Tag: novel Page 9 of 17

I’m delighted to welcome Julie Archer to my blog today. Julie, who I had the good fortune to meet earlier this year (see below), has just released her first novel, and is hot on the heels of the second…

Hi Jenny! Thanks for having me over at your place.

I’m writing this blog post having just arrived at Stickwick Manor for a six-day retreat to recover from all the excitement of self-publishing my first novel. And to make a start on Book 2!

It was just over two years ago (ironically on the day I published the eBook) that I received an email from Urban Writers’ Retreat to say that I had been accepted on the Six Month Novel Programme. I remember doing a happy dance around my kitchen as I realised that someone thought I had a good story to tell.

The Six Month Novel Programme is something to help writers get to the end of that first draft, with the support of fellow writers. There is structure, accountability and cheerleading. And a place for you to vent about how things are going – good and bad. The Writer’s Playground was a massively important part of my writing journey and without it, I don’t think I would ever have finished Cocktails, Rock Tales & Betrayals. I have made some fantastic virtual and real friends here, all of whom have helped me along the way.

paperback

I wrote “The End” on the first draft in early March 2015. Then life got in the way. And I half-heartedly edited the manuscript a few times, shoved it in a cupboard, forgot about it, dusted it off, got a few people to beta read it, sent off a few agent submissions and generally didn’t love it.

Then I went to a World Book Night Event in Stoke Fleming, near Dartmouth where I live, in April this year.

The guest speaker was Lesley Pearce, who regaled us with tales of her writing journey – and penchant for Sean Bean. Other speakers included Tony Porter, Jane Gill, Mel Menzies and Steve Stevenson-Olds. Oh, and a lovely lady called Jenny Kane (on that day anyway!).

Hearing these authors talk about how they had got their works published, either traditionally or through the self-publishing route, really made me think. And it made me want to be standing up on that side of the table at World Book Night 2017 telling my own story!

Having already submitted to a few agents and received stock replies of ‘thanks, but no thanks’ and ‘keep writing’, I considered the self-publishing route. Not knowing what this might entail, I explored the possibilities out there and looked at “assisted self-publishing” versus “pure self-publishing”.

I went to Tiverton Literary Festival in June (Jenny may have mentioned it at World Book Night!) and attended a self-publishing workshop by Marissa Farrar. Although I hadn’t come across her work before, she has self-published a huge number of novels in different genres. And made the process work!

I also met Carrie Elks at a Stickwick retreat. As another self-published author she was also able to give me more invaluable advice on how to do things properly, what to focus on and where to start with things like a marketing plan and social media.

After listening to both of these inspiring ladies (and taking copious notes!), I was more determined than ever to get the book out there myself. I was in a fortunate position of being able to have the time and funds available to dedicate to the editing, cover design and marketing processes.

So I did it! I wrestled with Createspace, Kindle Direct Publishing and Draft2Digital and won!

What’s next? Book 2 of course! And along with my fellow chums in the Writer’s Playground, we are publishing an anthology of stories called ‘Off Track’. It will be available in mid-November in both eBook and print formats. All proceeds are going to charity, so it would be great if you could pick up a copy.

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000031_00003]

Here’s a short extract from Cocktails, Rock Tales & Betrayals…

“She couldn’t stop thinking about Nate, how they had talked and talked. And connected. Had things been different, she would certainly have left him her number.

With a sigh, she put on her headphones and pulled a copy of Roccia from her bag and idly began flicking through the pages to pass the time. A short article in the news section about North Ridge caught her eye. She took a large sip of wine a read on, always interested to read about new local talent.

Recently signed to Numb Records, Alik Thorne and the rest of the Blood Stone Riot boys play their last gig at The Vegas in North Ridge next week before decamping to record their as yet untitled four-track EP at the renowned Newcomen Farm studios.

Set for release in the next few months, the band are also to film their first video to accompany the title track, “Bleed Like Cyanide,” in addition to playing a number of low-key showcase gigs in preparation for their debut appearance at the Wilde Park Festival.

Caro almost spat out her wine in shock as she re-read the article and studied the picture that accompanied it more closely. There was a black and white photograph of a singer, caught by the camera snarling into the microphone. He was wildly attractive, with chiselled cheekbones, eyes flashing with passion, and bare-chested, showing an array of tattoos and a nipple ring.

She knew she had seen him before.

Knew that she had recognised his voice from somewhere.

In the magazine shot, he was clean-shaven and his hair was shorter, and he wasn’t wearing glasses; looking totally different to the man she had left in bed that morning. But she certainly recognised the tattoos, having spent time up close and personal with them.

With him.

He had lied.

His name wasn’t Nate.

Suddenly Caro was acutely aware of the fact that she had just slept with one of the hottest new properties in rock music…

***

You can buy Cocktails, Rock Tales & Betrayals through the following platforms. Or you can pop into the Dartmouth Bookseller on Foss Street in Dartmouth and get one in person!

EBook available from Amazon, iBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, Scribd.

Paperback available from Amazon or a special signed copy and merch pack from my website.

Bio

I grew up in Hampshire and lived in Reading before moving to the beautiful riverside town of Dartmouth in Devon. I still feel like I’m on holiday.  I trained as a journalist, then went into teaching (kept meeting the sixth form students in the pub, awkward!). After that I ‘fell’ into recruitment, spending more years there than I care to mention, where the most creative thing I did was to create a sexy top line for job adverts! Since moving to Devon, I set up my own business offering virtual administration and recruitment services, worked for an accommodation company and am currently moonlighting in the local bookshop…  Also, COYS, Cats, Metal. Underneath this preppy exterior beats the heart of a rock chick.

Website: www.juliearcherwrites.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/juliearcherwrites

Twitter: @julieoceanuk

***

Thanks for a great blog Julie. Good luck with your first book!

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Guest Blog from Kristen Bailey: Souper Mum

By Jenny Kane

On September 20, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

I’m delighted to welcome fellow Accent Press author, Kristen Bailey, to my blog today to talkie foodie-ness…

Over to you Kristen…

Given my novel, Souper Mum, runs with a foodie theme, I was recently asked by a magazine about whether I have a ‘food ethos.’ I wasn’t really sure how to answer as I’m not sure I fit into any specific foodie category. I was vegetarian for a week back in my teens until I realised I quite liked bacon. And steak. I went through a university phase of only eating pasta with stir-in sauces, and pregnant phases of only eating anything salt and vinegar flavoured. But since then, I’d say I’m your classic omnivore. A bit of everything in moderation, right? (She says, eating her fifty-fifth Malted Milk of the day).

As a household with four little people, we eat organic (if it’s on offer) and I’ll admit we eat all those bad things that people tell us to avoid: the gluten, the sugar, the chicken nuggets and the E-numbers. But we like berries and nuts and healthier shit too. My youngest once ate five clementines in a row at Christmas. I won’t talk about the resulting nappies. We preach variety. The little ones don’t mind a bit of sushi but also like an oven chip. I am pretty sure my kids could correctly identify broccoli in a vegetable line-up. Hell, sometimes they may even eat it too. I have my limits in what I’ll bring into my house: I draw the line at complete cooked breakfasts in a tin, ham shaped like a bear’s face and rocket. I’m sorry, we are iceberg people. One food issue divides this household and that is mushrooms. I think they’re great. They make my husband break into a cold sweat and if he sees me eating them, he questions the very foundations of our relationship. Of course, everything is also counterbalanced against my cooking skills and the wildly varying tastes of the littlies – one of whom recently decided he doesn’t like cheese (Seriously? Are we related?) So, is that an ethos? I’d like to see Channel 4 do a cookbook that links that altogether if possible.

9781786150981_fc

It’s not an ethos shared by all. You usually find this out on play dates when a parent gives you a strange look for suggesting we ‘just grab some Happy Meals,’ or at children’s parties where you’re stared down for offering around Haribo. I know it’s an ethos not shared by half the chefs on my televisions these days either. Remember when cooking shows used to be Delia cooking in her conservatory? She’d turn out a lovely looking Victoria sponge, resplendent in a thick layer of cream, scarlet jam and a dusting of icing sugar. She was kindly and polite. Well now TV chefs use newfangled ingredients like coconut oil, agave and pomegranates. They leap around their kitchens and tell me I can’t put sugar or flour or dairy in my cakes: three foods that possibly keep me alive and sane. These chefs seem to have crossed a line into my living room too. I’ll be sitting there eating my family bag of Maltesers and they’ll point their fingers and judge me. They tell me what I’m eating isn’t good enough. Bring back Delia, I say.

So I wrote Souper Mum in the hope that there were other people out there like me who had a similar approach to food. Jools Campbell is my Souper Mum: a mum-of-four who likes a fish finger sandwich (all similarities to me are not coincidental at all…) and she gets in about 3.5 a day. Jools’ story is one of food but also motherhood and celebrity. In a world of pedant chefs and food fads, Jools tells you it’s OK to step back from the kale (it tastes bitter and gets stuck in your teeth anyway…) and opt for the food ethos that makes you ruddy happy, or at least still involves whole packets of economy biscuits…..

***

Souper Mum is the story of Jools Campbell, a stay-at-home mother of four, who becomes an unlikely foodie hero when she stands up to a pompous celebrity chef, Tommy McCoy on a reality show. Armed with fish fingers and a severely limited cooking repertoire, we watch as she becomes a reluctant celebrity and learns some important life lessons about love, family and the joyless merits of quinoa.

To buy Souper Mum, click on this link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Souper-Mum-Kristen-Bailey/dp/1786150689/

BIO

Mother-of-four, gin-drinker, binge-watcher, receipt hoarder, hapless dog owner, enthusiastic but terrible cook. Kristen lives in Fleet, Hampshire and has had short fiction published in several publications. The sequel Second Helpings will be published in November.

She also writes a blog about being a modern mother. That and more can be found at her website: www.kristenbaileywrites.com

You can also find her on:

Twitter @baileyforce6 and Facebook www.facebook.com/kristenbaileywrites

***

Many thanks Kristen for such a fab blog,

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Christmas Comes Early to Pickwicks Café

By Jenny Kane

On September 8, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, News, Romance

Don’t yell at me! I know you don’t want me to mention ‘Christmas’ in September, but I have great news about my ‘Another Cup of…‘ series seasonal specials, Another Cup of Christmas, Christmas at the Cotswolds, and Christmas at the Castle.

This winter you’ll be able to buy these 3 seasonal Pickwicks café specials in one collection – a paperback collection!! I know that some of you have been waiting to read these Christmas tales in paperback before you read the last in the series, Another Glass of Champagne – and soon you’ll have your chance!

jennykanes christmas collection

There is something very special about the Christmas season- the extra levels of hope, love and kindness the season engenders makes it the perfect time in which to set a romantic story. Writing the three seasonal novellas, that form part of the Another Cup of…series, was tremendous fun.

Another Cup of Christmas was the first sequel to the bestselling novel, Another Cup of Coffee.

Another Cup of Coffee - New cover 2015 ACOChristmas- New 2015

Another Cup of Christmas continues the tale of life at Pickwicks Coffee House in Richmond, London, and its regular customers, ex waitress Amy, writer in residence, Kit, and local bookshop owner, Jack.

Café owners Peggy and Scott and their new waitress Megan, are organising a Christmas fundraising auction for the local hospital. Rather than serving copious amounts of coffee to Kit, as she sits writing the corner of the cafe, Megan is spending most of her days emailing the hospital liaison clerk about the charity event. As the auction draws nearer, Megan becomes more and more curious about meeting Nick in person…

Christmas in the Cotswolds follows on from Another Cup of Christmas. A year has passed, and Megan is now an established face at Pickwicks. However, when an emergency call comes from her friend Izzie, Megan finds herself travelling to the beautiful Cotswold countryside. Can Megan help Izzie pull off the perfect Christmas at her Art and Craft Centre, and save the business from the clutches of disaster?

CITC- New cover 2015 Christmas at the Castle

Christmas at the Castle turns its attention to Pickwicks writer in residence, Kit Lambert. Invited to guest at her very first literary festival, Kit is suddenly thrust into the role of co-organiser. As if that wasn’t daunting enough, Kit is going to have to face the challenge without the support of her loyal family and her Pickwick friends- for the festival is to be held in the magnificent grounds of Crathes Castle, in distant Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

All three of these festive novellas can be read in isolation, or in order. And if you love reading them as much as I loved writing them, then why not finish off the series, by searching out the final tale in the series, Another Glass of Champagne.

A full length novel, Another Glass of Champagne, brings big changes for all of the Pickwicks team- especially Jack and Amy…

Another Glass Of Champagne

***

So if you’ve been waiting for the paperback version of my Christmas coffee shop tales- your chance to buy them is almost here. I’ll shut as soon as the pre-order is available!

Happy reading,

Jenny

Guest Post from Stella Hervey Birrell: Finding True Love: Ten Years On

By Jenny Kane

On September 7, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

I’m delighted to welcome Stella Hervey Birrell to my blog today. This is a wonderful post- so I suggest getting comfortable for a few minutes- preferably with cake to hand.

Over to you Stella…

Finding True Love: Ten Years on.

This September will be ten years since the day I ‘pulled myself together for my lines,’ as someone drily commented on my wedding day. Tears had fallen while Mr HB pledged himself to me for life, but no way was I missing out on my turn to speak!

It will be ten years since my husband set his face to ‘sure’ as I completely blanked him on my way down the aisle (I wrote about this on the My Reading Corner Blog here). Ten years since my husband’s daughter floated around looking like a fairy, and my husband’s son looked a bit grumpy, but it was partly because his shoes were too tight.

Ten years since I put on a golden band.

My golden band – it still fits!

Am I still in love?

Deeply so.

Well, actually … a couple of things have happened recently.

I realise it’s only now, nearly ten years later, that I am even close to moving away from that ‘smitten-early-days’ fog. Like when I noticed that my husband is really stubborn – about nine months ago. I always wondered where the kids got it from.

I don’t think that it is a coincidence that he works away sometimes. If anyone was daft enough to ask me for advice on maintaining a healthy relationship, it would be this: make sure one or both of you has a job where you have to travel. Not a lot, but a little. Each meeting becomes a rekindling, a jolt of recognition … and someone else to brush the kid’s teeth, if he hasn’t timed his arrival to just after bedtime.

It’s your turn.

We’re older. Crikey, that’s an obvious thing to say. I suppose, what is perhaps slightly more interesting, is that I am now about the age he was, when we met. For the mathematically challenged amongst you, that means he’s older than me, by quite a bit, as I’m fond of reminding him.

I’ve become healthier, and he hasn’t. But he really, really won’t want me to talk about that. We have a mutual support thing that mostly works – until I decide I want a ‘day,’ and he’s already having a ‘day,’ and I go straight into full-on huffy ‘I never get to have a day when I’m the ill one’ mode.

See, maturity has nothing to do with age.

He has four children now, and I have two biological – washing powder kids I call them – and two that went to our wedding. I’ve got a new job – two, I suppose, I’m the main mean mommy when he’s four on.

But when he’s on four off, my job is tippity tapping away, making stuff up and then writing it down.

A selection: my printed work.

Our commitment has endured, in a way I never imagined I would experience. Ten years is a long time, and becoming a ‘writer’ is a big deal. It takes a lot out of family time, and I do not take it lightly that he is only too happy to make up the shortfall.

After a lifetime of Mr Wrongs, Mr Right, who became Mr HB (his preference, and based on my pen-name) is still my chosen person. He’s still my best bet when I need to pull myself together, and pull out some lines.

My debut novel, How Many Wrongs make a Mr Right?

How Many Wrongs make a Mr Right? is available from UK Amazon US Amazon Kobo Nook iBooks

Author Links-

Stella Hervey Birrell blogs at #atinylife140 tweets at @atinylife140 and can be found on Facebook here.

***

Many thanks for such a great blog Stella (and Mr HB!)

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny x

Champagne and Writer’s Block

By Jenny Kane

On September 3, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

One of the main characters in my Another Cup of… series is a writer called Kit Lambert. When we first met Kit in Another Cup of Coffee, she was making a name for herself by writing erotica. As her career progressed Kit moved into contemporary fiction, and now she has a novel publishing contract, with all the pressures of having to produce work to tight deadlines upon her.

Another Glass Of Champagne

In the final novel of the series, Another Glass of Champagne, Kit, mum of twins, and wife to bookshop owner Phil, suddenly finds herself unable to write at all, but he can’t understand why. Surely writer’s block is something that can be easily shaken off- or is just a myth invented by those who can’t be bothered to write today…or is it?

Not even sitting at her usual table in the corner of Pickwicks Coffee House, (run by her friend Peggy) is helping the words become unstuck…

writers block

Extract

When she got back, Kit found Peggy looking thoughtful, ‘Why have you closed your work down, honey? I usually steal a read of your latest work in progress when I think you’re not looking.’ ‘I haven’t got much done today.’

Kit mumbled. ‘It’s been a mulling things over sort of a day.’ Changing the subject, she said, ‘Scott says there are some sandwiches ready for your lunch when Megan comes back through.’

‘Good, I’m starving.’

‘Are you and Megan managing alright with only two of you on the serving team? It’s already busy, but by July it’s going to be packed between eleven and two.’

‘Actually, Scott and I were talking about that over the weekend. Would your Helena fancy giving us a hand and earning some money before she heads off to university? Where is she going again?’ Flinching slightly, and hoping Peggy hadn’t noticed, Kit said, ‘She’s aiming for Bath to do Chemistry, and Thomas’s hoping to be off to Exeter. Assuming they get their grades, that is.’

‘Of course they will. What’s Thomas going to study?’

‘History.’

‘Sounds good. So, do you think Helena will want the job? It would save me a lot of bother with adverts and stuff.’

Kit nodded. She knew exactly how much time it took to go through interviews and training staff in this place, so someone who was already familiar with Pickwicks layout would be a real advantage to Peggy. ‘I’ll ask her. Helena’s bank balance could certainly do with a top-up. Goodness knows it’s time she stood on her own two feet financially.’

Megan came back into the café and Peggy got up to go and have her lunch before another influx of customers forced her to forego her only real break of the day. As an afterthought, she turned back to Kit. ‘If you’d rather your daughter wasn’t here during the day, just say. I mean, this is your office after all!’

‘I don’t mind at all. I’ll ask her this evening, assuming she comes home She seems to live at her mates’ houses these days.’

‘Making the most of seeing her friends before she heads west, I suppose.’

Peggy waved as she disappeared into the kitchen, to what Kit hoped wasn’t a tuna sandwich, before she could see the tell-tale glint of tears fighting to form at the corner of her eyes. Cross with herself for being so emotional, Kit looked at her screen. Peggy had opened a new document and typed the words You can talk to me, you know. Love Peggy xx across the top of the page.

Kit should have known that she couldn’t hide anything from Peggy. The manageress knew her habits better than anyone, having been host to them for the past decade or so. Kit didn’t even want to guess how many cups of coffee, scones, and slices of toast she’d consumed at that table in that time. Just the thought of the amount of butter she’d spread over her early morning snacks was enough to make her feel as though her hips were expanding right there on the seat.

Making her mind up to talk to Peggy soon, she picked up her mobile and sent Helena a text, telling her about the possible employment opportunity at Pickwicks. Kit wasn’t sure if she did actually want Helena around all day while she was writing. But then, she thought, I’m not exactly writing now, am I…

***

You may be thinking that Kit sounds like a real writer you’ve come across- and you’d be right. Kit and I are pretty much the same person- but with huge exaggerations into fiction of course!! For a start, I do not have twins!

However, a little while ago I did suffer a bout of writer’s block. I had been a little flippant about the condition until then- but now I know it is truly horrid. Feeling all the words backing up in your head and not being able to get them out is just awful- especially when you live for your words! I lost weeks to the confusion of not being able to compose even the simplest sentences.

If you want to discover if Kit manages to get to the root of her own word block, and see what else the Pickwick’s crew are up to, then you can buy Another Glass of Champagne from all good bookshops and eBook retailers, including-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Another+Glass+of+Champagne+Jenny+Kane

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/188-7813436-7626710?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Another+Glass+of+Champagne+Jenny+Kane

***

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Interview with Carol Cooper: Hampstead Fever

By Jenny Kane

On August 30, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Interview, Romance

It’s interview time again, and today I’m pleased to have the lovely Carol Cooper dropping by for coffee and cake. Why not take five minutes to join us?

What inspired you to write your book?

I wanted to write the kind of novel that I enjoy reading myself, with a diverse cast of characters, each one complex and flawed, with problems and dreams that people can identify with. Chef Dan, for instance, is on the up, with a new job in a trendy Hampstead bistro. But his partner Laure is wrapped up in their young son and has no time for him. You can tell that’ll lead to trouble.

Do you model any of your characters on people you know? If so, do these people see themselves in your characters?

In Hampstead Fever, as in my first novel, I’ve used my imagination to create the characters. But I’ve been inspired by real people, including the patients I look after in my other life as a doctor. I’d be lying if I said anything else. Writers can’t help being influenced by what’s around them, just like everyone one. It was a lightbulb moment when I learned that everything you ever see, hear, or experience creates new connections between brain cells. Basically, daily life subtly changes the anatomy of your brain. The only characters who are modelled on real people are Laure’s aunts, who are like my own great-aunts, two wonderful individuals who seemed to be crying out to be put in a book. They’re no longer with us, so they can’t read my book.

What type of research did you have to do for your book?

I used the internet to look up details like bus routes to make sure characters are going home in the right direction, and I’ve checked which songs hit the charts when. That’s important for Sanjay, who loves music. I also hung around Hampstead village a lot, which is no hardship because I live nearby and it’s a lovely area. There’s a lot I didn’t need to look up, like the medical details that appear in part of the story. That’s stuff I knew already.

Which point of view do you prefer to write in, and why?

The third person, but it‘s a deep and intimate third person. Hampstead Fever evolves from each of the six main characters’ viewpoint, and each scene takes you right into the mind and heart of that one person. I think I write multi-viewpoint fiction because for most of my working life I’ve tried getting inside other people’s heads. As a GP, every ten minutes I see someone with a new story and a different perspective.

Do you prefer to plot your story or just go with the flow?

A bit of both. I like to have the gist before I begin, but then the characters grow and take over, telling lies, jumping into bed with the wrong people, and generally getting into trouble that I hadn’t anticipated.

If you were stranded on a desert island with three other people, fictional or real, who would they be and why?

Rick Stein to supply me with fish and seafood dishes, Barack Obama for brilliant conversation, and hairdresser Nicky Clarke to make my hair look great.

Amazon link for Hampstead Fever http://mybook.to/HF

***

Carol has a Goodreads running for Hampstead Fever until 3rd Sept- check it out here-

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30284643-hampstead-fever

***

Blog http://pillsandpillowtalk.com

Twitter @DrCarolCooper

Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/onenightatthejacaranda/

There’s more about all my books on my Amazon author page https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Carol-Cooper/e/B005C2ZZ10

Carol Cooper

Bio: Carol is a journalist, author and doctor. She graduated in medicine from Cambridge University. To support her studies, she worked at supermarket checkouts, walked dogs, typed manuscripts in Russian, and made men’s trousers to measure.

After a string of non-fiction books, including an award-winning textbook, she turned to fiction with her debut novel One Night at the Jacaranda. She is president of the Guild of Health Writers and has three amazing grown-up sons. Like her fictional characters, she lives in Hampstead and Cambridge. Unlike them, she remarried in 2013. She likes a happy ending.

***

Thank you ever so much Carol. A fantastic interview!

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny x

Raising ‘Another Glass of Champagne’

By Jenny Kane

On August 20, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction

I’ve come on quite a journey with the main characters in the ‘Another Cup of….’ series of books, from the full length novel Another Cup of Coffee, through there Christmas novella’s, (Another Cup of Christmas, Christmas in the Cotswolds and Christmas at the Castle), and now to the full length novel, Another Glass of Champagne!

Amy, Kit and Jack were all in the their thirties when I began to tell their intertwined stories of love, friendship and coffee sipping. Now, they are all in their forties, and are facing the fact that age doesn’t give you the answers to yourproblems. In fact, all it does is add to them…

Blurb

A warm-hearted, contemporary tale about a group of friends living in a small corner of busy London, by bestselling author Jenny Kane.

Fortysomething Amy is shocked and delighted to discover she s expecting a baby not to mention terrified! Amy wants best friend Jack to be godfather, but he hasn’t been heard from in months. When Jack finally reappears, he s full of good intentions but his new business plan could spell disaster for the beloved Pickwicks Coffee Shop, and ruin a number of old friendships…

Meanwhile his love life is as complicated as ever and yet when he swears off men for good, Jack meets someone who makes him rethink his priorities…but is it too late for a fresh start?

Author Kit has problems of her own: just when her career has started to take off, she finds herself unable to write and there s a deadline looming, plus two headstrong kids to see through their difficult teenage years…will she be able to cope?

A follow-up to the runaway success Another Cup of Coffee.

***

If you’d like to see how the story ends, then you can buy Another Glass of Champagne from all good bookshop and e-retailers. (You don’t need to have read the previous novels to enjoy this one)

Buy Links

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Another+Glass+of+Champagne+Jenny+Kane

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/188-7813436-7626710?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Another+Glass+of+Champagne+Jenny+Kane

***

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Interview with Julia Roberts: Liberty Sands

By Jenny Kane

On August 15, 2016

In Blog, Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Interview, Romance

It’s interview time today, and I’m delighted to welcome Julia Roberts to my blog. This is an excellent interview- I advise you to pop your feet up for five minutes to join us for a chat and a cuppa. What an amazing life!

Over to you Julia…

coffee and cake

What inspired you to write your book?

I have to be honest and say that it was a holiday to the beautiful island of Mauritius. I had been receiving treatment for almost a year for a type of leukaemia and the medication, whilst working effectively to bring the condition under control, made me very tired. What was needed was a relaxing ten days in paradise but on the first morning of the holiday I sat on the beach under the shade of a straw parasol, the sound of the waves crashing on the distant reef and the seed of an idea for a novel started to grow. Over the course of the holiday I lived and breathed the story and the characters, as did my poor long-suffering other half, and by the time we were waiting at the airport for the journey home I had the plot for not just one book, but the entire Liberty Sands trilogy. Book one, Life’s a Beach and Then… begins in Mauritius and the final book, It’s Never Too late To Say… concludes there, so it comes full circle.

Do you model any of your characters after people you know? If so, do these people see themselves in your characters?

A lot of people have said that two of the characters in Life’s a Beach and Then… reminded them of me. Rosemary is a sixty year old ex-dancer who has CML, but there the similarity ends, and Holly is like me in looks but twenty years ago. I think Holly’s son Harry was definitely modelled on my own son and our relationship, whilst the character of Amy has a lot of my daughter in her. I guess the answer to that question has to be a resounding yes – it’s a good job I know a lot of people.

51Y9K+POZOL._SY346_

What type of research did you have to do for your book?

All of my books to date have included far flung destinations as my main female character, Holly, is an undercover travel blogger. Fortunately I have travelled to all the places I have written about, either on holiday or for work, apart from Cuba which I had to rely on my daughter’s experience of. One of my characters in the first book had Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia, which I have firsthand experience of but in the final part of the trilogy I had to rely on the internet for my research into alcohol induced dementia.

Which Point of View do you prefer to write in and why?

At the moment all my writing has been in third person close. I like getting inside the heads of the various different characters. I hope as my writing skills improve I will feel confident enough to experiment and write in first person but obviously it will depend on the plot.

Do you prefer to plot your story or just go with the flow?

I like to have a general outline of the story rather than just sitting down to write but I have found with all three of my novels that some of the best passages of the book have just come to me during a writing session, almost as though they are being given to me. Sorry if that sounds weird.

What is your writing regime?

I have a full time job working as a presenter on QVC which means I don’t have as much time to write as I would like. My shift pattern is that I work eight days out of nine, which is tough, but I then get a five day break – these are my writing days, my creative days, although I don’t mind doing a bit of editing before or after my QVC commitments.

What excites you the most about your book?

Sharing it with my readers and getting their feedback. There is nothing better than when someone is so engaged in the story that they will come up to you and start talking about your characters as though they are real people. I remember one of our QVC guests, Gill, coming up to me and saying, ‘Don’t you let anything happen to my Rosemary.’ I had to avoid her for about a week after that.

untitled

If you were stranded on a desert island with three other people, fictional or real, who would they be and why?

Tom Hanks – he’d have some great anecdotes from all the movie stars he’s worked with and he might be quite useful at surviving based on his role in Castaway.

Bear Grylls – because he really does know how to survive in extreme conditions.

And the other Julia Roberts – just because I would like to meet her.

***

Links-

My twitter is @JuliaRobertsQVC

My Facebook page is www.JuliaRobertsTV

My current webpage is www.juliarobertsbooks.co.uk BUT we are currently working on a new website which should be up and running before this goes on your blog www.juliarobertsauthor.com

My current WIP is a short story which will be available to download free on my new website.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lifes-Beach-Liberty-Sands-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00X8U1M9C

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017V6PMZI/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Late-Liberty-Sands-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B01FOFAUOQ/ref=pd_sim_351_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=515QlVN3-BL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_UX300_PJku-sticker-v7%2CTopRight%2C0%2C-50_OU02__BG0%2C0%2C0%2C0_FMpng_AC_UL160_SR105%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=MQ347317FRQBNYX9RGGG

***

Julia Roberts QVC

Julia Roberts is probably best known as the trusted face of the UK’s most successful shopping channel, QVC, but she had enjoyed a rewarding and varied career in the entertainment industry for many years prior to launching the channel in 1993.

She was born in Nottingham in 1956. At fourteen months old she contracted the deadly disease Polio which left her fighting for her life and subsequently hospitalised for five months. Swimming and dancing lessons, which helped her to walk without the aid of a calliper, have both played an important role in her later life.

Julia started her professional career at the age of 16 as a dancer in a summer show in Guernsey. This was followed by pantomimes in Leeds, Croydon and Watford as well as further summer seasons in the Channel Islands. Deciding to leave the UK and see a bit more of the world, she danced on cruise ships, in a theatre show in Barcelona, and performed as a singer/dancer in a cabaret show in Hong Kong. In 1980 Julia appeared in The Song for Europe as part of a band called The Main Event performing alongside Cheryl Baker, who went on to join Buck’s Fizz the following year while Julia signed a record deal with her band Jools and the Fools before moving into television.

Having featured in various TV commercials, notably the Woolwich Building Society and Head & Shoulders shampoo, and small television acting roles in Citizen Smith and Doctor Who, Julia became a hostess on the first and second UK series of the hit American game show, The Price is Right. This was followed by becoming a member of the ‘Hit Squad’ on comedy series Beadles About before she took a short career break to have her two children.

Presenter

It was during this break in her career that Julia decided to try her hand at presenting. Her first presenting job was for Vauxhall motors at the 1989 Motor Show at Olympia during which she was approached and offered a job presenting several weekly ‘magazine’ style shows for her local television channel in Croydon. One of these was called Palace Chatback and led to her passion for Crystal Palace Football Club, a team she still supports today. In addition to this show, Julia has produced and presented several features for Sky Sports.

In 1993 Julia successfully auditioned to become a Presenter for a new shopping channel, QVC, and appeared in the opening sequences which launched the channel with co-presenter, Jon Briggs. Little did she know that this was the start of a long, successful career with the channel which now boasts over 25 million viewers in the UK alone, with over 1 million active customers. Throughout this time, she has shared the screen with many famous names, including the likes of the late Joan Rivers, Marie Osmond, Sir David Attenborough, Joan Collins and Lulu, to mention a few.

Writer

Julia has now written and released 4 books. Her first book, a memoir entitled One Hundred Lengths of the Pool, was published in 2013 by Preface Publishing for Random House and sold out of 5000 hardback signed copies exclusively on QVC. The title of this book was inspired by her battle against polio in her early years, and the huge part that swimming played in allowing Julia the chance to walk unaided. A percentage of proceeds from her book sales were donated to the End Polio Now campaign as well as the British Polio Fellowship.

Close to completing the finishing touches to her first book, Julia was faced with a new health challenge. She was diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer, Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia. After such a tough year continuing to work full-time at QVC, signing her book deal, and battling her new illness, Julia needed some R&R so booked a much needed holiday for herself and her partner, Chris, to a place she had always longed to visit, Mauritius.

On the first morning of the holiday Julia had an idea. Using her recent experience of Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia as a basis for one of her main characters she began to write her debut novel Life’s a Beach and Then… she donates a percentage of profits from this book to the charity Bloodwise (formerly Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research).

Julia published Life’s a Beach and Then…, part one of the Liberty Sands trilogy, in May 2015, followed by If He Really Loved Me… in November 2015 and the final part of the trilogy, It’s Never Too Late To Say… in May 2016. All three books have featured in the top 100 Amazon Kindle Romance charts and enjoy an average 4.8 star rating from more than two hundred and fifty customer reviews.

Now living in Berkshire with Chris, her partner of 38 years, Julia divides her time between QVC, writing, Pilates, attending Crystal Palace matches and supporting the two charities that she holds close to her heart; British Polio Fellowship, for whom she is an ambassador, and Bloodwise.

***

Wow!! What a CV!!! Many thanks for joining us today Julia.

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny xx

Interview with Marie Evelyn: The Turtle Run

By Jenny Kane

On August 4, 2016

In Blog, Fiction, Historical fiction, Interview

It’s interview time at my blog today, and I’m delighted to welcome Marie Evelyn to the chair. Let’s pop the kettle on- but how many cups are we going to need/

Over to you Marie…

coffee and cake

What inspired you to write your book?

The Turtle Run was inspired by something my mother once witnessed in Barbados (described in the book). She came across barefooted, blue-eyed, fair-haired children struggling to carry buckets of water from a standpipe to their chattel house and learned that they were the descendants of the Monmouth rebels, who were exiled from England to Barbados in 1685.

This experience encouraged my mother to study more about the Monmouth rebellion, led by Charles II’s illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth. Although the book is contemporary, and has a strong romantic element, the theme is about how people’s lives are influenced by the fate of their ancestors. Certainly the miserable situation of many ‘Redlegs’ (to give them their politically incorrect name) was the legacy of their exiled forebears.

Do you model any of your characters after people you know? If so, do these people see themselves in your characters?

The self-interested Francesca was based on a neighbour and school classmate of mine in Barbados. (Name changed – of course). To be fair, she may have matured into a wonderful woman fighting for human rights since I was on the island, but when I knew her, all the indications were that she would take ‘shallowness’ to new depths.

The Turtle Run cover

What type of research did you have to do for your book?

My mother had a long association with Barbados and we lived on the island throughout my childhood. There was also a family connection to the Redlegs. My mother did a little research out there to try and discover more about the original exiled Monmouth Rebels but it was only many years later – after we had moved to the UK and my parents had retired to Dorset – that she was really able to research the beginning of the story, which has so many local connections with south-west England.

The Somerset Heritage Centre (http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/) was a useful source of information and this short event in British history has inspired some really interesting books. But for a ‘Monmouth fix’, I would leave the non-fiction books and turn to Lorna Doone.

What excites you the most about your book?

The book has a strong theme of trying to understand the present through understanding the past. Although I am more interested in the challenge of writing a story where there is a connection between a contemporary character’s situation and the situation of his/her ancestors from hundreds of years before, just having characters uncover a secret about their own immediate family can be really engaging.

If you were stranded on a desert island with three other people, fictional or real, who would they be and why?

Enid Blyton would be one as I have a rather complicated relationship with her. Of course, several of her books were on the theme of children living on islands, though as practical guides to island-survival they would be pretty hopeless as the children never seemed to have much problem finding food, and never had go to the loo. I should be very grateful to her for firing my young imagination, but the problem was that I assumed her stories had some basis in reality. As my image of what England would be like was entirely informed by her books, I experienced no small disappointment when we did finally move here, and as for my subsequent experience of boarding school – let’s just say that I felt very misled. I would probably end up chasing her around the island pelting coconuts at her.

I would also choose Louisa Dixie Durrell – who must have been a real character but was reduced to ‘Mother’ in Gerald Durrell’s books and who seemed to have a very placatory role during her children’s squabbles. I imagine she would act as peacekeeper on the island, and would try to persuade Blyton that I wasn’t throwing coconuts deliberately. Finally, I would have Baroness Elsa Schraeder (Captain Von Trapp’s fiancée in the Sound Of Music) to add a touch of style and class. She could enjoy the child-free island and use the time to reflect on her extreme good luck at losing Von Trapp and his warbling children to an ex-nun with a guitar.

I guess our survival would depend upon Enid Blyton’s expert naturalist knowledge, and I would have to hope that she’d forgotten the whole coconut-pelting episode.

Links

https://www.facebook.com/Marie-Evelyn-920546144697589/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Turtle-Run-Marie-Evelyn/dp/1783753277

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28330185-the-turtle-run

Bio

Marie Evelyn are a mother and daughter team originally from the Caribbean but now based in the UK.

Mother Margot (Margot Gameson née Evelyn) has been published previously as Mary Evelyn and daughter Marie Gameson was longlisted for The Bridport First Novel Prize in 2015. The Turtle Run is their first novel together and is based on their firsthand experiences of growing up in Barbados, showing a side of the island probably unknown to most visitors.

A former journalist, Margot in particular has seen the island go through a lot of changes, especially in the lead up to independence – Barbados celebrates its 50^th anniversary as an independent nation this year. However The Turtle Run shows there are still resonances of its lesser known history on the island today.

The family moved to the UK in the 1970s and eventually settled in an area where many of the Monmouth rebels originally came from. Margot is now retired and Marie works in IT.

***

Wonderful interview, many thanks Marie,

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny xx

Interview with Colette Kebell: Retail Therapy

By Jenny Kane

On August 1, 2016

In Contemporary fiction, Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Fiction, Interview

It’s interview time! Today I’m delighted to welcome Colette Kebell for a cuppa and a chat.

coffee and cake

What inspired you to write your book?

Honestly being made redundant coupled with a hunger to get back to something that I enjoyed both at school and since, though prior to being made redundant, life just seemed to get in the way what with work, home life, dogs, hubby and just plain thinking I had lost any talent I thought I had due to the drudgery of a 9-5 job.

Do you model any of your characters after people you know? If so, do these people see themselves in your characters?

I have loosely modelled a number of my characters not only on myself and my husband but other friends and family. Other than my husband, of course, none have mentioned to me that they saw themselves in my characters. I guess I’m pretty good at hiding where my inspiration for each came from. Having said that I’m not sure whether that is a good or bad thing though. It might sometimes be seen as complimentary to the person or persons involved, though not in every case. There are a number of characters that I’m sure if those real life people had read my books, despite not recognizing themselves, would still enjoy as I have made even the villains humorous, I just couldn’t resist that one. Afterall, Chicklit/RomCom are by their very nature meant to be funny, at the very least some of the time.

What type of research did you have to do for your book?

As far as research goes, I basically read a lot, wrote in a round about way about my own life experiences and used the internet as much as I could to fill in any gaps. I hasten to add that they are far from biographical, but during my 50 years I have led a life during which I was fortunate enough to experience quite a variety of jobs, relationships, locations, foreign travel. I guess, due to my parents having moved a lot and growing up being moved from place to place, I became rather resilient. I am quite shy though so although friendships take a while to develop, usually I keep those friends for many years.

Which Point of View do you prefer to write in and why?

The point of view I’ve used in all the novels is the first person. Although this limits the descriptions to what the protagonist sees by way of experiences, I feel it is the one that also engages most with the readers, makes them live a life from the protagonist’s point of view.

Do you prefer to plot your story or just go with the flow?

I rarely plot a storyline. I tend to go with the flow and see where the story takes me as it unfolds. I did have some input from my husband during the writing process, discussing possible routes to take etc but at the end of the day, if the story doesn’t flow then, to me at least, it seems forced. I don’t even have an idea of a title when I start off with a new book. Having said that, one of my current WIPs, the whole story has materialized from my having the title to be begin with, so there is no hard and fast rule.

What is your writing regime?

Due to having a very supportive husband and the kind of life we have had to lead the past few years, due to attempting to sell our home (which took 2 ½ years) my writing regime is almost non-existent. I don’t mean to say that I don’t write as obviously if that were the case I wouldn’t have already self-published two books. Having said that I write when I am in the mood, do marketing when I can, and am still learning the whole self-publishing process so there is plenty to keep me occupied. My husband has had some involvement too as without him Blue and Green Should Never Be Seen! (Or so Mother Says) would never have been translated into Italian. That far from simple task fell to my husband and by all accounts he thoroughly enjoyed doing so. It took quite a while though as he does have a full-time job as well which keeps him pretty busy.

What excites you the most about your book?

I find it incredibly hard to put my finger on any one thing as there are so many elements to the writing process. The laughter in our household during the writing process came first, as my husband read and discussed each of my books, just to give me another perspective. Then there is the thrill of receiving each of them back from the copy editor, first sight of the covers, each and every review I read… there are just so many to choose from…

Colette Kebell covers

If you were stranded on a desert island with three other people, fictional or real, who would they be and why?

This one I found to quite a simple question. The first person that jumped into my head, obviously for their talent, but also basically as a piece of eye candy, would be Hugh Jackman. I just don’t consider that I could ever get bored of being around him. Secondly, I would have to think of my survival so although Bear Grylls might come to mind I think I would prefer Robinson Crusoe. Lastly, but by no means least I would have to say Joanna Lumley as we would certainly have a laugh when things got tough and she is such a trooper. I could have said Michael McIntyre, but, do I honestly want to be surrounded by men? With no female company I might just return to my tomboy status of my youth having fought somewhat to find my feminine side.

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

I guess, other than mentioning my books, which I’m sure you will do, I would like to mention that though the going is a little slow on them currently, I have three WIPs. One is the follow on from Blue and Green Should Never Be Seen!, one is a further Chicklit which this time is set in New York and so I hope I can do it justice never having been there and the third is somewhat of a secret at this point as, just the title on it’s own, might give other authors ideas…

The books links are:

Blue and Green

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RG43YM4

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00RG43YM4

The Retail Therapist

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0106J3D9E

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0106J3D9E

Senza Tacchi non mi Concentro!

It: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B01E2GN02M

As far as e-readers are concerned, I’ve covered all the bases as my books are available from all the usual haunts. All but the Italian book are also available in paperback, on request from bookshops and libraries worldwide.

Colette Kebell

Bio

After being a Legal Secretary for about 10 years, Colette was on the hunt to find something else that she would find just as interesting. She found that in writing and she hopes you like what you read. She loves fashion with a passion (pardon the pun) and therefore it is not surprising that her debut novel was going to follow that theme.

Her debut novel was “Blue and Green Should Never Be Seen!” which was followed by “The Retail Therapist”, both of these being romantic comedies/Chick Lit, a genre she adores.

When she’s not in writing mode she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, a task that usually produces good results; as her husband would say, as opposed to “his” experiments which often end in a culinary disaster. She lives in Coastal Kent, UK with two adorable dogs. Oh yes, and hubby too.

You could also look at her website and see what news is on there at

http://www.ColetteKebell.com or follow her on either twitter https://www.twitter.com/ColetteKebell or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ColetteKebellAuthor

***

Many thanks for a great interview Colette,

Happy reading,

Jenny x

Jenny Kane: Coffee, cupcakes, chocolate and contemporary fiction / Jennifer Ash: Medieval crime with hints of Ellis Peters and Robin Hood

Tag: novel Page 9 of 17

Guest Post from Julie Archer: Cocktails, Rock Tales & Betrayals

Guest Blog from Kristen Bailey: Souper Mum

Christmas Comes Early to Pickwicks Café

Guest Post from Stella Hervey Birrell: Finding True Love: Ten Years On

Champagne and Writer’s Block

Interview with Carol Cooper: Hampstead Fever

Raising ‘Another Glass of Champagne’

Interview with Julia Roberts: Liberty Sands

Interview with Marie Evelyn: The Turtle Run

Interview with Colette Kebell: Retail Therapy