Helen Cox's Blog, page 4

Finding My Guardian Agent

A year ago, if you’d asked me for a list of sentences I never thought I’d type this one would have been somewhere near the top of it:

Good morning,

Natasha Harding from HarperCollins suggested I contact you regarding representation as I have received an offer of publication for my first novel.

I remember staring at the words in disbelief. They’d spun out into the email as naturally as webbing might from Peter Parker’s fingers, but still I rubbed my eyes and blinked at them.

Was I really writing this email?

Was somebody in Publishing really recommending me to an Agent?

Initially, I was very nervous about the prospect of bringing an agent into the mix. The only thing I’d previously received from any agent I’d approached was a rejection email. Would this new person in my life appreciate how hard I’d worked or how much my writing meant to me?

Two factors prompted me to pursue representation even though I already had an offer of publication. Firstly, my editor, Natasha Harding, spent time short-listing agents that she thought would be a good fit for my work, so I could assume my story would be of at least some interest to them. Secondly, an author friend of mine, Nicola Doherty, was kind enough to advise me on the nature of publishing, suggesting it was wise to think beyond this book and look towards my long-term journey as an author.

I secured an offer of publication for my first novel: Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner just before Christmas 2015 and sent out three emails to the three recommended agents. The first agent read it quick enough to arrange a pre-Christmas meeting with me but I was typically unprepared for such a major life event.

Little tip.

When an agent asks: ‘What do you see yourself writing five years from now?’ I can say, with some confidence, that a desirable response is not: ‘Errrrrrr.’ Coupled with a look of extreme helplessness.

Surprisingly, I came away from that first meeting without an offer of representation.

I distracted myself by posting some Christmas cards; listening to the Queen’s speech and, alongside all the other residents of York, standing outside the Minster at midnight on New Year’s Eve, counting down to 2016.

January arrived and so did an email from the second agent. They were grateful for the recommendation but it wasn’t for them.

Two strikes in I began to wonder if I was going to strike out completely. Striking out completely was, after all, something I had a lot of practice at.

Another week passed and an email came through from the third agent, Hannah Ferguson from Hardman & Swainson. She loved my book but was going on maternity leave. She did however, promise to pass it on to her colleague, Joanna Swainson. I didn’t dare dream I’d be lucky enough to win over two separate agents in the same agency but Joanna also came back with praise.

Consequently, I travelled from York to West London for a meeting. The one thing I was thinking all the way through said meeting was: ‘Even if Joanna doesn’t offer me representation, she’s such a lovely woman I’m so glad I’ve met her.’ By the end of the meeting however, Joanna did offer me representation and I accepted without hesitation.

Even now I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be represented by somebody who cares as much as Joanna does about the rights of authors; a person who believes in the stories I’m writing and, most importantly if you’re going to come anywhere near me, a person who has a sense of humour that’s almost as dry as mine is.

Although my quest to find an agent was more twisty-turny than I’d ever imagined it could be, it was all worth it in the end. Joanna is definitely THE agent for me and I’m so thankful to her for all she’s done to advise and encourage me in my craft. Because she’s always looking out for me, round our house I call her my Guardian Agent. It’s like being a Guardian Angel only better. But sshhh. She doesn’t know about this endearing nickname I’ve given her. It’s just between me and you.

Fading Ads of Philadelphia (Part II)

Last autumn I spent about a month out in the States. Living on a shoe-string and using my experiences to add texture to my Starlight Diner books. While I was out there however, being an author of a book about hand-painted signs and a total typography geek, I took a lot of photos of fading adverts.

You don’t have to walk far in Philly to see a ghost sign. Maybe it’s because there was a lot of redevelopment in the city throughout the Fifties and Sixties but, particularly around Walnut Street, there is fading type aplenty.

The Formal Dimensions company featured in the sign above is actually still in operation, but not at this address. Now, 1105 Walnut Street is houses a branch of Hollywood Tans.

Society Hill Furniture was actually around as late as 2008 and was a family run business on Chestnut Street for forty-five years before that. There is some more faded type underneath that sign, but even after glaring at it for fifteen minutes in the rain I couldn’t quite make out the wording. A ‘W’ and a ‘U’ are definitely in the mix but that was all I could decipher in the time I had.

There are two sets of type on this building in Camac Street, both related to food products. The less-legible sign at the bottom reads: ‘Camac Food Market,  free delivery, phone no 6-172(?)6.’ The lettering underneath that seems to say ‘Every body’ probably part of a slogan that has been worn away over the years.

Walk out to the industrial edges of the city, along Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and you’ll find more fading signs. Beneath the type for Poggenpohl Kitchens on the chimney above you can also make out the word ‘Wilbur.’

Judging by the name of the building: The Chocolate Works, and the advertisements for cocoa on the underside of the bridge, it’d be safe to say this building was once occupied by Wilbur Chocolate. You can read all about their history here.

If you enjoyed this post you might enjoy Fading Ads of Philadelphia (Part I) or my book Fading Ads of London.

Grease is still the word

Yes.

That is a photo of me pressing myself against a promotional billboard for Grease 2: The Musical, AKA Cool Rider Live.

It’s, I presume, stuff like this that gets me invited onto national radio to talk about whether or not Grease is a feminist movie. That, and perhaps the fact my first novel is set in a 1950s diner.

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking on Woman’s Hour about the feminist credentials of Grease. It also gave me the opportunity to explain why Grease 2 is far better than the original film to the listeners at home.

If you want to find out how I got with that, you can listen again here.

I don’t mind telling you that being invited to speak on Woman’s Hour has been one of my life goals for a very long time. Checking it off as an achievement felt awesome.

But…

I am known as a woman who has rather a lot to say for herself, and the incredible Woman’s Hour producers have a lot to pack into one show. What I’m saying is, though I could have merrily talked for a full hour about why Grease was lacking in feminist values, there simply wasn’t time for that in the schedule.

There is however infinite space (well, pretty much) on my blog. So, I thought I’d clue you up on one or two things I didn’t get the chance to say on air.

Before I pick Grease to bits in a bit more depth, I’d like to make it clear that none of the things I’m about to say affect the amount of pleasure people have had out of this film over the years, or will in years to come. As I mentioned on Woman’s Hour Grease is a film that looks and sounds spectacular. The songs are enduring and the actors made the roles very much their own.

So, this post is not an attempt to destroy your love for the film.

As an ex-film journalist however, I just love reading and analysing films. You’ll have to forgive me for wanting to spend my time debating the finer philosophical points of pictures like Megashark Vs Giant Octopus and Dirty Dancing 2. It’s just who I am.

Alright… back to Grease.

On top of the comments made in my Woman’s Hour interview, it’s important to note that Grease is a film that passes the Bechdel Test (more info on that here if you’ve never heard of it). Thanks, in part, to that oh so crucial debate between Rizzo and Jan about whether or not Twinkies and wine are a socially acceptable combination. Though a lot of the chatter between the female characters is about men, and their relationships with them, there are also conversations about how well the new school year is likely to go (and how long it’s going to last), Rizzo’s pregnancy scare and of course Sandy’s less-than-cool persona.

But the Bechdel test, while being a useful ‘at a glance’ measure is a pretty low bar to set in terms of gender equality at the movies. When it comes to Grease, I’d argue that its gender representation fails both men and women, and here’s why.

The expectations on both genders are made very plain in the opening song and dance number: ‘Summer Nights’.

According to the lyrics, women are to be interested in gentle strolls and drinking lemonade. The most transgressive, daredevil thing you might do as a woman is stay up till ten o clock. Men, on the other hand, are interested only in sexual activity and how far they can push the boundaries in this area.

Possibly the most alarming example of this gender split is when the lyrics ‘was it love at first sight?’ are rhymed with ‘did she put up a fight?’ Not only is there a worrying issue of consent here, when it comes to gender boundaries the message is blunt. Both sexes are limited in terms of the aspects of relationships they’re supposed to focus on. No romance for men. No casual sex for women.

In addition to sexual pressures, material expectations are also added into the mix. Your peers want to know if your spouse-to-be is a safe bet when it comes to his bank balance. ‘How much dough did he spend?’ / ‘Like does he have a car?’ People talk a great deal about Sandy’s transformation at the end of the film (and, trust me, I will get to that) but few note that the song ‘Greased Lightning’ also depicts the male members of the cast trying to satisfy social expectation on a material level.

The fact that Danny does attempt to change himself too is another often-ignored element of the plot. He seems to think that the key to impressing Sandy is athletic prowess, and why wouldn’t he? When young men are taught that being strong is so important, just as young women are taught that being thin is the highest pinnacle of beauty. Unfortunately for both Danny and Sandy, what they need is not a superficial makeover or a work-out but to acknowledge who they truly are and share that with the world without any shame. Neither of them accomplish this by the end of the movie.

Danny may rock up to the graduation celebrations in a letterman sweater (which seemingly isn’t his true identity either but is the identity he believes Sandy will be attracted to) but it is thrust off his back within three chords of ‘You’re the one that I want.’ Danny doesn’t have to change but will, we assume, continue playing the macho role for his friends. Sandy has aided him in his charade by kissing her good girl identity goodbye and becoming the epitome of What Men Are Told They Should Find Attractive. Nobody’s going to be giving Danny any heat for hanging around with the new Sandy. He’ll be able to keep up the facade that their relationship is mostly of a sexual nature.

On Woman’s Hour, the other guest speaker suggested that we could read Sandy’s transformation as a sexual liberation because she had shed the sexually limiting persona of ‘Sandra Dee’ (Sandra Dee was an actress from the fifties known for playing wholesome roles). The guest speaker argued further that the Sandra Dee character was who Sandy’s parents expected her to be and in the last scene she rebels against that.

In my response, I presented an argument that framed Sandy’s actions alongside those of other women in the film but there is another reason this argument does not satisfy me. I’m not given any indication throughout the film that Sandy is, unto herself, unhappy with the fact that she’s a bit of a Sandra Dee. An d I’m certainly not given any indication that it’s a role her parents are pressuring her to fulfill.

When we see Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta rolling around in the sands during those opening shots of the film, neither of them seem in conflict about who they are or whether they accept each other. They are carefree and are, one presumes, just being themselves. It is only when the couple brush up against social expectation, in this case, their friends at school, that the conflict begins. When it is made clear to Sandy that she shouldn’t be such a square and when Danny is discouraged from exploring his romantic feelings for Sandy.

If Sandy was rebelling, and not conforming to what society wanted of her, I’d have expected to see a scene that conveyed her dissatisfaction to me. Something along the lines of what John Waters did with Cry Baby (a film that is part Grease spoof) when Allison says to herself: ‘I’m so tired of being good.’ Otherwise, I’m not really buying this idea that Sandy is unhappy with who she is, only that she’s distressed that other people are unhappy with who she is.

On a closing note – I could go on forever but I have to draw a line somewhere – one of the saddest aspects of Sandy’s transformation, as far as I’m concerned, is not the heels or the lipstick, but the cigarette she’s smoking.

Earlier on in the picture, the Pink Ladies, who are supposed to be her friends, have a good laugh at Sandy when she chokes on a cigarette. Rizzo is particularly snide about it, pretending she forgot to warn Sandy about inhaling.

To me, that transformation at the end shows Sandy not only bowing to peer pressure from the men but also from the women in her life. People talk about the Pink Ladies showing sisterhood, but I don’t see a lot of evidence of that. Though Frenchie does try and ‘help’ Sandy later, even she ridicules Olsson’s cheer moves at the pep rally.

Both the guys and the gals have decided on a better version of Sandy and she, believing that social acceptance will make her happy in the long-term, gives in to what they want.

In my interview, I also talked a lot about Grease 2 and how it side-stepped some of these pitfalls. If you want to know more about my thoughts on the matter there is a whole chapter about Grease 2 in my book: True Love is Like the Loch Ness Monster (And other lessons I learnt from film).

Win #StarlightDiner themed stationery & sweets

I make no secret of the fact I’m a total stationery geek so I couldn’t resist doing a stationery giveaway to celebrate the success of my book Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner. It was published on the 4th July by HarperCollins and has received wonderful reviews from readers.

You can buy the book for just 99p on Amazon.

So, in terms of the giveaway, here’s what you’ll receive if your name is picked out of the hat:

A pocket-sized notebook decorated with foodie stickers (it is square paper inside – a personal favourite!!)
A pack of hamburger post-it notes.
An insanely cute soda and hamburger eraser.
3 starlight pencils.
A bag of milkshake sweets
A Starlight Diner pin badge designed by Dan Evans.

This is a mailing list-based competition. All you have to do to enter is sign up to the Helen Cox Author mailing list here.

In case you’re worried, I’d never, ever pass on your details. That’s just mean.

The competition will run until midnight on the 30th of August. The winner will be announced on the @MilkshakesNYC Twitter feed and on my Facebook page on the 31st of August.

You can find more competitions like this at ThePrizeFinder.Com

Author Q&A: Sam Carrington

One of the wonderful things about writing books is that it puts you in touch with lots of other writers. Author, Sam Carrington is soon to be published through the same HarperCollins imprint as I have been (AvonBooksUK) and ever since we started following each other on Twitter a few months back, we’ve taken a keen interest in each other’s writing journey.

Sam’s debut psychological thriller Saving Sophie is out a week today in ebook (12th of August), closely followed by a paperback which is out in December, and she’s taken a bit of time out of her writing schedule to talk to me today about the lighter side of crime.

What do I mean by that? You’ll have to read on to see what I’m on about and to find out more about Sam’s book…

Hi Sam, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions for the blog today. I know you’ll do quite a few Q&As over the next couple of months so to mix things up I’ve thought of a few crime-related questions I don’t think you’ll be asked by other people. Starting with: what is the biggest crime against fashion you’ve ever committed? Come along now, full disclosure.

Delighted to be on your blog, Helen. And you’ve asked a great bunch of questions, I’ve had fun responding to these!

Right, biggest crime against fashion? Ooh, well there were MANY of those I’m afraid. I’d probably have to say though, that it was my ripped jeans and patchouli-soaked black leather jacket, back in 1989/90 when I was a ‘rock chick’ (or so I liked to think). The jeans were only just held together by the seams, and there were SO many rips that I had to carefully feed my hand through each leg first before I could actually get into them. I don’t think the lumberjack-style checked shirts did much to complete the ensemble either! My cowboy boots with boot straps like this (pictured left) were my fave though. There are pictures of me in this get-up somewhere…

I’d like to see those pictures, this does sound pretty criminal. But you’re talking to the gal who thought it was OK to wear a pink sequin dress out clubbing in 1999, so you’re still coming out of this better than I am.

If you had to choose a criminal record – i.e. the worst song ever recorded, what song would it be and why?

The Crazy Frog/Axel F song. Oh my God. THE most annoying thing ever. When it came out my middle son loved it so much he was constantly ‘singing’ it. Then some bright-spark (a family member who will remain anonymous) gave him a ‘plush toy’ of the silly frog that played the tune –  and he took it on holiday with us to France. I wanted to rip its head off by the end of the first day!

Just to share the pain here’s the YouTube link to it.

Haha. Thanks for sharing that with us. I don’t think I’ll be clicking on that though. It seems to bring out violent tendencies in people!

Moving on swiftly from The Crazy Frog, can you tell us who your favourite fictional outlaw or criminal is? I’d have to go with The Dread Pirate Roberts, myself.

Hmmm… difficult one, but would have to say Hannibal Lecter. I did see the film before I read the books, so had Anthony Hopkins’ excellent portrayal of Hannibal in my mind as I read. I thought the character was brilliantly developed and was equally chilling and intriguing. I’m a bit fascinated by the criminal mind – probably why I ended up working with them for a time. And why I want to write about them!

The criminal mind fascinates many, you’re not alone. That’s why we can’t get enough of crime novels. But putting yourself in the shoes of those who seek justice for a moment, if you could pass a law relating to writing, what would it be? I’d probably set a legal limit on the number of adverbs permitted in one chapter. A pet-hate of mine which, by the by, my husband thinks is insane.

No flowery descriptions that go on paragraph after paragraph. I mean, really – is there any need? I skim-read if I see a block paragraph of description.

Haha. Yes I seem to remember getting a bit frustrated with The Grapes of Wrath on that score. Of course, everyone else thinks it’s a classic but what do they know?

Now, I’m sure being a crime writer has its perks but I I always imagined one of the biggest would be the ability to always win at Cluedo. Is this stereotype (in my head) true? And if so how seriously do you take the game?

I LOVE Cluedo, and of course I’m good at it

A Hike to Heptonstall: Visiting Sylvia

For our second wedding anniversary the Hubster and I spent a night away in Hebden Bridge, Calderdale.

Until my better half mentioned it, I hadn’t given any thought to the fact that Plath was buried in the next village. I was too distracted by the glint of the canal and the gritty texture of the buildings. But my husband knows Plath is one of my literary heroes (it’s no coincidence I wrote my own story about an Esther in New York) and he had a premeditated pilgrimage to Plath’s grave penciled in the following day.

I’m using the term ‘hike’ in the title very lightly. The walk from Hebden Bridge to Heptonstall is not at all far, but since Hebden sits in the bottom of a valley, the walk is all uphill. About half way, you’ll pass the small Methodist graveyard pictured above that overlooks the village below.

It dawned on me as I walked towards Plath’s burial site that for all I’d read of and about her, I had no idea why she was buried in Heptonstall. Hughes was from Mytholmroyd which is very close to Heptonstall and his parents lived in the parish. Sylvia Plath did visit her in-laws just after she married Hughes but I’m struggling to find any deeper connections with Heptonstall and Plath herself (if you know anymore please tweet me). Plath’s burial place seems  more related to her husband than her own identity, an issue which has caused a great deal of anger among fans of the famous novelist and poet. 

The churchyard at Heptonstall actually houses two separate churches. One, a ruin that began decaying after a major gale in 1847 and a new church built to replace the one that was all but destroyed by the weather.

Some of the remaining gravestones lying on what would have been the floor of the church are still legible even though the church was founded in the 13th Century. The ornate nature of the typography is just breathtaking.

Even if the main point of your visit to Heptonstall is to visit Plath’s grave, it would be criminal to pass so close to this beautiful relic and not take a few minutes to roam around what remains of its former glory.

In a separate graveyard, near Back Lane, you will find Sylvia Plath’s grave. Don’t do what me and the Hubster did and rock up without any information as to the grave’s whereabouts and hope for the best. You will end up, as we did, praying you have enough battery left on your phones to bring up the stone’s precise location.

Finding Plath’s grave is actually very easy if you’re organised. Open the gate and walk straight ahead with the gravestones on your right. When you get about three quarters of the way across the cemetery, look right and you should see a small trail through the grass, walked by many others who have come to visit the site. It will lead you to what you’re looking for.

Alongside the flowers brought by other visitors, someone had left a small pot containing pens and paper. Something had been written on the paper but it seemed inappropriate to read it. Even if it had been left in a public place, it was likely a very personal message.

The epitaph on Plath’s grave is a quote from Hindu scriptures, though it reminds me very much of the kind of imagery seen in poems like Lady Lazarus.

Looking back on these photographs now, it seems perhaps a little odd that I spent a portion of my wedding anniversary in a cemetery. The Hubster and I are both big Buffy fans but this may have been taking things a bit too far. Still, I’m  glad I visited Plath’s resting place. Her poetry has, on so many occasions, given me strength, perspective and solace. Though perhaps few would think to turn to her verse for any of those things.

I was struck by a strange sense of peace to see for my own eyes where her body ended up, and there was a comfort afforded to know for myself just how beautiful a place it was.

Win #StarlightDiner-themed Goodies!

The 1st of August 1990 is the date the timeline begins on my first novel, Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner. As it’s the 1st of August today (albeit twenty-six years later), I’m giving away a copy of the diner-set film Waitress staring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion on DVD, some milkshake sweets to scoff while you watch it and a Starlight Diner pin badge designed by Dan Evans.

This is a Twitter-based competition. All you have to do to enter is follow the #StarlightDiner Twitter feed @MilkshakesNYC and retweet the pinned tweet about the competition.

If you’re already following @MilkshakesNYC, simply retweet the pinned competition link to enter.

If you want to compose your own tweet about the competition, that’s cool too as long as you link to this post, tag @MilkshakesNYC and use the #StarlightDiner hashtag.

The competition runs until Monday 8th August 2016.

Winners will be announced on Twitter on 9th August 2016.

If you haven’t already seen it, you should know Waitress is an absolutely cracking film. I didn’t watch it until after I’d finished writing my first novel as I knew there were similar themes between the film and what I was writing and I didn’t want my story to become accidentally derivative. When I finally turned my work into HarperCollins and watched the film however, I was blown away by it. The script is so innovative and the characters are so warm and layered you can’t help but root for them.

If you choose to enter, good luck in the giveaway!

My first novel, Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner is out now for just 99p.

You can find more competitions at theprizefinder.com

My #Paperhaul Review: A Box of Delights

I know. Your heart rate is already elevated. Your eyes are a little wider than they were just a second ago. And perhaps your palms are feeling a little clammy. But try and stay calm while I take you through this box of delights sent to me by #Paperhaul, a monthly, stationery subscription service. Yes. This is a real thing and if that’s all you need to know, you can sign up here.

Want to see more? Scroll down for the full tour.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter may have twigged that I have something of an obsession with stationery. It might be a writer thing, or an ex-teacher thing but either way, stationery has a habit of making me swoon, and when I opened this box from #Paperhaul I had to take a seat and take some deep breaths into a paper bag for fear of keeling over. This month’s package, designed by Gaze of Doll Designs, happens to be loosely themed around Alice in Wonderland! It’s pretty hard to get any cooler than that and as an avid snailmailer, I can’t really get over the cuteness of those note cards.

I love the versatility of washi tape. It can be stuck down, peeled off and (most of the time) written on and the roll that came with this pack is just adorable. I particularly like the fact that the colours are bright as when I’m using it for snail mail I like the package to be as vibrant as possible.

The number of items included in the pack is impressive and they’re all printed on quality paper stock. As well as the note cards, postcards are also included which are so useful for running off quick ‘I’m thinking of you’ notes to my penpals.

Yes, we all know I have a notebook habit. But I couldn’t be happier to add this one to the collection. The quality of the paper is beautiful and those little designs around the edges are the perfect size – big enough to be decorative, not so big that they get in the way of what I’m writing!

With the tea party and the yellow brick road this card feels like a cross over between Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, and I love it. Honestly, if you send mail to people you will be totally set up with a #Paperhaul box.

And as if all this wasn’t enough, the box came with a sheet of stickers. I love notebooks and washi and postcards of course, but the stickers escalated this package to a whole new level for me. It is evidence that the #Paperhaul crowd really understand what stationery addicts want, and deliver it.

I was sent this box of treats free for review but I have to say, I think it’s well worth the money you pay for it. Every item is printed to a very high quality. The company understand their customers and create boxes packed with bright, bold designs and are also giving some very talented designers and illustrators a platform on which to promote themselves. As someone who is keen to support independent artists, this was an element of the box that really appealed to me.

On an eco-note, the boxes are made of recycleable materials and as I’m a massive upcycling geek, I’ll be using the box and twine included in other snail mail creations I send out into the world. It’s obvious from the presentation and execution that a great deal of thought and care has gone into this product which, at the risk of sounding like our Mam, is rare these days.

This box gets full marks from me for creativity, presentation and sustainability. As a subscription product at £10 per month plus postage, it is a financial commitment but most of us who are into stationery, if we’re honest with ourselves for a change, would admit we do probably spend £10 a month on stationery. For some, it’s more. With #Paperhaul I know I’m guaranteed quality, that I’m supporting independent artists and that I’m going to get a decent number of items for my money. You can’t say fairer than that.

It’s worth following #Paperhaul on Twitter as they offer all sorts of stationery promotions. If you want to sign up to their service, click here for more information.

Book Review: How to Get Hitched in Ten Days

The heartwarming novella How to Get Hitched in Ten Days by Samantha Tonge is currently free to download on Amazon. To celebrate, here’s my review…

If you follow this blog, you might have noticed I write fiction books about a 1950s diner. When I found out that Samantha Tonge, an author I follow on Twitter, had also written a book featuring a Fifties-themed diner I had to check it out, and I’m thrilled I did.

How to Get Hitched in Ten Days is told from the perspective of two characters: Jasmine, a young business woman with a job offer in New York and Mikey, her best friend who runs the Fifties-themed Polka Dot Diner. When Jazz’s boyfriend Dave gets drunk and issues the least romantic proposal known to mankind, the soft-hearted Mikey steps in to help Dave win back his girlfriend’s affections and get his proposal right.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful and surprising elements of this story are the subtle strands woven in as the plot progresses. Many of us would agree that a drunken proposal without a ring, and one that involved vomit to boot, wouldn’t leave us weak in the knees but, hidden in Jazz’s backstory, there are deeper reasons why this event spells disaster for the central couple.

This, alongside the fact that Jazz is soon to leave for New York, builds a steady tension in the narrative as the reader is kept guessing over whether Dave has what it takes to correct his colossal error before Jazz leaves Britain for good. Moreover, Jazz is a strong character determined to chart her own path in the world and though she clearly loves Dave very much, she isn’t willing to sacrifice her dreams for him. This quality not only deepens the ‘will they / won’t they’ suspense but also makes Jazz a compelling female protagonist on a significant personal journey.

A further strength to this book is the well-rounded portrayal of a believable and sweet-natured gay character. The story explores some of the prejudice and discrimination homosexuals still experience and it was refreshing to see this confronted in a sensitive manner. I feel gay characters are underrepresented in this genre, in culture generally in fact, so it was pleasing to see the author discard stereotype and portray Mikey as the sweet and sensitive human being he is.

Lastly, a special mention must of course be given to the diner setting. The Polka Dot Diner – complete with a juke box and mouth-watering waffles – makes for a deliciously quirky place for the action to play out and is so well-described it takes no effort at all to imagine yourself there.

If you’re looking for a story that will leave you with a wonderful, warm glow inside, this book is definitely for you. After reading this one, I can’t wait to read more of Samantha Tongue’s books – I’m hooked.

I’m awarding a well-earned FIVE STARS to this touching, humorous read that will both uplift and entertain. 

This book is available free for a limited time. Click here to download your copy. You can find out more about Samantha Tonge and her other books on her website, here.

Milkshakes and Heartbreaks Online Launch

Monday 4th July saw the release of my first novel Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner in ebook. The book was published by HarperCollins and this week has been an incredible journey to say the least.

The book soared up the ranks on both Amazon and Kobo. On Amazon, the book garnered 4 and 5* reviews and it made it into the top 25 books in the Contemporary Fiction, Urban category. On Kobo, the book held position in the top 5 romantic comedy titles. All of which is very exciting news to a debut author like myself.

The Starlight Diner book blog tour also began this week and included an article on my book deal moment on The Writing Garnet blog, an article on where I got the inspiration for the Starlight Diner on Shaz’s Book Blog, an article on the best places to eat in NYC on Linda’s Book Bag blog and an article on UK diners at Orlagh Mc’s blog. There was also an incredible 5* review posted to the Bookaholic Confessions blog, so, all in all, the book had an amazing presence online this week.

This is, of course, aside from the countless tweets I’ve had full of enthusiasm for the book I’ve written or, at times, even quoting it. There were so, so many tweets and online messages, and I was grateful for every last one. I’ve pasted a small sample of them below.

Meanwhile, offline, the Hubster treated me lunch at an American diner to celebrate my first book being published.

I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve received in the first week of my online book launch. If you’ve bought my book, shared about it, reviewed it, talked about it or recommended it to someone, you should know you’re helping me build a career in something I LOVE doing. And I am insanely grateful for that.

Looking forward to week two of the online launch!