Saturday, November 26, 2011

A Cornish Christmas is out!


A Cornish Christmas is now available from Astraea Press A short and sweet novella without Santa, elves or cute kids but still guaranteed to leave you with a warm Christmassy feeling!

Adam wants Meg to be more than a friend but Meg has her reasons for not wanting to move their relationship on. It takes a stray dog, an emergency at sea and a touch of Christmas to show Meg her true feelings.

And here’s a taster!

The shop was full with people when Meg returned. She left her sandwich and her coat in the staff room and went to help her mother serve the customers. By the time the bell over the door sounded a farewell to the last customer, Meg’s stomach growled.
She hurried into the back room to retrieve her lunch, finally acknowledging the rumbles of complaint from her stomach.
She took a large bite from her brie and cranberry sandwich, chewed and swallowed. “Yum, this is heaven.”
“You know if you made your own sandwiches it would be a lot cheaper,” her mother tutted as she moved around the shop tidying as she went.
“I do make my own most days. Some days though it’s nice to have a treat.” Meg took another bite.
“Did you hear anything about the lifeboat call out?”
Meg licked a crumb of cheese from the corner of her mouth. “Yes, it was two kids in a homemade boat. I met Adam as I was walking back and he told me.”
Her mother paused as she straightened up a basket of shell jewellery. “I’m glad everyone was all right. I assume they were all safe?” she asked, clearly fishing for information.
Meg nodded as she swallowed another morsel of her lunch. “Yes, the kids have gone to the hospital, but they’re fine.”
“Good job Adam was on the boat then.”
“Mum, let’s not have this discussion now. You know how I feel about Adam being on the lifeboat crew.”
Val pursed her lips. “What happened to your dad can’t be undone, love. New Bay men have always gone to sea, that’s how it is. Adam does a vital job for the lifeboat. They need young strong men like him, and his medical know-how is a real bonus to the crew. If he hadn’t been on the boat when they pulled young Brad out of the water a few months back, he wouldn’t be here to tell the tale.”
Meg shivered. In her heart, she knew her mother was right. Brad had been surfing when he’d been caught in an undertow. Without the bravery of her friend Erin’s boyfriend Dan and Adam’s medical skill then Brad would have drowned.
“Dad went to sea because he was a fisherman. It was his living. Adam is deliberately putting himself in danger every time the boat goes out.” Her voice shook as she spoke.
Her father had been drowned when she’d been a teenager. His boat had been caught in a terrible storm a few miles from the safety of the harbour. She’d seen and felt first hand what losing someone you loved to the sea could do.
“And if it weren’t for men like Adam there’d be more folk lost. There’s danger everywhere, Meg. I could have lost your dad to a road accident or cancer.” The lines on her mother’s face softened, and she rested a gentle hand on Meg’s shoulder. “Think about it, Meg, and give Adam a chance.”
© Nell Dixon 2011
For UK readers
For US readers

And why not try Making Waves or September Song also set in the same Cornish village of New Bay?
Astraea Press has lots of lovely Christmas reads - join in the blog hop! Start HERE

Friday, November 25, 2011

Guest Blogger - Juliet Archer


Hi everyone – and thank you very much, Nell, for inviting me! I describe myself as a 19th-century mind in a 21st-century body (actually, some days it’s the other way round) because I’m on a mission to modernise Jane Austen’s six completed novels. So far, I’ve updated Emma and Persuasion as The Importance of Being Emma and Persuade Me, published by Choc Lit.



When did you start writing?

I’ve been writing ever since I was a child, just in different genres and with varying degrees of success! When I was small, it was for my own amusement: I made up stories, or created my own versions of Lorna Hill’s Marjorie books – a precedent for my current exploits with Jane Austen, perhaps? Studying languages and literature at school and university meant lots of reading, and writing about reading! Then I went into the business world and learnt how to produce effective reports and presentations. And shadowing my husband’s MBA for a year at Ashridge Business School has certainly provided material for my novels!

Although I dabbled in poetry ten years ago, I only started writing novels in the mid-2000s with the arrival of internet communities such as C19 and the resulting opportunities for online fanfiction. After a brief flirtation with Gaskells’ North & South (think Richard Armitage!), I turned to Jane Austen for inspiration.



What's your favourite book to read?

Not surprisingly, any of Jane Austen’s novels. They have all the magic ingredients of timeless romantic comedy – brilliant plotting, characters we care passionately about, wit and laugh-out-loud humour. And, for me, her attention to language means that I can read her books over and over again, even though I know them so well.

If I could take only one to a desert island it would have to be Pride & Prejudice, because I think both its hero and the heroine are particularly appealing.



If you could invite some book characters or authors to dinner, who would you choose and why?

What a wonderful idea – a sort of Fantasy Come Dine With Me! I’d invite Jane Austen and Andrew Davies and find out what she thinks of his screenplays of her novels – too raunchy, or forgivable in the context of a modern audience? They’ve both inspired my modernisations and it would be fascinating to understand where they got their ideas from. Since book characters are allowed, I’d like to have Mr Darcy and Captain Wentworth joining in too!


Are you working on anything new?

I’ve just done the last of my launch events for Persuade Me, so I can now settle down to number three in the Darcy & Friends series. Which of Austen’s heroes will I tamper with next? Two down – Mr Knightley and Captain Wentworth – and four left to go. I’m still making up my mind – perhaps I’ll do some in-depth TV and film research!

Persuade Me is available in e book and print for all the Austenesque fans from all the usual places where good books are sold! And here's Juliet's blurb to tempt you some more:
When do you let your heart rule your head?
When it comes to love, Anna Elliot is stuck in the past. No one can compare to Rick Wentworth, the man she gave up ten years ago at the insistence of her disapproving family. What if she’s missed her only chance for real happiness?
Since Anna broke his heart, Rick has moved on – or so he thinks. Out in Australia, he’s worked hard to build a successful career – and a solid wall around his feelings.
The words ‘forgive and forget’ aren’t in Rick's vocabulary. The word ‘regret’ is definitely in Anna’s. So, when they meet again on his book tour of England, it’s an opportunity for closure.
But memories intrude – the pure sensuality of what they once shared, the pain of parting … And she has to deal with another man from her past, while his celebrity status makes him the focus of unwanted attention.
With Anna’s image-obsessed family still ready to interfere and Rick poised to return to Australia, can she persuade him to risk his heart again?
This contemporary re-telling of Jane Austen’s last completed novel is the second book in Juliet Archer’s Darcy & Friends series, offering fresh insights into the hearts and minds of Austen’s irresistible heroes.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Guest Blogger - Jean Joachim


I'm delighted to welcome Jean to the blog today to tell us about herself and her latest release.

1. what inspired you to start writing?
I’ve been writing all my life. As a child I made up stories, sometimes I wrote them down, other times I acted them out with my cousin. My favorite homework assignment in high school was writing a term paper.
When I was in my twenties, I tried my hand at fiction but was not pleased with what I wrote. Laboring under the misapprehension that fiction writers wrote perfect works the first time. So I gave up. I moved toward non-fiction writing which came fairly easy to me. I had seven non-fiction books published before I tried my hand at romance. Now with almost eight romance books out this year, I don’t want to write anything else.


2. What's your favourite book to read?
I still love Pride and Prejudice. I think it’s one of the best books ever written and the characters are so vivid and real. Sigh, who can’t fall in love with Mr. Darcy again and again.

3. If you could invite some book characters or authors to dinner, who would you choose and why?
It’s a toss-up between Jane Austen and Sinclair Lewis. I love Sinclair Lewis’ books and have read everything he wrote that is in print. He captured the American sensibility in ways other authors didn’t and his characters seem so real to me. He was a brilliant writer.

4. Are you working on anything new?
I have two holiday novellas in the works and I’m down to the wire on these! The first one finishes up at Thanksgiving and it’s called, “The Marriage List”. It’s a sensual contemporary romance that came to me some time ago. It’s a short, easy read and it’s with my editor now. The second is “Champagne for Christmas”, a sensual contemporary romance that started at a Tuesday Tale and has grown into its own novella. I’m working on that fast and furiously right now, racing to finish it in time for Christmas as the story finishes up at Christmas time. Both the holiday stories will be for sale for $.99.

Tell us about the book of Danny.

Barely surviving the Iraq War and his tragic childhood, sexy sharpshooter, Captain Danny Maine becomes a professor at Kensington State University.

Haunted by nightmares of the deaths of members of his squad and his brother, Danny is desperate to create a normal life in the sleepy town of Willow Falls. He doesn’t expect to find love behind the first door he knocks on until he meets lovely Eliza Baines, a dean at the university. Is true love with one woman possible for the damaged man Danny has become or is it just out of reach, only an illusion created by his passion and desire? Driven to find love, stability and recovery, Danny faces down demons from his past to save those he loves on his journey to a new life. Is violence still his only protection or can he rise above his deadly past?

It sounds great! You can find out more about Jean and her books at her WEBSITE Her books are available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and all good e-tailers.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

A Cornish Christmas


Here is the cover for the third of my New Bay set stories - A Cornish Christmas. This one is the story of Adam and Meg, for those of you who like to catch up with some of the people from Making Waves and September Song there are some familiar faces. It's a short and sweet novella, perfect to get you in the Christmas spirit but without cute kids, elves or Santa although there is a rather sweet dog!Releasing soon from Astraea Press.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

SAVE A TURKEY: GOBBLE A BOOK BLOG HOP TOUR (NOV 14-21)

Hi and welcome to all the blog hop visitors!
1) HAVE FUN!!!

2) INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!

3) THIS TOUR STARTS: Monday, November 14, at Midnight (Arizona Time)
THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, November 21, at Midnight (Arizona Time)
Winners will be drawn and posted November 22nd! ***

4) MEET AND MINGLE WITH ALL THE AUTHORS & BOOK PAGES! EXPERIENCE A NEW DESTINATION AT EVERY STOP! PARTICIPATE IN EVERY BLOG CONTEST AND BE ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN MULTIPLE PRIZES! EVERY BLOG VISITED IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WIN!!

5) PARTICIPATION AT ALL BLOGS IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. REMEMBER, THE MORE BLOGS YOU HOP, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES. EVERY AUTHOR & BOOK PAGE IS WAITING TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOU, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO SHOW THEM SOME LOVE!

6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN? WHOO! HOO!! HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO!***Authors & Book Pages have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this blog hop tour is subject to these rules***
Autumn is one of my favourite times of year, falling leaves, crisp wintery air, Halloween, and here, in the UK, Bonfire Night. Three years ago I was lucky enough to spend some Autumn days in Philadelphia in the US.
Here we saw the bounty of food in the stores celebrating harvest.
The famous Reading market not to mention the Liberty bell and to see the historic importance of the city. All this helped me to see why my lovely US friends and readers celebrated Thanksgiving in such style.

To help with the celebrations leave a comment below telling me how you plan to celebrate Autumn or Thanksgiving to win a PDF copy of September Song, my Autumn set e book from Astraea Press.To get you in the mood here's a short excerpt:
September Song – A Cornish set short and sweet story available now from http://astraeapress.com and all good e-tailors including http://www.amazon.com/September-Song-ebook/dp/B005LHJH8I/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

Erin came to New Bay on her year out, keen to experience life in a vibrant seaside town famous for its surf and surfers. She doesn’t expect to be left with a very expensive spare ticket to the hottest concert in town.

Her boss, Kelly’s solution is to recruit Dan to take the ticket and escort Erin to the concert. But why would Erin want to go on an enforced date with the geekiest guy in New Bay? And why doesn’t ex-champion surfer, Dan surf anymore?

Fancy an excerpt?

“Here, let me help you.” Dan held her jacket out.
The sensitive skin of her neck tingled as he straightened out her collar for
her.
“Thanks. It was a great concert, wasn’t it?” She bit her bottom lip
uncertainly. His eyes met hers, deep, dark pools in the light of the stadium. For a
brief wonderful moment, she thought he was about to kiss her, but then he
moved away along the row of seats.
“Yeah, it was really good. We’d better get to the car.”
Her spirits plummeted as she followed him to the top of the steps to
descend to the exit. It looked as if she’d misjudged his intentions. He waited for
her to make it through the throng to his side.
“Do you want anything else to eat or drink before we go?” he asked.
She shook her head as a group of people rushed past her, throwing her
off balance. She lurched against Dan as he placed his hand on her arm to steady
her. For a sweet all-¬‐ too-¬‐ brief second, her head rested against the broad plain of
his chest, and she heard the wild tattoo of his heartbeat.
“Time we got out of here, I think,” he said.
Her pulse raced as he held her hand all the way along the path to the car.
His fingers warmed her cold flesh and she enjoyed the feeling of closeness, the
intimacy of his fingers interlaced with hers. Her heart pitter-¬‐ patted in time with
their footsteps on the paved surface, the butterflies in her stomach dancing like
the moths in the beams from the lights that lined the path. They halted at the side
of his car and he drew her closer to him.
“It’s been a lovely night,” she murmured.
He dipped his head and his lips claimed hers. His arms were around her,
pulling her gently towards him. She quivered with pleasure as her hips bumped
against his, her body pressed against his lean firm length. Her tongue explored
his mouth and she revelled in the sweet heat of his lips against hers.

‘This is another great book by Nell Dixon. The book can easily be read in one sitting and is a nice romantic tale. A recommended read for all romantic fans.’ Books4U
© Nell Dixon 2011
http://www.nelldixon.com
Romance with Heart
Hop to another tour blog

Monday, November 07, 2011

Writing

I'm trying to get back into my writing now Renovation, Renovation, Renovation is out there in ebook world before I have to start thinking about the launch in March for the paperback version. The second book for Myrmidon is about Chloe Lark, who having not been much good at anything else, wants to be famous. She really wanted to be a Blue Peter presenter but was allergic to sticky back plastic. I have just under a third to write and have been a bit stalled. Then I realised while I was on holiday that it was because a) I needed a new working title and b) I had an important secondary character missing. Hopefully I've now rectified both of these and with any luck I'll be back in my stride by the end of this week. I really want to finish before Christmas.
I also want to get on with my 'secret' Jane Austen inspired project. I'm doing that for fun and I'm not sure it'll go anywhere but I like it.

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Catching up

I've had a busy few weeks lately with the release of Renovation, Renovation, Renovation and Cue Me In, going to the Festival of Romance and accompanying my eldest daughter to look at various colleges and universities all around the country. Thankfully she know knows what course she would like to do and which her dream college would be. Fingers crossed she gets an offer - her application is going in this week.
The day job is busier than ever so that is taking up more of my time.
I still have my fingers crossed for the pieces I have out on submission and I'm gearing up to dive back into the two books I have on the go already. I've also written another childrens story - Edward, the owl who lost his hoot. That may end up going into my little niece's Christmas stocking as she loved Bertie, The Christmas Beetle which was the story I wrote for her last year.
Coming up I have a literary dinner event on Friday with some fellow writers to raise money for another charity and then on the 17th it's the RNA winter party. The Coffee Crew will be hitting the town to pahtay! Maltloaf and vino on the train again. Can't wait.

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Renovation, Renovation, Renovation - another fab review!

Thanks to the lovely Nikki, for her review of Renovation, Renovation, Renovation here at Books4U She said, 'A haunting story, about life and death living together in an old run down cottage. Which is well written and the human spirit shines through to create a beautiful story.'