Janice Horton's Blog, page 35

Mandy Baggot - A Rising Star on Tour!

Mandy Baggot has just been announced by Romantic Fiction Online as one of the rising stars of 2012. Mandy has just launched her fifth novel Taking Charge and I'm delighted to be hosting her as as part of her month long blog tour. Mandy is also one of the featured authors at loveahappyending.com and will be taking part at the Summer Audience Event in Tetbury Glos on the 16th June. Mandy has been previously self-published but signed with exciting Sapphire Star Publishing in January this year. Go Mandy!

Food Glorious Food
Hi Janice, thank you for taking part in the Taking Charge blog tour and for having me on your wonderful website! Now, as Janice has written a novel about a celebrity chef and because food plays quite an important role in Taking Charge I am going to be talking about all things eating!
My lead female Robyn Matthers is slightly obsessed with food and none of it is healthy. Her idea of food Heaven is opening up a large bag of kettle chips and devouring the whole lot with a dip to accompany it. She also has a love of gherkins (pickles), barbecue and ice cream. So now, DRUM ROLL PLEASE, I am going to reveal to you my top five favourite foods in DESERT ISLAND FOODS!
5. Roast Dinner You know what I’m talking about. Nice breast of chicken, broccoli, carrots, swede (rutabaga LOL), peas, stuffing and a plate overflowing with thick gravy! Yum!
4. Greek salad Not just for holidays! Lettuce, tomato, onion, olives and feta cheese, drizzled in olive oil.
3. Indian A nice chicken Bombayon a bed of mushroom rice with a tarka dal and a garlic naan. It may not be that healthy but it’s LOVELY.
2. Chinese Now most of you know that I ADORE food from my home village Chinese takeaway Pearl River. I cannot get enough of their sweet and sour chicken balls! We try and limit these to once a month but it would be a must for me to survive on a desert island.
1. Packet mashed potato Yes! I had to have it as my number one desert island food. I could not survive without packet mashed potato. It’s quick to make, all you need is hot water and a fork and there’s a low fat hearty meal. I do really take a packet with me whenever I go away anywhere!
So there are my five desert island foods! Now we want to hear what you would take with you to that desert island. What food could you not live without? Leave a comment!


  Mandy’s novel Taking Charge was released on 3 May 2012
Click here to buy on Amazon UK
Click here tobuy on Amazon.com
or visit Mandy’s Website

Romcom for All…!

This week I’ve been completely bowled over by a fabulous independent review of my contemporary romance novel ‘Reaching for the Stars’ on Amazon UK. Why bowled over, you might ask?
Well, as I explained on Nicky Wells ‘Centrestage’ blog this week - it was because it was by a man! Okay – he confessed to downloading my book by accident and then reading it anyway – but the fact remains that he enjoyed it, took the time to write a fabulous review, and then to download my previous book ‘Bagpipes & Bullshot’.

All of this made me wonder why bookshops, both on the high street and online, continue to label Relationship Novels as ‘Women’s Fiction’ as if men should have nothing to do with them?
It’s stereotyping in the extreme. Yet the market for relationship novels continues to expand and men and women are breaking the stereotypical role image every day in real life. So why do publishers insist that the covers of Chicklit genre novels are routinely pastel colours with swirly-girly illustrations rather than designing innovative covers with a wider appeal? They would say they are ‘target marketing’ of course - and it’s an undeniable fact that women read more than men do and that women buy more books - but that is hardly forward thinking. It is being narrow minded. How are we ever going to encourage men to read romantic contemporary fiction if we alienate them?
Romcom for All!
Nicky’s Centrestage blog post attracted some interesting comments and stirred up some passions on the subject of genre gender divide. Nicky Wells said: “Men do read romance.  Yes, they do.  I know that for a fact. They just don’t talk about it, they don’t like to admit it, and they certainly wouldn’t want to be seen holding a romantic novel in their hands while travelling on the Tube. If you think about it, it’s kind of obvious.  Everyone loves a happy ending.  Everyone wants to be loved.  Everyone is looking for that special someone in their life.  Why should men not enjoy a romantic novel?  In fact, the clever man will read romance as a ‘how to’ manual!”

So do men have a lot to learn from a romantic relationship novel? And are men more likely to read romance on an ereader? What do YOU think? As a woman – how do YOU feel about the segregation of ‘Women’s Fiction’ As a man – are YOU man enough to read a romance novel?
Fellow author Nicky Wells and I are calling for a campaign to bring ‘Romcom for All’ We will be tweeting using the hashtag #romcom4all. Please join the debate and share your views!


Click here to go to visit Nicky Wells Blog
Please do feel free to leave a comment before you go, share this post on Facebook or your other social networks, tag this blog with your own blog post so that we can follow YOU – and don’t forget to and tweet YOUR thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag  #romcom4all. About my fellow author Nicky Wells:  Nicky Wells writes fun and glamorous contemporary romance featuring a rock star and the girl next door that rocks your world!  Nicky is signed to Sapphire Star Publishing and loves rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters.  When she’s not writing, she is a wife, mother, and teaching assistant.  Nicky is also a featured author with the innovative reader/author project, loveahappyending.com. Visit Nicky on her blog where you can find articles, interviews, radio interviews and, of course, an ongoing update on her work in progress, the second and third parts of the Rock Star Romance Trilogy.  You can also follow Nicky on Twitter and find her on Facebook.

Behind the Scenes…. Research

This is the first in a series of ‘Behind the Scenes’ posts that I’d like to do for writers and readers alike. It’s an account of how one writer constructs a novel from concept to completion and this first post is very much about concept. It’s actually the part I love the most. You see, for me, one of the best things about the whole writing process is all the fun research I do beforehand!
Some writers claim to do very little in the way of research but most I know do some in advance and more as they write the story. This is all very much on a ‘need to know’ basis. Many say they do research afterwards, in order to authenticate or flesh out already written scenes. I can see how this would be a time efficient way of working - but my approach to research is quite different as I advocate something I like to call ‘the total immersion method’. You’ll know from previous posts about plotting that I don’t ever plan a storyline before I sit down to write, but that doesn’t mean that I’m at all unprepared. I start with two main characters and (as I write stories with a strong romantic thread) I will have already identified the conflicts, both physical and emotional, that will stand in the way of them falling deeply in love. Once these conflicts are resolved of course, over the length of the entire story, we are led to an emotionally satisfying conclusion for both the characters and for the reader. But is it enough to simply write a ‘satisfying’ story? Fiction is all about living in another world for a while - and I’m not just talking about Sci-Fi or Fantasy genre here – but the importance of creating a realistic three dimensional setting with authentic real-life problems which relate to that setting. I believe the best way for a writer to achieve this realism in fiction is through immersive research. The Total Immersion Method. I discovered this method entirely by accident while writing my first novel. I was at the penultimate chapter and my hero was in court and facing a jury. He was about to discover not only his fate but which of the two women in his life was going to stand by him. Suddenly, to my frustration, I realised that the scene wasn’t working and it was because I had no experience of actually being in a courtroom. Then something amazing happened: I was called up for jury service. For a whole week I listened to the evidence presented and observed the formality of the setting, the tension in the room, the mannerisms of the judge, the lawyers and the barristers. It was the richest source of study for my novel I could have wished for and it taught me the true value of research. I went on to finish my scene, complete the novel, and have it immediately accepted by a publisher. For my second novel, Bagpipes & Bullshot, I needed to know about Scottish country estate farming in order to get real perspective on what might work in my plot and what wouldn’t. So I donned my wellies and wax jacket and went out to explore the countryside and to interview farmers, gamekeepers and country estate staff. Getting out there and fully immersing myself in a real setting made my fictional one immediately come to life and revealed to me scenes and plotlines that I would never have imagined without the benefit of first-hand experience. My third novel Reaching for the Stars is set in the world of top chefs and steamy kitchens and was, as I’m sure you can imagine, great fun to research! Interviewing Michelin starred chefs and those who cook for VIP’s and celebrities in real life gave me inside perspective and a fantastic but realistic setting for my entirely fictional novel about a gorgeous but lonely media-hounded celebrity chef with anxiety issues. Readers have said in reviews for Reaching for the Stars that they felt they were ‘transported to the scene’. All, I’m sure, not just down to this author’s overactive imagination but through her meticulous and immersive research. Me with top chef Colin Masson
For my current work in progress, an exciting romance story about an eco-lawyer and an industrialist, my extensive research is done and the hard work of writing has now begun. But as work on this novel progresses, I’m also researching for the next book, which will be set in the wonderful world of horticulture. You see, in order to totally immerse myself in this research, I’m currently working part time hours in a fabulous independently owned garden centre - and just from my day to day real life experiences, I can already tell you that the plot ideas are flowing - and I can’t wait to get started on writing this next one too! I’d love your thoughts on this post from the perspective of a reader, a writer, or both - so please do leave a comment and feel free to share on Twitter, Facebook etc etc. See you next Friday! Janice xx

Author Showcase - Gilli Allan

This week I’m hosting fellow Romantic Novelist, Gilli Allan.
Gilli has been previously traditionally published but now self publishes in ebook format which, she says, has given her the freedom not to follow any kind of formula in her writing. “Love may still be the engine of the plot, not that my characters are necessarily aware of this, but I try to write honestly, refusing to romanticise the downsides and the pitfalls in modern relationships”. Gilli’s new book ‘Life Class’ is out on Kindle on the 1st May. For the next two weeks, she is running a special price offer on her current book ‘Torn’ for those of you who might not have yet discovered this talented author.
Take it away Gilli..!
I woke this morning, my mind still pleasurably caught up in the dream I’d been having.  When I’d properly come to, the dream lingered. I was prompted to think about the iconic opening line of Daphne du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’, which led me on to the not very startling conclusion that all writers (of fiction) need to be able to dream. 
At this point I have to make it clear that, despite the originating thought, I am no longer talking about that thing we do when we’re asleep, although for some, I understand, their night-time adventures can be quite an important wellspring of their waking creativity.  I am talking about switching off from the prosaic world around you and allowing yourself to fantasise - to start playing the ‘what if...?’ game. I am convinced everyone possesses this potential. If you played make-believe as a child, whether it was Cowboys and Indians, Princes and Princesses or Orcs and Hobbits, you were tapping into that ‘let’s pretend’ part of your brain. I am not saying that everyone has a good book in them, few do, but everyone has the capacity to dream.  No one would buy a lottery ticket, bet on a horse or consider going in for X Factor, if they didn’t. In many people, however, the child-like part of the brain that devises a scenario, fills it with characters and weaves the ingredients into a story, seems to wither as they grow older and real life takes over.  
All fiction writers must hang on to this capacity, although their imaginative life varies wildly from one to another. Some stay in the world of pure fantasy, of fairies, knights and maidens, vampires, time-slip or space travel. Others create a world, which some might argue is still fantasy, by writing erotica or category romance peopled by beautiful ‘cinderellas’ and handsome billionaires.  Others create a darker, gritty, uncomfortable world peopled with policemen, low-lifes and serial killers.  In many ways I wish I could put a convenient label on my stories.  They don’t fall within any easily pinned down sub-genre like Chick-Lit or Rom Com. If anything, my own imaginative star leads me to subvert the stereotypes of romantic fiction - to people the contemporary world I’ve created with plausible characters, who aren’t drop dead gorgeous, or mega rich, or film star handsome. I give them the regrets and ambitions any of us might have, the strengths, flaws and weaknesses that make them human and believable. And then I throw in obstacles to trip them up and divert them from achieving their goals. The path to happiness, whatever that means for the individual concerned, may not be smooth, it may lead in unexpected directions, but in the end....   Well, you’ll have to read one of my books to find out.
Oh yes...  about that dream, the one that set me thinking...  You may not believe me, but last night I dreamt I was having an affair with Johnny Depp!


Alongside the publication of ‘Life Class’, Gilli is running a special offer price cut - for the next two weeks - on her book ‘Torn’.

Gilli’s Links:http://www.gilliallan.blogspot.com/http://famousfiveplus.blogspot.com/http://britishromancefiction.blogspot.co.uk/twitter: @gilliallan
Thanks for all your comment's - I love to hear from you.Do pop back next week - when I'll be discussing my favourite writerly  topic - research!

From Zero to my Latest Hero....

Apologies for a splash and dash blog post this week – but I’m writing, working, writing, working, writing….
Although, don't you dash off just yet – because I did do an interview this week with innovative reader/writer website Loveahappyending.com founder Linn B Halton.  Linn asked me to spill the beans on the specifics of my ‘From Zero to my Latest Hero…’ talk at the Loveahappyending Summer Audience Event of the 16th June - and this is what I had to say…!

Janice talks to Linn B Halton about her talk at The Summer Audience Event
Do tell me - what are YOU busy doing this week…?

The Lucky 7 Challenge..!

Thank you to my fun friends  Chris Longmuir, Carole Ann Carr and Susan Eliot Wright, who tagged me to take part in The Lucky 7 Challenge. They said the rules were simple and here they are: Go to page 77 of your current novel or WIP. Go to line 7. Copy the next 7 lines, sentences or paragraphs and post them as they're written. Tag 7 more writers and let them know.These 7 lines are taken from my current novel 'Reaching for the Stars'

It wasn't actually him, but rather a life-size cardboard cut-out. It took a while to regain her composure, but then she walked up to the image to poke her finger at it, and to wonder why a replica might be standing on the pavement looking angry and welding a very big knife. Was he perhaps promoting a new restaurant without telling her? Then, curiously, she noticed it advertised a website: www.mcduffhunting.com. At the market, while buying herbs and olives for canapés, she saw a stall selling T-shirts. Amused, she bought one with the slogan The Hunt is On!

And in turn I'm tagging….
Kenneth RosenbergKit DominoLindyLouMacDiane FordhamAnita ChapmanLiz HarrisYOU – feel free to accept The Lucky 7 Challenge.
As usual, also feel free to leave a comment here, follow my blog, like my author Facebook page and follow me on Twitter. I'd love to hear from you!
See you next Friday…! Love, Janice xx

Thank You..!

I want to say a big thank you to all eight thousand of you who downloaded 'Reaching for the Stars' last weekend in my blogiversary free promotion. It was a tremendous success in that as well as reaching lots of lovely new readers, 'Reaching for the Stars' went zooming up the paid charts this week on Amazon to the Number Two spot in the Top 100 Women's Fiction chart.Thank you also to all those who have been buying 'Reaching for the Stars' this week. You tried very hard to nudge Sophie Kinsella and her new novel off that Number One spot - but I'm afraid the lovely Sophie just wasn't for budging!
You'll remember that last week, I was offering heart shaped chocolates and sweeties in a draw for all those who commented, shared & tweeted about the promotion. Well, I wish I had hundreds of these yummy treats to give away this Easter, because I really appreciated each and every one of you who support me. So, as well as sending virtual hugs to you all, I'll be posting out the box of chocolate hearts to Old Kitty and the heart shaped sweeties to Jan Brigden (Briggy44). Please email your postal addresses to janice.horton@btinternet.com and I'll send you your treats. Enjoy!


All this excitement has attracted the attention of the Dumfries & Galloway media – and yesterday I was interviewed for our local paper about my year of social networking, my blogiversary, and my ebooks. Thank you to Arts and Entertainments Editor Sara Bain of 'The Standard' for her support. Sara has said it would be helpful to her if readers of this article were to 'rate the story'. Thanks. Click here to read the online article in The Dumfries & Galloway Standard
Thank you all again and a Happy Easter! If you don't yet have copies of my ebooks 'Bagpipes & Bullshot' and 'Reaching for the Stars' and you are looking for a bit of romance over this bank holiday weekend – look no further - and download your copies now. They both cost less than £1 – that's less than the price of an Easter egg and there are absolutely NO calories involved! Janice Horton's Books on Amazon.co.uk Janice Horton's Books on Amazon.com

My Blogiversary Giveaway!

Wow - a whole year has gone by since I first started this blog and since I joined Twitter and Facebook and launched into the world of e-books. I have a lot to celebrate! I've made lots of lovely new friends. I've blogged here and guest blogged there. I've showcased lots of talented authors and I've received fabulous book reviews for Bagpipes & Bullshot and Reaching for the Stars - the two ebooks I've launched this year. I've chatted about all things book related and I've encouraged you to pop back every Friday. Thank you so much!To celebrate properly I've got presents – not for me – but for YOU!The first gift is a FREE copy of my latest ebook 'Reaching for the Stars', my highly rated romantic novel about a disgruntled celebrity chef, which is available to download without charge from Amazon over the next THREE DAYS.

   I'd love your support in getting the word out about this FREE promotion.Next, the gifts are the yummy kind and, because I love you all so much for being my friends and following this blog, I'm going to award these heart shaped gifts in a prize draw. All you have to do to be in with a chance to win a yummy box of mini chocolate hearts or a bag of traditional heart shaped sweeties is to leave a comment, share the news on Facebook, or any other social networking platform about my free download, or retweet one of my @JaniceHorton tweets!

These lovely Blogger friends are all helping me to spread the word about the 'Reaching for the Stars' FREE download today (Friday 30th) and Saturday (31st) and Sunday (1st April): so if you have a moment to spare over this weekend please do pop over to read my guest Blogiversary posts. Kim The Bookworm Love Reading Love Books Little Reader Library Celtic Connexions Blogging With Rich   Join in the fun this weekend and download 'Reaching for the Stars' for FREE from Amazon - and if you already have it on your Kindle - then please consider recommend it to a friend. Download Reaching for the Stars from Amazon.co.uk Download Reaching for the Stars from Amazon.com

Author Showcase - Myra Duffy

This week I'm delighted to introduce you to Scottish author Myra Duffy, who writes non fiction and fiction, including novels (mystery and contemporary women's fiction), short stories and poetry. She has had short stories and articles published in a variety of magazines and is a member of Writer's Scotland Group, to which I also proudly belong. Myra is also currently President of Erskine Writers Group.

Myra, you also write short stories and non-fiction, which do you prefer and why? I've always enjoyed writing non-fiction because it comes from personal experience and I feel confident about my areas of expertise but in recent years I've concentrated on fiction. Short stories tend to come to me almost fully formed - a sudden idea - and I like to write character based short stories with a sting in the tale. But mostly I prefer to write novels, though they are more difficult and more time consuming of course, but over the length of the novel you have time to develop both character and plot. My Bute novels feature the same main character, Alison Cameron, and I'm getting very well acquainted with her.

Why did you choose to write 'cosy crime'?The main interest for me in any crime is the puzzle - who did it and why. I suppose this springs from the development of the characters and I like to keep the reader guessing as long as possible, though there are plenty of clues in the novel. Bute is an ideal place to set such stories. It's a small island off the West coast of Scotland with a population of no more than 6000 people, except in the summer when the population is swelled by many visitors. This gives me all the benefits of a location that has strong associations for people in the West of Scotland (many of whom spent childhood holidays on Bute) and indeed with the many people of Scottish descent throughout the world. It allows me to focus in on the characters and use a kind of shorthand for the locations. And in a small place you have lots of opportunities for local gossip and intrigues to help move the plot along! I prefer not to write about violent crime. I prefer to write the kind of books I like to read.

How do the islanders feel about your Alison Cameron mysteries being set on Bute? Some of them are rather bemused, I think. But everyone has been very supportive, very helpful. And I do know a number of people living on the mainland, having read the books, decided to take a trip to the island. So I suppose I'm doing my bit for island tourism, though I am very careful to have a large disclaimer about the characters not being based on anyone I know. I do use real locations, but often change details for purposes of the plot. I must add that the island isn't the hotbed of crime that my novels suggest. In fact there is very little crime and it is a beautiful place with lots of unspoiled beaches and excellent walking, including the West Island Way. A lot of money is being spent on upgrading facilities, including the Art Deco Rothesay Pavilion which features strongly in the next book.

Do you have a favourite writing place? I write in the attic, which isn't nearly as Spartan as it sounds! I have a PC facing a blank wall to avoid distractions. But I can write anywhere and often write some of my novel on the ferry to Bute.
What are you working on now? My current novel, the work-in-progress, is for the moment called 'Last Dance at the Rothesay Pavilion' and the plot centres on the renovation of the Pavilion. During the last war Bute (especially Rothesay) was a very busy place as many army and navy personnel, including some from Canada, were stationed there and there is a fund of stories about what went on. Ettrick Bay, for example was used as a practice run for the D-Day landings. I'm weaving some of this history into the novel and I hope the twist will please readers.

Any tips for new writers? Join a writers' group! There's no doubt in my mind that joining Erskine Writers a few years ago was just the impetus I needed to take my fiction writing seriously. Everyone has been so supportive, I've learned lots and the opportunities to enter competitions and receive advice from the judges have given me exactly the kind of help I needed. Writing can be a very solitary business and apart from the opportunities to develop your skills, a writing group offers a great social focus.
Myra has a blog and a website and her books are available to buy on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com . Thanks for featuring on my Author Showcase, Myra!
NEXT FRIDAY: I have a very special blog post for next weekend - as it's my First Blogiversary! I'm also celebrating exactly one year of indie e-book publishing and will be giving away lots of presents to YOU – so please pop back on Friday 30th March - for a fun filled and gift giving blogiversary party post. Yay!

An Exciting New Venture...

This week, I'm sharing with you an exciting new venture. I've been asked to give a talk at the Loveahappyending  'Summer Audience' taking place in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, on Saturday 16th June.
Now, I'm not an experienced speaker - but I certainly do have a tale to tell - as my experiences of becoming an author by the traditional route and more recently as an indie, are rather unusual and sometimes rather amusing! I was a little hesitant at first but our middle son, who lives in Edinburgh and struts past the likes of Neil Gaiman and Ian Rankin et al in the streets at Writer's Festival time, insisted that I give it a shot. He said, "mum, you really should be out there giggin'".
So I'm going to try and I'd love you to consider coming along. The 'Summer Audience' is aimed at all readers and anyone who aspires to write and the programme is now available. You can check it out by clicking the link below.
Loveahappyending Summer Audience  Programme
Tickets are now available too at the fantastic price of £25 per person, which includes a whole day of informal talks by various authors in different writing genres, a light lunch, a keynote speaker, and several short but informative workshops. Plus, of course, the aforementioned riveting and hopefully amusing talk by Yours Truly, which is enticingly entitled 'From Zero to my Latest Hero…'.
It's not to be missed - so don't wait until the tickets are all sold out – get yours now!
Buy Your Summer Event Tickets Here