What's Next...?

Bit of a long time, no blog, I know and I'm sorry. I've had a lot going on this last couple of months and not all of it has been as I expected.

This blog has very much been about my writing journey - I started it way back after New Voices, when the elusive Call was still a dream, and reading back through it I can really see the ups and downs of my writing career. (I seem to have been particularly moany and vocal about the 'downs' - apologies!). Even post publication there are bumps in the road - books that are teeth-pulling to write or horror reviews. And then there are the big and unexpected setbacks.

A couple of months ago I got the news that Harlequin KISS/ModernTempted, the line I've been writing for since I was signed (although it's had a few name changes and relaunches in that time) is being discontinued from early next year. My initial reaction was to feel really sad. I absolutely loved the KISS stories and I felt like I fitted in there so well. I had tons of fun writing them, despite the head-crashing-on-desk moments. I was working alongside some of my own favourite authors. It really was a dream. And then suddenly it was over with. Since I'd literally just handed in the last book on my current contract, it really did end just there for me. I was able to look at other options within Harlequin, but having checked out all the choices available to me it became clear pretty quickly that my voice really doesn't fit any of the other series lines at Harlequin right now.

The news about KISS came at a time when I had a lot going on at home too, and it's made me realise that perhaps it's time to reassess my priorities. I'd spent the last six months really pushing myself to get two books done for Harlequin (as well as writing my HarperImpulse Christmas novella, Kiss Me...), at the expense of other areas of my life.

I still have a contract with HarperImpulse for two more novellas to complete my Do Not Disturb series, and I subbed the first of them a few weeks ago. And so now I'm going to take a proper break for the summer (with the exception of taking part in HI's Written Fireside short story competition, which doesn't really count because it's so much fun!). I'm going to do mum stuff for a change without thinking about deadlines and I'm going to turn my neglected hovel back into a house. And then I will make a decision about what I want to do next. That could be a single title - I always dreamed of writing one, and maybe it would have been an easy dream to put off indefinitely with that comforting rolling Harlequin contract.

Maybe this will turn out to be less of a bump in the road than it felt at first. What I can say is that I've learned tons, had amazing fun, got a book in print with a dedication for each of my gorgeous family members and I got to work with some wonderful authors. Who knows what will come next? I will keep you posted. In the meantime, click here for details of how to take part in Written Fireside with me!

I'm Having A Giveaway!!

When I was on my (long and bumpy) journey to publication one of my favourite Harlequin authors was Heidi Rice. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard that one of my stories, The Plus-One Agreement, is being released as part of a duet next month with Heidi's book Beach Bar Baby!

To celebrate, I'm having a Giveaway for US and UK readers - 2 paper copies of the duet are up for grabs. To enter and for all the details click on the lovely Goodreads widget on the sidebar.

The duet is part of Harlequin's Wedding Party Collection...

These two stories prove that wedding guests can have as much fun as the bridal couple! 

BEACH BAR BABY 

After some bad news, Ella Radley jets off to Bermuda for a bit of solo R & R. But by day six, surrounded by honeymooners and smug marrieds, she has to admit the solo bit is getting a teeny bit boring. Introduce ripped, tanned and enigmatic Cooper Delaney, and suddenly boring is nowhere in sight!

THE PLUS-ONE AGREEMENT 

Emma Burney has a very practical solution for not having a guy: the Plus-One Agreement. The problem? Her date is the gorgeous Dan Morgan, the man she has lusted after for years. Time to put an end to her torture. But when she tries to break the arrangement, Dan raises the stakes…with an offer she can't resist!

Entries close 20th May.

Nikki Moore's Blog Hit! - New Release - CRAZY, UNDERCOVER, LOVE

The day has finally arrived!! Nikki Moore's debut novel with HarperImpulse - Crazy, Undercover, Love - is released as an ebook today, 24^th April 2014.

 If you like pacy, sexy romance and fancy a long weekend in Barcelona with a smoking hot guy this one's for you!  Want to know more...?

 

When uber-feisty career girl Charley Caswell-Wright takes on the assignment as PA to the gorgeous Alex Demetrio, CEO of Demetrio International, she's there under entirely false pretences; to get her life back on track. Having lost the job she worked so hard to earn, she’s determined not to give it up so easily, especially when she didn’t deserve to lose it in the first place.

Mr Dreamy CEO is her only chance of clawing back her career – and her reputation. So she has to keep things strictly professional… boy, is she in trouble!

To buy Crazy, Undercover Love as an ebook:-

 Amazon – http://amzn.to./1gdpOxb

Google Play - http://bit.ly/1rTMrQw

iTunes - http://bit.ly/1mkzpHP

Kobo - bit.ly/QlpKpC

Sainsbury's - http://bit.ly/1hoD1bj

 

Or to buy it as a paperback on pre-order, released on 26^th June:-

 Amazon - http://amzn.to/1rTKGmB

 

What people are saying about Nikki's other stories...

 

The Love Letter and A Day in the Life... HarperImpulse short story collection Be My Valentine, with Teresa F Morgan and Brigid Coady, attracting 4 and 5 star reviews.

 'I loved all 5 stories and will look out for more books by each author.'

CometBabesBooks, Amazon

 'Whilst I enjoyed all of the stories, I particularly liked Nikki Moore's … her voice as an author really resonated with me and I can't wait to read more of her work.'

Kate Beeden, Goodreads

Nikki's short story A Night to Remember in the Mills & Boon/Romantic Novelists Association anthology Truly, Madly, Deeply which has also attracted 4 and 5 star reviews.

 'My favourite story was A Night To Remember. I think what drew me to this … was its resonance with real life. I'm not going to spoil the story but I could feel the emotions spilling out of the page - it was beautiful.'

Beckie, www.beckiesbookmix.blogspot.co.uk

'A Night to Remember - Beautiful, devastatingly so.'

Cheryl M-M, Goodreads & http://mmcheryl.wordpress.com/

 

Nikki Moore lives in beautiful Dorset and writes short stories and sexy, pacy romances. A finalist in several writing competitions including Novelicious Undiscovered 2012, she graduated from the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers' Scheme after four years and and has contributed to their magazine Romance Matters. She has far too much fun attending the annual RNA conference and has previously chaired a panel and taken part in a workshop at the Festival of Romance.

She blogs about some of her favourite things – Writing, Work and Wine – at www.nikkimooreauthor.wordpress.com and believes in supporting other writers as part of a friendly, talented and diverse community.

You can find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NikkiMooreAuthor or on Twitter @NikkiMoore_Auth and she invites you to pop in for chats about love, life, reading or writing!

My Writing Process...

Thanks so much to the very lovely Eve Devon, who tagged me in this blog hop. Eve writes Romantic Suspense for Entangled Publishing and Contemporary Romance for HarperImpulse, and you can read all about her writing process here and find out about her new release, Her Best Laid Plans.

What am I working on?

I'm currently two thirds of the way through my latest contemporary romance for Harlequin KISS/Mills & Boon ModernTempted, working title Reality TV War. My heroine Evie is a rich socialite, star of reality show Miss Knightsbridge, up against ex-soldier Jack Trent's survival skills documentary-style show in the ratings. When a stray comment from Evie to the effect that Jack is actually sleeping in hotels and scoffing a la carte when he's supposedly sleeping under the stars and foraging for food is made public, she is invited to take part in his show so she can eat her words on-screen and restore his reputation. Cue river crossings, hiking through the great outdoors and food challenges with nature's bounty. Can Evie prove herself to be more than vacuous party girl? Jack and Evie find that although they are from different worlds, they have more in common than they think. You can see some of my story inspiration by checking out my WIP Pinterest board here.

I've also just finished the final touches to a continuity, again for Harlequin KISS, due out later this year. I LOVED writing this book. The series is called The Flat In Notting Hill, the stories revolving around a group of flatmates in London, and my story will be the second in a series of four, with the amazing Nikki Logan, Joss Wood and Louisa George having written the other three. Lots more details about this later in the year!

After I've finished with Evie and Jack I will be writing the fourth novella in my Do Not Disturb series for HarperImpulse. These are funny, romantic, steamy stories linked by the same setting - a chic London boutique hotel.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I think the unique slant that all writers bring to the table is voice, your own unique way of telling a story. Particularly with category romance, where many tropes and themes have been done many, many times, voice and character is what keeps them fresh and new. All my books have a fun, light-hearted feel about them, - if I can brighten someone's day with one of my stories, that's good enough for me.

Why do I write what I do?

Mainly because I love the escapism of it. I read widely across all genres, but there are times when the sheer, delicious, happy-ever-afterness of romance is exactly what I want. The romance reading/writing community is also fantastic- there is a real buzz of support and interaction on social media and I really value that, because a lot of the time it's just me and my laptop.

How does my writing process work?

Erratically, is the unfortunate answer to that question. You'd think I'd learn from my mistakes now I've got a few books under my belt, but I still have some books that write like a dream (almost as if they're just flowing through me), and other books that are hateful marathons of teeth-pulling, and make me wonder why the hell I put myself through it!

I keep a running notebook of story ideas - these are mainly just interesting hooks at this stage. Then when I've decided to run with a particular idea, my process starts with a week of planning. First I develop my characters - I use goal, motivation & conflict charts for this, as well as Pinterest and some general character questionnaires to work out their background. One character is normally much more clear to me than the other (usually the heroine, they feel like my best mates!) and I ask myself, who would be the worst person for her and why? And then I look for something about him that would make him perfect for her if she could just see past that initial prejudice. I think about external conflict - how are these two people going to be thrown together? And then I start plotting.

I use a three-act structure, based around Blake Snyder's Save The Cat beat sheet, to come up with the main scenes - turning points, pinch points and a general idea of what the black moment might be - and then I brainstorm events that might happen in between to get the characters from one point to the next. I concentrate hard on keeping them in character - every move they make MUST be in character and relate to their goal/motivation. I might write a loose synopsis at this point to keep me on track. Even with all this planning, things can still go awry along the way - in this current WIP I just realised that the hero's conflict isn't quite right and I'm going to have to go back and rework it. Hopefully it won't take too long!

Once I have all this, I start writing. I write at least 1000 words every weekday and anything extra I get down at the weekend is a bonus. If on a roll I can easily write 10k a week. Other times just squeezing out that 1k a day takes forever. I've learned that Chapters 1-3 usually take me a while to get sorted, but once done they are usually pretty much on the money. I struggle at Chapters 4-6 every single time. This is where most of my revisions and rewrites have been in the past. The second half of the book is usually a bit easier again. I try to just keep pushing on, even when it's really tough, and then I go back and fix later on.

Depending on the book, all this can amount to days where I feel absolutely brilliant and love what I do, interspersed with head-crashing-on-desk days where I loathe the book and drive my family crazy. So far it's always worked out OK in the end!


I was last to the table for the Writing Process blog hop and I have tried to find someone who hasn't yet been tagged to pass the mantle on to, but have epically failed. So unfortunately the chain ends with me! But if you are reading this, haven't taken part yet, and would like to pick up the gauntlet, consider yourself tagged! Just leave me a comment so I can link to you :0)

My First Hot Harlequin KISS/ModernTempted!

My latest Harlequin KISS (Mills & Boon ModernTempted in the UK) is published today, and if you picked up my previous stories for Harlequin on the basis of their heat level, it might make you choke on your coffee!

When I wrote my first book for Harlequin, it fell under the RIVA imprint which was subsequently relaunched as KISS. At that time there were a wide range of sensuality levels offered under the same imprint - some books in the line were smoking hot, others (like mine) slammed the bedroom door after a snog and cut to breakfast. It soon became clear that this was confusing for the reader and as a result KISS/ModernTempted books are now sexy across the board.

The Plus-One Agreement is no exception - it has some pretty steamy scenes in it, so be warned. It also has my usual brand of fun, sassy storytelling and a quirky supporting cast that threatened to take over at times! I had so much fun writing it. For a sneaky peek at some of my inspiration, check out my Pinterest board here.

The blurb...

Successful job? Check. Swish wardrobe? Check. Mr Right?
Not so much...

Emma Burney might not have a man, but she has a very practical solution for that: the plus-one agreement. A guaranteed date for any occasion. The problem? Her date is the gorgeous Dan Morgan – the man she lusted after for years.

Dan is all about keeping it casual, so when Emma decides to call it quits on their arrangement he isn’t bothered. Well, maybe there’s just a little bit of dented ego. After all, he’s always prided himself on his plus-one prowess. So when Emma begs for just one last date…suddenly he’s got something to prove!

The excerpt...

'I could have spent this weekend working,' Dan said.

'Like you don't spend enough of your life doing that.' Emma led the way into the gallery. 'You can easily afford an evening and I need this opportunity to draw a thick, black and irreversible line under the two of us for my parents and undo the tissue of fibs I've told them.'

They walked slowly down the red-carpeted hallway, his hand pressed softly at the small of her back - the perfect escort as always.

'I really don't see why I need to be there for you to do that,' he said, smiling politely at other guests as they passed, maintaining the perfect impression. 'Especially since it's only a fake relationship.'

Even as he piled heavy sarcasm on the word fake he wondered why the hell he was turning this into such a big deal. Why should he care? It had simply been a handy arrangement, nothing more.

'Because the problem with it being a fake relationship is that it was a pretty damn perfect one,' she snapped. 'And so now I need a fake break-up.'


The links...

AMAZON UK
AMAZON US
BARNES & NOBLE
THE BOOK DEPOSITORY (Free Worldwide Delivery)

Are You Tempted To Write..?

Back at the end of 2011 (for Pete's sake, where does it go?) I stumbled across a competition run by Mills & Boon, called New Voices. At the time the small one was the miniscule one, still in nappies and up in the night, and the teens had yet to morph into their current completely self-sufficient non-communicative selves. In the slivers of time I had to myself back then (otherwise known as the miniscule one's daytime naps) I was wrestling with my ongoing ambition to write a romance novel, begun in my early twenties and still unachieved in my mid thirties. In the interim years I'd learned bits and pieces about writing from how-to books and the internet, and I'd had some encouragement from my one and only submission, recently rejected, but The Call was still no more than a dream.

And then I entered New Voices.

It was the second year Mills & Boon had run the competition, the prize was (I think) the same as the first year. The winner would receive a contract with Mills & Boon, the three runners up a Kindle and a phone call with a Mills & Boon editor. I was utterly certain I didn't have a hope in hell, but the lovely pink website sucked me in anyway and I dashed off a chapter of a new story I'd been thinking about and sent it in.

I am now pinch-myself lucky enough to have a contract with Mills & Boon ModernTempted (Harlequin KISS in the US) and that success began with that one little chapter I subbed to New Voices. You must have won, I hear you say. And you would be wrong. I didn't win. I did finish in the final four and scoop one of the Kindles (I still pinch myself about that. Me, who never wins anything!). But that competition, and all that I learned from the experience, without a doubt led to me receiving The Call seven months later.

In fact, all three of us runners-up from New Voices 2011 now have publishing contracts, as well as the very lovely Natalie Charles who was our winner that year. And we are not the only ones. There are lots of entrants of New Voices 2011 who have gone on to sell, to Mills & Boon and elsewhere too.

What New Voices meant for me was a fantastic wealth of advice, encouragement, feedback and information, more in a few weeks than I'd gleaned from months of surfing the internet. Along with great fun and excitement as the competition progressed, I was especially lucky in that my mentor for the final stage of the competition was Liz Fielding, whose knowledge and encouragement was invaluable. She taught me so much in such a short and pressured space of time. I look back on the whole experience and it makes me smile!

Which brings me (ramblingly) to #TemptedToWrite. A couple of years on from the excitement of New Voices and I am so excited to be part of the judging panel for #TemptedToWrite! In fact I can hardly believe it. I can't wait to get stuck into reading the final 10k story entries. But first there are ten days of Q&A sessions on Twitter and Facebook, designed to get you thinking about characters, conflict and plot, with lots of lovely ModernTempted books as prizes along the way.

To take part, head over to Twitter for the first #TemptedToWrite question and for full competition details check out https://www.facebook.com/millsandboon

Don't forget to follow @MillsandBoon on Twitter, and on Friday 24th January look out for a live Q&A session with ModernTempted author Heidi Rice.


This competition has a very different format to New Voices, but the potential experience is much the same. When I did New Voices, I threw myself into it, I watched every podcast, I took part in the Q&A sessions, I read as many entries as I could. I learned loads and I had such a great time doing it. The final #TemptedToWrite prize is the publication of the winning 10k story on the Mills & Boon website, plus an editor to act as your mentor. It's a terrific prize - but there is so much more to be gained from taking part than just that. I would encourage anyone thinking about entering to give it a go - even if you don't win, it is a brilliant way of getting your work in front of an editor and a great way to pick up tips which will move you forward on your journey to publication.

COVER REVEAL!! Nicola Marsh's BEFORE (New Adult Novel)

 

 

 

I am jumping up and down with excitement to be part of the cover reveal for the fantastic Nicola Marsh's New Adult release, BEFORE. I'm a big fan of Nic's writing, and I'm not the only one (she recently won the RuBY!) and her sprint-writing technique has at times been the only thing standing between me and a meltdown of monumental proportions this past month while I've been juggling two WIP's. (If you haven't checked out her book Do It Write, I highly recommend it)

 

But I digress, and without further ado...

 

Here's the blurb...

 

Good girls finish last? Screw that.Being a small town girl isn’t so bad. Unless Mom’s the town joke and I’ve spent my entire life shying away from her flamboyance. College in Las Vegas should be so much cooler. But it’s not. Bad things happen there. Real bad.So when my big brother Reid offers me an all-expenses paid vacation to Australia for a month, I am so there. Discounting the deadly snakes on the outback cattle station, I should be safe. Until I meet Jack.Jack defines bad boy and then some. And the guy can cook. He’s big, buffed, bronzed, and hotter than any guy I’ve ever met. And his sexy Aussie accent makes me melt.But he’s my brother’s new bestie and he lives on the other side of the world. There’s no future for us.

Is there?

 

Launch day is 2nd December, when it will be available from all ebook outlets. In the meantime, you can visit Nicola's website for more info.