Anna Bloom's Blog, page 12

Fix You

Have I ever told you all how much I LOVE this song??

I’m working on the final proof read of The Art of Keeping Faith. It’s got to be back at the publisher tomorrow (Think crazy power reading by yours truly) so I am listening to some of the tunes I used to write the novel to. The truth is, I know this is the the last time I will ever read this book. I have a bit of a thing that once a novel is released I don’t read it again. Even when I go to write the next one, I will just pick up from where it ended in my head, not necessarily on the written page.

So I am trawling through my old playlists and I have come across this. Ahhhhh this is so Lilah and I remember when I was initially drafting The Art of Keeping Faith in Cyprus a year and a half ago, this is one of the songs I was listening to by the pool. Now I am doing my final reread it’s still perfect.

Right time to stop procrastinating. . . Just a few days to go! Hopefully, if I ever get this read through done!

 

Cursed be the Wicked Review

Hi All.

Today is my stop on J.R Richardson’s Blog Tour. I don’t normally do blog tours, but this one I just couldn’t resist, I am sure it will soon become apparent why!

Read on for my Five Star review and a sneaky excerpt.

Cooper Shaw lives his life under a pen name and enjoys the anonymity it provides during his journeys across the globe as a seasoned writer for a travel magazine. When his job lands him in his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts to cover the famous Festival of the Dead, he soon realizes that he can’t stay invisible forever as he faces ghosts from a past he’s been trying to forget ever since he left.

The city holds nothing but bad memories for Coop until he meets a quirky young woman with an old soul and curious insights by the name of Finnley Pierce. While she acts as his tour guide through a town he thought he knew, Finn helps him unearth the truth of his childhood and might even begin to open up his heart.

By unraveling the mystery of his father’s murder, Coop may finally accept who he is, where he came from, and perhaps even realize what he wants for his future.

My Review

It’s taken me a week to write this review. It’s been hanging around in the back of my mind as I attempted to put my feelings for Cursed be the Wicked into some sort of logical order.

I’ve failed.

This review is basically going to take the form of me rambling and trying to tell you all why you most definitely have to read this book.

I have three reason why you should read this book.

1)      Coop

2)      Finn

3)      J.R Richardson is one seriously clever woman

Cursed be the wicked starts with Coop, or Cole Stone as he is known giving us an insight into his childhood, his mother Crazy Maggie Shaw and a brief glimpse into family life. He has divided his life into two manageable sections. The before and the after the moment he was accused of killing his father.

Um excuse me??? I am hooked already.

On the following pages Coop, back in the present, gets a new assignment for his travel journalist job. Thing is it’s an assignment he doesn’t want. Go to Salem Massachusetts and write a piece about why everyone should visit. The irony of this being that Coop is the very last person in the world who wants to visit because he has spent the last ten years running away his old home town and the memories of what happened there. The situation is made worse by the fact the whole of Salem is in uproar after the death of Crazy Maggie Shaw, the crazy woman who thought she was a witch and who’s been in jail for ten years convicted of killing her husband – Coop’s father.

It took me a few pages to get into the mindset of being inside Coop’s head, he was quite sullen and surly in the opening pages, and it was clear he had a trunk load of baggage he was hauling around with him.

But when he gets too Salem and meets Finn at a small B&B we start to see a different side of him. The chemistry between these two is so well written and I found myself highlighting line after line of text as J.R built this amazingly unique relationship. I LOVED being inside the guy’s head for all their scene’s and again J.R completely had her style and Coop’s ‘tone’ down in perfection.

Finn, or Finnlay as she hates to be called is quirky and oddball. She’s independent, and completely free-spirited, basically she is the perfect catalyst to make Coop face up to his past and during the pages of the book this is what she does. Together they unravel all the secrets that Coop doesn’t understand. I loved that Finn was so free spirited and not a needy heroine. She was mature and always tried to do the right thing even if it meant she didn’t get what she wanted.

Now I don’t believe in giving plot’s away in reviews, basically because it drives me crazy when I read a review and then no longer have to read the book myself.  But what I can say is that the plot of this story has so many unique plot turns and twist, it keeps you on your toes. There was one moment where I actually shouted at my iPad. I loved the layering effect that J.R strengthened her story with. Nothing is as it seems, a bit like being in one of those mirror rooms at a circus where any turn could lead you in a different direction or make you see things, even characters differently.

So while I am not going to tell you anything of what happens I can tell you that it is mind-blowingly clever.

Another standout element of this book that I just have to mention, even though I have rambled on too long is the amazing writing style J.R has. Some of the prose is just beautiful, and again I found myself underlining every bit that I had to read twice, just because it was so perfect I wanted to make sure I remembered it.  My chest aches. It’s going to explode any minute now, until Finn places her palm against where my heart lives and looks into my soul.

There is also a lot of humour especially in Coop’s internal thoughts. The dead don’t call their sons and freak them the fuck out for no reason.

It’s the balance between the poetic heart stopping imagery and the quick fire one liners that makes this book just an around perfect read for me. Add to this, magic, Salem, witches and well you’ve pretty much got me over a barrel.

J.R I hate you for being so damn clever and making me jealous but I love you for writing the single best book I have read in a long time.

Five glowing stars from me.

You can add Cursed be the Wicked to your Goodreads TBR here

Or buy on Amazon here

So now for that little excerpt. This is Coop and Finn’s first meeting, and I love it.

* * * 

“Raymond, I’m tired. I don’t have time for this to-”

The woman standing behind the front desk spins to see, not Raymond, whoever the hell that is, but me. As she comes to the realization that I’m not who she thinks I am, I get the feeling she still thinks I’m someone as she finishes her sentence.

“Night.”

Her long, brown hair looks as though it’s trying to escape the ponytail she’s pulled it into. Her eyes are dark, fierce even. It feels like she’s peering straight into my soul, or piercing it, as they stare across the front entry way toward me.

Her mouth falls open slightly as her eyes narrow, and now I’m getting the impression she’s trying to place me or, maybe she already has placed me.

Not good.

She looks away when her eyes catch up with mine and I approach with caution. As she begins to type away at the keyboard in front of her, I try to side step the awkwardness beginning to form by clearing my throat.

“I’m um-”

“I know who you are,” she cuts me off, sharply.

“You do?” I ask.  Blood begins to rush through me. I clench my jaw, waiting for the judgmental comments to arrive.

Her eyes soften then, and she simply nods with a thin line forming across her lips.

She studies me, then twists her mouth up as though she’s disappointed of all things.

I get it. Just about half the town thought I was the one that killed my father, even after my mother confessed,

“Seems like every other Tom, Dick, and Harry in the media’s shown up already. You may as well join ‘em,” she says, and I’m surprised yet relieved at her words. In a way.

“You think I’m…?”

“You’ve got paparazzi written all over you.”

She arches an eyebrow.

I don’t mean to but I laugh out loud from the sheer relief that she has no idea who I am. I also feel the need to defend myself because I’m not a fan of being lumped in with the paps.

“I’m not-”

“The funeral’s not for another week, ya know,” she informs me, going back to her computer.

“You’re mistaken,” I insist, even though she’s right. I am media. Technically.

“Really,” she replies, like she’s not quite buying it. So I push harder. I’m very convincing when I want to be.

“Yes. Really,” I tell her and now she’s back to eying me and we’re staring each other down for a minute or two.  I’m convinced she’s going to fight me on this but in the end, she bites her tongue and goes back to banging away on the keyboard.

“In town for the festival then?” she asks, changing the subject. Like whatever just happened didn’t happen at all, which both intrigues and irritates me at the same time.

I watch her a bit while she busies herself with the computer. The way she tucks some stray hairs behind her ear and then lets her fingers graze her neck before she goes back to typing. The easy way her fingers fly across the keyboard. And how she is most definitely avoiding eye contact with me for some reason.

I spot her name tag. She doesn’t look familiar to me but you never know.

Betsy.

Betsy, Betsy, Betsy.

I can’t think of a single Betsy I knew growing up.

She looks up and her eyes narrow again. It’s only now that I’m aware of the fact that I’ve been glaring at her for the past couple of minutes without saying a word. I clear my throat and forget to speak when she licks her lips and then takes the bottom one in between her teeth.

I am officially an ape.

She lets it go.

I stare some more.

“So . . . ?”

“What?” I snap, a tad more abrasive than I intend.

“Do you have a reservation?” she asks, trying to be polite without letting on that she most likely thinks I’m the slowest dolt on the planet.

Jesus.

Maybe I am crazy.

Maybe it runs in the family.

I gather my senses and shake off the odd feeling of vertigo I’m having.

“No,” is all I give her. Then I drop my bags and rest my elbows against the counter. My eyes close as I rub my temples, anxiously waiting to hear her tell me they’re all booked up, forcing me to drive those extra miles after all.

I mean, what would it take? Ten, twenty minutes tops to get there?

“Helloooo.”

My lids open to see her staring at me with curled eyebrows and a worried look in her eyes. They look so familiar to me again.

I just can’t…

“Are you drunk?” She asks. It takes me aback.

“What?”

“Because I’m not in the mood for-”

“I’m not drunk,” I assure her, wishing I was.  As she eyes me carefully once again, I feel her staring straight through me.

* * *

A little bit about J.R Richardson

Bio:

A writer of stories and lover of life.

Jo grew up in Maryland with four siblings, three parents and an endless number of cousins within the vicinity. Today she lives in Florida with her two girls and a husband that shares her same sense of humor and basic take on life as we know it.

Giveaway

There is also a give away to celebrate the release of this amazing book. Click on the link to take part and for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway ">RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

Where Are You Now?

 

Good Afternoon!

Everyone who knows me, or follows my blog, will know that I nearly always have a song for my posts. My song of the day, or something relevant to my post. Just a little bit of the ‘real me’ for you all to see!

Except for yesterday, when I was embracing a full out state of panic at the news The Art of keeping Faith was releasing a week early that I couldn’t think of one.

Yes that’s right. I Anna Bloom could not think of a song. Shock Horror!

But don’t panic everyone my five year old son helped me pick one this morning! And in truth I couldn’t have come up with a better choice. You see for the last third of The Art of Keeping Faith Lilah communicates a lot of her feelings in text messages that she shares with us in her diary. I found them really emotional to write and really had to dig deep to find the right ‘Messages’ for her to send. This song is perfect for the emotion I was trying to capture with words.

I also want to add that the reason my son likes this song so much is because he thinks he is a member of Union J, ever since he saw them sing Taylor Swifts Love Story on The X Factor…. another moment from my real life that if you read The Art of Keeping Faith carefully you will find hidden in it’s pages!

*The Art of Keeping Faith Release Date Announcement*

The Art of Letting Go has a release date. . . And it’s soooooooooon!

♥  2nd April ♥

Yes the book I started writing nearly a year and a half ago, has got two weeks until it is out on general release.

Why so long? I hear you ask. Well, call me a crazy, obsessive, perfectionist, but I was determined to make sure that the second book in The Uni Files series was a strong, if not first stronger than the first!

I am keeping my fingers crossed that I have succeeded!

So Lilah and her friends will be back, and I can’t wait. I will be revealing the cover on the 31st March, and while it is killing me not showing it now, I am sure it will be worth the wait!♥

2014 Our Writing Process Blog Hop

Introducing the hop: 

Writer’s write, that’s what we do. Find out why and how in this new Blog Hop for 2014:

Hello! And welcome to my spot on the 2014 Writing Process Blog Spot!

Huuuuge thanks to J.R. Richardson, my beautiful and talented friend Jo for linking me into this hop! And a quick plug for her book. . . just because I am super excited to read it and I want you to read it to. . . Cursed be the Wicked comes out the first week in March. You can pop over to Jo’s Blog here to find out more.

Anyway, back to the hop. We have been asked four questions about how and why we write. So here it goes, and in true Anna Bloom style I will try and keep it honest!

1) What am I working on right now

Well now. . . I am kind of in-between projects, which in many ways is great but in many others, really bloody annoying.

Let me explain. I’ve just finished Gone – my New Adult novel and I have sent it to my beta readers so, I am waiting with baited breath while I find out if it is any good or not! I’ve been fiddling with a final blurb… messing about with the editing, that kind of thing, but I am trying very hard not to fiddle. It’s kind of hard. When I finish writing a book I get the worst writing hangover, the characters really linger in my mind, and this is normally when I start dreaming up ideas for a sequel.

I guess that this is a great opportunity to announce that Gone will have a sequel. Home will be released probably next spring, and I am rather excited to take the story to the next level.

I gave away a little Gone teaser on Valentines Day from Bex’s POV but especially for this blog hop I am going to give away a little more from Joshua’s perspective.

* * *

Walking down the lane from the pub I decide to take a detour to the beach. The light is fading but it is just enough that I can make my way down the path without landing on my face.

I spend a lot of time at the beach at night. This isn’t like the beach in Newquay which is filled with drunks every night attempting to get it on. Our quiet beach in St Agnes is perfect for a solitary ten minutes. If I go home now I know Aunt May will be twitching around me like she has the last half a year. She doesn’t know what to say to help my get out of the ‘phase’ I’m going through. Six months in, I think we can rule out the chance of it being a phase. This is just me. I’m a guy without a plan. Aunt May tries, but having her wandering around wringing her hands, asking me every three minutes if I’m hungry and need some food is not a relaxing way to spend an evening.

I walk down onto the sand and see someone sitting on my rock. That’s just plain rude, everyone knows it’s mine.

I edge myself closer, slipping off my flip flops, sinking my toes into the cool sand, as I walk down the beach trying to get close enough to investigate without being seen.

It’s her. The holiday maker.

I stop.

I want to move my feet in the opposite direction but they won’t listen. Instead I stand there, looming behind her on the sand, like an axe murderer.

“I can see your silhouette in the sand.”

Busted.

“What are you doing?” On my rock?

“Thinking. What are you doing?”

“Thinking too.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yes it is.”

I stand there like a turd working out what to say next. “Nice bangles.”

“Thanks.”

“Why so many.”

“None of your business dreadlock boy.”

“Well you’re a charmer aren’t you?”

“I was sitting here first. You’re the one with the stalking, stealth-like sand walk.”

“It’s my rock.”

It’s my rock? It’s my rock? Really. . .?

She does not say anything. Let’s be realistic, there is not much to say to that comment. She just sits there looking out to the sea, and I stand there my feet sunk into the cool sand.

“I like your dreadlocks,” she says finally after an age has passed.

“Thanks. They’re a lifestyle choice.”

She turns to look at me and for a moment, just one brief moment my mind swirls with colours. The make-up is gone and the waning sun illuminates her skin.

I should walk away. I don’t talk to holiday makers unless I’m taking their money in the shop.

I don’t.

Instead I fold my legs and sit on the sand, my fingers automatically picking up a splinter of driftwood, I cast my eyes up at the sun and then I start to draw.

* * *

2) How does my work differ from others in the genre?

Ooh, well this is a bit of a tricky question. Um. Well. Uh. . .

Okay, I think my work differs from others in the genre, because where a lot of NA is very much sex on the page, and sex first story after, I personally have a bit of trouble crafting a story like that.  I always try and keep my stories character driven. Even Gone which is ever so slightly sexier than The Uni File Series, I still concentrate on the dialogue and motion of the plot and only add the other (squishy) stuff if I think the story warrants it.

3) Why do I write what I do

I love writing stories, scenes even, that I know I expect to effect the reader in a certain way. When I was writing The Art of Letting Go I knew there were certain moments that really made me feel something deep. Finding out that it effects others the same way gives me more satisfaction than I ever thought possible. That is why I write what I do. It is very empowering. Very.

4) How does my writing process work

It involves a lot of pacing. A lot of singing. A lot of daydreaming, and a lot of                                                                                                                  middle of the night epiphanies.

Now for my Author Linkypoos

I get to chose three authors whose work I think you should read.

First up has to be Laura Beege.

Laura’s  novel These Things About Us made me insanely jealous because I wished I’d written it, and I am not teasing with this statement. I read These Things About Us in one night, I literally could not put it down. I am so glad I am friends with her now because then I won’t have to lock her in a cupboard before her next book comes out.

You can find Laura’s blog here and I know I can’t wait to read her answers next week.

Next is Kellie Wallace

 Kellie writes a such vast range of books, I don’t know how she manages it! To mix genre’s like that is a skill I could never learn. My Aussie writer buddy will be posting her four answers next week here and I am hoping she is going to reveal the secret of how she does it.

 Last up is Patricia W. Fischer

Firstly Patricia writes about cowboys! Sorry let me say that again, Patricia writes about HOT COWBOYS – so that is an instant plus in my view. Secondly, Patricia has had the most amazing journey to becoming a writer. . . waitress. . . bartender. . .  bill-collector. . .  bank teller . . . clerk at Blockbuster Video . . . dishwasher . . . prep-cook. . . a wanna be crypto-zoologist. . . pediatric and adult trauma/critical care nurse for 10 years. . . AND THEN FINALLY A WRITER! Wow! With experience like that Patricia has a lot to base her book on!

You can link up with Patricia’s answers next week here.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed my insight into my writing process.

Valentines Exclusive from The Art of Keeping Faith

Just in case anyone thought I had forgotten about Ben and Lilah on Valentines Day . . . Well nope. I haven’t.

Here is an exclusive from the upcoming The Art of Keeping Faith; Year Two of The Uni Files.

I may not send everyone a smoochie card with chocolates and roses, but I do give you Ben Chambers, with the Gibson, at Trafalgar. And that has surely got to count for something!

Valentines Bloody Day

 

It’s not a great start to the day of hell; the thudding white wine headache is enough to put anyone in a foul mood.  I stayed up far too late drinking with the girls and Meredith and Tristan who arrived home from somewhere or another.

I was secretly waiting up hoping Ben might call.

He didn’t.

Now I am in a mood. A bad one.

Ugh! Fucking Tristan, there is a post-it stuck to my forehead. I swear on my life I am going to staple one onto his knob one of these days.

What the hell!

It just says Trafalgar in Ben’s handwriting.

I scramble into their room.

“What is this?” I scream at ear splitting volume.

They both shrug but Meredith is grinning so wide that she has to hide her face under the duvet.

“Is Ben here?”

Tristan shrugs. “Guess you’ll have to go and find out.”

Oh my fucking God. Ben is here.

I am halfway down the garden path when I realise I still have my pyjama’s on.

Fuck it.

Ten minutes later

Major wardrobe malfunction. I have no clean clothes at all, so I am wearing jeans with a smelly milk (cereal) stain down the front and one of Ben’s old hoodies that I have kept stashed.

Who gives a shit, Ben is here.

One Hour later

It has taken me the best part of an hour to get to Trafalgar. The London Transport system did everything that it could to stand in my way, but I am not to be defeated.

I run from Victoria in the end. It was either that or commandeer a Tube, or, punch one of those useless London Underground operatives in their fluorescent orange jackets, but I figured both of these may end in me being taken down to the local nick as opposed to seeing Ben.

I am dashing across the square. I know exactly where he will be, on the fountain, the fountain where we have had so many important conversations. But as I limp closer I see an enormous crowd around where I think he is going to be.

I scan the rest of the square but cannot see him.

I didn’t make a mistake did I? It wasn’t an old post-it note that fluttered down from who knows where and stuck itself to my forehead whilst I was in my white wine coma.

No. Can’t be. Meredith was grinning like a buffoon.

Then it’s my turn to grin like a buffoon as the crowd shifts slightly and I can see Ben sitting in the middle of it, his long legs stretched out, a baseball cap pulled low over his dark hair, and the Gibson across his lap.

My mouth goes dry and I automatically start to walk towards him. The blues find me instantly, flicking over my outfit as they watch me approach. His lips curve into a small half lip hitch.

I make my way through the crowd using my elbows to push people out of the way until I am standing right in front of him.

My mouth is so dry I can’t even speak, but he reaches his right hand towards mine and stands, pulling me in close. Slowly his free hand slides along my throat, his thumb tracing under my chin and grazing my lower lip as he leans in towards me.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Delilah,” he says, lips against my own.

I don’t bother saying anything back, let’s be honest I couldn’t even if I tried. I just kiss him, wedging the Gibson between us as I move myself closer and closer entwining my fingers in the hair at the base of his neck.

The crowd don’t move they just stand there and gawp.

Eventually after what feels like a lifetime he pulls away and the blues dance in the sunlight as a full on smile lights up his face.

“Happy Valentine’s Day Ben,” I say at last.

 We both start to giggle and his fingers link their way through mine. Home.

It’s perfect.

Well it’s perfect until a fifteen year old with braces pushes her head between us and thrusts a piece of paper under Ben’s nose and blabbers something about a signature.

“Did you bring your fans?” I ask. . . 

 

And that’s it. . . The Art of Keeping Faith will be out beginning of April 2014.x

***Introducing New Novel***

Here it is. The moment I have been waiting what feels like months for. . . 

As it’s Valentines Day I could think of no better day to announce my upcoming New Adult Contemporary Romance novel.

This book has been about a year in the making, but is now finally entering into the editing stages and will have a June release date.

I still don’t want to give too much away plot wise, but what I can say is that this storyline means a lot to me. It deals with a number of sensitive issues, and hope that I have given them the respect and sensitivity that they deserve.

Introducing Gone:

Some secrets define you, others destroy you. Theirs could make them lose everything they ever wanted.

Rebecca Walters has been moved to St Agnes in Cornwall by her parents to escape the bad lifestyle choices she has been making. She has two weeks to prove that she can improve her behaviour and act like a grown-up and then her parents will let her move back to the city and pay for her tuition fees at University.

Joshua Adams is an artist who no longer paints and wastes his days surfing on the local beach, while trying to ignore the holiday makers who invade his home town every summer. Joshua has no plans to be anywhere or do anything ever again, especially not waste his time with someone who will be gone in two weeks.

A chance meeting on darkened beach changes the course of both of their lives in ways they never expected. As they deal with their instant attraction and their secrets start to unravel, both the boy made out of the moon and the girl made of the sun start to realise that something’s you get to keep and other things were always meant to be ‘Gone.’

Told in a split POV ‘Gone’ counts down a two week summer holiday to remember and tells the poignant tale of two lost souls who find each other, love each other, and ultimately face losing each other.

* * * 

And a teaser?? Oh go on then:

Josh-u-a swings out of the car and heads around to my side. I’m not expecting him to open the door for me, otherwise I would have made sure to get out of the car independently first. As it is, he cranks open the door and leans across my body to release my seatbelt.

I swear on my life I can’t help myself, and I only do it because I have always thought of dreadlocks as being really dirty, but I move forward ever so slightly and smell his neck.

He doesn’t smell dirty. He smells like the sea, sun and mint all rolled into one.

“Did you just sniff my neck?”

“What a ridiculous thing to say.” His green eyes dance in the sunlight and I feel a hot blush spread up my neck and over my face.

Grabbing my hand and sliding his fingers through mine he waits for me to jump down from the camper. I have no idea what the hand holding is about, but it has been so damn long since I had anyone try, I clasp my fingers around his tight in response, like a natural survival instinct.

We walk around the back of the van our hands swinging between us. I notice that he is looking at my shoulders and the string of my bikini which is poking out from under my vest top.

“Have you got a cream on?”

“Pardon me? We’re only holding hands.”

Josh-u-a’s lips twitch a little and he nods his head towards our hands. “I know. I meant do you have sun cream on? I think you might need it.”

“Oh. Uh. Yeah. Thanks.” 

“Don’t want to ruin that skin.” Tugging on my fingers he pulls me around closer to him, so we are face to face, and his mouth lowers to my exposed shoulder. Before I can even react his lips gently graze over my skin.

I jump away instantly.  “What you doing?”

“Smelling you.”

“What?”

“You did it to me.”

“I did bloody not.”

“Yeah you did. What do I smell like?”

“I have no idea. What do I smell like?”

“I’m not telling.”

Josh-u-a releases my hand and starts to unstrap the boards from the top of the van. I watch while the knot of anxiety that started to unravel earlier during the journey comes back with a vengeance. This time it feels different, more intense, a low slow burn.

I don’t know what is causing it but as he easily hoists both boards under one arm and reaches casually for my hand with his other I lock it away as I always do.

It’s just a surf lesson. There can’t be anything wrong with that can there?

* * * 

And here is a song. Just because there always is.

Editing and Sneak Peek

It’s been a busy week in the Bloom household. On Thursday I thought it was Wednesday which just goes to show how manic it has been. Working with the Year Five’s at my school is proving to be a challenge. This week I did some addition and subtraction – Year Five Style. . . And have learn’t that I can add stuff up. . .  I just can’t subtract to save my life. So that wasn’t embarrassing at all as I had to peek at a ten year old’s work sheet to find out the right answers!!

I’ve been doing the final polish on The Art of Keeping Faith – Year Two in The Uni Files series. It’s been good fun revisiting the manuscript after taking a break from it for a few months. I’ve made myself laugh a few times (yes I know it’s bad form) and also feel a little sad. I’d forgotten how emotional bits of it are. Anyway it’s nearly done so the arc copy is practically ready.

Today I’ve had a teeny sneak peek revealed on Emma Louise’s Blog which you can see by clicking here. I also talk a bit about the storyline – not that I give much away!

At the beginning of Feb, hopefully when I have my cover to reveal, I will be releasing the first scene from The Art of Keeping Faith over on my bestie’s web site at lovebookreviews.wordpress.com.

So for anyone wanting to know if Ben Chambers went to the States or stayed with Lilah, then the truth will soon be out.

I can’t wait to share it with everyone, and I really can’t wait until Year Two finally releases and I can stop keeping all these secrets! I’m rubbish at secrets and this has nearly killed me!

And this, for those in the need for a blast of teenage music, is my editing song of the day!

Cover Reveal for Cursed be the Wicked by JR Richardson

A while back I had a guest post from the author JR Richardson who told us all about her upcoming book Cursed be the Wicked.

Today is Jo’s cover reveal day, so I am going to do some jazz hands and announce “Ta Dah!”

 

And just as a little reminder of the book which is releasing on the 5th March here is the blurb and a little about the lovely Jo. I know I am definitely going to be adding this to my Goodreads TBR and performing a One-Click on the 5th March.

Synopsis:

Cooper Shaw lives his life under a pen name and enjoys the anonymity it provides during his journeys across the globe as a seasoned writer for a travel magazine. When his job lands him in his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts to cover the famous Festival of the Dead, he soon realizes that he can’t stay invisible forever as he faces ghosts from a past he’s been trying to forget ever since he left.

The city holds nothing but bad memories for Coop until he meets a quirky young woman with an old soul and curious insights by the name of Finnley Pierce. While she acts as his tour guide through a town he thought he knew, Finn helps him unearth the truth of his childhood and might even begin to open up his heart.

By unraveling the mystery of his father’s murder, Coop may finally accept who he is, where he came from, and perhaps even realize what he wants for his future.

About the author:

 

A writer of stories and lover of life.

Jo grew up in Maryland with four siblings, three parents and an endless number of cousins within the vicinity.  Today she lives in Florida with her two girls and a husband that shares her same sense of humor and basic take on life as we know it.

Life is too short to put dreams on the back burner.

She’s always loved writing, so in her spare time, she wrote a novel that’s been picked up by the good people at Soul Mate Publishing.

Links:

Website: http://jrrichardsonfics.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JRRichardsonAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoFictionFreak

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JRRichardson

The Face Lift

It’s true I need one! There is a serious deep wrinkle (more of a crevice) between my eyebrows and last night I noticed another perma wrinkle above my left eyebrow that no matter how hard I try to smooth it out just reappears instantly. 

So it’s time for a face lift. Sadly I can’t afford one for me (not that I would be brave enough anyway) so I have decided to give my little blogy a face-lift instead. 

Gone are the cornflowers and the blue (that is so last year), and in are the kissy kissy love birds and lots of pink. I’m kinda liking it! 

Now it has been noted, mainly by my mother, that towards the end of last year I didn’t get around to posting that much. This was for a very simple reason. There are just not enough hours in the day! Not with editing, writing, tweeting, working in school, being a mum and occasionally doing that thing called housework. But here you go, I am making a New Years resolution right now. I will post more, and hopefully I will have lots of exciting things too write about.

Also I have had a huuuuuge decision to make about how I plan for things to go forward in 2014 but finally I have made my choice and it feels like an enormous worry has been lifted from my shoulders. It’s very liberating and hopefully will keep me inspired!

If you are particularly sharp you will see I have streamlined my menu. Now there is a Books tab with all the relevant links in for books you can download now. There is also a Up-Coming release tab, which if you want to find out more about The Uni Files the official blurb for Year Two is on there, and also the new release date (much much sooner release date.)

Lastly there is a sneaky tab called Works in Progress and this is where I am going to put little bits of info about my new work. . . so for anyone intrigued by the secret project I have been working on then this is the place to head too! 

And just because I can’t change things too much I am going to share my writing song of the last few weeks. I used it a lot with the secret project and I love it!