Marc Nobbs's Blog, page 25
January 22, 2013
Update on TV2 : A Tortured Soul
After something of a break – not enforced, just lazy – I’ve picked up work on the second book in the Tutelam Venit series this past week or so. The book now stands at almost 47,000 words across 11 chapters. How much of the story does this represent? Hard to tell. There are still some significant events to take place but they are spread out over a period of time.
Essentially, this second book will cover about the same period of time as the first – i.e. about a year. In the first 11 chapters, we’ve moved from ‘”mid-September” to Halloween and I anticipate the story to climax around about June, with a plenary later that year setting up the third and final book.
If I aim to make this book the same number of words as the first, then it’s about half-way done. If I aim to make it a similar number of chapters, then it’s about a quarter done. I think in practice, it’s probably somewhere between the two.
Interestingly, the average word count per chapter has gone up in this book. That’s not a conscious decision, just the way it seems to have turned out. The average word count per chapter in “A Good Man” was around the 2000 mark. So far in A Tortured Soul it’s up around 4250. I can’t explain this, so please, don’t ask.
Obviously, I’ve missed my stated aim of finishing the book by Christmas 2012 and in all honesty, I’m not prepared to put a revised date out there just yet. I’ll keep working steadily and see how I get on and try and keep you informed in the meantime.
PS, I think this is the first time I’ve published my proposed cover for ATS. What do you guys think of it? I got a lot of positive feedback on the first cover, and this once is, I hope, in a similar vein.
January 15, 2013
Blast from the Past–Episode 2
Continuing my series of old post from my Blogger blog (which in all honesty is just a cheap-ass way to keep making blog posts without having to actually think of something interesting/insightful to write while I continue to update the rest of the website/release the short stories/work on new projects), here is a post that originally appeared back in July 2010. It concerns a review I found online while doing some late night browsing.
Ego-Search Turns up Unexpected Review
Come on, admit it, we all do it. Every now and then we do a Google ‘ego-search’. That is, we put our own name into Google (real or pen names) and see what turns up. For the most part, we authors should find our own websites/blogs/facebooks/twitters at the top if the list, but you never know what might be on the second, third or fourth pages.
And the recent changes to Google, where you can narrow the search down to categories like ‘blogs’, ‘shopping’ and ‘discussions’ make for even more interesting reading.
Earlier today I came across a post by Roni Gehlke on Romance Book Scene from May 2009. Yes, last year. It’s a review of Lost & Found and not one I’d seen before. Roni gave the book three stars out of five and made some complimentary comments. But she also made some comments that I’d take issue with. Let me explain why.
Now, don’t get me wrong, a reader’s opinion is a reader’s opinion and they are entitled to it. Hell, if we all had the same opinion it’d be a very, very dull world. But in this case, Roni has done something that it seems a number of readers do – project the opinions of one of the characters onto the author and assumed they are his opinions. Which is very rarely the case.
A good author should be able to ‘get inside the head’ of his characters and write them in such a way that that character’s views sound convincingly like a real person’s views – even if those views are the opposite of the author’s views. In the same way that I can imagine, and hopefully convincingly write, what it’s like to have sex in the back of a limousine or be held at gun point even though neither of these things have happened to me, I should be able to write views that are racist, homophobic, or something equally unpleasant, even though they are not my views.
To quote from the review…
The book itself is well written. There are some wonderful erotic scenes throughout the story and the two characters are developed very well. The main problem I had with the book is more a matter of personal taste.
I’m pleased that Roni thinks the book is well written, Beth and Chris well developed and that the erotic scenes are good. And I’m pleased that she has admitted that what follows is a matter of personal taste – not all reviewers would have the good grace to do that.
But…
I like all genres of romance, but I don’t believe that political agendas belong in romance. There was a scene in the book where I felt the author was just a little to preachy about the Iraq war.
First off, I don’t believe that Lost & Found does have a political agenda – at least that’s not how I wrote it. I used the Iraq War as a back drop to the story because it was contemporary and because it was dividing public opinion at the time. In retrospect, I should, perhaps, have invented a fictional war, but the war itself is not the point of conflict in the book. The point of conflict is the different views held by father and daughter about the son/brother and his reasons for joining the army in the first place.
The scene to which she is referring is one in which Chris and The Colonel (Beth’s father) have a confrontation while Beth is at work. It’s very tense. They are both very passionate. But that passion is because, in their own ways, they both care about Beth deeply. It comes out as an argument about the war, but read between the lines and you’ll see what it’s really about.
That said…
Chris’ views as he expresses them in the book are typical of the anti-war lobby here in the UK. They do argue that the war was more about oil than terrorism and they are pretty scathing in their opinions of George W. Bush. And Tony Blair, for that matter. But here’s the thing – Chris’ views and words do not reflect my views any more than The Colonel’s do.
For the record, I think that Bush and Blair both genuinely believed the reasons they gave for entering Iraq and removing Saddam Hussein from power at the time that they gave them and I wasn’t one of the millions that marched on Downing Street in protest. I think they both were led to believe by people they trusted that he was a genuine threat. I think it was a poorly executed war rather than an unnecessary one. The Iraq Enquiry currently taking place in the UK will shed light on its legality – so we’ll have to wait and see on that one.
But anyway…
Aside from Roni projecting a character’s views onto the author, there is something else that bothers me…
He was very insulting to our country and making a poorly chosen reference to our president.
Someone is a bit touchy, aren’t they? Okay, so I’ve admitted that perhaps I should have invented a fictional war – but if I’d have done that one has to ask if it would have had the same impact or indeed if it would have lessened the perceived political agenda (which wasn’t there anyway). But let’s face facts, no country is immune from criticism in fiction, and nor should they be. That’s the nature of free speech. And besides, I don’t think Idid insult America. My treatment of The Colonel was pretty harsh, but he was the antagonist and it had to be that way. But look at my treatment of the funeral. Chris “had never seen anything like it” and was taken aback. That scene still stirs great emotion in me. I think it’s one of the best scenes I’ve ever written and I defy anyone to not put them self there, to hear Taps being played and to not feel the tears welling up.
My good friend and beta-reader is American – in fact, this book started out from an idea we kicked about together – and she didn’t feel insulted or that the country was insulted. I wonder, would Roni have felt I was insulting the country had I been American? Would she have reacted the same way? I can’t answer that.
There is a place for these kinds of storylines, I just don’t happen to believe it is in a romance novel.
Okay. I have to say this. Who says there’s no place in romance for ‘controversial’ plot lines? Romance as a genre is not taken seriously by many critics and if that is to change then it can’t shy away from things like this. In my opinion, Romance is the ideal genre to tackle issues that make the reader think and examine and question their own views. Otherwise what we end up with is a host of copycat books where only the names and settings change but the basics of everything else stay pretty much the same. Formulaic books. Books that fail to challenge.
Now, if that’s what some people want to write and some people want to read, that’s fine. All power to them. Me? I prefer the challenge. To challenge and to be challenged. But that’s just me.
Once again, I’d like to thank Roni for taking the time to publish her thoughts on my book. Let me clear, Roni’s review didn’t ‘upset me’. I respect her opinion. She acknowledged that the book was well written, the characters well developed and the love scenes erotic. And, at the end of the day, those three things are what I strive for. The rest, well, that’s personal taste and cause for debate. I if I can get people talking too, so much the better.
And here are a selection of the comments that readers made…
Clancy Nacht
This is an interesting question. I can only answer for myself and say that definitely romance can handle controversy. Maybe not all of the readers care for it, but that’s okay, because there are plenty of books to choose from.
I don’t shy away from political and social commentary just because somewhere along the line we’re leading to sexy results. There’s plenty of room for interpersonal conflict and that can come down to politics or religion.
This view wasn’t to her taste and that’s the takeaway.
Jude MasonHi Marc,
I smiled when I read this. For over two years I wrote for a website that focused entirely on a fetish that left me pretty much cold. Every month I came up with 5000 to 25000 word stories about this fetish that the editor/publisher used. I was a regular there and often was asked to write more than one story.
As authors, it’s our job to get under the skin and into the heads of our characters. You obviously did that and the reviewer somehow confused you with your make believe characters. In my opinion, this is a huge compliment.
I will now duck, because I just know I’m going to get slaughtered. LOL
Hugs
Jude
January 8, 2013
Short Story Releases
For the past couple of years, my short stories have only been available in one of my three anthologies. That is changing. As of today, I’m gradually rolling out individual downloads of them from Smashwords and its affiliates and for Kindle.
Right now, Scratched and Extended Family are available from Smashwords and are in review for the various other Smashwords channels and Kindle. Both also have shiny new covers.
The 4 “Ladz Local Lovelies” stories have always been available separately and remain so. For full details, take a look at my newly improved short story page.
Next up for release will be the remaining stories from the anthology “Written 4 Ruthie’s”, followed by the older stories from “From Back in the Day”
January 7, 2013
Blast from the Past–Episode 1
In the course of updating this website with some of the book excerpts I’ve previously published elsewhere, I had a chance to look through my old Blogger blog (which is still here if you’re interested) and I realised that there are a few very interesting posts there. So I’m going to dig a few of them out and re-publish them here – just for fun.
This is the first. Originally published in July 2010, it was titled, Silly Woman or Dirty Thieving Bastard?
I want to tell you a little story. It’s a true story, happened just this past week. I’m not going to use the real names of the people involved because that’s not my place, but the story is true. And I think it’s says an awful lot about the times we live in…
***Sarcasm mode on***
At a local secondary school, let’s call it Anonymous High, they have a policy in place for dealing with disruptive pupils – sorry, I mean, Challenging Young Learners – whereby those individuals causing the disruption can be removed from lessons and isolated. They are sent by the teacher, sorry, I mean Educational Professional, to, let’s call it Room X, where a Senior Educational Professional overseas the rebellious horde.
Good idea in principle, but the system relies on those pup… Young Learners being removed to make their own way to Room X. Given they are already in a rebellious mood, having caused the classroom disruption in the first place, this level of trust is perhaps somewhat misplaced. But anyway…
A few days ago, a member of the Educational Professional staff was having problems with a particular pu… Young Learner. Let’s call her Miss Naive and him Little Jonny. Miss Naive decided the best way to continue with her lesson was to send Little Jonny to Room X. But Little Jonny had other ideas. On his way to Room X – which was in a different part of the building – he stopped off at the staff room, which was unoccupied, found Miss Naive’s handbag, went through it and stole… sorry, borrowed, her mobile phone.
I’m sure he just wanted to scare her to get her back and had no evil intentions whatsoever. He probably just wanted to hide it and was going to give it back to her at the end of the day.
But…
On browsing the contents of Miss Naive’s snazzy smartphone – as you do – Little Jonny found several photographs of her in compromising positions and in most of them she was less than fully clothed. Well, what do you expect a Precocious Young Learner to do? He MMSed the photos to all the people in her address book – which included family members including her children, most of the other Educational Professional staff members including several Senior Educational Professional staff and some of the parents of pup… Young Learners in her form group. He then made sure to send the photos to most of his friends and upped them to a photo sharing website for good measure.
All of which was perfectly reasonable since Little Jonny thought it best that everyone possible knew the sort of things Miss Naive got up to in her private life – he thought the school could do without that sort of pervert teaching there.
And he got his wish. Miss Naive didn’t return to school the next week – handing in her notice in a telephone conversation with the headtea…, er, Managing Educational Professional.
And what do you think happened to innocent Little Jonny? He was handed a four day exclusion. FOUR WHOLE DAYS! For exposing the nasty slut to the whole school and her family. The Managing Educational Professional said he couldn’t allow the other pupi… Young Learners to think it was okay not to go straight to Room X when sent or to go in the staff room without permission.
***Sarcasm mode off***
Okay, so I hammed it up a bit, but the bones of the story are indeed true. A pupil at this local school did indeed steal a mobile phone from the staff member who’d sent him to the isolation room from her lesson and did indeed find compromising photos of her on the phone which he distributed to everyone he could in all digital methods available to him.
And then the only punishment he got was a four day – yes, I did say four day – exclusion. In effect, his summer holidays have started a week early. While the staff member is now seeking employment opportunities elsewhere having come to the conclusion in a conversation with the headteacher that her position in the school was irrecoverably undermined.
Does anyone else see anything wrong with this picture, or is it just me?
Okay, so said teacher was foolish to keep those photos on her phone and equally foolish not to ensure that her phone was secure from prying eyes, but still… I just can’t help but think that the person who has ultimately been ‘punished’ here isn’t the pupil that stole the phone, but the victim of said theft. And that, I’m afraid, just ain’t right.
January 4, 2013
Then & Now
20 Years Ago – January 1993
1.) How old were you? 18
2.) Where did you go to school? A Comprehensive School in Wolverhampton– I was in Year 13 by then, getting ready to sit my A-levels
3.) Where did you work? I didn’t, I was still at school.
4.) Where did you live? At home, with Mom & Dad, obviously.
5.) Where did you hang out? At School. Yeah, I know, it’s a bit sad really.
6.) Did you wear glasses? Yep, was still a couple of years off getting contact lenses.
7.) Who was(were) your best friend(s)? I guess that would be Paul and Nick. And Ste, of course.
8.) What car did you drive? I didn’t. Not yet.
9.) Had your heart broken? Sort of. I guess it felt like it at the time (1991) but looking back, was it really all that bad?
10.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Single – and probably a bit bitter because of it.
15 Years Ago – January 1998
1.) How old were you? 23
3.) Where did you work? At this point I was in my ill-fated appointment at Willenhall Comp. God, was that ever a mistake.
4.) Where did you live? Ashamed to admit that I’d moved back in with my parents after 4 years away.
5.) Where did you hang out? In my room, marking books and preparing lessons.
6.) Did you wear glasses? Sometimes. But lenses for the most part
7.) Who was your best friend(s)? That would have to be Sandrine – my future wife. Ahhhhh.
8.) What car did you drive? This is shameful, but I still didn’t drive – I rode everywhere on my bike. What a saddo.
9.) Had your heart broken? Yes, but I’d gotten over it by then.
10.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Taken.
10 Years Ago – January 2003
1.) How old were you? 28
3.) Where did you work? A Solicitors in Northamptonshire! Which is where I still am.
4.) Where did you live? My first home with Sandrine – a two bed semi.
5.) Where did you hang out? Didn’t really do much ‘hanging out’.
6.) Did you wear glasses? Yep. No corrective laser eye surgery for me.
8.) What car did you drive? I think I still had my old Rover at this point.
5 Years Ago – January 2008
1.) How old were you? 33
2.) Where did you work? Same Solicitors! Although this was the year I became a ‘manager’.
3.) Where did you live? Same little two-bed semi.
7.) What car did you drive? I still had my 306 Estate back then.
9.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Married for 3 and a half years with a just-turned-two year old son.
NOW – January 2013
1.) How old are you? 38 and feeling it.
2.) Where do you work? Yep, still here. Almost part of the furniture now.
3.) Where do you live? Moved to a new house in the same area two years ago.
7.) What car do you drive? 406 Saloon.
9.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced/Bitter: Still married, and now have a little girl as well who’s coming up to her 1st birthday.
January 3, 2013
Let me (re)Introduce Myself
The name’s Nobbs. Marc Nobbs. And I’m a very, very bad boy indeed.
You see, I’m been neglecting this blog and this whole website in general. I’ve not added all the book pages, I’ve not been posting blog entries. I’ve just been very, very bad indeed. Oh, I’ve got the usual excuses – real life is getting in the way, I’d forgotten how much a work a nearly-one-year-old is and all the rest of them you can think off. But the fact is, I should have been finding the time to update the blog and I haven’t been.
So, Let me re-introduce myself. I’m Marc Nobbs. Black Country born & bred. Author of six erotic romance novels and a host more short stories. As English as they come and proud of it. Father of two, husband of one. I count other people’s money for a living, love to read, watch movies & TV and cook. I also garden and do those pesky little DIY jobs my wife keeps giving me.
Work on my seventh novel, the second in a series of three, has stalled, but I’m determined to get my arse in gear and get working on it again. I’m also determined to get on and finished of this website to some sort of acceptable state and keep updating this blog.
This is my solemn vow. Although, you know me, so we’ll just have to see how long it lasts.
November 1, 2012
October 25, 2012
Site Rebuild Underway
I’ve made a start on rebuilding the site, which is now on a WordPress platform as opposed to Joomla – the platform I used previously that allegedly got hacked.
I’ve got the pages I want across the top bar. I’ve partially built two of those pages, and I’ve built the first page for one of the novels – Eternally & Evermore.
Still a long way to go, but it’s a start and that’s what counts.
Morning Shower – an “Eternally & Evermore” excerpt
Here’s a sexy excerpt from Eternally & Evermore.
I should remind you that Eternally & Evermore is an erotic romance and this excerpt is certainly erotic.
Enjoy.
The gentle chatter of Radio Four woke Will early the next morning. He normally made sure he deactivated the alarm before going to sleep on Friday nights, reactivating it again before bed on Sunday, but for once he’d forgotten. He lay on his back, his arm around Amy as she lay sleeping on his left. Her breathing was rhythmic and peaceful. Her head rested on his chest and she had an arm and leg draped over him.
Will couldn’t remember ever sharing his bed and sleeping so soundly—even when he was married. Since moving to Westmouth he hadn’t shared his bed very often, but when he did he always woke feeling tired after tossing and turning and failing to get comfortable with a relative stranger next to him.
There was one exception—Sophie, but he didn’t think she counted. And besides, if his daughter shared his bed it was because something in the dark of the night had spooked her. Ever since she was very small, she would climb in bed and snuggle up to him whenever she got scared. And he would lie awake, holding her tight, and listen to her gently fall asleep. Sometimes he’d drift off himself. Others, he’d lie awake all night just to listen to her breathe.
But that was different. He was protecting his daughter. This night with Amy…
He’d slept so soundly partly because she’d worn him out. They’d made love in every position they could until the early hours. Then when he slept, he held her close not to protect her, but to know she was still there and to feel her next to him. He felt content. Happy.
He kissed the top of her head. She looked beautiful with her eyes closed and a peaceful look on her face.
“I love you,” he whispered, so as not to wake her. “I always have.”
He slipped his arm from around her and gently pushed himself into a sitting position. Her head fell from its resting place on his chest and she woke with a jolt.
“Wha..?” She looked around the room.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m just going for a shower, that’s all.”
“What? Oh. Sorry. I forgot where I was.” She smiled. “Morning, handsome.”
“Morning.”
“What time is it?”
“Too early. I forgot to switch the alarm off.”
“I wonder what made you forget.”
“I wonder.” He kissed her forehead. “Go back to sleep. I’ll have a shower then make you some breakfast and bring it up.”
She stretched and yawned as he got out of bed and then settled back into comfortable position on her side.
He padded into the en-suite, where he pulled the cord that switched on the electricity supply to the shower, climbed into the cubicle and pushed the button that turned on the jets of water. The room soon steamed up and condensation formed on the glass panel walls surrounding him.
He had his back to the shower door, his head under the water and his eyes closed, so he didn’t see the shadow that Amy cast as she approached. And he didn’t hear the door open or hear her step inside with him. He jumped and turned around when he felt her hands on his body.
“Mind if I join you?” She didn’t wait for an answer, but stood on tip toes to kiss him instead. She reached up to the small shelf in the corner of the cubicle and grabbed the bottle of shower gel.
“Hmm,” she said when she read the label, “with honey and milk extract, for sensitive skin. Sensitive skin, eh? In that case, I’ll be gentle.”
“You weren’t very gentle last night.”
“Neither were you.”
She poured some of the peach coloured cream into the palm of her hand and rubbed it on his chest. She took care to work up lather, rubbing her hands all over his chest, stomach and sides.
“Turn around. I want to do your back.”
He did as he was told as she poured some more shower cream into her hand. She gave his back and buttocks the same treatment that she had his chest then reached around and gripped his erection.
“Best make sure this is clean too.” She stroked it lovingly a few times then let go. “All done. My turn now.”
Will turned around to see her pouring the cream over her breasts.
“Hurry up and get me clean, before the water washes it away.”
Will raised his hands and massaged the soap into Amy’s bosom. She moaned and rocked her hips as his hands slipped over her skin, down her belly and brushed her pussy. Will took great care cleaning her breasts.
“These seem quite dirty,” he said, rubbing her nipples. “Better make sure I do this properly.”
He bent his head and sucked one of them. He could still taste the soap but sucked and licked regardless. When he was satisfied that it was clean, he turned his attention to the other.
“Oh, William.”
He put his hands on her hips and spun her around. She put her hands against the glass and leaned forward, spreading her legs enough to give him access. He bent his knees, guided his cock into her with one hand and held her hip with the other. When he was safely inside, he gripped her hips with both hands and moved inside her.
With his knees slightly bent, his motion was hindered, but each thrust still pushed her forward and upwards on to her tiptoes. She pushed back against him as he withdrew only to be forced onto her toes again when he returned. He pushed her higher and the higher she got, the less he had to bend and the harder he could thrust into her.
It wasn’t long before he fired his seed into her. And as he filled her she shuddered through her own orgasm. She dropped back onto the flats of her feet, forcing him out of her pussy with a plop. As soon as she was unplugged, a stream of his ejaculate flooded from her, mixed with the shower water and washed down the drain.
She turned around, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Wow. What a lovely way to start the day.”
“I whole-heartedly second that.”
October 24, 2012
Tutelam Venit 2 Update
In what little spare time I’ve had this year I’ve been working hard on the second book of the Tutelam Venit Series, tentatively sub-titled “A Tortured Soul”.
I always thought this would be a more difficult book to write that the first, simply because I’m walking a fine line between making you feel sympathetic to the narrator and falling into hating him. Everything I write I’m examining from as many view points as I can and it’s proving to be slower going that I’d anticipated.
Of course, when, this time last year, I thought I could get the book ready for Christmas, I’d forgotten how much of your time a new baby takes. And with this being a second baby, child number one is no less demanding of my time than before his sister arrived, so I’ve got double the demands and, if anything, less time to go around since I’m also having to work harder at work due to the continuing failure of the economy.
Anyway, I’m around 42,000 words into what I anticipate will be a 100,000 word long book. Or thereabouts.
So nearly halfway. Which means, of course, I’ve still got half way to go.
