FUNKY FRIDAY - with author Jamie T Dougan

This week I welcome a Twitter buddy who I regularly meet in my kitchen for a cider/wine,  cake and a gossip.  (For kitchen, read DM box on Twitter! )

Jamie, put the cider down and describe yourself as a writer in five words.

Novice, learning, descriptive, uncertain, sentimental.

You've been invited on Big Brother - Writers Special!  Do you accept?

Hmm, I think I'd wait and see who else was going in the house first ... and then pass LOL!

It's your dream week as a writer - anything is possible!  Tell us what happens.

I get the week off the day job. My wife and kids go away on holiday for a week and my internet fails. Leaving me no option to write without those distractions. And at the end of the week, one of my books hits No1 on Amazon and I can say na,na, nee nah nah to those out there that have doubted me.

What's the best and worst thing about writing, for you.

The best thing is that writing is my escape from reality and I can live the dreams I didn't achieve through my characters and in the stories I create. Especially with my latest release 'Offside!'. None of the characters in that are based on anyone from real life but in Shane Henderson, the main character, I get to be the footballer I didn't get the chance to be when I was a kid.

The worst thing is selling. Trying to get your book noticed by the right market is hard work and I find it a big struggle.

If you had to take one book to a desert island, which would it be and why?

HG Wells War of the Worlds. I've read this countless times since first reading it at school. I'm a sci-fi nerd in some ways.

If you were offered a squillion pounds to never write again, would you take it?

Nope! Money to me is a necessary evil. The world would be a far better place if we aimed to better ourselves through knowledge rather than financial gain.

QUICK FIRE ROUND

Planner or Winger?

Winger. There was no synopsis for Offside! and the synopsis for the next in the series has already been binned.

Night or Morning?

I'm a nighthawk. I write at night when the routine of everyday life is done.

Doer or procrastinator?

A bit of both but it really depends on my mood and what kind of day I've had when it comes to my "writing time".

Writing/first draft or editing?

Editing. I seem to write the story better when I'm editing it.

Tea or coffee?

Coffee ... two and a coo please. You'll figure that out LOL! 

Hmmm ... still working on that one.  Get back to your cider, Jamie and pass the shortbread 'cos you're hogging it.

You can follow Jamie on Twitter, Facebook or at his Blog.

His latest release 'Offside!' can be found, along with his other books, on Amazon.

On the Sofa with Shane Henderson

On my sofa today is footballer Shane Henderson. Shane has just recently returned to his boyhood heroes, Milton Keynes Rangers after a few years away, playing with local rivals Daventry United.  You can read his story in Jamie Tucker Dougan's novella 'Offside!'

So, Shane, your friendship with Mia, your new boss, is very close. Have you ever considered taking it to another level and do you think she has? 

[*Turns red and shuffles on the nervously on the sofa*] I better watch what I’m saying here… Yes, I have… and I know she has too. But our lives took different paths and other than that one special time we shared, we’ve been happy being very close friends.

April is clearly a good looking lady - if she was an animal, what would she be? What would you be?

She would be a fox, sexy but equally sneaky. I guess I would be a dog. A good friend and mostly loyal.

What would a favourite night out be for you and April?

Well that's a bit hard to answer. We have different ideas of a good night out. April likes the party atmosphere and being the centre of attention in a crowd, so nightclubbing would be her favourite night out. I tend to shun the spotlight and media attention that follows Premiership footballers. A quiet night away at a country hotel and a nice meal suits me more.

You grew up very close to Mia's family - do you think that would have been the case if you'd been closer to your own?

The Rodrigues family are a lovely family. I think they’d welcome anyone. But I was like the son they never had I think. If I’d been closer to my own family, then things might have been different. I don’t think the age gap between Lewis and I helped the relationship we had. But we’re making up for that now.

When you hang your footballer's boots up, what will we see Shane doing next?

I think I’ll definitely stay in the world of football. Maybe management, I quite fancy being the Boss of MKR one day.

Would you appear in 'Big Brother' or 'I'm a Celebrity'? 

Definitely not ‘Big Brother’, I couldn’t cope being penned in with a load of attention seeking divas. I get enough of that with April!
I’d love to do ‘I’m a Celebrity’. Creepy crawlies don’t bother me and I’d be up for any Bush Tucker Trial.

Is it hard to abstain from fleshly delights before a match and have you ever ignored the rules and regretted it? Does it really make a difference? 

Ah, are you asking if I’ve broken the pre-match sex ban that some managers impose? Well, that would be yes. All I’ll say is that if you’re fit enough, then it makes no difference.

Talking of fit, what are your thoughts on David Beckham and would you like the fame and fortune that football has brought him or are you just in it for the love? 

David Beckham is a great ambassador for the game and for sport in general. He’s good role model for youngster starting out in the game too. As for his fame and fortune, well I’ll pass on the fame. I play football for the love of the game, nothing else. The fortune, well I’m a Premiership footballer. I have all the fortune I’ll ever need.

Thanks for joining me Shane - an afternoon on the sofa with a sexy footballer was just what the doctor ordered.

You can follow Shane's creator on Twitter @JamieTDougan
Read his blog here and buy his other books here

Getting Steamy With Michelle Betham

Today I welcome to the blog my good friend and fellow Indie writer, Michelle Betham. To quote from Michelle's blog:

"I write books for the beach - pure escapism, total fantasy; mainly sexy, but sometimes humorous, contemporary romance. And sometimes with more than a nod to my northern English roots."

Her latest novel is the first in the 'Striker' trilogy where the world of football is combined with glamour, romance and saucy sex!  Let's get comfy with Michelle and find out a little more about what makes her tick.

  

You tend to write novels on the steamy side.  Do you ever get days where you can write other scenes but the sex just isn't happening?  A 'headache day'!?

Yes! Definitely! In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m having one such day!

I know your husband is very supportive of your writing and helps with all the technical stuff but has he read any of your work and, if so, what does he think?

To my knowledge I don’t think he has read any of my work, even though he has copies of all my books on his computer, so if he wanted to he could read them without me actually knowing. They’re not really his kind of thing, though, which makes me slightly relieved in a way! He does, however, recommend me to his customers. Which is nice.

Where do you see yourself (in your dreams!) in five years time?

I’d like to see me still writing, still enjoying it, and still with lots more ideas and stories left to tell. In my dreams, I’d like to see me on the sofa opposite Lorraine Kelly telling everybody about my latest bestseller that’s just about to be made into a movie… starring Bradley Cooper…  Well, you did say “in your dreams…”

As your Striker trilogy is football related, have you ever had the desire to be a WAG?

God, no! I’d be the world’s worst WAG! I’m useless at shopping, have no desire to have a massive chandelier hanging from my hallway, and I can’t even walk in a pair of heels so I’ve failed before I’ve even begun! I’ll take the extraordinary amount of holidays they seem to go on, though…

I know I’m generalising a bit there, and I’m sure not all WAGs are quite so stereotypical as the high-profile ones we’re used to seeing, but watching ‘Footballers Wives’ really did put me off ever wanting to be one, believe me. I could never marry a footballer. Mind you, I did have a bit of a crush on Gary Lineker when he played for Everton back in the 80s, so I suppose if he’d asked me then I’d have been quite happy to be his WAG. Maybe… not so sure now…

I'm coming to your house for dinner and a gossip.  What will you cook me? 

Oh, now, let me see… I’d probably cook you something like salmon with garlic, chilli and ginger, some noodles and vegetables on the side, and a nice bottle (or two!) of something white and sparkling. I’m no Nigel Slater (I’m far prettier than he is, but his kitchen's nicer than mine!) but I think I could knock up a pretty decent dinner for us. But, if it all went wrong, and I have been known to have disasters in the kitchen, the Chinese take-away down the road is very good.

Money is no object.  What's your ideal day/night out?

Ooh, this is actually quite a hard one. I’ll have to think about this… I know! If money was no object I would love to fly over to Ibiza, hit the old town for the morning, and check out the shops and the market. Then it would be lunch by the beach and an afternoon lying by a poolside somewhere before pre-dinner drinks at Café del Mar watching the sun go down over the Mediterranean – that in particular is something I’ve always wanted to do. It would be the perfect end to a chilled-out day. I’d have to give clubbing a miss, though. Getting way too old for all that!

Tell me a really embarrassing story - one that makes you cringe to this day!

Falling on Simon le Bon. It was back in the early 80s when I was a teenage Duran Duran fan with a massive crush on Mr. le Bon, so when we heard he was coming to the North East for the opening of band mate Andy Taylor’s bar ‘Rios’ in Whitley Bay, we were there! I was front of the barriers (I was a very determined fan!) but when he and the other band members who’d turned up were walking up to the bar’s entrance I was pushed forward and just happened to fall on him, grabbing a handful of his hair in the process! He was very nice about it, and I got a lovely smile from him, but at the time I was mortified! I could have thought of much better ways to get me hands on my-then idol… Every time I see him now I still remember that night, and cringe just a little bit.

If you weren't a writer, what would your dream job be?

An actress. No doubt about it. It’s something I have always wanted to be, but never had the nerve to do. Even when I was on my Performing Arts course I chose to concentrate on working behind the scenes rather than out there on the stage or in front of the cameras because I’m just so shy! Believe it or not… 

Thanks for popping by, Michelle.  It's always good to chat to you - although on the phone we do tend to go on a bit!

'Striker' - Amazon link.

'Striker' - Kobo link.

 

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