Writer Spotlight - Cathy Bramley

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 wonderful CATHY BRAMLEY into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight.

When did you first decide that you wanted to write?
Last year. Most authors say that they’ve been writing stories since they were a child, but not me, which is a bit embarrassing. I’ve always been a huge fan of reading though – can’t go to sleep without reading a few pages. But last year, I was casting about for a new challenge: I always like to have a bit of a project on the go. We had not long moved into our new house that we’d self-built and I hit on the idea of writing a novel with a property theme. I attended a few courses, read up about it and decided to give it a go. Now I am totally hooked and cannot imagine not writing!

What interests you as a writer?
Two things immediately spring to mind:
Language
I love words. Sometimes I can roll a word round in my head for days, waiting for an opportunity to use it! It saddens me that I can’t get ‘onomatopoeia’ into more sentences – such a waste of a good word.
Humour
You can’t beat a good laugh. I love a bit of visual humour. Stick me in front of an episode of ‘You’ve Been Framed’ with a cup of coffee and a chocolate biscuit and I’m as happy as Larry. Except when people hurt themselves. I’m not so keen on that. My friend’s daughter once slipped on a banana skin right in front of me; it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

Do you have a typical writing day? If not, when is the best time to write for you?
I was talking to my vet about this. He reckons that first thing in the morning before he has answered emails or checked Twitter or Facebook is his ‘Crystal Time’. I love this idea. I’m not sure that my brain is ever particularly crystal clear, but I can certainly concentrate more in the mornings.

My writing schedule starts in the evening. I consult my hi-tech spreadsheet to see what scene or chapter is coming up next and roughly plot it out with a few scribbled notes. Next morning, once I’ve located the notes, (I’m a terror for writing things on random scraps of paper) I write the scene and try not to keep getting distracted by Twitter alerts or by checking the Amazon ranking for Conditional Love! I write until I have to pick my daughters up from school.

What inspires you as a writer?
What inspires me most to write are the funny things people say to each other. Particularly off-the-cuff, unrehearsed remarks. I store them up like a squirrel burying nuts for the winter and then I unearth them and drop them into my story like nuggets of treasure. I’ve got a friend who has come up with some corkers over the years. I intend to plunder a few of his best bits in my next book.

For my own writing journey, I’m inspired by other writers’ success stories, particularly those who have self-published their novels with the intention of attracting the attention of an agent and publisher, lovely ladies like Kirsty Greenwood, Rachael Lucas and Annabell Scott. Following in their footsteps is my number one goal for 2014.

What are the best things about being a writer?
LOADS! So here are my top three:
1. I get to read fantastic books and call it ‘research’!
2. Receiving emails, tweets and messages from complete strangers, telling me how much they enjoyed Conditional Love. That makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.
3. Writing. Writing simply makes me so happy, I’ve had a varied and exciting career, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as I am now.

And the worst?
The worst bit is about forty thousand words in when I look back at what I’ve written and decide it’s completely pants! None of the jokes are funny, the plot has gone off at a tangent and ever writing the words ‘The End’ seems highly unlikely.

Tell me about Conditional Love: what inspired the story?
My initial idea was to write a book with a property theme. I’ve always had a passion for property and love moving house. I grew up in Kings Heath in Birmingham (on the same road as Samantha Brick – the woman who claims that women don’t like her because she is too beautiful!) My parents have had three houses on that road, people used to sit at their front window and watch our belongings being wheeled past on a trailer on a regular basis. We were the main source of entertainment before X-Factor.

But as I got further along with the novel, I realised that the book was also about different kinds of love: for friends, family and lovers and that the love that we long for isn’t always the one that’s right for us… (cue dramatic drums!)

What was it like to see your published novel for the first time?
I squealed and leapt about from foot to foot, then I did that American thing of circling your arms like you're stirring a big pan of porridge, shouting, ‘Go Cathy, go Cathy!’ Which would have been absolutely fine, had I not insisted that the UPS delivery man wait while I opened the box of books so that I could share the moment with him!

What would be your top three tips for unpublished writers?
1. Don’t wait for the right time, the right desk or the right fancy notebook, just get on with it. Turn the telly off and write!
2. When you think your manuscript is ready (and I speak from painful experience here) it probably isn’t. Invest in a critique, even if it’s only on the first chapter. An expert will be able to tell straight away if your novel is ready to face the world.
3. Believe in yourself. Don’t dream about becoming a published author, make a plan and do it!

Do you have a dream project you'd love to write?
I wrote Conditional Love as a one-off, sorted everyone’s lives out and mentally said goodbye to all the characters. However, I have had so many people asking me what happens next to Sophie, that I’m thinking that I’d love to write a sequel. Fingers crossed!

Anything else you’d like to say?
Just a MASSIVE thank you to you, Miranda for inviting me onto your blog and to everyone else in booky world who has helped and supported me this year. It has made the world of difference to me.

Thanks to Cathy for a fab interview! You can find out more about Cathy at her website, follow her on Twitter @CathyBramley and on Facebook. Conditional Love is available from Amazon in e-book and paperback formats. It's a witty, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy with a protagonist you'll love and I highly recommend it!

Writer Spotlight: Lisa Dickenson

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 excited to welcome the very lovely LISA DICKENSON into the Coffee and Roses Writer Spotlight.

When did you first decide that you wanted to write?

I was about eleven, and at a talk by Anne Fine in Plymouth. She was saying that when she was young she wrote loads of story beginnings, first chapters and opening paragraphs before moving on to the next idea. I do that, I thought. We’re the same! This means I will be a writer too! Then growing up I fell into that miserably British trait of assuming my dreams wouldn’t be reached because there was too much competition, but even so, if anyone actually ever says I can’t do something a little spark inside me always ignites and mumbles “I’ll bloody show you…”

What interests you as a writer?

Don’t tell anyone, but I’m quite interested in eavesdropping on and writing about interactions between people who think no-one’s listening, or when they can’t find the right words to say in a situation. That natural dialogue where you don’t produce the perfect, scripted comeback and it ends up sounding completely awkward and the reader – or listener – thinks, I know exactly how that feels!

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

My dream is to be a full-time writer, living near the beach and writing all day with the sand on my toes. But for now my typical writing day consists of sitting on a crowded bus full of teenagers for an hour in the morning and evening on route to the day job, hoping they don’t laugh at what I’m typing and call me a name I don’t understand. Actually, they have no interest in me whatsoever, so I can’t complain. If it’s a weekend my aim will be to write thousands of words on Saturday morning but then I procrastinate and “think” until Sunday night and then suddenly it all pours out.

What inspires you as a writer?

Holidays! Be it a caravan in Cornwall or a holiday home in the Hollywood Hills. In my own abode it’s amazing how easy it is for my brain to procrastinate like hell – the house could do with a clean, the fridge needs a bit more stocking, those Real Housewives episodes need to be watched. Getting away, seeing new vistas, living a new life for whatever length of time, observing all new people with different, interesting lifestyles… those things inspire me, and I come back from each holiday with armfuls of ideas for locations, characters, scenes or even whole new stories.

What are the best things about being a writer?

Playing God – ha! Babbling on, unfolding a fictional life, doing to them what you will and putting words in their mouths. Each time I handed in the next two chapters of The Twelve Dates of Christmas to my lovely editor at Little, Brown, Manpreet Grewal, I was always amazed that it didn’t come back with everything edited out; I’d never before had a job with such freedom. Of course, there were edits, but the bulk was still there. My characters were allowed to be there, my scenes. It’s ever such a nice feeling. Oh, also that it’s practically in the job description that you have to laugh at your own jokes.

And the worst?

When you have a deadline and you’re tired and you don’t know how to write something and everything you’re putting on the page sounds like the crappest thing anyone’s ever written, ever, in the history of forever. Forcing creativity is the worst. I only had one meltdown, I think, at my editor, where I started furiously writing shouty capital emails saying – and I quote – “BUT WHAT IF I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING AND THE CLOCK TICKS AROUND TO 5PM AND ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT ARE DIAMANTES AND RED DRESSES AND WILLIES AND I AM DISOWNED IN THE WORLD OF PUBLISHING?????” She was like, “Okay, calm the heck down, it’ll come to you,” – and then the solution came to me that evening.

Tell me about The Twelve Dates of Christmas

This is Claudia’s story of how she tries to pull her life out a big stale rut through the magic of Christmas in London. She struggles with the things we all do – grumpiness, heartache, indecision – but also faces a lot of fun, romance and discovery through her December of dating. From part one, Dates 1&2, through to part six, Dates 11&12, you’ll find lashings of snow, mulled wine, a host of sparkling dates, people showing off their lovely and not-so-lovely Christmas spirit and hopefully come out the end feeling like you should be knocking back a glass of Baileys and soaking in the season.



Why did you decide to release your book as a series rather than a stand-alone novel?

This was Manpreet at Little, Brown’s idea – she’d been thinking about the possibility of releasing a serialised novel and in the early days of Twelve Dates we talked about it and decided we’d give it a go. It splits rather neatly into six parts, and I like that it harks back to how Dickens would release his novels, because I firmly believe he wrote the best Christmas story of all time with The Christmas Carol (closely followed by The Jolly Christmas Postman).

What would be your top three tips for aspiring writers?

1. Enter writing competitions. Submit to agents. Find a friend who’s into writing and ask them to read it (you’ll be surprised once you admit you’re a writer how many friends say “I’ve been thinking of writing a book, too.”) It’s very easy to think ‘I like writing, my stuff sounds okay to me, but I don’t really know if I’m good enough,’ and subsequently do bugger all about it. If you submit your work at least someone is reading it, giving you feedback, taking you seriously. And you might just start the next ‘chapter’ of your life. Ha! Do you get it? Like, chapter of a book… They don’t call me an author for nothing.

2. Listen to podcasts from established authors. I have a whole host of Jackie Collins ones I keep on my iPod that I used to listen to when I felt like just sacking it all in and not bothering. Then I’d listen, and Jackie would chatter on about her successes, her struggles, her inspirations, her writing methods, and I’d always come away feeling a lot more revved up. This is what I want my life to be, I would think, and I would do something about it.

3. Carry a notepad everywhere! Don’t spend time trying to find a pretty ‘writer’ notepad with the perfect cover and an elastic doodah to hold it shut – you’ll never use it, because you won’t want it to be filled with scribbles and scrawls and half a chapter that started to get a bit too erotic and now you’re a little embarrassed it’s in there. Just have a crappy old notebook you may or may not have nicked from the office stationary cupboard, and jot down everything that springs to mind, from words of dialogue inspired by the song you’re listening to, to possible solutions to the end of a scene, to whole new story ideas. Shove it all in. Just remember to then go through it and collate your ideas from time to time!

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

Yes, two! I’d love to write a really chilling, eerie ghost story. Not one filled with shock, blood and gore, but the type that makes you unnerved. Like Rebecca or The Woman in Black. Something Hitchcock said which sticks in my mind is that if a bomb suddenly goes off it gives you ten seconds of fright, but if you know the bomb is there the whole dynamic is changed and you get foreboding and suspense. He was talking about films not novels, but I think it still applies, and that’s the type of novel I’d like to explore. The other project harks back to younger me and her dream to write an epic, Sweet Valley/Babysitters Club-style series with lovable characters that you keep coming back to, that people would want to collect the set and to follow their life stories (and still secretly love aged 30…).

Anything else you’d like to say?

I’m sure you’ve had enough of me harping on, but I think the only other thing I’d like to say is a whopping thank you, to Miranda, and to all the other authors and bloggers who’ve been incredibly supportive. It’s pretty scary putting yourself out there and saying “I WRITE THINGS, PLEASE LIKE THEM AND LIKE ME”, so a thanks to all of those who’ve helped me feel like I belong here and that they’re going through the same things, and everything’s going to be peachy.

Oh and one more thing: I WRITE THINGS, PLEASE LIKE THEM AND LIKE ME.

Thanks so much to Lisa for braving the Writer Spotlight! You can find out about Lisa at her website and follow her on Twitter @LisaWritesStuff.

Miranda Writes 3 - Your Questions Answered!

All this year I will be documenting the writing, editing and publishing of my fifth novel, giving you a unique, behind-the-scenes look at my life as a writer. This week, I'm well into writing the new first draft of Book 5 and have started to ask for your help...

Last time I told you I was going to invite you to get involved with the new Book 5 - and this week I asked my first question:

What is the name of the San Francisco cabbie in the story?

I had fifty awesome suggestions on Twitter - so thank you so much if you sent one! I announce the winner in this week's vlog below, so fingers crossed and enjoy! There will be more chances to get involved - watch out for the #getinvolved hashtag on my twitter profile and special requests on my facebook page. And if I use your suggestion, you will get a thank you in the acknowledgements of Book 5!

Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze-frame is entitled, 'La-Laaaaaaaah!'
p.p.s. I also mention some fantastic writing retreats - find out about BookCamp here

When I fall in Love - The Book Trailer!!

As promised, here is the first book trailer for my fourth novel, When I Fall in Love! It's available to pre-order right now in both ebook and paperback versions, which is very scary, but exciting, too!

Hope you like it!

p.s. The song on the trailer is my version of the wonderful Imogen Heap/Frou Frou song Let Go, which you might recognise from the soundtrack of The Holiday. It's on my album, About Time, which will be available shortly when I launch WurdyStore - my brand new online store!

Here's the book trailer... Enjoy!

The Chick-lit Debate: Give Readers Credit!

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!

Writer Spotlight: Jill Mansell

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

Book Special: Happy P-Day Jill Mansell!

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...

Blog Special: Help Talli Roland!

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.

Woo-hoo!! I made the Shortlist!!!

Yes, I can now finally reveal the most amazing news so far... I made the shortlist of the RNA's Romantic Novel of The Year Award 2010!!!

I travelled down to London this week for the official unveiling of the shortlist authors - a completely surreal experience but great fun! I could hardly believe that I had been chosen to rub shoulders with the brilliant calibre of writers on the shortlist... All were lovely and it was a great morning. Looking forward to the Pure Passion Awards lunch on 16th March, now!

(Oh and apologies for the photo - not quite sure why I'm the only person pulling an odd face and looking like a half-floral mammoth... ah well, I have a great face for books!!! Another - slightly less scary - pic here...)

Being shortlisted for this award means the world to me because the Romantic Novelists' Association is such a wonderful organisation and true champion of romantic fiction. To be recognised by them is phenomenal - something I couldn't even have dreamed could be possible. I've followed the Romantic Novel of the Year award for the past few years because it stands for the very best in romantic fiction writing - so to see Fairytale of New York amongst the nominees is beyond fantastic.

(I make no apologies for gushing, by the way. I'm ridiculously excited!!)

So... in other news, Welcome to My World is now written! (woo-hoo!) I've just started structural edits and I have to say, I'm incredibly pleased with how it's going already. More on this, soon!

Fairytale of New York has, to date, sold 99,211 copies - how crazy is that?! Thank you so much to everyone who has so kindly bought my book. To think that in only three months (since publication) my novel has gone from my little romantic story to Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller and now RNA Romantic Novel of the Year shortlisted book is totally nuts!!! It just goes to prove that the dream is possible - so if you're dreaming of one day seeing your novel being sold in bookshops, keep believing!
*takes deep breath, attempts to calm down. FAILS!*

So I have the posh frock sorted for the awards lunch... All I need now are the shoes and a rather large piece of string to tether me to something immovable, seeing as I appear to be floating permanently in the clouds at the moment! :o)

Blimey O'Reilly, I'm in the TOP 10!!!

Just when I thought this publishing thing couldn't get any better, it just has!

Fairytale of New York has now been in the Sunday Times Bestseller List for two weeks!! I can't believe it - I'm completely in shock!

Bob and I were trying to work out how many copies I could realistically hope to sell and we reckoned that we probably knew about 500 people between us - but even then it would mean everyone we knew buying a copy of my book and I just didn't think I could expect to be that fortunate. After all, people have been so kind buying my book and I didn't feel I could expect that level of support.

So you can imagine my utter shock when I found out that Fairytale sold just under 6,000 copies in its first week (three days, from Thursday to Saturday), just over 11,000 copies in its second week and, this week, another 12,000 copies... I'm up there with writers I adore, like Cecelia Ahern, and it's completely surreal!!

Everyone at AVON and HarperCollins was over the moon, too, which is great for me because I know how much effort they've all put into promoting my book. I received two enormous bouquets of flowers, making my tiny home look like Kowalski's - I've run out of vases (and flat surfaces) to display them, so some of the flowers have now ended up with my Mum and Dad. People have been so amazingly kind, too. I've had messages, emails and tweets from all over the world - and the nicest thing is the number of people who've said they loved my book. When all's said and done, all I ever wanted for my book is for other people to love the story as much as I did. Several people have read it in a day, saying they couldn't put it down, whilst lots of people love the first chapter of Welcome To My World, which is simply brilliant news.

There's no other way to describe it: it's a dream come true!

So tomorrow, I have an interview with The Independent on Sunday, which should be fun, then it's back to writing for the rest of the week. And quaking in my boots waiting for the next amazing thing to happen. Bring it on!

I'm all PUBLISHED now!

Well, my lovely little book is finally unleashed on an unsuspecting world...

Fairytale of New York officially launched on Thursday and is now available in a good bookshop (and, quite probably, some dodgy ones too) near you!

I was asked by BBC Radio WM if they could capture the moment I first saw my book on the shelves, for the Mornings With Joanne Malin show - of course I said yes, but then it transpired that they couldn't get me on the programme until Friday - one whole day after P-Day... Consequently, while everyone else was sending me picture messages of my book in Tesco, Sainsbury's and WHSmiths, I wasn't allowed to go into a bookshop!

Having said that, when I finally went into my favourite bookshop in Birmingham (the Waterstones in the old bank on New Street), accompanied by the lovely reporter Cayte Walker, it was quite a magical moment! You can hear the interview here (my bit starts at 2:07:48) Both Cayte and Joanne were lovely and I'd like to say a huge thanks to them and the manageress at Waterstones for making the experience truly fab.

After the interview, I was asked to sign some copies of my book - cue my first (impromptu) book signing! What was so strange was that I kept feeling like I was doing something naughty - after all, I go into this bookshop most Saturdays and I've never been allowed to scribble in new books before... About halfway through signing the books, the realisation hit me that this mad, crazy publishing thing is actually happening - then I noticed my signature was wobbling a little!

Last night I had a small launch celebration with my closest chums in Stourbridge at our local Pizza Express. It was a fantastic night - I even had celebratory fireworks with accompanying orchestra in a Hollywood-style moment (well, Stourbridge Football Club was having its annual fireworks display as we were driving into Stourbridge and 'Friday Night is Music Night' was playing on Radio 2 - all the romance, with none of the expense - perfect!)

So now it's back to writing book 2 - Welcome to My World is coming along nicely, so it's full steam ahead from now until December!

Here it is! Woooooooo-hoooooo!

So here it is: my very first novel – all wintry-looking and sparkly and truly amazing!

Fairytale of New York is now, after so many years of just being a big Word document on my computer, a real tangible thing.

Like any writer, I dreamed about the day I would receive the first, printed copy of my novel. Being the completely hopeless romantic that I am, the image I always had was something like the scene in Little Women where Jo receives a gorgeous, gold-embossed leather edition of her work… Of course, it didn’t happen like that: in my case it was an innocuous-looking envelope handed to me by a rather gruff FedEx guy, who, when I told him excitedly that it was the very first copy of my debut novel, responded with a non-plussed, ‘Oh, right,’ before beating a hasty retreat… It’s going to sound odd, but I honestly couldn’t open the package for about five minutes… I just sat on my sofa, staring at it. I think I’d always pictured myself ripping open the envelope and screaming, crying, running round the room and generally looking like a completely deranged individual. But when it actually happened, it was a really quiet, beautiful moment. I took this photo as I was opening the package: the whole thing felt so surreal that I wanted to preserve the ‘first-look’ for a time when I was less overawed by it all. For a long time, I just stared at my book – my book – turning it over and over in my hands. The thing that struck me the most straight away was the wonderful ‘new book’ smell – something so familiar to a bookaholic like me, yet so completely strange to be accompanying my words…

That’s another thing: not only does it have my name on it, but it also has my words inside it! Again, a totally obvious thing to say, but it’s a very odd feeling to hold a book in your hands where you know exactly what’s written on every single page. Even when I’ve bought new editions of books I’ve read before, I haven’t been able to say that I know every line of it.

It’s taken me a few days to get my head around it – I finally did the whole jiggly victory dance thing yesterday, actually! I know that when I walk into my favourite bookshop in less than two weeks’ time and see Fairytale on the shelves, that’s when I’m likely to do the whole screaming, jumping up and down, girly crying thing (perhaps someone should warn Waterstones in New Street, Birmingham that a crazy writer is due to descend on them on November 12th!) Bob’s going to come with me (he’s taken the day off work, bless him!), so at least he can smile ruefully at the startled staff and customers and say, ‘It’s OK – she’s just a writer,’ to allay their fears…

A couple of days ago, I started getting emails from friends who had preordered their copies on Amazon, to say that their books had arrived, which was a bit of a shock as I’d assumed all books would be sent out on P-Day, but incredibly exciting nevertheless. The whole prospect of people reading my book fills me with a heady mixture of intense curiosity about what they’ll think of it and complete dread at the thought of my friends and family finally getting to read something that was ‘my little chick-lit story’ for so many years.

Like so often throughout my big scary adventure in publishing, this stage is completely different to the way I’d always envisaged it – but it’s a good different, not a disappointing different! Fairytale has been such a massive part of my life for so long - especially during this year – so reaching the run-up to P-Day feels like a relief in many ways, but also the start of a whole new chapter (pardon the pun) for me. Once my book hits the shelves, the whole process starts again with Welcome to My World – which means that, finally, I will be able to see myself as a ‘proper author’, instead of a completely wide-eyed newbie (although I think I will always feel like that!)

So now the final push starts to P-Day… I’ve written a travel article for The Sunday Telegraph (strange, but true), which will be out on November 22nd, and have done a couple of interviews for book sites www.chicklitreviews.com and www.chicklitclub.com which should be appearing soon. On Monday, I went down to London to take part in a presentation the fabulous Authonomy team were doing at HarperCollins Towers, which went really well, and I also did a live radio interview from the BBC, weirdly for Radio Shropshire!

People all over the place have started receiving their pre-ordered copies of Fairytale of New York and it's been spotted lurking on the shelves of WHSmith already... eeeek!

One thing's for sure: this crazy publishing trip is only going to get more exciting!

It's at the printers!

Things are getting really close now...

I spoke to my lovely editor Sammia this week and she told me that my book is at the printers right now! That's my actual book being put together at the actual printers... It still doesn't seem real!

Apparently, I'm going to get an exciting box of books when they're done, which is brilliant and you can be sure that I'll be scaring random passers-by on the canal with my jiggly happy dance when it arrives. This won't be the first jiggly happy dance I've done this year, of course: when my page proofs arrived I was dancing around my living-room - which is on the first floor and visible to passers-by on the canal towpath - when I looked out of the window and saw a very surprised bloke on a passing barge staring up at me... Ah well, dignity's never been one of my highest priorities!

I always had a romantic dream about receiving the first copy of my book through the post - but it was more like in Little Women when Jo receives a beautiful, leather-bound volume with her name on it... Crazy, I know, but that's the kind of thing that you think is possible when you're little! That said, I LOVE my cover and it's so irresistibly sparkly and inviting that I just know it will stand out on the bookshelves in four weeks' time. FOUR WEEKS? Eeeeek!

Look at the swanky cover!

This is it!

The final incarnation of my debut novel Fairytale of New York in all its pinky-sparkly-New Yorky splendour!

And, finally, the 'happy-every-afters' typo is no more!! (Well, here, at least, although the older image is still up on all the online booksites (sorry about that...)



I've also posted a new blog entry for Authonomy here: with all the latest developments... There's more to come, so keep watching for lots of exciting stuff!

Phew - too exciting... Off for a lie-down and a nice cup of Yorkshire Tea decaf - my latest find and it's fab!

That's it: I've gone completely LOOPY...

I've only gone and done it this time...

I've submitted one of my novel attempts to www.authonomy.com - the new site from publishers HarperCollins, where aspiring authors can submit their work, read other works and, allegedly, 'beat the slush pile' where so many unsolicited manuscripts wind up.

Coffee At Kowalski's was the very first novel that I wrote, started nearly seven years ago while I was still married. It became a real sanctuary for me and was the reason I began taking my writing seriously. It's by no means perfect, but a friend of mine started reading it a couple of months ago and demanded that I finish it. I've been sending her a couple of chapters every few weeks - which she's reading faster than I can write!

Here's the blurb:

Rosie is happy at Kowalski's florists in New York - until her past catches up with her.

What happens when an optimist with a broken heart meets a pessimist who has everything he ever wanted?

Rosie Duncan is happy. Or so she thinks.

Her florist store in New York's Upper West Side, which she took over from the enigmatic Mr Kowalski six years ago, is flourishing. She has a wonderful life in her adopted city, surrounded by friends that love her.

While Rosie refuses to discuss her past - or why she won't consider looking for a relationship - her assistants Ed (the human iceberg) and Marnie (who appears to have dated the whole of Manhattan), together with inimitable New York Times columnist Celia (a one-woman tornado), do their best to convince her to open her heart.

But when hopelessly optimistic Rosie meets self-confessed pessimist Nate, their blossoming friendship over coffee at her store begins to shake her resolve - and unravel the mystery surrounding her arrival in New York. Then a chance meeting brings Rosie face to face with her past – and now she must choose which way her life will go.

Is she falling for Nate? Will she be able to love again? And what is going on with her best friend Ed?

I just wanted to see what reaction there was (if any) - I know that my writing has come on so much since my first, trembling attempts at creating a story, but this one always stuck with me. I think it works as a narrative and, while I don't think for a moment that it will get anywhere near the hallowed heights of the 'Editor's Desk', I'm just interested to see what people think.

One comment so far: Super dialogue, real humour and the kind of wit that would raise FRIENDS to a new high...

So... please, please, please pop over to Authonomy.com and have a read - leave your comments, too! Head to Authonomy and type 'Coffee' into the search box on the top right-hand side of the page.

Am I crazy? Possibly. More loopy than a bowl of Fruit Loops? Probably. But unless you try something, you'll never know...