Lucy Mitchell's Blog, page 38

Writing & Gardening –

During lockdown my loved one found unexpected joy with gardening. He’s growing all sorts of stuff and has transformed our garden. I will also say his fingers are…getting greener by the day.

He’s done so well I was gobsmacked at the SIZE and LENGTH of his carrots earlier this week.

Writing & Gardening –

During lockdown my loved one found unexpected joy with gardening. He’s growing all sorts of stuff and has transformed our garden. I will also say his fingers are…getting greener by the day.

He’s done so well I was gobsmacked at the SIZE and LENGTH of his carrots earlier this week.

#BookReview A Cornish Daisy’s Kiss @PaperDollWrites

I am so pleased to be part of the blog tour for Laura Briggs’s sixth book in her series featuring budding author Maisie Clark.

It was an enjoyable read because both Maisie and Sidney finally get a chance to sort out their feelings for each other, which I was secretly hoping for, and this book has some great life advice packed into it.

Here’s the blurb:

Weeks after boarding a train to Paris in pursuit of her writing dreams, aspiring novelist Maisie Clark is right back where she started: on the idyllic shores of Port Hewer in Cornwall, luggage in hand and heart filled with anticipation for what lies ahead. Except that nothing seems the same as Maisie left it, from her place among the staff at the hotel Penmarrow to her budding romance with groundskeeper Sidney Daniels, who isn’t quite ready to overlook the painful consequences of her sudden departure.

Losing Sidney would be unbearable, but Maisie can’t help fearing it might be true if the rift between them proves too deep to heal. She knows her feelings for him are unchanged, but whether he feels the same remains to be seen—particularly since she stopped him from expressing them in the first place. And to make matters worse, her position at the Penmarrow has been filled by another, there’s nowhere for her to live in the village, and her savings are finally dwindling to a pathetic number – with her book still unpublished after her startling discovery about the author helping guide her towards success.

But one thing which hasn’t changed is the drama and excitement at the hotel Penmarrow, where the staff is awaiting inspection from the dreaded owner Ms. Claypool. Stirring up trouble in the meantime is the owner’s special guest ‘Mad Ludwig’, an eccentric architect whose demands are definitely driving everyone on the staff a little crazy. And then there’s the hotel’s mysterious new desk manager, whose behavior ignites Maisie’s suspicions and causes her to become entangled in yet another form of intrigue—one that could unwittingly jeopardize the future of the Penmarrow and everyone who works there, unless Maisie can find a way to undo the harm.

With everything that matters to her most at stake this time, Maisie faces her biggest challenges yet…and her deepest question of the heart as she confronts the reason she returned to Cornwall and the Penmarrow in the first place.

Here’s my review:

A good read with a satisfying ending. It took on a much deeper look at Maisie and Sidney’s relationship and I really enjoyed this. I understood why these two characters had made their previous life choices and I had a lot of respect for Maisie who has been on such a journey of self discovery. This book was all about chasing your dreams and not letting others steer you away from them which is great life advice.

The trials and tribulations of life at the hotel were good but my attention was focused on Maisie and Sidney.

Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/cornishdaisyskiss

Author Bio –

Laura Briggs is the author of several feel-good romance reads, including the Top 100 Amazon UK seller ‘A Wedding in Cornwall’. She has a fondness for vintage style dresses (especially ones with polka dots), and reads everything from Jane Austen to modern day mysteries. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, caring for her pets, gardening, and seeing the occasional movie or play.

Social Media Links –

Author Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1JjeMoI

Author Twitter: http://bit.ly/1ME9ivJ

The Magic That Comes From Writing About Resilient Characters #AmWriting

Last year I wrote a post on how writing about characters who reinvent themselves can spark a change in your own life. Back then writing about Pippa’s transformation in my book, Instructions For Falling In Love Again, had sparked enormous change in my own life. My post questioned whether writing about change had this magic ability to set off a chain reaction of change deep inside of me.

At the end of last year I became obsessed with creating new characters who were life survivors in my eyes. They were a bit rough around the edges but had a hidden diamond quality to them. Life hadn’t been fair to them but against the odds they’d somehow managed to survive whatever had come their way. No matter what I threw at them they always seemed to bounce back. These characters felt more realistic to me and a lot like some of the people in my life who are still standing after going through hell.

So, I have spent the last six months working with these characters. Through my stories I have watched them adapt to change, learn how to cope with yet more setbacks, make mistakes and learn from them, recognise their weaknesses and recover from failure.

At my mid-year review in my day job the feedback from the senior management team has focused on my new found RESILIENCE. This was a surprise to me. It’s not a word which has been used to describe me before. They talked about how this year they have seen me adapt to the changes COVID19 has brought, learned how to cope with numerous setbacks, they’ve watched me make mistakes and learn from them and they have watched me get back on my feet after failure.

Once again, folks, I find myself questioning this writing lark. Is there more to writing than just producing stories and books for people to read? 

I am staring to wonder whether writing does sprinkle a bit of magic over us. It certainly feels like it to me. Creating and writing about strong characters might have given me an extra shot of resilience.

So, if you want to change yourself in some way or bring about change in your own life my advice for you is to get writing!

I am going to borrow my quote from last year:

Writing is not just about producing books, short stories and blog posts, it is also about discovering new versions of you hidden within the pages of your stories.

For noting – at the end of this year I am going to start writing about characters who win big on the lottery

#BookReview A Sunset in Sydney @sandybarker #HolidayRomance #mustread

Don’t you just love an author who can read your mind? 

At the end of the first book in this series, One Summer in Santorini, I was secretly hoping Sandy Barker’s heroine, Sarah Parsons, would ‘test’ out her two love interests for me so that I could see which one she should choose. I won’t lie but I did have feelings for James, the silver fox, and he did send parts of me into a flutter. On the other hand the American Josh was also tugging on my heartstrings.

So, you can imagine my delight when I read Sandy Barker’s latest; A Sunset in Sydney, to find out that’s just what Sarah does. She takes both men out for what I am describing as a romantic test drive. She doesn’t limit these romantic test drives to the UK either. My girl, Sarah Parsons, decides to see how they perform romantically in a variety of international locations. *Sigh*

I was a hot mess by the end of this book and I don’t know how the character Sarah Parsons kept her energy levels up.

A Sunset in Sydney

How far would you go in the name of love?

Sarah Parsons has a choice ahead of her. After the trip of a lifetime she’s somehow returned home with TWO handsome men wanting to whisk her away into the sunset.

Pulled in two directions across the globe, it’s making life trickier than it sounds. Her gorgeous American, Josh, wants to meet Sarah in Hawaii for a holiday to remember. Meanwhile silver fox, James, plans to wine and dine her in London.

It’s a lot to handle for this Aussie girl, who had totally sworn off men!

Join Sarah after her adventure in One Summer in Santorini, for the heart-warming and uplifting third novel in The Holiday Romance series.

Here’s my review:

Sandy Barker writes a damn good love triangle. She knows what her romance readers want from this trope; complicated choices and some lovely suspense, which made me wonder which one of these gorgeous male suitors would emerge victorious in her arena of love.

It was a really enjoyable read and the beautiful locations made it perfect armchair escapism.

There were some really good saucy scenes in this book and I will say this – Sandy Barker knows how to make her readers reach for their handheld electric fans.  I think my electric fan had to have a battery change after part 1 with James.

Throughout the book Sarah was fighting an internal battle between her head and her heart. I loved her guilt spells and her journey of self discovery as these made her more realistic.

The minor character of Siobhan, who Sarah meets when she’s with Josh, derserves her own book. I thought she was a really fun and interesting character.

Overall a good read and I am trying my hardest not to give the game away about which male suitor she chooses. *Sits on hands*

Sandy Barker is one of my author heroines. She’s been such an inspiration to me over the last few years and I know she works ridiculously hard to make her books a success. I think she’s great

Purchase Links

AmazonUK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sunset-Sydney-totally-uplifting-holiday-ebook/dp/B081MSC5S3

Google play: https://bit.ly/3dLjJxU

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-sunset-in-sydney/sandy-barker/9780008390020

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/a-sunset-in-sydney-the-holiday-romance-book-3

 

Author Bio –

Sandy Barker is an Australian writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list and a cheeky sense of humour. She’s also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob.

Many of Sandy’s travel adventures have found homes in her writing, including her debut novel, a contemporary romance set in Greece, which was inspired by her true-life love story.

Social Media Links –

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandybarker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandybarkerauthor/

Blog: https://sandybarker.com/

Why Some Stories We Write Are Like Bridges To Other Stories #AmWriting #MondayBlogs

I’ve seen too many writers on social media talking about deleting stories that don’t work. The thought of stories being deleted makes me shiver. So, this post and last week’s post are part of my one woman campaign titled: nothing is wasted when it comes to writing. 

Some of our stories will have potential, but will require a LOT of work on our part to discover that potential and bring it out into the light.

Some of our stories won’t work no matter how many times we rewrite them. DO NOT DELETE THEM!

They could be acting as bridges to other stories.

Sadly, these stories which act as bridges won’t set the literary world on fire. They might not reach a second draft. The bad news is that they will still require blood, sweat and tears, which when looking back will feel like a total waste of your time, BUT their existence is VITAL.

I think stories that bridge the way to other stories are the unsung heroes of our writing world.

These stories come to you with one purpose: to guide you towards something else. 

Through the act of writing these bridge stories, you will discover something new:

A different take on your story
A new character,
A minor plot thread which fascinates you, or
The creative spark for a totally new story.
A new style of writing or gain the confidence to write from a different POV.

Here’s my example. A few years ago I wrote my first attempt at a thriller. It was set in a coastal town and the idea came to me after some feedback which told me I needed to work on my settings. So, I wrote this seaside thriller and quickly realised this genre wasn’t right for me. All was not lost because the thriller’s setting sparked the idea for my current book and is going to be the first book in a NEW romcom series *scream* and  *perform celebratory forward roll by the side of writing desk*  The first book is done so now working on the second.

My new series is built around the setting in the thriller. I would not have come up with the idea for my new book without crossing my imaginary story bridge (writing my bad thriller).

When you look back in months or years to come, you will see that you had to write this story (cross your imaginary bridge) in order to get to THE ONE, which actually turned into something. (the other side). 

There were no shortcuts. You couldn’t have come up with the idea for THE ONE without crossing your imaginary bridge first. You had to endure this creative journey first in order to get to your next story.

Repeat after me – nothing is wasted when it comes to writing. Keep everything.

Enjoy the journey folks! Leap across those bridges.

Have a great day x

Why Some Stories We Write Are Like Bridges To Other Stories #AmWriting

I’ve seen too many writers on social media talking about deleting stories that don’t work. The thought of stories being deleted makes me shiver. So, this post and last week’s post are part of my one woman campaign titled: nothing is wasted when it comes to writing. 

Some of our stories will have potential, but will require a LOT of work on our part to discover that potential and bring it out into the light.

Some of our stories won’t work no matter how many times we rewrite them. DO NOT DELETE THEM!

They could be acting as bridges to other stories.

Sadly, these stories which act as bridges won’t set the literary world on fire. They might not reach a second draft. The bad news is that they will still require blood, sweat and tears, which when looking back will feel like a total waste of your time, BUT their existence is VITAL.

I think stories that bridge the way to other stories are the unsung heroes of our writing world.

These stories come to you with one purpose: to guide you towards something else. 

Through the act of writing these bridge stories, you will discover something new:

A different take on your story
A new character,
A minor plot thread which fascinates you, or
The creative spark for a totally new story.
A new style of writing or gain the confidence to write from a different POV.

Here’s my example. A few years ago I wrote my first attempt at a thriller. It was set in a coastal town and the idea came to me after some feedback which told me I needed to work on my settings. So, I wrote this seaside thriller and quickly realised this genre wasn’t right for me. All was not lost because the thriller’s setting sparked the idea for my current book and is going to be the first book in a NEW romcom series *scream* and  *perform celebratory forward roll by the side of writing desk*  The first book is done so now working on the second.

My new series is built around the setting in the thriller. I would not have come up with the idea for my new book without crossing my imaginary story bridge (writing my bad thriller).

When you look back in months or years to come, you will see that you had to write this story (cross your imaginary bridge) in order to get to THE ONE, which actually turned into something. (the other side). 

There were no shortcuts. You couldn’t have come up with the idea for THE ONE without crossing your imaginary bridge first. You had to endure this creative journey first in order to get to your next story.

Repeat after me – nothing is wasted when it comes to writing. Keep everything.

Enjoy the journey folks! Leap across those bridges.

Have a great day x

The Joy That Comes From Viewing Shelved Writing Projects As Jigsaw Pieces

This post is for writers like me that write a lot and shelve a lot.

Some writers I know rarely give up on a story and stay with it until the bitter end.

Sadly I am not one of these writers.

Underneath my writing desk I have boxes of notebooks filled with half finished, shelved stories and in my old computer files I have more of the same. If someone gave me a pound for every shelved story I have i would be very rich

The Joy That Comes From Viewing Shelved Writing Projects As Jigsaw Pieces

This post is for writers like me that write a lot and shelve a lot.

Some writers I know rarely give up on a story and stay with it until the bitter end.

Sadly I am not one of these writers.

Underneath my writing desk I have boxes of notebooks filled with half finished, shelved stories and in my old computer files I have more of the same. If someone gave me a pound for every shelved story I have i would be very rich

The Joy That Comes From Viewing Shelved Writing Projects As Jigsaw Pieces

This post is for writers like me that write a lot and shelve a lot.

Some writers I know rarely give up on a story and stay with it until the bitter end.

Sadly I am not one of these writers.

Underneath my writing desk I have boxes of notebooks filled with half finished, shelved stories and in my old computer files I have more of the same. If someone gave me a pound for every shelved story I have i would be very rich