Michelle Styles's Blog, page 57

Istanbul -- Topkapi, lokum and Turkish baths

Through the centuries, the Topkapi palace has been legendary. Its harem and fabulous wealth tantalized the Western world -- what was the Harem like? How did the sultan actually live?
Topkapi served as the seat of Ottoman power from the time Mehmet the Conquer started to build it in 1453 until the mid 19th century when a far more Westernised palace -- The Dolmabahce Palace -- was built on the Europeon shore of the Bosporus.
To visit the Topkapi is catch a brief glimpse of a vanished world.
The To...

Istanbul and me

I arrived back from Istanbul yesterday, but have discovered via the kind lady who gave me a Turkish bath that I have RSI in my left wrist. I am trying to rest it etc so my time on the computer is limited and my writing comes first.



Istanbul is fabulous and far warmer than I thought it would be at the end of October.
We arrived Friday afternoon and our hotel -- Sultanhan Hotel was just what we wanted. It is set in a very quiet side street just off the main tourist tourist street of Divan Yolu

Away until the 28th

I am off to Istanbul until the 28th -- researching an upcoming book. Pictures and details will follow so people can live vicariously. I am planning on visiting the Topkapi Palace and the Harem etc etc. Plus doing some Byzantium things. I sort of blame Carol Townend as she went earlier this year and put the idea in my head. Luckily my husband thought it an excellent idea...

In an ideal world, I would have finished my mess in progress and the revisions for HRG would be in. Neither happened. My e...

The Rpmantic Times review for The Viking's Captive Princess

The Romantic Times released its December issue and reviewed The Viking's Captive Princess.
It received Four Stars and Kathe Robin said:
She (Styles) maintains the myth while adding sexual tension, nonstop action and spice.

Given all the pain that I went through with this book, getting a review like this means that I was right to do it. It is all about trying to get the book to deliver the best story possible. It gives me a spur to try to get the current one the best it can be! Because for me...

An essay to inspire better writing

A few weeks ago I happened to discover a blog by a former editorial assistant, now editor --Editorial Ass. It provides much entertainment and actually helped me conquer my anxiety about deadlines and revisions etc. And because we operate in slightly different areas of publishing, I do not share the same views on the necessity of agents. But I digress.

She happened to highlight a lovely essay on writing -- Annie Dillard and the Writing Life by Alexander Chee. It is well worth reading and will h...

Eye candy

I have the Male on Monday slot on the Pink Heart Society today and have devoted it to the Greek model Alexis Papas.
He is very good eye candy...enough to make me remember why I love Greek heroes in Presents...

I am still working on my revisions and attempting to make my heroine less passive. Action provokes more action.Oh and I have joined Good Reads in case anyone wants to friend me there. They do seem to be quite friendly and it is very easy to put in a RSS feed to this blog for example....

Viking's Captive Princess -- books arrive

One of the great things about being a published author is when your box of books for that first edition arrives. No matter what you have thought of the book, it reads differently in print.

For me, I love the cover. The inside print cover is slightly different from the cover on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It has a yellow tinge and is darker and looks far more sensual.

There is no inside front cover picture. This is fine.

They used the quotes from the RT about Taken by the Viking and Viking...

October Newsletter and Mr Rochester

My October Newsletter went out this morning. The Reader contest (void where prohibited) is for a signed copy of Carla Capshaw's debut novel -- The Gladiator. It is the first Roman set historical that Love Inspired Historical has done and is an excellent read. I look forward to reading more books by Carla. If you did not get my newsletter and think you should, I would ask you to resign up and I will forward the newsletter. There is a click through email that you do have to use. The contest...

Frustration

I am currently attempting to update my website. I think the new bits are there but I am not certain. The excerpt for The Viking's Captive Princess should be there. It should be. Can I see it? No. SIGH.

The builders have had to come back to redo the fireplace, having forgotten an important piece. This piece was most emphatically NOT my fault. I do not care whose fault it was. I just want a working fireplace in my living room...please.

Can I find the various bits of paper that I need to sign for ...

Polishing the clockface

Because writing fiction encompasses so many things and can never be fully mastered, one tends to concentrate on a few things, get them good and then move on to others. The only problem is that without constant work and polishing sometimes what was once good becomes much less and needs to work.

It is as Twyla Tharp says a clock face of skills. And round and round we go.

So I am busy working away, polishing those things I once did well but no longer and remembering to add little touches. Previo...