Lucy Mitchell's Blog, page 12

Writerly Things I Did Last Week… #AmWriting

Hey, thanks for poking your head around my virtual blog door. How are you?

Last week I was in that beautiful writer flow state. I will just caveat this with – it’s an elusive writerly state of mind. I can go MONTHS without entering it. One year I don’t think it happened at all. It’s like an unreliable relative who promises to visit but sometimes doesn’t show for months or turns up at your door unannounced three or four times in short succession.

When it happens its such a wonderful feeling and you start to wonder why you can’t exist in it all the time. For those who don’t know writer flow state – this is when you are enjoying whatever you are writing and the world around you disappears. You spend your time in this imaginary bubble and you float through your week. Nothing really bothers you during writer flow state. Yes it is magical but it can end at any point. One negative thought about your work and WHOOSH it has gone. Back to reality and grumbling about your writing.

For noting the year I didn’t experience it was when I wasn’t enjoying my writing or the draft novel I was working on. Also, you can’t plan to have Writer Flow.

Writing update

In terms of the novel I am working on I reached that stage in a romance where the couple in question are working up to the big ‘I’m falling in love with you’ confession. It really is one of my favourite stages of a romance story. *Switches on electric fan as face starting to heat up*.

So this week I have mainly been writing about secret glances, accidental touches, talking gibberish, picking the tiniest amount of fluff from their jumper, fidgeting, gently wiping away your stray tears with their thumb, feeling dizzy after inhaling too much of their [enter perfume / aftershave of choice] and asking them to give you their arm, getting lost in their eyes, mirroring their body language and behaving oddly in their presence. LOVE ALL OF THIS. *Cranks up the electric fan and complains to loved one about how hot it is at the writing desk.*

Writing process

I also realised how much I love having what I call a Scrap document set up as I write. I have a Scrap document for every draft novel I write. My process of writing is non linear. I like to write and delete a lot. It’s a wonder I finish anything. Cutting pages out of my WIP is something I find enjoyable. I write bits of scenes, delete half of them as they don’t seem right and paste into my Scrap document. As I go I realise the bits of scenes I wrote first were not in the right place so I go to my Scrap doc and Copy them back into a new place. Basically I write a novel in the wrong order but at the time I don’t know this and then spend 3 months figuring out what goes where. What will really blow your mind is that sometimes missing pieces of my novel are amongst the pages of other Scrap docs of other draft novels

Sub Club

I attended Audrey Niven’s Sub Club. You can find her at audreyniven.com or @NivenAudrey on Twitter.

Sub Club is a quarterly coached workshop. Anyone can attend and she covers all forms of writing – novels, short fiction, Non-fiction, articles etc. I thought it was very useful and I loved her thought provoking questions about why we write, our 2023 writing goals and what’s stopping us.

TikTok update

I uploaded 2 TikToks – one on the book I am reading – Olivia Blake’s Alone With You In The Ether (amazing!) and one about manifestation and writing (which works!). It’s the TikTok I uploaded on Saturday titled Writing Secret.

This QR code takes you to my TikTok

See you next week.

Hello My Blog – I’m Back! #Writer

Hello, Happy 2023!

Come in and make yourself at home. Excuse me I need to switch on the lights and dust away the virtual blog cobwebs. It’s been over a year since I have been here. I haven’t had a chance to buy in some virtual milk or tea bags so I can’t make you a virtual cuppa.

Well, here I am. Back home on my blog. During 2022 I was lucky enough to work with a fabuloius literary agent. A book I wrote in 2021, Missing You, went on submission in 2022 and whilst it received lots of positive feedback it didn’t find a forever home. I knew the chances of a first book selling were low so I banked the valuable experience I had gained.

I will be swan diving back into the querying pool in 2023 which is exciting.

I won’t give up on my dream to be published. I know I can do this. Just got to keep writing!

For those of you who don’t know what I write – I create funny romances with real life characters who try to navigate their way through the minefield of dating as well as juggling parenthood, dysfunctional families, wayward pets, social media and dead-end jobs. I send my characters on wild journeys of self-discovery and I like to add a little bit of romantic chaos.

I missed my blog in 2022. It’s my little creative home. A year long blogging break was good though and it’s made me appreciate my corner of the world wide web.

What else did I do in 2022 apart from experiencing the submission process:

I started a TikTok account (@lucymitchauth) which was an experience. I do like TikTok but it’s not my creative home. My blog is my home and TikTok is like a second holiday home. I wrote 2 new full length first draft novels. I am on the 3rd draft of a 3rd novel I also wrote last year. This is the one I am going to swan dive into the querying trenches with. Sticking parts of myself back together after each rejection. I am out of sticky tape so if anyone has any please send my way I alternated between letting out dreamy sighs at my characters and a few hours later hissing with intense malice at them. I drank a lot of coffee and I bought a passive aggressive coffee machine. Seriously this machine has issues. It starts it’s automatic descaling process during very stressful times and we are gasping for a coffee. We then have to wait an agonising hour. It spits, gurgles and splutters if we complain about it . The thing knows we are moaning about it and does it’s best to delay our coffee. I have been collecting funny things people say about writing. Here are some of my favs:

You’re not a real writer if you don’t have an existential crisis about how you’re not a real writer on a regular basis.

Sherry’s World tumblr

The hardest thing about being a writer is convincing your partner that lying on the sofa is work.

John Hughes

Select-All + Delete is an equivalent to crumpling the page and tossing it into a fireplace

Unknown

I am going to be here every Monday from now on. Join me in my journey towards one day getting traditionally published.

Hello My Blog – I’m Back! #Writer

Hello, Happy 2023!

Come in and make yourself at home. Excuse me I need to switch on the lights and dust away the virtual blog cobwebs. It’s been over a year since I have been here. I haven’t had a chance to buy in some virtual milk or tea bags so I can’t make you a virtual cuppa.

Well, here I am. Back home on my blog. During 2022 I was lucky enough to work with a fabuloius literary agent. A book I wrote in 2021, Missing You, went on submission in 2022 and whilst it received lots of positive feedback it didn’t find a forever home. I knew the chances of a first book selling were low so I banked the valuable experience I had gained.

I will be swan diving back into the querying pool in 2023 which is exciting.

I won’t give up on my dream to be published. I know I can do this. Just got to keep writing!

For those of you who don’t know what I write – I create funny romances with real life characters who try to navigate their way through the minefield of dating as well as juggling parenthood, dysfunctional families, wayward pets, social media and dead-end jobs. I send my characters on wild journeys of self-discovery and I like to add a little bit of romantic chaos.

I missed my blog in 2022. It’s my little creative home. A year long blogging break was good though and it’s made me appreciate my corner of the world wide web.

What else did I do in 2022 apart from experiencing the submission process:

I started a TikTok account (@lucymitchauth) which was an experience. I do like TikTok but it’s not my creative home. My blog is my home and TikTok is like a second holiday home. I wrote 2 new full length first draft novels. I am on the 3rd draft of a 3rd novel I also wrote last year. This is the one I am going to swan dive into the querying trenches with. Sticking parts of myself back together after each rejection. I am out of sticky tape so if anyone has any please send my way I alternated between letting out dreamy sighs at my characters and a few hours later hissing with intense malice at them. I drank a lot of coffee and I bought a passive aggressive coffee machine. Seriously this machine has issues. It starts it’s automatic descaling process during very stressful times and we are gasping for a coffee. We then have to wait an agonising hour. It spits, gurgles and splutters if we complain about it . The thing knows we are moaning about it and does it’s best to delay our coffee. I have been collecting funny things people say about writing. Here are some of my favs:

You’re not a real writer if you don’t have an existential crisis about how you’re not a real writer on a regular basis.

Sherry’s World tumblr

The hardest thing about being a writer is convincing your partner that lying on the sofa is work.

John Hughes

Select-All + Delete is an equivalent to crumpling the page and tossing it into a fireplace

Unknown

I am going to be here every Monday from now on. Join me in my journey towards one day getting traditionally published.

How To Survive Living With a Writer Over Christmas #Writer

It’s not easy living with a writer. We are peculiar creatures and sometimes we have to be handled with care.

Here are my top tips on how to survive living with a writer over Christmas:

Ban the following words over Christmas to keep your writer’s spirits up; rewrite, typo, adverbs and synopsis.Make sure you have given careful thought to all book gifts. For a harmonious festive period DON’T present your writer with the latest book from the author they constantly compare themselves to. If you do this Christmas will turn into one long critiquing session. All hope of peace and goodwill over the festive period will sadly vanish.If you are planning to give your writer a book or a selection of books as a Christmas present, make sure they unwrap them at the END of the gift giving ceremony. If you make the silly mistake of letting your writer open a book (one they have been desperate to read for ages), at the start of the present giving ceremony, you can wave goodbye to your writer’s attention. By the end of the gift giving your writer will be halfway through the first chapter and they won’t show ANY interest in the thought-provoking patterns on your new jumper.You need to accept your writer’s mood over the festive period will depend on a number of factors.The status of their current draft. If they are ‘editing’ over the festive period you might want to swap Xmas paper hats for tin ones.Their relationship with their current cast of fictional characters. Christmas will not be a time of peace and goodwill for some fictional characters, who have been labelled dull or lifeless by their writer.General writing confidence levels. Beware these can fluctuate over a course of a few hours.Exceed your writer’s cheese board expectations. Cheese is your secret weapon in the fight against gloomy writer face.Make sure your writer’s Xmas stocking contains a new pretty notebook. Yes – it may spend the rest of the year on a shelf empty and gathering dust but the mere sight of it will put a smile on your writer’s face.Show interest and ask your writer how their writing is going? You might feel like you are opening up Pandora’s Box by asking the question, but it will be appreciated and it is Christmas. Depending on your writer you can expect one of the following reactions. Some writers will cast you an awkward glance, mumble something about a challenging draft and scurry away. However some excitable writers will still be rattling on about their latest draft half an hour later. These writers won’t have taken a breath for ages and will be using ‘jazz hands’ to help them explain what happens in the last quarter of their masterpiece.Make sure the writer’s pets are fully briefed on their role over Xmas. They need to be on hand for creative counselling, dressing up in silly festive pet outfits and posing for cute Instagram photos.If your writer asks you what they think their future literary agent and commissioning editor are doing over Christmas, just say, “waiting for your next manuscript, my dear!”The greatest gift you can give to some writers is encouraging them to sneak off and write after Christmas lunch, whilst everyone else is snoozing on the sofa.

Have a wonderful Christmas, writers!

I am going on a Christmas blogging break so I will be back in the new year.

Lucy x

Essential Skills For Writer Friends #AmWriting

Writer friends are special people. They share our passion for writing stories, they have trodden the same creative path as us, they can relate to our writing highs and lows and they also spent their youth getting excited about going to the library and getting English homework at school. They are there for us in the dark times and you know they are only a Twitter, Instagram or Facebook message away.

Here are the essential skills that I believe are required to be a writer friend:

Must be mad about writing and books.Must also be a few tweets away from forming a querying support group on Twitter. Must be fuelled by chocolate, moonlight, caffeine, clothing garments which have pockets and brilliance. Must excel at tweeting thought provoking GIFs about writer problems. Must be a fellow hoarder of beautiful notebooks. Must enjoy the idea of having a ‘creative working lunch’ with their writer, must excel at daydreaming about the intellectual conversations which will take place at the event…but on arrival be happy to just talk nonsense for a couple of hours, have a laugh and forget all about writing.Must be able to make the writer feel better about their crappy first draft by finding lots of faults with other successful best-selling books.Must possess the confidence to tell the writer to ‘get a grip!’ and to ‘pull themselves together when needed.Must be able to pull out the positives from a project, which the writer has admitted is quite possibly the worst thing they have ever written.Must also be juggling far too many things for one person in their life…as well as a serious writing career. Must be able to think on their feet and help the writer get out of a plot hole when called upon.Must be able to talk or message about books for hours and hours and hours…Must be able to quickly get to the root cause of the writer’s literary issue from a simple text which reads ‘chapter thirty-six in my draft is really crap – send help’.Must be able to remain calm when the writer is having a creative tantrum.Must have a big heart.Must not be phased by hearing their writer friend scream, ‘I QUIT WRITING BOOKS!’Must love their writer friend’s characters like they are their own.Must be able to bring some much needed humour to a serious conversation about the writer’s latest attempt at a sex scene.Must also live on a wing and a prayer when it comes to writing. Must have ray of sunlight qualities when their writer friend is in a dark place.

Love our writing friends

Writers – Why Forgiving Ourselves is so Important #AmWriting

Writers, I believe forgiving ourselves is the secret to moving forward with our creative lives and ultimately achieving success.

Earlier this year after a lengthy and painful period of Writer’s Block I found my way back to writing.

Do you know what finally did it for me?

Do you know what it was that made me wake up one morning and reach for my dust clad laptop?

Forgiving myself for writing a story the wrong way. Yes I simply said to myself;

Lucy, let’s put aside the fact that you wrote a book the wrong way SIX times, that’s just low level detail. You need to forgive yourself and move on.

For goodness sake, you wrote your debut novel: Instructions For Falling In Love Again, the wrong way twelve times but no one is counting. Well we are – lol! Let the six versions go eh?

Also whilst you are at it, forgive yourself for writing a passive main character too, one who sat back and let things to happen to her. You have to hand it to her, she was one lucky lady! Anyway she’s gone now…after surviving six drafts. This is not a crime and you need to stop punishing yourself. I bet all the literary greats wrote their works of art many times.

We all make mistakes. We are only human.

Once I forgave myself my back felt a lot lighter.

By forgiving myself I had set something free. Looking through my writing journals from the past few years I can see that forgiving myself for creative mistakes has been a reoccurring activity.

This is how things go for me. I make a writing mistake; a draft doesn’t work out, a story has to be shelved or I get a rejection in some shape or form, I bundle up all the negative energy with that situation and stick it on my back. Then I carry it around for weeks and even months, until the weight of creative shame becomes too much and my knees buckle. Once on the floor I spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to work out why I can’t get back on my feet. I would just like to say that I don’t think I would make a good ant.

Then I have a brainwave and think maybe I need to forgive myself AGAIN!

So, I go through the motions of forgiving myself  which involves me acknowledging the fact I am human and the only way to learn stuff is through mistakes. In a matter of seconds the weight on my back vanishes. The bundle of negative energy never wanted to stay with me. The act of forgiveness set it free.

My creative life moves on once I have forgiven myself. 

A list of things from the past four years I have forgiven myself for:

Not getting anywhere in various writing competitions.
Rejections.
Taking a draft in the wrong direction.
Writing a draft beta readers dislike.
Killing off a much loved character.
Writing a passive character.
Writing a bad story.
Writing a dire first chapter.
Writing a story which bores the hell out of me by chapter three.
One day I want to be able to spot the bundle of negative energy which is attached to a creative mistake and decide not to put it on my back. Instead I will place it carefully on the floor. I would then re-position my oh-so-fancy-Writer’s Hat (next year I intend to wear more hats), smile and walk away…whistling.

As I like to pass on things which work for me, try forgiving yourself if you are going through a writing bad patch. It doesn’t cost anything or requires hours of extra work.

You just need to forgive yourself and let the bundle of negative energy go.

You can either talk to yourself in the mirror or write it down. Just forgive and move on.

Take care out there x

Why You Should Always Try to Finish Your Draft Novel #AmWriting

You’ve been working on the latest draft of your novel for weeks and it feels like such a hard slog. My goodness you never expected things to get this tough!

This is when the idea of not finishing it becomes so attractive.

Maybe you should walk away?

Maybe your inability to finish the draft is a sign from the universe you should work on that new shiny idea which has been flirting with you for ages?

Maybe you should leave it for a couple of weeks? Months? Or even an undefined period of time?

Maybe it’s so hard because you are trying to create something which isn’t there?

You decide to give up on your draft. Your writer demons cheer you on from the sidelines as you decide to leave the latest draft and start something else. Writer demons can be a supportive bunch when you decide to walk away from stuff.

Stop!

Here’s a list of reasons why you should ALWAYS finish your draft:

By not finishing the draft of your novel you are creating your own form of personal hell. Trust me on this – unfinished drafts can leave you feeling frustrated and bitter. They will leave you with a sense of unease and that can go on for years.

Each draft serves a purpose. The more stories you write and revise you will see this process in action. Initial drafts are simply about extracting the story from your brain. Once it is out and on paper you will use further drafts to work on character, plot and settings.

The future you will not thank you for handing them something unfinished or incomplete. View the future you as the next person in a relay race. Your draft novel is the baton and this needs to be handed over to the future you to take forward. Would you want to be handed your unfinished draft in its current state?

You will always wonder – ‘what would have happened if I had got to the end of that story I worked so hard on? Where would I be now? What would have happened to it?

The further you get into a draft the more things you discover. It’s like there are pieces of buried treasure in each draft and it is up to you, the story explorer, to find them.

The feeling of accomplishment is amazing and you shouldn’t deprive yourself from experiencing this wonderful surge of tingles. This is what is keeping me going.

So wave at your writer demons and carry on.

Have a fab day!

Why We Must Carry on Being Brave Writers #amwriting

We have to carry on being brave writers because readers need our stories. Some need our stories because they want to be entertained. Some require our work because it reminds them of their past and reading it will take them back in time. Some need our stories because they will act like mirrors and show them who they truly are. Some want to read our stories because they are curious about the stuff we write as they follow us on social media, and some readers need our stories because buried in our writing is something which will change, heal or give them new direction. They will use our stories like compasses and plot a new course through their life. They will see parts of themselves reflected back in our stories, parts that they might need to change. They will turn whatever is contained within our stories to heal an invisible wound or create inner rocket fuel to make themselves stronger. This is why we must carry on being brave writers. Our stories are valuable to our readers.

It doesn’t matter how many readers our stories reach. It doesn’t matter how many readers use our stories to mend their broken heart, find strength to change a bleak life situation or start a new relationship. Even it is just one reader – that’s enough.

You must carry on being brave. You must continue with that first crappy draft, you must finish the NaNoWriMo project, you must rewrite that good idea, you must pick yourself up after the last agent rejection or you must push forward with your goal of self publishing. All these things are acts of writer bravery.

We have readers out there who need our stories.

Pick up that pen, open your notebook and start scribbling. Or, sit at your desk, turn on that laptop and start typing. There’s no time to waste.

Carry on being brave and don’t give up.

#BookReview Smart Girls – Girl at Christmas

Rhoda Baxter has written a series of standalone novels where the characters are loosely connected to each other. They are heartwarming, often funny and always romantic.

I have been lucky enough to be on her blog tour and review Girl at Christmas.

Girl at Christmas

Tammy is normally at her happiest at Christmas, but she’s been dumped by her long term partner, with no real explanation… and her Christmas looks pretty bleak.

Lawrence has just been told he has an inherited heart condition… and he’s not allowed to eat too many mince pies. Not exactly a recipe for a great holiday.

With time running out for Lawrence, will he tell Tammy how he feels before it’s too late?

Plus sized heroBritish Asian heroineRomance in a microbiology labAll the Christmas feels
Girl At Christmas is a standalone novella in the award nominated Smart Girls series. If you like heartwarming, sweet romance and an unusual chubby hero, it’s the perfect book for you. Buy Girl At Christmas and reclaim the holiday spirit today!Girl At Chrismtas – FREE when you sign up to Rhoda Baxter’s newsletter! https://www.subscribepage.com/q3x1y8_copy

Here’s my review

What a great novella!

Rhoda Baxter knows how to write romance. I loved the characters Tammy and Lawrence. They were so relatable in terms of their lives and the situations they faced. They are also very loveable.

I did feel for Tammy when her boyfriend of six years told her he was leaving. I also felt for Lawrence, his health issues and the fact he had to change his life.

The romance felt more like real life as these were two people with complex feelings and neither rushed in to save the other. It was two people adapting to the things life throws at them and discovering new things about each other.

Please can we have more lab based romances? Firstly this book made me think of my mum and dad who met whilst working in a lab. Secondly there was something refreshing about romance occurring with two people wearing lab coats. I think I want to read more lab based / scientific romances

Rhoda Baxter also knows how to write a Christmas romance too. Lots of festive feels and a super cute romance.

If you want a lovely novella to read over Christmas – check out this book!

Other books in the series:

Girl On The Run

After a humiliating split from her celebrity ex, Jane is hiding from the spotlight. She’s moved city, moved jobs and changed her hair. She wants to disappear and finish her training as a patent attorney.
Marshall has worked hard for years and nomination to the partnership is tantalisingly close. He must avoid scandal at any cost.
When they meet, their attraction is impossible to ignore. Neither wants a fuss, but with the paparazzi following Jane and an office trouble maker determined to sabotage their relationship, they can’t escape unscathed.
Girl on the Run is the first in a series of standalone contemporary romances. Ideal for fans of Mhairi McFarlane or Sue Moorcroft.

Purchase Link – http://www.books2read.com/u/mlKGaZ

Only 99p until 20th November

Girl Having A Ball

Twenty two year old Stevie needs to prove to everyone that she’s a grown up. So she throws herself into her dream of becoming an event planner by agreeing to organise a fundraising ball in Oxford. Add a rambling house, a committee that can’t agree and budget that’s far too small, Stevie thinks things can’t get worse. Until her childhood crush, her big brother’s old housemate, turns up.
Tom is working hard to be the success his mother wants him to be. When he realises that the ball his mum and her friends are organising will be run by his friend’s baby sister ‘poor, needy Stevie’, he steps in to avoid disaster. But Stevie is no longer a teenager, she’s a disturbingly attractive young woman … and she’s not about to let anyone get in her way.

Shortlisted for the 2017 Romantic Comedy Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Girl Having a Ball is the second standalone novel in Rhoda Baxter’s Smart Girls series. Ideal for fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Sue Moorcroft.

Purchase Link – https://books2read.com/GHAB

Girl In Trouble

Olivia doesn’t believe in happy families. She can’t trust men to be reliable, so she’d rather manage without one. As for kids – she’s never having those.
Marine biologist Walter is losing his daughter. He longs for a second chance to prove he can be a reliable dad.
When Olivia discovers she’s pregnant by her douchebag ex, Walter finally sees a way to be more than just a friend-with-benefits to her.
But how can he persuade the most independent woman he’s ever met to accept his help, let alone his heart?
Girl In Trouble is a standalone novel in the award nominated Smart Girls series. If you like warm, witty, women’s fiction, you’ll love this book. Ideal for fans of Meg Cabot or Jennifer Crusie.
Purchase Link – https://books2read.com/u/4Doy6r

Author Bio –

Rhoda Baxter writes romantic comedies about people who make her laugh. A microbiologist by training, Rhoda loves all things science geeky. She also loves cake, crochet and playing with Lego. You can find out more about her (and get a free book by signing up to her newsletter) on her website.

Social Media Links –

Websites: http://www.rhodabaxter.com

Twitter: @rhodabaxter

Facebook page: https://en-gb.facebook.com/RhodaBaxterAuthor/

Bookbub profile link: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rhoda-baxter

Giveaway to Win e-copies of Girl On The Run, Girl Having A Ball, and Girl in Trouble (Open INT)

Click here.

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

#BookReview Twinkle Twinkle Little Bar

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bar

River and Alice miss Somerset. Christmas isn’t Christmas without family and friends, even when you live in quaint Cornwall.

When River’s Aunt Sheba dies unexpectedly, leaving him her ancient VW campervan, nostalgia nudges him and Alice back to Glastonbury – and the surrounding villages – to rediscover their roots whilst serving the most decadent hot chocolate and delectable gingerbread from their renovated ‘bar on wheels’.

A bar on wheels complete with a fold-up stage to host local talent competitions rivaling anything Simon Cowell could dream up, even if he’d gorged on a truckle of Cheddar cheese!

As the villagers sip their cocoa and ice their gingerbread houses amidst the festive backdrop of song, dance, and slightly more unconventional talents, River and Alice find themselves in an unexpected race against time:

Zara, their chocolate supplier is leaving Glastonbury on the twelfth day of Christmas, keen to put a string of disastrous relationships behind her to make a fresh start.

Bruno, their gregarious and gorgeous baking supplier is secretly smitten with Zara – ticking every box on her New Year’s wish list.

If only they can get them together for one experimental kiss under the mistletoe…

They’ve even enlisted their customers’ help in their mission to wrap this budding romance up in all the jingle bells and whistles. How hard can it be?

So, ho, ho VERY tricky, as it turns out…

Here’s my review

I adored Isabella May’s style of writing, it was full of warmth and humour. Her love of the festive season shines through and is coupled with her wonderful ability to describe delicious and mouthwatering food in such a way you can almost taste it.

One of the many standouts for me was the characters, River and Alice were great fun. I loved how they were at a crossroads with their life and followed their instincts on what to do next. Going back to their roots in Glastonbury and the surrounding villages in an ancient campervan with their ‘bar on wheels’ felt natural in view of their characters. In some books when characters make choices it can be difficult to follow their thought processes as the decision feels forced, but I thought Isabella May did this very well with River and Alice. I also thought Zara and Bruno were fun and lovable characters.

The idea of the bar on wheels complete with a fold-up stage to host local talent competitions was brilliant.

Isabella May knows what her readers want when it comes to festive romance. Her ability to conjure up a festive atmosphere and make her readers get excited about all things Christmasy is fab. She uses all senses when bringing life to her festive scenes which i thought was great.

This book has a great premise and an array of lovable characters. It is packed full of laughter, warmth, romance and mouth watering descriptions of gorgeous things to eat. Great Christmas reading

Purchase Link – mybook.to/twinkletwinklelittleb

Author Bio – 

Isabella May lives in (mostly) sunny Andalusia, Spain with her husband, daughter and son, creatively inspired by the mountains and the sea. She grew up on Glastonbury’s ley lines and loves to feature her quirky English hometown in her stories.

After a degree in Modern Languages and European Studies at UWE, Bristol (and a year working abroad in Bordeaux and Stuttgart), Isabella bagged an extremely jammy and fascinating job in children’s publishing… selling foreign rights for novelty, board, pop-up and non-fiction books all over the world; in every language from Icelandic to Korean, Bahasa Indonesian to Papiamento!

All of which has fuelled her curiosity and love of international food and travel – both feature extensively in her cross-genre novels, fused with a dollop of romcom, and a sprinkle of magical realism.

Isabella is also a Level 4 Pranic Healer and a stillbirth mum.

Social Media Links – 

www.isabellamayauthor.com 

Twitter – @IsabellaMayBks

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMayAuthor/