Ally Blake's Blog, page 6

blog tour :: harlequin junkie

Today I'm nattering with the fabulous Harlequin Junkie about my first Harlequin KISS - out now across North America - THE SECRET WEDDING DRESS!

One of the questions Sara asked was to name five random things about myself.  Here's a taste:


*  I told the kids in my primary school I had three middle names (instead of one) as I thought it made me seem more exotic.  The extra names? Karen and Vanessa.  Why the heck didn't I go all out with something like Periwinkle and Desdemona!           *  I could never, never, not even upon the promise of a million dollars watch a horror film, and yet am addicted to True Blood and The Walking Dead.
 
* Growing up I desperately wanted a horse. Not because I was interested in riding, per say, I really just wanted to name it.  Writing for a living I get to name heroes, heroines, dogs, cats, businesses, places...  Some horse somewhere should count itself verrry lucky.

Come visit Harlequin Junkie for your chance to win an ebook copy of my last book THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT!

first page friday

Am I the only one who flicks to a book's first page before considering buying it?  Seems so cutthroat, doesn't it!  Well, we authors spend a good deal of time getting our first line right for that very reason.

Today I'm over at the lovely Liz Fielding's blog , taking up her First Page Friday slot with my current Harlequin KISS novel, THE SECRET WEDDING DRESS.

Hope it grabs you!

THE SECRET WEDDING DRESS Harlequin KISS - April 2013Read more ::  Harlequin  ::  The Book Depository  ::  M&B UK  ::  M&B Aus/NZ

blog tour :: pink heart society

I'm a write at home mum with a bit of a difference.  I don't write at home ;).

Want to know how I go about it?  I'm over at the Pink Hearts Society today talking about just that!

how writers write

I looove hearing how other writers write - especially when their methods surprise me.  Here's George R.R. Martin who wrote "The Game of Thrones" - a wonderfully intricate, detailed, rich books...and more.

“I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they’re going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there’s going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don’t know how many branches it’s going to have, they find out as it grows. And I’m much more a gardener than an architect.”

Wonderful!

happy chocolate day!

blog tour :: manga maniac cafe

Today I'm at the Manga Maniac Cafe .

They asked the BEST questions about my current release THE SECRET WEDDING DRESS.  Really made me think about the characters in ways I hadn't before.

Want to know what three things you'd never find in this guy's bedroom?   Head on here to find out!

(And ok, so that's not completely the case - Joe Manganiello and I aren't that close.  But he looks close enough to my hero, Gabe Hamilton, we can all pretend, right?)

THE SECRET WEDDING DRESS
Read more ::  Buy now!
North America - April 2013

gotta love a great review!

Stumbled upon another super lovely review of THE SECRET WEDDING DRESS on the great reader-led blog, The Good, the Bad, and the Unread.

And I quote:

"Ally Blake is a new-to-me author, but this won’t be the last book of hers that I read. Her voice is fresh and genuinely young without trying to hard or using achingly trendy slang, and her characters behave in a way that feels natural. They’re likeable people who make mistakes..."

And it goes on ever so nicely from there!  Read the rest of the review here...

good reads...great reviews!

THE SECRET WEDDING DRESS - my first ever Harlequin KISS is mere days away from hitting bookshelves across North America and I just had to share a couple of the early fab reviews spilling onto Goodreads!
"Fast paced, funny, warm and deliciously hot, this is the kind of can't-put-down story Ms. Blake is famous for writing. What's more, she has a magical way of making it feel like the heroine is a best friend who is telling her story over cocktails instead of within the pages of a book. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE!" ...Trish Wylie, Goodreads
"If you enjoy fun, flirty, contemporary romances, you'll love The Secret Wedding Dress.  Paige is ballsy and quirky, Gabe is flawed and incredibly sexy.  Thoroughly enjoyed!"...Nicola Marsh, USA Today Bestselling author  THE SECRET WEDDING DRESS Harlequin KISS - April 2013Read more ::  Harlequin  ::  The Book Depository  ::  M&B UK  ::  M&B Aus/NZ

rain rain go away

It's been raining in my part of the world for ever.  At least that's how it feels.

Our beautiful pool is a swamp and our kids only outside play for weeks has been "strip down and go play in the mud in between showers kids!"

That said, getting this view  from our backyard and onto our roof is pretty special.  The looks on the kids' faces as they imagined those pots of gold...

Okay, that's enough of the pretty!  Sunshine!  Please!

australian romance readers convention

So I'm back home, after braving the driving rain to get to the Australian Romance Readers Convention book-signing, and it was worth it!  Just wonderful to meet so many lovely readers, all so excited to collect autographs from their favourite Australian - and some fab special international! - authors.
Some highlights for me were getting Anne Gracie's new book The Autumn Bride signed for my mum who is a huge fan (shhh, don't tell her it's a surprise!).  Nabbing Kelly Hunter's Hating Valentine's Day (there were rumours of zombies as she wrote the thing, so I have to find out if it was all true ;)) Getting the low down on Fiona McArthur's day on the Orient Express.

Total fan-girl moment happened when I met Kristan Higgins!  I'm madly in love with her warm, funny, delightful small town stories.  And, as fully expected, she was just lovely.

Then a glass of wine afterwards with some lovely writing friends, and a new one in the illustrious order of Cathy Maxwell, and I dind't even notice the rain as I walked back to the car.