Nicola Marsh's Blog, page 69

First page shooter

My fab agent Suzie Townsend is having a first page shooter on her blog, where you can email your first page and have it possibly selected for critique on the blog.

Go check out the first one here.

And read the interesting posts on 'awesome first pages'.

Easter greetings

Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter.

For me, Easter is filled with church services and family meals and egg hunts.
May yours be special too.

New titles!

I've had word from London that my December RIVA release featuring this man has a title.

INTERVIEW WITH THE DAREDEVIL.

Considering that's exactly what the heroine, Ava, gets to do at the fabulous Palazzo Versace, the title is rather apt.

And the book I've just started writing is already scheduled and titled:

WHO WANTS TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE? will be a Jan Riva/Harlequin Romance release.

Guess I better write Rory and Gemma's story pronto!

Bracing

My 7 yo is having so much dental work at the moment my head is spinning.
Fillings, root canals, you name it, he's having it.

And yesterday was his first orthodontic visit, where I learned he'll need to wear braces on his top teeth for a year.

At 7!

He had the most beautifully straight baby teeth and lost his first 4 over summer.
Unfortunately, due to crowding, the top 2 are crooked and not leaving much room for the rest when they come down.
So we need spacing and straightening.

I know it won't hurt much and I know he'll cope admirably but he's pretty sensitive and the thought of him going through teasing so early...

Hey, I'm a mum.
It's my job to worry :)

Querying agents

Read this interesting post by agent Rachelle Gardner on 13 Ways to Screw up your Query.

I'm truly left shaking my head over some of the ways people approach agents...

Snail mail

I love receiving letters, always have. In high school, my best friend and I used to trade notes almost daily. In uni over summers, my best friend and I used to write long, elaborate letters, detailing our lives. These days, email is quick and convenient but I miss those days of letter writing, so it's always a thrill when a reader takes the time to write me a letter. That said, responding by email is so much easier so please, if you're taking the time to write to me, include your email address. If you don't have one and that's why you're writing, please enclose that in your letter. So for Ann Bailey, who took the time to write to say she enjoyed Wild Nights with her Wicked Boss and wondered if there were connecting stories...yes, Ann, Callum has his own story in Overtime in the Boss's Bed. Enjoy!

No time to fear the blank page

Finished writing my YA novel last week, 60K in 4 weeks, and planned on taking a week off before starting my Harlequin Romance due end of May.

Not to be.
Discovered the book is scheduled for Jan 2012 which means I need to write it NOW.
I've made a start and enjoying the change between genres immensely.

You've already met my hero, Rory Devlin.
First scene is in his POV.
In fact, I think much of this book is going to be his POV, surprising for a Romance.
Interesting developments ahead!
And another month of intensive writing...

Weekend Book Club: The Brass Verdict

I was first introduced to Michael Connelly through his cop character Harry Bosch and was hooked! THE BRASS VERDICT is a legal thriller, featuring lawyer Mickey Haller. I bought it a while ago and have had it on my TBR pile, so when I picked it up this week I didn't realise it was book 2 of the Mickey Haller series, the first being THE LINCOLN LAWYER, currently a movie starring Matthew McConaughey. (I don't get to the movies much these days. Only movie I've seen in the last few years is Toy Story 3 but I'm definitely making time for The Lincoln Lawyer, for many reasons!) As a character, Mickey Haller is intelligent, quick-witted and human, with enough vulnerabilities to stop him from straying into cocky territory. This is a real skill by the author, to keep us from disliking him. I adore thrillers and this one had great twists at the end. And having Harry Bosch as a secondary character throughout made things interesting too. Anyone seen The Lincoln Lawyer? Thoughts? Do you recommend it? Or should I wait for DVD? What are you reading this week?

Cover love

Last week, I revealed the UK Riva cover for GIRL IN A VINTAGE DRESS. Without further ado, here's the USA cover. I love, love, love the fact she's vintage from head to toe and looks exactly how I pictured my heroine: dress, hair, make-up, fab! (and thanks to Donna Alward for working magic on the PDF copy so I could post here!)

Agent blogs

Think I've mentioned before, if you're interested in finding an agent, GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS is a great blog to follow. Today, they list their choices for Best Agent blogs 2010. Check it out (the sidebar has fabulous links to loads of agent blogs too.)