Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 26

Plot Your Novel in a Morning

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Have you always wanted to write a novel, but don’t have a plot?

Do you have a kernel of an idea but don’t know how to turn it into your next novel?

Or do you just need some space and a lot of biscuits to work out what’s going on in your story?

If you live near York, we’ve got a workshop for you!

M’colleague Jane Lovering and I are running a half day workshop in York on the 8th of September. It’s especially handy for anyone who is going to the RNA York Tea later.

Why should you listen to us...

Book review: Star Dust by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner

Star Dust by Emma Barry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A book set in the 1950s about a woman who has the audacity to divorce her husband … and her romance with the astronaut who lived next door.

I picked this up because someone mentioned it had decent representation of STEM characters in it. Which it does.

Kit is a pilot and a very good one. He works with an extremely grumpy engineer. I liked the fact that although he didn’t LIKE the guy, he respected his expertise.

Anne-Marie is prickly, but has go...

Book review: The Fear by C L Taylor (Thriller)

The Fear by C.L. Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another brilliant thriller from C L Taylor!
Mike is a paedophile. He groomed Lou from an early age while he was her karate instructor and then he abducted her and took her France when she was 14. The experience has had a profound effect on her and she’s still coming to terms with it as an adult.
When she returns to her home town after fifteen years, she finds that Mike is out of jail and living in the same town. She sees him kiss a teenaged girl...

Book Review: Not Your Prince Charming by Kate Johnson

Not Your Prince Charming: a Royal Wedding Romance by Kate Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received an advance copy of this to review (mainly because I begged the author for it). I enjoyed Not Your Cinderella so much that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this, the next book.

Eliza is a ‘lesser’ royal. She’s a princess, but relatively far from the throne. She’s tired of being watched all the time and decides to go off and have fun at a party without her security. Unfortunately, she gets gra...

Book review: One Summer in Italy by Sue Moorcroft

One Summer in Italy by Sue Moorcroft
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love, love, loved this book. I was wanting something summery and fun to read and it totally hit the spot.
After spending her twenties caring for her father, Sofia is taking a well earned break, travelling and learning to spread her wings. She starts her journey in Italy, in her father’s hometown.
Levi has… secrets… which bring him to Monteliberta. He falls in love with Sofia early on and has to do a bit of work in order to be with...

Book review: My Best Friend’s Girl by Dorothy Koomson

My Best Friend’s Girl by Dorothy Koomson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve been meaning to read a Dorothy Koomson book for a while – people keep recommending them to me.

My Best Friend’s Girl is about Kamryn, who is asked by her best friend Adele to adopt her (Adele’s) little girl Tegan when she dies. Adele betrayed Kamryn in a pretty major way, so Kamryn has to forgive Adele and come to terms with the fact that Adele is dying all in a mad rush.

This is a book about trust and betrayal and grief. K...

Book review: Remedial Rocket Science by Susannah Nix

Remedial Rocket Science by Susannah Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As you know, I’m a big fan of STEM heroines in romance novels so long as they are realistic. By realistic, I mean not a cliche.
Melody is not a cliche. She’s a bit socially awkward, but not overly so. She is really, really good at what she does (computer science), but is in a realistic ‘starter’ job where she’s doing boring things, but hey, it pays well. I loved her voice. It was fresh and interesting without trying too hard.

Mel...

A post about themes to do with fathers – Happy Father’s Day!

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Since it’s Fathers Day, I thought I’d talk about the theme of Girl In Trouble. This book is all about fathers – and their relationships with their daughters. After attending a talk about using theme to unify your story by the fabulous Julie Cohen several years ago (2013?) , I mapped out the main theme of Olivia’s story and then, as Julie suggested, looked at other ways to explore the same theme.

Olivia, the heroine in Girl In Trouble (as you’ve probably guessed) is a grown up tomboy. She has...

Book review: The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of my daughter’s friends is mad on dragons, so I often pick up dragon related books and check if they’re appropriate to give as presents. Which means, OBVIOUSLY, I have to read them first.

The Dragon with a A Chocolate Heart is a book about a dragon who gets turned into a human. Aventurine is still very much a dragon inside… and she’s passionate about chocolate.

This is a lovely story. It’s got dragons, adventur...

Book review: Lily’s House by Cassandra Parkin

Lily’s House by Cassandra Parkin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when I picked this book up. It was dark and compelling and beautifully written. There are secrets and twists, deftly revealed like cards being turned over. When I finished reading it, I felt like I was resurfacing from deep immersion. That’s a rare thing to find.

Jen’s grandmother, Lily, has died and Jen needs to sort out Lily’s house. A place with many happy memories, but somewhere she hasn’t visited...