Lucy Mitchell's Blog, page 45

Why Writer Friends Are Like Stars

The world feels like a frightening place at the moment. Once again I am not going to name that damn virus which is behind all this pain and turmoil.

It is at a time like this when we really start to appreciate the precious people in our life, the people who bring us joy and who are always there for us no matter how far away they live.

Here are some similarities between stars and writer friends. As I have a day job and kids I tend to come out, in the virtual sense, at night. So, that’s why writer friends are like stars to me.

Stars in the sky are constantly going through pressure and chemical changes. Writer friends are constantly experiencing pressure and chemical changes; when their books are being written, edited, finished, launched or reviewed.
When you are lost or upset you can look up to the night sky and get comfort from the stars. The same goes for writer friends. When you are struggling to find your way with writing or a little bit emotional (about your stinky first draft or a persistent grammar issue) you only have to look up into the Twitter night sky to see your writer friends twinkling (or tweeting) and you instantly feel better again.
Sometimes the stars are hidden behind clouds but you know they are there. The same applies to writer friends, you might not be able to see them but you know they are always there…on email, Twitter, Insta, Facebook or WhatsApp.
Writer friends enjoying literary success are like shooting stars that light up and whoosh across the night sky.  Technically speaking a shooting star is not a star, its a meteor but lets stick with the shooting star fantasy here.
Stars make you smile and writer friends make you smile.
Stars are beautiful and so too are writer friends!

Have a great day and I hope you all keep twinkling in the social media sky

Why Writer Friends Are Like Stars

The world feels like a frightening place at the moment. Once again I am not going to name that damn virus which is behind all this pain and turmoil.

It is at a time like this when we really start to appreciate the precious people in our life, the people who bring us joy and who are always there for us no matter how far away they live.

Here are some similarities between stars and writer friends. As I have a day job and kids I tend to come out, in the virtual sense, at night. So, that’s why writer friends are like stars to me.

Stars in the sky are constantly going through pressure and chemical changes. Writer friends are constantly experiencing pressure and chemical changes; when their books are being written, edited, finished, launched or reviewed.
When you are lost or upset you can look up to the night sky and get comfort from the stars. The same goes for writer friends. When you are struggling to find your way with writing or a little bit emotional (about your stinky first draft or a persistent grammar issue) you only have to look up into the Twitter night sky to see your writer friends twinkling (or tweeting) and you instantly feel better again.
Sometimes the stars are hidden behind clouds but you know they are there. The same applies to writer friends, you might not be able to see them but you know they are always there…on email, Twitter, Insta, Facebook or WhatsApp.
Writer friends enjoying literary success are like shooting stars that light up and whoosh across the night sky.  Technically speaking a shooting star is not a star, its a meteor but lets stick with the shooting star fantasy here.
Stars make you smile and writer friends make you smile.
Stars are beautiful and so too are writer friends!

Have a great day and I hope you all keep twinkling in the social media sky

Looking For My Lanterns: People & Things That Light Me Up #Motivation

I’m not going to name that damn virus because spelling it out makes me angry and sad. We all know about the virus I am talking about. The one which has brought a lot of fear, chaos and darkness into all our lives.

This situation has already taught me to value people and things which light me up inside.   I don’t think I have had such an appreciation for bright, positive and happy souls. I don’t think I have ever been so drawn to objects which give me so much joy inside.

These are my lanterns. They bring much needed light into my dark world. Each day I  find myself looking for them.

Anita Faulkner – this lady is not only a fab writer and a blogger but she also runs the Chick Lit and Prosecco Facebook group. There’s a link to it on Anita’s blog. This lady’s positive and happy vibes shine through my laptop screen. She’s definitely on my lantern list.
Author Lia Louis’s Instagram – in her insta stories Lia has started talking about all the positive news with this virus and there are good news stories! Her insta story is one of the first things I look at while eating my breakfast. I also think her books are fab. Definitely a lantern!
Author Lucy Keeling’s Instagram – I love Lucy’s insta video story chats. I think she has a really calming voice and I also love her humour. She’s on my lantern list as she makes me smile daily and I am a huge Lucy Keeling book fan.
Miley Cyrus’s Brightminded show on her Insta Live Channel. Miley is interviewing positive and inspiring people daily on her channel. Her aim is to help people get through this crisis. She had her therapist on the first session and I thought that was amazing. Loads of good tips. Miley has been added to my lantern list. I have the YouTube link here. 
Audiobooks. They have really come into their own over the last week or so. Listening to someone read me a story is my new way to de-stress. I am currently listening to the The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea. Amazing. Audiobooks are lanterns.
The UK RomChat gang. They are a fabulous bunch of creative ladies and they make Monday evenings a lot brighter. Jeanna, Lucy K & Lucy F – All lanterns.
Author Sandy Barker. This one is a definitely a lantern because she’s so supportive of others and her books are pure romantic escapism.
Author Lucy Knott’s tweets. She always sends out morning tweets where she wishes us all a lovely day. They always brighten up my feed. She’s one of my Twitter lanterns. I really want to read her books and I’m making space on my TBR pile.
Sacha Black’s Rebel Author Podcast. This is one of my go-to podcasts. I love Sacha’s dry humour and this woman has been the driving force behind my writing career. She’s usually right about most things and listening to her brightens up my Wednesday. One hell of a lantern!
Yoga Mat. I get on it every morning now without fail. I do ten minutes to this session from Brett Larkin and it CLEARS my head. I don’t do it for fitness now. I do it because I feel positive and happy afterwards. Yoga and Brett Larkin are definitely lanterns.
Author Rachel Burton’s insta feed. Her insta pics are SO PRETTY and they make me feel happy. She also puts lots of meditation, de-stressing and yoga tips on her story.
Author & Poet Ritu Bhathal  Her blog posts, poetry and debut novel all light me up. She’s very wise and has been a great source of support for me. Definitely a lantern.
My blog followers. YOU ALL LIGHT ME UP.
I am also going to add my two lovely friends; Catherine and Sue, my husband’s cooking, foam bubble baths, a photo of all my family from a few weeks ago when we all met up and my charm bracelet.

You’re probably thinking – ‘that’s a lot of lanterns!’ – yes, I know – these are dark times.

If you are feeling like the light has gone out in your world, I urge you to go find your lanterns. Let them light you up inside.

Tell me about your lanterns? Or better still do your own blog post and send me the link. 

Stay safe and well.

Lucy

10 Lessons I Learned From 6 Years of Blogging #Blogger

This is a strange time to be living in right now. The world feels like it’s in chaos. So, this week I have decided to write about something which gives me strength and makes me positive; my blog.

I am a few weeks away from my 6th year blogging anniversary. Still can’t believe I have been blogging for that long. What started out as something to give me a break from my squabbling children, rugby mad husband and boisterous pets on wet Sunday afternoons has turned into a big part of my life.

Here are 10 lessons from my 6 years of blogging:

1. Blogging is like a fertile creative soil and other things grow from it. This is the thing which has surprised me. My blog has grown and nurtured so many creative projects; my Roxy Collins diary which went super crazy on Wattpad, my Roxy Collins podcast which I recorded whilst locked inside my teenage daughter’s cupboard every Friday after a few gin & tonics, my novel, my book blogging and a LOT of short stories.

2. My happiest times have been when I stopped caring about blog stats. When I wrote The Diary of Roxy Collins as a weekly serial I never gave two hoots about my blog stats. This was one of my best times as a blogger. There’s something in this because when I recorded my podcast deep inside my daughter’s shoe cupboard and put each episode live I didn’t care about stats or numbers. I had so much fun. It lit me upside. Like someone had turned on a light. It was only when I started looking at my blog stats and podcast data that the good times ended.

3. The bad blogging times have been signals in disguise that I need to change direction. Looking back now I can see this more clearly. However, when you are fed up with blogging and can’t face turning up to write a post each week it’s hard to see. All my bad blogging times have been the start of change.

4. Blogging breaks are marvellous things. You don’t have to quit blogging, you just need a break. I am so glad I found blogging breaks and took them. It’s so nice to come back after a few months feeling rejuvenated and created.

5. Blogging is a stress buster. Writing a blog post is for me one of the best ways to relieve stress.

6. Blogs are like trees. They take years of nurture and love to grow. They will chart your creative journey and they will one day bear creative fruits. These fruits might not bring you fame and fortune but they will be of great value to you in other ways. The great thing about life is that you won’t be able to see their value straightaway. One day you will stop and think – ‘wow – that blog post changed my life.’

7. Getting my blog links to work was one of my biggest struggles. Oh my goodness – other bloggers struggle with SEO rankings and branding. Me – well I struggled with copying, pasting and inserting a link into a little box for 2 YEARS!

#CoverReveal #TheSummerIslandSwap @SamTongeWriter @rararesources

I couldn’t resist this joining in with this book cover reveal.

What we need right now are beautiful book covers! The world might be descending into chaos but we still have books!

I love the sound of this from Samantha.

Here’s a look at the new gorgeous cover of Samantha Tonge’s new book – The Summer Island Swap.

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Sometimes the best holidays are the ones you least expect…

After a long and turbulent year, Sarah is dreaming of the five-star getaway her sister has booked them on. White sands, cocktails, massages, the Caribbean is calling to them.

But the sisters turn up to tatty beaches, basic wooden shacks, a compost toilet and outdoor cold water showers. It turns out that at the last minute Amy decided a conservation project would be much more fun than a luxury resort.

So now Sarah’s battling mosquitos, trying to stomach fish soup and praying for a swift escape. Life on a desert island though isn’t all doom and gloom. They’re at one with nature, learning about each other and making new friends. And Sarah is distracted by the dishy, yet incredibly moody, island leader she’s sure is hiding a secret.

Pre-Order links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/38xIJFD

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2IuyI1q

Kobo: https://bit.ly/333XuPn

iBooks: https://apple.co/39x8VS9

Publication Date: 4th June

About the author

Samantha Tonge lives in Manchester UK with her husband and children. She studied German and French at university and has worked abroad, including a stint at Disneyland Paris. She has travelled widely.

When not writing she passes her days cycling, baking and drinking coffee. Samantha has sold many dozens of short stories to women’s magazines.

She is represented by the Darley Anderson literary agency. In 2013, she landed a publishing deal for romantic comedy fiction with HQDigital at HarperCollins. In 2015 her summer novel, Game of Scones, hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Love Stories Awards Best Romantic Ebook category. In 2018 Forgive Me Not, heralded a new direction into darker women’s fiction with publisher Canelo and in 2020 her novel Knowing You won the RNA’s Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller Award.

Follow Samantha:

Website: http://samanthatonge.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

Instagram: @samanthatongeauthor

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

Follow Aria

Website: http://www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

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Happily Never After: Writing Romance When You’re Breaking Up – guest post by @rebecca_duval_ #Romance

I have such a wonderful guest blog post for you written by soon to be a debut author Rebecca Duval.

This is such a brave thing to write about and I’m so pleased she’s chosen to share it with us.

Over to you, Rebecca. 

Hello.

This is not a blog post I ever imagined myself writing, but as Allen Saunders, and later, John Lennon said – “Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.” Or in this case, life is what happens when you’re busy writing a book. It would be over-simplistic, and somewhat dramatic to say that I looked up one day from the pages of the romance novel I was writing and realised my own relationship was over, but in many ways it felt like that.

It had been a tough and busy year with a big move- not only to a new house, but to an entirely new part of the country, settling the kids in at a new school and frantically trying to rewrite the book I’d finished a year before while my partner studied for a masters degree. To the outside world, the fact that my 15 year relationship wasn’t able to withstand that pressure might have been understandable, but to me it wasn’t. This wasn’t part of the plan. For months, my focus had been on the Happily Ever After of a fictional couple, and now my real-life HEA was uncertain.

Working through any break-up is tough, but when you’re a romance writer, it feels doubly so. Even after the practicalities were taken care of, the logistics figured out and the dust was settling around me, I still couldn’t bring myself to revisit the book I’d been editing when my life had exploded. It felt like that book had been written in another lifetime, by another Rebecca entirely, and I had no idea how- or even if- I would be able to bridge that chasm in order to get my debut out into the world.

But here I am, just three weeks away from my book’s release date. Living proof that it’s possible. So for any other romance writers out there who find themselves in the situation I did, here’s how I made it back to my keyboard:

1. Slowly

Ha. But in all seriousness, I’m not kidding with this one. Take your time. When you’re going through a break-up it may feel like the world is moving on without you, while you’re stuck in a sort of limbo between your old life and your new one, but one thing that isn’t going anywhere is your story. Whatever stage you were at with it when you last closed your laptop or put your pen down to focus on real life, that’s where it will be when you feel ready to go back to it. Yes the world needs your novel, but your novel needs you, and it needs you to be in the right headspace when you go back to it.

If you open the word document and think the whole thing looks unrecognisable, or you can’t imagine how you could ever write a first-kiss or a perfect proposal ever again, then you know it’s too soon. For me, I knew it was time when my new life had settled into enough of a gentle rhythm that thoughts of my book and characters would pop into my mind unbidden. If you have the headspace to daydream- even if it’s just a couple of minutes here and there, then you know you’re onto a winner.

2. With grit

As much as it’s important to be gentle with yourself when you’re going through something like this, you also need to remember the reason why writing, or in my case getting the damn book finished was so important to you in the first place. This can be hard when your entire world view has shifted.

Certainly for me, in those early weeks my entire focus was very much on surviving and helping my kids to navigate this new landscape we found ourselves in. But there came a point when I realised that to let everything else slide indefinitely would be to do myself – and my children- a disservice. Writing is a huge part of who I am. It’s something I’m passionate about, and just because I was forced to put it aside for a time didn’t change that. Remembering how much I’d believed in my story, reminding myself of all the time and energy I’d already invested in it, and reiterating the promise I’d made to myself that I would get the book out there, were all key when it came to forcing myself back into the writing chair.

After a period of softness and self-care you sometimes need to call on that steely determination us writers have to give yourself the ‘oomph’ needed to get back in the saddle, so to speak.

3. With support

Whether that’s writing buddies cheering you on, your kids asking you if you’ve sold a million copies yet, or your mum asking you if she can read it (the answer is a resounding no to both of those, btw). You’re going to need people in your corner to remind you that YOU CAN DO THIS. Don’t be afraid to call on them for support.

4. With hope for the future

This is a biggie. Whenever anything major happens that shakes our worldview or turns it upside-down, it can be hard to visualise what the future holds. Even if the horizon appears clear and bright, just the fact that it looks different to how we imagined can be scary enough to make us not want to gaze at it for too long. But that hope for the future is vital to finishing a project, otherwise you end up feeling like what’s the point?

Writing romance involves giving two (or more) characters the Happily Ever After they deserve, but writing that can be difficult if your own HEA hasn’t quite worked out how you anticipated. But another way of looking at it is- what if this major life event is just the plot twist you needed to put you on track for something new and incredible? What if your happy ending is just around the corner and hasn’t been written yet? Once you believe that your own version of happy is possible, it becomes a hell of a lot easier to write someone else’s.

So there you have it. Six months on from the split, I’m writing this blog post at my little second-hand writing desk, in my new home. Today I walked my children to school in the snow with my new boyfriend (plot twist!) and came home and wrote the first chapter of my next book. Yes life looks different to how I might have imagined a year ago, but I’m happy and in love, and writing again and my debut novel comes out in just a few weeks- and if that isn’t a happy ending then I don’t know what is.

Bio

Rebecca is an author, librarian, lover of whisky and HEA’s, Her debut novel, OUT OF SIGHT is out on 28 March 2020.

Click here to find out more about Rebecca.

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5 Things Your Alpha Male Character Needs – Guest Post by @eroyalauthor #Romance #Writer

What a TREAT I have for all you romance fans!

Emily Royal, author of HOT historical romances and RNA member has written me one hell of a guest post on the alpha male character and the 5 things he needs.

Sit back, grab your handheld electric fan and let’s welcome the wonderful Emily Royal.

Hello everyone.

I’m sure we’ve all heard of the Alpha Male in romance. Like the dodo, the dinosaur and the British coal miner, he’s often considered to be something of an extinct breed.

Traditional romances, particularly those written in the 1980’s and 1990’s, featured uncompromising Alpha Males, who slept around, treated the heroines poorly and as for consent – it was dubious at best. Too often the reconciliation happened in the final chapter, or even on the last page. The poor heroine spent almost the entire book following him round like a faithful hound, always coming back for more abuse, and when the curtains close, there’s no real apology from the hero, no grovelling, and no conviction that he’s learned anything. Quite rightly, this sort of behaviour isn’t, and shouldn’t, be considered heroic today.

Before I continue, let me qualify everything I say here by admitting that I am a huge fan of the alpha hero in a romantic novel. I love dark romances, too. The first proper “dark romance” I read was the Consequences series by Aleatha Romig. Tony Rawlings is THE ultimate bad-boy alpha hero! But be warned, he’s an extreme example of “love-him-or-hate-him”. If you don’t believe me, check the reviews.

So, should the Alpha Hero be relegated to the archives and forgotten forever? Or does he still have a place among modern readers? Five things every Alpha Hero needs are:

Raw male power

Ok, let’s get this out of the way first! An Alpha Male must have alpha qualities in order to fall into that category. Yes, this might be shallow, but I’m talking about a manly physique, raw sexuality and a desire to take control of things. A hero billed as an alpha male must excite the kind of attraction which sets the pulses racing. A bit of raw male power means that the tension crackles between the hero and a strong-minded heroine! Tip: Don’t shy away from sex appeal.

Bad behaviour, not bad person.

I tweeted the living daylights out of #metoo when the story broke. I’ve experienced such behaviour for years, from misogynistic comments in male-dominated offices, to more sinister behaviour culminating in a formal hearing. I’d be the first to call out sexist behaviour in real life, but I’d also be the first to say there’s no sin in wanting a bad-boy book boyfriend. It is fiction, after all, and bad behaviour doesn’t automatically mean bad person. A hero can do bad things, but a reader needs to understand he’s a sympathetic character. Having the hero’s point of view in a story can help, but I must admit I like stories from just the heroine’s viewpoint where the reader might understand the hero before the heroine does. My forthcoming novel Her Dark Seduction does just that. Told in first person from the heroine’s point of view, it’s not immediately clear what the hero’s thinking. Tip: Show he’s a good person at heart, even if he’s not always behaving well.

Self-awareness

There’s nothing worse than a hero who behaves like a tool, and he either doesn’t recognise this, or he believes this behaviour is perfectly reasonable. Aside from the really dark romances, where anything goes, a well-balanced Alpha male needs an element of self-awareness.

This pretty much sums up the majority of the heroes I write. Henry, from my novel Henry’s Bride, is Alpha through and through. Experienced in the bedroom, he often seems unkind towards his heroine. One reviewer described him as “a horse’s ass”. But as the story unfolds, much of his behaviour is driven by a need to protect the woman he loves. He’s fully aware of the effect his behaviour has on his heroine, and he suffers for it just as much as she does. Tip: Make sure he’s aware of the consequences of his actions.

He must learn something

Character development is all about overcoming internal conflicts or undergoing a learning process. To me, there’s nothing sexier than a full-on alpha male who questions his core beliefs that the world, and women, revolve around him. To see him go through that learning process, particularly at the hands of a strong female lead, is one of my favourite themes. I don’t want him to end up a doormat, but I do want him to become a more rounded character and, of course, utterly in love with his heroine. Tip: Show how he learns throughout the story.

He doesn’t have to do all the rescuing.

Raw masculine power doesn’t necessarily mean the alpha male has to take control while the heroine waits passively for him to do all the rescuing. There is an appeal in a hero who goes all chest-beaty if his heroine is threatened by external factors, but it’s equally fine if it’s the heroine who does the saving. Rescuing another character doesn’t always mean beating down doors or fighting battles. Any selfless act which puts the heroine’s interests before his own is the mark of a quality hero. Tip: Don’t be afraid to have the heroine rescue him.

I’ll always be an advocate for the Alpha Male. His prevalence in the world of romantic fiction has decreased since the 1990’s, but I don’t believe he’ll become an endangered species. He may be less en vogue, but he still floats the boat for thousands of readers.

I will add that I love reading about beta males as well as the alphas, and I’d never discredit anyone who prefers to write a man who’s more sensitive and in touch with his feelings than a muscled chest-beater. The beta male can be sexy too. I just struggle to write him!

I think Emily is a fabulous romance author and I’ve still not recovered from reading her book; The Sins of the Sire. Dark Highlands Passions.

Author Bio

Emily Royal is the author of dark, sexy historical romances with alpha heroes and the heroines who stand up to them. Medieval knights, Saxon Warriors, Regency Rogues and Hot Highlanders are her passion.

Find out more about Emily:

Author website. Please click here.

Amazon Author page. Please click here.

 

Don’t miss my blog on Thursday when debut novelist Rebecca Duval is here with a very brave and heartfelt guest blog post.

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10 Different Writer Reactions To The Question – ‘How is Your Book Coming Along?’ #MondayBlogs

I love this question – how’s your book coming along?

My reaction to this simple question can change daily, sometimes hourly.

Here are 10 different writer reactions to that question.

They are a mixture of some of the reactions I have overheard during my time as a writer and my own. I will let you work out which are mine

10 Different Writer Reactions To The Question – ‘How is Your Book Coming Along?’ #Writer

I love this question – how’s your book coming along?

My reaction to this simple question can change daily, sometimes hourly.

Here are 10 different writer reactions to that question.

They are a mixture of some of the reactions I have overheard during my time as a writer and my own. I will let you work out which are mine

#BookReview You’ve Got My Number @angebarton #Romance #Bookish

One of the best things about being a book blogger is being able to shout about a damn good read. This book by Angela Barton is one of these.

It made me devour it in two days and took my mind off a certain virus which everyone is talking about and my tumble dryer breaking for a 4th time.

This book is not one you can put down for a few days and pick back up. Angela’s style of writing and her twisty plot make it difficult for you to walk away from it. I kept telling everyone I was going to tidy my house and then a few minutes later find myself back in the world of Tess Fenton.

Here’s the blurb:

Three isn’t always a magic number … 

There are three reasons Tess Fenton should be happy. One, her job at the Blue Olive deli may be dull, but at least she gets to work with her best friend. Two, she lives in a cosy cottage in the pretty village of Halston. Three, she’s in love with her boyfriend, Blake.

Isn’t she?

Because, despite their history, Blake continues to be the puzzle piece in Tess’s life that doesn’t quite fit. And when she meets intriguing local artist Daniel Cavanagh, it soon becomes apparent that, for Tess, love isn’t as easy as one, two, three …

Here’s my review:

An addictive read!

The romance is a slow burn but this is all part of the magic with this book.

My feelings for Daniel were also a slow burn but they certainly came to the boil by the end. He was an interesting character and I loved his life story.

I really liked Tess. Angela Barton doesn’t let her find true love easily and gives her the gift of Blake – the gift that keeps on giving (I am being sarcastic). Blake – I have no words for him. I did feel sorry for Tess at times but she remained strong.

The chemistry between Tess and Daniel was cleverly written and I got the tingles when they both came together in the same scene.

A really good read and I am now an Angela Barton fan.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Youve-Got-Number-Angela-Barton-ebook/dp/B083SQTLQ9/

US –  https://www.amazon.com/Youve-Got-Number-Angela-Barton-ebook/dp/B083SQTLQ9/

Author Bio –  Angela Barton lives in Nottingham and is a member of Nottingham Writers’ Studio and the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She has written three novels, all of which have passed through the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme and are now published.

Her first novel was published in 2018. Its genre is historical fiction set in France, telling the story of how a farming family survive through WW2. Angela’s second and third books are contemporary women’s fiction.

Now busy writing her fourth book, also set in France during wartime, Angela’s new passion is to research real life happenings and create fictional characters that live through these extraordinary events.

Along with other authors, Angela has helped to create two Facebook groups for book lovers. Apricot Plots and Love Forties Fiction.

 

Social Media Links – 

Facebook author page:   https://www.facebook.com/authorangela.barton.3

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/angebarton

Website: https://angelabarton.net

Instagram: angelacbarton

Thanks for letting me be part of your blog tour.

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