Coffee and Roses - Life as an Eternal Optimist

Writer Spotlight: Jessica Ruston

2012-02-15T13:02:00.009Z

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm thrilled to welcome the wonderful JESSICA RUSTON into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight.

Her new novel, The Darker Side of Love is released on 16th February and should definitely be on your wish-list! I managed to grab five minutes with Jessica to ask about her life as a writer.

When did you first decide that you wanted to write?

I grew up in a family of writers - my mother's a novelist and my father's a Shakespeare scholar, so I was always surrounded by words. I started off writing screenplays in my early twenties, then moved on to non-fiction and journalism, and finally realised I couldn't put off the inevitable any longer and published my first novel when I was 31.

What interests you as a writer?

So much. Creating new characters, creating worlds. Parallel narratives, unreliable narrators, characters that hide things from the reader as well as from other characters/themselves. Multiple viewpoints, shifting backwards and forwards in time... It's endless, really. There's always a new challenge, something new to try and make work.

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?

Ish. When I'm working on a new book I tend to write first thing in the morning – I set an alarm (a really gentle one called Sleep Cycle on my iphone – I highly recommend if you have to get up early as it wakes you when you're in a period of light sleep so you don't feel awful) really early, sometimes as early as 5.30, and do a few hours then when it's quiet and dark and before everyone's woken up. I find that when I'm writing that first draft, getting the words down first thing, before the day intrudes and emails and phone calls get into my head, is the best way. Depending on what state of deadline panic I'm in I'll try and get between 2-3,000 words then each day. Sometimes more - when I'm nearing the end of a book I tend to go quicker, like running down a big hill. Then I'll get up, answer emails, play with my website, mess about on twitter, do general jobs. Then I might go to the gym or whatever else I have to do that day, and then use the afternoon to do other work - journalism, or research, or working on new ideas, or marking assignments for the courses I teach, for instance. Sometimes I'll come back to the book in the evening. There's a quote about writing working best at the edges of the day, and I think it's true for me.

What inspires you as a writer?

Oh, it changes constantly. I pick up inspiration from anywhere and everywhere, like a magpie. Other writers, people I meet, songs. Relationships, family dynamics. I'm constantly trying to unpick relationships in my writing, and burrow under the surface of people. Fragments of memories, photographs, images. I'm quite visual. As pretentious as it sounds, the book I'm working on at the moment was inspired by a line from a Louis MacNiece poem, Autumn Journal.

What are the best things about being a writer?

Getting paid to do what I really love. Being able to read novels and watch TV and call it important research and therefore work. Being able to work from my bed.

And the worst?

There's nothing properly awful about it. I mean, I'm not a big fan of working through my copy edits and having my embarrassing errors pointed out to me, but it's not much of a hardship really.

Tell me about what you're working on now.

My fourth novel. I won't say the title yet as I'm not sure whether it'll get changed (though I hope not!) but it's about a woman trying to discover the truth about her family, in particular her mother, as a result of a key that she receives in the post... Lots of secrets and family dynamics and the past coming back to haunt... As I said earlier, it's also the first time that I've written a significant chunk of words in the first person, so I hope I pull that off!

What would be your top three tips for aspiring writers?

1. Read, of course, but 'just' reading isn't enough - you need to read widely and thoughtfully.
2. Be curious.
3. Keep going.

Do you have a dream project you'd love to write?

There's a play that I've wanted to write a film adaptation of for years. I still haven't found quite the right angle on it, but I'm getting closer... I'll get there!

Anything else you’d like to say?

Thanks very much for having me! I really hope you enjoy The Darker Side of Love if you get to read it. Here's some more info about it:

Lies: we all tell them.

To protect those we love, to disguise failure, to hide disappointment. To mask betrayal, or deceit. But what happens when those lies start to catch up with us? When our lives begin to be shaped by the lies of others?

The late 'noughties'. A global recession looms. A group of old friends, all leading outwardly successful, interesting lives. All in apparently loving, secure relationships. Yet all, in some way, lying to those closest to them, concealing secret worries, jealousies, desires. This group of friends is about to discover that the truth won't stay buried for ever...

Welcome to the darker side of love.

Thanks so much to Jessica for stepping into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight!

I can't wait to read The Darker Side of Love - I loved both of her other novels.

You can find out more about Jessica on her website, read about her writing courses, book to join a course here and follow her on twitter @JessRuston

It Started With a Kiss episode 25: Waiting for the edit notes...

2012-02-05T22:19:00.004Z

This year I'm taking you behind the scenes of writing, editing and publishing my fourth novel, When I Fall in Love. This week, I've been thinking about other projects while I'm waiting for the edit notes to come back on the first draft, buying new funky hats (oh yes!) and answering your fab questions!

Questions this week come from Kath, Jo and Lisa and cover everything from keeping the love of writing alive to writing in different genres and my plans for my new office. Thanks so much for your fab questions - please keep them coming! You can ask me anything about writing, editing, publishing or anything else. Just leave a comment on this blog post or email me at mirandawurdy@gmail.com.

Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled 'Funky New Hat Smirk'

Writer Spotlight: Ali Harris

2012-02-01T12:22:00.013Z

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm thrilled to shine the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight on the very wonderful ALI HARRIS!

When did you first decide that you wanted to write? (Was it a Damscus-esque flash or a slow burn?)

It was completely a Damascus-style epiphany! That isn’t to say I didn’t dream of writing books as a child, but I didn’t believe I could actually do it for a living until my early 20s. As well as being a bookworm as a teenager, I was also obsessed with (double geek alert!) musicals and after my A levels, I was torn between doing an English degree and Performing Arts but in the end, the high kicks beat the classics but it soon became clear I wasn’t a natural born actress. I’d only do improvisation on pain of death and I always chose to write 5,000 word essays over doing performances! Despite these (pretty major) clues that I might have chosen the wrong career path, I was still convinced it was an actor’s life for me. So when I graduated, I took a job as a waitress at a theme restaurant, and then a steakhouse in London to try and earn enough money for drama school. I basically lived Emma Morley’s restaurant experience from One Day for four whole years! Anyway, starved of any creative outlet, I started writing during the day whilst serving tables at night. Bridget Jones had just been published and when I read it – and the wave of books that quickly followed it – it was literally like hearing a West End chorus singing! I remember feeling overwhelmed by how much I related to this exciting new genre, how much it spoke to me. And it was saying, ‘maybe you could do this too’. From that moment on I was determined to be a published author one day. And it only took me… 13 years!!! (via a career as a women’s magazine journalist – it was SO worth the wait – and I adored the diversion, too).

What interests you as a writer?

Primarily, it’s people over plot, every time. Perhaps it’s due to my ‘acting’ (ahem) and my journalism background, but my characters always come first and I definitely find that my books are driven by the need to tell a character – or a collective of characters’ stories. But I am also someone who believes 100% in escapism and I’m unashamedly romantic. I love books that make me feel that life can be richer, better, more magical and more romantic than it feels on a day-to-day basis. They’re the books I choose to read, and that’s the kind of books I aim to write, too.

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?

I’ve got two children under 3 so nothing can ever be typical! As soon as I think I’ve got a routine cracked my baby girl will refuse to nap or my three year-old son will be sick! On Mondays and Tuesdays my writing completely revolves around them – I squeeze it in by occasionally getting up before them (which as any parent knows is as close to madness as you can get when you spend so long trying to get them to sleep through the night!) but can I emphasise this is only occasionally! I then do another couple of hours at lunchtime when my baby sleeps. Wednesdays are 100% ‘mum days’ but on Thursdays and Fridays my son is at nursery and I have a nanny for my baby girl so for two days I can devote my attention solely to my other baby….my book! On those days I aim to be at my desk, or even better, cosily ensconced in a coffee shop with no internet and no distractions by 9.30am and I write until after lunch – or until I’ve hit 4,000 words. That way I don’t feel guilty for the days when I don’t write at all. Obviously as I get closer to my deadline, all of this will go out the window and I’ll be writing through the night and handing over the kids to their grandparents to get it done on time!

Which authors inspire you and why?

Oh my goodness, so many! I am an absolute stickler for the genre that I write in. I love Marian Keyes (but who doesn’t?!) She just has this incredible ability to write exceptionally prolific tragi-comic novels unlike anyone else in the genre. In my opinion she’s ‘Chick Lit’s’ very own Shakespeare! I also love Jennifer Weiner for writing about real women, being brilliantly funny and clever and also for being such a strong defender of women writers. Then there’s Adriana Trigiani for her wonderfully evocative descriptions and Jo Jo Moyes for her sweeping, thoroughly engaging love stories. Ooh and the next two aren’t fictional authors but they have written books so I can get away with mentioning them! For being a wonderful writer/director of rom-coms and her hilarious observational musings, I love Nora Ephron. And Tina Fey is a modern day writing GODDESS (and someone that I have a massive girl crush on!)

Tell me about Miracle On Regent Street.

With pleasure! It’s a classic Cinderella story, a real cuddle-up-with-a-cashmere-blanket-and-a-hot chocolate kind of a read. I like to think it’s the kind of book that will remind you of classic old movies and those bygone days when Christmas was about magic, not money. It’s a story about a sweet, unassuming stockroom girl called Evie Taylor who works in the basement of Hardy's; a faded, forgotten old department store that has seen better days. For the past two years she's lived an invisible life in London, sorting endless boxes of old-fashioned stock by day and looking after her sister’s two young children at night. Her neighbours think she's the hired help, her self-obsessed shop floor colleagues mistake her for her stockroom predecessor and even her manager doesn't know her actual name. But despite all this she loves working at the store. So when she overhears that Hardy's is at risk of being sold unless it seriously increases its profits by December 26th – just three weeks time - she hatches a secret plan to save it. Evie and Hardy's are both looking for a Christmas miracle to turn their fortunes around, but will it take the form of the handsome American who has swept in to town and shaken things up like a snow globe?

What are the best things about being a writer?

How long have you got? Ok, here goes...
1. Fulfilling my dreams
2. Being able to justifiably live in what my husband calls ‘Ali’s world’.
3. Getting PAID for it!
4. Knowing that people are READING what I write.
5. Hearing from people who have liked what I’ve written.
6.Working in my pajamas.
7. Not having to leave my house unless I want to (all writers are natural hermits, right? Or is that just me..?)
8. Getting to lust after (fictional) men without getting in trouble with my husband (not fictional = not ok!!)
9. Reading my favourite books and rom-coms and calling it ‘research’.
10. Being able to write from anywhere in the world… but mostly choosing to do it in my house.

And the worst?

Honestly? There are no downsides. I’m so lucky to so this for a living I can’t complain about anything… oh hang on, yes I can! Writer’s bottom - Doing this job is proving disastrous for my backside!

What are you working on now?

My second book!! Gosh it feels amazing to say that! It’s called The First Last Kiss and it’s an all-encompassing love story that focuses on Molly and Ryan, a young couple in their 20s who have always seemed destined to be together until something unexpected tears them apart. The story follows the ups and downs of their relationship and each chapter of the novel is a memory triggered by a kiss. The book examines if you can ever hold on to a love that you know is slipping away from you. It is a departure from Miracle on Regent Street in the sense that isn’t necessarily the classic happy-ever-after novel that people may expect, but I hope they will love it all the same!

Do you have a dream project you would love to write?

Well, mostly books 3, 4, 5, 6, 7… ad infinitum! It’s not so much about having a specific dream project, more a dream to keep writing novels as long as I possibly can. Although having said all that, if Andrew Lloyd Webber would let me write a novel that is set backstage on one of his musicals (and give me a starring role, obvs) then that would be AMAZING! I’d need singing lessons first. And some dancing ones. And my acting is a bit shaky, but seriously, Lord Webber, you know where I am if you want me!

What are your top three tips for aspiring writers?

1. Stop treating it as an indulgence. To finish your book you have to write every day. Even when you don’t feel like it or when The X Factor is on. At the very least, set yourself a word count each day. And that includes if you already have a full time job. Even you can only manage 500 words per day by the end of one month you’ll have written 10,000 words!
2. Write from your heart. Don’t try to second-guess ‘what’s selling’ or ‘what the publishing industry wants’. If you tell the story that has spoken to you, that stops you from sleeping, wakes you up in the morning, fires your creativity and that most importantly, that YOU want to read, then and only then will you have written something to be proud of and that other people will want to read too.
3. For my last tip I’m dusting off my jazz shoes and jazz hands to join the cast of Glee in singing…. ‘Don’t Stop Belieeeevin’! Because if you believe it can happen, everyone else will eventually follow! Even if, like me, it takes 13 years! Ooh and if you want any more tips (on writing, not singing obviously) – go to my facebook.com/aliharriswriter!

Anything else you’d like to say?

Just a massive thank you to everyone who’s bought Miracle on Regent Street, is thinking about buying it, has picked up a copy of it, has bought a copy for someone else, might buy my book after reading this interview… And to you Miranda, for thinking of asking me to take part in your Writer’s Spotlight, then asking me, then having me….

Miranda?! Miranda’s blog readers? Are you still there….? *beeeep*.

Thanks so much to Ali for such a fantastic interview!

Miracle on Regent Street is a fabulous read - really warm-hearted and old-fashioned in the best sense of the word. I adored it and would highly recommend it - you should definitely check it out!

You can visit Ali's website here, catch her on Facebook and follow her on twitter.

It Started With a Kiss episode 24: Hello 2012!

2012-01-26T02:42:00.002Z

All last year, I kept a video diary of everything that went into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss. This week, it's a brand new year, with a new book newly written for the adventure to begin again...

I'm BACK!!!

After moving house, having flu twice and writing the first draft of my fourth novel, When I Fall in Love over Christmas and New Year, I'm back with my vlogs that are going to carry on right through 2012. So this week's vlog is the last of the It Started With a Kiss series - next week I have brand new titles for the When I Fall in Love vlog!

This week, see my brand new office as I moved house and watch an exclusive sneak peek of the making of my book soundtrack EP which is now all ready - you can hear one of the songs in the clip! Plus, your questions answered and lots more! Let me know what you think and ask me a question for next week - leave a comment on this blog post or email me at: mirandawurdy@gmail.com

I'm launching the EP at a one-off event on 16th February at The Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton, from 7.30pm. The EP is going to be called Last First Kiss and will feature four original songs I wrote that are inspired by It Started With a Kiss. And you can be there! Tickets cost just £8 in advance (£10 on the door) and they're already going fast. It would be fantastic to see you there! To book tickets, click here It's going to be a fabulous night, where the fictional Pinstripes from It Started With a Kiss will meet the band that inspired them - my very own band The Peppermints, for a night of books, fun and fab music.

So, without further ado, here is my very first vlog of 2012!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled, 'In Bath in a Funky Hat'...

The end of an era...

2011-12-15T11:30:00.014Z

Quite a momentous occasion happened this week - after seven years in my tiny one-bedroomed flat, I finally moved out...

This is where I have written and edited all three of my novels - Fairytale of New York, Welcome to My World and It Started With a Kiss - most of which on the ubiquitous white (or not-so-white) sofa, which came with the flat and has featured in many of my vlogs this year. Is it possible to put a blue plaque on a soon-to-be-retired piece of furniture?

So, for the last three years, this has been my perennial view when I've been writing:

The photo of me and Bob was taken when we first started dating five years ago and it's one of my favourites, and the baby pics are of my beautiful niece Freya (who will be three in January). The sparkly bag is what I take to gigs and it contains a selection of earrings, bracelets and necklaces for blingin' it up when I perform with The Peppermints (the inspiration for The Pinstripes in It Started With a Kiss.)

I did have a desk in the corner of my living room, in what I called my 'Van Gogh Corner':

The cafe picture (The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night) is my favourite Van Gogh painting and the portrait of him came free with a newspaper years ago. It's nice to be able to chat to Vince, although he isn't the most encouraging person to look at when I'm in the middle of edits! The desk was from the first office my Dad worked in when he was 16, so is a bit of a family heirloom, but after I had a health scare in the middle of the Fairytale edits I couldn't sit there for long periods of time, so the sofa became my venue of choice for working.

The box of tea you can see on the desk is one of my prized possessions - the fab people at Yorkshire Tea found out that I'd mentioned their excellent tea in Fairytale of New York and made me my very own personalised box of Yorkshire Tea! It will take pride of place on my new desk and will never be opened!

At Christmas, my desk invariably became the place to display my tiny Christmas tree - very festive!

One of the things I will miss the most is the view from my living room window towards the glass foundry on the opposite side of the canal. This time last year, a beautiful haw frost covered everything in white and it was the most amazing sight to gaze out on while I was writing.

While my flat has been an important part of my life - it was my first real home after my divorce and a total God-send to have my own front door and space, scene of quite a few dating memories (and disasters) and the place where I first began work as a published author when my writing dream came true after years of scribbling in secret - it is time to move on. I'm planning my wedding to my lovely Bob next September, have another novel currently being considered by publishers and am making big plans for next year, all of which require more space.

So on Saturday, I said goodbye to Richardson Drive, Wollaston, and moved five miles up the road to a lovely Victorian terraced house which I'm renting from my lovely chum Andi and his wife-to-be Caroline (Andi is one of the inspirations for Jack in It Started With a Kiss). It has two bedrooms so, for the first time in my life, I will have a dedicated writing room! At the moment (after this pic was taken) it is filled with boxes, books and bin bags, but I hope to set it up completely over Christmas. It's going to be a writing room and eventually a small studio where I can work on new songs - I'm so excited to finally have space after tripping over piles of books for the past seven years... (oh, and those curtains? Totally going once I move in!)

It was really odd to see my little flat all empty and ready for the next chapter of its history. And the infamous white sofa, while quite possibly the most uncomfortable piece of furniture ever, was one of the things I found hardest to leave. Needless to say, I sobbed all the way to my new home - but then, isn't that a good thing when a place has been so important in your life? You may have guessed by now that Romily's canalside home in It Started With a Kiss was inspired by my flat - it was my way of paying homage to a place that I have loved for the last seven years of my life.

Onwards and upwards, Dickinson!

And to finish, here's my last glimpse of the unassuming star of my vlogs, site of over three hundred thousand words and the seat where many worlds were created: ladies and gentlemen, I give you - the wonderful Richardson Drive Sofa...

I'm in the Sunday Times Bestsellers again!!

2011-11-25T09:47:00.004Z

I had the most incredible news this week... It Started With a Kiss has entered the Sunday Times Bestsellers list at NUMBER 13!!

It's unbelievable and I can't tell you how utterly thrilled I am to see how many lovely people have bought my novel - I just hope that everyone enjoys reading about Romily's quest to find her handsome stranger!

It's been a bit of a crazy fortnight, with book-signings in Wolverhampton and Worcester, an article in Closer magazine, an author talk at an event for Walsall Reading Groups in Bloxwich, trying to write book 4 in between and packing up my belongings for my imminent house move! Below is a slideshow of some of the things that have been happening, together with a daft dance tune I wrote with my chum Chris Smith (who may or may not be partially responsible for inspiring the character of Jack in It Started With a Kiss...)

I'm editing my latest vlog post today so I will post that later this evening. In the meantime I thought you might like to see a two-part video interview (vinterview?!) I did for the fabulous Chicklit Reviews and News...

Part One

Part Two

Writer Spotlight: Simon Toyne

2011-11-24T17:36:00.012Z

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm really excited to welcome the very lovely (and ridiculously talented) SIMON TOYNE into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight...

When did you first decide that you wanted to write?

I’ve always written. When I was 9 or 10 I handwrote a book of poetry, riddles and jokes, got my dad to photocopy it at work and then sold it to my family for 5p a copy. Later, I studied English and Drama at university then slid into a career in television where I wrote scripts and voice-over commentary for nearly twenty years. In that time I also wrote a couple of spec screenplays that didn’t get produced. Sanctus is the first novel I’ve written, but I’ve been a professional writer my entire adult life and writing is just like any craft – the more you do it, the better you get.

What interests you as a writer?

People. This is true of the work and also the extraordinary people you meet in the course of researching and then publicizing your books. If there’s no human dimension to the work then it’s hard to get excited by it.

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?

I find my children act as a useful, organic timing device – particularly during term time. I get up early, around 6am, and work for a couple of hours until either my son or daughter trots into the office and demands breakfast. I often get half the day’s word count done in these two hours (I try and write 1,000 good words a day). I then stop to do breakfast, school run and dog duties then am back at it at around 10am. This is when I switch the internet on and deal with anything else that needs doing. Because I’m lucky enough to be published all over the world there’s usually a book coming out somewhere in some form or another so I like to support them as much as I can with their PR activities by doing articles and interviews. I try and get these done by lunchtime then take a break before getting back to the book. The kids come home at 3pm so that’s my deadline for getting the word count done. I may do a bit more in the evening (or a lot more if I’m running behind schedule). Whenever I’m close to finishing a book all of this goes out the window and I tend to work exclusively on the book from dawn ‘til dusk, 7 days a week until it’s done.

Which authors inspire you and why?

Anyone who’s a better writer than me – of which there are very, very many. I read a lot and widely. Reading good writing reminds you where the bar is and keeps you honest and sharp.

What are the best things about being a writer?

Being able to work from home so I can take my kids to school every day, pick them up afterwards, eat every meal with them and never miss a sports day or carol concert.

And the worst?

It’s very solitary. You sit alone for months on end listening to the voices in your head. This is also a very good working definition for insanity.

Tell me about Sanctus

Sanctus is the story of one woman’s search for her own identity, played out against the backdrop of the eternal fight between good and evil. It’s a bit like a feminist critique of patriarchal religion wrapped up in a high-octane, modern thriller. If that all sounds too worthy, then it’s also a page-turning holiday read.

Sanctus is enjoying phenomenal success, being published in over fifty countries and translated into twenty-eight languages. What has the experience of this been like for you as a debut novelist?

It’s unbelievable. I wasn’t even sure the book would get published, let alone in so many countries. The plus side is that it has enabled me to write full-time and I get invited to various places when the book comes out there. This year I’ve been to Norway, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, America and Romania. Seeing your book in foreign bookshops is a surreal and amazing experience. The down-side is that I spend so much time doing PR for each launch that I hardly have time left to write. I’m in no way complaining but it’s something I wasn’t prepared for. This, coupled with a tight deadline for delivery of the second book, has meant my laptop has become an extension of my body. For example I’m writing this now in a café in Ravenna, Italy as I wait for someone to come and pick me up and take me to the airport. I seem to spend a lot of time alone with my laptop in strange places these days.

What are you working on now?

I’ve just finished the second book in the trilogy – The Key – where the ripples from the huge revelation at the end of Sanctus spread out into the wider world and the consequences of what has happened have to be faced by all the central characters. The slow-burn ‘will-they-won’t-they’ relationship of the two main characters is developed further, only with a very large apocalyptic shadow hanging over them.

Do you have a dream project you would love to write?

The book I’m dying to write is actually the third book of the Sanctus trilogy. I’ve got final edits of The Key to do then I’ll start work on it. It’s all planned out and I can’t wait to start. It brings the story to a final, revelatory ending. The conclusion of this book is an even bigger surprise than the one at the end of Sanctus or The Key. Its working title is The End of Days, which gives you a hint at where it’s heading.

What would be your top three tips for aspiring writers?

1. Write. Read. Rewrite (repeat).
2. Don’t over analyse, just get the first draft done. You can change it as much as you like once it’s on the page and no one else has to see it until you’re happy.
3. Switch off the internet when you’re writing.

Anything else you'd like to say?
Love your hat. x

Sanctus is released in paperback today (24th November). You can follow Simon on twitter (@sjtoyne), on facebook and on his website.

Thanks so much to Simon for stepping into the Writer Spotlight (from an Italian café as well!) Sanctus is an incredible book - it's a cliché to say a novel is a page-turner, but in the case of this book it is entirely deserved. Many reviewers have compared Simon's writing to Dan Brown, but in my opinion Sanctus is better by far: its plot is more creative, the pace is better and the characters are people you can believe in. I loved it and I can't wait to read The Key!

Book the REAL Peppermints!

2011-11-18T13:57:00.005Z

If you're looking to find my wedding band, THE PEPPERMINTS, read this to avoid disappointment!

It's come to my attention that some people are trying to find the wedding band I sing with - The Peppermints - who are the inspiration for The Pinstripes in It Started With a Kiss. If you Google the name and find an Oxfordshire-based band with a facebook page and twitter profile, this is NOT my band!

We're based in the West Midlands and are the original Peppermints. Our website is here - it will be updated soon, but you can hear a couple of our songs here (I'm singing the Disco Medley and my fab friend Susanna is singing Lovely Day!).

We're available for weddings, birthdays, events... so if you fancy my dulcet tones at your special event, why not book us?!! Please share this if you can so that the RIGHT band gets noticed! xx

For The Peppermints - the inspiration for The Pinstripes in It Started With a Kiss
- go to:

www.peppermintmusic.co.uk

A-mazing news!

2011-11-17T13:09:00.006Z

OH. MY. GIDDY. LIFE... l've just had the most awesome news about sales for my new book, It Started With a Kiss...

Are you ready?

*tries to contain glee... fails!*

Here it is...

It Started With a Kiss has sold an amazing 6,000 copies in its first THREE DAYS!!!!!!

I am completely, utterly over the moon! Thank you so, so much for supporting the novel and for believing in my writing! I'm absolutely chuffed to ribbons (not to mention thoroughly relieved!). It's such a massive thing to put your literary baby out into the big, scary world and it doesn't get any less terrifying when there are three out there. So when I know that people are buying my book - and loving it, which has made me happier than I can express - it's the best feeling in the world!

Thank you so much for all your tweets, emails and lovely blog comments about It Started With a Kiss, too - they've really helped to quieten the pesky publication butterflies that have been pounding my stomach all week!

I will be filming a proper response to this for the next vlog, but I just wanted to share the good news with you as soon as I could. I will be walking on air for the rest of the day - thank you! xx

It Started With a Kiss episode 23: Woo-hoo! It's P-Day!!

2011-11-15T23:30:00.010Z

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss. This week, the big day has finally arrived - it's P-Day!!

It's been an amazing journey from initial draft to published novel - and it isn't over yet! It's the most special day of my year so far, when It Started With a Kiss officially goes out into the world... It's scary and thrilling in equal parts and I wanted to share my P-Day with you. So this week you can see the first time I see the book on the shelves, my visit to HarperCollins and the very swanky book launch that Grange Hotels threw for me (honestly, it was so posh that I wondered if they would let me in!).

So, without further ado, here's my P-Day vlog! (...and read on afterwards for pics from my launch event...)

Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled, 'Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!'

It was so fab to meet some of the lovely people who have been watching my vlog, asking questions each week and chatting with me on Coffee and Roses, twitter and facebook - and to be able to say thank you. It means so much to me that you tune in everuy week and the support I have received this year has totally blown me away. It's also wonderful to see how excited everyone is about the book!

Pics: The view from the balcony at my book launch event; all my babies together - free books for everyone!; meeting lovely people at the launch

It Started With a Kiss 22 - emotional highs and exciting things!

2011-11-07T16:04:00.008Z

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, I show you what it's like to see the first printed copy of It Started With a Kiss, give you a bit of a sneak peek at the bonus content I've written for the novel, answer your questions about book launches, royalties and much more!

As promised, I captured on video what the moment was like when I opened the package containing the finished copy of It Started With a Kiss - and got a bit emotional in the process!

Also this week, I received a copy of the special Tesco limited edition of ISWAK, which has pink-edged pages! How cool is that?! They will be available in major Tesco stores right across the UK. It's unbelievably cool to have my very own limited edition and this is the first time anything like this has happened for my novels, so I'm very chuffed with that!

Make sure you visit my website for cool bonus content to extend your ISWAK experience! It includes deleted scenes, character profiles and an extended interview with me where I reveal my childhood fairy ambitions... plus much more!

So here's the latest episode of my vlog, complete with fab questions from Suzy Turner, Joanna Cannon and Leah from Chicklit Reviews (you can read her fab review of It Started With a Kiss here) and the latest news on my Wombat novel!

Enjoy! xx

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled: 'Ooh, Matron!'

It Started With a Kiss - here it is!

2011-11-03T13:20:00.006Z

Well, the day I've been waiting for months for finally arrived this week... Here is my very first printed copy of It Started With a Kiss!

I've videoed the actual moment I opened the package to reveal my book - the vlog will be up tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

I can't tell you how truly, utterly amazing it is to finally hold in your hands a copy of the book you've worked all year on. It's magical. There's no other word for it. I'm always surprised by how everything seems to stop when I first see the finished book: it's like an almost reverent moment, mainly because for that one small moment in time, this book is mine - before it heads out into the big, scary world of reviews and publicity. I don't have children yet, so I can only imagine this feels a little bit like when a mum sees her newborn child for the first time. So many hours have gone into making this, so many late nights and frustrations and triumphs and sheer hard slog. And now, here it is: perfect and sparkly and every word in it came out of my head... How amazing is that?!

The first reviews have come in for It Started With a Kiss - and they're both five-stars!

Lovely Leah from Chick Lit Reviews and News said: 'The story is amazing, the characters are so warm and so witty and loveable and Miranda’s writing just flows so naturally. I’m always wary of synopses that proclaim the book to be the “perfect book to curl up with” but It Started With A Kiss is the perfect book to curl up with. Miranda Dickinson just gets better with every book and I can’t wait for book number four. It Started With A Kiss was a triumph in every sense of the word.'

Fab Chloe from Chloe's Chick Lit Reviews said: 'I'm sure you'll be attracted to this book because of its beautiful cover, but let me assure, what's inside is magical too. It's a well written, well constructed tale of love and searching for something that you believe in, no matter what anyone else says or thinks. If you love romantic novels with a bit of a twist, then It Started With A Kiss is certainly the book for you!'

And the great news (which came as a complete shock to me last night) is that the Kindle/ebook edition of It Started With a Kiss is out TODAY! The ebook edition has lots of bonus content, too - including a whole load of deleted scenes from the book, with a commentary by me!

So, it's finally happening - my baby is going out into the big, wide world... Scary but wonderful!

New! Buy the song from my book trailer!

2011-10-28T12:35:00.005+01:00

Many people have asked me where they can buy Beneath the Stars, the track I used on my book trailer for It Started With a Kiss. Well, the good news is that you can now buy the download of the track - for only 99p!

I'm in the process of uploading my album to Bandcamp and iTunes, but I wanted to make this song available now because so many people wanted to have it. The response to my songs has been wonderful and I'm so excited to finally be able to share this with you!

Here's the link for the download:

Beneath the Stars by Miranda Dickinson
and here's the book trailer for It Started With a Kiss, which is now less than two weeks away from P-Day - eek!

Book 4: A BIG announcement!

2011-10-27T17:10:00.005+01:00

I'm so excited. I can finally reveal the title of my next novel, due to be published in November 2012, will be...

WHEN I FALL IN LOVE

I'm chuffed to bits with it because it's the title of one of my favourite Nat King Cole songs and the lyrics perfectly fit the story (which I will share with you very soon!). I'm also quite partial to the Rick Astley version, but don't tell anyone I told you that!

So, in celebration of my title announcement, sit back and enjoy the master himself (Nat, not Rick) singing the song that will be buzzing in my head for the next year!

It Started With a Kiss episode 21: Writing retreat and bard biscuits!

2011-10-24T01:05:00.004+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, I'm off on a writers' retreat to beautiful Stratford-upon-Avon (watch out for the ultimate in edible Shakespeare memorabilia), take you to a key location for It Started With a Kiss and much more!

I finally managed to get some time off (first holiday all year...) so I headed off to Stratford-upon-Avon and The Cotswolds with my fab chum Kim Curran for a few days of writing (well, talking about writing at least...), nattering (lots) and generally having a bit of a break before all the crazy stuff begins for promoting my new book. It was fab and I even received a round of applause from a group of Japanese tourists when I recreated the cover for Fairytale of New York on one of the bridges in Bourton-on-the-Water!

While I was out and about in gorgeous Warwickshire, I also stopped off at one of the key locations for It Started With a Kiss: Kingsbury, home to the narrowboats that inspired Our Pol, the floating home of Uncle Dudley and Auntie Mags. This is a place of real sanctuary for Romily because her aunt and uncle are such positive people and, in many ways, are more like parents to her than her own parents are. I wanted a place that would be peaceful, colourful and fun to match Mags and Dudley's characters - and this stretch of canal by Kingsbury Water Park was ideal!

Let me know what you think - and if you want to ask me any questions feel free! Pop a comment or your question in the comments section underneath this blog or email me at mirandawurdy@gmail.com

Enjoy! xx

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled: 'Ye Olde White Van'

Friday Storytime - Cesca Martin

2011-10-21T13:55:00.003+01:00

On Coffee and Roses I like to introduce you to new writers. So, I'm launching an occasional series called FRIDAY STORYTIME, where I will invite an author to be our Guest Storyteller. Our inaugural storyteller is the very lovely CESCA MARTIN...

Here's her story:

Last Year by Cesca Martin

Last year you had groaned and dragged yourself unwillingly out of bed, assuming it to be another cold winter day, ready to make an instant coffee and de-ice the car. You had left the room so as not to disturb me and walked blearily down the stairs to begin your routine. Passing the window in the hall you had yelped in surprise, run back up the stairs and practically punched me awake such was your excitement. You were noisy and I had groggily told you off for being so annoying, plunging my face into the pillow to block you out. You had changed tack then, coaxing me out of my slumber with a twitch of our curtains and the enticing view beyond. I had sat up in our bed to look. The whole world had turned white overnight. A crisp, clean layer of snow had found its way into every nook and cranny. It had spilled over gutters, piled high on fences and gates, disguising everyday objects. I joined you at the window and you had put an arm around me, pulling me close, both still warm from our bed.

Our little village was tucked in between two hills and easily cut off from the rest of the world. We had only made a vague effort to get into work. We had pushed the snow off the car and successfully turned the engine on but, as the wheels turned fruitlessly on the ice, it was obvious we were going nowhere. You had called work on your mobile phone and explained the situation. They were resigned to the fact that half their workforce were stranded in nearby villages. They had told you to take the day off and try the next day. I had done the same. We were both smiling as we hung up the phones. Even the electricity going didn’t dampen our mood. You were humming most uncharacteristically as you lit the fire. You heated water in a saucepan for some tea, your face aglow with boyish enthusiasm. We toasted hot cross buns in the flames.

We had dusted down the sledge from the loft and joined the other locals on the slopes of the nearby golf course, trying to get some speed up off the third tee. I had taken a camera and snapped dozens of shots of you, of running children, of dogs burrowing into the snow, overwhelmed by the strangeness, white flakes clinging to their fur. More pictures; of trees, their branches weighed down, the blue sky peeking hopefully through the branches. We had walked to the pub, chatting with the locals, inane talk, delighting in the day off, rubbing our hands exaggeratedly in front of the great fire. On exiting the pub some devious youths had peppered us with snowballs. Our squeals turned quickly to cries of revenge and the youths scarpered the moment we had retaliated. We had bumped into friends on the walk home across the fields. Every now and again we would dive at each other, trying to catch the other unawares, ending up in a great cold mess on the ground. I was giggling childlessly, cheeks bright red with the effort, eyelashes glistening with melted flakes.

The electricity had come back on by the time we had made it home and we had spent the evening watching DVD’s, stretched out under a rug, the embers glowing and bathing the room in a soft light. The snow was still there the next morning but the roads had been cleared and gritted in and out of the village. You had gallantly cleared the car once more and made your way into work at a slow crawl. I had watched you going, deciding to build a snowman on my own. He would hold a sign welcoming you home so when you returned that night you would see it by the gate and laugh.

Last year was eleven months ago. The snow has started to fall again, carpeting the ground in crisp white. The branches are starting to bend and give, little sprinkles fall from them like a sneeze. I’m sitting in our living room knowing I should feel the usual excitement, the child-like wonder at the extraordinary scenes. Great gusts of billowing white flakes are cascading, twirling, settling on the ground. Already children are running past the window dragging plastic sledges, beckoning to their parents who are dawdling at a distance, wrapped in huge coats, knitted scarves and hats blocking out everything but their eyes. Some are holding hands and I know they are all smiling.

I look around me. Ashes in the fireplace are waiting to be swept and cleared. The bookcase stands half-empty. A calendar still announces it is ‘August’. Cushions plumped pointlessly again and again. I don’t want to go out into the snow by myself. I don’t want to build a snowman on my own. You are not coming home today.

I would never have let you go that day if I had known. The lorry had jack-knifed on the motorway, two cars and one coach had been caught up in the collision. Two people injured, one fatally. A man, around 30, they didn’t check his ID immediately, they had been busy. They’d had so many calls that night. He had been rushed to A and E but there was little they could do for him. He had waited, drifting in and out of consciousness for an hour. He had died just before ten o’clock.

I never made it to the hospital. Bewildered, I had waited for you to come home. I had rung your mobile incessantly, hearing your voice telling me to leave a message time and time again. I had rung your colleagues and they had said you had left, had left hours ago. I had panicked, pacing up and down, ringing my parents who were helpless, now upset and confused. They couldn’t come. They were sorry. I had rung his parents, they hadn’t heard anything, his mother had started to cry. No one knew where you were. I had tried all the taxi firms, no one would take me anywhere, the roads were still bad they’d told me. You were alone in those last moments, you would have been scared.

I sit slowly, unseeingly. Outside the snow is still falling, blanketing the world in a layer of new. I sit and I pray, pray that you are going to walk through the door soon. Pray that it might be last year.

The story behind the story

The short story Last Year had been floating around in my head for a while. It was inspired by a day I spent in early 2010 when it snowed for days on end. Our village became cut off from the outside world. Work was cancelled, electricity was down and all we could do was sit it out! My boyfriend and I were racing around, totallly over-excited, building snowmen and being silly with friends. It was a free day off, a magical little 24-hour bubble of fun, and I never really forgot it. And then I suppose, like everyone, I imagine what my life would be without the people in it who matter to me and this story is about that. I hope you like it.

A massive thank you to Cesca for such a brilliant story. You can follow her on twitter @CescaReviews and visit her blog here.

Watch out for more Friday Storytime features soon!

It Started With a Kiss episode 20: new hats, book launch and dream sheds!

2011-10-15T19:33:00.005+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, I'm out and about enjoying the gorgeous October sunshine and talking about favourite quotes, dream sheds and swanky book launch plans...

...and I've even got a brand new hat! so it's a very exciting episode all round!

There's still time to enter my competition to bag tickets for my very swanky book launch - all the details are here - so you could be sipping wine with me at a gorgeous 5-star hotel in London and nattering all things book-y. And, as I explain in the vlog, your favourite quotes from Fairytale of New York or Welcome to My World could feature in the presentation film that's going to be playing on the night - just pop them in the comments box below or email me at mirandawurdy@gmail.com to let me know!

Enjoy! xx

p.sThis week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled, 'Non-plussed smile'

The intermittent MD tour begins...!

2011-10-13T12:59:00.016+01:00

On Saturday, I finally got to perform some of the tracks from my album About Time (only a year after I officially launched it!)...

I was taking part in Moment, an event organised at The Light House Media Centre in Wolverhampton by my lovely friend (and awesome singer) Susanna Westwood. It was a fabulous night: art, film, dance and live music brought together under one roof. I performed a set with my band and also joined Susanna's band as a backing vocalist - so a bit of a busy night!

My band for the night were Chris Smith (keys), Phil Jevons (guitar), Dan Clark (bass) and Dan Guest (drums). Not only are they all fantastic musicians, but I'm also proud to call them my best friends - so it was great to be able to enjoy them performing my own songs. We performed three songs from the album - The Question, More Than You Know and A Million Miles (all of which you can hear on the media player at the bottom of this post) - together with one cover (People Get Ready).

Also in the set was a world exclusive first performance of Right Here Alone, a track from a set of songs I've written with Dan Clark and Chris Smith especially to accompany It Started With a Kiss! The EP will feature Last First Kiss, the song that Romily writes with Jack in Chapter 8 of the novel (which you will be able to hear on my website when the book launches on 10th November), together with three more songs inspired by the novel. Keep watching my blog and vlog for updates - I'm going into the studio to record it with the band in two weeks' time (really exciting!) and I will, of course, be taking my trusty Flip camera...

NEW! BUY MY ALBUM - AT LAST!
I'm also working on putting an online shop thingy on my website so you can buy my CD album About Time, the EP when it comes out and also signed books - keep watching the blog for details. In the meantime, if you would like to buy a copy of my album (hear the tracks below) for a Coffee and Roses special price of £8.99, email me at mirandawurdy@gmail.com and I'll send you an order form. I'll even sign it for you if you like!

Images ©BobWhite Photography 2011 (from top down) Me and Dan Clark (bass); Chris Smith (keys) and Phil Jevons (guitar) doing their funky thang; the whole band (seriously want a star curtain now); and pre-show rehearsal with Susanna and her brilliant band (who have also played with Il Divo, Prince, Beverley Knight, Anita Baker, Westlife and many more...)

LISTEN TO ABOUT TIME!

WIN tickets for my launch celebration!

2011-10-05T13:55:00.009+01:00

Have I got a competition for you...

Whoa, yes.

The very lovely people at Grange Hotels have arranged a fantastic evening event at their very gorgeous 5-star Grange St Paul's hotel in London to celebrate the launch of It Started With a Kiss - and the best news is that they would like you to join me!

There will be wine, delicious nibbles and the chance for us to have a good old natter, all in the lovely surroundings of a five-star boutique hotel. Sounds like a cracking evening to me! The event will take place in November and will be a chance for me to thank you for your fantastic support for my blog and vlogs this year. I'm so excited about it!

I have 30 tickets up for grabs for this exclusive event.

Fancy one? No problem: all you have to do to enter this amazing competition is email me at mirandawurdy@gmail.com and tell me why you'd like to win a ticket. It's that simple!

I would really love to meet you on this special evening - it would be great to be able to celebrate the launch of my third novel with you. So what are you waiting for? Email me now and all the very best of luck!

The Chick-lit Debate: Give Readers Credit!

2011-10-04T12:47:00.003+01:00

Much has been said and written recently about the ‘death of chick-lit’, with media commentators quick to grab their pitchforks and hound out anything with a remotely pink cover. From angry attacks (Harriet Walker writing in The Independent, stating that chick-lit is ‘saccharine silage that fails women’) to the downright incorrect (Lauren Paxman’s ridiculous Daily Mail article which identifies Jodi Picoult as a chick-lit author), journalists have had a field day.

So here’s my response, for what it’s worth.

I write romantic comedy. If my books ever become films, they will probably be labelled ‘chick-flicks’, so by definition my novels are often referred to as chick-lit. They have sparkly covers, one of which may even have featured the colour pink. They are written from a woman’s perspective and address life’s issues using humour and, I hope, a cracking good story.

I’ve read all the articles, and seen the excellent, dignified response from authors such as JoJo Moyes and Tasmina Perry, together with the intelligent, witty debate on Twitter. Debate is good and the question of whether we classify ourselves as chick-lit writers or not is as old as the nametag itself.

But what I can’t agree with – and what angers me more than anything – is the way in which readers have been slandered by the media blitz. The reports assume that the women (and men, for that matter) who choose to read light romantic fiction are somehow less intelligent and less discerning about the literature they choose to read. How dare someone dictate what people should or shouldn’t read! And how dare they suggest that the only worthwhile literature should be what they deem as worthy!

Reading should be a pleasure – whether it challenges us, enlightens us, scares us or makes us laugh. The point is that reading should be a choice. It is the universal right of the reader to decide what he or she wants to read and nobody’s right to take that away. So what if the book they choose to read is light-hearted, romantic comedy? Light-hearted reads are not ‘retarding’ readers, as one report suggested. In fact, if anything, they help us relax and gain important perspective on the issues we face. Comedy is a powerful tool for addressing the issues of our day, and the best comedy fuses humour with moments of deep emotion and resonance. Let’s face it: we have little to laugh about at the moment, with the economy in freefall and many of our futures uncertain. Why should we then be denied the right to find light relief in what we read?

The other assumption that these articles have made is that readers are only capable of reading one genre of book. This simply isn’t true. I am, and always will be, a fan of romantic comedy. But I also love thrillers, literary fiction, biographies and comedy-fantasy. In the past month I have enjoyed books by Laurie Graham, Howard Jacobson, Lucy Diamond, Helen Simonson and Sir Terry Pratchett. Surely anything that encourages people to pick up a book should be celebrated? Yes, literature should be well written. Yes, there are an awful lot of books (in all genres) that are marketing department ‘write-by-number’ attempts to cash in on successful formulas. But there is also a wealth of stunningly original, witty writing to be savoured and enjoyed. Contrary to what some in the media would have you believe, readers are discerning, intelligent people who are more than capable of deciding what to read. They should be celebrated, supported and encouraged, not lambasted for their choices. It is time that the media and some areas of the publishing industry gave readers more credit.

As for the ‘chick-lit’ label, I agree that it has become a derogatory term used by lazy journalists to lump everything written by and for women together. But readers know a great author when they find one and, ultimately, they will decide who succeeds and who fails in the industry. And may it ever be thus!

New Rose Prize 2011: Runners-Up and Special Judges' Mention!

2011-09-30T12:26:00.013+01:00

As promised, here is the second announcement for The New Rose Short Story Prize 2011 - our two runners-up and the winner of our Special Judges' Mention award!

It is my great pleasure to announce that our two runners-up in the 2011 New Rose Short Story Prize are:

STACEY MATHESON with When I Died

and

HEATHER GAUTHIER with Margaret

The judges were incredibly impressed with the quality of both stories and, in particular, the way in which each entry drew us into the characters' worlds. Massive congratulations to Stacey and Heather, who both receive a critique of any piece of their work from Head Judge, Jamie Guiney, together with signed goodies from me.

You can read both stories below.

We also decided to award a Judges' Special Mention to I'm Yours by BROGAN BOWIE. At only 15 years old, the judges felt she showed great promise and we wanted to recognise her talent with this special award. Brogan wins a goody bag from me - congratulations! You can read Brogan's entry, I'm Yours at the end of this post.

So, without further ado, here are our two runners-up and the winner of the Judges' Special Mention award. Enjoy!

When I Died by Stacey Matheson

When I died, people weren't shocked. They weren't even surprised. After my numerous attempts at suicide over the previous three years, it was expected. It had to work sometime. Everyone walked around with sad faces for a few days, maybe even a couple of weeks. But life moved on - for them.

I think I'm in purgatory but I'm not 100% sure because I never really paid attention in church. I feel a bit ashamed admitting that because I used to go to every Sunday, even when I was really ill. But I was only paying lip service to the All Mighty Whatever you want to call Him. I never really believed so I never really listened.

The minister spoke, my mind wandered. My mind likes wandering. It's nosey - it pokes around in all the dark corners, prods things with sticks, ignores people when they're talking and then somehow brings the conversation around to me. I don't know why it does that. I'm not interesting, and I'm not interested in talking about me. Frankly, my mind is an embarrassment and I'm pretty pissed off that it's followed me here. Wherever here is.

A definition flashes up on a screen in front of me: "Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven". Who knew you could Google in the afterlife?

I have a funny feeling that killing yourself doesn’t qualify as a “state of grace”. And if this isn’t heaven, then the only other way is down. Ooops.

So. This is hell, is it? It’s really not what I was expecting. I thought, when I passed out, that it would be forever blackness. I didn’t realise I would spend eternity meandering through my old life. My life (afterlife?) today is identical to my life before the eight packets of paracetamol and two cans of cheap wine in the expensive hotel room. I’m surrounded by the same people, the same petty situations; everything that made my life a living hell. Oh…so that’s where the saying comes from.

I wondered, for a while, if I was a ghost, but I can’t walk through walls (I did try. Don’t ask). If I’m a ghost and I can’t walk through walls, I’m going to have serious words with Someone. Walking through walls is a bogstandard feature for ghosts. Who can I complain to, here in the forever-after?

I certainly feel like a ghost. I’m solid but people don’t see me. They look right through me. They talk past me. I’m not there, in their world. I’m here, stuck in my own little world of “wherever”.

Let’s not bother too much about where “here” is for now. I’d settle for knowing “when” it is. Time dithers around like you wouldn’t believe. One minute is sometimes just that: one minute. Sixty seconds. The next minute can stretch into hours and days. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going, whether it’s day or night. Sometimes it feels like everything’s happening at once, and then nothing happens forever. It’s more than a little unnerving.

It’s like that feeling you get when you wake up from the dream where you go to work in your pyjamas? Everyone’s had that dream. You might be going to the shops, or walking down the aisle on your wedding day. You might be wearing a tutu, like that Sex & the City woman, or you might be naked…but it’s that “oh shit” thud of the stomach as it bounces off the soles of your feet. Then you wake up.

You wake up; I don’t. My stomach is permanently set to “roller-coaster”. Just as I’ve winched it back to central, I get another of those “pyjama” moments and I’m scraping it off the floor with a metaphorical spatula. Good job I’m dead and don’t need to eat anything; I’d never keep it down.

It’s night, but I can’t sleep. I haven’t slept since that night, and that wasn’t really proper sleep. It was a medicated hammer to the head. My last memories are of popping pills in batches of four, washing them down with greedy gulps of wine, staggering to the bed and collapsing across it, my head spinning off my shoulders. Next thing I knew, I was here. No bright light, no tunnel, no loving voices calling me. Not even Death with his black robes and permanent grin. I’m cheesed off about that. There should be someone to explain the set-up to us newbies. That’s another thing I’ll mention whenever Someone gets round to seeing me.
I don’t know how or why I ended up back in the hospital. Not the one where they pronounced me dead, the psychiatric one. The nut-house. The loony bin. I can call it that - I’ve earned the right after three years as a permanent in-patient. I’ve been here longer than half the staff. Why the hell did I choose to come back here? Hah…there’s the hell word again.

They’ve cleared away all my belongings; other than the bed, my little room is completely empty. Just me and the dust. Maybe that’s my fate? Maybe I’ll slowly disintegrate, molecule by molecule, until I really am part and parcel of this “institution for afflicted humanity” (that’s the officially polite way to say nut-house). The staff always told me I was becoming part of the furniture. It’s a bit creepy to think that might actually happen.

I wander around the ward, from my emptied room to the patients’ lounge; from the quiet room to the dining room. A week later, I decide to watch TV; although, because this is hell, I’m forced to watch endless repeats of Emmerdale and Coronation Street. Maybe, if I shout loudly in someone’s ear, they’ll hear me and turn over to something decent? I’m sure I saw a film where they did that; was it Ghost? Oooh, now wouldn’t it be great if Patrick Swayze were the one to come and tell me what the hell I’m supposed to be doing? (Note to self - stop using the “h”-word!)

I drift down the hallway, unseen by all, and slide into my usual seat in the corner of the television room. It’s nice to see that people are respecting my memory and choosing to sit elsewhere. Actually, a patient did try sitting here and one of the nurses actually said “That’s Stacey’s seat”, which I thought was nice. Ho hum…it’s dead in here tonight; as silent as the grave. (Jeez - even my dark sense of humour has followed me here into death.)

That’s a thought - I don’t know where my grave is. Maybe I was cremated? I should try and find out what happened to my mortal remains…

The evening passes at a dirge-like pace. By the time the clock eventually ticks round to eight o’ clock, I’m fed up watching life move on without me. It’s pretty bloody lonely being dead, let me tell you. You’re there, right in the middle of things, yet nobody includes you in a conversation. Nobody asks your opinion on the latest X-factor drop-out. Nobody offers you a sweet. Nobody asks if you want to play cards with them. Nobody asks if you’d like to go for a walk. So, however lonely it is on my own, at least I’m alone and lonely. It’s the worst feeling in the world to be alone when surrounded by people.

Slowly, I trudge back to my room. Visitors are filling the dining room with flowers, magazines and lively chatter. Nobody has come to visit me (obviously), although a visiting puppy sees me and barks. Its owner swats it over the nose and I immediately feel guilty.

I flop facedown on my bed and stare at the patterned bed-spread for a few months. I don’t bother switching the light on. What’s the point when I’m dead? Switching on lights would make me a poltergeist and I’m not ready to take that step yet…maybe in a hundred years once I get really bored.

“Are you new?”

Huh? I look up. A woman stands in the shadows of my doorway.

“It’s just that I haven’t seen you around, so I figured you must be new. I only arrived a few days ago myself.” She hovers in the doorway. I mean, she doesn’t literally hover like a…I was going to say “like a ghost”, but we’ve already established that certain ghostly behaviours are a load of codswallop. What I mean to say is, she’s standing there looking a bit uncertain about things, which is perfectly understandable because I’m still uncertain about things and I’ve been here for aeons.

I sit up. “I don’t really know how long I’ve been here; it all runs together after a while. Do you know what we’re supposed to do? I don’t know if I’m supposed to do anything or go anywhere? Nobody’s really explained what happens now.”

“Didn’t you get your orientation?” She sounds puzzled.
“No. Who gave you an orientation?” Now I’m really ticked off. I’ll definitely be making a complaint about the shoddy service I’ve received.

“Oh. Well I’m sure someone will come and see you soon. It’s best to get settled in first; let the initial shock wear off.” She leans against the doorframe. “What happened to you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Overdose,” I reply, very matter-of-factly. “I stole my husband’s bank card, hopped in a taxi, bought a load of pills and booze and booked myself into a fancy hotel for the night. I feel a bit sorry for whoever found me, but that’s the way it goes. What about you?” I’m curious as to whether this mystery woman also committed suicide, confirming my theory that this is a special hell reserved for us cowards.

“Slashed my wrists.” She holds out her arms, dispassionately. In the deepening gloom, I can make out the knobbly disfigurement of bandages. I’m impressed.

“Tried that a couple of times, but I never managed to cut deep enough. It’s a pretty overrated method, if you ask me.” I’m a bit jealous, to tell the truth. If I’d been more proficient, I could have died years ago!

“Yeah,” she agrees. “I don’t really like to talk about it though. We’re here to get better after all.”

I’m a bit confused - is hell actually some sort of suicide recovery scheme? Is someone about to descend on me with a twelve-step agenda?

She fidgets in the darkness. “Where’s all your stuff? Did they take it away?”

Now I’m really confused. Hasn’t she ever heard the saying “you can’t take it with you”? I decide to humour her. She’s only recently died, after all.

“Yeah…well, it’s not like I need it anymore. I guess I’ll have to move out of here sometime soon as well.” I sigh. I couldn’t wait to leave this shitty little room, with its institution green walls and brown carpet, when I was alive. But I’ve grown attached to it in my death.

“Where would you move to?”

This is all getting a bit philosophical…and then I twig. She’s some sort of angel, sent to test me to see if I’m ready to move up to heaven. This is more like it!

I lean forward eagerly. “Well, obviously heaven would be top of the list. But how do I get there?”

“You don’t want to try again, do you?”

Try what again? Great - I’m going to miss out on heaven because I’m too dumb to pass the entrance examination. I knew I should have listened in church.

She’s backing away. “Look, never mind. It’s been nice talking to you, but I’ve got to go now. My mum’s come to visit. Do you want me to call you a nurse?”

I jump to my feet and switch on the light. She’s not an angel. She doesn’t have wings or a halo; just her bandaged wrists and a rather scared look on her face. I’ve been talking to a nutter who sees dead people. Just my luck.

“Is everything all right?” It’s Sandra; she was my named nurse when I was alive. She puts her hand on the “Sixth Sense” woman’s shoulder and then looks directly at me.

Oh shit…that’s why this is a living hell. I didn’t die.

* * * *

Margaret by Heather Gauthier

Living with Carl wasn’t the easiest thing, I’ll tell you that much. We was married 6 years ago, and I’m surprised we lasted that long. I wasn’t his first pick you see, some other girl was, but she wasn’t interested in my Carl. I thought Carl was something else. He reminded me of James Dean the way he smoked his cigarette, and wore those leathers. I was smitten with him, so when he asked me to marry him, even though I knew he was doing it out of spite, I said yes. Truth be told, I slept with him first. The real reason he asked me to marry him was because I was pregnant.

Imagine Carl’s displeasure when I lost that baby. I was 6 months, almost 7 months gone. I had to give birth to my angel, who was a boy, and I had to bury him too. Carl was so angry at me for losing this baby, called me a slut and all other types of names, but I was angry too, I mean had Carl not given me that beating the night before, I don’t think I would have lost Carl Junior at all. But Carl didn’t see it that way, he said real women know how to keep their babies, he said that Juniper Rose (his first choice) would have known how to keep her babies. Carl would-a-never hit Juniper Rose. He idolized her, in her denim jumpsuits and her flaxen blonde hair.

Carl and I lived in Smithlock trailer park. Like locksmith, only opposite. Everyone kept their lots nice and clean and cared for. There was a park in the middle for the kids to play in, and even a pool. I felt proud living there. I tried best I could to make our trailer and yard look as nice as everyone else’s. I didn’t have much money, and didn’t bring in a lot of money from working down at the Wendy’s, but I’d save some throughout the month, and buy a little something for my trailer or my yard when I had enough. Most of my money had to go to Carl; he said I had to help him pay the rent. Woo if Carl ever found out I kept a little for myself, I’d get it good. I used to keep my money hidden under our plant by the front door, but one day Carl decided that might be a good place to put his key. When he saw the money sitting there his eyes turned into something else, he grabbed the money and punched me in my face with it, then he stuffed it in his pocket, covered with my blood and all, and went down to the local bar. Now I kept my money in a jar in the toilet, I knew Carl would never go in there. Handy he wasn’t, and cleaning was women’s work. Every time I’d get something new, I’d tell him that one of the ladies in the park gave it to me, and they’d concur just in case, they didn’t like Carl.

I stayed with Carl, because you see I think Carl had a point. Maybe I wasn’t a good woman? Maybe I didn’t know how to be a good wife? My mother and father both were drug addicts, and I didn’t know either of them. I was raised in one foster home after another, until I was 14 and my foster father started having sex with me, then my foster mother called me a slut and threw me out on my ass. I tried my best, I tried to learn to cook, I was pretty good at cleaning, and sexually I agreed to try anything Carl wanted to do, but nothing ever seemed good enough for Carl. I think that if I was Juniper Rose and just sat around in my jammies all day watching soap operas; he would have liked me a lot more.

I bought a bird house on a pole for my front lawn. It was so pretty, I couldn’t resist it. It was white, with a white picket fence, and pink and purple flowers painted all over the bottom. This little bird house would have been my dream house had it been big enough. I smiled every time I looked at it. While Carl was at work that morning I put it out, and stood on the drive to admire how it looked in my yard. It was a little brightness, and I thought just what my yard needed. Trouble is, I was so excited about this bird house, and spent so much time making sure I had its pole far enough in the ground, that I forgot to hide my Wal-mart bag, and receipt.
I was still outside when Carl came home. I had stew in the crock-pot ready for him, I felt good. The house was clean, the dinner was made, and well my birdhouse looked wonderful. I must have been outside for all of 3 minutes when I heard Carl hissing my name, at least that’s how it sounded to me. “Maaargaretttt come in the house for a minute would ya?” In a sweet syrupy voice he would, and that always meant trouble. When things were going well, Carl just wouldn’t talk to me at all. What could it be I had wondered? What could I have done now? Did he find my jar in the toilet? My heart raced, I could feel the sweat across my brow, if it was something bad, I knew what was coming next.

I don’t think I got two feet in the door before he plowed me in the head with his fist. I think I blacked out he hit me so hard, and then he threw me on the floor. I just lay there, I knew better than to move. In a few seconds he was standing over me with my Wal-Mart bag, and my receipt. I tried to tell him it was a gift from one of the ladies in the park, but the receipt was date stamped for today, and he knew it was me, there was no way around my lying he said. I lay there while he hit me, over and over. Eventually I couldn’t feel anything. He hit me with his fists, with his belt, and with the metal spoon I had sitting beside the crock pot. I could see my own blood, but I was too tired to scream anymore, so I just laid there quiet.

I lay there all night I think. I had a pounding in my head that would not go away. I must have fallen asleep for awhile, because when I woke up Carl was watching The Price is Right, and eating my stew. I sure hoped he liked the stew, I couldn’t handle another beating tonight. He was laughing and happy, so the stew must have been good. He must have been drinking too because he kept saying “Margy…you’re the next contestant on the Price is Right! Come on Down!” I tried to smile, but I don’t think I did.

The next morning I was still on the floor, Carl must have left for work already. I had a blanket over me though, and for a second thought Carl must have felt bad for leaving me there like that. I got up and moved around a little bit. My face was a wreck, I thought I probably should go to the hospital, but how would I explain it to them? I was naked too, from the waist down, so I thought Carl must have gotten frisky last night while I was sleeping, it wouldn’t have been the first time.

I could do nothing. I ached so bad. I just sat on the couch and cried for myself. I watched a little of the TV, because Carl hadn’t turned it off. I don’t know how long I was there when I noticed the police cars pull up to the front of the trailer. My first thought was to hide, I didn’t want to have to explain why I looked the way I did. My second thought was “What had he done now”, my Carl was always getting into some kind of trouble with someone.

I felt a little panicky when they started knocking on my door. There was four of them I could see through the slit window. I couldn’t get up to let them in fast enough, and they was mad. They were pounding on that door, I tried crying out to them that I was coming, but my voice was horse from not talking for so long. I made it onto my feet, but not before they busted down my door. They didn’t even look at me when they stormed in, didn’t even make eye contact with me. Here they gone broke down my front door, and they can’t even look at me, tell me what they’re there for? They just walked all around the trailer, shouting things at each other. They looked through my bedroom, my closets, even my deep freeze. They found my blood from the night before all over the front floor, and that’s when I noticed that my rug was missing. My dusty rose rug that I had for so long in front of our TV. There was blood all around were the rug used to be though, and they was looking at that. I tried to tell them I was fine, thinking that maybe one of the ladies from the park told them what had happened the night before, but they weren’t listening to me. They didn’t answer me when I asked if something happened to Carl, they didn’t seem to care when I told them I hurt myself, and that’s why there was all this blood around. I was still naked from the waist down, but my shirt was long enough to cover…but I tried explaining that too, that I just woke up, and apologized for my nakedness. They didn’t pay me no mind. They just went about their business. Carl must have done something big this time I remembered thinking. I was still standing on my feet, it was getting a little easier to move, and I was feeling a little less like I was hit by a truck.

About the time I thought they were going to leave, I saw them pulling some of that yellow crime tape out of the trunk of one of their cars. They looped that tape all around my blue trailer. I went out on my porch, to see if maybe I should leave? Maybe they didn’t want me here for their investigation into whatever it was they was investigating. I even went out as far as my front yard, but they just kept walking past me. I was getting quite upset about it all; it made me so anxious and nervous. All I wanted to know was what was going on. When I got outside I noticed my lovely bird house first. It was ruined. Carl had taken an axe to it, and it sat in pieces. I just cried and cried. That birdhouse meant more to me that it just being a birdhouse you know? I mean it brought me joy, and there it was, all over my yard, all my joy.

I followed them around a bit, keeping my distance. They seemed so angry, I didn’t want to get in their way, but I needed to know what they was doing. I followed them out to the back of the trailer, not really a back yard, just a slit between our yard and the next trailer. They started pulling off the lattice that was around the bottom. I was upset about this; it had only been a few months ago that I painted that lattice white to match the trim on my blue trailer. But there they was, just pulling it off, with no cares. One of the officers climbed underneath, and shouted to his buddies that he’d found something. I waited, I wanted to know. Had Carl been hiding drugs down there? It wouldn’t have surprised me, not a bit. I waited for what seemed like forever. Some more people came, and they did a whole bunch of stuff there under my trailer. I couldn’t see, so I didn’t know, I sat on the grass and waited. These guys still never even looked at me, and neither did the new guys that showed up. My eyes must have been welled up with tears that whole day; about dinner time they were finally ready to pull out what they found. Three guys went under with rubber gloves on, and started to pull the stuff out. I was astonished to see them pull out my dusty rose rug. What the heck was it doing under there? I don’t get mad often, but right then I was mad at Carl. That rug was one of my favorite things, and it had cost me a lot of money and a lot of favors for Carl.

When they got it out on the grass I noticed how dirty it was, brown and rusty looking. But there was something in it, something big. The officers started to unroll my rug, and I saw that there was a body in there. It was something awful it was. I couldn’t look at it for a minute. All I could see was the feet hanging out the bottom. They left the carpet open, and then went to their cars. I think they was taking a break or something because they just left me there beside this body in my dusty rose rug. I could hear them talking in the front, I could smell one of them at least, was having a smoke.

That’s when I decided I had to look at the body. All day I wondered what was going on, but would have never guessed it was someone dead, under my trailer. I started at the toes, and made my way slowly up the shins, to the knees, when I saw the pole for my birdhouse shoved up this poor ladies cooter. I was sick, and I vomited. When I was done I just got up and started walking. You see that poor lady was me. My Carl had finally done me in. I walked until I felt peaceful, and I did, for the first time in my life. There was no bright light that I followed, no long hallway, just the laughter of my Carl Junior. I took his hand and together we walked, I realized I’d been dead my whole life and now I could finally live.

* * * *

I'm Yours by Brogan Bowie

I felt the train coming closer and closer to where I stood and watched its power shift the snow off of the tracks. I closed my eyes, took my foot off the platform ground and began to step forward. Suddenly I felt a hand wrap round my arm and pull me back onto the platform. I opened my eyes in confusion to find myself looking at the most beautiful human being I’d ever seen.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he said, slowly letting his grip loosen on my arm and eventually letting his hand fall down to his side. I found myself speechless and I had to make an effort to say something.

“Well..,” I paused thinking of a clever reply I could say back to him, “you’re not me, are you?” He laughed gently at my comment and nodded his head.

“That’s right, I’m not you, but I’d prefer it if you didn’t do something like that,” he smiled. The snow began to softly fall on both of us and I found myself gently smiling back to him. The train doors opened at this point in time and before I knew it the stunning human being was making his way towards the train. I followed him with my eyes as he stepped onto the train and turned around to face me. “You fancy coming?” he asked, his eyes containing a cheeky sparkle in them.

“I don’t have a ticket,” I said quietly, disappointment showing in my face. He stepped off the train with one foot, leaned forward towards me and held out his hand.

“Neither do I.”

During the train journey we learnt so much about each other. I explained to him that I was a boring normal sixteen year old who hated school, hated her life and was called Crystal. Jack (the name suited him perfectly) told me that he was a seventeen year old who thought life was too short to spend going through daily life routines and that he made everyday an adventure.

“So, you just hang around train stations everyday?” I asked staring right into his eyes. His eyes were amazing, dazzling brown with an added scar of blue in his left one. Whenever he spoke to me, I found it hard to make eye contact with him as I answered because all that did was make me forget my answer completely and feel like I was slowly being hypnotised.

“No,” he smiled, “I just happened to be there at the right time for you,” he explained, looking out of the train window. “So, tell me, why were you,” he paused, thinking of the best possible way to say it, “giving up on life?”

I looked straight up at him, trying not to feel embarrassed.
“Everything seems to be crumbling away in my life. Anything I do, it doesn’t go right. My mum and dad have split up and no longer speak, my brother not long died in a car accident and, I just feel like it’s not worth it anymore. I’m not a quitter, believe me, I’m not, but right now, I feel,” I took a breath of air and looked down at my hands, “I feel like I’ve got nothing left living for.” Jack sat there in silence for a few seconds until he finally opened his mouth and said one sentence that made my heart flutter.

“Well, you’ve just found something worth living for,” he said reaching over and taking my hands into his, “me!”

Suddenly the train slowly began to stop moving and Jack stood up walking towards the door.

“Jack, wait,” I said, turning in my seat, not even bothering to stand up. He turned his head towards me and waited for me to speak. “I don’t even know what I’m doing here!” I laughed nervously, shaking my head. Jack gave off a small smile and walked towards me. He knelt down in front of me and looked up at straight into my eyes.

“I’m going on an adventure Crystal, I was kind of hoping you’d come with me.”

Joining Jack on his life adventure was one of the best decisions I’d ever made in my life. Of course there was that small voice in the back of my head that sometimes interrupted my thoughts, asking me what the hell I was doing and advising me that I should go back home. But Jack always helped me get rid of that voice and assured me that everything was fine. When we got off the train he took my hand and he seemed to know where he was going. After nearly twenty minutes of walking the apprehensive part of me crept in and forced me to ask him where we were heading for.

“I’ve got this little place just up this hill, it’s nothing special but I thought it’d do.”

“Jack, I don’t even know where we are,” I said, looking around me, trying to see if I recognised anything.

“We’re in a small village called Darnick.” I nodded my head, I’d heard of the place, never visited though. We stopped suddenly and I just managed to stop myself before bumping into the back of him. Once I found my bearings I realised we were standing in front of a small blue door. Jack put his hand in the small hanging basket and found what he was looking for, the key to get inside.

“Well, that’s safe,” I said sarcastically following him into the building and closing the door behind me. Jack was right, the flat wasn’t anything special but it was dainty and had enough space for the two of us.

The first evening I spent with Jack we talked for hours, learning more about each other as each hour went by. Finally I felt my eyes getting heavy and I found it hard to concentrate on what Jack was saying to me.

“I think we should maybe head off to bed now,” he said, getting up off his chair and taking the plates that we’d eaten our Chinese takeaway on. I nodded my head and then felt my face turn red.

“Jack, where are you sleeping?” I asked, realising that this flat only had one bedroom.

“I’ll be sleeping on the sofa, you take the bed,” he chuckled coming back through to where I was sitting.

“Ok,” I said shrugging my shoulders, “night then.”

He took hold of my wrist gently as I stood up and brought his face closer to mine. His face being in touching distance was dangerous, I could feel myself breathing faster and I had to focus on not letting my knees collapse.

“Night, C.” He let go of my wrist and started making himself a bed on the sofa. That night I lay wide awake wondering why I was, living if you like, with a semi-stranger and also, how he could afford this flat and everything in it. When we’d been having our ‘get to know you’ chat he’d explained that he didn’t believe in boring nine to five jobs. Don’t tell me he was one of those that claimed benefits and didn’t really need them, mum was always complaining about people like that. But I don’t know why, I somehow managed to put those doubts to the back of my mind, locked away in a drawer and whenever that drawer popped open, I just walked over and closed it.

Everyday of my life when I was with Jack, he kept his promise to me. Each and everyday was an adventure to me, new memories that I knew I would never forget were always being made. Being in love with Jack was like flying, I felt that when I was with him I was free to do anything I wanted.

One of the most special memories was our first kiss together.

“Get your coat,” he said, opening the door and waiting for me.

“Where are we going?” I asked, following him towards the door.

“No questions just follow me,” he said, shutting the door behind us and getting into the car that was waiting for us outside. It had been two months exactly since the day we’d met and I still hadn’t asked him how he could afford everything. I guess I just predicted that a family member had left money behind for him which meant he didn’t have to work. We drove for a while until he turned off and drove up a small countryside lane. We got out of the car and we talked as I followed him. I loved it when he took me places, it was like being a kid all over again, giving me that feeling of Christmas morning, finding out what Santa had brought you! We came to a big poppy field and he walked to the middle of it until he sat down and asked me to sit down beside him.

“We just need to wait a minute, it should be soon,” he said, taking my hand in his. I gazed around me and realised we were on quite a high hill. I could see the village below us and when I looked further, it triggered what we were waiting for, the sun set. The sky’s colours were breathtaking; I’d never seen anything quite like it.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, feeling the warm glow of the sun on my cheeks.

“Yeah, I know,” he said. I realised he was looking at me and not the sky. He moved closer to me until his lips were finally touching mine. That was the moment I fell in love with Jack Marcelo.

We were both a soppy little couple, we’d made up our own little anniversary which we called “I Know You Anniversary’, which basically meant an annual celebration of when we met. I walked out of the small corner shop near our road. I’d been out all day so I felt really guilty for leaving him on our third “I Know You Anniversary” which made me buy him an extra big slab of chocolate. The wind blew in my face sending shivers all along my body but I didn’t care, I just couldn’t wait until Jack had his arms around me. I got my key out thinking about this day three years ago when I’d been standing at that train station. I went to put my key in the lock but the wind blew the door open.

“Why is the door open?” I mumbled to myself. I closed it behind me and walked along the small corridor. “Hello?” I called, a smile forming on my face. I was so excited to see him which made me search for him faster. I walked through to the living room to find it empty. It was then I noticed the glass coffee table was broken, smashed to pieces all over the floor.
“Jack?” I shouted, my heart beat picking up slightly, concern running through my voice. I laid the card and chocolates down and looked around the flat. A picture of Jack and I that had been taken in the poppy field was lying face down on the floor. I picked it up and suddenly my breathing started to get heavier. There was a small note clipped to the frame, written in someone’s handwriting that I didn’t recognise. The note said ‘It had to be done.’ I carefully placed the photo on top of the fireplace where it belonged and walked towards the bedroom, my thoughts struggling to make sense of what was happening. The door was closed and as I turned the handle my mind began to go crazy. Was this some sick joke of his? Why was he doing this to me? I opened the bedroom door and walked in to find the love of my life on the white sheets of the bed, covered in blood. His eyes were closed, his hair a mess. His clothes looked like they hadn’t been washed in years and his face was swollen. I heard someone screaming and crying and then realised it was me.
“Jack!” I screamed, running over to him. His face was even worse close up, all bruised and scarred. I lifted his top to find his chest was badly bruised too.

“Jack.” I whispered, tears running down my cheeks and falling onto him. I started to shake, my hands were uncontrollable. My eyes were sore from crying and my voice ached from screaming. Suddenly my heart began to beat even faster. I ran to the phone and quickly dialled the emergency services. I threw the phone down and went back to him. He hadn’t moved an inch, I wanted him to sit up and tell me everything was okay.

“Jack, please wake up. Just talk to me,” I said quietly, my hands cupping his face. I heard the door being slammed down and a group of people came into the bedroom. I realised they were the ambulance team. They’d told me on the phone they would be at least fifteen minutes, how long had I been sitting here for? I tried to explain everything to them, unable to stop my tears interfering as I watched them communicate quickly to each other and listen to me at the same time.

On our third anniversary, eighteenth of October at 19:08, I was told that Jack was dead. At that moment, I couldn’t breathe properly. My hands began to sweat and I felt myself feel dizzy. I didn’t believe them and ran to the Doctor telling him that he was wrong and that my Jack was going to live forever, with me.

And here I am now, telling my story to the wind as I sit in front of a gravestone that reads ‘Jack Marcelo, the love of my life. Died 18th October 2010, aged 20. You found me, saved me and loved me. I am yours, Forever.’

Jack only had a small funeral, I did try to trace his family, but I couldn’t find anyone. His death had never been explained and neither had the note that was attached to the photo. I pressed my fingers against my lips and laid them on the gravestone.

“Jack, I love you,” I whispered. It had been two months since his death and before today I thought he’d left me with nothing, but I was wrong. I lifted my hand that Jack had held so many times and laid it gently on my stomach. The snow began to fall and I smiled softly at the sky.

* * * *

It Started With a Kiss 19 - stately homes and book tours!

2011-09-28T08:30:00.005+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, I take you to another of my favourite places - Himley Hall near Dudley - and talk about book 4 (and 5?!), author advice and book tours!

Thanks so much for your wonderful comments regarding my book trailer! I was so chuffed that you liked it - and the song, too!

So here, finally is the latest episode of my vlog. And I thought I would head out again and show you another one of my favourite places. Himley Hall is the inspiration for Hilford Hall in Welcome to My World - where Erin (a potential Juste Moi date for Alex) works. It's a really gorgeous place and the trees were just starting to turn for Autumn, my favourite time of the year, when I was filming there. Hope you like it!

As ever, please feel free to leave your comments and questions for next week in the comments section below this post. Tell me what you'd like to see next week and I'll try to include it in the next vlog episode!

Enjoy xx

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled: 'When I Grow Up I Want To Be... Taller'

New Rose Prize 2011 - THE WINNER!

2011-09-25T19:40:00.012+01:00

Well, the waiting is over. We've read every entry, debated our shortlist and finally found our very first winner of The New Rose Short Story Prize!

It is my great pleasure to announce that the winner of the 2011 New Rose Short Story Prize is:

NAOMI FRISBY with her story Because I Was Too Much

This story was a unanimous choices of the judges because of its fantastic sense of place, great tension, pace and excellent composition. Of all the entries submitted, Because I Was Too Much remained in our minds the longest after we had read it - the proof of a truly special story. Massive congratulations to Naomi, who wins a place on one of Ruth Saberton's writing weekends in beautiful Polperro, signed goodies from me and the title of New Rose Short Story Prize 2011 Winner!

Keep watching this blog for the announcement of our two runners-up and our Special Judges' Mention award on Friday 30th September at 1pm.

And now, here is the winning story:

Because I Was Too Much by Naomi Frisby

Daniel stubs his cigarette out on the wall and drops the tab into the wheelie bin. He puts his key in the lock, turns it and pushes the door open. He steps inside to see his granddad sitting in his armchair, facing the portable TV in the corner. The test match is on. Daniel clears the breakfast pots and rinses them in the sink.

‘What do you fancy for tea?’ he asks. ‘We’ve got bread, beans, beans and bread.’ He pauses for a moment. ‘Beans on toast it is then.’

Daniel takes a lighter out of his pocket, puts it to the hob and then the grill. He grabs a tin of beans and the remains of a loaf of bread from the cupboard. He puts the beans on the heat and the bread under the grill and sits at the table.

The room he’s in serves as the kitchen, dining room and living room. Daniel’s lived there so long he can’t remember anything different and as it’s just him and his granddad it’s not as if they’re going to get in each other’s way.

‘Who’s winning?’ he asks. Granddad continues to stare at the TV.

Daniel turns the toast over and stirs the beans. When the toast’s browned, he puts it on a plate and pours the beans on top. They’re the local supermarket’s own brand.

He wolfs them down. When he’s done, he fills a pint glass with water and drains it in one. He puts the plug in the sink, turns the hot tap on and squirts some washing-up liquid in. He washes both the breakfast dishes and the pots he’s just used, placing them on the side to dry.

When he’s finished, Daniel goes to the front window, moves the net curtain just enough for him to see out and scans the street. Satisfied that there’s no one coming in his direction, he takes a key from the plant pot on the window sill and goes to his room. He kneels on the bedroom carpet and pulls a locked box out from under the bed. Inside it is a copy of Lord of the Flies. Daniel takes it out, lies on his bed and reads. Simon’s just discovered what the beast is. Daniel’s desperate to know what happens next.

Granddad taught Daniel to read when he was a toddler. He used to babysit him while Daniel’s mum was at work. They had been to the library the day she disappeared. While they thought she was at work, she was clearing the house out. Neither of them have seen her since and even if she did turn up she wouldn’t be welcome. They’ve managed just fine without her.

The book belongs to the local library. Granddad goes every week and brings something back for both of them. Daniel’s been working his way through the classics. He thought Of Mice and Men was brilliant and was embarrassed to find he had a lump in his throat at the end. He skived English when he knew they were reading it in class.

A beep from his mobile distracts Daniel from Simon stumbling towards the fire at the feast. Daniel digs into his jeans pocket and checks his phone. He slides off the bed, puts the book securely back in the box and leaves the room.

'I’m off out,’ he shouts through to granddad who is still sat in front of the cricket.

Daniel leaves the bungalow and heads towards the rec in the centre of the village. The village sits in the middle of a valley and the surrounding countryside reminds Daniel of Hardy’s Wessex. Most of the other kids who live there hate the place but he’s one of the few who doesn’t dream of moving to the city. It sounds lonely to him.

As he approaches the rec, Daniel can see Pete sat on the swings, a cigarette hanging from his lips. Daniel sits on the swing next to him and Pete passes him the cig. As they pass it back and forth, Daniel rocks on the swing. He’d like to swing properly, stamping his feet and pushing himself into the air, but Pete will only take the piss or wait until Daniel’s near the top and push him off.

‘Have you bought owt with yer?’ Pete asks.

‘No. Haven’t got owt.’

‘Well I won’t have owt til Thursday. Skint aren’t I?’

Daniel looks at the floor. He pulls a cigarette packet from his back pocket. There’s only one left. He lights it, passes it to Pete and throws the empty packet on the floor. Pete takes a drag, stands up and saunters off, cig dangling from his hand. Daniel doesn’t bother protesting. He’s known Pete since primary school and has seen what happens if you cross him.

Daniel’s not ready to go home yet and anyway, Pete might come back. Daniel decides to wander up the old railway track. There hasn’t been a train on this line since the early 1970s but no one’s bothered to take it up. It’s surrounded by trees and overgrown bushes. He hardly ever sees anyone else down here, it’s the sort of place parents tell their kids to stay away from.
He walks until he finds his tree, the one he’s been visiting since he discovered he was strong enough to climb it. He pulls himself up and onto his branch and sits with his feet dangling over either side, his back resting against the trunk.

It’s twilight and the cover of the leaves makes it dark. He tries to think of nothing but his head floods with thoughts of his granddad sitting there in front of a never-ending stream of television. It’s only been a few days but it won’t be long before someone starts to suspect.

There’s nothing he can do but wait.

He thinks about Simon making his way to the fire at the feast. Will he get there? Will the others believe him?

Daniel hears a noise and takes his lighter out of his pocket. Its yellow glow illuminates the space around him but not well enough for him to see what’s there. He assumes it’s a mouse or a squirrel and lets the light die out. He drops his head back against the trunk of the tree but his concentration’s been broken and he decides it’s time to go home.

He jumps from the branch, landing just short of the railway tracks. He places himself in the centre of the track and follows it back to the rec. When he arrives there he can see the lights flashing. He’s not sure, so he walks as far as the end of his street. From the shadows, he sees the body being carried into the ambulance.

Daniel wonders who realised; the librarian? One of his teachers? A neighbour? It doesn’t really matter, someone would have suspected eventually. He checks his back pocket for the note. It’s where it’s been for the last three days. He makes his way back to the tree, finds the rope hidden in the shrubbery and climbs to his branch.

* * *

Once again, many congratulations to Naomi and all the very best of luck to those waiting for Friday's runners-up and Special Judges' Mention Award*!

*Just to add a little spice of intrigue to Friday's announcement: the winner of the Special Mention Award is not someone on the shortlist!

New Rose Prize 2011 - a judge's view

2011-09-23T14:42:00.011+01:00

Well, the waiting is nearly over - who has won the very first New Rose Short Story Prize? The decision has been made, and I'll be announcing the winner and runners-up on MONDAY 26th and FRIDAY 30th SEPTEMBER respectively, together with an extra Judges' Special Mention award that we created after we read the story in question...

While the nail-biting continues for a couple more days, here's what competition judge Jamie Guiney thought about the experience of reading the entries for this year's prize:

I wholeheartedly enjoyed reading and judging each entry for this year’s New Rose Prize. My main prerequisites for deciding the shortlist, were that each piece should not only be well written, but should also tell a great story. After reading through all of the entries, I had some observations and two main things which stood out for me.

I found it astonishing just how many talented, unpublished writers there were. A lot of stories were very well written, but were prevented from making the final shortlist by a flaw in the story itself - for example, some of the tales were unnecessarily long, others fell short of being able to hook me in and keep me there until the end.

The winning story really impressed me. For a piece that was written by an unpublished writer, it just totally blew me away! I will look forward to reading more of their work in the future!

I just want to also say well done to everyone for submitting their work. It’s not easy to send your stories out into the world, an experience that can be extraordinarily daunting for first-time writers. To all of those who were shortlisted, I offer my congratulations. Let this be a pat on your back: you have talent, keep writing, keep learning. To those who didn’t make it this year, some of you were closer than you’ll ever know. But keep on writing, keep on trying. You are all writers, all you need to do now is simply ...practice.

'Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.' Samuel Beckett

'You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist.' Isaac Asimov

I'd like to say a massive thanks to Jamie for his expert eye and for all the hard work he has put into judging this competition. He put in more hours than anyone else and, to recognise this, we awarded him the title of Head Judge! We had an enormous amount of entries - more than any of us expected - and it was a pleasure and privilege to read all your work.

So, watch out for the big announcement on MONDAY 26th SEPTEMBER at 12 NOON (UK Time) - when I'll publish the winner's story here. The two Runners-Up and the winner of the Judges Special Mention award will be announced on FRIDAY 30th SEPTEMBER and you'll be able to read their entries here, too.

Best of luck to everyone - not long to wait now!

Check out my book trailer!

2011-09-10T10:53:00.005+01:00

Well, everyone else has them, so I thought I'd make a book trailer for It Started With a Kiss

I'm filming the next episode of my vlog this weekend, but in the meantime I thought you might like something to get you excited about the book... I've had some early feedback from reviewers who have all loved the book (such a relief!), so I thought I would ramp up the anticipation a bit with my very own book trailer. Let me know what you think!

p.s. The music is Beneath the stars from my album About Time, which I'm hoping to have available to buy on iTunes (and on sale on my website as CDs) very soon!

Writer Spotlight: Sue Watson

2011-09-08T08:09:00.004+01:00

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm really excited to welcome the very lovely SUE WATSON into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight...

When did you first decide that you wanted to write? (Was it a Damascus-esque flash or a slow burn?)
It was a very slow burn. When I was nine I had a wonderful English Teacher (Mr Winstanley) who would read out my stories to the class which I found mortifying, but at the same time encouraging. When he made me promise to send him a copy of my first book, the seed was planted. Writing that book has always been on my life’s ‘to do,’ list but I had to go through a career in journalism and TV first... life got in the way.

What interests you as a writer?
The fascinating thing about writing is that you get to know yourself a little more and having written several short stories, I’m currently writing my second novel, planning my third – and themes are merging. I wanted to write a lyrical, beautiful, soulful book that would make readers cry – but I soon realised couldn’t write a completely serious novel if I tried. Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes is essentially a book of humour and heartbreak - I have a strong sense of humour which has always pulled me through difficult times and Stella my heroine is pretty much the same. I also think food and wine (particularly cake consumption - obviously!) can say a lot about a character and create a mood or an event within a narrative.... well, that’s my excuse for eating my own body weight in cake and chocolate while writing.

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?
Yes I sit at my desk at 9 every morning until 5 every evening and write without stopping. Ha... I wish! I have a tendency to be rather low on self-discipline and it only takes one text or call from a friend, a fascinating item on This Morning or an invite for coffee and I am lost. I abandon my desk to head off for TV, retail/lunch/coffee and other, equally urgent matters. Most mornings I make packed lunches, see everyone off the premises, start my diet, watch Jeremy Kyle, think about writing, drink more coffee ... eat toast...text, tweet, go off my diet .... eat cake....then read someone’s fascinating online blog or tweet for too long while watching daytime TV. By about noon I drag myself from tweeting/online retail/ Heat Magazine and tell myself it was all good research. After a substantial lunch of chunky Kit-Kats I’m ready for work - I am very strict in the afternoons though and always manage to squeeze some writing in between Loose Women and light snacks.

Which authors inspire you and why?
I enjoy all kinds of books but one of my favourites is crime writing. Ian Rankin, Joy Fielding and Sophie Hannah are favourites. I love the way Rankin’s Rebus is such a ‘real’ character and I love the way the minutiae of his life is present in the narrative. His drink of choice, his record collection his likes and dislikes all create a very real and believable person. I am also a great fan of American writer Jen Lancaster too (she’s so hilarious I can even forgive her for being a Republican!) she’s smart, at times darkly funny and writes honestly about - among other things - weight struggles and TV addiction (more themes emerging here?) Jen Lancaster also procrastinates and avoids writing by watching TV... I’m convinced we were separated at birth.

Another inspiring novelist set me on my latest path is Miranda Dickinson. The Terrible Truth About Tanya Travis the novel I’m currently writing, is set partly in Nepal - I love the idea of this magical, mysterious place and was compelled to write about it. Initially I doubted that I could achieve the sights and atmosphere of somewhere I’d never visited. I then recalled a favourite book, Fairytale of New York, which was wonderful – and apparently the author had never been there. This inspired me to go ahead and write the book I wanted to and set it in the place it had to be. One day I will visit Nepal, until then I’ll live there with my characters and enjoy the views of the Himalayas from my kitchen table.

What are the best things about being a writer?
Being able to escape into another life, meeting new and fascinating people, inhabiting another world and having dangerous affairs, all from my kitchen table. Oh and watching Jeremy Kyle every day!

And the worst?
Watching Jeremy Kyle every day and the fact that you can never leave work. Anyone who writes will know you are actually working 24/7 because you can’t abandon your characters and are always looking for stories, settings, perspectives and answers.

Tell me about your new book.
Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes is all about Stella, a forty-something woman on the wrong side of twelve stone, struggling with age, weight, marriage, motherhood, a media career and a nasty boss. These combined ingredients just simmer away until something cataclysmic happens in Stella’s life and she has to consider a different future than the one she’d always envisaged. The book is also about cake – with some of Stella’s favourite recipes included in the book.

Do you have a dream project you would love to write?
I wish I could say I’d like to write a groundbreaking, life-changing feminist tract - but I couldn’t! If I’m honest I would love to write an outrageous Hollywood Hills bestselling bonkbusting blockbuster! I want to dip blingy toes into azure pools of the rich and famous and write about what it feels like to be internationally loved, glamorous and beautiful with men falling at one’s feet. This would of course take place in a white stucco mansion with sweeping staircases, priceless art its own gift wrapping room (darling you’re no-one without a gift-wrapping room in LA!). If readers of Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes want more of Stella – I also have plans for a sequel and something rather fabulous for our heroine – but I don’t want to give anything away so I’m not telling yet.

What would be your top three tips for aspiring writers?
1. Never give up. I abandoned my career with the BBC to write and went through many rejections before discovering Rickshaw, a new publisher who at the time was looking for new writers. We are the perfect fit.
2. Write everything down. Even when life and writing hurts and you can’t take any more - write about it - channel your feelings into words on the page. One day you may use them – or not – but either way you will feel better – I promise.
3. Be ‘out there’. All it takes is one person to spot potential. Send your writing everywhere in any form, publish short stories online, tweet, facebook and blog about yourself and your life – just make sure your work is seen.

Anything else you'd like to say?
Well, firstly thank you for having me. Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes is published on September 8th and it’s like a dream come true but it’s a strange feeling that I can only liken to pregnancy. I’ve waited so long and I’m excited about the new baby, but at the same time I’m very scared!

Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes is out on 8th September and available from online retailers, bookshops and Amazon. You can find out more about Sue at her blog. Many thanks to Sue for braving the Writer Spotlight!

If you would like to be considered for a future Writer Spotlight interview, email me at: coffeeandroses@gmail.com.

New Rose Prize 2011 - The Shortlist!

2011-09-07T20:05:00.006+01:00

At the end of July I launched the first ever New Rose Prize for short stories from unpublished writers. Nearly 80 entries were submitted, the judges pored over each one and now I am very proud to announce our shortlist!

First of all, I need to say an enormous thank you to everyone who entered. The standard of entries was very high and ranged from intense emotional pieces to shock fiction, comedy and even a fairytale! It has been a privilege to read your work and I know that the judges have enjoyed every minute of it.

So, without further ado, here is the shortlist for the New Rose Prize 2011...

The Apple by Jo Burnett
In Loco Parentis by Laura Sandell
Because I was too much by Naomi Frisby
Books, Scars and Me by Matthew Laurence
When I Died by Stacey Matheson
Margaret by Heather Gauthier

Massive congratulations to all our shortlisted authors and commiserations to our other entrants. Over the next week, I am going to mention a couple of entries that I liked which didn't make the list and we have also decided to award a Judges Special Mention Award for one entry which all of the judges felt should be recognised. So keep watching for that!

So now Jamie, Ruth and myself will be re-reading the shortlisted stories and deciding who will be our two runners-up and overall winner. We'll announce the result in the next couple of weeks, so keep watching and make sure you're following me on Twitter @wurdsmyth to be the first to hear the news.

Best of British to all of you! xx

It Started With a Kiss episode 18: Out and about!

2011-08-23T14:23:00.002+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, I take you to one of my favourite places - and the birthplace of many of my story ideas - Bridgnorth in Shropshire.

Last week I asked for your suggestions for what you wanted to see in this week's vlog. The very lovely Suzy Turner suggested that I head off out with my camera again - so here's what happened when I did just that!

Bridgnorth can boast quite a few important inspirations for my stories. Firstly, there are two florists' shops in the town that between them were the original inspiration for Rosie's Kowalski's flower store in Fairytale of New York. Also, when I worked at a coffee shop in the town, the customers I saw inspired those of my short story blog, September's, where each story reveals the life of one of the customers or staff of the fictional September's cafe.

I'll show you the places that inspired me, give you an exclusive sneak-peek at my character planning for Book 4 - and watch out for a glimpse of Ron Howard himself from Welcome To My World!

So come on, what are you waiting for? Let's go!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled, 'Last Train from Bridgnorth'

Enjoy! xx

It Started With a Kiss episode 17: Here's the cover!!

2011-08-15T23:20:00.003+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, I can finally reveal the cover!!

I am so excited about it! This is the moment when my book becomes 'real' - and I can see how it's going to look on the shelves in November. Sooooo cool!!

I also show you what my page proofs look like and give you an exclusive insight into my next book, which I've just started writing! And if you missed my dream cast for It Started With a Kiss), you can find it here.

So without further ado, here is the video with all the details...

p.s. This week's YouTube nominated freeze-frame is entitled 'DUCK!'

It Started With a Kiss episode 16: proofs, covers and agents!

2011-08-05T22:46:00.003+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, the copy edit is done, typesetting is happening and I tell you about why I decided to find an agent...

After a week of copy editing, It Started With a Kiss is now being typeset at the printers - it's very exciting! I love this part of the process because the next time I see the novel it will look like it's going to look as a printed book. It feels like quite a milestone in the creation of the book because it starts to feel real and not just a rather large Word document on my laptop!

The big news this week is that I now have an agent! It's the very lovely Hannah Ferguson from The Marsh Agency and I'm so chuffed to be working with her. It's so official that I even made it onto the agency's website - look here! In this week's vlog I'll explain why I've decided to find an agent after two years as a published writer without one.

Also in the vlog, I'll tell you about my first view of the cover design! I'll be able to share it with you very soon and I know you're going to love it! I also answer questions from Cally Taylor and Donna Cally's book, Heaven Can Wait is wonderful - definitely one to check out! And, being the cheeky scoundrel that I am, if you'd like to make sure you see It Started With a Kiss before your friends, you can pre-order it here!

Also, I mention the fantastic Romantic Novelists' Association - check them out here.

So enough of the waffle - here's this week's vlog - enjoy!

p.s This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled 'X-Factor Auditionee'

A BIG announcement!

2011-07-27T08:28:00.014+01:00

I've decided to launch a Short Story prize!

The New Rose Prize 2011 is looking for new writing talent and is open to all unpublished writers. To enter, write a short story of any genre, maximum 2,500 words - amaze us, thrill us, make us cry, it's up to you. The closing date for entries is midnight (UK time) on Wednesday 31st August.

So what are you waiting for?

The top prize is wonderful - a place on one of RNA-nominated author Ruth Saberton's writing holidays, plus signed goodies from me and a starring role on my blog. Two runners-up will win a short story critique from competition judge Jamie Guiney (see below), as well as signed goodies and their stories published on my blog. (Please note that the first prize does not include travel - sorry!)

So, why short stories?
I love writing short stories. As an art form they are truly special: the chance to take your readers on a brief journey into someone else's world. I began a short story blog in 2008, before I was discovered by my publisher AVON (HarperCollins) and writing these stories was a great way to learn my craft.

I wanted to run something more than just a writing competition - to celebrate the wealth of writing talent that I know is out there. So, together with wonderful short story master Jamie Guiney (see Judges below) and brilliant author Ruth Saberton, we have created this special competition to celebrate the short story.

THE JUDGES

Jamie Guiney
Jamie Guiney is a literary fiction writer from County Armagh, Northern Ireland. His short stories have been published in literary journals, newspapers and digitally on iPhones and iPads. In 2011, his short story 'A Quarter Yellow Sun' was nominated for 'The Pushcart Prize.'

Jamie is also a graduate of the Faber & Faber Writing Academy and a member of the Newman Writers Group. His work has been backed by the Northern Ireland Arts Council through several Individual Artist Awards.

He is currently working on a short story collection, a novel, and when time permits, a screenplay set during the Belfast Blitz.

Ruth Saberton
Ruth Saberton has written 8 romantic comedy novels in total under the names of Jessie Fox (for Little Black Dress), Ruth Saberton (for Orion) and Georgie Carter (for AVON HarperCollins).

Ruth's first novel for Orion, Katy Carter Wants a Hero was nominated for The Romantic Novelists' Association's Romantic Comedy of the Year award this year.

Ruth runs amazing writing weekends and retreats in her home village of Polperro in Cornwall - and the first prize for this competition is a place on one of her holidays. She has a real eye for pace, comic timing and great characterisation.

Miranda Dickinson
Miranda Dickinson is a Sunday Times Bestselling novelist. Her first novel, Fairytale of New York was discovered on Authonomy.com and went on to sell over 107,000 copies, become a bestseller in Germany and Turkey and was nominated for the RNA Novel of the Year award 2010. Her second novel, Welcome to My World became her second Sunday Times Bestseller.

Miranda is currently writing her third novel, It Started With a Kiss (published 10th November this year) and is vlogging all year about the writing and publishing process of this novel on her blog.

ENTER NOW!
Send your entries on a Word document (double-spaced and 12 point text) to:
mirandawurdy@gmail.com
to arrive no later than midnight on Wednesday 31st August. Please write 'New Rose Prize entry' in the subject line. Your story must not have been published anywhere before and must be no longer than 2,500 words.

I'll announce the winners on Coffee and Roses and will publish the top three stories there for everyone to see.

Best of luck!

Just to qualify the rules for submission: we are looking for UNPUBLISHED stories by UNPUBLISHED writers. If your stories have been posted on a Facebook page, blog or forum post you MAY enter it for the New Rose Prize. If your stories have been published in a magazine, book, compilation or any other printed matter then they DO NOT qualify for this prize. The New Rose Prize is looking for writers who have previously not been published - as a way of giving an opportunity to those who have not seen their work in print. Hope that clarifies things - and sorry for any confusion!

Writer Spotlight: Matt Dunn

2011-07-21T13:05:00.012+01:00

It Started With a Kiss episode 15: edits and the RNA...

2011-07-16T20:27:00.009+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November (but you can pre-order it here!). This week, the line edits are complete, so I head off for fun and inspiration at the RNA Conference in Caerleon - and gain a new hat!

First of all, massive apologies for the delay in getting this episode to your screens. I had just two weeks to complete what turned out to be a mammoth line edit (15,000 words ended up being edited from the manuscript, but I think it's better for it, even though it was a bit scary!) and then I contracted flu and was out of action for almost a week...

But I'm all better now, thank goodness, and just about to start going through my novel again, this time checking the edits suggested by my new copy editor, Rhian. It's quite surprising to a lot of people when they discover how many times I 'finish' my book through the various edit stages, but I'm a big believer in the importance of all of these edits to create a story that is the best that it can possibly be.

The best reward for emerging victorious after the killer combo of edits and flu was to join with lots of lovely RNA members at this year's RNA Conference at the University of Wales in Caerleon. Writing can be such a solitary pursuit, so to be able to spend time with other writers and share inspiration and experiences of writing is always a treat! I also received a lovely new hat (which you can see in the vlog) from the very lovely Mandy Baggot (read my Writer Spotlight interview with Mandy here). I had some issues with my Flip camera, so didn't get to film as much as I wanted, but hopefully the bits in the vlog, together with the photos I took, will give you an idea of this fabulous weekend...

So here's this week's vlog and photos from the conference are below. Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled 'Half-asleep at a picnic table'

Images from the RNA Conference: Tamsyn Murray's brilliant talk on the rise of the bad boy in YA fiction - with a plug for Keris Stainton!); the very glamorous Gala Dinner; and my table at the Gala Dinner with the very lovely Tamsyn Murray, Cally Taylor (who also won the Elizabeth Goudge Trophy for her short story on the night) and Kate Harrison... together with (not pictured) Ruth Saberton, Julie Cohen and Joanna Cannon.

Writer Spotlight: Keris Stainton

2011-07-05T13:33:00.014+01:00

A spot of writerly advice...

2011-07-05T08:51:00.016+01:00

I met a young writer at the weekend and we had a fab chat about writing, books and publishing. I always love meeting other writers and hearing about their stories and experiences, so it was great to spend some time nattering and sharing bits of writing life with another scribe. But it made me think about the writing advice I wish I'd had when I was his age...

Me. V-E-E-E-E-RY young and before I discovered eyeliner...

I started writing stories as soon as I could string a sentence together on paper, but it was around my teens and early twenties (from GCSEs to A Levels and on through my degree at university) that I started to approach writing with any level of seriousness. There was one story in particular that I kept returning to, and I think I probably wrote around 30,000 words in total over a period of about three years. I never shared it with anyone - just spent hours typing on the little travel typewriter I had received as a Christmas present when I was fourteen. It was the first time I had found myself lost in a world of my own creation, with characters as real in my mind as any of my friends in real life. But after a couple of years, I discarded it - because I thought it had no value and was merely evidence of a 'daft hobby'. I wish someone had given me advice at the point when I decided writing wasn't something I could legitimately do.

So, what writing advice would I give to my teenage writer self?

1. It's OK to call yourself a writer.
You don't have to be published, sell a million books or win awards to be able to refer to yourself as a writer. If you write, you're a writer. Full stop. Get this into your head now and you stand a good chance of being able to overcome a lot of hang-ups and wasted hours spent agonising over this question. You are a writer. So get on with it!

2. Your words (and worlds) are important.
Even if only to yourself. In fact, most importantly to yourself. Because if you don't write things that entertain you, how on earth do you expect to entertain other people? And even if nobody else ever gets to read what you've written, it should still have the power to make tingles race up and down your spine and that swell of joy to rise within you that steals your breath and makes you feel like you could explode into a million tiny stars right then and there. At the end of the day, that feeling is what every writer lives for (and royalties, of course. But mainly for the thrill...)

3. Write like you've made it already.
Don't be apologetic. Be ready to learn about yourself, your writing and how to move forward - but at the core of it all keep a confidence that you can do this. Even if you later go back and discard what you've written, write with confidence. Stand by your characters, defend your story and champion your plot - no matter how many sneaky, slimy or downright nasty doubts stand in your way. You know what makes a good story. Work hard to realise it on the page and be unshakeable in your resolve to see it through.

4. Ignore the Prophets of Doom...
You know them. The ones who say how hard it is to get published. The nay-sayers, the doom merchants, the people who would much rather jump on your dreams than pursue any of their own. They'll quote the statistics of how many books end up on publishers' slush piles, recount tales of failed writers and convince you that you haven't a hope in the face of such odds. Ignore them. Odds were made to be defied - and they can only tell you what has happened, not what can happen. Be like Emily Dickinson: dwell in possibility. Every year, new writers appear on the world's bookshelves. Nowhere is it written that you won't be one of them. So don't even think about giving up - not now, not ever!

5. Read everything.
Writing is a constant education. You learn from your own experience of actually doing it, but also from the example of others. Don't limit your experience to one genre. Any writing of any kind can teach you something about your own. It could be a story in a newspaper, an email, a tweet, a blog post, a Booker Prize-winning novel, a children's story, a romance or a thriller... Every writer works to find their own way of recreating on paper what is buzzing about between their ears, and you can benefit from their experience by reading what they have written - and how they've written it. When you're not writing, be reading.

And finally...

6. Get ready for the ride of your life...
Writing is a wild, crazy, frustrating, exhilarating, mind-boggling, breath-stealing adventure of epic proportions. If you take the chance to ride it, your life will change irrevocably, regardless of whether you are published or not. It will change because the way in which you see your world will change. Anonymous customers in a coffee shop will become secret agents, murderers, wizards and star-crossed lovers; people around you will unwittingly light the touch-paper of myriad ideas and send them sparkling and fizzing in your mind; and a hundred thousand stories will walk past you in the street every day. Bus queues will become audition candidates, dinner parties will become cast lists, overhead scraps of conversation will be woven into screenplays...

Of course, you can stop right now. You can stop writing at any time. But can you imagine your life without the characters, stories, plots and worlds waiting for you in your mind?

You were created to write. So do it!

Writer Spotlight: Mandy Baggot

2011-06-23T13:12:00.009+01:00

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm delighted to welcome the very lovely MANDY BAGGOT into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight...

When did you first decide that you wanted to write?
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write! I always had my shoulders hunched over a pad of A4 as early as my school days. By my late teens I was taking A4 pads and pens everywhere, even on nights out! There I was in the corner of the working men’s club with a half of soda water (the cheapest drink at 10p), a bag of pork scratchings and a lined pad of WH Smith’s finest. I sound like a right Billy No Mates now don’t I?!

Writing took a back seat in my twenties until I had my first daughter and then I needed something to help me step away from being just Mummy.

What interests you as a writer?
People! I absolutely love people watching and I do it all the time, wherever I am and whoever I’m with, which can get a bit annoying (so I’m told!). I find people fascinating, no two are the same, all have their own agendas and different ways they react to things. You wouldn’t believe the amount of inspiration you can get from just listening to other people – usually those who don’t know you’re listening to them. Now I sound like a right eavesdropper!

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?
At the moment I am limited to three days a week, when my youngest daughter is at preschool. Typically I start about 9.30am by checking the latest goings on on Twitter, then I do a Zumba DVD, hang some washing out, email, blog and finally, usually about 11.00am I might get to start actually creating something on a page! If I’m really honest I probably only manage about 2 hours of ‘hardcore’ writing a day because when you’re having to do your own promoting and advertising its really hard work! That’s why I am looking for an agent and a ‘traditional’ publisher. I have the passion and the perseverance and shed loads of determination but I’m a writer at heart and need someone to take over the admin bit. Pretty please!!

Which authors inspire you and why?
I’m always amazed by how many fantastic authors there are out there! And what a lovely bunch of people they are too. I’ve met so many writer friends on Twitter and all of them have been brilliantly supportive to me and I hope I provide them with some laughs if not any pearls of wisdom!

No one author stands out as having inspired me, I like and admire lots of authors. I suppose I was inspired to write my first novel, Excess All Areas, because I felt slightly dissatisfied with some of the books I’d read. It wasn’t that they were terrible and I thought I could do better, it was just the story never seemed to go down the path I wanted it to and I thought I could write something different. My books are all about the dialogue, the banter between the leading characters - I don’t describe hues of anything, ever!

What are the best things about being a writer?
The best thing is waking up in the morning and knowing you’re doing your absolute dream job. Yes, it could be more perfect, I could have snagged that book deal from a mainstream publisher, but at the end of the day I really believe that will come my way some day – soon hopefully! When I was working as a Probate paralegal I used to meet so many people who lived and breathed their job and loved it and I thought how must that feel to have a job you love so much? Now I totally get that feeling!

The other thing I love is meeting my readers. There’s nothing better than someone coming up to you and telling you how much they enjoyed your book and asking when the next one’s coming out! I really appreciate everyone who takes a chance on an unknown name in fiction because I know how easy it is to just slip a Miranda Dickinson novel into your Sainsbury shopping basket – which you definitely should do as well because she’s a great writer!!

And the worst?
The agent rejections – without a doubt! I said on Twitter once that I’d developed a hide as thick as a Courts leather sofa and that’s what you have to have in this profession. It’s business, not personal - yes they’re rejecting the words I’ve slogged long and hard over but at the end of the day if my words don’t gel with them the chances are they’re not going to gel with me and you need to gel with an agent. They need to feel as passionate about your manuscript as you do and if they’re not feeling the passion the submission is dead in the water. But it works both ways, I mean I absolutely could not accept an agent if he/she didn’t appreciate my admiration of David Hasselhoff for example.

Tell me about your latest book.
Knowing Me Knowing You was published in February and it’s a romantic comedy. Solicitor Kate has been set up by her boss, The Lady Dragon Miranda, to take part in a relationship contest a bit like a cross between ‘Mr & Mrs’ and ‘The Generation Game’ but Kate’s date is a gorgeous male escort called Joel who she knows nothing about. Throw in a Love Dove, Kate’s 2 year old daughter, a tarot card reader called Hermione and a sod of an ex-husband and you have all the ingredients for a farcical romp.

Do you have a dream project you would love to write?
I would love one of my books to be made into a film or a TV series. I have visions of the cast of Dancing on Ice starring in an ITV mini series of my novel Breaking the Ice, which is set around an ice skating show. So, Granada Productions, if you’re listening…

Anything else?
I’ve just been invited to be a featured author on a fantastic new website called loveahappyending.com. This launches on 29th June 2this year and is a chance for new and/or unpublished authors to get their work out there. The site is aiming to celebrate books which leave people with that ‘feel good’ factor, so it isn’t just about romance. There is something for everyone from poetry to passion. There are lots of exciting opportunities for readers to interact with authors and get lovely freebies on launch day and beyond! Come and visit us there!

Thanks, Mandy, for braving the Writer Spotlight! You can find all of Mandy's books at Amazon and her blog here.

If you are a writer - published, self-published, or waiting-to-be-published - and you would like to be considered for a future Writer Spotlight, drop me a line at coffeeandroses@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading!

It Started With a Kiss week 14: Time off!

2011-06-09T23:24:00.003+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, with the structural edit finally complete, I've been out and about enjoying some well-earned time off. Also the answers to your questions - it's author talks and ambitions this week...

While I'm waiting for the next round of edits to begin, I've been able to enjoy some real life! Join me on a mini-trip to Wales (including my favourite beach in the whole wide world - Llandanwg near Harlech), see a snippet of my gig at Jools Holland's Jam House in Birmingham (playing one of my album tracks with three of my friends who have inspired the band members of The Pinstripes in It Started With a Kiss...) and find out which books are in my TBR pile.

This week's vlog questions come from the lovely Donna and Suzy about giving author talks and my next big ambition after fulfilling my childhood dream of seeing my books in Kingswinford Library.

So next week, the dreaded line edits of doooooooom arrive. It's fair to say that I hate this edit (mainly because it's so nit-picky) but it has to be done! What would you like to know about the next stage of the publishing process? Ask me anything - just leave your question in the comments below or email me at: mirandawurdy@gmail.com

Thanks for watching - enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled 'Strange Face and Specs in a Punto'...

Writer Spotlight: Lucy Diamond

2011-06-01T13:33:00.011+01:00

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm really excited to welcome the wonderful LUCY DIAMOND aka SUE MONGREDIEN into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight.

Author Photo by Alexander James

Sue's new book as Lucy Diamond, The Beach Café is published today and I can't wait for my copy to arrive in the post (it's my post-editing reward!). So, without further ado, it's over to Sue!

When did you first decide that you wanted to write? (Was it a Damascus-esque flash or a slow-burn?)
It was a long, slow burn for me (ouch, that sounds painful – it wasn’t!). I have always written – lots of poems and stories as a child (including my prize-winning poem Aston Villa We Love You when I was six), diaries, letters etc. Then, after graduating, I managed to wangle my way into publishing, starting in the children’s editorial department in Random House. Part of my job was reading the slush pile which, depressingly, was largely atrocious. After rejecting the thousandth variation on Betty Bunny Has a Tedious Adventure I decided I could do better, and began writing my own teenage novel. (Plus, being rather shallow, I was lured by how attractive an author’s life appeared from the outside – we were always sending them flowers and new covers to approve and reprints etc. I thought, I’ll have a bit of that, please!)

What interests you as a writer?
Oh, all sorts of things. I am extremely nosy. Relationship dynamics, family dramas, falling in and out of love, betrayal, secrets – and I’m a sucker for heroics. I found the stories from the recent 7/7 inquest so moving, for example, the real-life heroism and humanity that was shown by so many people that day – awe-inspiring.

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?
I have to write within school hours, so between 9am and 3pm, usually. It’s a short day and can be frustrating if I have to stop work right in the middle of a juicy scene to hurry back to school, but I find that having such time constraints is a good motivator to actually get stuff done. I try to write about 2,500 words in that time but it depends enormously on what else is happening.

What made you decide to write The Beach Café?
I remember as a little girl being on a seaside holiday in Cornwall and deciding that when I was a grown-up I would definitely live there and run the café. (The thought of ice cream all day every day played a big part in this ambition, but still… ) Sadly I have failed on both these counts, but it was great fun to revisit that dream and have my main character inherit a beach café in a gorgeous Cornish setting. It was even more fun being forced to research all those Cornish pasties and cakes…

What are the best things about being a writer?
The satisfaction of writing ‘The End’ on a first draft is pretty hard to beat, as is holding finished copies of a new book for the first time. Lovely emails and letters from readers are brilliant too – they make all the torturous parts of the process worthwhile.

And the worst?
The self-doubt that creeps in now and then that the book I’m writing is rubbish and no-one will want to read it. One-star Amazon reviews make me want to cry. And I sometimes miss all the banter and camaraderie from working in an office. Thank goodness for Twitter!

Tell me about what you're working on now.
I’ve just finished my sixth novel, which will be out next year. It’s about two very different sisters being forced to live together again – lots of arguing, jealousy and bitching – those scenes were a joy to write! I also write children’s books too, under my real name, Sue Mongredien, so by complete contrast, I am also working on a new adventure story featuring an evil witch, smelly trolls and lots of magic.

You've written books for both children and adults and have been short-listed for this year's Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance for your book Sweet Temptation. What would be your top three tips for aspiring writers?

a) Read your work out loud – I always say this, but it’s the best advice I can give. By reading your story aloud, you get a much better feel for the rhythm of the prose, you can hear whether or not the dialogue works, and any mistakes, repetition or boring bits will leap out at you.
b) Raise the stakes. Make things really difficult for your characters – don’t give them an easy ride. Every time they think the worst is over, ratchet the angst up a notch. It’ll make the novel a much more interesting read.
c) Stick to the story. Keep asking yourself – is this scene relevant to the main plot? You may have written the most brilliant or hilarious dialogue exchange in the world but if it doesn’t move the plot along in any way then sometimes it’s best to cut it out. Harsh, but ultimately for the best…

Do you have a dream project you'd love to write?
I’d love to write for television – it must be so exciting seeing actors speak your lines on the screen. Sadly I think writing for film and TV is probably even more competitive than book publishing so right now, it will have to remain a dream. But maybe one day…

The Beach Café by Lucy Diamond is published by Pan Macmillan on June 3rd. For more information on Lucy Diamond’s books, visit her website. I can’t wait to read The Beach Café - it's going to be a perfect summer read and I can't wait to get started on it! Why not treat yourself, too?

It Started With a Kiss 13 - An ambition fulfilled!

2011-05-27T09:10:00.012+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, it's a very special edition of my vlog, where I fulfill my childhood ambition and revisit the place where my writing dreams began - the amazing Kingswinford Library! Find out what happened when I went to speak to an audience of lovely Kingswinfordians (or Stone Yardlians if you've read Welcome to My World!)

When I was about five years old, I remember walking back across the park with my Mum after visiting the library, clutching my three books that I'd chosen for that week. It's one of my earliest memories and I vividly remember the thrill of being able to choose books to take home. As we walked, I asked Mum, 'If I wrote a book, do you think Kingswinford Library would lend it out to people?' That's why in my author biography bit I say that from an early age I dreamed of writing a book that would make the heady heights of Kingswinford Library. For me, as a little girl already fallen hopelessly in love with stories and books, this seemed like the ultimate accolade because my library was a palace of dreams - a place filled with stories that I could spend hours wandering around in.

So over thirty years later, I was absolutely over the moon to be asked by Kingswinford Library to speak as part of their Big Book Fortnight event. You can see my gorgeous audience in the vlog (and, if you were there, you can witness your starring role!) and hopefully get a sense of how significant the night was for me. After all, it's not every day you fulfil a childhood ambition!

Oh, and watch out for a rare glimpse of my two biggest fans (who may have harangued you to buy my book if you've ever been in Waterstones or WHSmith in Merry Hill...)

Enjoy! x

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled: 'Chuffed'...

Writer Spotlight: Nicola May

2011-05-23T22:48:00.005+01:00

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm really excited to welcome the brilliant and very lovely NICOLA MAY into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight.

I first came across Nicola's amazing book Working it Out last year on Authonomy.com, and fell in love with it. So, when I saw on Scott Pack's blog that Nicola had self-published her novel, I just had to get in touch and invite her to share her story here!

When did you first decide that you wanted to write?

I actually didn’t start writing until my thirties. I was working in PR at the time, loved a drink and smoked 20 a day and was dared to run a half marathon. I thought it would be quite funny to create a comedy diary of events throughout my tough training. Amazingly, I completed the marathon, but didn’t finish the diary. It did, however, give me the writing bug.

What interests you as a writer?

Everything! I love creating characters, especially the more eccentric ones. When ensconced in a novel, it does take over my mind. I’m thrilled when I have a Eureka! moment on a plot.

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?

Once I get started I don’t stop. I can write for six to eight hours and suddenly realise I haven’t eaten, and I love eating! I have been known to get up in the middle of the night if an idea suddenly hits.

What made you decide to write Working it Out?

After my stint in PR, I did a lot of contract work in Event Management. Between major contracts I did do the odd temp job. It was when I was in a Portakabin in the middle of a field, with a mad Greek developer who swore and smoked constantly, that the idea struck - for someone to do twelve jobs in twelve months and see where it would lead them. My then literary agents loved the idea and the actual title came immediately, which didn’t happen so quickly for the first two novels. My first novel, Star Fish is also based on a ‘twelve’ theme: Piscean Amy Anderson can’t find love and decides to date each sign of the zodiac until she finds the man of her dreams.

What are the best things about being a writer?

Working from bed and only having to answer to my characters. And of course, just recently, making people happy when they tell me how much they’ve enjoyed the book.

And the worst?

Being broke at the moment. I took a part-time job to focus heavily on my writing as it is what I want to do full-time. Being self-published, you don’t get a juicy advance.

Tell me about what you're working on now.

I am working on a novel called The School Gates. This one focuses on four very different mothers, one adorable dad and the inter-twining trials and tribulations a year at the primary school gates brings. It has comedic moments, but is a little darker than Working it Out.

You've written three novels, one of which you’ve self-published. Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Working it Out is actually the first novel I have put into print and on Kindle. The other two are ready and waiting once I see what response I get to this one. I did have an agent and went the traditional route with them, but to no avail. However, I read between the lines of a lot of positive rejections, re-wrote this one and took the plunge myself at a minimal cost.

My main tips would be: Persistence over resistance. Take criticism on the chin and learn from it. Get a good copy editor and - be bold!

Do you have a dream project you'd love to write?

I would love to write a sitcom. I went on a sitcom course once, and the tutor said I was ‘too innuendo and panto-like’, then along came Miranda, which I love! My other dream is to be able to write the screenplay of Working it Out. I can see it already: Working it Out - a Working Title Film. Mr Curtis, I hope you’re reading this, as you would do a much better job!

Anything else you'd like to add?

I am very honoured that you contacted me for this interview, as I feel that self-published authors are almost frowned upon. I am also very excited as I really believe in Working It Out, and just like Ruby, the central character, I think maybe I am about to embark on the job of my dreams...

Working It Out is a wonderfully warm, laugh-out loud novel with characters you will really love. I absolutely fell in love with Ruby and her quest for her perfect job and it’s the kind of special book that only comes along once in a while. I thoroughly recommend it – buy the book now before Nicola becomes a major star in women’s contemporary fiction!

For more details on Nicola and to purchase a signed copy of Working it Out, go to www.nicolamay.com. Her novel is also on sale online at Waterstones, WHSmith and Amazon, and also as a Kindle version.

Would you like to feature in a future Writer Spotlight on my blog? Email me at coffeeandroses@gmail.com!

It Started With a Kiss week 12: Names, edits and book spotting...

2011-05-16T18:35:00.003+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, the edits continue, there's a new hat of the week and I answer your questions on spotting readers of my books and where I find my character names...

After a week of laryngitis and problems with Blogger, here's my latest vlog post - sorry for the wait!

The edits are going well and this week I've taken a week off work to get the lion's share of the editing done. There's been a lot more to change than I initially expected, but I'm really pleased with the results. I think you're really going to love It Started With a Kiss when it's released!

Please keep your questions coming in - I love finding out what you'd like to know! Also, if you have an old hat that you'd like to see get its nine minutes of fame on a future vlog, drop me a line at mirandawurdy@gmail.com

So, here it is - enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled, 'Oops, I blinked!'

Welcome to the It Started With a Kiss Tour!

2011-04-29T16:14:00.005+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. I'm filming the next episode as we speak, but in the meantime I'd like to invite you on a very special tour...

It Started With a Kiss begins in Birmingham, on the last Saturday before Christmas, when Romily tells her best friend Charlie that she loves him - and it's clear from his reaction that she's misread the signs. Mortified, she runs from the Starbucks cafe in New Street, through the city's famous German Christmas Market - and straight into the path of a handsome stranger! What happens next turns Romily's world upside down - and sets the scene for a yearlong Quest to find the mystery man again.

Birmingham is an amazing City and I wanted to share with you the locations that inspired me for the novel. In this tour, we'll take in the location for Romily's fateful confession, the gorgeous Victoria Square where the German Christmas Market takes place and the scene of her unexpected kiss from the handsome stranger! I'll also take you to lovely canalside BrindleyPlace where Wren lives and show you where to get the best bacon sandwich in the whole of Birmingham. PLUS! The first sighting in my vlog of my fiance Bob!!

So are you ready to go? Good. Keep close and follow me! Enjoy :o) x

p.s. Please let me know what you think! Post a comment below and let me know if you have any questions, too..

It Started With a Kiss week 10: The handsome stranger!

2011-04-22T11:42:00.014+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 10th November. This week, meet the mystery man who Romily is searching for and find out what I think is the perfect recipe for a great chick-lit novel...

Last time, I shared with you my dream cast for It Started With a Kiss and thanks so much for all of your fab comments about them! But of course one of the most important characters was missing: the mystery stranger who comes to Romily's aid and, with one amazing, show-stopping kiss, sets Rom on a year-long quest to find him again. But will she find him? And what happens when Charlie - the guy she's been in love with for three years - suddenly starts to see her as girlfriend material? Who will she choose....? To see my casting choice for the handsome stranger, look below this week's vlog!

This week, lots more editing, including a big change to the opening chapter of the book, plus fab questions from Kirsty from Novelicious, Dot from Dot Scribbles and Paige Conlon - including my personal checklist for the key elements that make fantastic chick lit stories. Let me know what you think - what do you look for in a perfect chick lit book?

Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube selected freeze frame is entitled, 'Three Sheets to the Wind (in a Hat)'

So, here's my choice for THE MYSTERY MAN
played by Henry Cavill (recently seen in BBC1's The Tudors and soon to be Superman!)

So would you spend a year searching for this man? Let me know!

..and finally, if you like my Random Rug that I always have over my knees when I write, you can find them here

Images: Upstreet Magazine, Tailgate365.com

A bit of a Friday chill-out...

2011-04-08T16:35:00.005+01:00

Seeing as it's such a lovely sunny day, I thought you might like some suitably chilled-out music to relax to...

I found this amazing video today for a song I co-wrote and performed on with the amazing chill-out composer and producer Reuben Halsey.

The Meaning of Life came about after Reuben saw a YouTube video made by an American girl and was inspired to compose a song around excerpts of her thoughts. When it came to me, I wrote the melody and lyrics based on her thoughts, adding some of my own. As usual, Reuben turned it into something magical and you can hear the results below. (My vocal comes in around 1:32, in case you were wondering!)

I've worked with Reuben on quite a few songs now, two of which you can hear on my album here - Running Home and Let The Sun Shine. I'm hoping to start working on an album with Reuben soon - watch this space!

Anyway, enjoy the song and video - let me know what you think! xx

It Started With a Kiss week 9: Meet the band!

2011-04-01T21:11:00.038+01:00

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 3rd November. This week, the structural edits continue, plus get a world premiere of my dream cast for The Pinstripes - the wedding band at the centre of the novel!

Thanks again for all your fab questions, too. This week, I talk about how my writing process has changed since I became a published author, writing full time (or not!), using real people as inspiration for my characters - and what can happen to my stories when real life influences fictional events...

On Twitter this week, we had a lot of fun as I gathered together my perfect cast for Romily and her friends in The Pinstripes wedding band. Thank you so much to everyone who suggested such amazing actors! For an exclusive introduction to the characters you'll read about in It Started With a Kiss, check out my Dream Cast list underneath the vlog!

So enjoy - and let me know if you have other suggestions for my cast.

Oh, by the way, if you're Richard Curtis and, by some amazingly implausible twist of fate, you've happened upon this blog post, you've got the cast all sorted below - so how about being my dream Director and making It Started With a Kiss the movie...? :o)

p.s. This week's YouTube nominated freeze frame is affectionately known as, 'Slightly Manic Neighbour'...

And now, for your viewing pleasure, may I proudly present...

THE DREAM CAST of IT STARTED WITH A KISS...

ROMILY PARKER
played by Claire Foy (recently seen in BBC1's Little Dorrit)

By day, Romily is a jingle-writer for Brum FM, Birmingham's third most popular commercial radio station, but her real passion lies in songwriting and performing as part of The Pinstripes wedding band with her best friends. A strong believer in the power of possibility, she is confident and optimistic, with the kind of outlook on life that always looks for the best. When the story begins, Romily has just confessed her undying love to her best male friend Charlie (drummer with The Pinstripes), but unfortunately things have gone horribly wrong. Mortified and thoroughly embarrassed, Romily runs from him through the crowded streets of Birmingham's famous German Christmas Market - straight into the arms of a handsome stranger. So unexpected and world-changing is this moment that when the stranger is suddenly called away, Romily vows to spend the next year trying to find him. As she embarks on her yearlong quest, she will need all of her trademark positivity and resolve - especially when Charlie starts to change his mind...

CHARLIE WAKELEY
played by Ben Barnes (recently seen in The Chronicles of Narnia)

Image from The Bosh.com
Gorgeous, arty, sensitive and charming, art gallery manager Charlie is the drummer with The Pinstripes and Romily's closest friend since school. They've shared everything over the years and know more about each other than either cares to admit. It's generally accepted in the band that he and Romily will one day get together - their chemistry is plain for all to see. After his initial bad reaction to Romily's confession, Charlie quickly seems to be backtracking - and with looks and charm this devastating, might he be the right one for Romily after all?

WREN
played by Holliday Grainger (recently seen in ITV1's Demons)

image source: RottenTomatoes.com
A sassy redhead with angelic looks and - it has to be said - an utterly filthy sense of humour, Wren is The Pinstripes' diminutive singer and bass player. Fiercely loyal to Romily, she champions her best friend's seemingly crazy quest to find the handsome stranger - but her overenthusiastic attempt to help (via an advert in the Encounters section of the local paper) leads to a couple of toe-curlingly awful dates for Romily... Always in demand with the male population of Birmingham and beyond, Wren harbours a secret soft spot for D'Wayne, hapless manager of The Pinstripes - even though he appears to be terrified of her!

TOM
played by Jim Sturgess (recently seen in the feature film The Way Back)

image source: RealBollywood.com
Guitarist and avid mountain biker, Tom is the charming joker of The Pinstripes. His brooding good looks and cheeky sense of humour makes him a definite hit with the ladies. A computer whizzkid by day, he is responsible for landing The Pinstripes their biggest gig to date: playing at the lavish, celebrity-packed wedding of his millionaire boss's daughter in a breathtaking London stately pile. But could his new girlfriend, ambitious journalist Cayte, be about to cause untold problems for Romily?

JACK
played by Christian Cooke (also recently seen in ITV1's Demons)

image source: FeastofFun.com
Gentle, wise-cracking Jack is the only member of The Pinstripes who works full-time in music - in the recording studio he owns in the heart of the City. One of Romily's closest confidants, Jack encourages her to pursue her songwriting ambitions when he sees her song ideas scribbled in a notebook that she inadvertently leaves at his studio. The house that he shares with his girlfriend Sophie is the unofficial base for The Pinstripes - from official band meetings to frequent social gatherings. Jack is also Charlie's best friend: can he see something developing between them that Charlie and Romily can't?

D'WAYNE MCDOUGALL
played by Adetomiwa Edun (recently seen in the RSC's Romeo and Juliet and BBC1's Merlin)

image source: Independent.co.uk)
Hapless yet lovable D'Wayne is the not-so-hot manager of The Pinstripes. He's trying hard, but several of the wedding gigs he books for the band turn into complete disasters (don't even mention the One With the Tights...) Undaunted, his ambitions for the band only grow stronger - and when they land the Millionaire Gig, D'Wayne steps up his game. To the amusement of the band, the only person who can reduce this handsome, assured young man to a quivering wreck is tiny, flame-haired Wren - but does his apparent terror hide his true feelings for her?

So, what do you think? Let me know! More dream cast members will follow over the next few months, including UNCLE DUDLEY, AUNTIE MAGS, SOPHIE (Jack's girlfriend) and, of course, THE MYSTERY MAN! (watch out for him next week!)

Listen to my album!

2011-03-31T11:43:00.003+01:00

While I'm waiting for YouTube to finally upload this week's vlog (grrr), I thought you might like a bit of a treat...

So, here, for your listening pleasure, is my album, About Time, which will available soon on iTunes and my website. All the tracks are here in full - hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think, lovelies!

p.s. Make sure you scroll to the bottom (use the slider on the right-hand side of the box) to hear all 15 tracks!

It Started With a Kiss week 8: Structural edits, big decisions and writers' block...

2011-03-24T22:59:00.006Z

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 3rd November. This week, I'm back in the living room (they wouldn't let me stay in Cornwall, boo!) and the hard work of editing begins in earnest.

I'll tell you about one of the major changes that I've already made to the initial draft and also let you in on a bit of a challenge I'm facing with the first chapter. Plus, of course, your amazing questions - thank you so much and keep asking!!

Your fabulous questions this week include overcoming writers' block, how I've changed as a writer and an editor, how long Coffee at Kowalski's - my original novel that became Fairytale of New York - was on Authonomy.com before it was discovered and how I started writing. Big thanks as ever for your questions, especially the very lovely Joanna Cannon, who as JoannaCannon is one of my Twitter tweethearts and quite a brilliant writer to boot - make sure you go to her blogand say hi!

Oh, and hope you like the hat. I couldn't resist it in the January sales and this it its official World Premiere...

Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube generated freeze frame is entitled: "(slightly scary) Easter Bunny"...

It Started With a Kiss week 7: writing retreats, book covers and more...

2011-03-16T22:31:00.007Z

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published on 3rd November. This week, I've finally made it out of the living room! So, from the beautiful Cornish fishing village of Polperro, I'm answering your questions on book covers, manuscripts, writing sacrifices and schedules.

I was fortunate enough to be asked by my very lovely friend, fab author and now RNA Romantic Comedy award nominee, Ruth Saberton to be a guest author at her Writing Weekend in stunning Polperro, so I took my trusty Flip video camera and headed down to Cornwall. It was wonderful to meet writers on different stages of their literary journeys - from an unpublished writer preparing her manuscript for agent submissions, to a very talented author who has just signed a huge publishing deal and needed reassurance before she embarks on the adventure of a lifetime!

This week, I answer your questions on who designs my book covers (and let you know about plans for the cover of It Started With a Kiss), how to prepare a manuscript for submitting to publishers and agents, what sacrifices you have to make as a writer and what my writing schedule is like. Thanks so much for all your questions - please keep them coming!

Oh, and in case you didn't notice the subtle plug above, I now have a publishing date for It Started With a Kiss! It's November 3rd this year, which suddenly seems scarily close... This is the time where it starts to appear on Amazon and Waterstones sites (even though it's still being edited!) and they put up an awful 'days to publication' counter that eventually Bob will ban me from looking at because I start to get a little obsessed!

In addition to this week's vlog, I also couldn't resist putting together a little video of my weekend in Polperro, including an interview with Ruth! I can't recommend her writing holidays enough - whether you're a published author looking for space and inspiration for your new book, a new writer just starting out, or an aspiring author preparing a manuscript for submission to agents, Ruth's writing courses and retreats are perfect.

Enjoy!

p.s. The freeze frame on this week's vlog I've lovingly termed 'Talk to the Hand'... ;o)

Week 7 vlog

Polperro Mini-Vid!

It Started With a Kiss week 6: Editing, covers and film deals...

2011-03-04T08:59:00.005Z

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published in November. This week, I'm doing things a little differently, so there are two parts to the vlog! Part one is about the editing process that began this week and in part two I'm answering more of your fab questions.

So much has been happening this week, it was impossible to cram everything into one video (you know how much I can talk!) I'm starting the editing process, so I'll tell you about the mammoth seven-hour editorial meeting I had on Monday - and let you in on how writers really feel about edit notes from their publishers...

Thanks again for all your fabulous questions! This week, I'm answering questions from Emily and fabulous book-bloggers-extraordinaire Dot from Dot Scribbles and Leah from Chicklit Reviews. Please check out their sites if you haven't already - they're awesome.

I also have a brand new hat (yeah, baby...)

So sit back, grab a cuppa and prepare yourself for a double-bill of nattering!

p.s. I'm calling this week's YouTube-designated freeze-frame shots 'Invisible Dog' (part one) and 'Invisible Rabbit' (part two).

PART ONE

PART TWO

Writer Spotlight: Jill Mansell

2011-03-02T13:53:00.008Z

Every now and again on Coffee and Roses I like to highlight published writers worth checking out and not-yet-published writers I think you'll love. This week, I'm thrilled to welcome the very lovely JILL MANSELL.

When did you first decide that you wanted to write? Was it a Damascus-esque flash or a slow-burn?

It was pretty Damascus-esque, actually! I was on the lookout for a way to make money - (yes, I KNOW!) and was keen to write a brilliant song. Sadly this wasn't on the cards, as I couldn't sing in tune or write music or play any instruments. I do get brilliant songs in my head though. I could be the next George Michael, I'm convinced of it...

Anyway, I was working in a hospital and picked up a Sunday Express magazine in the waiting room. Inside was an article about women who had transformed their lives by becoming best-selling authors. Which sounded quite nice, and I was already able to read and write, so that was a good start...

So I joined a local evening class for creative writing and had a go at M&Bs, because in the magazine article Charlotte Lamb said she could write one in a week. Obviously it took me a lot longer...

Long story short, I had seven or eight manuscripts rejected by M&B who said, very nicely, that my work contained far too much humour for them and lacked emotional depth as a result. They were right! So I set out to write the kind of book I would like to read myself, which was a JillyCooper-esque rom com minus the horses. And that book was Fast Friends...

What interests you as a writer?

Absolutely everyone and everything. My brain gets overloaded with questions all day long. If I'm on a train, I can't stop wondering about the lives of the people in the houses we're rattling past. Is everyone like that, or is it just a writerly thing? I have no idea!

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?

I just write during the day now, keeping school hours. But I'm quite slow and easily distracted. A thousand words a day is enough for me. Two thousand makes me feel shaky and sick.

What inspired you to write To The Moon and Back?

I wanted to write something where one of the main characters is dead, kind of like Patrick Swayze in Ghost, or Elvira in Blithe Spirit. But I couldn't suddenly write a ghost story, so Jamie isn't a ghost. He is, though, one of my all time favourite characters.

What are the best things about being a writer?

Writing in bed. Easy access to the fridge.

And the worst?

Having to get out of bed in order to get to the fridge. (I SOOOO need a butler.)

You have inspired so many romantic comedy writers - which writers inspire you?

Gosh, lots! I love to read rom-com. If someone deals with an issue in a clever way, I'll admire and take note of how they've done it. I love to read and learn from other writers and do so constantly. I can be inspired by anyone. But if we're talking about a specific writer, it would have to be Jilly Cooper. She doesn't know it, but she changed my life.

Do you have a dream project you'd love to write?

Every time I start a new book, I want it to be my best yet. I suppose that makes each one a dream project. Otherwise, it would have to be my Oscars acceptance speech...

Anything else you'd like to say?

I really hope I haven't sounded smug. I do know how incredibly lucky I've been. Never in a million years did I think my life would turn out like this, so a massive thank you to anyone who has ever bought one of my books. Also, my bear would like to say hi. He was my birthday present last year and lives in our fireplace. Here he is, in his Christmas outfit...

Huge thanks to Jill for taking the time to do this interview! Her books introduced me to rom-coms and I'm a big fan of her writing. To The Moon and Back is a fabulous book and I'm loving reading it (my treat after all the writing madness of the past couple of months!)

I'm always looking for new and emerging authors to feature in my Writer Spotlights. If you would like to be considered, or if there's a write you think I should feature, email me at: coffeeandroses@gmail.com

It Started With a Kiss week 5: Pressure, expectations and dates from hell...

2011-02-21T20:01:00.003Z

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published in November. This week, I'm answering your questions, including dealing with the pressure of a six-book deal, my worst ever date story, how much editing goes into a first draft and whether I'm a planner or a spontaneous writer. Oh, and a rather fantastic hat voted for by my twitter followers!

Thanks so much for your fantastic questions - keep them coming!

Also, I now have an official publish date for It Started With a Kiss (which is now, worryingly, already up for preorder at Amazon.co.uk -how mad is that?!) It's going to be published on THURSDAY 3rd NOVEMBER!! Scary stuff!

So sit back, relax and enjoy!

p.s. The YouTube designated freeze-frame pose this week is entitled, 'Fagin in a Panama'...

Book Special: Happy P-Day Jill Mansell!

2011-02-17T13:50:00.012Z

Every now and again on Coffee and Roses I like to highlight books I think you'll love. Today's Book Special features the brand new book by the thoroughly fab JILL MANSELL.

Jill's brilliant books are an inspiration to me and countless other rom-com writers - so I know you'll adore her new novel, To The Moon and Back as much as I will. It's published today and here's the blurb:

When Ellie Kendall loses her husband Jamie in an accident she feels her world has come to an end. But life has to go on and eventually she’s ready for a new start – at work, that is. She definitely doesn’t need a new man, not while she has a certain secret visitor to keep her company...

  Entrepreneur Zack McLaren seems to have it all, but the girl he can’t stop thinking about won’t give him a second glance. Why can’t she pay him the kind of attention she lavishes on Elmo, his time-share dog?

  Having moved to an exclusive flat in North London, Ellie becomes friendly with neighbour Roo who’s harbouring a secret of her own. Between them, can both girls sort out their lives? Guilt is a powerful emotion.   

But a lot can happen in a year in Primrose Hill...

I can't wait to read it! I'm still in the post-delivery glow of finishing the first draft of It Started With a Kiss, so I'm catching up on my reading (after being somewhat of a frantic scribbling hermit during the past couple of months), so To The Moon and Back is at the top of my reading indulgence list...

Jill will be appearing on Coffee and Roses in a Writer Spotlight in the near future, so keep watching for that!

Plus, the latest sparkly installment of my VLOG will be arriving here shortly, so the goodies just keep on coming...

It Started With a Kiss week 4: finishing the first draft and more...

2011-02-10T00:16:00.003Z

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published in November. This week, I'll tell you what it feels like to write the last 6,000 words of the first draft - and complete it (woo-hoo!), show you the German edition of Fairytale of New York, discuss first/third person viewpoints and reveal what books I love reading - not to mention the ubiquitous HAT OF THE WEEK!

So, it's Week 4 of the vlog and finally I've finished the first draft of It Started With a Kiss!!!

I wanted to share with you the emotional, almost subconscious stage of completing the final 6,000 words to the end - it's something I've heard Stephen King and J.K Rowling discuss in the past and it's quite a uniquely strange and beautiful thing for a writer to experience...

Thanks so much for your questions! Keep 'em coming - literally anything you'd like to know about being a writer, publishing, hats, what I like for tea... it's up to you! This week I answer questions from Dot and Leah - and fabulous questions they are, too.

So enough of the waffling (can you tell I'm demob happy after two months of frantic scribbling?) - here's the vlog in all its glory!

E-e-e-e-e-enjoy!

p.s. This week the YouTube chosen still shot makes me look like I should be a guest on Newsnight. Serious, me? ;o)

It Started With a Kiss week 3: Questions and an exclusive extract

2011-02-02T20:55:00.005Z

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published in November. This week, I'm answering your questions and reading a world exclusive extract...

HUGE apologies for the delay in posting this - I've been writing like a crazy nutter for the past week (and I'm still going!)

This week, I answer your questions on conquering writer's block, disagreeing with my editor (including what I would have changed about my first novel, Fairytale of New York), how I was discovered on Authonomy.com, how many scenes I use to make a chapter and how the finished story differs from the initial synopsis.

I also have a WORLD EXCLUSIVE especially for you - the very first reading of an extract from It Started With a Kiss! Hope you like it!

Oh yes, and a brand new(-ish) funky hat to boot!

Now do I know how to pack in the goodies or what?!

E-e-e-enjoy!

p.s. Please note YouTube's choice of opening frame - I like to call it my Tommy Cooper homage!

It Started With a Kiss week 2: First Drafts

2011-01-22T20:17:00.006Z

All this year, I'm keeping a video diary of everything that goes into writing my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, due to be published in November. This week, it's all about the FIRST DRAFT of the novel...

I'll show you my synopsis, notes (in a multitude of notebooks), plans and character profiles and talk about the process of writing a first draft. There's also another funky hat and a close-up shot of my engagement ring (as requested by Vanessa and Julia from my facebook page!)

Thanks so much for your questions and comments from last week - this week I've answered a question about planning from fab Leah of ChickLitReviews.com and a question from lovely Kath at The Nut Press about whether I let anyone else see the draft while I'm writing it.

If you have a question you'd like me to answer next week, write it in the comments box below, or email me at: mirandawurdy@gmail.com.

Oh and no, I've no idea why YouTube has chosen a freeze frame that looks like I'm crying. I'm not, honestly...

E-e-njoy!

A year in the life...

2011-01-10T23:23:00.005Z

Happy New Year!!

Hope 2011 is going good for you so far? Sorry my New Year felicitations are a bit late, but I'm currently in the midst of writing frenzy, trying to get the first draft of my third novel, It Started With a Kiss, complete for the end of January. But lots of exciting things have happened - my lovely Bob proposed (and I accepted) - more on that next time. Welcome to My World is doing really well, selling over 46,000 copies to date, despite the coldest winter on record and huge problems with snow, so I'm chuffed to bits with that. Most importantly, I've received some amazingly fab letters from people who have loved the book - this is the biggest thrill for me and it really helps when I'm writing to know that people are looking forward to the new book!

So, here's my latest project for 2011: my very own video diary!

I've set myself the challenge this year to post a video blog every week for 52 weeks, to show a year in the life of a book. The video diary will follow the progress of It Started With a Kiss, from first draft, through editing stages, proofing, cover design, publicity, launch and beyond... I'm holding nothing back, so the good and not-so-good bits of taking a story from an initial idea to published novel will all be there for you to see.

I'll post the videos here at Coffee and Roses each week - and I want to know what you'd like to see in them. So if you have any questions you'd like me to answer in the video blogs, just leave me a comment or email me at: mirandawurdy@gmail.com.

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to present, my very first video blog... Enjoy!

(oh, and apologies for the incredibly scary freeze-frame that YouTube have chosen...)

Writing, Book 3 and Ian Fleming?!

2010-12-23T11:00:00.004Z

Thought you might like to see this...

I was interviewed by the very lovely Brad Baker at Waterstones Wolverhampton a couple of weeks ago - and here is the result! This was during a signing for Welcome to My World. It was great fun to do and even earned me a comparison with Ian Fleming!

I'd love to know what you think - leave me a comment below. Enjoy!

Say it with Muppets!

2010-12-16T14:48:00.005Z

Here's something to warm the cockles of your heart on this wintry December day...

American photographer, Sid Ceaser, proposed to his long-term girlfriend Sara Prindiville last week by arranging to have the following homemade trailer shown in his local cinema. A lifelong Muppets fan, he created two lookalike characters and filmed the story of their love... Sara had no idea it was going to happen - or that thirty of her friends and family were sat behind her in the audience! Here's what she saw on the big screen:

You can read all about the making of the film - and what happened when Sara and Sid watched it - here

Now, admit it: did you manage to watch the proposal trailer without crying?!

For more true love stories, head over to my research blog, It Had To Be You. You can even share your own stories of how you met the love of your life there!

Christmas Goodies!

2010-12-03T10:37:00.007Z

It's winter, it's freezing, people are walking round looking like Michelin men and women and there don't seem to be enough smiles to go round... But panic not! Coffee and Roses is here to bring a little bit of sparkle into the dingy winter days!

Frosty Berry © Miranda Dickinson

So how about an extra-special Christmas pressie from me?

In two weeks' time, I will be sending out an exclusive, Christmassy short story to everyone who subscribes to my newsletter. It's a little something to say thank you to everyone who has supported my writing so far, especially with my latest novel, Welcome to My World. It's been a massive encouragement to me to find out how many lovely, generous and kind people there are - and with the battles I've faced this year, your support means more than I could ever express.

So if you'd like to get your hands on a magical, wintry short story to warm your heart for Christmas, all you have to do is to sign up for my newsletter (see the form at the top right-hand corner of my blog). It's completely free, and I only ever send out one a month, so you won't get bombarded with emails! I'm planning all kinds of exclusive goodies for my subscribers, so if you want to be the first to read extracts of my forthcoming novel, have the chance to enter special competitions and receive exclusive 'behind-the-scenes' book extras, sign up now!

May your December be merry and bright (and more than a little bit sparkly!) xx

Blog Special: Help Talli Roland!

2010-12-01T08:43:00.009Z

At Coffee and Roses I love to support other authors. So today, I'm throwing the floor open to the very lovely TALLI ROLAND, whose debut novel The Hating Game is published as an e-book today. It's a fabulous, sassy novel and well worth treating yourself to on this snowy Wednesday!

Help Talli Roland's debut novel The Hating Game hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.

About The Hating Game:
When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £2000,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

If you don't have Kindle, don't panic! You can download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more.

The Hating Game will also soon be available in paperback. To keep up with the latest news on Talli, visit her website.

Guest Blogger: Simon Forward

2010-11-20T17:19:00.005Z

It's not often I hand over the Coffee and Roses reins, but today I'm making an exception. My very good friend, former Authonomy Forum-chum and all-round mustardy genius (which might have had something to do with him reaching the Ed's Desk twice) Simon Forward has a rather fabulous book out on Kindle and asked if he could have a word with you. So, without further ado, it's over to you.... *wanders off to put the kettle on*...

BAD CHICKS

We all know Miranda is a successful bestselling novelist, but not everyone will know that she is also the unofficial Chief of PR for Evil UnLtd. She’s done such a sterling job in her role that we felt it was high time we honoured her services as well as celebrating the release of her second novel, Welcome To My World.

In that spirit then, it’s interesting to reflect that if my book, Evil UnLtd, had been picked up by HarperCollins like Miranda’s, it would most probably have been pigeon-holed under the heading Sci-Fi Comedy. But that would have been to heinously overlook its broader appeal, the deeper themes of the story and the strong, independent heroine around which everything in the book revolves.

Never judge a book by its cover, they say. So here, take a look at the cover and the blurb that give a truer picture of a story with femme-appeal for women everywhere:

FEW DIVAS ARE THIS DEVASTATING

Tanith Troy had it all. Glamorous movie star career, cocktails-and-limos lifestyle, wardrobe the size of a planet, a figure to die for and a big hunk of man wrapped around her little finger.

All that – apart from the figure - is set to go pear-shaped when a group of ruthless criminals interrupt her trip to the bank. Suddenly she’s a hostage, a bargaining chip for the villains in pursuit of their dastardly schemes.

But a woman like Tanith is no victim. And as she’s whisked away from everything she knows, she’s determined to make sure that the criminals – just like her when she goes shopping – get way more than they bargained for.

She’s going to show Evil UnLtd the real meaning of Girl Power...

So after enjoying the delights of Miranda’s latest, why not give Evil UnLtd a try? Many readers on Authonomy did and were very pleasantly surprised! Only two out of ten preferred cat food...

SAF

Simon Forward is an author of a number of licensed fiction books, including Doctor Who novels and novelisations for the BBC’s Merlin series. These days, he is focused primarily on his original works, including science fiction, fantasy for kids and young adults, and of course books that are downright Evil...

Find out more about Simon here.

My thanks to Simon for his Guest Blog! Normal service at Coffee and Roses will now resume... :o)

Welcome to My World - first reviews!!

2010-11-15T18:58:00.010Z

EEK - the first reviews for Welcome to My World are in...

One More Page said:
"Welcome to my World is a fabulous book filled with heartwarming characters, mouthwatering food and lots of romance and it will make you want to book your next holiday right now!"

The Bookbag said:
"There's some nice lines in gentle humour and a lot of joshing. Very easy to read... Altogether this is a fun and frothy read."

Dot Scribbles said: "...a lovely book that I couldn't put down... Welcome to my World is a great read... extremely entertaining and romantic."

A huge thank you to the reviewers who have taken the time to read my book! I'd love to hear what you think, too, so please let me know!

It's almost P-Day! Woooooo-hoooo!!

2010-11-10T17:24:00.002Z

I am very proud to announce that Welcome to My World! is officially unleashed tomorrow!

Some of my lovely twitter friends have told me they've already seen it in their local bookshops and several of them are reading it already - eek!

When a book is published, you receive a list of all the places that are doing special promotions for your novel. It's just amazing to think that my little story is Paperback of the Week and a 3 for 2 title in Waterstones, (something I dreamed of being when I was an aspiring writer), has a free limited edition mirror at Sainsbury's (see pic - I have shrink-wrap, too! Unbelievably cool...), has a free limited edition lipgloss in Tesco (awesome stuff) and has a 'Buy Welcome to My World, Get Fairytale of New York Free' in Asda...

What's so strange is that this is the 400-page Word document that has, in one form or another, been a major part of my life all year. To see it finally unleashed in all its sparkly glory on the bookshelves of my favourite shops is impossibly wonderful. If you'd told me three years ago that this would be happening, I would have thought you'd been sneaking a snifter of Christmas sherry a month early... There's no other word for it: it's wonderful.

I'd love to know what you think of Welcome to My World- leave me a comment here, or email me at coffeeandroses@gmail.com

Right. I'm off to sneak into a bookshop and revel in the sight of my books out in the big wide world - woo-hoo!

Writer Spotlight: Julie Cohen

2010-11-06T21:32:00.017Z

On Coffee and Roses I like to bring you news of exciting authors who are either waiting to be published or published and worth checking out.

This week, I'm really excited to welcome the thoroughly lovely
JULIE COHEN into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight.

When did you first decide that you wanted to write?
I’ve always wanted to write. I made little “books” out of paper when I was a kid and made up stories about my marble collection. I was forever playing Dungeons and Dragons, which is basically collective storytelling. I remember very clearly when I wrote my first actual novel. I was about eleven and I’d just read the Earthsea trilogy by Ursula LeGuin, and I sat right down and wrote a 125-page handwritten story about a female wizard who gets kidnapped by a really sexy evil king. I made maps and illustrations and everything. (She didn’t end up with the evil king, though; she chose a humble but pure-hearted sailor instead. I think I missed a trick there.)

My teachers at school were encouraging, and I had poems and short stories published in small press magazines. I recently found a photocopy of the first money I ever earned writing – it was a cheque for six US dollars paid for a poem. But I had no idea of how to become a novelist, and nobody could really advise it as a career path, so I plumped for academia instead.

I probably should have noticed something when I kept on putting off working on what was supposed to be my PhD thesis so I could write a Mills & Boon novel. But it wasn’t until a couple years later when I was teaching secondary school English that I suddenly thought, “This is silly. I’ve been playing around enough with writing. I should try to write that book and get it published.”

So that’s what I did. Not that first book, obviously, which was awful and got rejected pretty much by return of post, but a few books later.

What interests you as a writer?
I find myself drawn again and again to similar themes in my stories: of deception and truth, identity and outsiderdom, acceptance and forgiveness. I like reading books about these themes, too. I love, love, love writing those parts in a novel where the heroine realises that she’s been wrong and that she really can open her heart. Lately, I’ve enjoyed writing in first person, because I enjoy the limitations and constrictions that it imposes on the writer. I’m a total sucker for dramatic irony, when the reader realises things that the viewpoint character doesn’t, and it’s so delicious writing that in first person. Yes, I know I’m geeky like that.

One of the greatest things about being a writer is that you can build your books around topics that interest you. So with Getting Away With It, for example, I’ve had the perfect excuse to research ice cream and twinship, stone circles and cereology, fast cars and memory loss. I spent several days in Avebury and other neolithic sites in Wiltshire, as research for the setting. Lovely.

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?
I’m not a morning person as a rule, but I have a young son and I have to write while he’s in nursery, which is in the morning. So I slave away at the keyboard from 8 am till about one o’clock most days. I try to write 1000 to 2000 words a day while I’m in first draft mode – though I might end up cutting all of that later, or I might end up writing more if I’m really cruising, like at the end of a book.

What made you decide to write Getting Away With It?
Twins. I just love identical twins. I think the whole concept is fascinating. And because I’m obsessed with stories about identity and deception, I was hooked by the idea of a woman taking over her identical twin sister’s life when her sister disappears. I think I was having an ice cream on the Isle of Wight when it first struck me. I knew it was going to be a bigger book than anything I’d written before, so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to write it for Headline Review.

What are the best things about being a writer?
The two best things are probably getting so involved in the world of your characters that you forget everything else. That’s just magical. And, I can’t lie – the other best thing is when someone reads your book and says they like it. I’m a sucker for positive reinforcement.

And the worst?
Being attacked by crows of doubt – you know, those moments when you’re sure the book doesn’t work, that you can’t write, that you suck, that you’re going to crash and burn. It happens at some point in every single book for me, and I never really believe it will all work itself out. Even though it always has, so far.

Tell me about what you're working on now.
I just gave in the manuscript for my second book with Headline Review. It’s a contemporary women’s fiction novel about a woman who gets a job as costumed historical interpreter in a restored stately home where they’re re-enacting the summer of 1814. There are two story threads – the contemporary one in the heroine’s real life, which is a bit of a mess, and the pretend-1814 one, which is a Heyer-esque Regency romp. Eventually the two threads start coming together in some unexpected ways.

You're a much-loved speaker and workshop leader at writing events across the country. What would be your top three tips for aspiring writers?
1) Read.
Good writers are voracious readers. How else are you going to learn about characterisation, story structure, the mechanics of writing? Or what you want to spend your time writing? Reading is probably the best training for writing, except of course, writing.
2) Write Crap.
I have a post-it note on my computer saying this. What it means is, just get the first draft written. Don’t spend a lot of time fretting about how bad it is. Just do the best you can with what you’ve got. Once you’ve finished your first draft, then you can think about how to change your work to make it suitable for a reader. Of course, maybe you’re a genius and your first draft is solid gold. But all of my first drafts are crap, and most writers that I know say the same thing about theirs. For some reason, you have to give yourself permission to write badly before you can get down to work on making your writing good.
3) Get a Support Network.
When I decided I wanted to write for publication, one of the first things I did was to join writing groups. I joined my local writing group, Reading Writers, and I also joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association in the UK, and Romance Writers of America. All of these groups helped me materially on my way to publication (for example, I made the final in a RWA contest which got me noticed by editors, and I met my agent at an RNA meeting). But more importantly, they’ve given me a support network who I can lean on when the writing’s not going well, and who I can celebrate with when it is. You don’t have to be a joiner to get a support network – one writing friend, online or in real life, is enough to validate your perception of yourself as a writer. This job is hard enough without trying to do it in a vacuum.

Do you have a dream project you'd love to write?
You know, I’m lucky enough to feel like every project I’m working on is my dream project at the time.

Big thanks to Julie for her brilliant questions. I can’t wait to read Getting Away With It - it’s going to be my Christmas treat this year!

Julie's gorgeous book, Getting Away With It, is out now in hardback and will be released in paperback next year. To find out more about Julie, visit her website.

If you would like to feature in a future Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight, drop me a line at coffeeandroses@gmail.com and I'll see what I can do!

Here it is!!

2010-10-22T13:25:00.014+01:00

Finally, after a year of pretty much hard slog, here is my new sparkly novel, Welcome to My World!
The first copies arrived this week and I have to say they look throughly gorgeous.
Here are the first-look pics:

This time, the sparkles continue in full glorious technicolour on the inside cover and I even have a strap-line now: Escape with Miranda - how mad is that?!

The thing I love the most is the 'By the same author' page - so nice to have not just one but two books out there now (or soon...)

So it's all really exciting! I'm also chuffed to bits because, after five years of begging studio time and lots of writing, my very first album About Time is going to be launched on the same day as Welcome to My World - 11th November! Here's a sneaky peek at the album cover:

Keep your eyes peeled here on Coffee and Roses for a chance to win signed copies of Welcome to My World and About Time coming very soon!

It's all ridiculously exciting and I can't quite believe it's all happening. Seeing my book for the first time was amazing - I've written about the moment I saw the finished copies of Welcome to My World for the first time over on the Authonomy blog this week.

You can hear some of the tracks from About Time here - and, although the completed master mixes on the album are much better than these, it should give you an idea of what my music sounds like!