Katheryn Lane's Blog, page 16

Upgrade your life!

UPGRADE has been upgraded
Stephen Hise has recently upgraded the book cover for 'Upgrade', a romantic suspense novel about a man who decides to upgrade his life. Personally, I love the new cover and it reminded of when I upgraded the cover for my book 'The Royal Sheikh' (see my earlier, rather succinct post, 'New book cover').  It also got me thinking about the whole topic of 'upgrades'.
The first thing that comes to mind are flight upgrades, which I used to get many, many years ago by asking nicely at the check-in counter.  However, this came to an abrupt end as soon as soon as I started turning up at airports with first one and then two small children, though a friend of mine in the airline industry assures me that this was purely coincidental.  Apparently, at about the same time that I stared to have children, airlines began to enforce strict polices about who could get an upgrade based on membership levels on loyalty programmes, air miles earned etc.  Since I don't fly often enough on the correct type of ticket (super economy earns about 3 air miles per trip, compared to first class full-fare which earns about a million), I will probably never have a flight upgrade again no matter how nicely I ask at check-in.
However, there are a few ways in which I can 'upgrade' the quality of my life for free (I was going to call this post 'Get a free upgrade', but I thought it would be misleading.  Someone might find it on a web search, click on the link thinking that they are going to find out how to get an easy upgrade to business or first class, and then find themselves reading my musing instead!)
To instantly improve our lives we can:Smile. It's infectious (in a nice way).  Smile at someone, they will smile back at you and you will both feel better. Give someone a compliment.  Find one nice thing to say to a person and tell them.  If you want to take it further, praise someone's work.  It depends on your workplace, but too often people hear about what they could do better, or what they've done wrong.  Instead, tell someone what they've done right. Help someone.  Do something for somebody that you don't have to do.  It could be something as simple as offering to pick up something at the shops for them, or it could be something bigger, like offering to babysit their kids for an evening, or baking a cake for them.
Now, you might think that the last two points don't really seem to be about improving our own lives, but about improving other peoples'.  However, the more we do for others, the more we create a positive atmosphere for everyone (ourselves included), or in the words of the traditional saying 'It is better to give that to receive'. 
What do you think?

The Superhero in all of us

Recently, Indies Unlimited very kindly invited to do an author interview with them and the extremely funny host, Stephen Hise, depicted me as a sort of superhero!  This set me thinking about some of the 'superheroes' that I've known in real life.  I've never met any of the more famous examples, such as Nelson Mandela, but I have met many people who achieve amazing things in their everyday life.  Take, for example, the life of a working mother.  In an average week she may be expected to do all the following:Work overtime in order to meet ever-shortening deadlines Provide healthy, delicious meals for her family Ensure her home is clean and tidy Take her children to numerous clubs, activities and events Be a friend, lover and social companion to her husband Be a friend and counsellor to her fiends Be an active member of her local communityAnd as if this was not enough, she may also feel that she should:Get promotion at work (though this will mean even longer hours) Serve nutritious meals made from scratch out of organic ingredients (though her kids will have to be force-fed them) Have a home that looks like something out of a magazine (and is therefore completely unsuitable for the presence of any small children) Have her children enrolled in numerous after-school activities that include drama, art, music, sport (both indoor and outdoor) and languages (which  means that she spends even less time actually doing things with her children and not just for her children) Look like a supermodel (and therefore has to spend long hours at the hairdressers and gym before and after work and so even less time with her family) Have a wide social circle of fun, clever and successful friends (and therefore she has to keep up with them by being constantly fun, clever and successful herself) Be interviewed by a magazine, newspaper, or TV station about her brilliant work for the causes that she supports (which will turn her into some kind of local celebrity, causing jealously and strife in her community) And finally, whip up gorgeous cakes and imaginative fancy dress costumes out of nothing at 30 minutes notice before leaving the house to go to work!Out of ten, I think I would score very low on all of the above.  However, I think that if you can manage to do just a few of the above in the first list, and not feel pressured to do the things in the second, then you're a superhero and should be praised as such!

What Does Romance Smell Like?

[image error]I love perfume!  I think I have worn perfume almost everyday of my life since I was a teenager, my first one being Blue Grass, which my mother bought for me during a trip we made to Paris.  Whenever ever I smell it, I am instantly taken back to a time when I was young and my mother was showing me how to dab the scent carefully onto my wrists and behind my ears.  As well as taking us to difference points in our lives, perfume can also evoke different people.  My father always wore Eau Savage by ChristianDior and every time I smell it, I am always reminded of him. 



[image error] Because perfume can arouse such strong feelings and memories, I spent a long time thinking about what kind of scent the characters in THE ROYAL SHEIKH would have.  The hero, Sheikh Rafiq, would wear a heavy cologne.  It would be expensive to reflect his wealth, it would have undertones of musk to evoke sex and it would smell slightly exotic, but at the same time international to reflect his Arabian origins but jet-set lifestyle.  Royal-Oud by Creed would be perfect for him as it was inspired by 'wood, leather, marble and gold, elements of a royal Persian palace' and it gives the wearer 'a touch of the splendour of palace life, Persian and Parisian' (Creed Boutique).
In contrast, Clare MacKay, the heroine of the novel, would wear a very different type of scent. Unlike the Sheikh, she is not rich or overtly sexual.  Instead, she is a hard-working professional, focusing on becoming a fully qualified architect.  Therefore, she would just wear a small amount of a classic, light floral fragrance, such as Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana.  In addition, she would use bathroom products scented with cherry blossom, which would evoke her Japanese ancestry, such as L'Occitane's Cherry Blossom Bath and Shower Gel. 

While Clare is staying in a luxury hotel in the Middle East, visiting the Skeikh's kingdom, she uses a jasmine-scented shampoo provided by the hotel.  What brand do you think it would be?  Also, what's your favourite scent and why?

Lemon Tart, a classic dessert

[image error] This weekend I wanted to make something simple, easy, but special for dinner and a recipe for lemon tart appeared in my inbox from a website I subscribe to. However, it didn't seem quite right, so I did a search on the internet and found this one by Raymond Blanc.  It's a bit time-consuming, but aside from that it's quite simple, easy and absolutley delicious, though I did have a few problems with the pastry. It was 85F outside when I made it and despite air conditioning, the kitchen was too warm to allow for easy pastry handling. I've heard that you should ideally make pastry on a cold, windy day. Hopefully with winter drawing near, I might get a few of those and I'll make it again. If you love rich desserts and the taste of lemon (and you're not in a hot climate), give it a go and let me know what you think.Raymond Blanc Recipes Lemon Tart

Oscar Wilde - classic wit

A while back I did a blog posting about Mae West in which I listed some of my favourite quotes of hers.  I thought that as a follow up I would do a posting in which I mentioned some of my favourite Oscar Wilde quotes.

Oscar Wilde was a brilliant novelist and playwright who lived in the second half of the nineteenth century, famous for such great works as 'The Picture of Dorian Grey' and 'The Importance of Being Ernest'.  While some of his wittiest words are best read in context, other remarks are excellent stand-alone comments. Of these, some of my favourites are:

'Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.'
'Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.'
'Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.'
'The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself.'
 'The only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about.'
'Work is the curse of the drinking classes.'
'I can resist anything but temptation.'
And last, but not least, my absolute favourite:
'I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train.'

An Austrian Summer – a perfect piece of paradise

I just love Austria!  The castles, the cakes, the coffee houses and the balls where you can waltz the night away like some kind of heroine in a Regency romance!  However, there is more to Austria than just these things; there are also the Alps.  The book 'An Austrian Summer: A Young Person's Guide to Innsbruck and the Stubai Valley' covers an area of Austria that is still surprisingly untouched.  In fact I hesitated about writing this post as the more people that know about this part of Europe, the more people will visit and the quicker this perfect part of the world will be become ruined.  However, this book is so lovely that I felt compelled to write something.

Here is the product description from Amazon:All the way from the city of Innsbruck to the Mutterberg Glacier, this guide will show you the summer wonders of Innsbruck and the less well known Stubai Valley. Whether you like to mountain climb, sight see or just chill out, pick up this guide and explore your favourite parts. This is the guide made by a kid for a kid.

From the book itself, here is a bit about the author:
Frankie Allen is a secondary school student who loves Geography and English as well as many other subjects. This is his first book and he is thinking about writing more about travel and maybe even some fiction.

What I think:Even though it has been written by a student, this book will appeal to all ages.  I just hope that not too many people decide to travel to the Stubai Valley after they have read it.  It certainly made me want to book a flight and return!

P.S.  The book mentions a place called Alpensonne Apartments in the Stubai Valley, but doesn't give the website.  I found it at: http://www.landhaus-alpensonne.com.  Take a look - the pictures are stunning!

Who Else is There? What happens when the good guys go bad?

There are many things I have worried about over the years.  Some are fairly trivial, like how do you caramelise a good crème brȗlée without a blow torch?  Others are more serious, like how would we survive a nuclear war?  One of my more serious worries is what would you do if you were framed for a murder and either you couldn't prove your innocence, or for some reason the police were corrupt and therefore convicting you unfairly?  'Who Else is There' is a murder mystery which partly deals with the latter problem: corrupt police.  Who can you turn to if you can't trust the police? 

Here is the product description from Amazon:While Mike Newman struggles to recover from injuries, corruption spreads through his former police station like an evil cloud. Law is enforced only if these police officers choose to implement it. Crime thrives and permeates their ranks like a disease. Police officers profit by letting criminals walk free. Even murder and rape are not only condoned by them but are committed by them.
In these gripping stories, Mike and his friends are plunged into adventure and danger as they tackle the evil head on.


The reviewers love it!  Here is an except from one 5 STAR review:The title of the book is perfect for the story. When cops go bad, 'Who else is there'? As a police constable I found myself drawn into the story quickly. Mike's troubles seem to pile on as he moves through the story and I found myself hoping he'd make it to the next page.  The story takes place in the '80's which can be a tough sell for a story but the author does it well and I found it akin to reading an old case file. The hints of its date are everywhere, "Polaroid Camera" etc and I found myself chuckling about when I had used Polaroids at crime scenes. . . As 'good cop/bad cop' stories go this one hit a home run.

What I think:The author, Philip Catshill, is an ex-policeman (like the above reviewer), so he certainly knows what he's talking about.  As a result it does make you wonder just how true to life the book is.  Can we trust the English police force?  Looks like here's another thing for me to lie awake at night worrying about . . .

An interview with author, Paula Martin

Last August I did a blog post about the wonderful romance novel, His Leading Lady, set in the West End of London and today I am thrilled to be interviewing the author of this book, Paula Martin.

First of all Paula, can I ask how you become an author?
In the strict sense of the word, I became an author when my first novel was published (over 40 years ago!) by Mills and Boon.  However, I've always been a writer since I started writing stories when I was about eight or nine.  I didn't make any conscious effort to become a writer, it's as much a part of me as breathing.  By my mid-teens, I'd started to write romances (very tame ones, by today's standards!), and wrote my first full-length novel in my 20's.  At the time, I was reading a lot of romances and decided my novel was as good (and in some cases, better!) than the ones I read, so I sent it off.  I fully expected a rejection, but they accepted it.
You have recently published the romance, 'His Leading Lady'.  Could you tell us something about it?
The story is set mainly in London's West End theatre world.  Jess Harper's predictable life is turned upside down when she discovers that Lara, her twin sister, has disappeared.  It's a week before rehearsals are due to start for a new musical in which Lora has the lead role, so Jess decides to pose as her sister in order to save Lora's career.  This brings her into contact with arrogant theatre director, Kyle Drummond.  Attraction sparks between them but there's also evidence that he'd been dating Lora.  Jess starts to wonder if she is simply a substitute – in real life as well as the show.
What inspired you to write 'His Leading Lady'?
I've always been 'stage-struck' even though I can't act, sing or dance.  I really admire (and envy!) those who can.  For many years, I worked backstage with our local Musical Theatre Society, and also directed two shows each year with the Junior Section of the society.  It was hard work, but great fun too, especially during adrenalin-packed show week. 
Somewhere I had an idea about a romance between a leading lady and her director, and was able to use some of my experiences in the amateur world to give what I hope is a reasonably authentic setting for 'HisLeading Lady'.
What are you working on at the moment?
I've just completed, and am now in the process of editing, a new novel which is based in Egypt.  I went on a Nile cruise last year, which was wonderful, and knew I had to set a novel there.  The heroine is a cruise ship tour guide; the hero is an archaeologist in the famous Valley of the Kings near Luxor.  They fall in love (of course!) but things get complicated when old feuds (about which they knew nothing) threaten their happiness.
When you are not writing, what do you like doing in your free time?
I love travelling, both to familiar and new places.  Since I took early retirement from teaching, I've travelled extensively in Britain, Ireland, mainland Europe, the USA and Canada, and the Middle East. 
I also run an over-50's group and plan a programme of visits, pub lunches and social/quiz evenings for them.  That's my main social activity.
I've also done a lot of family history research and found out lots of fascinating information about my ancestors.
For relaxation, a good book or a good movie keeps me quite happy.  
What advice do you have for any aspiring authors out there?
First of all, read, read, read!  In my opinion, you can learn more about how to write (and sometimes how not to write) by reading novels than from any of the 'how to write' books. 
The other thing I'd say is:  A first draft is not a finished manuscript. It's only the start of the process of writing.  Go back and be critical.  Don't accept anything less than your best.  One of the best quotes I've ever read is:  'That'll do' is not an option for a writer.
Pay attention to spelling, punctuation, sentence construction and grammar.  Write a good story and, even more important, write it well.
Where can we buy your books?
'His Leading Lady' is available as either e-book or paperback from http://whiskeycreekpress.com and also from Amazon.
'Fragrance of Violets' will be available from the same sources in February 2012.
Thank you very much Paula for telling us about yourself and your book.  Let us know when 'Fragrance of Violets' comes out, it sounds like a great read!
About the authorPaula Martin lives near Manchester in North West England and has two daughters and two grandsons.  She had some early publishing success with four romance novels and several short stories, but then had a break from writing while she brought up a young family and also pursued her career as a history teacher for twenty-five years. She has recently returned to writing fiction, after retiring from teaching and is thrilled to have found publishing success again with her contemporary romances.

Big Sister Babysister - Helping girls with difficult issues

My last blog post, Born Different, was about a book that focused on a boy struggling with the challenges of being a teenager.  However, what can we do to help today's children and teenagers better cope with the many difficulties that they face?  The book, Big Sister Babysitter, tries to do just that.  Targeted at 9 to 12 year old Christian girls, it aims to show them not only how to cope with having a new baby in the family, but also the joys of having a younger sibling.

To give you a better feel for the book, this is the product review from Amazon:
Exuberant fourth grader, Lake Ashley Payton (also known as LA) and her blended family live on a beautiful and peaceful island. One day LA is informed that her mother is going to have a baby. This life changing news rattles her world and she fears the worst. LA captures every moment to make a video diary and uses Bible verses to help her through the emotional struggles. She becomes curious and learns the process of a baby's development and when her new sibling arrives, something happens that teaches her many lessons about being a big sister.

So far this book has had 2 FIVE STAR reviews (and I am sure that it will have many more).  This is what one reviewer had to say about it:
What a wonderful Book. I could not put it down once I started. A very sweet story about a girl (L.A.) going through a tough time in her life as her mom tells her she is going to be a big sister. As a child I had step parents and I really felt connected to L.A. as I went through her ups and downs. It was fun and creative for her to record her life with a video diary. Without giving anything away, I could not stop crying from Page 54 on so have a box of tissues near by. I am so looking forward to the next book. Two VERY BIG thumbs up!!!

What do I say?
If I had a new baby on the way, I would order this book from Amazon straight away and give it to my children to read!

Born Different – A different type of fairytale

BORN DIFFERENT by Faye Aitken-Smith is an inspirational fairytale about a boy with wings who can either conform or decide to fly: he decides to fly and the book is his story.

This is the book description:I'll like you if you like me. I won't like you if you don't like me. I'll hate you if you hate me. I'll love you if you love me, but then maybe again I won't, as love rarely follows any kind of rules.

Gabe doesn't like his current reality. He seems to have been born into the wrong one. One where everything is grey and the people are miserable. Everything would be different, in Gabe's ideal world. For a start he would not be with his friends, the damned. He would find his long lost dad. Grace would notice him. He would be selling his art for millions of dollars, so not having to commit the crimes he is at the moment and Gabe would also be free. Free from the burden of who is and the fact that he was born so different. Gabe spends his life hidden and in pain because Gabe was born a freak. Gabe has wings.
For Gabe to follow his dreams he has to make a few major life changes, in fact he needs to change everything about his life. His friends are turning into gangsters and heaven turns out to be hell. Nothing is ever as it seems as Gabe goes on his journey to see if he can do anything about changing his own destiny.
Born Different is inspiring. It is as edgy and real as it is fairytale. It touches on many of the modern day ills in a supposed civilized society. Breakdown of families, addiction, domestic violence, alcoholism, self harm, the disillusionment with it all; with authority. And the passion and hope within us all for a better future.
And this is what the Smashwords book description says:Gabe hasn't had it easy so far in life. His father left him before he was even born, the girl he loves doesn't know he exists and his friends seem hell bent on getting him into trouble. To top it all off, Gabe has a secret he would rather take to the grave than reveal.

Suddenly Gabe's world is turned upside down when he takes part in a robbery and Grace, his unrequited love, asks him to go for a walk with her.

Secrets are revealed, truths uncovered and only Gabe's strength and love will pull everyone through.

Destined to become a cult classic, Born Different, is a tale of one boy's struggle to fit into a world he feels he doesn't belong.

This is what the reviewers say:I don't feel I'm eloquent enough to explain just how special this book is. . It carries a very important message and is so true for the times we live in.

I literally read it in 3 instalments, it was as unputdownable as my time would allow. Whether it will appeal to the masses I'm not sure but I loved it! I understand exactly what she is saying and happen to agree too. I think it would make a good movie, perhaps even a cult classic. I wish her all the best with this book. I hope to see it in print and I will definitely buy a copy. So basically "WOW" yes! and "Go for it!" It's a beautiful piece of work.
What I say:I love fairytales and this book sounds like a great modern day one!