Rochelle Elliot's Blog: The World of WellyChelle, page 7
September 1, 2013
My first linky list thing-a-me-whats-it!
Image source pinterest – http://pinterest.com/pin/123919427218104587/
Self-publishing relies on self-promotion, and I’m coming across a whole new world of indie authors and readers who are excited and interested in self-published books – it’s fabulous!
Being a blog hopping newbie, bear with me chickens while I figure this out!
First up – I think I’ve managed to link up to the list here… lets keep our fingers crossed and see if it appears…
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…
If I’ve done it right, you can now view the Romance Authors linky list by clicking on the list above. You might find some fantastic new authors to read! And add yourself if you’re an author!
Ah will you look at me – all technalogimacal!!!
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Have you got your copy of Lighthouse Love yet?
Lucy leaves London, bidding farewell to her ballet career and failed romance.
Half way around the globe she lands in New Zealand, and begins her kiwi adventure in a pub on the Wellington Waterfront. It’s busy, so Lucy offers to share her table. There’s Georgie and her slimy boyfriend Felix. Fran and her husband Jamie.
And ther e is Ethan, who squeezes in beside her with a cider and a smile.
Ethan fills Lucy’s life with lust and laughter, and a trip to Pencarrow lighthouse might prove the potential for a happily ever after. But Ethan does not mention his dream job in Dubai, and Lucy is reluctant to bring up the mess she left in London. Neither wishes to sully the clear blue sky and the fresh sea breeze, with worries from the past or concerns about the future.
But when Ethan’s sexy-ex reveals his secret job plans, and Ethan discovers Lucy’s deception, it’s the perfect storm.
Strong winds and rough seas are forecast. Can Lucy and Ethan fight through the storm and find some solid ground?
Lighthouse love is a whimsical tale of real love, the kind the that comes with sexy slappers, ex-husbands and more baggage than a cab load of Kardashian’s!
Lighthouse Love is available on:
Apple iBooks
Tagged: Blog hop, Chicklit, Linky list, modern romance, Romance
August 31, 2013
Lighthouse Love, those “sexy bits”
Yesterday I got my first feedback about the “sexy bits” in Lighthouse Love.
A person, who shall remain nameless, came up and whispered in my ear that she thought I had done a good job. She thought I’d got the suspense just right and I was so very relieved to hear it!
Image courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
It’s a bit of a scary thing writing those smoochy, squishy bits in a book. The characters tend to take over and make things happen, so the first round of writing wasn’t too hard. But then the second guessing comes into it. Is it too much? Is it not enough? Am I being too careful or am I going to shock people?
I found myself on Google in the editing stages, trying to get a handle on these scenes. What would my readers expectations be? What would they expect?
I emailed my friends in a fit of giggles, while I dived into the world of what to call certain male body parts.
Love trumpet? Twig and berries? Tummy Banana?
I thought back to the Mills and Boon books i had devoured as a teenager. My first foray into rude bits in books. The sealed section of short stories that came with Cosmo magazine when I was 21. I laughed at myself a lot. I worried a lot. I bashed my key board, I deleted and cut and pasted and went for walks to the washing line.
But in the end, I decided to go with what felt right to the story. Lucy and Ethan are essentially two lovely people, and what happens between the sheets should reflect the stage they are at on their emotional journey – both individually, and when they are together.
It’s not about me. It’s about them. It’s about what Lucy and Ethan need and want within the pages of LIghthouse Love, and I hope I achieved this!
Lighthouse Love is no 50 shades of grey. Lucy only bites her lip two times (unlike that poor girl in 50 shades who was forced to gnaw on her lip 30 + times ) and the sexy parts are more about raising the readers emotions and driving the story on. I want them to be saying “Yes! You go for it!” or “No, no, what are you doing, stop it!” It’s about ‘rooting’ for the characters and wanting to see them through their journey, in all it’s mischievous, messy and marvelous ways!
Rude bits are a part of writing commercial women’s fiction. I always feel a little let down if the main couple don’t “get it together” at some point. I want the happily ever after, and I want that for my readers too!
________________________________________________________________________________
Have you got your copy of Lighthouse Love yet?
Lucy leaves London, bidding farewell to her ballet career and failed romance.
Half way around the globe she lands in New Zealand, and begins her kiwi adventure in a pub on the Wellington Waterfront. It’s busy, so Lucy offers to share her table. There’s Georgie and her slimy boyfriend Felix. Fran and her husband Jamie.
And there is Ethan, who squeezes in beside her with a cider and a smile.
Ethan fills Lucy’s life with lust and laughter, and a trip to Pencarrow lighthouse might prove the potential for a happily ever after. But Ethan does not mention his dream job in Dubai, and Lucy is reluctant to bring up the mess she left in London. Neither wishes to sully the clear blue sky and the fresh sea breeze, with worries from the past or concerns about the future.
But when Ethan’s sexy-ex reveals his secret job plans, and Ethan discovers Lucy’s deception, it’s the perfect storm.
Strong winds and rough seas are forecast. Can Lucy and Ethan fight through the storm and find some solid ground?
Lighthouse love is a whimsical tale of real love, the kind the that comes with sexy slappers, ex-husbands and more baggage than a cab load of Kardashian’s!
Lighthouse Love is available on:
Apple iBooks
Tagged: Amazon Kindle, chick lit, ebook, Lighthouse Love, love, modern romance, Rochelle Elliot, Romance, sex, sex scenes in books, women's fiction
August 25, 2013
Getting to know me…
Feel free to have a go yourself, on your blog or your facebook page, I’d love to hear your answers!
Who was your favorite celebrity as a child?
Bill Cosby. He was so funny, I can remember almost crying with laughter during each episode.
What type of pets do you have?
We have a family cat called Buttons. Despite what people might try to tell you, she is not that big. She just likes her biscuits.
What is your favorite color?
Pink. Oddly enough, I hated pink as a teenager. But now it’s my go to colour!
What is most memorable about your high school years?
Positive – Winning a speech competition at Government House when I was 15, for woman’s suffrage year.
Negative – the bullying
What word describes you best?
Kind
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Giving birth two times is up there at the top. Probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do.
Greatest accomplishment at the moment is getting Lighthouse Love self-published.
What drives you every day?
My kids drive me out of bed to make their toast. If it’s not them it’s the cat demanding her biscuits.
After that, my love of writing keeps me striving. I am truly very lucky to be able to sit down each morning and do something I love.
What is your favorite food?
Hot chips.
Then after that, at the moment my favourite meal is a warm tortilla topped with a mixture of brown rice, beans, chilli, garlic, cumin and coriander, topped with salad and avocado.
Where do you want to retire?
To a small villiage somewhere. My very own Gilchrist Point!
What is your business goal this year?
To make sure as many people as possible know about Lighthouse Love and get the opportunity to read it. After that I have two books on the go that I would like to complete.
Where do you like to vacation?
I love going somewhere near the beach with the kids.
But I also have a love of nice hotels. I like room service and little bottles of shampoo and conditioner!
Who do you admire?
My husband. He went through an awful accident two years ago when a person crashed their car into his motorbike.
He has been through major surgery and has limited movement in his right arm, and lives with pain every day.
But every day he gets up, and he does his exercises and he makes life work. He is funny and kind and caring and I love his determination and his strength.
What is your mission?
To become a recognised writer, and hopefully help and inspire others to enjoy reading and writing.
To read all the books in the Jack Reacher series.
To write another book.
If you were invisible, where would you go?
OOOOO…. I might have to sneak into James Blunts night club at the bottom of his garden!
What traits in others are you attracted to?
I love people who are outgoing and extrovert. Probably because I am so nervous in new situations, I love when people take the lead!
What is the kindest thing anyone has done for you?
My sister drove me to see Westlife live in New Plymouth. From there we made a plan and ended up going to Dublin to see them LIVE at Croke Park. This was one of the most incredible trips ever, and I could never have done it without her.
How do you want to be remembered?
As someone who made a difference in other peoples lives.
What would you do with a million dollars?
First I would take the kids to Hawaii and Disneyland.
Then I would start my own publishing company.
And I would probably have some new handbags and a leather jacket and some new boots.
If you were on an island, who would you want to be with? Why?
Then I would want James Blunt and his guitar. He seems like a fun guy and he could play us some tunes. Shane Filan from Westlife can come too and sing for us.
I would like Marian Keyes, because she would bring magnums and bisquits and I would enjoy taking agin to people with her and she would have a bag full of chemist supplies if we needed them.
I’ll take Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson, because they are both brilliant cooks.
And then I would probably take John Campbell because he would say tremendous and marvellous a lot, and I like both those words.
You have a 10 minute speech to give at a high school, what is it about?
I would have to follow Ashton Kutcher’s lead. Be smart, be kind, be generous. I would also want to talk about how different the real world is from High School. When you step out of that bubble, it is amazing how unimportant all the small stuff you were sweating really was.
Tagged: All about me, Lighthouse Love, Questions and Answers, Rochelle Elliot
August 24, 2013
Purr-fect
My wee girl Isabelle would probably be described in a Jane Austen novel as being of a sensitive disposition.
Just like her Mammy!
Adjusting from day time activities to night time / bed time has never been something she enjoys. She finds it hard to switch off and relax.
However in the last year, I’ve realised the one family member who has the most success in getting her off to sleep, is Buttons!
I often find them snuggled up together in bed at night, and this last week while Belles has been fending off germ attacks, and Buttons has been recovering from a week of not having us home at nights (we were staying at my sisters up the road while her and her husband were in Bangkok), the two of them have never been far away from each other.
I knew animals were great for stress relief and mood lifting. Hence why they have special dogs that visit rest homes and hospitals.
But what I didn’t realise, was that Buttons purring might just be helping heal her middle ear infection!
I’m not sure the half dead weta presents are doing much for my serenity, but I’m glad our wee furry friend is doing good things for Isabelle!
Tagged: cats, children, healing, purring
My book ‘Lighthouse Love’ is on Amazon Kindle
In the middle of Friday night I got up to my little girl who has been battling asthma and a cold all week. She has ended up with a middle ear infection – no fun for anyone!!
I didn’t want to give her ibuprofen on an empty stomach ( learned that lesson the hard way) so while she ate her honey sandwich I checked my email, faffed about on Facebook, then figured I would check the Amazon Kindle store on the off-chance Lighthouse Love had been loaded up….
And there it was! My baby, sitting there ready for reading. I couldn’t believe it!
I showed Belles and by the light of the screen, at 2.30am on a dark Saturday morning, I could see a big grin on her face matching my own.
I will remember that moment forever.
You can get your copy of Lighthouse Love from Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EPWDFDI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1377346476&sr=1-1&pi=AA75
Other Ebook stores suck as Nook and Kobo will stock Lighthouse Love in the coming 2-3 weeks.
Tagged: ebook, kindle, Lighthouse Love, new release, self publishing
August 21, 2013
What is Lighthouse Love?
In the beginning…
Well we’re all familiar with falling in love. The swooning, sweeping, overwhelming feelings that make us do and say the craziest things.
New love is like sunshine and rainbows and crazy fairground rides where you hold on as tight as you can and try not to scream.
It can be heart-building when it’s reciprocated, and heart-breaking when it’s not.
What will NY152 say today, I wonder. I turn on my computer. I wait impatiently as it connects. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You’ve got mail. I hear nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beating of my own heart. I have mail. From you.
Kathleen Kelly. You’ve got Mail. (1998)
But what comes next?
What happens when loves shining light fades, and you start to notice dirty socks on the floor, and crumbs in your bed and you no longer worry about closing the toilet door when you pee?
What happens when the baby cries all night and the 6 year old turns himself into the incredible hulk with your avocado face mask, and the cat poos in the corner and the dishwasher floods the kitchen floor?
What about when there is not enough money, and not enough time, and all the days and nights are filled with a sameness, a repetition that makes you feel like you are trudging up hill in sand filled gumboots?
What happens when life starts washing over you in giant waves?
“We’re stuck on the spin cycle,” he answers. He rests his chin on her head and she aches to melt into him, but stuffs her hands into her pockets instead. A boat lurches round the corner of the bay. The wind whirls around them as they watch the boat navigate the white soapy waves. Its progress is slow, but neither of them have anywhere else to be.
“I wish you hadn’t come,” she whispers into a particularly blustery gust of wind.
She doesn’t mean it and he doesn’t believe her.
- EXCERPT FROM LIGHTHOUSE LOVE, DEBUT NOVEL BY ROCHELLE ELLIOT
I’ll tell you what happens.
Lighthouse Love.
Believe it or not, Lighthouse Love is worth more than trips to Paris, more than bunches of roses, more than declarations of love and presents of promise. It is more than a single gold wedding band or a sparkling diamond.
Lighthouse Love is about strength. It is about weathering storms and standing tall. It is about unwavering support and a light that shines when darkness threatens to overwhelm you.
When you can turn to the person you love at 3am, when you are in yesterdays PJ’s, with baby puke in your hair, and they say
‘I love you, you are so beautiful,’
… that is Lighthouse Love.
When you stand on the cliff of despair and anxiety, and beg to be let go, and they hold on even tighter
… that is Lighthouse Love.
When you scream and yell and swear they are the most useless person you have ever met, and they still bring you a cup of tea the next morning
… that is Lighthouse Love.
When life sends gigantic waves that crash on top of you, and you thrash about, trying to figure out which way is up, and the person you love swims out there there through the rough seas to tread water with you and to share their swim ring with you
… that is Lighthouse Love.
Lighthouse Love is about depth. It reaches past your heart and into your soul. It is an unwavering belief that sneaks through all the craziness, and reminds you that everything will be alright. That there is someone out there who believes in you and will stand by your side and hold your hand in the dark until the light breaks through.
Lighthouse Love is not just for lovers. Lighthouse Love knows no limitations. It’s for friends, for families, for parents and children, for Grandparents and Aunties and Uncles and sisters and brothers, and pets and even for strangers.
Everyone needs a lighthouse of some description. We all need a guiding light. It might come from a place we least expect. A friend who listens when no one else will. A cat that purrs on your lap and waits on your window sill every night when you get home from work. A stranger who donates a packet of toffee pops to the food bank, or a parent helper at a school who reads to a child who has no books at home. It might be the husband who holds your hand when you have a blood test, or the wife who makes your favourite roast beef for your birthday every year.
Lighthouse Love is everywhere…
Who is your lighthouse?
My first book, Lighthouse Love, is coming to Amazon Kindle NEXT WEEK! Please visit http://www.facebook.com/wellychelle or http://www.wellychelle.co.nz for more information!
Tagged: ebook, friendship, Lighthouse Love, love, Romance, strength
August 20, 2013
Minions and Minions of… Minions!
Despicable Me 2 was the holiday movie of choice for the kids these past school holidays. And so we have a whole bunch of new friends…
Poppadom? Underwear? Tulaliloo ti amo!
These little yellow critters have all the ingredients to make kids laugh. They are funny looking, they run around doing crazy stuff and they have their own Minion language that includes use of the words “underwear” and ”bottom” … oh yeah, and then there’s the fart gun.
So Minion fever means even us grown ups have fallen in love with the little yellow things. My sister Jac and her hubby Tane have just returned from a week in Bangkok, and you’ll never guess what snuck into their luggage….
But wait – there’s more!
It was my nephew Josh’s 10th Birthday yesterday. He has made it into double digits – a mile-stone we made marvelous with a minion cake!
And Aunty Jac and Uncle T also gave us the Minion’s to wear as well!
Minions – they’re like little balls of sunshine and laughter!
Tagged: Despicable Me, Family Movie, Minions
August 15, 2013
On the path to self-publishing…
Hello my lovely friends. I feel somewhat neglectful of my chilly chickens of late. It’s not that I’m lacking in the will to blog, it’s simply a case of finding enough hours in the day. Here’s a wee post to update you on how my self-publishing dream has been developing!
My first book, Lighthouse Love, has been top of my to-do list for the last few months, and I’m happy to tell you all that it is finally, at last, with Book Baby, being converted into eBook formats, and will soon be available for your reading pleasure.
It’s been a long journey to get to this point, but one that has been on the whole, a very positive experience. Sure, there are still days when I wonder what on earth I’m doing, but each step of the way I have had amazing support and people cheering me on.
Using www.pledgeme.co.nz was a fabulous way to get my publishing dream moving. Crowd Sourcing enabled me to get people interested in Lighthouse love, and to build a core group of supporters that I now refer to as my WellyChelle Cheer Squad. These amazing people have invested in my dream, they have encouraged me and given me their opinions on book covers and made me feel like I’m not a one wo-man show!
Much of the writing process is solitary. I love those times when it’s just me and my characters, working out our dramas and our journeys. But it’s also a wonderful feeling to finally be able to share my work with others. That Lighthouse Love might be meaningful to others is a very exciting prospect.
I decided to use www.bookbaby.com for conversion and distribution to ebook retailers, for three main reasons:
1. Their website is well set out, very professional and easy to understand.
2. They do the conversion work for me, which I felt was important. I’m very much a newbie when it comes to publishing, this being my first time, so I didn’t need the anxiety of trying to work my way through it myself.
3. I liked the idea of paying upfront, and then all the royalties from my book sales coming to me. They have a yearly 19USD charge but I like the idea of knowing this upfront, rather than another organisation taking a cut from royalties.
I have also been super lucky finding a wonderful editor Rebecca Gumbley at Department of Correctness and my fabulous book cover designer Nada Orlic who have both helped in getting Lighthouse Love to this final stage.
I am so glad I got the experts in at this final stage. Having their advice has lifted Lighthouse Love up and tied up loose ends. It feels like a real book now!
So here we are. Almost there…. exciting and a little bit daunting. It’s been worth all the highs and lows, the ups and downs to get here for sure. I feel quite proud of myself. I wasn’t sure I could take on such a big job, but I’ve realised that with a little help and a lot of support from friends and family, I’m almost ready to put a big tick on that list of long term goals!
Tagged: crowd sourcing, eBooks, Lighthouse, Lighthouse Love, self publishing
July 16, 2013
WellyChelle needs YOU…To help pick my book cover!
Chickens!
Things are getting exciting in the world of WellyChelle…
I have been working with a fabulous book cover designer, Nada Orlić, and we have narrowed the choice down to two!
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I’d love to hear which one you like best, so pop over to my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/wellychelle and ‘like’ your favourite cover design.
Every one who ‘likes’ one of the two cover designs will go in the draw to win an e-copy of Lighthouse Love (once published!).
Thanks everyone for all your support!
Tagged: book cover design, Lighthouse Love, Nada Orlić, Novel, publication, Romance, women's fiction, writing
The World of WellyChelle
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