaments to heal. I’m not sure where my muscles went. Okay, they weren’t that big to start with, but 4 weeks in an above-elbow cast has left me with an Olive Oyl arm. I am now in a below-elbow cast, and movement is getting better each day. I’m working up to a pea sized bicep. Just over a week, and I should be cast-free, and into a splint. Marble muscles, here I come.
It hasn’t stopped me writing, and book 3, working title, ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’, is under way. It’s set in Weymouth and Portland, and this time my hero is a Welsh coastguard. I’m looking forward to the research. I’m trying to clap. Have resorted to slapping my thigh with my good hand.
I mention book 3 and my hero coastguard as although it’s sunny in Dorset today, which is always a bonus for January, the weather has been wild, throwing all sorts of debris onto Chesil Beach. A wonderful crew of volunteers have given up their weekends to clean the long sweep of pebbles. Great work. Had I been able to help, I’d have been there, but I thank you and applaud your efforts, generosity and hard work.
And when I can clap, I shall applaud some more. You can read about the brilliant work HERE.
I hope the start of 2014 has been kind to you, and continues to be so.
Handy New Year – that’s what I’ll be having, with another sixteen days in plaster. The Hand is sporting a fantastic, luminous orange, lightweight cast. I’m very attached to it. I once had welly boots the same orange – I remember splashing about in them. I digress.
I hope you had a great Christmas and are now ready for 2014. Our tree will come down on New Year’s Day, as we prepare for my son’s birthday. I like to have a marked distinction between the events. It’s the end and the beginning wrapped up in a few days.
I’ve spent time reflecting. 2013 has been an enormous year for us.
Shortly after the first anniversary of my mum’s death, my family and I set off to Florida, and spent an incredible three weeks visiting Disneyworld and Universal Studios. This is a holiday I will never forget. It was special. It was healing. It was magical.
I saw Paloma Faith live twice, introducing my daughter to the live gig experience. Jessie J was the next concert my daughter attended, escorted by Gajitman, as I was away at the Festival of Romance.
Christmas dinner was cooked by my husband and daughter, and my son ensured our energy levels were high. I was thoroughly spoiled.
Well, that was my year, and supporting me all the way through with unconditional love was my small, but perfectly formed family, and my wonderful friends. Thank you so much.
And thank you to everyone who bought, read, and reviewed Truth or Dare?
I hope 2013 was kind to you, and I wish you all health, wealth and happiness for 2014.
My award-nominated, debut release, ‘Truth or Dare?’ is on FREE download for 5 days only. It’s received great reviews, with readers enjoying the pace, suspense and twist. As one of the reviews states, ‘It’s romance without the soft edges.’ 😀 You can download ‘Truth or Dare’ here.
I’m typing using one hand only. The operation was successful, and for Christmas, I received a new wrist. Will update further when both hands are sharing the workload.
Naked. That’s how my left hand feels tonight, as it prepares for tomorrow’s surgery. It feels odd to not wear my rings, but I had to take them off when the opportunity arose – when my hands were at their coldest.
Tomorrow, assuming all goes to plan, my left arm will be wrapped snugly in a back-slab and bandages, following surgery to prevent further damage to my tendons.
I am a little obsessed with hands. Declan, my main man in ‘Truth or Dare?’ has safe hands, and it’s one of the first things the heroine, Kate, notices. She’s of the opinion one can tell a lot about a person from studying their hands.
I’m not letting her near mine.
While I still have both hands free to type, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your wonderful support this year. 2013 saw my debut novel published, which was a dream come true. Receiving 5* reviews and being nominated for an award has taken me beyond those dreams.
I wish you a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
My naked hand and I are off to bed – we have an early start.
