Nicola Marsh's Blog, page 67
May 20, 2011
Weekend Book Club: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
I read this on the recommendation by my agent, who has great taste in books.Here's a snapshot of NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST:
So you're a guy; you're at a band show and your ex, the girl who dumped you, walks in with the new guy. Looking for a safe exit, you ask the girl you happen to sitting with to be your girlfriend for five minutes.
You're a girl; you're at a get-together and your least favorite female strolls in. The stranger sitting next to you asks you to be his five-minute date. So what do you? You lock lips.
Nick and Norah's instant connect begins a roller-coaster "first date" that takes them through Manhattan and into themselves.
I found this book edgy, fast-paced and frank , a page-turning YA written by 2 authors.
Loved the concept and the individual voices.
Loved how the story flowed.
Loved how they brought NYC and music alive.
What are you reading this week?
May 19, 2011
Trends in YA
If you're writing young adult or middle grade, you absolutely must read this post by agent/author Mandy Hubbard.
She just returned from a trip to NYC where she met with editors at major publishing houses and here's her take on what's trending in YA & MG at the moment.
She just returned from a trip to NYC where she met with editors at major publishing houses and here's her take on what's trending in YA & MG at the moment.
May 17, 2011
Bollywood book has sold!
I'm excited to announce my mainstream Bollywood book has sold!Entangled Publishing will be releasing it this December: 'Sex and the City' meets 'Eat, Pray, Love.'
How totally cool is that high concept?
May 16, 2011
Nice to hear
It's always nice to hear a good review, especially from a 'new to me' reader.
Here's an excerpt from a review for DESERTED ISLAND, DREAMY EX! via Twitter:
This was a really fun book to read and it had some great elements to it. I really liked the character of Kristi she had real moxy with her snappy dialogue, ambition and style, yet she also had a caring side with a deep desire to love and be loved in return (I didn't like Jared as much). I really loved the inclusion of the characters blog posts and twitter updates while they were on the island. This was interesting as it gave insight into the two characters thoughts and experiences in a more conversational way then the usual internal monologue type narrative allows, it was also very 'now'!
I would have liked to have had more of the actual events on the island included, I was imagining a Lost-meets-The-Apprentice-meets-romcom style story (somebody has to make that show!). I did enjoy the focus on the two characters relationship and their attempt to work through the issues that drove them apart previously and also to work through their own internal issues. Both characters were able to grow and move on, which is something I always like to see in a good romance novel.
What I particularly liked about this review is the reader's balance.
She states what she likes and what she doesn't with honesty and not snark.
Nice.
You can read the full review here.
Here's an excerpt from a review for DESERTED ISLAND, DREAMY EX! via Twitter:
This was a really fun book to read and it had some great elements to it. I really liked the character of Kristi she had real moxy with her snappy dialogue, ambition and style, yet she also had a caring side with a deep desire to love and be loved in return (I didn't like Jared as much). I really loved the inclusion of the characters blog posts and twitter updates while they were on the island. This was interesting as it gave insight into the two characters thoughts and experiences in a more conversational way then the usual internal monologue type narrative allows, it was also very 'now'!
I would have liked to have had more of the actual events on the island included, I was imagining a Lost-meets-The-Apprentice-meets-romcom style story (somebody has to make that show!). I did enjoy the focus on the two characters relationship and their attempt to work through the issues that drove them apart previously and also to work through their own internal issues. Both characters were able to grow and move on, which is something I always like to see in a good romance novel.
What I particularly liked about this review is the reader's balance.
She states what she likes and what she doesn't with honesty and not snark.
Nice.
You can read the full review here.
May 15, 2011
Playboys
This week sees my 3rd release hit the shelves in May.HOT NIGHTS WITH A PLAYBOY is reprinted in an anthology PASSIONATE PLAYBOYS with Ally Blake and Kim Lawrence.
(Ally's story is her first Modern Heat, The Magnate's Indecent Proposal, and is an absolute corker of a book!)
Apart from the fun of reading 3 sexy stories, I'd buy this book for the cover alone.
Phwoar!
(The Book Depository has 10% off at the moment with free postage worldwide! Just enter May11 at the checkout. Check out my books here.)
May 13, 2011
Weekend Book Club: The Good Daughter
I met Amra when I first started writing and we were in the same critique group so I was thrilled to read her first YA novel.
Here's the blurb from Text Publishing:
Fifteen-year-old Sabiha has a lot to deal with: her mother's mental health issues, her interfering aunt, her mother's new boyfriend, her live-in grandfather and his chess buddy, not to mention her arrogant cousin Adnan. They all want to marry her off, have her become a strict Muslim and speak Bosnian. And Sabiha's friends are not always friendly. She gets bullied by girlfriends and is anxious about boyfriends, when she just wants to fit in. But two boys, Brian and Jesse, become the allies of this fierce and funny girl.
The Good Daughter is a coming-of-age novel written with sensitivity and humour. It confronts head-on the problems of cultural identity in the day-to-day lives of teenagers. Amra Pajalic has a wonderful ear for idiomatic dialogue and the dramatic moment.
This book isn't flowery. It's refreshingly honest and you can empathise as you see Sammie battle adolesence while handling her mother's bi-polar.
Also loved the twist on a classic love triangle.
And I'm always a sucker for a book set in my home city of Melbourne.
Thoroughly enjoyed.
What are you reading this weekend?
May 11, 2011
The e-publishing chat you have to hear
Two of my favourite authors, Barbara O'Neal and Jennifer Crusie, are having a frank discussion about e-publishing here.
Makes for fascinating reading.
Makes for fascinating reading.
May 10, 2011
Fire and ice
Today I'm guest-blogging at I HEART PRESENTS, discussing the setting for my current release in the USA, HER BAD, BAD BOSS.Yes, it's Alaska.
And yes, I researched some of the places in the book on my honeymoon.
Find out the full story here.
(The post will go up late OZ & UK time today.)
May 9, 2011
Sex, gossip, rock & roll, cupcakes & killer heels!
If you're in OZ & NZ, the Modern Heats/Rivas/Sexy Sensations are now being released in a Sexy duo each month.
And I'm up in June with the delightful Heidi Rice!
Thankfully, the cover can apply to scenes in both our books, how lucky is that?
And aren't the titles fab?
I can't wait to read Heidi's book, have heard rave reviews about it.
And I'm up in June with the delightful Heidi Rice!
Thankfully, the cover can apply to scenes in both our books, how lucky is that?
And aren't the titles fab?
I can't wait to read Heidi's book, have heard rave reviews about it.
May 8, 2011
The smell of books
I'm a dinosaur in this digital age for publishing.
I love my books.
I love the feel of them, the weight of them, the crispness of the pages, and particularly the smell of them.
It's why I doubt I'll ever get an e-reader.
Then Karl Lagerfeld comes along and tackles one of those problems in the digital era: the smell of books.
Can't get that out of your e-reader?
Well, then this is for you!
He's creating a fragrance to smell like books! No kidding!
'Paper Passion' will be sold inside a hollowed out hardcover book to hold the flacon. How cool is that?
Here are the details.
I love my books.
I love the feel of them, the weight of them, the crispness of the pages, and particularly the smell of them.
It's why I doubt I'll ever get an e-reader.
Then Karl Lagerfeld comes along and tackles one of those problems in the digital era: the smell of books.
Can't get that out of your e-reader?
Well, then this is for you!
He's creating a fragrance to smell like books! No kidding!
'Paper Passion' will be sold inside a hollowed out hardcover book to hold the flacon. How cool is that?
Here are the details.
