Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 75
June 25, 2012
Goodreads book review: Star Struck by Jane Lovering
Having read (and loved) Please Don’t Stop the Music, I decided to read some more of Jane Lovering’s work and downloaded Star Struck.
Skye Threppel is an actress disfigured by a car accident. Not only did the accident take away her career, but it also took her best friend, her fiancé and huge chunks of her memory. Since then, the two main stays of her life are her best friend (and brother of her late friend) Felix and the TV series Fallen Skies. When Skye goes to a Fallen Skies convention hopin...
June 14, 2012
Goodreads book review: Turning The Tide
Turning The Tide by Christine Stovell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a very atmospheric book. It describes the sea and the bleak, beautiful watery landscape near Little Spitmarsh with so much affection that you can’t help falling a little in love with the setting yourself.
Harry Watling runs an ailing boat yard and loves Little Spitmarsh exactly the way it is. Matthew Corrigan is a property developer who has started renovating the old boat house next door and has big ideas on how to turn the to...
May 27, 2012
Finding ‘free’ images for a blog
These are series of notes I wrote for my writing buddy Jen (writer of fast and funny YA fiction – still unpublished, but it’s only a matter of time!). She was not totally sure how to go about this social media mullarkey, so I wrote her a set of ‘how to’ notes, based on my own experience of setting up an online presence.I’veposted the notes here in case they’re of use to people. The first of these is a step by step on how to set up a website using WordPress.
Last year, I wrote a blog post about...
May 20, 2012
These are series of notes I wrote for my writing buddy Jen (writer of fast and funny YA fiction – still unpublished, but it’s only a matter of time!). She was not totally sure how to go about this social media mullarkey, so I wrote her a set of ‘how to’ notes, based on my own experience of setting up an online presence.I’veposted the notes here in case they’re of use to people. Last week I posted a step by step on how to set up a website using WordPress.
Seven-Little-Birds by Fat Face & Me
Next...
May 14, 2012
Setting up a WordPress based website
These are series of notes I wrote for my writing buddy Jen (writer of fast and funny YA fiction – still unpublished, but it’s only a matter of time!). She wasn’t sure how to go about this social media mullarkey, so I wrote her a set of ‘step by step’ notes, based on my own experience of getting and online presence. I’ve posted the notes here in case they’re of use to people.
Building your own web platform.A couple of things to know – the ‘brand’ is you. The products are your books. The web plat...
May 13, 2012
Lucky Seven meme: Warning! Work in Progress.
A few weeks ago Jen Black sent me the Lucky Seven meme. The rules are:
*go to page 77 of your current WIP
*go to line 7
*copy down the next 7 lines/sentences as written and post them on your blog or website
*tag 7 other authors
*let them know they’ve been tagged.
My WIP doesn’t have 77 pages yet, so here’s a bit from page 7. By way of context – The novel is set in a Biochemistry lab. Beth is getting over being dumped and Hibs is helping her by getting them both very drunk.
“I know. I know. You’re ri...
May 11, 2012
Goodreads Book Review: Never Coming Home
Never Coming Home by Evonne Wareham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Never Coming Home by Evonne Wareham
I picked this book up because 1) I trust Choc Lit as a publisher – I’m yet to read one of their books that I didn’t enjoy and 2) Evonne and I are both short listed for the Joan Hessayon Award and I felt I should check out the competition 
.
Kaz Elmore’s daughter dies in a car crash in America (whilst visiting Kaz’s ex husband). Devlin is the man who saw the crash, called the police, and held the little...
April 17, 2012
Goodreads Book Review: Interpreter of Maladies / The Namesake
Interpreter of Maladies / The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I picked this book up after hearing about on the radio. I read the first story and I cried. The writing is beautiful. The stories are images from the middle class Indian diaspora – some are sad, some not. It’s a wonderful little book of stories. I’ve read it twice. I’d read it again.
Goodreads Book Review: I’ve Got Your Number
I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ve got your number by Sophie Kinsella
I had high hopes for the new standalone Sophie Kinsella book (I stopped reading the Shopaholic series somewhere near the end of ‘and baby’ – they got too samey). The premise of the book – Poppy loses her expensive engagement ring and, whilst waiting for the hotel staff to report it found, has her mobile phone stolen. She picks up a phone from a wastepaper bin and appropriates it (desperate...
Goodreads Book Review: The Hating Game
The Hating Game by Talli Roland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Mattie Johns is a snarky, mean, calculating, bitchy character. But you still want to find out what happens to her – even if it’s only to see her get her comeuppance. It was fun reading about a heroine who was so very different to the normal chicklit heroine.
The title, and the game show that features in the book, is great idea. The Hating Game. Mattie has to go on dates which four exes and then has to spend two weeks with the ‘winner’. T...
