Visiting...

Today I'm being hosted by the lovely Debs Carr.Over Here Drop by to hear what she thinks and for another excerpt.

Are we nearly there yet?

I'm so sorry there isn't a preorder link up for the e book of Renovation, Renovation, Renovation yet. My publisher has been working hard to try and sort out the glitch but you know what technology can be like. It might even be Monday or Tuesday before it gets resolved. The preorder for the paperback is on Amazon Uk so maybe something is happening. For my lovely US readers - I'm hoping we can get things sorted soon.
In the meantime how about an excerpt?
Overworked, over budget and just so not over him! Kate would like an engagement ring from Steve but instead he's lumbered them with a thirteenth renovation project, and doing up Myrtle Cottage disturbs a ghost from the English Civil War who has romance troubles of her own.

A small heap of rubble littered the ancient grey tiled floor in the no man's land area of the kitchen. The room was deserted. Only the dirt and a pile of unwashed mugs in the sink showed the enemy had been there. I knew he must still be inside the cottage as his van was parked outside, but for now it was safe to enter.
Orange plaster dust crunched under my shiny office court shoes as I made my way to the fridge. A layer of grime coated the once pristine white appliance I’d chosen with such loving care twelve months and three houses ago. The interior however was thankfully dust-free with shelves clearly marked in blue and red tape.
When Steve and I first separated and things had turned ugly I’d marked the shelves. The blue shelves - mine - were stacked with neatly labelled Tupperware. The red ones - Steve’s - were bare except for an opened packet of dried up ham and an out of date box of eggs.
(C) Nell Dixon 2011

Countdown!

Yep, Renovation, Renovation, Renovation releases this week - paperback to follow March 5th 2012. This weekend there'll be a big release party here with lots of giveaways, excerpts and fun so make sure you stop by.
Today I'm guesting Here with the lovely Australian author, Maggie Nash. Where I'm sharing a couple of my research pics and talking about writing what you don't know.

What I'm watching

If you know me well then you'll know I don't watch much TV and when I do watch it I'm a sucker for reality shows. At the moment I'm in heaven. Big Brother - hosted by Brian Dowling - okay so he's still a bit wooden but he is so much better than Davina at interviewing. Made in Chelsea - or men without chins as we call it. Then the best, the ultimate The Bachelor with Gavin Henson, a show so terrible it's pure gold.
You're all probably shaking your heads as you read this and wondering why I like this kind of thing.
As a writer I love to people watch, I like to understand their motivations and see how they cope with situations. All the people involved in the shows lead a life so completely different from mine I'd never encounter them in any other way.
So if it's BB's Alex, who looks like a man in drag getting so many spray tans she looks as if she's been dipped in creosote. Or MIC's Spencer, the man who can't keep a girlfriend, giving Hugo relationship advice or Gavin, being persued by Carrie of the squeaky voice and the lisp on the Bachelor it gives me a valuable insight into another world.
If you don't believe me check out Alex trying to talk to Aaron about music 'Deryerlikendubzderyer'
Or Spencer 'You can have all the cakes in the bakery'
Or Gavin 'I don't know what to do now, I don't honestly.'

Festival of Romance guest author - Charlie Cochrane

You may have seen that along with lots of other authors I'm going to be at the Festival of Romance at Watford on 21st and 22nd October. To get the ball rolling some of the authors are visiting other blogs. Here's my guest; Charlie Cochrane.

1. What are you looking forward to at the Festival of Romance?


Meeting people. Networking with other authors online is great, but you can’t beat meeting face to face, and sharing experiences (successes and horror stories alike). And, as an author of gay romance, I like to make sure that our part of the genre has a presence at these large events. We had our second UK Meet for authors of GLBT fiction this year; while it was fantastic, being among like minds, there’s a value in mingling with a wider mix of people. I’ve learned so much at, for example, RNA events and I want to carry on learning.



2. What will you be doing at the Festival of Romance?



Taking part in a panel called ‘Not what your mother might expect’ with Erastes and Jo Myles, explaining about gay romances and why they’re different from (and exactly the same as!) het romances. The title is based on a cover quote from the anthology I had my first published story in, ‘Speak Its Name’, which was described as being “Not your mother’s historical romance”. My daughters think that’s hilarious, because it is their mother’s historical.



I’m also hoping to take part in the Novel Openings slot, reading the first words of one of my books. Good luck to whoever has to run that session (I think I may have volunteered), keeping everyone to 150 words, or whatever the magic number is.



3. Why should romance readers come to the Festival?



How much space have I got to answer that?

a) Many readers are themselves aspirant authors. What better way to find out about the business than to come and hear the all the different stories about how we got to be published?

b) There are some really good panels, with the opportunity to ask authors the questions readers might have always wanted to ask and were too scared.

And

c) they can meet those authors face to face, of course—and that’s not in an “Oh wow, look who’s there, swoon,” sort of way. It’s great for us to meet readers (whether they read your books or not) and find out what they want from stories, and from the market. Please come and tell us!
Visit Charlie at Her Blog
To find out more about the Festival of Romance Go Here!

Ta- dah!

Coming September 28th to a e book retailer near you and in paperback March 5th 2012
After renovating twelve houses in seven years Kate wanted a ring on her finger and the forever house.
Instead of her dream home and her dream man, she get’s house number thirteen, Myrtle Cottage. A crumbling seventeenth century money pit.
Trapped by the credit crunch on yet another renovation project with her now very ex boyfriend, Steve, will she ever find the forever love she’s after or will it just be more renovation, renovation, renovation?

Guest Blogger - Talli Roland

Talli is one of my RNA writing friends and I'm thrilled to welcome her to my blog to talk about her new book and to tell us why she doesn't write about writing.
Over to Talli:
WHY I DON'T WRITE ABOUT WRITING

Well, writing techniques, anyway.

I do write quite a bit about the actual quirks of writing -- writer's arse, habits and such -- but I've never been comfortable advising others on writing techniques. I have no problem talking about my own if someone asks, but I really believe that every writer is different and you need to find what works for you. Plus, there are a zillion writers out there way more qualified to discuss techniques than me (than I? See?!)!

When I first started writing, all the books and blogs I read boggled my mind. Write every day. Don't write every day. Write what you love. Write for the market. And on and on, until I had no idea where to even start. Should I sit in the chair? Or should I stand? Should I turn on the radio, or write in silence?

The one thing I did learn was this: read all the books, but don't live by any of them. Do what you enjoy; what really makes you embrace the process of writing. I truly believe if you do that, everything will fall into place.

You'll find your rhythm.



Talli Roland has three loves in her life: chick lit, coffee and wine. Born and raised in Canada, Talli now lives in London, where she savours the great cultural life (coffee and wine). Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories – complete with happy endings. Her first novel, The Hating Game, was an Amazon UK best-seller, remaining in the top 100 for over two months. Watching Willow Watts, her next novel, is available on Kindle now. Talli blogs HERE and tweets HERE.


And Watching Willow Watts, her latest book - here's what it's all about!
For Willow Watts, life has settled into a predictably dull routine: days behind the counter at her father's antique shop and nights watching TV, as the pension-aged residents of Britain's Ugliest Village bed down for yet another early night. But everything changes when a YouTube video of Willow's epically embarrassing Marilyn Monroe impersonation gets millions of hits after a viewer spots Marilyn's ghostly image in a frame.

Instantly, Willow's town is overrun with fans flocking to see the 'new Marilyn'. Egged on by the villagers -- whose shops and businesses are cashing in -- Willow embraces her new identity, dying her hair platinum and ramming herself full of cakes to achieve Marilyn's legendary curves.

But when a former flame returns seeking the old Willow, Willow must decide: can she risk her stardom and her village's newfound fortune on love, or is being Marilyn her ticket to happiness?
Available Here and all good e tailers.

September Song is out!

And at a bargain price! Amazon UK Amazon.com Also available on NOOK
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.

Progress!

Thanks to the wii fit I have now lost my first stone. Still a long way to go but the main issue for me is to build up my damaged muscle so it eases the strain on my hip and back. My balance has improved and my ankle muscles are getting stronger so I don't go over on my foot as often. I've set another new small target for next month and I'm planning to keep on edging towards it.
Writing target wise I'm on the home strait with my next book for Myrmidon Press. It's coming into focus more now. There is tons of stuff I need to add and tweak on the second draft but that's ok. I'm also working on another short 15k novella which I need to finish by the end of October so the other project I was working on will have to sit and wait now till those two things are done and out in the world.
September Song is due for release anytime now with Cue Me In following in October. Renovation, Renovation, Renovation is still on target for digital release at the end of this month with the paperback out March 5th next year.
If you're in Germany or speak German then Animal Instincts is available in German for kidle and paperback from September 16th and the large print of Just Look at Me Now is also now available this month. The paperback of Brief Encounters will also be out sometime in the next six weeks!
Flipping heck! That's a lot of releases.