Talli Roland's Blog, page 31

Par-tay!

After a lovely night last night -- drinks at a funky lounge bar then a fantastic dinner at Somerset House (steak! Bearnaise sauce! chips! sticky toffee pudding!) -- tonight I'm off to the Romantic Novelists' Association Summer Party. What can I say, it's a tough life, but someone's gotta do it. Anyway, it will be good to get out my of rubbish Primark threads for an epic two nights in a row!
I've been to a few RNA events over the past year, and I've always had a great time. Everyone is so friendly and lovely, and I love meeting online friends.
I'll have an extra drink/ canape/ spin around the floor for you all!

Ten for Tuesday: Things I Love

Woo! It's Tuesday, and I'm actually going out for dinner tonight at Somerset House on the South Bank to celebrate my and Mr TR's kissaversary.
So, here are ten things I love!
1. Tumblr. It's my new addiction.
2. Twitter. I've met so many great people in there!
3. Twizzlers. Red ones. Yum!
4. Mr TR. Enough said. :)
5. Newsletters. (Ha! I slipped this one in there just to say, if anyone would like to sign up for my fun-filled newsletter, you can do so here, or on the sidebar. I do love newsletters, though!)
6. Salt and vinegar crisps. My mouth is watering now just thinking about it.
7. My brand new Kindle! Just arrived today!
8. The smell of freshly bought clothing. Pure starchy goodness.
9. Bread. Any kind, anywhere. Just gimme some bread.
10. Raspberries. Mashed up with Chantilly cream and lots of sugar, over a sponge cake.
Gosh, I'm starving now!
What are your loves?

Smelly Animals

Why, it's Monday! How did that happen?
I've got my revisions back and after seven hours spent staring at the screen, going: 'How can I make that work?', my brain is fried. So I did what I usually do for inspiration: I went on Twitter and asked what I should blog about today. And I must thank @InTheseHeels for providing the inspiration of smelly animals. It's timely, too, seeing as how I have a paragraph about a stinky guinea pig in Willow.
Without further ado...
'Take that, you disgusting rodent,' Jay Bellamy growled, pouring a fresh handful of sawdust over the world's smelliest guinea pig. He smirked as the animal tried in vain to shake off the flakes. Bunny – just why his mother had named her guinea pig Bunny was beyond him; if she wanted a rabbit she should have got one! – was the bane of his already horrifying existence. It was bad enough having to move back in with his mother in Milton Keynes, but when you had to share your room with a stinking, chubby guinea pig, too . . . ugh.
Don't you just love a malodorous rodent?
On Bad Blogger Day (Friday!), I was on the Minxes of Romance, talking about book promotion. Check it out if you have a chance!

Guest Post by Nicole Zoltack

Better late than never! Today I've the pleasure of welcoming Nicole Zoltack to my blog! Since it's Friday night here now, I've had one glass of wine too many and there's a pizza burning in the oven, I'll turn this over to Nicole:

When I sit down to write, I either have a plot idea or a main character that just won't shut up. I then sit down at the computer and just type. I am definitely a pantser!

I write like I read for the most part, and as such, if I think to far ahead of where I am in the story - specifically if I think about and figure out the ending - I never finish the story. I get bored with it.

And when you're writing the last book in a trilogy, you can be sure I was thinking about the ending long before I actually reached it! Needless to say, Champion of Valor, the last book in my fantasy romance Kingdom of Arnhem series, was by far the hardest to write.

The first book - Woman of Honor - practically wrote itself. I knew the main character first - a young girl who asks her king if she can train to become a knight.

Knight of Glory I knew I wanted to expand the fantasy world so it was more plot oriented.

But Champion of Valor had to tie up many of the loose odds and ends and there was a war to resolve, and oh yeah, Lucifer was trying to bring about the Apocalypse before its time. To say that I got stuck several times while writing it would be an understatement!

But writing Champion of Valor as I did forced me to more closely examine my writing process. By realizing that I write as a reader has helped me become a better writer. I always strove to write stories I would love to read, but now I know that I need to fall in love with the hero, root for the heroine, feel their pain and anguish, struggle with them through their hardships as I write the story, and hopefully the reader will feel the exact same way when reading them.

What about you? What kind of a writer are you? Is your writing style anything like mine?

Be sure to leave a comment to be entered to win some signed post cards and magnets. Each comment during the Champion of Valor Blog Tour gives you an entry for the grand prize: a copy of the entire Kingdom of Arnhem trilogy - Woman of Honor, Knight of Glory, and Champion of Valor.

Have a great weekend, all!

Dead or Alive... and Contest!

Happy Thursday!
I'm over on Rebecca Bradley's blog today, talking about who I'd meet -- dead or alive. (Bon Jovi has just popped into my head. Waaanted: dead or alive. Cue guitar...)
Ahem.
Exciting contest!

To celebrate the launch of her latest urban fantasy novel, Blood Faerie, author India Drummond will give away five Kindle copies of her book on its release day, June 1, 2011.

Blood Faerie is the first in India Drummond's new series, Caledonia Fae. I've read the novel and even though it's not my usual fare, I was blown away. I love India's writing -- it was almost hypnotic as it pulled me along, and I just had to keep reading.

The blurb:

Unjustly sentenced to death, Eilidh ran—away from faerie lands, to the streets of Perth, Scotland. Just when she has grown accustomed to exile, local police discover a mutilated body outside the abandoned church where she lives. Recognising the murder as the work of one of her own kind, Eilidh must choose: flee, or learn to tap into the forbidden magic that cost her everything.

To enter to win a Kindle copy of the new book, all you have to do is sign up for her email newsletter. The email list is only used to announce book releases and important events, and emails are sent out infrequently. (It's free, and it's easy to unsubscribe after the contest date if you find it's not for you.) Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/bTDfP

Five winners' names will be announced on the India Drummond newsletter on June 1st, along with instructions for how winners can claim their free Kindle books. Only subscribers are eligible to win.

No Kindle? No problem! Anyone with a PC, Mac, or smart-device (iPhone, Blackberry, Android phone, etc) can read a Kindle book. Download free reading software here.

Want to quadruple your chances of winning? Simply tweet about the contest with a link to any participating blog post and include @IndiaDrummond in your tweet. Or, share the link on Facebook. (But be sure to add @India Drummond to tag her on the link so she will see it! – You can add her to your friend list here). And finally, add another entry to the list by posting about the contest on your blog.-- Tweet and share the link as much as you like, but only one additional entry per method, per person.

Good luck, everyone!

Britaversary!

Me and Mr TR on the Cotswold Way, six years ago
Seven years ago today, I arrived in the UK. I knew no-one, I had no job, and I really didn't know what to expect.
Now, I'm married, I'm a British citizen and I have three books published with another on the way. Looking back on that day when my plane landed at Gatwick on a misty May morning, I can't believe how far I've come. And I wouldn't have it any other way! I've made my home in London and fallen in love with (almost) everything about it.
So... here's to the UK! Cheers!
On a completely unrelated note, I'm guesting over at Pauline Barclay's website, talking about how I have no self-control. Sad but true.

Ten for Tuesday: Debris on My Desk

Interesting, non? Don't you want to hear what's on my desk, at this very moment?
1. Empty coffee mug. Must be retained until the writing day is finished, or all hell will break loose.
2. Two phones. My Samsung Galaxy Europe and an old pink Nokia, because I'm too lazy to update my new number with everyone.
3. Aloe Vera Vaseline Lip Therapy. I can't live without it.
4. Empty water glass. 'Coz I'm thirsty.
5. A hooked-rug coaster featuring a kitty cat design, from Cheticamp, Nova Scotia. My little piece of home.
6. A metallic camel penholder from Egypt. A gift from my husband's cousin when we were in Cairo last year.
7. A paperclip holder moulded from plasticine and lots o' paperclips. A 'gift' from Mr TR. So romantic.
8. A tissue. Because this damn pollen is making my nose run!
9. A guillotine (that's what they call a paper-cutter here. Scary). No idea why.
10. A wrist-rest for my keyboard. I never use it.
What's on your desk?

Oh, Hello There!

Hello!
I'm back, after a week's hiatus, and it feels ssoooo goooood. *breaks into song* You'll be happy to hear I completed my (very) initial round of edits for Willow and sent them off to my editor, although she assures me she'll be winging back requested revisions shortly. Eeep! While I'm pleased with Willow overall, there are always things I can't see for myself and I LOVE those aha moments you get when editors read your work.
This week away from blogging -- especially after the frantic month that was April -- has been downright weird. It's the first time I've taken a break and not gone on vacation somewhere and it made me realise just how much of my time I devote to blogging. Suddenly, I had my evenings free! I could go out without worrying about how many comments I'd need to return the next day! I could have a life! (Well, let's not get carried away here.)
Don't get me wrong; I do love blogging and visiting blogs, and I missed everyone while I was gone. But I realise sometimes it is a good thing to step back and just be, without the whirl of social media. My week allowed me to recharge my batteries and plunge back in!
How often do you take blogcations? And how do you feel when you return?

International Chick Lit Month!

So, yes. I'm supposed to be on blogcation until a week from tomorrow. But I couldn't NOT blog on the first day of International Chick Lit Month!
Run by review websites Novelicious, Chick Lit is Not Dead and Chick Lit Club, the month of May will feature authors, giveaways and lots of chicklitty goodness.
And guess what? The Hating Game is the month's first giveaway! Two paperback copies are up for grabs over there. The contest is open worldwide until 4th May.
See you next Monday!

Ze End!

Wow, what a month! Over a thousand bloggers took part in the A to Z Challenge -- truly an epic turn-out for an initiative started by Arlee Bird last year. I don't mind saying that at times I felt just a tad overwhelmed trying to get around to everyone, but it was worth it to meet some wonderful new bloggers!
I'm proud to say I completed the challenge, despite two days of darkness on this blog after Google removed it unexpectedly (more on that to come at a future date). Thank goodness for an older blog, where I posted the letters X and Y. I'm thrilled I have my usual blog back again to finish it off. It's been such a pleasure co-hosting the challenge and I hope my new blogger buds continue to keep in touch.
On to yesterday's giveaway: the winners of The Golden Prince are: *drumroll* L'Aussie and Bish Denham ! Woo! Ladies, I'll be in touch for your addresses.
And if you get a chance head over to Chick Lit Love to see another tip from me. And I do believe you still have a few hours to win a hard copy of The Hating Game! Massive thanks to Laura for running the tips all this week, and for putting together such fun clips!
I'll be taking a blog break until Monday, May 9th. After the busy month and all the drama of the past few days. I'm woefully behind on Willow edits and I need to have them to my editor pronto! Have a great weekend, everyone!