A year in the life...

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?!

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!

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!

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!

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

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!!

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!