Billy London's Blog, page 29

Holiday!

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I seemed to have hit the wall. Again. After a good stretch where I finished two IK stories, one of which being The Claim (by the way thank you so much for getting behind that story and enjoying it - your emails have been amazing!) I can't seem to finish what was supposed to be IK3 (now pushed back to IK5) and I started IK6 but can't get a grip on that either after a sterling start of almost 22,000 words. So, I've decided. If Hank's going on vacation, I will too.

Italy here I come! I will be booking myself and Lady London on a short trip to the Neapolitan Riviera, which is where most of the boys are from - except Rocco who's Sicilian and Beppe who's from Venice. Tony and Luca are a little further up, from the city of Naples. We're still working out the details but it is going to be genius. Considering the last time mum and I went on holiday, we got drunk and I wrote Windows, I've got high expectations for Italy. Until next month, it's back to tried methods of housework to entice Hank. Can't wait though!

ps I will be scouting for counts, billionaires, playboys and bad boys looking to settle down. And cake. And seafood. But mostly men.

Find Me...

...everywhere! Now I was looking at Kindles and thinking, should I get one? I played around with a friend's (okay that sounded so much better in my head) and it wasn't for me. On the other hand I am Apple's handmaiden and I will obey wherever Apple calls and I am soooooo excited that Windows is now on iBooks! So you can download onto your phone, your iPad, your mac and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. It looks really pretty. Obviously that's totally more important than the story.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/windows

Feel free to rate, review, download a sample and of course buy your own copy! See, now you can't escape me.

Come Get Me...

Faster than any time limit I could have given (I was way out. Way, way out!) But The Claim is now up on Amazon for purchase:

The Claim on Amazon

Grab some cake, grab a beef cake for squeezing afterwards and enjoy. Be quick though I'm on the next one and I've pretty much so forgotten what I wrote in The Claim!!

Let's Talk

I'm on IRMC books website today, chatting about my favourite topic other than Hank. ME! Pop along and comment:

http://www.irmcbooks.com/BLInterview

I say good stuff! Honest...

And the Nominees are...

I've always wanted to say that! I feel I would be an awesome presenter. I'm thinking more BAFTAS than Oscars, only because one - I wouldn't have to get on a plane to go and two - it's a shorter ceremony and my attention span is well. Not the greatest. 
Anyways, the point of this is, I've been nominated for Best Cover and Best Series in the Swirl Awards! The Swirlies (as I've now dubbed them) celebrate the multicultural. Which is fabulous and I look at the other nominees and think, what am I doing there? 
http://www.swirlawards.com/p/best-series-poll.html
http://www.swirlawards.com/p/best-book-cover.html
The poll is open for the next thirty days so you can vote as many times as you like. I would like to say that the cover wouldn't be for me, it'd be for Nancy Donahue who is one of the best cover artists around. Have you seen RaeLynn Blue's cover for Theft of Souls? That's a Nancy cover! She met my brief to perfection and it is one of my favourites ever, ever, ever. So feel free to vote and vote large. Because actually, it doesn't matter who wins. I'm just massively pleased there are some bloody good authors and cover artists getting recognised for the work they do. Sigh. I love this job...

Time Is On My Side?

I'm tidying up the last bits of Italian Knight No 4. I'm not playing in 2012, these men will not leave me alone. And it got me thinking, just as I was rewriting the prologue. What on earth was I doing three years ago? Seriously. What was going on, what was happening, who did I meet, celebrate with, commiserate with? Who did I say goodbye to and who did I welcome into my family? Who snapped my knicker elastic?! Honestly, try it. And don't cheat by looking at your Facebook time line! While my stories will start at the 'how did the couple meet?' it's never as important as where they end up together. Let me know how you get on with the years test.

Listen...

Just like this was the fastest story I've ever written, the music choices were just as easy. Everything fit with Anna and Rocco. From the first word to the last, every song has meaning to each word I wrote. Yes, lots of them are boo hoo I've lost my soul songs. Alright, maybe I've shed a tear during most of them. All of them. You can cry while listening to Run by Gnarls Barkley. I know this now. Gosh, I'm a cry baby. Anyways, this is the soundtrack to The Claim. Enjoy!

Florence and the Machine: Shake It Out Adele: Rolling In The DeepTI: Slide ShowMaxwell: Pretty WingsMadonna: She's Not MeJustin Timberlake: What Comes AroundBirdy: ShelterOne Republic: ApologiseMumford & Sons: I Gave You AllDamian Rice: I RememberGnarls Barkley: RunGnarls Barkley: CrazyFaithless: Don't LeaveMassive Attack: Paradise CircusArcade Fire: Ocean Of NoiseRihanna ft Drake: What's My NameKanye West & Jay-Z: OtisKanye West ft Bon Iver: Lost In The WoodsInterpol: The LighthouseZero Seven: Ghost SoulThe Rapture: How Deep Is Your LoveTom Rosenthal: Take Care

Mr Mamione will see you now...

Italian Knight number 3 is out and it's Rocco Mamione's story aka the fastest and smoothest story I've ever written. Hank and I battered this out like the Mayans gave us our own deadline and the world was going to end this month. I didn't even skip to the sexy parts and fill in the rest - it just flowed, beginning to end. As fast as it was it was also cathartic. I got a quite a few things off my chest about what it means to be a woman, a friend, a daughter. There's also plenty in there that came straight from Lady London - must give her props for the Epilogue especially. I've got words in there that I have heard so many times from other women. The women I meet in my day job, that I work with, that I'm friends with and definitely women I now avoid like the freakin' plague. Ultimately, whatever interpretation people want to put on this back, it's called The Claim for a reason. I don't normally preach, because I'm a live and let live sort of woman, but whatever decisions you do make - man, woman or child - own them. Stand by them. Defend them if need be. Then you'll get the respect you are looking for. Ah, well. When you read it, you'll get it. You know what? Compared to Italian Knight number 4? This is starting to look kinda tame. Hank's been on some special ish, I can't even tell you. Onwards!

The Claim ebook

A Rose Is Still A Rose

I think I'm terrible at coming up with titles. Although Put Out The Zombie will forever be a moment of genius that will make me laugh every time I remember the eureka moment! If you ask me how I came up with @Last, that's straight forward. Internet, waiting a long time, girl who can sing - Ella Fitzgerald At Last. Took me ages though.

Windows was more complicated. Only because it started in the mind of an eleven year old Billy looking to win a writing competition. Swear down, without the sex, Windows was created twenty years ago. And now you all know how old I am. Boooooo. So eleven year old me comes up with this idea of a girl who is being harassed by loan sharks and her best friend who's desperately in love with her saves her from it all. I like to think the reason I didn't win the competition was the fact that I made my apparent hero a bad guy. This is the original ending for the story. Nick set it up so Gina would have to come to him for help. Isn't that messed up? For eleven? No, I haven't had therapy, but I spent a lot of time reading rather dodgy material.

So I thought, about things that break, things that are transparent, things that show freedom but an absence can mark entrapment. Things that are a gateway to hope and show altogether a world outside that can hold everything hurtful. Where everyone can see inside and judge and you can look out and send that judgement right back two fold. Windows. Plus if you think about it, all the good/crazy stuff happens right in view of windows. Honest. Oh come on, I was young!

And The Winner Is...

...Jordonna Pearson
Congratulations! Your copy of Italian Knight No 3 will be winging its way to you come release day. Speaking of which, we are on track. Zshushing this shizzle into tight shape and then it is alllllllll yours! Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter. I'll say it again - it is the best, best, best part of this job - to hear from readers and being told which bits they enjoyed. Makes me all tingly inside. Not in a sexual way. Honest.