Talli Roland's Blog, page 7

Notting Hill Press Launches!

Hello, Monday!

This week has been a busy one as usual, especially since Baby TR has decided he does not want to nap in his lovely new crib. Camping out in his room during nap-times has somewhat reduced my productivity although I swear I now have the ability to see in the dark.

But onwards and upwards! Today is an exciting day: I'm thrilled to announce the launch of a new publishing partnership I'm involved in: Notting Hill Press, a place to find some of the U.K.'s best-loved chick lit/romantic comedy. 

With more than 40 books already under its imprint, our authors include Sunday Times best-sellers Belinda Jones, Chrissie Manby and Sue Welfare; Romantic Novelist Association nominees and award-winners Victoria Connelly and Scarlett Bailey (aka Rowan Coleman); Festival of Romance  award-winner Nicola May; and best-selling debut author Lucy Robinson and Amazon best-sellers Nick Spalding, Matt Dunn and Michele Gorman.

Phew! 

We have a piece on the USA Today Romance blog explaining how it all came about, but basically, we're a collective of traditionally published writers who are also self-publishing, and we'll be sharing promotional efforts and professional contacts. Plus, we want Notting Hill Press to act as a sort of 'seal of approval' for British chick lit/ rom-com novels. It's an exciting time to be an author, and we hope this new initiative will showcase author power.

And there's a huge giveaway happening over on our Facebook page. Pop by to check it out!

Enough excitement for one day, I think . . . and little Lobster Baby is wailing again, so I must be off. See you next week!

Party and Parks

Happy Tuesday! Yes, Tuesday. I'm a little late posting this week, owing to the long weekend. For once, we had sun! Yes, sun! On a Bank Holiday weekend. I needed a drink to get over my flabbergastion (should be a word!).

I've been attending parties . . .

At the RNA Party a couple weeks ago.
Wrangling with this little guy . . .

Now five months old!
And enjoying springtime in London with my parents.





And, of course, I've been writing writing writing. It's busy times here chez Roland!

Is it spring in your neck of the woods? Have a great week, everyone!

Love, Cupid, and Gosling

Happy Monday!

This week I am gallivanting around the city (well, as much as one can 'gallivant' with a five-month-old), so I'm inviting the wonderful and vivacious Holly Hepburn to take over my blog today! I shall return next week with photos from the RNA Summer Party and all my latest exploits. Brace yourself!

Until then . . . here's Holly!


My name is Holly Hepburn and I am an addict. But before you judge me, read my story.
Back in December 2012, I was just like you. I had an idea for a book about Cupid, but I thought it would be a YA novel and, with all my other writing, I didn't really have time to write it. Then two things happened; firstly, I watched a film called Crazy Stupid Love, starring a certain R Gosling. I should say at this point that although I was aware of Le Gosling, I hadn't seen any of his films and could quite possibly have passed him on the street without knowing it. That all changed once I watched Crazy Stupid Love. Not only did it make me guffaw with laughter, it ignited an - um - appreciation of the actor himself.
The second thing was that I dreamed I actually wrote Cupidity. Only it wasn't a YA novel, it was a chick lit novella and it sold like red roses on St Valentine's Day. And in my dream, it was made into a film starring Ryan Gosling as Cupid. After that, it seemed rude not to write the book and release it on Valentine's Day 2013.
Fast forward around two months and I abandoned the project at around 13,000 words. It was two days before Valentine's Day, I couldn't finish it in time and I had other deadlines banging at my door. So, with deep regret, I closed the Google page of Ryan Gosling images and got on with my other writing.
Around six weeks later, I was finishing my contribution to the Sunlounger anthology and was hit by the sudden realisation that Cupidity didn't have to be a Valentine's Day story - it could work just as well as a tale of summer loving. With quivering fingers, I searched out an image of my leading man, made it the wallpaper on my phone and knuckled down to work. Ten thousand words later, I was done - Cupidity was finished. It's been an Amazon bestseller since the day I uploaded it, which I'm obviously happy about. But the personal price has been high - I'm left with a lingering infatuation with Ryan Gosling. OK, it's more of an obsession. I mean, imagine him in a toga. Actually, I might have to make it a loincloth for the film. Mmmm, Ryan Gosling in a loincloth...
See?
My name is Holly Hepburn and I am a Gosling Addict. It has been ten minutes since I last Gosled.
My website is www.HollyHepburn.com and you can read the first chapter of Cupidity for free here www.hollyhepburn.com/books. Twitter - @hollyh_author
Thank you, Holly!
Have a lovely week, everyone.

London-versary!

Hello, all! Hope everyone had a great week and that all the mums in North American had a fabulous Mother's Day. It truly irks me to no end that in the UK, we celebrate the day in March, when the weather is at the peak of its yucky greyness. I should start a petition to move the day to May! In all my free time, snort snort. 
Well, I'm pleased to report that I'm about one-third of the way through the first draft of The No-Kids Club, my latest novel. I'm really enjoying writing it, and the three points of view are certainly providing lots of opportunity for conflict. My hope that putting more thought into plotting would mean less rewriting hasn't exactly come to fruition, though . . . I seem to have gone off-piste again! Ah, well. That's part of the fun, isn't it? Just remind me of this when I'm struggling with the edits. 
Last week, I celebrated my nine-year Londonversary. In May 2004, I packed up my belongings, hopped on a plane, and travelled to London in hopes of finding a job and a new life in one of the world's greatest cities. It was a leap of faith, and one I've never regretted making. Within a week, I'd met Mr TR, who became my guide around town -- and my boyfriend (and then, a few years later, husband). It took a little longer to find a permanent teaching job, but the hellish few months of supply teaching in Central London seemed more like an adventure than torture.
The Royal Festival Hall and the London Eye, site of my first date with Mr TR.
The Millennium Bridge to St Paul's. 
One of my favourite buildings on my street.

Now -- several jobs and one baby later -- I can't believe I've been living here for nine years. I can't imagine being anywhere else! I feel a part of this city now; it's wound its way into my life. Heck,  I even published a book on it!
So here's to nine incredible years in London . . . and the UK!
The Black Mountains in Wales. 
With Mr TR, looking down over Broadway in the Cotswolds.
A village in the Cotswolds.

If you could live anywhere you liked, where would it be?

Books, Bank Holiday, and Baby!

Happy Monday, all! We're in the middle of a glorious long weekend here, with plenty of lovely sunshine, for once. I'm a little anxious this will turn out to be our 'summer' before we plunge back into grey and cold, but I'm trying to get out and enjoy it as much as I can.

Basking in the sun in Holland Park.
'How the heck did I get here?'
They smell so gooooood!
And in book news! I've managed to finalise the cover for my new novel, The No-Kids Club . Click here to read more about it, and to add it to your Goodreads.


And in even more book news! The lovely Glynis Smy has a new novel out this week, a wonderful book called Ripped Genes.


Ripped Genes will be at a special launch price of 99c/(77p approx) for the ebook version, until end of May. The descriptive blurb holds a spoiler for those who have not read the first book. If you would like to read, Ripper, My Love , first, then contact Glynis at: glynissmy at outlook dot com, and put FREE BOOK PLEASE in the subject line. You will be sent a code for Smashwords, where you can download a copy in any format you please. 
 

Growing up in late nineteenth century East London, Kitty Harper’s life is filled with danger and death – from her mother, her beloved neighbour and the working women of the streets ... Read more. 

Purchase and Review Link to all books by Glynis Smy

About Glynis:


Glynis has lived for eight years in Cyprus. Her historical novels carry a twist in the tale, and she creates strong female characters who struggle in life. In June 2013, Glynis returns to her hometown,Harwich, Essex,in the UK, where she will gain inspiration for her next novel, The Man in Room Eighteen.  

Find Glynis on:
Twitter: @ghunibee. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glynissmyauthor



Congrats to Glynis!

Have a lovely week, everyone. I'm struggling to fit in my blog rounds with as much frequency as I used to - I'm feverishly writing whilst the baby is napping! - but please know I do appreciate each and every comment you leave. 

Scaling the Mountain

Happy Monday, everyone! It's a sunny morning here in London (yay!), and I've managed to write 1,500 words of my new novel today (yay!) and, well, I'll be drinking wine tonight (double yay!).

Starting a new novel is always a little daunting. Although I've done extensive planning this time around and I feel I know my characters' motivations inside out, it's a bit like staring up a mountain you're about to scale. Plus, I've found that no matter how much I plan, things always change. A scene I thought would take ages to write turns out to be only half a chapter, or a new character jumps into the fray. While I like the surprises, sometimes I wish writing could just be straightforward! Or that I could bl**dy well stick to an outline!

Plus, there are often those bleating voices in my head constantly saying: 'This is boooooring! No-one will read this! This is booooooring!' I find eating chocolate helps to vanquish them.

I'm hoping to get this new novel out by autumn, although with a baby in the house, one never knows what each day brings. More details coming soon!

So this week, I'll be writing, writing, writing... hopefully.

How do you feel about beginning a new novel? 

Have a great week!

What a Difference A Few Years Makes

Happy Monday, all! Hope you've had a lovely week. I've no idea where mine went!
Today I'm excited to host author Michele Gorman, talking about how publishing times have changed. Take it away, Michele!
What a Difference a Day (or a few years) Makes
In what other profession does one pour her heart and soul into her work, for years, without getting paid? All right, nuns, yes.
But we’re not nuns, are we? Definitely not. No, we’re authors, so we don’t even get VIP tickets through the pearly gates. And yet, there we are, toiling at the laptop, month after month, year after year. For what?
Well, for a lot of things, actually. Because the fact is, we love to write. Every character that we fall in love with, every storyline that comes together makes us happy. Sure, everyone has dreams of writing their first book, quitting the day job, staying in their pyjamas all day to pen novels and watch the cash roll in. But something makes us keep writing, even after that first book doesn’t find an agent or a publisher. We still write, late at night after a long day’s work, without being paid. Why? Because eventually all that writing pays off.
When I started, around 14 years ago, I had the same idea that everyone does when they start. But it took two books to find an agent, and four to find a publisher. I took me six to be in a position to quit my day job to write full-time. I’ve just published the seventh book I’ve written, Bella Summer Takes a Chance, and got to spend months with some of the warmest, funniest characters I’ve ever imagined, exploring the question: does “in love” really exist, and do you have to be in love for a relationship to last? They’re questions that I’m sure lots of women ask (myself included), and it was fantastic to see my characters figure out the answers for themselves…. I think it’s my best book yet.
That’s what I’ve learned from all this – the late nights, sacrificed weekends, knock-backs and rejections. That we get better the more we do it. It never gets easier, because we’ll always push ourselves to perfect our craft, but we get better. That’s good for us and it’s good for readers.
The publishing world has certainly changed since I started. That makes me sound like a rocking chair-bound octogenarian. In fact, we’ve seen an incredible rate of change in just a few years. The Kindle wasn’t launched until late 2007, and Amazon.co.uk’s Kindle store didn’t open until August 2010. Yet by May 2011, eBooks were outselling all other formats on Amazon.com. What a difference a few years makes, eh?
So now we can publish with the Big 5. We can publish with small presses. We can publish independently. We can do all of the above. And as tempting as it is to hurry along the process, we do need all that practice to become the best possible writers. So as tempting as it is, try not to rush it. The more we write the better we become. If it’s your dream to have a traditional publishing deal, then keep going until you get there. If you want to publish independently then make sure you give your book the attention that it, and your writing, deserve: use professional content editors and copy editors, and ensure it has the best possible cover. As authors we have more options than ever before. But at the end of the day we are authors because we love to write. And doesn’t that make us lucky girls and boys?!
Michele Gor man is the best-selling author of the Single in the City series and Bella Summer Takes a Chance. She also writes upmarket commercial fiction under the pen name Jamie Scott. Born and raised in the US, Michele has lived in London for 16 years.  If it weren't for Twitter and Facebook, Michele would be a much more prolific writer, but wouldn't have nearly as much fun, so do chat to her online:


Twitter:@expatdiaries - Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MicheleGorman... - Blog: www.michelegormanwriter.blogspot.com
Website: www.michelegorman.co.ukThank you, Michele!How have changes in the publishing world affected you?Have a great week, everyone!

Friends and Foes

Monday, Monday! And guess what? I'm not wrapped in a blanket shivering, oh no I'm not. I'm actually wearing a T-shirt. Without a sweater! Spring seems to have finally sprung in the capital, thank goodness.

Last week, I had the chance to put on my party shoes, trot lost around Victoria for a little while, then head (via pub) to Belgravia Books where the wonderful Caroline Smailes was launching her latest novel. If you haven't read any of her books... get on it! Caroline's style is unique and mesmerizing.

Me, DJ Kirkby, and a very animated Caroline. (Photo by Pete Dominican.) Me and author Michele Gorman, who'll be on the blog on Thursday!
I am so out of wine-guzzling shape, so can you believe I was hungover from two glasses of wine? Sheesh!

This week is the London Book Fair, and although I won't be gate-crashing this year, I'm looking forward to seeing my dear friend and crime writer extraordinaire Mel Sherratt while she's in town.

So what of the foes? Well, they're the mindless daytime telly programmes I seem to be falling victim to on a daily basis! No more Millionaire Matchmaker for me. And this time I mean it.

What are your foes, metaphorical or otherwise?

What I've Learned in the Past Three Months

Nothing brings yourself into sharper focus than having a baby. In the past three months, amidst the inevitable fatigue and the millionth nappy change, I've learned a lot! So, in no particular order, here are my revelations. 
About Writing:
- I need to write. Even if I'm tired or covered in spit-up, writing has become a part of me.
- Sadly, I am not one of those cool, multi-tasking writerly types who can pen their tomes from the comfort of their sofa. Nope, I need a desk, a chair, and no telly within easy reach! Hence, my new makeshift office. 
I think the word is 'basic'!- Crying babies do not enhance the creative process (surprising, I know!).
- Despite my more limited writing time, I'm still capable of wasting as much time on the Internet. Sigh!
About Babies:
- Nappies never fully contain explosive poos. I believe this is a market gap and I shall soon be developing my duct-tape diaper design. Watch for it at a Tesco near you!
- You can fall asleep while still rocking the baby's basket. Looks like I possess the multi-tasking ability after all. 
- There's nothing better than your baby's morning smile. Awwwwww!

And in other news, writer DJ Kirkby has a new book out called Special Deliveries. It's a lovely collection of stories from the maternity unit. If you enjoy Call the Midwife or One Born Every Minute, you'll definitely enjoy it, too. 
What's something you've learned recently?
Have a great week, everyone!

A Good Egg

Well, it may be the coldest Easter in the UK since records began, but I'm not going to let that affect my long weekend!

It's a holiday here today, so I'm going to just say this...



Happy Easter!
Good luck to everyone kicking off the A to Z Challenge. See you next week!