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.

It's Release Day!! Did Someone Order Room Service?

 

It's release day for the second book in my Do Not Disturb series for HarperImpulse and I'm so excited!

These are a series of standalone contemporary funny, sexy stories that are linked by the same backdrop - a luxury boutique hotel in London. I had such fun writing this story and it is my own favourite thing that I've written so far.You can have a look at some of my story inspiration by clicking on the Pinterest button in the sidebar.

Did Someone Order Room Service?

GAME. SET. MATCH.

Has American Tennis Pro Matt Stanton finally found his match in uptight hotel employee Layla Jones? Checking in to escape the fallout from his most recent media scandal, she could be the perfect distraction from staring at four walls and watching Pay Per View. But for her own reasons Layla detests all things celebrity and winning her over won’t be as easy as he thinks.

Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Google Play
Barnes & Noble

I'm currently hard at work on the third book in this series (which unfortunately is causing me to crash my head on the desk beyond anything I've ever written before, even The Book From Hell, but I won't let that spoil the moment!). It's currently intended to be a Christmas story, but the way it's going it could be Christmas 2020 by the time I get it finished! Progress report soon x

Written Fireside - Part 12!

pic used under creative commons from mynameisharsha

It's that time again!! We're in the small hours, the fire is burning low and the sleeping bag beckons, but there's still a little bit of the story left so grab yourself one more hot chocolate for the road!

(If you've stumbled on this and are wondering what the hell I'm talking about, well you're in luck! You can recap all the previous parts of the story below without having to wait!)

Written Fireside - 'For Clara' is a travelling blog-hop story written in instalments by a fabbo group of writers, all of whom have their own vision for it but have had to succumb and let the story take on a life of its own. The experience has been great fun for us! The story so far can be accessed here:

PART 1 - Lori Connelly

PART 2 - Teresa Morgan

PART 3 - Carmel Harrington

PART 4 - Romy Sommer

PART 5 - A J Nuest

PART 6 - Me again!

PART 7 - Lori Connelly

PART 8 - Teresa Morgan

PART 9 - Carmel Harrington

PART 10 - Romy Sommer

PART 11 - A J Nuest

 

And without further ado...

 

'FOR CLARA' - PART 12

    Mark laced his fingers through hers, her hand encased tightly in his, and she raised her eyes and met his gaze. She saw nothing there but love and support.

   ‘How do you know Derek killed Barbara?’ she asked. She had to know everything now, although the thought of what her friend had been through made her eyes fill with tears and her throat tighten.

   ‘I found out at the Lucky Number Café. He took great pleasure in telling me,’ Mark said tightly.

   ‘How did it happen?’

    He shook his head but she tugged at his hand.

     ‘Please, Mark. I need to know.’

     He sighed.

     ‘She’d been ill for a long time. I don’t think any of us realised how ill until we heard at the funeral. For the last few months she had a full time nurse to take care of her. Derek showed up and blagged his way in there, probably bigged himself up as her long-lost foster brother making a concerned visit.’ Mark’s eyes were hard chips of steel. ‘When she wouldn’t tell him what he wanted to know, he put a pillow over her face.’

     Her breath caught in her throat. Poor Barbara. How frightened she must have been. Guilt twisted in Clara’s stomach. She should have been there to protect her friend.

     ‘He knew we were stronger together, that’s why he did it,’ she said. ‘We’d always supported each other, stood up to him together. He must have thought by taking Barbara out that I would weaken. That’s why he came after me next.’

    ‘How did you come to buy back the bracelet?’ Mark said.

     Clara looked down at her hands.

     ‘After Etienne was killed, it reverted to the Duval Estate. Next in line was some distant relative who wanted the whole estate liquidated. That was when Barbara stepped in and made an offer on the bracelet. She knew how much it had meant to Mrs Duval. And to Etienne too. Of course that was what tipped Derek’s jealousy over the edge – he’d always hated the Duval’s foster kids. He couldn’t understand why his parents needed any other children in their lives when they had him, could never see it as an unselfish desire to help on the part of his mother. He had to make it all about him.’

    Mark pulled his mobile phone from his pocket.

    ‘What are you doing?’

     ‘Calling the police,’ he said, punching in numbers. ‘Now I know you’re safe it’s time we handed the situation over to them.’

     She clutched at his arm with her hand.

     ‘What if the charges don’t stick,’ she said, panicking. ‘He’ll get out on bail and come back to find me.’

     ‘He’s a double murderer, RaRa,’ he said patiently. ‘They’ll throw away the key.’

     ‘Are you sure?’

     She thought of the questions, the nightmare, facing Derek again across a crowded courtroom. The hell that she and Barbara had been through when they testified against him all those years ago. Could she really face that a second time? And she had no Barbara beside her this time.

     Mark covered her hand with his own, tilted her chin with his hand until she met his steady gaze.

     ‘How long have you been running from this, RaRa?’ he said gently.

     She managed a small smile.

     ‘Too long.’

     ‘You don’t need to worry anymore,’ he said, as if he could read her thoughts. ‘We’ll get through this together. I’m staying right here. And you’ll never need to be afraid again.’

     Maybe she didn’t have Barbara’s support this time. But still she had Mark. Long forgotten hope began to slip back into her heart like slanting rays of sunshine banishing the dark lonely past. A hope she’d once had of a family of her own. A hope that had disappeared in the ensuing years after she’d turned Mark away from her life.

     She waited quietly as he spoke into the phone, explaining the situation and handing over brief details of their location and a description of Derek’s truck. And then he tossed the phone onto the dashboard and turned back to her.

     As he pulled her into his arms and tilted her face to meet his, she lifted a hand to touch his cheek, let her fingers sink into his hair as if confirming to herself he was real. She let her eyes flutter shut as he touched her lips with his own, making the lost years melt away. She finally allowed herself to believe it could be over. Everything really would be alright...

     The roar of gravel under spinning wheels and the screech of brakes made them leap apart. And more fool her. It would never be over.

     Derek’s truck blocked their path out of the woods and his murderous face stared at them through the mud-flecked windscreen. 

How will it end??

 Will Derek get his just desserts? Will Mark and Clara survive? Even I don't know! So join me on 30th September over at Lori Connelly's blog for the final part. Last one there gets the lumpy sleeping bag!

Written Fireside - Part Six!!!

Grab that toasting fork and lob that hotdog in the bin, you know you're never going to finish it now the marshmallows are up!!



pic used under creative commons from mynameisharsha

Yes, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! After AJ Nuest's nailbiting last instalment, the time has finally arrived for Part Six of Written Fireside - 'For Clara', the travelling blog hop story.

If you haven't a clue what I'm talking about, well you've missed a treat! Not to mention the first course of burgers and hotdogs. But no matter, you can pick the whole story up right from the beginning using the following links:

PART 1 - Lori Connelly

PART 2 - Teresa Morgan

PART 3 - Carmel Harrington

PART 4 - Romy Sommer

PART 5 - A J Nuest

And now without further ado, here is my first contribution...

PART 6

     Clara snapped off the flashlight and jerked her fingers back from the wall panel as if it were red hot. With her back pressed against lumpy plaster and peeling wallpaper, she sidled along until she could peek though the gap at the edge of the shabby lace curtain and down to the driveway below.

     Her heart hammered in her drum-tight chest and a panicky flash seared through her brain – ‘…caught, I’m caught…’

     She was so certain that it would be Derek’s porky silhouette she would see below that her breath caught in surprise when instead a shaft of moonlight picked out Mark’s muscular frame in silver. He crunched across the gravel toward the front door, glancing with interest at her own car, parked alongside his. She may as well have hung a neon flashing sign on the house – CLARA IS HERE. It hadn’t occurred to her to hide the car – why would it? No one knew about this place except for her– right?

     Unless hers wasn’t the only note Barbara had left behind.

     He couldn’t have followed her, she’d driven past him in the café. How else could Mark know about the summer house? Had her friend contacted Mark too from beyond the grave? Did she mean to bring them together somehow?

     Nothing was certain anymore. She ached miserably to talk to Barbara, knowing she never could. They’d survived this long by working as a team. She really wasn’t sure she was up to the challenge of seeing this through alone.

     But maybe she wasn’t meant to.

     As the door banged below and footsteps progressed steadily up the stairs she darted back to the wall panel. She would hear what Mark had to say. She would keep an open mind. But behind the panel was her only bargaining chip, and she wasn’t about to give that up. Barbara had meant her to find it, she was sure of that, and she wasn’t about to share it. She fumbled madly with the secret panel, shoving her hand into the dark space behind it as the footsteps got louder. And she managed to stuff the cloth-wrapped bundle under her sweater just as the door banged open.



And we're at the halfway mark. For the next instalment head back over to Lori Connelly's blog... See you there. Last one there gets the burnt waffle!

I'm Visiting!

I'm talking about my writing routine and All Bets Are On over at the lovely Rachel Brimble's blog today. Come over and keep me company if you have time! http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.co.uk/

My First Kiss!

No not THAT first kiss!! You don't want to hear about braces on teeth, school discos and red-haired Stewart Simpson who was a couple of inches shorter than me.

 

I'm talking about my first Harlequin KISS!

Known to those who followed this blog for the latter part of last year as The Book From Hell, it has since been renamed with the gorgeous title 'All Bets Are On'. And I am skipping around the house in excitement because release week has finally come around.

I got to read and approve the final edited version of All Bets Are On early this year, and to my utter amazement somewhere amidst all the angsting and crashing of head on table, the story somehow redeemed itself into being funny, sweet, engaging and (I think) the best thing I've written for Harlequin/M&B so far. For this I must thank my fabulous editorial team and also my family who put up with my whining and even threw ideas into the brainstorming mix (Lib I'm looking at you!) instead of forcing me to move out and live in the shed, I really wouldn't have blamed them.

So without further ado:

THE BLURB:

The stakes are high, but the prize is worth it!

Ask Alice Ford to shine in the boardroom and it's a done deal. Ask her to go on a first date, however, and she's a quivering mess! So, when she discovers that she's the target of an office bet—to get her into bed—it's her professional nightmare!

Office legend Harry Stephens is her unlikely saviour. He even volunteers to teach her just how to avoid a heartbreaker. After all, it takes one to know one….

But what is Harry really after? And when his kisses throw a curveball into the situation, is Alice ready to gamble  everything for love?

THE EXCERPT:

     'If you're thinking about dating again, maybe you'd like to go for a drink,' he said.

     'With you?'

     The question exploded from her lips in the form of a laugh. Because it was laughable, wasn't it? That after her past experiences she would look twice at someone like him?

     'Your amusement could be construed as an insult, you know,' he said mildly.

     'I can't,' she said. 'Sorry.'

     In Harry Stephens's world, of course, no meant maybe. He realised it was a simple matter of finding the right approach. Start small. And most important of all, offer some kind of incentive. Make her think he could be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

     'Just hear me out,' he said. 'I've got a proposition for you.'

     'What kind of proposition?'

     The upset tone had slipped from her voice. He could almost hear the ticking over of her mind. Her attention had been raised because he'd given his question a detached work-style tone.

     'I'm exactly what you need,' he said. 'To help you get back out there.'

THE LINKS:

UK Amazon: http://amzn.to/18XYDbx
US Amazon: http://amzn.to/1bC70Ji
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/15xeOqQ
The Book Depository: http://bit.ly/1bC7gIb

I'll be back soon with an update on the second in my Do Not Disturb trilogy, working title Room Service, featuring hot tennis player hero. I am currently racing against time (school breaks up imminently and the small one will be back in control) to get it subbed.

Happy summer all! xx