Tuesday Chit Chat with… CONTRACTED AUTHOR, OUR VERY OWN LAURA JAMES

Sorry for shouting. It wasn’t the aggressive shouty type. More of a town cryer style because Hear ye, Hear ye we have some fantastic news for you today. And without further ado, we’ll get on with asking the lady herself…

We’ve noticed at Romaniac HQ that Laura hasn’t been eating her cake of late. We know this means something is on her mind. So, tell us Laura, what’s occurring?

You know me, stomach’s always the first to give when anything major happens in my life.

Don’t leave us guessing, Laura! You are being interviewed by a lady who is heavily pregnant with twins. I’m not in a position to be left in the lurch. What is the MAJOR thing that has happened in your life?

Sorry, Catherine. Hang in there.

I should warn you, I’m liable to spontaneously combust at any moment, and that’s something even I can’t plan for, so it might be best if you take cover somewhere.

I am exceedingly happy…no…make that ecstatic…to tell you the lovely people at Choc Lit , under their new Choc Lit Lite imprint, have said yes to my first novel, ‘Truth or Dare?’ *dowses self with cold water* And I’m going to have a cover! *Reaches for the jet-wash*

Jan, Jan! Where is the honk-o-meter? We need to offer up our biggest congratulations to Laura.

Jan: Yeeeeeee Ha!! To all of it! HONKS of gargantuan, major league, A1, epic, fantabulously titanic proportions!

I knew Jan would sum up how the rest of us Romaniacs feel. Knowing how much hard work you’ve put in, Congratulations didn’t quite cover it.

Fantastic honking, Jan Thank you, my wonderful Romaniac chums. What would I do without you? You have been and continue to be my pillars of strength. If pillars were built from laughs, you’d be that, too.

Right, time to calm you down for a moment and ask what is ‘Truth Or Dare?’ about?

Chesil. Portland. Dorset.

In a nutshell, which, as you know, is quite a difficult state for me to achieve, ‘Truth or Dare?’, as it currently stands, is a gritty, twenty-one year story, (is that split-era?) revolving around the influence of past events on the present and future. There is a romance at its heart, a family I’d love to visit for holidays, and a shed load of moral dilemmas, as the title suggests. And for the most part, it is set in Dorset, a county I adore.

Did you know there is a law against taking the pebbles from Chesil Beach?

We can’t wait for the moment it’s available, but we know you have lots of hard work in the meantime. But for now it’s time to celebrate so what have you got planned?

Eating properly. Maybe getting a little sleep. All the things I’ve failed to do over the last few weeks. And, since it’s a special occasion, I might even hug a few people.

In my head, I’m dancing with wild abandon. In my kitchen, I’m singing Paloma songs. With gusto. And you know it.

Love you xx

When I was young…

We love you too, Laura ‘Tis quite worrying, I’ve never known you to be this gushy and huggable. And we’ve got through this announcement without my waters breaking or you fainting. Just, if the other Romaniacs don’t mind, maybe we should ease off on the group hug so Laura and I can collapse on the sofa. And as it’s Romaniac HQ, I’d like to raise my glass (of lemonade, the rest of you have something more fancy) & HONK a toast to Laura and her much deserved success.

What’s Your Current Position?

At Romaniac HQ, we often find ourselves in awkward positions. It’s tricky keeping one’s modesty with nine people occupying the same living space. Sue was in the kitchen with a good-looking Texan last year. The explanation, ‘We were cooking’, did nothing to settle our nerves.

We’d like to know where you are and what you’re doing with your hero or heroine, right this moment, and then, we want you to divulge your most favourite position with them.

We’ll get the ball rolling, for want of a better phrase.

Laura : In Follow Me, I’m in a wooded english garden, overlooking Chesil Beach, with a Hollywood Action Hero sprawled at my feet, on the veiny ground. And my favourite position? In bed, with a thoughtful, gentle and humorous Irishman, at The Smugglers Inn, in Truth or Dare?

Sue : Well, I’ve managed to extract myself from the kitchen and now find myself on Felpham Beach in West Sussex, skimming stones with Donovan, a criminal psychologist.

My most favourite position? An autumn evening, sat on the beach, snuggled under a blanket with said criminal psychologist; wind blowing, waves crashing and moonlight dancing on the whites of the waves.

Debbie: Well, I’m hard at work on my WIP for the NWS with ‘James Hardaker.’ We’re in the emerald green hills of the Yorkshire Dales, one of my favourite parts of the world (and where I was brought up.) Spring-time in Berrywood means my vetinary hero is currently zipping around the country lanes tending ewes who are having a hard time lambing!

By co-incidence I’m visiting the Dales next week for a little more inspiration. It is sooo beautiful in that part of the world.

As for my favourite position, well, that has to be in front of the log burner! Either on the rug or sofa…

Catherine: I’m never doing it again. Oh, sorry. May have got the wrong gist. My latest heroine is struggling with the idea she might have fertility issues and will end up with her legs up in stirrups as a result. Not quite what you were hoping for with this post. So I’ll go back to a creek in Kuringai Chase National Park. An isolated spot outside of Sydney, Australia where my hero and heroine meet in Miles Between Us.

Celia: In Little Boxes, I’m on a very special bench at a country park by a beautiful lake in Peterborough with a man who can’t commit to a passionate relationship…yet. The weather is chilly but the temperature between the lead players is set to sizzle. And my favourite position – horizontal in a Travelodge.

Jan: I’m standing, mesmerized, rooted to the spot halfway down a red-carpeted sweeping staircase in a glorious York manor house, staring into the eyes of a tanned, athletic Yorkshireman. And my favourite position? Lying face down on a massage table, mentally reliving every delightful second of it…

I can recommend all of these positions

Now it’s over to you…where, how and who?

Laura xx

Charlie Cochrane: The Perils of Public Speaking

Charlie Cochrane

I sometimes get conned – sorry, asked nicely – into chairing author/reader events such as the Festival of Romance or the UK Meet. Now, this is meat and drink to me, seeing as I do some freelance training and facilitating, so standing up to handle panellists and audiences holds few terrors, and acting as a panellist for author events is also right up my street. When Laura asked me to blog about how some of the opportunities came about – and if the skills needed can be learned – I was delighted to oblige.

The Deadly Dames is a classic example of me being in the right place at the right time (story of my publishing life). I got to know Nicola Slade and Eileen Robertson through the local Romantic Novelists Association lunches and, one day, Eileen said, “Would you be interested in doing library talks? You have to join Mystery People first.”I almost knocked her down in my rush to say, “Yes, where do I sign?”

The Deadly Dames

From there the Deadly Dames grew – five “girls” local to the M27 corridor, all of whom write cosy mysteries as well as other things. We devised a name, a logo, a style (black and red clothes) and began our career at Chichester library, discussing how and why we write, where we get inspired, how we do our research and lots of other things. It was a great success, which we’ve followed up with other bookings, some of which we’ve sourced ourselves – cue nabbing librarians and trying to charm them – and some have been sourced by the lovely Lizzie at Mystery People (next up, Bognor!)There are pros and cons to all of this, not least because of unforeseen problems which upset your plans. The DDs had been lined up to do a panel in Windsor but it had been booked to clash with Comic Relief and had to be cancelled. Back into the cupboard the snazzy red and black gear goes… But you have to take the rough with the smooth, and the ‘free’ opportunities – to get our names out on advertising, to engage with potential new readers (whether they buy our books at the event or later or get them from the library) and to present ourselves as interesting, nice people – are not to be sniffed at. Any author at our level in the profession will tell you that books don’t sell themselves and the harder you work and network, the more success you tend to have.

Preparation is key for Deadly Dames events. Not to the nth degree, as you start to sound very flat (you need some bounce in your bungee!) but to have some idea of what you might say. For the Deadly Dames, our panel leader circulates some key questions in advance so we can get our notes ready to tackle those. Those questions change, so people could come to several DD events and not be bored.  I also like to have some answers at least half prepared in my mind for anything tricky someone in the audience might ask. You know the sort of thing. “Why does a straight woman write about gay men?” I want to get the answer to that absolutely right. (Although some of the audience questions, especially about e-books, make such little sense that having an answer ready would be well nigh impossible.)

Extending the discussion to the chairing or facilitating of panels/events, experience and practice undoubtedly help, but the sort of skills involved can be learned and there are plenty of tips to help things go smoothly, such as:

• Have people in the audience you know you can call on for comments if questions have dried up or are slow getting started. Something like, “Laura, I know you’re interested in vampire fiction. What’s your opinion on ‘Victoria and Albert, love at first bite’?” Once somebody talks, generally others will join in.
• Make sure you have some questions to ask your panellists if nobody else is doing so. You can always use generic ones, such as, “Is there a classic book you couldn’t finish” or “Is there a book you wish you’d written?”
• Try to ensure everyone gets to ask their question, even if that means being blunt with floor-hoggers. “Can we come back to you if there’s time? I have a lady in the back row who won’t forgive me if I don’t get her question in.” Smiles and good humour help pour oil on many a troubled water.
• Don’t be afraid to pull panellists/delegates back on topic. Remember that your core business isn’t to be everyone’s friend, it’s to keep the event running to topic and on time. Oh, and have a clock to hand, and even a whistle. Don’t be afraid to use either of them!

What are your tips for making public appearances go well? And do you want to pick my brains (such as they are) on the subject?

As Charlie Cochrane couldn’t be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes. She lives in England, but has yet to use her local town Romsey as a setting for her stories.

She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People, International Thriller Writers Inc and is on the organising team for UK Meet. She regularly appears with The Deadly Dames.

Charlie’s latest release is Promises Made Under Fire

France, 1915

Lieutenant Tom Donald envies everything about fellow officer Frank Foden–his confidence, his easy manner with the men in the trenches, the affectionate letters from his wife. Frank shares these letters happily, drawing Tom into a vicarious friendship with a woman he’s never met. Although the bonds of friendship forged under fire are strong, Tom can’t be so open with Frank–he’s attracted to men and could never confess that to anyone.

When Frank is killed in no-man’s-land, he leaves behind a mysterious request for Tom: to deliver a sealed letter to a man named Palmer. Tom undertakes the commission while on leave–and discovers that almost everything he thought he knew about Frank is a lie…

Thank you so much for your wonderful advice, Charlie. As Chairperson at the Festival of Romance, you certainly put us at ease for our first panel, and we knew we were in safe hands.

We wish you and your Deadly Dames well.

Laura x

Tuesday Chit Chat with Hazel Osmond

Welcome, Hazel, to the Romaniacs sofa. What can I get you? We have some heart-shaped chocolates from Valentine’s Day. Rose creme?

Oh, don’t mind if I do. Can I interest you in some liquorice in return? No, thought not. It’s an acquired taste and somewhere along the line I acquired it. Along with a love of aniseed balls which sounds faintly sniggery, but there we are.

I find aniseed balls a little hard, personally. They make my teeth rattle.

Recently, you went to a Paloma Faith gig. What is it you like about Paloma?

Sensational voice, great clothes, fab sense of humour, very down to earth, believes in connecting with her audience. But above all, she understands about putting on a show. I love people who really go for it – can’t stand it when performers give off that ‘I’m just here adding to my pension pot’ vibe. Paloma is ‘on’ from the moment she’s on.

Paloma has a fantastic stage presence, which leads us to acting. Do you like to be on stage, or backstage? Why?

I do take my turn helping backstage because there are always more people in our drama group who want to act than there are parts – so you have to let everyone have a go. But I always want to be on the stage. There are very few things that compare with that instant feedback you get when you’re acting. Oh, all right then, I’ll admit it, I’m a terrible show off and thrive on the love you get from a good audience.

How did your day at Denton Burn Library go? Please tell me about it.

Oh it was brilliant. Newcastle City Council is proposing massive cuts to arts funding which will mean a range of libraries being closed. Ann Cleeves, author of the Vera books, had the initial idea for writers and performers to hold events in the threatened libraries to raise awareness of what might happen. My friend Mari Hannah who also writes murder novels, got a group of us together in Denton Burn. We had singers and poets and writers and a good crowd of people in the audience. Kind of ironic that murder writers are taking the lead against the killing off of libraries.

How did you get into copywriting and please explain what that involves?

As a copywriter, you’re responsible for coming up with the written content of advertising – whether that’s words for an advert or a brochure or a script. In reality, you probably also play a part in coming up with the basic concept – it’s usual for a copywriter to be teamed with a designer so you kick ideas around together. And drink beer. After which all your ideas seem splendid.

How did I get into it? Well, I wanted to do it after university but lacked the confidence to sell myself to an agency. It was only after six years as a civil servant when I thought ‘stuff this, I’ve only got one life’ that I started applying to agencies and got lucky.

In what ways can this help and/or hinder short-story writing and novel writing?

It’s a good training ground. It really teaches you to be succinct because you have to get your main message across in a limited space. It also gives you an appreciation of the market you’re writing for. Where it doesn’t always help is that you’re hardwired to come up with something memorable, maybe even gimmicky. That’s not good when you’re trying to be true to the emotion of a story, particularly in a romance.

What drew you into the world of fanfic?

(Hazel puts her hands over her face and blushes). Lust. I saw Richard Armitage in North & South on the BBC and then as Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood. I had a google of him (as you do) and stumbled on the C19 website. That’s where I discovered fan fiction. After reading some of it I was inspired to write my own story. It came out as a romance and it felt as if I’d found my writing voice.

Are you a prolific writer?

If I’m in the right mood, yes. I will have a book and several short stories on the go at once. On the other hand, if I’m not in the right mood, I spend an awful lot of time staring into space or scowling at the computer screen. It’s like that rhyme – ‘when she was good, she was very, very good. But when she was bad, she was rotten.‘

Ah – the girl with a curl…

At what time of the day do you prefer to write?

When my children were little, the only uninterrupted time in which I could write was when they were asleep. So I wrote late in the evening and on into the night. Now I can write more or less when I like, but I still think I do my best work in a house filled with sleeping people!

Let’s move on to your books. Who is afraid of Mr Wolfe, and why?

Oh, good question. Well, Ellie should be afraid of her new boss, Jack Wolfe, who is slowly laying waste to a swathe of the female population of London. But Ellie believes her level headedness and her humour make her immune to his charms.   Wrong. She falls for him and then finds out that there’s a very big secret about Jack that makes him even more likely to cause her heartache.

The book was my take on all the elements that made up the romances I loved to read when I was a teenager – Alpha male, scruffy girl who has to up her game, gay best friend, etc. but I wanted to shake them up and give them a twist. It was short listed for Romantic Comedy of the Year by the RNA in 2012 and I was heartily chuffed about that.

What was the inspiration behind The First Time I Saw Your Face?

Years ago I read about a journalist who had managed to work undercover at BuckinghamPalace for months without being discovered. He got away with it because he looked the part. It set me thinking about how much we judge by appearances. In the book, I play around with that idea – Mack is pretending to be someone he isn’t and gets accepted by people at face value, whereas Jennifer has to cope with being judged negatively purely because of the way she now looks. And Northumberland inspired me – so the book is also a great big, gorgeous love story to the county. I’m hoping to start a tourist boom.

Why do you like humour in your books?

A person who cannot laugh at their own failings and the joys and absurdities of life is my idea of hell. I think taking yourself too seriously is a major character flaw!!

Humour in your writing can sharpen all the other emotions – it’s that bitter-sweet thing. I also feel that if you use it properly, it can widen out the story so that it’s not just about this man and this woman, but about how life plays around with all of us. I always feel more sympathetic towards characters who are having a crappy time and can raise even the tiniest laugh as opposed to those who sob in a corner.

What’s next for you?

Book 3, ‘Playing Grace’, is out this summer – it’s set in London again, and shows what happens when a seemingly uptight and very controlled woman gets thrown together with an off-the-wall young American guy. I’m also writing Book 4 at the moment, which will be a return to a Northumberland setting. Working title is ‘The Mysterious Miss Mayhew’ but I’m rubbish at titles so it’ll be something different when it comes out.

Chocolates or Flowers? 

Can I have chocolate flowers? No, okay then … flowers. Love white ones particularly.

Theatre or cinema?

Theatre. Do like cinema, but sometimes it doesn’t seem as honest as theatre – too glossy, more about the stars than the story.

Nightclubs or concerts?

Laughing like a drain at the thought of me in a nightclub. Wouldn’t know what to do with myself. Concerts are my thing. I try to go to a lot more now the kids are older. I’ve even been to a couple with them which works as long as we split up on the way in and I don’t do any dancing.

Valentine’s Day or Anniversary?

Anniversary. I had a Saturday job in a flower shop and am emotionally scarred by the memory of having to sell price-hiked red roses to lovesick men on Valentine’s Day. I like celebrating Anniversaries – it’s a bit like getting a long service medal.

Haha! Which leads nicely to the next question…

Slapstick or subtle comedy.

Oh dear. Hate slapstick. Would rather eat my own hair than sit through that. Mind you that would be quite funny in itself.

You can find out more about me and my writing – and read some of my short stories too – on hazelosmond.co.uk

Both books are available in paperback and ebook format, here and here

You can find Hazel on Amazon, here.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Hazel. Let us know if Northumberland gets busy xx

Notebook Confessional

This is a confession of infidelity.

I have two shelves full of notebooks – and none of them are full. Some of them are completely empty. Yet I can’t walk past a stationery shop without looking for more … always seeking the elusive perfect notebook; The One that will end up containing the perfect stories, as if the notebook itself can produce words.

Each time I buy one, I think this is The One, the one I’ll love forever, the one I’ll keep writing in until the bitter end… but something always goes wrong. We fall out of love and before I know it, I’m back in Paperchase, flirting with a shiny new one.

It’s always been a problem – in school, I’d start every term in love with my beautiful exercise books, all covered in wrapping paper, or carefully decorated with cuttings from magazines … then someone would sit next to me with their books covered in something prettier, sparklier and mine would look dull in comparison, and I’d spend the rest of the term coveting the books next to me.

This year, I’m trying to stay faithful to one notebook at a time – well, maybe two; one small one for small bags and a bigger one for big bags. And maybe one for my desk at work and one for my desk at home. I wouldn’t want to get caught short when THE idea strikes, would I?

Now it’s time for my other Romaniacs to ‘fess up – are you one notebook women, faithful to the end? Or are you spending half your income each week on lovely notebooks and pens and paper and folders and more notebooks and… mmmm….

Vanessa x

Laura: I have a secret stash. I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours. Need a quick fix? Whatever colour, whatever size you want, I’ve got it. Clean, fresh, virginal pages, lying between exotic covers, waiting to be inked on. I have several on the go at once, but all for different reasons. I fill them to my satisfaction, home them, and then delight in the thrill of starting something new.

Celia: I was going to say that I’m not much of a one for notebooks but then I looked in my desk drawers! The one I use most is the fabulous big gold and dark green one that lives on a shelf right next to the desk. It was a present from my daughters, and last May I started writing down competition entries or anything writing-related that I was doing or had achieved. It’s such a pleasure writing in this book  with my Christmas pen – thick cream pages, decorated edges and clasps to keep it shut. The smaller green and gold one is my diet diary and it doesn’t have much in it. Sadly, this is not because I don’t eat much but because I’m  usually too busy eating and drinking to write in it. 

Catherine: I’ve never really had to buy notebooks because since I was young my family and friends have brought them for me. My problem lies with not being able to get rid of any of them. When you’ve spent your life jotting in notepads, when you look through them you think there’s gold in that there notepad. And that one. And that one. Shame I’ve never found time to go through them all. 

[Stands up and takes deep breath] Hello, my name is Sue and I’m a notebook junky – [smiles at the nods, hellos and encouraging clapping from others in the group] I’ve been addicted to notebooks for many, many years. I can’t get enough of them. Any shape, size, colour, I love them all. Sometimes, I go into stationery shops to admire them, to stroke them, to hold them in my hands, to flick through the untouched virgin paper, to breathe in the smell of newness. The urge to claim it as mine and hand over the last pennies in my purse can be overwhelming. Oh God, just talking about it and words like Paperchase, WH Smith, Waterstones race through my mind. [rushes out of meeting to stroke current favourite]

 Jan: I confess I’d be sitting right beside Sue at that ‘notebook junky’ group. Mr B often tuts and rolls his eyes when I veer off to purr at the stationery when out shopping. I dread to think how many notebooks share our flat with us; big ones, tiny ones, bright ones, patterned ones, you name it… If we Romaniacs lined them all up side by side, I reckon we could fill the floor here at HQ.  Our very own notebook carpet. There’s a thought…

Debbie: I give up with notepads. Like the others, I have piles of them but interestingly the only ones I use are of the ‘value’ or ‘homebrand’ variety. Following an Arvon writing course I did invest in a couple of moleskin ones which come out if I’m attending a writing course or any RNA events but otherwise, the trouble I seem to have with notebooks is that most of them are gifted ones and far too beautiful to write in!

About five years ago, a friend gave me a beautiful silk notebook. The cover is a rich, reddish-brown, almost the colour of polished copper, with a ‘framed’ panel of sinuous, vertical meandering flowers and acanthus leaves embossed in the middle of the front outer cover. And for the five years since acquiring it, it has lived on top of my piano alongside my metronome. It stays there, gathering dust, each parchment page as virginal and empty as when it was hand bound.  It wasn’t until a conversation with a friend, that I realised why…

Apparently, her sister has a gift for writing poetry and in an attempt to encourage and inspire ‘F’ bought her a luxurious notebook for her ideas and notes. After a few weeks, she discovered her sister hadn’t used it and when asked, her sister told her it was because it was “too lovely to write in…” Following lengthy discussions with her sibling and others, F concluded that her sister didn’t feel she was ‘worthy’ of the notebook. It was as if somehow, it was ‘too good’ and too beautiful for her to write in; that her writing did not measure up to the paper.

I smiled at my friends conclusion. It struck a chord. Perhaps it’s a trait of the ‘wannabe’ writer who hasn’t quite made it that I feel ‘unworthy?’ but I could see some truth in her words. And I still struggle to ruin a perfect blank page or beautiful silk cover with my scribbled musings. So for now my collection of notebooks sit forlornly in my study and look beautiful, gathering dust, until one day…

Lucie: I think it comes with the job! I don’t think any writer would be without at least one trusty notebook – or several hundred in Sue’s case – to jot down their musings. I have a few notebooks. Mainly I have a purple one that goes in my bag for when I am out and about, one on my desk which isn’t as pretty and a few stored in my desk that are all half written in. I don’t think I’ve ever filled a notebook. I’ve always been teased away by another before getting quite to the end. I do find it hard to go into places like WHSmith, Paperchase and Staples and not be drawn straight to the stationery section. 

Come to think of it, I think I’m due a new one…..

Life in a Book

Some stories, whether in novel, song, poem or film, get right beneath my skin. They’re the ones that stay with me.

Paloma Faith

I’m obsessed at the moment with songs from Paloma Faith. I made mention of it on my site last week. It’s possible you’ve caught me posting on Facebook too. I’ve listened to both her albums for some time, but it’s now only that I’m relating to the lyrics. Is it that I’m paying proper attention to the words or that the songs are relevant to this point of my life? Or have my life experiences been such that I now understand more?

Recently, I read Sue Moorcroft’s Dream A Little Dream, and aspects of the story resonated within. It was the same with Me Before You, Jojo Moyes.When I read these books, their subject matter was extremely pertinent to what was happening in my life, and their effect on me was made all the more powerful by the skill and care with which the books were written.

The first book to make me cry was Love and Devotion, Erica James. If I remember rightly, I read it not long after I’d had my second child. I won’t give away the plot, but the questions the book raises, and the fact the tragedy that befalls the children in the story is not outside the realms of possibilty, affected me greatly.

Jodi Picoult and Laura.

My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult, was the second book that made me weep.

I was watching Home Alone with Child Number Two a few days ago, and even though I warned him I would cry at the end of the film, he was still surprised by my emotion. ‘Really, Mum?’ he asked, eyebrows as high as the Empire State. ‘Really,’ I replied, as Gajitman passed across another Kleenex.

Have you ever watched Beaches? Yep. Makes me cry every time. Sound of Music does too. And I know why. It’s because I understand the parents’ point of view, and feel for the children. Since having my two, my tissue expenditure has increased ten-fold.

So, which books, films, songs or poems get beneath your skin? Which make you sob your heart out? Why are we affected so much by stories?

Laura x

Addicted to Fiction, with Sharon Goodwin.

Hello ladies, I can’t tell you how excited I am to be invited into the inner sanctum to talk book blogging with you.  I really enjoy reading your posts and now here I am!

My days of blogging began during a lull in projects – in my spare time, I had spent 3 years tracing mine and my OH’s family tree and not being able to go any further (and with my family fed up with traipsing around graveyards around the country) I needed a new challenge!

I’ve always been an avid reader (and a secret poet – although not quite that secret as some of my poetry is showcased under my pen name Cerris ) My blog came about quite by chance, having started entering competitions via blogs (not for books – surprisingly enough), I liked the thought of a virtual community and being able to chat all things books via comments and social media … and so Jera’s Jamboree was born on 6th February 2011. 

I’ve reviewed some fantastic books, hosted interesting guests, created interviews and taken part in book tours.  I’ve had authors compliment me on my PR skills on Twitter and I’ve jokingly asked if they could use my services.  That was the kernel of what was to become Fiction Addiction Book Tours.  During October half-term, that idea grew full fledged after researching and then approaching a couple of authors who I knew would be honest with me. My first step was to implement a Tour Host database because how could I coordinate virtual book tours without any hosts?  I have a fantastic network of bloggers who immediately signed up whom I trust implicitly.  The database is expanding but I always research new tour hosts to see if they would be suitable.

So what is Fiction Addiction Book Tours? 

As the name suggests, we coordinate and promote virtual book tours at very reasonable costs (for example a five stop Cover Reveal tour is £20 and a five stop Standard Tour is £30).  How does it work? Once tour dates are agreed with authors I create a Press Kit which is then shared with the relevant tour hosts on the database (tour hosts sign up for all different genres).  A tour badge is created which hosts display on their blogs (this links back to the authors website). Once the tour is full I share all relevant information with the author.  I quite liked the idea of showcasing the books on tour, even when they are full, and so Fiction Addiction Books on Tour was created.

One month before the tour is due to take place, a tour post goes live on the website with all relevant details.  Two weeks before the tour begins an event is created via Facebook and Goodreads.  One week before the tour begins a feature post goes live on Jera’s Jamboree.  Also, information is pinned on a dedicated Pinterest board. All of these posts are tweeted about and linked to a Facebook page. Once the tour begins, tour hosts, ourselves and the authors promote the posts via Twitter and Facebook.

Authors have full control at all times, for example they are able to stipulate the posts they would like on tours (ie a 5 stop tour = 3 x reviews, 1 x guest post, 1 x interview).  The Press Kit is not sent out until the author has seen it and agreed to its contents.  The tour badge is not shared unless the author is satisfied with the graphics/design.

Fiction Addiction Book Tours ticks all the boxes for me.  Books (of course!), organising (I’m a list person), communicating (certainly not lacking there) and creating.  This is something I really love doing and it is FUN!

Thank you for listening to me today.  Don’t hesitate to get in touch.  You’ll find me at fictionaddiction.booktours@gmail.com.

It must be time to quaff that delicious looking beverage beside me now.

Ciao    Shaz

Thank you for dropping by, Shaz. It’s our pleasure, and thank you for your kind words. It’s been great learning about other aspects to writing. Help yourself to the hot chocolate – you’ve earned it. Good luck and best wishes with your ventures. xx

A Year and A Day

A year and a day. It certainly has romantic associations. And a fairytale feel.

My Sexy Pen

The Romaniac blog started a year and a day ago, 13th February 2012, which means yesterday was The Romaniacs’ First Anniversary. It’s the ‘paper anniversary’. Appropriate, wouldn’t you say? What better gift could one give a writer? Apart from sexy pens, obviously. Have I ever shown you my sexy pen? Here’s my anniversary gift to you, then…

The Romaniacs have been very romantic over the last twelve months with the help of wonderful guests, comical comments and brilliant banter. Thank you all so much for joining in with the fun, offering advice, and caring. It’s a proper relationship. We’ve even got hot under the collar, once or twice. Sue took us through our very own, unique heat scale: http://theromaniacgroup.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/lets-talk-about-sex/

Isn’t that what romance is about? Fun, laughter and friendship?

I’ve never doubted the friendship that exists within The Romaniacs. There is genuine depth of feeling between us, endless encouragement, and cheer-leading support. And cake. Mustn’t forget the cake.

At the 2012 Festival of Romance, I pitched to a panel of experts. This was my fourth ever pitch, and my first standing at the front of an audience. Within the crowd were four fellow Romaniacs, who had not heard my new summary of my wip. They were radiating energy, generating positive vibes, and directing their goodwill toward me. They were providing a virtual hand hold. I pitched ‘Follow Me’, I received my constructive criticisms, and I returned to my seat. At that moment, I experienced the full force of the Romaniacs’ support. Liz handed me notes she had taken, based on the panels comments, Celia and Debbie suggested ways to overcome a characterisation problem with which I’d struggled for months, and Sue gave me ‘that’ look that said ‘Great job.’ It was quite a moment, and one I often think about. It fuelled some of what I said the next day, when The Romaniacs presented a panel about the benefits of an online writing support group.

The dynamics have to work, and what you gain from belonging to such a group should be positive. If it’s destructive, then find another group, or start your own. First and foremost, The Romaniacs are friends, brought together by a common interest/obsession/compulsion (delete as applicable) with writing and reading, and bound together by laughter, daftness, empathy and, yes, love. I have a large, soft, squidgy, kind-of-like-a-bouncy-castle patch in my heart for these ladies, and cannot imagine life without them.

Did we get lucky, or were we drawn together by the strings of fate?

It’s Valentine’s Day, I write romance and I believe in fairytales. On that basis Fate gets my vote. And my thanks. And a big, squidgy, kind-of-like-a-bouncy-castle hug. And, since it is the most romantic day of the year, a kiss on the forehead.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Laura xx

Tuesday Chit Chats: The Romaniac Cut

Tuesday Chit Chats: The Romaniac Cut.

I have four questions today – instantly The Two Ronnies sketch comes to mind – you know the one? Fork Handles…It’s a bit like that at Romaniac HQ…Anyway, I digress. Mid-February will see the first anniversary of The Romaniac Blog, and that has put me in a reflective mood. Looking back through our Tuesday Chit Chats, I’ve chosen four questions we asked our wonderful guests, whilst they supped wine and ate HobNobs, that I’d like to put to you.

1. Is there a book you wished you had written?
2. Who are your top three favourite fictional characters?
3. How vividly do you recall your dreams and are they in colour?
4. What are the funniest and most interesting or unusual questions you’ve been asked at a talk or book signing?

 Liz Harris: The Road Back.

Is there a book out there that you liked so much, you wished you had written it?

I haven’t read Fifty shades of Grey, but I certainly wish I’d written it. I could have easily got used to lugging sacks of lucre to the bank! As to both parts of your question, though, I’ve loved many novels over the years, but I don’t think that I’ve ever consciously wished that I’d written one of them myself. I have too much fun creating my own fictional world ever to wish that I’d created that of someone else.

Nikki Goodman: NWS Member

Name three favourite fictional heroes?

That’s really hard – I’ve read so many books! I’m going to go for a fictional heroine first. 

1)      Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird.

I studied the book for English at school and the empathy and maturity that Scout shows towards Boo Radley, and the journey she goes on in coming to terms with people’s prejudices and realising that both good and evil exist really struck me… and stayed with me.

2)      And then to the other extreme…Rupert Campbell-Black in Riders and sequels

I read the books when I was in my late teens. I know RC-B is supposed to be the ultimate anti-hero but he is so sexy and such a bad boy! He does have some redeeming features though, that start to slowly come out once he meets Taggie, who becomes his wife. I liked the fact that love made him a better man, without it changing him too much; he’s still a bit of a scoundrel!

3)      And slightly predictable; Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice

Just because she is strong minded and witty and is not afraid to say what she thinks, which for the time the novel is set in, was brave.

 Sue Moorcroft: Dream A Little Dream.

We’re told everybody dreams, even though we don’t always remember. How vividly do you recall your dreams and are they in colour?

Sometimes very vividly, but only in snatches. I’ve never been able to work out if my dreams are in colour or whether I just paint colour in when I’m recalling them. I’m subject to nightmares, which may be a reason why I don’t like reading or watching anything scary – it comes back get me that night!

Jane Lovering: Vampire State of Mind.

What are the funniest and most interesting or unusual questions you’ve been asked at a talk or book signing?

Apart from ‘why have you got your pants on your head?’  People don’t often ask me questions.  They are usually accelerating away too quickly, although a lady did ask, during a recent talk, about the use of the subjunctive in modern novels.  THAT was interesting…  Mostly though, questions are limited to ‘where do you get your ideas from?’ and ‘who is the responsible adult who is currently in charge of you?’

You can link back to the original interviews by clicking on the author’s name.

Now, how would you answer those four questions?

Laura x

Those Were The Days My Friend

‘I thought they’d never end’, (Mary Hopkin)

Once the new year celebrations were finished and we had all regrouped at Romaniac HQ, we found ourselves reflecting over the past 12 months, taking stock of how far we had come and how far we still had to go with our writing careers. Naturally, the conversation turned to how it all began. Not surprisingly, our love affair with writing began at an early age for us all and we took a trip down Memory Lane, thinking of the influences and experiences that have shaped us. We thought we would share our nostalgia with you.

We would, of course, love to know where your writing aspirations began and what your memories of that time are.

Laura: The late seventies and early eighties are the years I remember well. I loved music, and I became aware of the world around me. 1979 was the year of the UK’s first female Prime Minister, in Margaret Thatcher - that was a big deal, especially for women. We lived under the threat of nuclear war, there were bombings in Nothern Ireland, Sid Vicious was found dead from a heroin overdose, and China introduced their One Child Policy. As a twelve-year-old, I worried about how the world would survive. I yearned for the power to put everything right. I was going to be a doctor, or a child psychologist. Maybe a speech therapist – something that helped. Failing that, I’d entertain – become a singer. I realised songs were miniature stories and became fascinated with rhymes, patterns and words. I loved reading, but looking back, my love for writing began through songs.

The world changed during my formative years. Whether or not one agreed with Thatcher’s policies, women had a positive role model. I loved Blake’s 7, a Sci-Fi programme with a strong female character in Cally, Gloria Gaynor was belting out I Will Survive, and my mother, bless her, by this point in my life, was a single parent, who had successfully secured a mortgage in her name alone. Not easy. Is it possible these childhood factors led me to writing issue-driven romances, with strong female characters? By producing stories, my desire to entertain is fulfilled, my love for words is put to work, and I create my own worlds where ultimately, everything will be all right.

I’m beginning to think it was inevitable I would become a writer.

1983

Sue: Being roughly the same age as Laura, I can identify with all the things she mentions above. The early 80′s saw me knocking on the door of my teenage years when I was living in a rural village and had a very free rein on what I did with my time. All the local kids used to hang around together, but to be fair, that didn’t actually amount to many – put it this way, in my year at school there were only three girls and six boys. I look back on those days with fondness as age didn’t really come into it and we all mucked in together. Sometimes we’d have a big game of football or cricket, other times we would swim/paddle in the river or generally hang out, usually at the bridge. I’m not sure what the attraction of the bridge was, but we spent an awful lot of time just congregating there. Having said that, living in a small rural community did mean it often had its dull moments and my answer to the boredom was to take myself off somewhere far more exciting via a good book, courtesy of the mobile library which visited us once a fortnight.

Me with my eldest brother circa 1973.

With regards to the larger world outside of this Cambridgeshire village, I have very clear memories of things like Shopper bikes for girls, Chopper bikes for the boys, Bermuda shorts, Haircut 100, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Ultravox, Grange Hill, Crackerjack (‘It’s five to five and it’s Crackerjack!’), Why Don’t You, using a cassette player to try to record the Top 40 on a Sunday evening, deciding I’d give up on my dream of marrying Nick Skelton and set my sights on Adam Ant instead. It was around about this time I received a Silver Reed typewriter for Christmas and began typing up my stories; making them into books; illustrating them and designing the cover. Today, I am still trying to do pretty much the same thing (although the Adam Ant dream has gone the same way as the Nick Skelton one).

Jan: The late seventies evoke such fond memories for me too. We had lots of children living down our road and a great crew of us would play in the street (not nearly so many cars to worry about then!) racing each other up the road when we heard the tinkle of the ice cream van. We had a huge street party for the Queen’s silver jubilee celebrations with long trestle tables groaning under the weight of food and fizz. One of the neighbours set up some speakers in their hallway and played DJ for the duration, blaring out the likes of Abba and Stevie Wonder. I can remember our milkman and postman turning up, flares swishing, and hardly recognising the pair of them out of uniform. They were doing the rounds; such was the camaraderie amongst everyone in the area.

This is me in the early seventies, clearly deciding I wanted to try on my cousin’s Cub cap & tie!

I always took an interest in anything creative at school, from writing stories and poetry, to singing in school choirs and auditioning for Christmas and end of term plays. I can see my Dad now, three rows back, big cheesy grin on his face, trying to make my best friend (a notorious giggler) and I laugh, Mum nudging his elbow and giving him “the look”. Ever since those days, I’ve loved writing in all its forms, so to now be working on my debut novel really is one of my dreams come true.

Celia: Well, I’m a little bit…ok, quite a lot…older than the other Romaniacs, so my teenage and pre teen memories go back to the earlier seventies. By the time the redoubtable Mrs T was in her element and nuclear war was threatening, I was a young mum, panic stricken at the world I’d brought my daughters into but not really quite ready to be sensible. On a more cheerful note, I remember oodles of Motown (still can’t help dancing to ‘Needle in a Haystack’, in fact I brought the New Year in to it), lusting after Roger Daltrey, The Osmonds – all of them, I wasn’t a fussy teenager – and David Bowie. I was sure David, Marc Bolan, Freddie Mercury and Elton John were straight, and I’m still not convinced otherwise, so don’t try to mess with my dreams, ok? My favourite songs, as with Laura, inspired my writing, in fact my first book had song words at the start of every chapter. They took me ages to choose. Shame the book itself was so awful, really.

The past year has been a roller coaster ride for me. The downs were a very long way down but the highs were incredible, and I am so grateful to the Romaniacs for being there with me. Group hug? Left over mince pie anyone?

Debbie; Ahhh, the seventies. What lovely memories my fellow Romaniacs have evoked. It was a happy, carefree time for me as it was for many children back then, (other than bread strikes and having to queue at the stand pipes for water.)

I remember long hot summers, days that never ended, going off on my Raleigh Shopper bike (I had one Sue) with my ‘cozzie’ rolled up in a towel alongside some limp sandwiches in the front basket to the local park where there was a paddling pool. The rest of the time I’d be in the back garden, playing in my Wendy house, making ‘perfume’ from rose petals and lavender crushed in a couple of coconut shells with water added until it became a putrid mush. I also remember spending hours alone in my bedroom with my dolls and teddies playing teachers, being a Librarian, or pretending to do book signings. It’s strange now, looking back how I even comprehended that writers wrote and signed books at that age, but I remember it clearly. All my solitary activities revolved around books. As well as the pretend ‘classroom,’ the library and book signing, I spent hours in the bedroom simply reading and sometimes writing my own little stories.

It was, as they say, written in the stars, that I might pursue a career in writing…