Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 42

Goodreads book review: Sunset in Central Park by Sarah Morgan

Sunset In Central Park by Sarah Morgan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A lovely story. I like Frankie with her prickly personality and Matt was just adorable. Frankie has been damaged by her parents and their foibles. Matt is in love with her and wants to help her get past that. Manhattan and Frankie’s best friends also play a part. There is a nice sense of community, but it’s not quite the same as in some of her other books.

I only discovered Sarah Morgan’s books recently, so I haven’t read the Puff...

The Romantic Novelists Association Conference 2016

I got back from the RNA conference yesterday and I’m still shattered. It was an incredibly useful conference this year, especially as Sarah Wendell from SmartBitches came and gave us some insights into the US market.

The definition of ‘Romance’ in the US is much narrower than the definition of the genre here. The relationship between the hero and heroine in front and centre of the books. Chicklit isn’t a thing in the US. US readers are much more likely to tell you if they’ve loved or hated y...

Eight places to find inspiration

The best ideas arise through chatting. (And I really wanted to use my picture of stormtroopers at lunchtime)

It’s that time again. Another column in the Beverley Guardian is now available online:

http://www.beverleyguardian.co.uk/news/local/opinion-finding-your-inspiration-1-7997940

This one’s on where to find inspiration. In other words, where do you get your ideas from?

I’m off to the Romantic Novelists Association conference this weekend. I’m so excited I could burst.

Filed under: About W...

Goodreads Book Review: Rising Tides by Katy Haye

Rising Tides by Katy Haye

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the oceans have risen and drowned most of the land, this is a great YA book. The main character, Libby is clever and unflappable when things go wrong. I liked that she was acerbic and a little awkward in social situations, but completely calm and capable when dealing with medical crises. Cosimo, the hero, is very likable too. Their relationship makes the transition from distrust to friendly bickering to lo...

Goodreads Book Review: Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard

Distress Signals by Catherine Ryan Howard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started reading the book on the Friday night and finished it before the weekend was out. It’s a gripping thriller. The setting – a luxury cruiseliner – is unusual, but it’s also integral to the plot. Turns out ships aren’t bound by the same laws as places on land. Once they’re in international waters, they are under the legal system of… well, not a lot, by the sound of things. Scary stuff.

Anyway, the mystery of what happened...

Goodreads Book Review: Can’t Buy Me Love by Jane Lovering

Can’t Buy Me Love by Jane Lovering

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I requested this book from Netgalley because… well, I like Jane’s books. Why would I not? Also, I loved the cover.

I love a geeky hero. Cal is definitely geeky. He’s also very funny and weird – you find out why he deflects attention with weirdness as the story progresses. I really liked the fact that this book potrays someone with cerebral palsy as an independent and successful person (not read many other books with heroes with CP – B...

7 places to find inspiration -Happy 7th Birthday Choc Lit

It’s Choc Lit’s seventh birthday today, so I baked a cake. Yum. I was also pondering lists with seven things in them and thought I’d share this one with you. Here’s my list of seven places to find inspiration.

1.TV and film

Ever watched a film and thought ‘but what if this happened instead’?

You never know what might spark off a train of thought. Even if it’s not obvious at the time, your brain will be squirrelling information away for later. So, you know how I’m not blogging much because I...

A weekend of science related fun

Some time ago, I read a piece in the Guardian about the Butlins Science Weekends, went on the internet to look up what it was all about… and ended up booking us in for the weekend; which is how we ended up being in Skegness last weekend. I’d never been to Butlins before. I didn’t think it was the sort of thing I’d enjoy. On the other hand, science themed activities are fun and I thought we might learn something.

It was brilliant. The kids got to help mix cornflower and water to make ‘custard...

Please Release Me is out in paperback

You’ve probably heard me mention Please Release Me before – the one with the ghost and the hospice… yes, well, it’s out in paperback today! That’s all I had to say really. If anyone needs me, I’m going to be eating my way through a very LARGE chocolate cake to celebrate.

Here are some nice things people have been saying about Please Release Me.

“…well handled with an almost perfect portrayal of grief.” Gen Boleyn, Goodreads.

“A richness of characters and plot which are seldom found in contem...

Diversity in genre fiction

A few months ago, I read a blog post on the Writer’s Workshop blog about the lack of diversity in publishing. In it was a discussion about how books with BAME characters in were assessed under different criteria compared to ‘mainstream’ books. One of the criteria was ‘is it Asian/Black/*insert minority group here enough’. You can see the original post herehttp://www.writersworkshop.co.uk/blog...

This is something that has wound me up for years. Not because I care what c...