Claire Robyns's Blog, page 12

PICS FROM FRANCE

I can't believe we've been back two weeks already, my holiday to Brittany feels like months ago. I'm ready for another one! But we had a lovely time with all the family.

Saturday morning early, we caught the ferry across the channel and left the shores of Britian behind

We had the cutest,most gorgeous house in Guidel, right on the coast. It looks a little like a ginger bread house, doesn't it? deceptively small but large enough to fit the whole family in!


We swam... sort of



We ate... A LOT!


We saw...

'ALO 'ALO

Just back from two blissful weeks in France. I slipped off quietly as we'd specifically hired a villa with wifi (or as the French say, wee-fee) access, so I was expecting to be on-line. The sleepy seaside village in France (Guidel) didn't seem to understand my concerns when we arrived to *broken* line. The first two days were panic and chaos, you should have seen our house. We had blackberries, laptops and Wii and no connection to the outside world. In our search, we arrived at a McDonalds ab...

Pesky Characters and when to dump them

If you're a writer, or know a writer, you'll know that us writers hate to cut anything out. All that time spent on a gorgeously crafted scene? Every word, sentence and plot arc is a blood testament to my art. Right?
So, I've been nitpicking my last chapter over and over and over. Re-reading, editing, tightening... staring at the page for hours on end. I just couldn't seem to move on. The problem? There was this character, a delightful character with a walk-on role earlier in the book but with ...

Fear is a five letter word

I've been resisting, truly, but apparently the strength and length of my willpower is 1 day. But seriously *shakes head* what is it about every small success or growth in the EBOOK market that immediately causes an outcry and vehement denial?

Once again Amazon mentions how well their digital devices and ebooks are doing and once again there's an outroar about how skewered their figures are and it cannot possibly be true. Close eyes. Dig head in ground. If we don't acknowledge it, then it isn't...

Coming up for air...

Feels as if the last couple of weeks sucked me down a black hole, but I'm finally seeing the sunlight.

And I've finally got an e-reader. After more than a year of reading ebooks on my netbook, I made a decision. Well, I was actually rooting for a nook, but Barnes & Noble customer service informed me they don't ship internationally, baaah! So I got a Kindle and I'm loving it! I was mostly relieved to find that I could still buy my drm-free books at other sites and upload them to Kindle effortle...

Introducing Rae Summers

It's very exciting for me to have Rae Summers here, a fellow South African and a writing friend. Rae's debut book, Let's Misbehave, releases today from Wild Rose Press. I was priviledged to read this in raw form, and absolutely loved it.

Gabrielle is the quintessential Flapper, a wild child who turns her back on home and a resentful and unloving mother to become a nightclub singer. She wants nothing more from life than freedom and pleasure.

Sebastian is a dutiful son, following in his father's...

Happy Release Day to BETRAYED

It feels a little like Betrayed's 21st birthday today.

I nutured this book through draft mode and many rounds with my critique group to get it edited and polished. I worried when I sent Betrayed out on submission and I might have shed a tear or two when it came back rejected, I smiled when it came back with gracious comments and I squealed in excitement when Carina Press loved Betrayed and wanted to publish it.

I took a small step back, relinquising my possessive hold on every last word and co...

Guest Author: Alice Gaines with Miss Foster's Folly

I'm very happy to have a fellow Carina Press historical romance writer here today. Alice Gaines is a multi-published author and I'm looking forward to hearing more about Miss Foster's Folly.

Manhattan, 1886
Juliet Foster has just become the wealthiest spinster in town. Her domineering and thoroughly unpleasant father has died and left her millions. She's free to be her own woman and seek a life of adventure.
David Winslow, Marquess of Derrington, is in search of a wife who can break the Winslow ...

Guest Author: Toni Anderson with Sea of Suspicion

It's great to have another hot author from Carina Press here to tell us a little about herself and her latest release.

Marine biologist Susie Cooper traded her life in America for a dream job on the rugged Scottish coast. Now all she lacks is the right man to start a family with. After their first meeting, she knows sexy Detective Inspector Nick Archer isn't what she's looking for. He's the type of guy whose idea of commitment is staying the whole night.
Nick has returned to St. Andrews for one...

A quick Update

Sneaking in between all my wonderful author spotlights to give you a quick update on Betrayed.

It's almost time, Betrayed is up at NetGalley for reviewers and also on some e-shop sites for pre-order! I can't wait for 5 July when Betrayed goes live.

I'll be doing a series of author interviews and spotlights in the upcoming weeks. I've added a "Betrayed Goes on Tour" section to my side bar so you can keep up with where I am, if you wish to stop on by