Eve Devon's Blog, page 5
November 23, 2015
Week 3: Doing it My #NaNoWriMo Way!
Yeah, so, no—I haven’t magically found a way of bending time so that I get to the end of week four with 50k written.
But it’s not all bad :).
I’ve kept the panic at bay through week three and even more importantly (and possibly because I haven’t been panicking) I haven’t got morose about not finding a flow to my words.
Some books are a gift to write.
Other’s are not.
Sod’s law that the book you choose to write for #NaNoWriMo isn’t one of those ones where the words line up to halo dive onto the page, arriving whole, and with such gusto that it’s all you can do to try and keep up.
I did plotting for this book.
I did character bio’s.
I figured out the GMC—internal and external!
And even with knowing I wouldn’t be able to reach 50k by the end of the month, I was READY to start writing November 1st.
And then I got fourteen days in and my word count was low and Hubby’s advice was to write a sex scene to get my word count up, so to speak! And, while this is definitely one way of getting to know your characters and upping the word count at the same time, in this story the attraction is much more slow-burn and so it just didn’t feel right.
I had two choices. I could either swap projects and start writing my next suspense instead and risk that turning out the same way in two weeks time, or I could stick with this one and write forward.
A quick look at my writing schedule for the next twelve months and I knew I needed to stick with this one, so write forward it was.
Filed away in my head are scenes from every story I think up. They’re usually the scenes that won’t let go. They're the ones that tell me I want to write this story—I have to write this story. They’re the scenes that I play with and perfect in my dreams, or standing in line at the bank, or when I’m supposed to be doing my taxes!
So, day fifteen of #NaNoWriMo, I sat down and wrote one of these scenes down. This scene wasn’t what was supposed to happen next in the book. In fact, there’ll probably be at least another 15 000 words inserted before it but it got me writing again. Writing fast and writing the story.
The words weren’t perfect. And by the time I finish the book the scene might have grown, or shrunk, or maybe even have changed POV, but the essence of it will stay.
Sometimes you have to write out of order, because what’s important is getting so into your book that it gets written. It’s too easy otherwise to give up when it gets hard. Too easy to begin project after project and never actually finish one. It’s up to you to find the key to unlocking your inspiration room and then it’s up to you to either prop the door open or lock yourself in until the story is done.
#NaNoWriMo is a fabulous way of keeping the momentum going. Embrace the support of fellow writers and try new ways of writing if you have to.
Do it your way and don’t give up!
Week four, bring it on… Eve xx
But it’s not all bad :).
I’ve kept the panic at bay through week three and even more importantly (and possibly because I haven’t been panicking) I haven’t got morose about not finding a flow to my words.
Some books are a gift to write.
Other’s are not.
Sod’s law that the book you choose to write for #NaNoWriMo isn’t one of those ones where the words line up to halo dive onto the page, arriving whole, and with such gusto that it’s all you can do to try and keep up.
I did plotting for this book.
I did character bio’s.
I figured out the GMC—internal and external!
And even with knowing I wouldn’t be able to reach 50k by the end of the month, I was READY to start writing November 1st.
And then I got fourteen days in and my word count was low and Hubby’s advice was to write a sex scene to get my word count up, so to speak! And, while this is definitely one way of getting to know your characters and upping the word count at the same time, in this story the attraction is much more slow-burn and so it just didn’t feel right.
I had two choices. I could either swap projects and start writing my next suspense instead and risk that turning out the same way in two weeks time, or I could stick with this one and write forward.
A quick look at my writing schedule for the next twelve months and I knew I needed to stick with this one, so write forward it was.
Filed away in my head are scenes from every story I think up. They’re usually the scenes that won’t let go. They're the ones that tell me I want to write this story—I have to write this story. They’re the scenes that I play with and perfect in my dreams, or standing in line at the bank, or when I’m supposed to be doing my taxes!
So, day fifteen of #NaNoWriMo, I sat down and wrote one of these scenes down. This scene wasn’t what was supposed to happen next in the book. In fact, there’ll probably be at least another 15 000 words inserted before it but it got me writing again. Writing fast and writing the story.
The words weren’t perfect. And by the time I finish the book the scene might have grown, or shrunk, or maybe even have changed POV, but the essence of it will stay.
Sometimes you have to write out of order, because what’s important is getting so into your book that it gets written. It’s too easy otherwise to give up when it gets hard. Too easy to begin project after project and never actually finish one. It’s up to you to find the key to unlocking your inspiration room and then it’s up to you to either prop the door open or lock yourself in until the story is done.
#NaNoWriMo is a fabulous way of keeping the momentum going. Embrace the support of fellow writers and try new ways of writing if you have to.
Do it your way and don’t give up!
Week four, bring it on… Eve xx
November 16, 2015
Week 2: My #NaNoWriMo Way
Panicking? Who's panicking! 
Ahem. Yeah. So, at the halfway mark my word count is supposed to be at: 23, 338
It’s so not even close to that, that I literally can’t talk about it!
Or, can I?
This is all about doing #NaNoWriMo my way after all. I really ought to talk about what it feels like to be not where I’m supposed to be in my word count (even though I’m not supposed to be stressing about that because I knew I had too much to try and fit in this month and so, for me, it was going to be about doing it my way instead.).
I guess though, there’s knowing that and KNOWING that, right?
Because the truth of not being up there with everyone else that's smashing the daily word count, loving their characters’ journey, and coming up with genius ideas for another four books in the series? Well, it kind of utterly stinks.
Because obviously I am secretly under the impression that I’m Superwoman.
Which is mortifying!
Obviously I would much rather secretly want to be under the impression that I’m very grounded, realistic about my limits, and non-competitive (with others, at least).
Because I’m a perfectionist.
This is where being a perfectionist sucks. Instead of sitting down and popping a few words on the page it has you sitting down, putting your hands on the keyboard and…nothing.
And then stressing about the ‘nothing’ for the exact amount of time you had available to write.
And then stressing about the fact that you didn’t write during whatever you are doing next.
And then stressing about the fact that you’re not giving whatever you are doing your full attention.
And so on and so on…
BUT…
This is also where being a perfectionist eventually doesn’t suck!
Because obviously if you’re perfect, you wouldn’t stress.
And so you stop, take a breath, give yourself a slap, possibly imbibe chocolate or alcohol…possibly both and possibly at the same time, before taking another breath and finally figuring out a way to be okay with not hitting the ideal word count, yet still, crucially, progressing your WIP.
Because that’s what doing it my #NanoWriMo way is supposed to be about.
Actually, that is what writing is about every day.
For reals!
It’s about getting out of your own way so that you can tell someone's story.
I'm currently at 11,414 of telling someone's story...here are:
Some of the things I've said to get to this point:
“257 words? Really? That’s all you can churn out? Ooh, if you get up at 6am tomorrow you could fit in the remaining 1410 words and then if you don't watch any TV tonight you could write the next 1667.”
“What am I trying to say in this scene? WHAT AM I TRYING TO SAY????”
“I’ve lost my ‘funny’. This scene is totally unfunny. How can I make it more funny? WHERE’S MY FUNNY???”
“Okay, just write the basics and go back in later and add in the funny. And the sexy. And the PLOT. Ugh. What am I trying to say, again????”
“FFS, the time you’ve spent moaning, over-complicating, and panicking, you could have written 5k stream of consciousness. Get. It. Together.”
'Helpful' things my husband has said during week two:
Hunter-Gatherer: “Have you killed off anyone yet?"
Me: “This one’s a romcom not a suspense.”
Hunter-Gatherer: “Oh. Is there actually a rule though that you can’t kill anyone in a romcom?”
Me: “How would that be romantic? Or comedic?”
Hunter-Gatherer: “Right. Well, have they had sex yet?”
Me: “No.”
Hunter-Gatherer: “There you go then. You’re welcome.”
Next week find out if that was the scene that kick-started the writing again. And research: the #NaNoWriMo way.
How’s your week two been? Drop me a comment and let me know if you're smashing it or panicking it! Eve xx
Ahem. Yeah. So, at the halfway mark my word count is supposed to be at: 23, 338It’s so not even close to that, that I literally can’t talk about it!
Or, can I?
This is all about doing #NaNoWriMo my way after all. I really ought to talk about what it feels like to be not where I’m supposed to be in my word count (even though I’m not supposed to be stressing about that because I knew I had too much to try and fit in this month and so, for me, it was going to be about doing it my way instead.).
I guess though, there’s knowing that and KNOWING that, right?
Because the truth of not being up there with everyone else that's smashing the daily word count, loving their characters’ journey, and coming up with genius ideas for another four books in the series? Well, it kind of utterly stinks.
Because obviously I am secretly under the impression that I’m Superwoman.
Which is mortifying!
Obviously I would much rather secretly want to be under the impression that I’m very grounded, realistic about my limits, and non-competitive (with others, at least).
Because I’m a perfectionist.
This is where being a perfectionist sucks. Instead of sitting down and popping a few words on the page it has you sitting down, putting your hands on the keyboard and…nothing.
And then stressing about the ‘nothing’ for the exact amount of time you had available to write.
And then stressing about the fact that you didn’t write during whatever you are doing next.
And then stressing about the fact that you’re not giving whatever you are doing your full attention.
And so on and so on…
BUT…
This is also where being a perfectionist eventually doesn’t suck!
Because obviously if you’re perfect, you wouldn’t stress.
And so you stop, take a breath, give yourself a slap, possibly imbibe chocolate or alcohol…possibly both and possibly at the same time, before taking another breath and finally figuring out a way to be okay with not hitting the ideal word count, yet still, crucially, progressing your WIP.
Because that’s what doing it my #NanoWriMo way is supposed to be about.
Actually, that is what writing is about every day.
For reals!
It’s about getting out of your own way so that you can tell someone's story.
I'm currently at 11,414 of telling someone's story...here are:
Some of the things I've said to get to this point:
“257 words? Really? That’s all you can churn out? Ooh, if you get up at 6am tomorrow you could fit in the remaining 1410 words and then if you don't watch any TV tonight you could write the next 1667.”
“What am I trying to say in this scene? WHAT AM I TRYING TO SAY????”
“I’ve lost my ‘funny’. This scene is totally unfunny. How can I make it more funny? WHERE’S MY FUNNY???”
“Okay, just write the basics and go back in later and add in the funny. And the sexy. And the PLOT. Ugh. What am I trying to say, again????”
“FFS, the time you’ve spent moaning, over-complicating, and panicking, you could have written 5k stream of consciousness. Get. It. Together.”
'Helpful' things my husband has said during week two:
Hunter-Gatherer: “Have you killed off anyone yet?"
Me: “This one’s a romcom not a suspense.”
Hunter-Gatherer: “Oh. Is there actually a rule though that you can’t kill anyone in a romcom?”
Me: “How would that be romantic? Or comedic?”
Hunter-Gatherer: “Right. Well, have they had sex yet?”
Me: “No.”
Hunter-Gatherer: “There you go then. You’re welcome.”
Next week find out if that was the scene that kick-started the writing again. And research: the #NaNoWriMo way.
How’s your week two been? Drop me a comment and let me know if you're smashing it or panicking it! Eve xx
November 9, 2015
I'm Doing It My #NaNoWriMo Way!
So if you’re into writing, you’ll know that November is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), that one crazy month each year where like-minded people get together and support each other while attempting to write a 50k word book.
1667 words a day for thirty days.
I rack-up at least half that word count on social media every day, so…simples, right?
Except, somehow, it doesn’t feel so simple when the words are supposed to enticingly reveal a story from beginning to end.
Even if you’ve written a book before.
And have a plot.
And character bios.
And spreadsheets with scene breakdowns.
Somehow when it’s NaNoWriMo it becomes another beast entirely.
Confession No.1: I’ve never done NaNoWriMo during November before.
November chez Devon sees six family birthdays and my wedding anniversary. Plus, it feels way, way too close to Christmas. If I’m going to spend an entire month hanging about in pj’s, making chocolate the only food group I recognise, and swapping all rational thought for book, book, book, then it’s going to shock the hell out of me to come out the other side and realise that it’s only four weeks to Christmas and I have done NOTHING to prepare for it.
This year though? This year it’s worked out that I’ve done more editing books than writing new ones and so I wanted to get to the end of the year having laid down a few more words. I wanted to have a dirty draft of my new WIP so that I could start 2016 in search of second-draft perfection.
Of course therein lies the rub—I’m not really a dirty draft kind of gal. I’m more of a pour over the words until I’m satisfied kind of gal.
Confession No.2: The single most important lesson I’ve learnt about writing is being able to adapt.
All creative work takes energy and time. Life doesn’t always leave you with either. But if you can adapt—if you can work in different ways, you might just discover that you can achieve what you wanted in less than perfect circumstances.
So this year I’m NaNoWriMo’ing in November! And I’m doing it my way! Sans strict word count because it’s a truth universally acknowledged amongst fellow NaNoWriMo-ers, that a writer in want of a 50k book, is usually in possession of a stinking cold when November 1st comes around.
Nevertheless, I’m going to try turning off my inner editor and get words down—ugly or not, in the right order or not. Because whatever I achieve come November 30th I can then develop. Because it’s okay if it’s not perfect first time. Because, as Nora Roberts says: You can’t edit a blank page.
So, end of week one NaNoWriMo and is my word count at 11,669? Hell to the No.
Do I care to the point where I’m going to throw my pages out the pram and give up? That would be a negative—at least as soon as I finish my tantrum it will be!
The real treasure of NaNoWriMo is the support from fellow writers and so I’m in for another three weeks of us all doing it in our own butt-in-chair-hands-on-keyboard ways.
Hmm…I see that this post is over five hundred words. I can totally count that towards my daily word-count, right???
Next week: Exactly how far behind I am and the inevitable mental battle that will ensue!
If you’re taking part in NaNoWriMo this year, let me know how you’re getting on in the comments below :). Eve xx
1667 words a day for thirty days.
I rack-up at least half that word count on social media every day, so…simples, right?
Except, somehow, it doesn’t feel so simple when the words are supposed to enticingly reveal a story from beginning to end.
Even if you’ve written a book before.
And have a plot.
And character bios.
And spreadsheets with scene breakdowns.
Somehow when it’s NaNoWriMo it becomes another beast entirely.
Confession No.1: I’ve never done NaNoWriMo during November before.November chez Devon sees six family birthdays and my wedding anniversary. Plus, it feels way, way too close to Christmas. If I’m going to spend an entire month hanging about in pj’s, making chocolate the only food group I recognise, and swapping all rational thought for book, book, book, then it’s going to shock the hell out of me to come out the other side and realise that it’s only four weeks to Christmas and I have done NOTHING to prepare for it.
This year though? This year it’s worked out that I’ve done more editing books than writing new ones and so I wanted to get to the end of the year having laid down a few more words. I wanted to have a dirty draft of my new WIP so that I could start 2016 in search of second-draft perfection.
Of course therein lies the rub—I’m not really a dirty draft kind of gal. I’m more of a pour over the words until I’m satisfied kind of gal.
Confession No.2: The single most important lesson I’ve learnt about writing is being able to adapt.
All creative work takes energy and time. Life doesn’t always leave you with either. But if you can adapt—if you can work in different ways, you might just discover that you can achieve what you wanted in less than perfect circumstances.
So this year I’m NaNoWriMo’ing in November! And I’m doing it my way! Sans strict word count because it’s a truth universally acknowledged amongst fellow NaNoWriMo-ers, that a writer in want of a 50k book, is usually in possession of a stinking cold when November 1st comes around.
Nevertheless, I’m going to try turning off my inner editor and get words down—ugly or not, in the right order or not. Because whatever I achieve come November 30th I can then develop. Because it’s okay if it’s not perfect first time. Because, as Nora Roberts says: You can’t edit a blank page.
So, end of week one NaNoWriMo and is my word count at 11,669? Hell to the No.
Do I care to the point where I’m going to throw my pages out the pram and give up? That would be a negative—at least as soon as I finish my tantrum it will be!
The real treasure of NaNoWriMo is the support from fellow writers and so I’m in for another three weeks of us all doing it in our own butt-in-chair-hands-on-keyboard ways.
Hmm…I see that this post is over five hundred words. I can totally count that towards my daily word-count, right???
Next week: Exactly how far behind I am and the inevitable mental battle that will ensue!
If you’re taking part in NaNoWriMo this year, let me know how you’re getting on in the comments below :). Eve xx
August 19, 2015
Five Reasons To:
Fall in love with Dale Cavallo! Today I have the lovely Elsa Winkcler on the blog sharing five reasons to fall in love with her new book hero, Dale Cavallo! Take it away Elsa... 1. He is gorgeous. Like his brothers, he has pitch black hair and chocolate brown eyes.
2. When he falls for Zoe, nobody else will do.
3. Like any man, he freaks out when he realizes how he really feels about her but unlike most men, he apologizes after he wrongfully accused her of going behind his back to get hold of his new plans.
4. He opens doors for her.
5. He tells her mother “I don’t want anything, I just want … Zoe.”
About Touched to the Soul:
Zoe Sutherland can't stand the pushy, arrogant architect Dale Cavallo. He was just too damn sure of himself, too handsome, too…everything. Maneuvered into working as the interior decorator on his latest project, a glamorous new hotel, Zoe can't keep her mind on the job. And worse, the strange man won't give her access to the hotel's floor plans. How is she supposed to finish the design when she doesn't have the plans? And when the obnoxious man distracts her with every smoldering look, every touch...
Dale has one goal: get rid of the pesky interior designer. Since he's been forced into close proximity with the beautiful Zoe, everything's gone downhill. And to make matters worse, she's only out to further her own career—and he's not about to give her the hotel's plans so she can steal his ideas. He needs to get her out of his system, and sleeping with her seems like the best way to do that. When it comes to women, he's found the best way to handle them is to love 'em and leave 'em. But something strange is happening...because after a night of loving Zoe, he's finding it harder than ever to leave…
Buy links:
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com.au All Romance
Kobo About Elsa Winckler:
I have been reading love stories for as long as I can remember and when I ‘met’ the classic authors like Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Henry James The Brontë sisters, etc. during my studies, I was hooked for life.
I married my college boyfriend and soul mate and after 39 years, 3 beautiful children and 3 grandchildren, he still makes me weak in the knees. We are fortunate to live in the picturesque little seaside village of Betty's Bay, South Africa with the ocean a block away and a beautiful mountain right behind us. And although life so far has not always been an easy ride, it has always been an exiting and interesting one!
I like the heroines in my stories to be beautiful, feisty, independent and headstrong. And the heroes must be strong but possess a generous amount of sensitivity. They are of course, also gorgeous! My stories typically incorporate the family background of the characters to better understand where they come from and who they are when we meet them in the story.
Social Media links:
Website
Personal FB
Author FB page
Twitter
Goodreads
Pinterest
Wattpad
Google+
Eve xx
2. When he falls for Zoe, nobody else will do.
3. Like any man, he freaks out when he realizes how he really feels about her but unlike most men, he apologizes after he wrongfully accused her of going behind his back to get hold of his new plans.
4. He opens doors for her.
5. He tells her mother “I don’t want anything, I just want … Zoe.”
About Touched to the Soul:Zoe Sutherland can't stand the pushy, arrogant architect Dale Cavallo. He was just too damn sure of himself, too handsome, too…everything. Maneuvered into working as the interior decorator on his latest project, a glamorous new hotel, Zoe can't keep her mind on the job. And worse, the strange man won't give her access to the hotel's floor plans. How is she supposed to finish the design when she doesn't have the plans? And when the obnoxious man distracts her with every smoldering look, every touch...
Dale has one goal: get rid of the pesky interior designer. Since he's been forced into close proximity with the beautiful Zoe, everything's gone downhill. And to make matters worse, she's only out to further her own career—and he's not about to give her the hotel's plans so she can steal his ideas. He needs to get her out of his system, and sleeping with her seems like the best way to do that. When it comes to women, he's found the best way to handle them is to love 'em and leave 'em. But something strange is happening...because after a night of loving Zoe, he's finding it harder than ever to leave…
Buy links:
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com.au All Romance
Kobo About Elsa Winckler:
I have been reading love stories for as long as I can remember and when I ‘met’ the classic authors like Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, Henry James The Brontë sisters, etc. during my studies, I was hooked for life. I married my college boyfriend and soul mate and after 39 years, 3 beautiful children and 3 grandchildren, he still makes me weak in the knees. We are fortunate to live in the picturesque little seaside village of Betty's Bay, South Africa with the ocean a block away and a beautiful mountain right behind us. And although life so far has not always been an easy ride, it has always been an exiting and interesting one!
I like the heroines in my stories to be beautiful, feisty, independent and headstrong. And the heroes must be strong but possess a generous amount of sensitivity. They are of course, also gorgeous! My stories typically incorporate the family background of the characters to better understand where they come from and who they are when we meet them in the story.
Social Media links:
Website
Personal FB
Author FB page
Goodreads
Wattpad
Google+
Eve xx
August 13, 2015
#LoveLondon Series No.6
Picnics in Hyde Park
by Nikki Moore Read this exciting romance series set in London, which has attracted four and five star reviews and been in the Top 100 Short Story chart on Kobo and Top 20 Holiday charts on Amazon UK.
The last story in the fun & flirty #LoveLondon series from exciting new chick lit author Nikki Moore! The perfect novel for reading in the sunshine...and falling in love with London.
A summer to remember...or forget?
When Zoe Harper returns to the UK after five long years in New York, the last thing she expects to find is her younger sister Melody jobless, homeless, broke and dumped. Unfortunately, life has a way of delivering the unexpected. She should know that, given ger ex-fiancé Greg's faithless behaviour.
Filled with rage and determined to get revenge on the infamous Reilly brothers for her sister's heartbreak, as well as get some answers, Zoe hatches plan Nannygate. Unfortunately that means moving in with the gorgeous but uncaring music producer matt Reilly to be nanny to his two adorable, complicated children. But something isn't adding up, and over the course of the hot London summer, she starts to think that perhaps Matt isn't so bad after all.
Let down by his last nanny and weighed down with guilt about his wife's death three years before, wealthy but camera-shy Matt has spent a long time pushing people away, including his own kids. His stunning new nanny challenges him every single day in completely different ways, but maybe that isn't such a bad thing.
But what happens when you open your heart, and someone isn't who you thought they were? And can it really be true love when it's on the rebound, and starts off with a plan for revenge?
Out on 13th August as an ebook, paperback to follow. Get it from only £2.99
Amazon UK Kobo Nook
Praise for the #LoveLondon series...
'The writing style is impeccable. How I'll fill the void left by this series is something I've not yet figured out an answer to.' K.L Beeden, Books with Bunny
Strawberries at Wimbledon:
'I eagerly read and absorbed every page. Such a good feel read earns an easy 5 starts from me.' Sheerie Franks, Amazon UK.
Cocktails in Chelsea:
'I loved every single minute of this fun, flirty romance...the perfect read for your boring commute to work.' Holly, Bookaholic Confessions.
Valentine's on Primrose Hill:
'Uplifting and at the same time thought provoking too. I guarantee you'll be hitting that button on Amazon to order the fourth book in the #LoveLondon series as soon as you've finished this one.' Dawn, Crooks on Books
New Year at The Ritz:
'A sweet and flirty short story, I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to see what Nikki comes up with for the next book in the series.' Simona Elena, Sky's book Corner.
Skating at Somerset House:
'Sexy, fun, and everything you need in one neat, gorgeous package. This is a winner for me.' Chicks That Read. Excerpt:
Matt Reilly is a complete, unbelievable bastard and I’m going to make him pay, Zoe Harper vowed as she pounded the gold lion-head knocker against the door of his exclusive Knightsbridge residence.
When there was no response, she switched to thumping the glossy black wood with the side of her fist.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Answer. The. Door.
Utter fury was squeezing her chest so tight it felt like her ribs were suffocating her lungs and a horrible pressure was building behind her eyeballs, the sure sign of a tension headache.
Where the hell was he? She stepped back to gaze up at the impressive facade of the town house, which had to be at least four storeys tall including the basement area below her. The top two floors were exposed brickwork but the ground and lower floors were painted white, decorated with manicured window boxes. The property screamed refined wealth, as did the beautiful leafy communal garden area in the middle of the square. He must have paid extra for the property, which sat back from the road slightly. It was one of the only houses with off-road parking.
She turned to look at the gravel driveway. Someone had to be in, there were three cars parked up; a garish, canary-yellow convertible sports model, a sexy low-slung black supercar and a more modest silver Prius hybrid.
Thudding the door again, there was still no answer.
If she was some kick-ass action movie heroine she could bust the door down, flatten whichever of the selfish idiots was inside (although both at the same time would be preferable) and just be done with it. But at five foot seven, as well as pounds lighter than she’d been in years, she hardly looked or felt the part. Still, if there was anything guaranteed to bring out her fighting side it was protecting her younger sister Melody. She was her only proper family left apart from their Great Aunt Ruth, who’d always been distant and had all the affection of a watermelon.
What it came down to was that anyone who hurt Melody deserved justice. But she didn’t really believe in violence, and ruining her beautiful nails with their miniature stars and stripes design on every tip didn’t appeal either. The manicure was a present from her ex-boss Liberty, named after the statue of. It was something to remember New York by, a city she’d come to love. But better not to think about that, or what else she’d loved and lost.
Where the heck was Mr. High and Mighty Reilly, or for that matter, his younger brother Stephen? Surely they had enough staff to answer the bloody door for them. A girl could die of heatstroke out here. The midday sun was ferocious and prickling heat along the back of her neck. It was sure to be scarlet by dinner time.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Her hand was never going to be the same again. Then she’d be suing the sods for personal injury as well as emotional trauma for Melody. Her sibling had been crying so hard at Jemima’s flat in multicultural, packed Holloway that Zoe hadn’t been able to get the full story on arrival from Heathrow. There’d just been a lot of mumbling and sobbing around swollen red eyes and handfuls of soggy tissues. Still, what she’d figured out had been enough to instantly trigger her big sister reflexes. The stale, stuffy black cab had made for a nightmare journey across London but the sunlight glinting off the windows had matched her heated, murderous thoughts perfectly. She’d avoided direct eye contact with the chatty driver, jaw clenched as she replayed the fragments of her sister’s story in her head.
Fell in love with Stephen... Matt ended it, fired me... kicked me out without notice… never see the kids again… looked after them for three years!
How dare he? It was bloody outrageous and unbelievably unfair. How could anyone be so uncaring that they’d do someone who trusted them out of a relationship, job, home and salary all on the same day? So here she was outside of his posh, rich-guy’s, I’m so fabulous home, fully intending to grab her sister’s belongings as well as telling Matt Reilly exactly what she thought of a guy who’d treat a naïve twenty-two year old like dirt. If she could grab his brother by the scruff of the neck at the same time and give him a good shake for helping break her sister’s heart, she’d do that too. He had a lot of explaining to do as to why he wasn’t answering Mel’s calls.
Bloody men. They were a faithless lot at the best of times, the reason she’d left the States after five long years. But her sister’s boss had reached new levels of bastardom, if that was even a word.
Part of her wished that when confronted, Matt might admit he’d made a terrible mistake, beg forgiveness, tell Melody that of course she was good enough for his brother, and ask her to come back to them. But the text that had just pinged on her mobile meant the idea was a non-starter.
Appreciate the support Sis, but please don’t cause a scene and DON’T try and get my job back. I’m never going back there. M x
Zoe didn’t really want her sister anywhere near them anyway. Still, an apology from Matt, an opportunity for Melody to say goodbye to the kids properly, pick up her belongings and be offered some kind of compensation for the notice pay she was surely entitled to would be something. Along with some explanation as to why Stephen had gone AWOL and seemed to be letting Matt make all the decisions. Perhaps he didn’t feel able to stand up to him? Or maybe he was intimidated by his older brother’s success.
According to the tabloids, Stephen was abroad a lot of the time, a playboy who basically partied and shopped his way around Europe with the family money. Why her sister had fallen for him she couldn’t understand. At thirty, Matt was older by seven years, a famous music producer who was hardly ever out of the press, despite his attempts to evade the spotlight. Snapping pictures of his children was a rabid hobby for British journos and there were rumours of a new girlfriend every week, although you couldn’t believe everything you read in the papers. She and Melody were close, despite the vast miles that’d been between them, and Melody had told her a lot about Matt’s children via Skype and text messages but nothing about any of his personal relationships, respecting her boss’s right to privacy.
Not that she’d got any thanks for that loyalty and professionalism.
About the author:
A Dorset girl and social media addict, Nikki Moore has a HR day job, two kids and a lovely boyfriend to keep her busy alongside the writing. She was in the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers Scheme for four years and is now a full RNA member. Nikki was a finalist in several writing competitions from 2010 including the Elizabeth Goudge trophy and Novelicious Undiscovered, before being offered a publishing contract.
Published mainly by HarperImpulse, she’s the author of the #LoveLondon series, which has attracted four and five star reviews on Amazon, with some of the novellas featuring in the Top 100 short story charts on Kobo and the Top 20 in the Amazon UK bestsellers Holiday chart. The last in the series, Picnics in Hyde Park is due out in August. She has a short story in the bestselling RNA/Mills & Boon anthology Truly, Madly, Deeply. Her debut novel Crazy, Undercover, Love was shortlisted for the RNA Joan Hessayon Award 2015 (for new writing) and she is a strong supporter of aspiring authors.
Please pop over for a chat on Twitter @NikkiMoore_Auth or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NikkiMooreWrites She would love to hear from you! Eve xx
by Nikki Moore Read this exciting romance series set in London, which has attracted four and five star reviews and been in the Top 100 Short Story chart on Kobo and Top 20 Holiday charts on Amazon UK.
The last story in the fun & flirty #LoveLondon series from exciting new chick lit author Nikki Moore! The perfect novel for reading in the sunshine...and falling in love with London.A summer to remember...or forget?
When Zoe Harper returns to the UK after five long years in New York, the last thing she expects to find is her younger sister Melody jobless, homeless, broke and dumped. Unfortunately, life has a way of delivering the unexpected. She should know that, given ger ex-fiancé Greg's faithless behaviour.
Filled with rage and determined to get revenge on the infamous Reilly brothers for her sister's heartbreak, as well as get some answers, Zoe hatches plan Nannygate. Unfortunately that means moving in with the gorgeous but uncaring music producer matt Reilly to be nanny to his two adorable, complicated children. But something isn't adding up, and over the course of the hot London summer, she starts to think that perhaps Matt isn't so bad after all.
Let down by his last nanny and weighed down with guilt about his wife's death three years before, wealthy but camera-shy Matt has spent a long time pushing people away, including his own kids. His stunning new nanny challenges him every single day in completely different ways, but maybe that isn't such a bad thing.
But what happens when you open your heart, and someone isn't who you thought they were? And can it really be true love when it's on the rebound, and starts off with a plan for revenge?
Out on 13th August as an ebook, paperback to follow. Get it from only £2.99
Amazon UK Kobo Nook
Praise for the #LoveLondon series...
'The writing style is impeccable. How I'll fill the void left by this series is something I've not yet figured out an answer to.' K.L Beeden, Books with Bunny
Strawberries at Wimbledon:
'I eagerly read and absorbed every page. Such a good feel read earns an easy 5 starts from me.' Sheerie Franks, Amazon UK.
Cocktails in Chelsea:
'I loved every single minute of this fun, flirty romance...the perfect read for your boring commute to work.' Holly, Bookaholic Confessions.
Valentine's on Primrose Hill:
'Uplifting and at the same time thought provoking too. I guarantee you'll be hitting that button on Amazon to order the fourth book in the #LoveLondon series as soon as you've finished this one.' Dawn, Crooks on Books
New Year at The Ritz:
'A sweet and flirty short story, I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to see what Nikki comes up with for the next book in the series.' Simona Elena, Sky's book Corner.
Skating at Somerset House:
'Sexy, fun, and everything you need in one neat, gorgeous package. This is a winner for me.' Chicks That Read. Excerpt:
Matt Reilly is a complete, unbelievable bastard and I’m going to make him pay, Zoe Harper vowed as she pounded the gold lion-head knocker against the door of his exclusive Knightsbridge residence.
When there was no response, she switched to thumping the glossy black wood with the side of her fist.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Answer. The. Door.
Utter fury was squeezing her chest so tight it felt like her ribs were suffocating her lungs and a horrible pressure was building behind her eyeballs, the sure sign of a tension headache.
Where the hell was he? She stepped back to gaze up at the impressive facade of the town house, which had to be at least four storeys tall including the basement area below her. The top two floors were exposed brickwork but the ground and lower floors were painted white, decorated with manicured window boxes. The property screamed refined wealth, as did the beautiful leafy communal garden area in the middle of the square. He must have paid extra for the property, which sat back from the road slightly. It was one of the only houses with off-road parking.
She turned to look at the gravel driveway. Someone had to be in, there were three cars parked up; a garish, canary-yellow convertible sports model, a sexy low-slung black supercar and a more modest silver Prius hybrid.
Thudding the door again, there was still no answer.
If she was some kick-ass action movie heroine she could bust the door down, flatten whichever of the selfish idiots was inside (although both at the same time would be preferable) and just be done with it. But at five foot seven, as well as pounds lighter than she’d been in years, she hardly looked or felt the part. Still, if there was anything guaranteed to bring out her fighting side it was protecting her younger sister Melody. She was her only proper family left apart from their Great Aunt Ruth, who’d always been distant and had all the affection of a watermelon.
What it came down to was that anyone who hurt Melody deserved justice. But she didn’t really believe in violence, and ruining her beautiful nails with their miniature stars and stripes design on every tip didn’t appeal either. The manicure was a present from her ex-boss Liberty, named after the statue of. It was something to remember New York by, a city she’d come to love. But better not to think about that, or what else she’d loved and lost.
Where the heck was Mr. High and Mighty Reilly, or for that matter, his younger brother Stephen? Surely they had enough staff to answer the bloody door for them. A girl could die of heatstroke out here. The midday sun was ferocious and prickling heat along the back of her neck. It was sure to be scarlet by dinner time.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Her hand was never going to be the same again. Then she’d be suing the sods for personal injury as well as emotional trauma for Melody. Her sibling had been crying so hard at Jemima’s flat in multicultural, packed Holloway that Zoe hadn’t been able to get the full story on arrival from Heathrow. There’d just been a lot of mumbling and sobbing around swollen red eyes and handfuls of soggy tissues. Still, what she’d figured out had been enough to instantly trigger her big sister reflexes. The stale, stuffy black cab had made for a nightmare journey across London but the sunlight glinting off the windows had matched her heated, murderous thoughts perfectly. She’d avoided direct eye contact with the chatty driver, jaw clenched as she replayed the fragments of her sister’s story in her head.
Fell in love with Stephen... Matt ended it, fired me... kicked me out without notice… never see the kids again… looked after them for three years!
How dare he? It was bloody outrageous and unbelievably unfair. How could anyone be so uncaring that they’d do someone who trusted them out of a relationship, job, home and salary all on the same day? So here she was outside of his posh, rich-guy’s, I’m so fabulous home, fully intending to grab her sister’s belongings as well as telling Matt Reilly exactly what she thought of a guy who’d treat a naïve twenty-two year old like dirt. If she could grab his brother by the scruff of the neck at the same time and give him a good shake for helping break her sister’s heart, she’d do that too. He had a lot of explaining to do as to why he wasn’t answering Mel’s calls.
Bloody men. They were a faithless lot at the best of times, the reason she’d left the States after five long years. But her sister’s boss had reached new levels of bastardom, if that was even a word.
Part of her wished that when confronted, Matt might admit he’d made a terrible mistake, beg forgiveness, tell Melody that of course she was good enough for his brother, and ask her to come back to them. But the text that had just pinged on her mobile meant the idea was a non-starter.
Appreciate the support Sis, but please don’t cause a scene and DON’T try and get my job back. I’m never going back there. M x
Zoe didn’t really want her sister anywhere near them anyway. Still, an apology from Matt, an opportunity for Melody to say goodbye to the kids properly, pick up her belongings and be offered some kind of compensation for the notice pay she was surely entitled to would be something. Along with some explanation as to why Stephen had gone AWOL and seemed to be letting Matt make all the decisions. Perhaps he didn’t feel able to stand up to him? Or maybe he was intimidated by his older brother’s success.
According to the tabloids, Stephen was abroad a lot of the time, a playboy who basically partied and shopped his way around Europe with the family money. Why her sister had fallen for him she couldn’t understand. At thirty, Matt was older by seven years, a famous music producer who was hardly ever out of the press, despite his attempts to evade the spotlight. Snapping pictures of his children was a rabid hobby for British journos and there were rumours of a new girlfriend every week, although you couldn’t believe everything you read in the papers. She and Melody were close, despite the vast miles that’d been between them, and Melody had told her a lot about Matt’s children via Skype and text messages but nothing about any of his personal relationships, respecting her boss’s right to privacy.
Not that she’d got any thanks for that loyalty and professionalism.
About the author:
A Dorset girl and social media addict, Nikki Moore has a HR day job, two kids and a lovely boyfriend to keep her busy alongside the writing. She was in the Romantic Novelists Association New Writers Scheme for four years and is now a full RNA member. Nikki was a finalist in several writing competitions from 2010 including the Elizabeth Goudge trophy and Novelicious Undiscovered, before being offered a publishing contract.
Published mainly by HarperImpulse, she’s the author of the #LoveLondon series, which has attracted four and five star reviews on Amazon, with some of the novellas featuring in the Top 100 short story charts on Kobo and the Top 20 in the Amazon UK bestsellers Holiday chart. The last in the series, Picnics in Hyde Park is due out in August. She has a short story in the bestselling RNA/Mills & Boon anthology Truly, Madly, Deeply. Her debut novel Crazy, Undercover, Love was shortlisted for the RNA Joan Hessayon Award 2015 (for new writing) and she is a strong supporter of aspiring authors.
Please pop over for a chat on Twitter @NikkiMoore_Auth or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NikkiMooreWrites She would love to hear from you! Eve xx
June 22, 2015
"We've Only Just Begun"
"Music is Love in search of a word" - Sidney Lanier 
Can you listen to music when you’re reading? Do you create a playlist when you’re writing a book to help you capture the atmosphere or emotions?
Confession: I don’t usually do either of these things, but when I was writing The Dress —possibly because I was writing about lace and weddings, I couldn’t get The Carpenters song, “We’ve Only Just Begun” out of my head! It has this line in it: “White lace and promises. A kiss for luck and we’re on our way.”
The line fit so perfectly with what I was writing that for a long time I thought of my book's title as, “White Lace and Promises”.
Earworms aside (sorry if you’ve now got that looping in your head); that got me thinking about how important music is in films—how it’s used to add to the story, enhance scenes, or evoke particular emotions.
So I thought I’d create a list of my top five songs that come to mind when I think about The Dress.
1) A Kind of Magic – Queen “The bell that rings inside your mind, it’s a challenging the doors of time”
The Dress is about magic (real and metaphorical) transcending the fabric of time. Writing about magic for the first time was so exciting and new for me and this song, with its fab lyrics, and written for the original Highlander movie, definitely has that "magical" ability to make you sing along to it whenever you hear it!
2) Masquerade - Phantom of the Opera “Masquerade! Paper faces on parade… Masquerade! Hide your face so that the world will never find you…”
Half my book is set in Venice 1615 at a masquerade ball and admittedly that makes it a couple of hundred years before the masquerade ball in the Phantom of the Opera, but I love this scene in the film version with Gerard Butler.
You can check it out on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fvkAM1FOnAk
3) Sweet Dreams – Beyonce “You can be a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare. Either way I, don’t wanna wake up from you”
I love the lyrics in this song and you’ll have to read The Dress to find out why my present-day characters Cait and Matthew start dreaming about Venice and Caterina and Matheo!
4) Fashion - David Bowie “Fashion! Turn to the left. Fashion! Turn to the right”
My present-day character Cait works at a museum like the Fashion Museum, Bath , putting together an exhibition on lace throughout history. She is completely charmed by a design for a lace dress hundreds of years old by lace-maker Caterina! I think it would be absolutely wonderful to work in a museum like this—up close and personal with all the different fashions through history.
5) We’ve Only Just Begun - The Carpenters “We’ve only just begun to live. White lace and promises. A kiss for luck and we’re on our way…”
The song that with one line made me think about wedding dresses and kisses and fired my imagination.
The Dress by Eve Devon, contained within the Magical Weddings box-set: Venice, 1615 and instead of the man her father wants her to marry, lacemaker Caterina dreams of Matheo. But when she dabbles with magical lace, she falls foul of the ruling family, altering not only her destiny, but Matheo’s too, and now imprisoned, Caterina must design a way to entwine their fates again.
England, 2015 and when Cait bumps into Matthew, back from his travels for their friends’ wedding, the spark between them flares instantly. But is it another case of the right place at the wrong time for this bridesmaid and best man, or can a dress from Cait’s lace exhibition at the Museum of Fashion weave its magic through the fabric of time, and unite their destinies, too? You can buy the box-set Magical Weddings right now for only 99cents/99pence
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/MagicalWeddings
B&N: http://bit.ly/1dAAdtJ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1SrS6us
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1emycBp
iTunes/Apple: http://apple.co/1RcL2Ai
Eve xx
Can you listen to music when you’re reading? Do you create a playlist when you’re writing a book to help you capture the atmosphere or emotions?Confession: I don’t usually do either of these things, but when I was writing The Dress —possibly because I was writing about lace and weddings, I couldn’t get The Carpenters song, “We’ve Only Just Begun” out of my head! It has this line in it: “White lace and promises. A kiss for luck and we’re on our way.”
The line fit so perfectly with what I was writing that for a long time I thought of my book's title as, “White Lace and Promises”.
Earworms aside (sorry if you’ve now got that looping in your head); that got me thinking about how important music is in films—how it’s used to add to the story, enhance scenes, or evoke particular emotions.
So I thought I’d create a list of my top five songs that come to mind when I think about The Dress.
1) A Kind of Magic – Queen “The bell that rings inside your mind, it’s a challenging the doors of time”
The Dress is about magic (real and metaphorical) transcending the fabric of time. Writing about magic for the first time was so exciting and new for me and this song, with its fab lyrics, and written for the original Highlander movie, definitely has that "magical" ability to make you sing along to it whenever you hear it!
2) Masquerade - Phantom of the Opera “Masquerade! Paper faces on parade… Masquerade! Hide your face so that the world will never find you…”
Half my book is set in Venice 1615 at a masquerade ball and admittedly that makes it a couple of hundred years before the masquerade ball in the Phantom of the Opera, but I love this scene in the film version with Gerard Butler.
You can check it out on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fvkAM1FOnAk
3) Sweet Dreams – Beyonce “You can be a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare. Either way I, don’t wanna wake up from you”
I love the lyrics in this song and you’ll have to read The Dress to find out why my present-day characters Cait and Matthew start dreaming about Venice and Caterina and Matheo!
4) Fashion - David Bowie “Fashion! Turn to the left. Fashion! Turn to the right”
My present-day character Cait works at a museum like the Fashion Museum, Bath , putting together an exhibition on lace throughout history. She is completely charmed by a design for a lace dress hundreds of years old by lace-maker Caterina! I think it would be absolutely wonderful to work in a museum like this—up close and personal with all the different fashions through history.
5) We’ve Only Just Begun - The Carpenters “We’ve only just begun to live. White lace and promises. A kiss for luck and we’re on our way…”
The song that with one line made me think about wedding dresses and kisses and fired my imagination.
The Dress by Eve Devon, contained within the Magical Weddings box-set: Venice, 1615 and instead of the man her father wants her to marry, lacemaker Caterina dreams of Matheo. But when she dabbles with magical lace, she falls foul of the ruling family, altering not only her destiny, but Matheo’s too, and now imprisoned, Caterina must design a way to entwine their fates again. England, 2015 and when Cait bumps into Matthew, back from his travels for their friends’ wedding, the spark between them flares instantly. But is it another case of the right place at the wrong time for this bridesmaid and best man, or can a dress from Cait’s lace exhibition at the Museum of Fashion weave its magic through the fabric of time, and unite their destinies, too? You can buy the box-set Magical Weddings right now for only 99cents/99pence
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/MagicalWeddings
B&N: http://bit.ly/1dAAdtJ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1SrS6us
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1emycBp
iTunes/Apple: http://apple.co/1RcL2Ai
Eve xx
May 31, 2015
Cover Reveal: The Dress
I'm so excited to be able to share with you the trailer for the box-set Magical Weddings (I have the full trailer on my Home page - the music that accompanies it is bliss, so make sure you have your speakers turned on) and the cover of my book in the box-set: The Dress.From the moment I was invited to contribute towards the box-set, I knew that, to match the theme of Magical Weddings there was a good chance I'd be writing in a completely new genre for me. My research and plotting definitely took me in a new direction, and I ended up stitching historical romance and contemporary romance together. I know! Why write in one when you could write in two!
Here's the cover and then I'll tell you a bit about the book...
Blurb: The Dress
Venice, 1615 and instead of the man her father wants her to marry, lacemaker Caterina dreams of Matheo. But when she dabbles with magical lace, she falls foul of the ruling family, altering not only her destiny, but Matheo’s too, and now imprisoned, Caterina must design a way to entwine their fates again.
England, 2015 and when Cait bumps into Matthew, back from his travels for their friends’ wedding, the spark between them flares instantly. But is it another case of the right place at the wrong time for this bridesmaid and best man, or can a dress from Cait’s lace exhibition at the Museum of Fashion weave its magic through the fabric of time, and unite their destinies, too?
Magical Weddings:
Blurb: Magical Weddings: 15 Enchanting Romances
Whether real or only in the hearts of the bride and groom, the magic of weddings is undeniable. And irresistible! As these 15 enchanting happily-ever-afters by bestselling and award-winning authors prove.
From sweet to spicy, the romances bundled into this set, 14 of them new releases, cross time and unite hearts, cast spells of laughter, battle wedding jitters and fight back tears, while weaving love’s hopeful magic throughout 1400 pages.
Buy Links:
Magical Weddings is available to pre-order and releases on June 16th.
Amazon:
http://smarturl.it/MagicalWeddings
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1SrS6us
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1emycBp
iTunes/Apple: http://apple.co/1RcL2Ai
I hope you love readings these 15 stories all based around Magical Weddings.Eve xx
Here's the cover and then I'll tell you a bit about the book...
Blurb: The DressVenice, 1615 and instead of the man her father wants her to marry, lacemaker Caterina dreams of Matheo. But when she dabbles with magical lace, she falls foul of the ruling family, altering not only her destiny, but Matheo’s too, and now imprisoned, Caterina must design a way to entwine their fates again.
England, 2015 and when Cait bumps into Matthew, back from his travels for their friends’ wedding, the spark between them flares instantly. But is it another case of the right place at the wrong time for this bridesmaid and best man, or can a dress from Cait’s lace exhibition at the Museum of Fashion weave its magic through the fabric of time, and unite their destinies, too?
Magical Weddings:
Blurb: Magical Weddings: 15 Enchanting RomancesWhether real or only in the hearts of the bride and groom, the magic of weddings is undeniable. And irresistible! As these 15 enchanting happily-ever-afters by bestselling and award-winning authors prove.
From sweet to spicy, the romances bundled into this set, 14 of them new releases, cross time and unite hearts, cast spells of laughter, battle wedding jitters and fight back tears, while weaving love’s hopeful magic throughout 1400 pages.
Buy Links:
Magical Weddings is available to pre-order and releases on June 16th.
Amazon:
http://smarturl.it/MagicalWeddings
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1SrS6us
Google Play: http://bit.ly/1emycBp
iTunes/Apple: http://apple.co/1RcL2Ai
I hope you love readings these 15 stories all based around Magical Weddings.Eve xx
May 11, 2015
Country Affairs
Yay! We get to go back to Tippermere...
With just a few days to go until the release of the lovely Zara Stoneley's follow up to Stable Mates,
Country Affairs, she's very kindly popped over to chat about some of her true loves...
Take it away Zara:
My horses
One of the wonderful things about ‘Stable Mates’ and ‘Country Affairs’ is that I’ve been able to write about some of the things I really love: horses, dogs and the countryside. And as there is never a dull moment with horses, inspiration wasn’t hard to come by. Here’s how my love affair with them started (and once you’re hooked there is no escape).
· I’ve loved horses since I was little, and ‘Black Beauty’ was a favourite read.
· I wanted to be Elizabeth Taylor in the film National Velvet.
· As a teenager the local riding school was my second home at weekends, but I was much older before I had a horse of my own.
· My first horse was a Dales X Welsh Cob, I was still hacking her out (gently) two weeks before my son was born. She was a clever mare who knew how to look after me, but would also quickly put any rider in their place if they got too big for their boots. She was incredibly sweet though. I used to take my son with me to do the horses from when he was a baby, and as soon as he could toddle he wanted to sit on her back when I led her in from the field.
· The cutest pony I had was a rescue, we fed her up and brought her on before finding her a forever home. I was so proud when she left, confident and pretty.
· The most challenging horse I had was an Arab cross who was gorgeous to handle on the ground, as handsome as they come, but what you might term a sharp ride!
· My most talented horse was one I spotted as a foal. Sadly as he grew he was far too big for me, but has had a very successful eventing career with somebody else.
· And the naughtiest horse I’ve had was a Section D who was incredible fun and a brilliant all-rounder, he just liked to behave like a naughty teenager at times. Stopping to have a massive (it went on forever, or so it seemed) wee in front of a show judge was not his finest moment, though he did then pick up second place! And galloping across a park and depositing me in the middle of a family out for a picnic was a memory that will stay with me for quite some time…
Country Affairs:
'A great treat for readers who love their books jam-packed with sexy men and horses.' Bestselling author Fiona Walker
Welcome back to Tippermere for the wedding of the year…
Scatty but loveable Lottie Brinkley is famous throughout the village for her disorganised personality so when she steps up to plan the perfect wedding the only likely outcome is disaster.
And when her globetrotting, love cheat of an ex, Todd, literally crashes the wedding on a not-so-noble steed things definitely look set to take a turn for the scandalous! As rumours of why he’s back spread through the village quicker than the stable girl can drop her knickers, is Lottie's future with sexy eventer Rory Steel about to fall at the next fence?
With a wave of unexpected pregnancies, steamy shenanigans in the hay and a farrier with more than shoeing horses on his mind, will Lottie ever be ready to take on the coveted title of Lady of the Manor and restore the Estate to its former glory?
As the heart of the village, Tipping House Estate, makes its move into the 21st Century, pulses start to race in a novel packed full of charm, hunky stallions (the guys that is), and a daring plan that just has to succeed...
Buy links:
Amazon (UK) Amazon (COM) Amazon (paperback)
Foyles Waterstones iTunes Google Play Blackwells About Zara -
Bestselling author Zara Stoneley lives in deepest Cheshire surrounded by horses, dogs, cats and amazing countryside. When she's not visiting wine bars, artisan markets or admiring the scenery in her sexy high heels or green willies, she can be found in flip flops on the beaches in Barcelona, or more likely, sampling the tapas!
Zara writes hot romance and bonkbusters. Her latest novels, 'Stable Mates' and 'Country Affairs', are fun romps through the Cheshire countryside and combine some of her greatest loves - horses, dogs, hot men and strong women (and not forgetting champagne and fast cars!
She writes for Harper Collins and Accent Press.
Find out more about Zara: Website Twitter Facebook Google+ Pinterest
Eve xx
With just a few days to go until the release of the lovely Zara Stoneley's follow up to Stable Mates,
Country Affairs, she's very kindly popped over to chat about some of her true loves...
Take it away Zara:
My horsesOne of the wonderful things about ‘Stable Mates’ and ‘Country Affairs’ is that I’ve been able to write about some of the things I really love: horses, dogs and the countryside. And as there is never a dull moment with horses, inspiration wasn’t hard to come by. Here’s how my love affair with them started (and once you’re hooked there is no escape).
· I’ve loved horses since I was little, and ‘Black Beauty’ was a favourite read.
· I wanted to be Elizabeth Taylor in the film National Velvet.
· As a teenager the local riding school was my second home at weekends, but I was much older before I had a horse of my own.
· My first horse was a Dales X Welsh Cob, I was still hacking her out (gently) two weeks before my son was born. She was a clever mare who knew how to look after me, but would also quickly put any rider in their place if they got too big for their boots. She was incredibly sweet though. I used to take my son with me to do the horses from when he was a baby, and as soon as he could toddle he wanted to sit on her back when I led her in from the field.
· The cutest pony I had was a rescue, we fed her up and brought her on before finding her a forever home. I was so proud when she left, confident and pretty.
· The most challenging horse I had was an Arab cross who was gorgeous to handle on the ground, as handsome as they come, but what you might term a sharp ride!
· My most talented horse was one I spotted as a foal. Sadly as he grew he was far too big for me, but has had a very successful eventing career with somebody else.
· And the naughtiest horse I’ve had was a Section D who was incredible fun and a brilliant all-rounder, he just liked to behave like a naughty teenager at times. Stopping to have a massive (it went on forever, or so it seemed) wee in front of a show judge was not his finest moment, though he did then pick up second place! And galloping across a park and depositing me in the middle of a family out for a picnic was a memory that will stay with me for quite some time…
Country Affairs:'A great treat for readers who love their books jam-packed with sexy men and horses.' Bestselling author Fiona Walker
Welcome back to Tippermere for the wedding of the year…
Scatty but loveable Lottie Brinkley is famous throughout the village for her disorganised personality so when she steps up to plan the perfect wedding the only likely outcome is disaster.
And when her globetrotting, love cheat of an ex, Todd, literally crashes the wedding on a not-so-noble steed things definitely look set to take a turn for the scandalous! As rumours of why he’s back spread through the village quicker than the stable girl can drop her knickers, is Lottie's future with sexy eventer Rory Steel about to fall at the next fence?
With a wave of unexpected pregnancies, steamy shenanigans in the hay and a farrier with more than shoeing horses on his mind, will Lottie ever be ready to take on the coveted title of Lady of the Manor and restore the Estate to its former glory?
As the heart of the village, Tipping House Estate, makes its move into the 21st Century, pulses start to race in a novel packed full of charm, hunky stallions (the guys that is), and a daring plan that just has to succeed...
Buy links:
Amazon (UK) Amazon (COM) Amazon (paperback)
Foyles Waterstones iTunes Google Play Blackwells About Zara -
Bestselling author Zara Stoneley lives in deepest Cheshire surrounded by horses, dogs, cats and amazing countryside. When she's not visiting wine bars, artisan markets or admiring the scenery in her sexy high heels or green willies, she can be found in flip flops on the beaches in Barcelona, or more likely, sampling the tapas!
Zara writes hot romance and bonkbusters. Her latest novels, 'Stable Mates' and 'Country Affairs', are fun romps through the Cheshire countryside and combine some of her greatest loves - horses, dogs, hot men and strong women (and not forgetting champagne and fast cars!
She writes for Harper Collins and Accent Press.
Find out more about Zara: Website Twitter Facebook Google+ Pinterest
Eve xx
May 8, 2015
#HIFortnight: Fabness in the form of book reviews
So for the last week of the #HIFortnight I was on holiday. But, being as I was on holiday in England, naturally, it rained every day!
The completely brilliant thing about the rain though, was that it meant that I could actually get around to some reading. Yes, I know, authors are supposed to read a lot. And I do. But it tends to be all or nothing. I'm either so busy with writing and edits that I can only sneak a few pages here and there, or, I'm on a break between projects and get to indulge in a readathon!
As we're coming to the end of #HIFortnight, I thought I'd post some of my reviews for HI books I read a while ago and HI books I read this holiday.
Made in Nashville is written with a sweet-southern style that drew me in left me feeling thoroughly charmed. It’s a relaxed, easy and warm read but with enough plot-twists to keep it from being too sugary. If you love the TV show Made in Nashville, or simply just love the Nashville music scene, you’re going to love this page-turner, but you don’t have to be an ardent fan of either to enjoy the book. Jed Marshal ticked all my bad-boy, tattooed-musician boxes and I absolutely loved that the sweetness in Honor cleverly highlighted all her strengths. 
I love, love, love super-hero books and if you love your super-heroes portrayed in a very grown-up/gritty/sharply-observed/dark/scarred way, then you too will love this urban-fantasy superhero book.
It’s a high-octane, roller-coaster of a ride, with absolutely no let-up along the way. The descriptions are poetical, the humour wry, snarky and very dark, the characters deliciously flawed and the plot well developed. Incredibly impressive. Loved!
Friends-to-lovers trope is my favourite, so I was always going to want to read this one. Also, having read the prequel “Santa Wore Leathers” and LOVED it, I was doubly excited.
There is a lot of wonderful plot in this book and it reads more of a hot romantic suspense, than a contemporary romance, but as I love the romantic suspense genre, I was doing the happy reading dance. Plus: Hello? What is not to like about ex-military AND firemen!
At times I felt Cassie and Quinn’s relationship yo-yo’d and I found the over-use of one particular word that a lot of women find offensive quite difficult because it did pull me out of the story. I also didn’t get why the heroine—who also found the word offensive—felt like she had to become okay with saying it, but this is my personal reaction. It doesn’t put me off reading the rest of the series because I really enjoy the author’s wonderfully hard-hitting yet humorous writing style. I appreciated the deliciously-yummy-angsty-dark issues Cassie and Quinn faced, and loved how the family bonds came through so strong. Prepare for wild-fire fast pacing that blazes through to the ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary romance where A-List Hollywood actress Nina, and stunt-coordinator Dominic, end up working together. The setting is everything you want in a romance read – pure escapism. But the really clever thing here is that not only do we get that Hollywood-glitz that you would expect from the setting, Ms Sommers also shows us a very believable way of living in Hollywood. Her writing really shines and makes you feel as if you are there. I loved how the whole cast of characters brought their own brand of light and shade to the plot. But in particular, the main characters—Nina and Dom both shine through as reacting to their environments honestly. When Nina goes to Dom and asks him to help train her for a role she’s coveting it feels really natural. And, even better…it’s the perfect cue for lots of hands-on training and fab sexual tension! Their chemistry sizzles but the emotions that come with that pull towards each other aren’t fairytale at all—they deliciously cut to the core of who they are. I absolutely loved this romance and after finishing it couldn’t resist immediately buying up all Ms Sommer’s other titles J 
The brilliant bonus with this romance is that you don’t have to read it just at Christmas J. This read is a wonderful sharply-observed, atmospheric, and thoroughly witty commentary on Downton-esque living in the modern age. There is a whole-host of characters—which I found confusing at first, but was reassured when I connected with each one because they were so beautifully written. At the heart of the story is chef Juliet, who, after a disastrous start to Christmas, decides to accept the role of chef at Thornton Hall over the Christmas period. Juliet is presented with a banquet of yummy leading men to choose from while she navigates the hilarious and mysterious plot-twists—some of which I loved because I did not see them coming at all. A fab, fast-paced read and OMG…the descriptions of the food…double-yum! 
OMG – the pace of this romantic suspense is electrifying. From the very first page I was IN the story. Fab original opening, and from that great setup the pace Does. Not. Let. Up! I loved that the danger and suspense was really well written and the snarky banter between Ally and Greg spiced up the adrenalin level nicely, so that their developing relationship followed naturally instead of being secondary to the plot. Ally’s and Greg’s back-stories fed into the main themes nicely and the villain had the right amount of “sicko-nastiness” that I like without tipping over into completely unbelievable bwahahaha! Oh, and can I just add, that I would really love it if a certain male secondary character got his own story too. Pretty please! J 
Harper Impulse has a great catalogue that encompasses a wide variety of genres and writing styles. It's easy to find something to enjoy and I hope during this fortnight you find a new author or genre to fall in love with. Eve xx
The completely brilliant thing about the rain though, was that it meant that I could actually get around to some reading. Yes, I know, authors are supposed to read a lot. And I do. But it tends to be all or nothing. I'm either so busy with writing and edits that I can only sneak a few pages here and there, or, I'm on a break between projects and get to indulge in a readathon!
As we're coming to the end of #HIFortnight, I thought I'd post some of my reviews for HI books I read a while ago and HI books I read this holiday.
Made in Nashville is written with a sweet-southern style that drew me in left me feeling thoroughly charmed. It’s a relaxed, easy and warm read but with enough plot-twists to keep it from being too sugary. If you love the TV show Made in Nashville, or simply just love the Nashville music scene, you’re going to love this page-turner, but you don’t have to be an ardent fan of either to enjoy the book. Jed Marshal ticked all my bad-boy, tattooed-musician boxes and I absolutely loved that the sweetness in Honor cleverly highlighted all her strengths. I love, love, love super-hero books and if you love your super-heroes portrayed in a very grown-up/gritty/sharply-observed/dark/scarred way, then you too will love this urban-fantasy superhero book.It’s a high-octane, roller-coaster of a ride, with absolutely no let-up along the way. The descriptions are poetical, the humour wry, snarky and very dark, the characters deliciously flawed and the plot well developed. Incredibly impressive. Loved!
Friends-to-lovers trope is my favourite, so I was always going to want to read this one. Also, having read the prequel “Santa Wore Leathers” and LOVED it, I was doubly excited. There is a lot of wonderful plot in this book and it reads more of a hot romantic suspense, than a contemporary romance, but as I love the romantic suspense genre, I was doing the happy reading dance. Plus: Hello? What is not to like about ex-military AND firemen!
At times I felt Cassie and Quinn’s relationship yo-yo’d and I found the over-use of one particular word that a lot of women find offensive quite difficult because it did pull me out of the story. I also didn’t get why the heroine—who also found the word offensive—felt like she had to become okay with saying it, but this is my personal reaction. It doesn’t put me off reading the rest of the series because I really enjoy the author’s wonderfully hard-hitting yet humorous writing style. I appreciated the deliciously-yummy-angsty-dark issues Cassie and Quinn faced, and loved how the family bonds came through so strong. Prepare for wild-fire fast pacing that blazes through to the ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary romance where A-List Hollywood actress Nina, and stunt-coordinator Dominic, end up working together. The setting is everything you want in a romance read – pure escapism. But the really clever thing here is that not only do we get that Hollywood-glitz that you would expect from the setting, Ms Sommers also shows us a very believable way of living in Hollywood. Her writing really shines and makes you feel as if you are there. I loved how the whole cast of characters brought their own brand of light and shade to the plot. But in particular, the main characters—Nina and Dom both shine through as reacting to their environments honestly. When Nina goes to Dom and asks him to help train her for a role she’s coveting it feels really natural. And, even better…it’s the perfect cue for lots of hands-on training and fab sexual tension! Their chemistry sizzles but the emotions that come with that pull towards each other aren’t fairytale at all—they deliciously cut to the core of who they are. I absolutely loved this romance and after finishing it couldn’t resist immediately buying up all Ms Sommer’s other titles J The brilliant bonus with this romance is that you don’t have to read it just at Christmas J. This read is a wonderful sharply-observed, atmospheric, and thoroughly witty commentary on Downton-esque living in the modern age. There is a whole-host of characters—which I found confusing at first, but was reassured when I connected with each one because they were so beautifully written. At the heart of the story is chef Juliet, who, after a disastrous start to Christmas, decides to accept the role of chef at Thornton Hall over the Christmas period. Juliet is presented with a banquet of yummy leading men to choose from while she navigates the hilarious and mysterious plot-twists—some of which I loved because I did not see them coming at all. A fab, fast-paced read and OMG…the descriptions of the food…double-yum! OMG – the pace of this romantic suspense is electrifying. From the very first page I was IN the story. Fab original opening, and from that great setup the pace Does. Not. Let. Up! I loved that the danger and suspense was really well written and the snarky banter between Ally and Greg spiced up the adrenalin level nicely, so that their developing relationship followed naturally instead of being secondary to the plot. Ally’s and Greg’s back-stories fed into the main themes nicely and the villain had the right amount of “sicko-nastiness” that I like without tipping over into completely unbelievable bwahahaha! Oh, and can I just add, that I would really love it if a certain male secondary character got his own story too. Pretty please! J Harper Impulse has a great catalogue that encompasses a wide variety of genres and writing styles. It's easy to find something to enjoy and I hope during this fortnight you find a new author or genre to fall in love with. Eve xx
April 29, 2015
More #HIFortnight Fabness
So I'm thinking it makes total sense to post even more of the lovely HarperImpulse posts as part of the #HIFortnight Celebrations. Hope you all find some lovely new authors and reads while looking through the Day 2 and Day 3 roundup - there is so much variety at Harper Impulse...you never know, you may well recognise some of these authors:HI Author Romy Sommer - has a review of To Catch a Star by Emma at Starcrossed reviews. http://starcrossedreviews.co.uk/to-catch-a-star-blog-tour/
HI Author AJ Nuest guests on CometBabesBooks http://cometbabesbooks.blogspot.co.uk/.../hifortnight...
HI Author Angela Campbell shares some of her goodreads reviews. http://angiecampbell.blogspot.co.uk/.../harper-impulse...
HI Author Erin Lawless is with Holly on Booksholic Confessions, talking about her new release and book 3! https://bookaholicconfessions.wordpress.com/.../author.../
HI Author Teresa F Morgan has HI Author Sun Chara on her blog:
http://teresa-morgan.blogspot.co.uk/.../harperimpulse...
HI Author Danielle R Graham talks about her first experience of rodeo with Alba in Bookland http://www.albainbookland.com/.../harperimpulse-fortnight...
HI Author Aubrie Dionne has A Diva In Manhattan reviewed on Rachel's Random Reads. http://rachelsrandomreads.blogspot.co.uk/.../book-review...
HI Author Emily Bennet has a Q and A with Little Northern Soul: http://littlenorthernsoul.blogspot.co.uk/.../harper...
HI Author Carmel Harrington blogs about how many HI books she's read!
http://carmelharrington.com/.../hifortnight-guess-how.../
HI Author Angela Campbell talks about the wide choice of romance available. http://chicklitlove.blogspot.co.uk/.../hifortnight-guest...
HI Author Jane Linfoot has How To Win a Guy.. on French Village Diaries http://www.frenchvillagediaries.com/.../book-review-of...
Eve xx
