Wednesday 27 February 2013

New!

New out today! I just love the cover. Congrats to all my friends involved!

Smut Alfresco (Absolute Erotica)

 
 
Congratulations also to Annalisa Crawford who published her collection of short stories That Sadie Thing and Other Stories this week. I can't recommend it enough - I devoured it in two short sittings! I'll be reviewing it very shortly, so watch this space!

Sunday 10 February 2013

Versatile Blogger *blush*

Versatile Blogger

The lovely Jackie at Agenthood and Submissionville has awarded me the Versatile Blogger Award, so a big THANK YOU to Jackie! I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank all the friends and family who have supported me, my publishers, my manicurist, my hairdresser, my personal trainer, the man down the road who takes in my mail, my dentist, my make-up artist and my gynaecologist. Oh dear, I think I'm going to cry.

Joking aside (and that was a joke by the way), I was really chuffed to receive this award, having tried to stop using my blog as a platform for whingeing and to post something a bit more interesting!

Anyway, as you may know, the nature of the award is that I now have to share 7 things about me that you didn't already know...

1.  I still have a baby tooth! (In my mouth, not just in a box somewhere!)

2.  I am easily over-excited and suffer from intense foot-in-mouth syndrome.

3.  I have a scar on my collar-bone from treading on the hem of a long skirt and falling up stone steps when I was 9 (yeah, well, it was the 1970s.)

4.  I am incredibly clumsy and walk into doorframes, fire extinguishers etc. I always have bruises.

5.  I used to do a lot of amateur dramatics and I met my husband at an am-dram group.

6.  I used to work in theatre, on the admin side.

7.  I once trod on Ruth Madoc's foot. (For those who don't know Ruth Madoc, Google 'Hi de Hi'. It was a popular British TV show) (Proof of number 4 above.)

8.  I once spat in a cup of tea I made for a boss. I am not proud of this, but it was only a little spit.

9.  I teach French to 5-11 year-olds.

10. I plan to adopt a rescue dog this summer.

Oh, just realised I've done 10 instead of 7.

11. I am very forgetful.

SO! Now I have to pass the award on to fifteen of my lovely bloggy friends! I can say right now that I don't know who has already had the award and I also appreciate that not everyone might want to take part, but anyway ...

Ailsa Abraham and Cameron Lawton at Cameron's Soapbox
Murees Dupree at Daily Dramas of an Aspiring Writer
Dana at The Daily Dose who has probably had this before as she's soooo versatile!
Jane Ayres at The Beautiful Room
Claudia Moser at The Story
Rachel at Writing on the Wall
Kate at The Suddenly Kate Show
Michelle at Buttered Toast Rocks
Rek at A Chronicle of Dreams
Lauren at Eclectic
Aleah Barley at A Cold Cup of Coffee and a Red Hot Novel
Pat Newcombe at Writing Saved my Life
Emily at Emily Unraveled
Elizabeth Seckman at Use Your Words
Jill Haugh at I Had a Little Nut Tree

There! That's 15! These are all blogs I enjoy. I would also like to give a shout out to some great bloggy friends who have almost certainly had this award already, but who truly do give me lots of support and I don't want them to think I've forgotten them! They are:

Annalisa Crawford at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep, Patsy Collins and Vikki Thompson at The View Outside

Goodness, it sounds more like an awards ceremony than ever!








Wednesday 6 February 2013

February IWSG



You can find the list of those participating at Alex J Cavanaugh's blog right here. I'll be off to check out some of the blogs right after this!

I haven't been particularly insecure lately, but I do still have a bit of a problem. Having spent a lot of time working out how to cope with my life/work/writing balance, I feel a lot less stressed than I did this time last year, but I still haven't got it quite right!

I find it so hard to wind down. With a day-job, my only option is to write during the evening (and at weekends, but that's not the problem). I aim to stop by 9pm so I can unwind before I try to sleep, but I find I still spend so many nights TRYING to fall asleep while my mind churns over what I've written/what I need to write/what I should be writing/what I shouldn't have submitted... Gah! It's as though my brain doesn't have enough time to mull all this over during my official waking hours! I feel more and more exhausted, which makes it harder to write in the evenings, and so the cycle continues!

Anyone got a magic wand?



Credit: everydayat8pm.com  





Sunday 3 February 2013

Annalisa Crawford in the Spotlight!

Annalisa - my blog is all yours!

Thank you Linda for inviting me over today!

It's been a year since my novella Cat and The Dreamer was published! There have been lots of changes in my own life in that time, and I started to wonder what else had changed...

Today's topic: Books!

When I think about books from 2012, only one stands out, one trilogy that is... and I didn't even read it. Can you guess? Yep, Fifty Shades of Grey.

I have nothing against erotica, or even badly written books (although a little more so against badly written books - but as I haven't read them I can't judge them). I got a bit miffed when I realised how many people were buying the books, some of them self-confessed non-readers; how many people were buying the trilogy without knowing what it was about; how many seemed to be reading the books because the stylish black cover made them feel like they were reading high literature...

But - but! - what I really couldn't understand was:

Although, without the books, we'd never have had the parodies:
And then, or at least now, it's barely mentioned, apart from EL James popping up in interviews trying to tell us she's a real writer now!


What books did you love or hate in 2012?




About Cat and The Dreamer
As a teenager, Julia survived a suicide pact, while her best friend Rachel died. Julia’s only escape from her guilt, and her mother’s over-protection, is her imagination. When Adam arrives in the office, Julia’s world takes a startling turn as she realises reality can be much more fun than fantasy. Finally she has someone who can help her make the most of her life. But can she allow herself to be truly happy?

Cat and The Dreamer is available on Kindle UK, Kindle US, Kobo, Nook, iTunes/iBooks, and via Vagabondage Press.

Annalisa Crawford lives and writes in Cornwall with a good supply of beaches and moorland to keep her inspired. She finds endless possibilities in the relationships between people. Several new projects are on the cards for 2013.
Find her on her blog, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.


Friday 1 February 2013

Interviewing Lucy

Can I entice you across to Bel Anderson's blog today where the fabulous Lucy Felthouse is being interviewed and promoting her new release?
The Military Wife (Sexy Erotica)