Nicola Marsh's Blog, page 65

Entangled Publishing website live

The fabulous folk at ENTANGLED PUBLISHING who bought my Bollywood book have launched their website. Check it out!

Dear Lucky Agent contest

The fab 'GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS' blog is running their 9th 'Dear Lucky Agent' contest.

And it's free!

This contest is for women's/upmarket fiction so check out the details here.

Great opportunity!

EXCERPT: Girl in a Vintage Dress

GIRL IN A VINTAGE DRESS releases simultaneously in the UK & USA in 21 days!

To celebrate, the Book Depository are offering it at 25% off here.

Here's a snippet of Lola:

Lola didn't take kindly to being bossed around. She'd had enough of it growing up from her Miss Australia finalist mother and catwalk model sister.
Wear the boot cut jeans, not the slim fit.
Don't wear the A line skirt, it makes your bum look big.
Use the coral lipstick, not the pink, you look washed out.
Bossiness never failed to raise her hackles and the moment Mr Tall, Dark and Domineering had strutted into her domain, ignoring house rules, she'd been primed for battle.
Mobile phones didn't belong in Go Retro for a reason. Trying to recreate a vintage ambiance was imperative to her business and considering those infernal devices weren't invented back then, she'd made it a house rule to not have them used in her pride and joy.
She also hated their constant buzzing and ringing and clattering as people tapped at those miniature keypads like their lives depended on it.
How anyone could be glued to a phone when surrounded by all this beauty…she trailed a hand over a velvet 1940s vermillion ball gown, savouring the plush-ness, the timeless elegance, let her fingers skim a floral silk scarf she bet could tell a few stories about the necks it had been knotted around over the years.
She glanced at the diamante shoe clips, the crimson lipsticks in different brands, the fascinators at jaunty angles on the classically dressed mannequins.
Every item had been lovingly chosen in the hope it would bring joy to its next owner in the same way it had brought her joy to discover it. Surrounded by all these wonderful treasures of the past, how could anyone not be tempted?
"I need an answer."
Just like that she snapped out of her reverie and glared at the philistine who wouldn't appreciate vintage at its finest if it slithered off a mannequin and onto his rather impressive frame.

READER REVIEWS: Sex, Gossip & Rock & Roll

Thanks to trusty Google I stumbled across a great review for SEX, GOSSIP & ROCK & ROLL.

"Nicola Marsh has written a spectacular, light, fun and sexy romance with Sex, Gossip and Rock and Roll...

From the time Luca opened the door to Charli I just laughed because it was obvious there would be sensual tension of seismic power. Oh was I spot on, it was amazing....

There was intense emotion in Sex, Gossip and Rock and Roll, add to the mix the comeback rock star, his son, the sexual attraction, the sex, it all had me smiling and crying because they had both lost so much in their youth...

a splendid reunion an incredible ending to a perfect love story."

Thanks to Marilyn! Here's the full review.

(If you're in Australia & NZ you can grab this book off shelves now!)

Weekend Book Club: Girl Saves Boy

I'm blown away that this book was written by a 16 yo teenager.

Not because of the language or the way it was written but for the subject matter and the realistic way it is explored.

Here's the blurb:

The first time we met, Jewel Valentine saved my life.

Isn't it enough having your very own terminal disease, without your mother dying? Or your father dating your Art teacher? No wonder Sacha Thomas ends up in the lake that Saturday evening…But the real question is: how does he end up in love with Jewel Valentine?
With the help of quirky teenage prodigies Little Al and True Grisham, Sacha and Jewel have a crazy adventure, with a little lobster emancipation along the way.
But Sacha's running out of time, and Jewel has secrets of her own.
Girl Saves Boy is a hugely talented debut novel, funny and sad, silly and wise. It's a story of life, death, love… and garden gnomes.

Melburnian Steph Bowe takes a heavy subject and injects it with just enough humour to have you turning pages in her wonderful YA debut.

Her very real characters explore a complex range of emotions in a beautiful, poignant, readable way.

What are you reading this week?

Romance biggest loser

Discovered this via Twitter:

Start: July 3, 2011
End: January 3, 2012
Duration: 6 months
Who: Up to 50 romance authors and 50 romance readers, separated into 10 teams of 5 authors and 5 readers each
Why: To encourage each other to lose weight and get in shape (plus publicity for authors)
At the beginning, teams will be assigned by the group's coordinator (Ashley March). Each team will choose a representative who will report on the team's total weight loss percentage each week.
A Yahoo group will be established for updates from each representative and announcements from the coordinator. Each team will be encouraged to email each other off loop. A blog will be created to post updates for the public to keep up with and comment with encouragement.

Like the Biggest Loser, the members of each team will encourage each other as they try to be the team with the largest percentage of weight loss each week and at the end of the contest. However, unlike the Biggest Loser, no team or team member will be kicked out of the contest for failing to lose a certain percentage (team members may still quit at any time if they're unable/unwilling to go further).

Entry Cost: Each author will be required to put in $100 to participate and 5 print copies of books in order to participate (more copies may be donated).
Readers may participate for free.

Prizes: Each week, the readers in the team which has the largest percentage of weight loss will receive a free book.
Each month, the members of the team which has the largest percentage of weight loss will receive a prize (TBD).
At the end of the competition, all members of the team which has the largest percentage of weight loss will receive a prize (TBD).
At the end of the competition, the author who has the largest percentage of weight loss will receive $1,000.
At the end of the competition, the reader who has the largest percentage of weight loss will receive $1,000.

If you're interested, contact the co-ordinator at ashley@ashleymarch.com

Exciting reading experience

Entangled Publishing (who are releasing my Bollywood book in December!) have just announced an exciting partnership with Kobo.

Read all about it here.

Montlake romance

You may have heard Amazon recently launched its Montlake Romance imprint, with bestselling author Connie Brockway's title The Other Guy's Bride.

Now the imprint is open to agented submissions.

For full details, see here.

What's your writing mantra?

While I recover from the intensity of completing revisions on WHO WANTS TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE? here's a gem from Larry Brooks at StoryFix.

What happens in the story is driven by what the characters are feeling, where more often it is the other way around.

I love finding snippets like this, snippets that make us think and look at our writing in a new and positive way.

Do you have a favourite writing snippet or mantra?

Weekend Book Club: Call Me Irresistible

My life is manic.
I rush around all week, school runs, taekwando, swimming, basketball...this week throw in orthodontist, doc and surgeon, and you get an idea of how hectic I am.

I also have 4 deadlines in 3 months.

So when I say I read Susan Elizabeth Phillips CALL ME IRRESISTIBLE in 2 days, you know I've sacrificed precious sleep to do it.

Like all her books, I couldn't put this down.
She is the queen of small town romantic comedies, her characters so real you feel like you know them personally and are still thinking about them long after you've finished the book.

Here's what Publishers Weekly had to say:

Phillips crafts a laugh-out-loud and romantic story with panache that mostly makes up for some gaping plot holes. Onetime PGA star and smalltown mayor Ted Beaudine (met in 2005's Fancy Pants) is about to marry Lucy Jorik, the daughter of a former president, when she's persuaded to break it off by her best friend, Meg Koranda (2008's Glitter Baby), the aimless daughter of Hollywood royalty. Everyone in Wynette, Tex., loves Ted, but Meg feels Lucy deserves a passionate partner, not a god of self-control. After the disaster of calling off the wedding at the last minute, Meg's parents cut her off, stranding her in the hostile town. As Meg finds her own path and helps Ted discover his heart, the townspeople stoutly (and hilariously) defend their golden boy. However, some readers may not appreciate that Meg's good deed is punished so often and severely en route to happiness.

If you're a fan of SEP, you'll adore this book.
If you're not, read this book and become one!

What are you reading this week?