New release - it's been a while!

I know, I know it's been FOREVER since I brought out a new book but there are reasons for this which I'm unable to share for the moment.  As soon as I can, I will.  Promise.

Anyway, 'Half as Good as You' is now available for pre-order on Amazon and will hit your Kindle on 4th October.  The paperback version will be available shortly, once I decide whether to publish through Lulu or Amazon.

If you read it and love it, PLEASE leave a review  - your words help to sell mine.  If you've enjoyed any of my other books, I'd be really grateful for even a one line review.  They really DO make a difference.

Right ... here's the blurb ...

The day after discovering her husband’s infidelity, TV make-up artist Fizz finds herself knocked off her feet (quite literally!) by a passing stranger in the busy Covent Garden rush hour.  

Rescued by an elderly gentleman, an unusual friendship forms, a mystery lottery ticket appears and Fizz realises that she’d never really been as content in her marriage as she’d allowed herself to believe.

With the arrival of two new men on the scene, how long will it be before Fizz hits the jackpot?

And the links for UK Amazon

And USA Amazon 

Just £1.99 - less than a coffee and will last longer!

FUNKY FRIDAY - with author Kathryn Brown

It's that time again and this week I welcome fellow Indie, Kathryn Brown.  If you haven't read her books, why not?  What are you waiting for?  Check out her Amazon page here.

We settled with our decaff teas and huge chunks of fruitcake - more of that later - and here's what she revealed.

 

So, Kathryn, as a farmer's wife and busy mum, how do you manage your writing time?  I'm in awe of you!

I can only write during the day and during the week when my daughter, Amy, is at school. She leaves early in the morning and doesn’t get home until 4.30pm so I generally get a full day if I need it. However, at certain times of the year, the farming calendar can be quite overwhelming which means I have to don wellies and abandon pen. Well, computer and notebook ... During lambing, however, I do take the note book and sometimes a Dictaphone into the night shed. It’s so peaceful in there at night and is the perfect location to think.

Dream time.  What's your ultimate goal as a writer?

I have a few ambitions where my writing is concerned but one in particular, and the one that would make me a very happy bunny, is to have one of my books made into a television production. I thought Discovery at Rosehill, my debut novel, would have made a great drama series, being about ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Maybe one day I’ll think seriously about writing for television but I suspect it isn’t an easy market to crack.

Tell us about your ideal writing day.  It can be as wild and far-fetched as you like!

To have the house to myself, peace and quiet, no one knocking on the door, no visitors, no phones ringing, lots of chocolate biscuits, several bottles of water, and a brain full of ideas. I’m one of those people who needs absolute silence in order to function to 100% capacity. I work from home, as a writer and a farmer, and unfortunately, we have a number of friends who haven’t yet grasped that when one is ‘at work’, it usually means one cannot be disturbed. I get many phone calls from my mum for example, and end up asking her (politely) to either ring in the evening or let me ring her back. She’s usually telling me about Auntie Margaret’s out-of-date Muller Lights which can be quite inconvenient when I’m in the middle of a big sex scene. Then the next time mum rings, which is usually around 12pm as she assumes I break for lunch then, she makes a point of apologising for disturbing me. I do love my mum, she’s such a fruitcake.

I know exactly what you mean about people assuming that because you're at home, you're not working!  I could rant about that all day!  So, as a fellow ranter, tell us one thing that drives you round the bend about writing.

Apart from the rant I’ve just had above regarding unwelcome visitors and phone calls when I’m trying to work, I think that would have to be the marketing side of being an Indie author. Bloody hard work doesn’t cut the mustard. Marketing and promotion doesn’t come easy for me because I’m not one to blow my own trumpet, and let’s face it, when we’re trying to get our ‘product’ out there, blowing one’s own trumpet is pretty damn important. I do try though, and most likely bore my Twitter followers and Facebook friends to within an inch of their lives. And then there are those followers and friends you’ve known for years on social media, the lovely ones you’ve chatted to, had a laugh with, awed at each other’s cats with, and then bang, they unfollow and unfriend because they’re sick of your self-promotion. Yet these people don’t have a book to promote, they are not an indie author who relies on this new age of technology to make a 25p royalty, nor do they understand that you’ve worked damned hard on the publication you’re trying to get out there and of which you’d like just a little support to help reach an audience. So I guess disloyalty drives me round the bend about writing. And lots of other things of course, but we’ll save that for another day.

I couldn't agree more - marketing and promoting is SO boring and takes us away from doing what we love.  Moving on to reviews, how do you deal with a bad one?  Are you a sulker or a shrugger?

Good question! I used to be a sulker in the early days. I guess you could say I was lucky with my debut novel as it received only four and five star reviews (there I go, blowing my own trumpet), but the second, Nightingale Woods, after five days of free downloads where every man and his dog jumps on the ‘free’ bit, the one and two star reviews came rolling in, and it was a bit of a shock to the system. Not saying I’m the next JK Rowling of course, but none of us like those one and two stars, do we? Some of the low rated reviews are usually just an excuse to slag the author off, and it always amazes me when a reviewer says, “I wouldn’t normally post a review but ...” then they rant on about how they absolutely hated your book and it was utter bum-fluff. Maybe they should stick to watching Jeremy Kyle and leave reviewing to normal people.

So now, I’m a shrugger. Oh yes, I like to shrug. As authors, we need to remember we can’t please everyone. Bedknobs and Bachelors contains a fair bit of strong language and some rather risqué sex scenes, nothing explicit, just humorous. If someone who doesn’t like language in a book gets hold of this one, then I doubt they’ll enjoy it much. Then again, they’d be hard pushed these days to find a book that doesn’t contain language. And as my fruitcake mother once pointed out, “Sex sells, Kathryn, sex sells.” At aged 70, I was quite impressed.

 LOL!  My 86 year old mum asked me why I couldn't have written '50 Shades' - you've got to love them!

QUICK FIRE ROUND

Planner or Winger?

Both

Night or Morning ?

Both

Doer or procrastinator?

Both (comes with being a farmer!)

Writing/first draft or editing?

Definitely writing first draft. Can’t stand editing!

Tea or coffee?

So long as it’s decaffeinated, either.

'Bedknobs & Bachelors' can be found on Amazon for Kindle or in paperback.

You can find Kathryn on her blog ('Crystal Jigsaw'), Facebook or Twitter.

FUNKY FRIDAY with reviewer Donna Trinder

Today I welcome to my sofa for coffee, cake, chocolates and wine (yes, we like them all!) one of my oldest Twitter buddies and a very supportive reader of my books, Donna Trinder.  I've been secretly jealous of Donna for a LONG time - she has her own reading and writing shed - she is one lucky lady!

So Donna, as an avid reader and reviewer, I know you are currently working on your first novel.  Can you tell us a bit about it and how it's going?

I love writing - I love it so much I have two different manuscripts on the go. One I have changed so much it is on its third incarnation, that started out as a YA, now I’m not sure it needs a label (because I’m not sure what that label would be any longer!) but it’s about a group of people, ‘watchers’, protectors of an old sector of witches. That WIP is my baby, my true love, but I’ve complicated it so much I’ve basically written everyone into tight corners and I think another overhaul is needed. That’s when I get bogged down and pick up my chick-lit WIP. All about a posh ex-boarding school girl out for revenge on the tormentors that made her life miserable and learns a lot about her life on the way. I feel that one will be finished way before the first!

I have to say, as the creator of Mummy Misfit, I love the sound of the posh girl chicklit!  Can you tell us how you sweeten the pill if you hate a book that you are reviewing?

Gah - that’s the worst! I give it as long as I possibly can, sometimes that will mean finishing it (to see if it gets better, and sometimes it can pay off!) and sometimes it means the second or third chapter and I can realise it really is not for me.

If I have to admit defeat I would always contact the author/PR and just explain that I can’t go any further, but be polite and just explain *kindly* why. It normally falls down to either far too much bad language/content or the genre.

How do you think you'll cope IF you get a bad review for your debut novel - sulker or shrugger?

I’m very conscious that some reviewers on Amazon clearly don’t know what they’re doing! I’ve read awful 1* reviews that stated delivery was slow, or the book wasn’t their genre (why buy it???), so those kind of reviews would undoubtedly irk me but it would be water off a duck’s back - but real readers that disliked it, well, I think I would be devastated! I don’t think I’d sulk but I’m sure I would feel quite crestfallen! As long as there was enough good to outweigh the bad I’m sure I’d cope!

Dream time. Ultimate dinner party? You can have anyone dead or alive there - who would you have and why?

This is a subject my husband and I often talk about, mainly on long journeys - it passes the time!

Right, firstly it would have to be David Beckham. As well as being incomprehensibly gorgeous, I think he would just be a kind and interesting person to talk to. I’d have to make sure there were adequate napkins to contain the drool. There would be no plus one extended there...

Sarah Millican would be a definite! She makes me laugh like no other and I also think she’s a really lovely person. We could watch cute cat videos on YouTube and probably talk about cake.

JK Rowling. I need to interrogate her on why, oh why, did she have to kill Sirius Black. Also, Remus and Tonks ... they didn’t need to die. That was a travesty.

My old English teacher and Senior Girls Mistress back in the days of my grammar school life, Mrs Valerie Dobbs. The woman was a legend in the true sense of the word, anyone who went to my school throughout The Dobbs Years has some kind of story to tell about her, not all of them positive, but still ... I read that she had passed away last year and I felt so upset. She helped me through an extremely difficult time when I lost my father at thirteen and she really was the most inspirational and knowledgeable woman I could imagine. I’d love to see her now and have to opportunity for her to look over my work!

I think lastly I would have to invite The Great British Bake Off team of Hollywood and Berry (under no circumstances must Mel and Sue tag along - they annoy me immensely). My husband, who of course needs no invitation, would love to chat to Paul Hollywood - also Mary Berry I would imagine - and I think myself and Millican would also be keen to talk cake and baked goods with them.

Killing two birds with one stone it would also be pudding sorted!

Big Brother have invited you on their new show (humour me, it involves books, readers, writers etc) Would you accept?

My gut instinct was unequivocally NO. But thinking about it, if it was just sitting round reading and writing with my favourite authors and other readers it might not be so terrible. If all the tasks were writing and book related and there was unlimited food. And cake, lots and lots of cake. Also probably family visits and wi-fi. Although I think I might be mistaking the Big Brother house for a writing retreat?

You almost made Big Brother sound like somewhere I'd like to go!  OK, if someone offered you big money to write their plot for them, could you do it?

Integrity aside, I honestly don’t know. My purse is feeling abused and delicate today as after the very expensive school uniform shop was completed (or so I thought) Junior decided to ambush me for more football boots, shin pads and all manner of different sports accessories. So on days like today, and if the price was right, I might possibly just say yes. After all, principles don’t keep the roof over your head and your children in school!

No, Donna they don't - and don't I know it?!

QUICK FIRE ROUND

Planner or Winger?

Without doubt, Winger.

Night or Morning?

Morning.

Doer or procrastinator?

Procrastinator. I’m world class.

Writing/first draft or editing?

Editing. Love it.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee.

Thanks for joining me, Donna.  It's been great to chat ... and eat ... and drink.  So glad that your husband made all those yummy cakes for us.

You can find out more about Donna by reading her blog or viewing her Facebook / Twitter pages

* * * NEWSFLASH * * *

My latest full length novel 'TABBY & KAT'  is doing well sales-wise and I'd like to thank you all for your support.  Please don't forget to leave reviews on Amazon if you've enjoyed it.  Tonight I'll be wetting my new baby's head.  I raise my glass to you all - I couldn't do it without you.

Last week I had a sexy footballer on my sofa - check out the interview with Shane Henderson from Jamie Dougan's 'Offside!' here.

My FIRST EVER Twitter/Indie buddy celebrated joining Harper Impulse and I am SO proud of her.  You can buy her Christmas novella here.

I hope to write a Christmas blog post before the big day but time is running away with me.  In case I don't have a chance, I wish you all a peaceful and happy festive break and hope the fat guy brings you all you wish for.

FUNKY FRIDAY - with the Fabulous Book Fiend

It's FUNKY FRIDAY  again and this week I welcome Catriona Merryweather from The Fabulous Book Fiend.  We settled for a gossip in our PJ's with cake and coffee and this is what she had to say.

What made you decide to start a book review blog?

I started chatting to Mary From The Sweet Bookshelf a while ago and she had an abundance of books to review. I offered to help & she ended up giving me a regular review spot on her blog. Through that I went to a few bloggers' events and met Amanda from One More Page and Kerry from Readand Repeat. All three of them encouraged me to start my own blog and so in March I eventually bit the bullet and went at it on my own. They've all been really helpful in getting it set up and making it much easier to get into the hang of posting...

What type of book keeps you turning the pages and up all night?

I'm a big chicklit fan and so if I'm really into a chicklit novel and I'm past 70% there is NO WAY I'm going to sleep. I just love reading about people like me. The more drama and romantic mishaps the better! Lisa Jewell's most recent book had so much drama I couldn't put it down from start to finish!

As an avid reader and reviewer, would you ever put pen to paper yourself?

I would love to write my own stuff I just genuinely don't have the time. When work is busy I only really get reading time at the weekend and I've barely had my television on all summer! If someone handed me some secret extra time that's definitely what I'd do though!

What type of books make you want to chuck them at the wall?

I'm not a fan of crime and mystery and struggle with anything set in other worlds or futuristic lands. I'm a lazy reader in that I like to read about people like me in times and settings I can visualise. Crime and mystery is just too complicated for bedtime reading!

How do you tactfully say you hated a book?  Or do you say it as it is?

I adopt the parents' evening approach. If there's something I don't like I say so, BUT I find something positive to talk about. Quite often too, I can see things other people might like in a book so I try and draw attention to those to. I had to write a review of a book I didn't like recently and I stated that it wasn't my cup of tea.  I would never write that I enjoyed a book when I didn't.

Is there one book you could read over and over again?

Bridget Jones's Diary is the book that kind of introduced me to women's fiction when I was a teenager so I have massively fond memories of that and would love to read that over and over. I could easily read anything by Rowan Coleman, Miranda Dickinson, Milly Johnson, Sophie Kinsella or Lindsey Kelk again and again though-their books just feel amazing to read!

Here is the link to my blog.

My Twitter is @shoefiend1984

Thanks so much for joining me, Catriona.  Us writers need readers like you and we thank you for all you do.

Next week, I welcome writer Neil Doran.

FUNKY FRIDAY with Carol Wright from Dizzy C's Little Book Blog

Happy FUNKY FRIDAY to you all - today I'm delighted to welcome an avid reader, reviewer and huge supporter of writers, Carol Wright:

We settled with coffee and a huge cake and had a chat.

Carol, what made you decide to start a book review blog? 

I was looking for book suggestions to read and came across a book blog. I didn't even know what a blog was until that moment. I started following a few and decided I too wanted to share my love of books with others. So began the "little" book blog.  I thought it would just be reviews and a bit of family news.

What type of book keeps you turning the pages and up all night? 

Funny novels, like your novels Amanda, (ooh, I didn't even pay her to say that!) and well researched and written historical fiction/romance.  I like a book that homes in on my kind of humour and can make me laugh out loud.  I also like a book that can transport me back in time and teach me more about history.

As an avid reader and reviewer, would you ever put pen to paper yourself? 

I would love to write my own novel. Historical romance or chicklit.  I am a big history fan and would love to spend days, weeks, months researching for an historical novel.  I have ideas for stories.  My chicklit would be chicklit 40+, but if I draw on my own experiences it may be too much like those true life weepies LOL!

What type of books make you want to chuck them at the wall? 

Celebrity books of any kind, autobiographies, biographies, ghost written novels.

I couldn't agree more - I'm sick to the teeth of every Tom, Dick and Harry 'writing' a book and nailing a publishing deal just because of who they are.  Where do they end up?  In the bargain bucket, where they belong!  Bitter?  Me?  Yep!

So how do you tactfully say you hated a book?  Or do you say it as it is? 

If I don't like a book, I won't review it online anywhere. I don't believe in picking holes in an author's work. It may appeal to other folks. If it was a book sent to me for review I will let the author or publisher know why I didn't personally like it.

That's the sort of reviewer us writers love!  Our books are our babies, try to treat us and them kindly - and as you say, it may not be the book for you but plenty of others may love it.

It's been great to have a reader/reviewer on the blog today - check Carol out on Twitter @DizzyCLBB and on her FaceBook page.  Why not also check out her blog and take a look at the books she's read and what she thinks of them?

Next week I welcome my good friend and fellow Indie MICHELLE BETHAM and we have quite a giggle together as we nip off to fantasy land! 

***** NEWSFLASH ***** 

I'm about to start on the joint edit of my Christmas novella which is due for release at the end of October.  I'm also completing re-writes for my next full length novel which will hit the virtual shelves mid-December. 

MICHELLE BETHAM is on her final read-through of 'Extra Time', the sequel to 'Striker', and it should be available to download any time soon.

GILLI ALLAN has released her latest novel 'FLY OR FALL': “Will the allure of the unknown ever overcome the fear of stepping away from solid ground?”  Now on Kindle at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.  Check out her author page to find out more about her other books.  Gilli will be chatting with me here at FUNKY FRIDAY 28th March.

Facing the Critics

I learnt in the week that there are some writers who never read their reviews.  I find that really odd!

Now I can see that if you avoid looking at them, you never get upset by the people who don't like your offerings but then you'd never get to see the praise from those who do, would you?

As a writer, I love to know that someone has enjoyed one of my books or that I've made them laugh or cry - it makes my job worthwhile and never fails to bring a smile to my face.  I'm fortunate enough to only have received a handful of bad reviews (so far - touch wood and all that malarkey!) and I have to admit they hurt for a little while but then I go on to remind myself that they are in the minority and you can't please everyone.

A couple of my funniest have been from someone who insists on buying all of my books and then slating them - why?  Give up on me! I'm clearly not writing the stuff that you want, so move on.  To call the characters in 'Stilettos and Stubble' bizarre, is just ... well, bizarre!  It's set in a drag club!  Would you have preferred nuns?!

Then we had the only ever 1* review for 'Diary of a Mummy Misfit', stating:

Plastic dummy
Sorry, I found this lady empty and rather sad, could not get into the story, I just wanted to redirect the girl into more important things! 

Erm ... it's chicklit!  It's about a mother at a school, finding her feet and making friends and enemies along the way.  Had I wanted to write about Mother Theresa and a pitiful orphanage or saving the rainforests, I would have done!

But enough about my reviews, I also spend a lot of time reading other authors' reviews too - it's part of the job and helps me to see what chicklit readers like and dislike. I can assure you, there are some truly nasty people out there.  Let me share some of my findings with you (without revealing the authors' or reviewers' names)

*  there are a good number of readers who will download a book when it's free - knowing full well that it's not their usual genre - and then give it a 1* review because it's 'chicklit'.  Rude!  Very, very rude!

* Then we have the ones who loathe a book so much they have to give the whole plot away to spoil it for any future readers.  Amazon insist that no spoilers are given but they will turn a blind eye and ignore anyone who complains to them.  I once spent many hours on the phone and writing emails to try to get a friend's spoiler review removed  - to no avail.

* An odd category here - the readers who purchase a book and then give it 1* saying, 'Haven't had time to read but I'm sure I will enjoy this book.'  What the?  With one fleeting sentence, you've brought a writer's ratings down because of your stupidity.

* People will also get on their high horse about prices of celebrity books.  I've seen many 1* reviews for books that were 'Far too pricey to buy. Not lining their pockets!'  OK, I agree celebs are flooding the market with overpriced tat but it's the publishers who set the price and to leave a review based on that is just wrong.

* I once saw a review for a book that had obviously been purchased second hand on Amazon and the buyer gave the author a 1* because the book 'was bent and smelly'!  Had I been that author I would have had to leave a comment or at least found where the person lived and slapped them with a frozen lettuce.

* There is one charming young lady on Amazon who only EVER leaves 1* reviews.  Clearly the right book has never been written for her!  Frustrated writer, maybe?

* Many readers will happily download free or affordable Indie works and then write review after review about how much the book needed a 'good editor'.  Do they ever stop and think why they're getting a bargain read?  Indies have to price their books to sell - we are swimming in a sea of anonymity and we need to do everything in our power to get our books flying from the virtual shelves.  That means a realistic price which doesn't allow for the luxury of a professional editor.  Capish?  Yes, mistakes can slip through but nobody's perfect - not even the top publishing houses.

So there you go, my thoughts and findings on reviews and reviewers.  If you're an avid reader and have loved a book, do you leave glowing reviews?  If you've read a book that you hate, do you just keep quiet? (like me! - I hate to diss somebody's baby)

Next time you read a book that you love, leave a few lines at Amazon.  It makes us writers smile and as I always say, 'Your words help to sell mine.'

Merry Christmas One and All!

It's my final blog before Christmas and time for an end of year round up. So what have the past twelve months taught me on my journey as a struggling Indie author?

Hmm, really quite a lot . . .

1. Success is slow, but patience helps.  Eighteen months into my adventure, I’ve sold more books than I expected to but it seemed to take an eternity.

2.     Things can change from one day to the next, one hour to the next.  I never stay down for too long now, it’s not worth it - and the positives far outweigh the negatives.

3.      Not everyone likes my books - I can’t expect them to.  I don’t like Stephen King’s books, they're not my thing - but then I wouldn’t read one and then leave a negative review!

4.      My readers are lovely, loyal people.  Their reviews make me cry and their support is priceless.

5.      Doing free promotions on two of my books was the best move ever.  It raised my Amazon profile and then SOLD heaps of my other books.  I don’t know why I left it so long before doing it. Probably because I imagined people saying, ‘Huh!  She has to give her books away ‘cos she can’t sell them!’  But people aren’t that nasty, are they?!

6.      Fellow Indies are a huge help to one another.  We may be in competition but we still support and care for each other.  A quick rant in an email or on the phone and Michelle Betham and I often feel heaps better.  It’s been a good year for both of us but we’ve had our niggles and our down days - it’s good to know that someone knows exactly how you’re feeling.  You can buy Michelle’s books here.

7.      Editing is a curse!  Typos are sneaky little buggers and will always get the better of you.  Both ‘Stilettos & Stubble’ and ‘Christmas Deliverance’ were read endless times by three people before they went to publication and still there were a few mistakes.  Twitter friends kindly and sensitively pointed them out and both books have now been amended but I admit to throwing a few toys out of the pram when we found them.  It does annoy me though when I read other Indie writers’ reviews and people say things such as ‘You can see they’re an Indie writer.  Typos!’  Well, I’ve just ditched a book by a well known writer with a big publishing house because she changed the name of a character from one paragraph to the next, so it’s not just us Indies who do it.

8.      Everything takes longer than expected.  I’m waiting on two quite exciting developments to finally fall into place but nothing ever goes at the speed I want it to.  I’ve now decided not to pass any exciting news on in the initial stages because I look like a fabricator while I’m waiting for it to materialise.  So do keep watching this space!

So that’s my lessons for the year.  I’m sure next year will teach me a lot more but I’m prepared for the journey and ready to hit the ground running in 2013.  Book Six is on its way.

I’ve also been tagged with these questions by my Twitter friend Ness @baggiesbabe69 - you can read her answers here.

Q1. What’s your favourite thing about Christmas?

I’d have to say the excitement of knowing that I’ve got the right presents for the people I love.  The thought of that perfect gift hiding in my wardrobe is just the best.

Q2. What’s your favourite make up look for the festive season?

For evenings and parties I like to go for a slightly smoky look with paler lips.  I sometimes attempt false eyelashes (the more subtle variety) but I get bad tempered and end up thinking they don’t look much different to when I put on an extra coat of mascara!

Q3. Real or fake tree?

Very good fakes inside (one up and one downstairs) and a real one outside that I grew from a baby.

Q4. Giving presents or receiving them?

Definitely giving.  Although of course I’m more than happy to receive!

Q5. Do you open your presents Christmas morning or evening?

Hubbie and I have our stockings on Christmas Eve and then we all have our presents on Christmas morning after our son has had his stocking.

Q6. Handmade Christmas cards or bought?

We made our own cards, complete with festive pictures of our son, for the first ten years of his life.  He was dressed as a shepherd, a snowman, Father Christmas and one year we turned him into a Christmas tree by wrapping him in green felt and fairy lights!  We even plugged them in - wicked parents!  Now I’m afraid that all cards - except husband’s, son’s and Mum’s - are shop bought.

Q8. What’s your favourite Christmas food?

Chocolate of course!  I also love sprouts so I figure that balances it out.  In the good old days of yummy meat juices, it used to be turkey dripping on toast but meats don’t seem to produce the same fats any more.

Thanks for tagging me, Ness.  It was good to end on a festive theme.

I wish all my readers a happy and peaceful Christmas and don’t forget, if you get a new Kindle from Santa, my books can be found here.