Novelicious - The Female Fiction and Chick Lit Blog

Novelicious Goes To... The 'It Started With A Kiss/Miranda Dickinson' Book Launch

BY CESCA MARTIN

It started with a...battered carrot...

When there is wine, laughter, a starry night, a balcony and an enormous tray of battered carrots...You know you are going to have a good time.  This was, of course, the book launch for Miranda Dickinson’s latest novel, It Started With A Kiss.

Miranda was introduced by her Avon editor – Sammia Rafique – who was so absurdly enthusiastic that every writer in the room was one day hoping someone would be equally gushing about them.  Miranda spoke eloquently (that girl can talk – do check her regular vlogs out for further proof) and she answered the Q & A with witticisms and modesty.  We heard how her fiancée likes to tell people she models all her leads on him, how she structures her working day (a book a year is no mean feat!) and lastly the story of her own breakthrough in the industry (scooped from the thousands of books placed on www.authonomy.com).

It was a fantastic evening and I got to meet fellow writers in the flesh (as opposed to online) and skip off to Paddington Station with my new shiny copy of ‘It Started with a Kiss’ safely in my bag.

Thank you very much to Avon and Miranda for inviting us to share her evening.

Love Cesca Novelicious! x

Novelicious Chats To...Ali Harris

INTERVIEWED BY CESCA MARTIN

Tell us about your novel 'Miracle on Regent Street'.

Well, I like to think it’s a real cuddle-up-with-a-cashmere-blanket-and-a-hot chocolate kind of a read, the kind of book that will remind you of classic old movies and bygone days when Christmas was about magic, not money. It’s a story about a sweet, unassuming stockroom girl called Evie Taylor who works in the basement of Hardy's; a faded, forgotten old department store that has seen better days. For the past two years she's lived an invisible life in London, sorting endless boxes of old-fashioned stock by day and looking after her sister’s two young children at night. Her neighbours think she's the hired help, her self-obsessed shop floor colleagues mistake her for her stockroom predecessor and even her manager doesn't know her actual name. But despite all this she loves working at the store. So when she overhears that Hardy's is at risk of being sold unless it seriously increases its profits by December 26^th – just three weeks time - she hatches a secret plan to save it. Evie and Hardy's are both looking for a Christmas miracle to turn their fortunes around, but will it take the shape of the handsome American who has swept in to town and shaken things up like a snow globe?

Was this your first novel?

Ohhho no! I have three completed manuscripts (and a couple of abandoned attempts) lurking in a box somewhere. Although my first attempt (a book called Strawberries and Dreams which I wrote in 1999!) is lost forever on an ex boyfriend’s probably no longer functioning PC. Better off that way, to be honest!

How many years have you been writing?

I’ve written stories since I was little – but I’ve been seriously dreaming of it as a career since I was 22 (aka a long time ago!) I had just left University after studying a degree in Performing Arts and was working as a waitress in a theme restaurant. The chick lit genre had just been born and reading Bridget Jones was a real light bulb moment for me. I began writing my own novel during the day (about a frustrated waitress, of course!) I read every book in the genre, bought the Writer’s and Artists Year Book, studied every acknowledgment page to see who my favourite authors were represented by and bought every book about writing fiction I could. When I’d written three chapters of my novel I sent it to ten agents. I got rejected by nine but when I hadn’t heard from the tenth I decided to take the initiative and ring them. I somehow (don’t ask me how) managed to get through to one of the biggest, most successful literary agents in London and he told me he had my manuscript in front of him and that he thought it had ‘something’ but that he had been about to send me a rejection letter. I begged him to read more and incredibly, he agreed. I went home and wrote four chapters in as many days and sent it to him. When his rejection letter eventually came through I was devastated. At that point I decided that I just wanted to write for a living – so I decided to apply for work experience at some of my favourite women’s magazines. I wasn’t giving up – just taking a sideways step. I wanted to learn skills that I could transfer to writing fiction but in an exciting, stimulating environment. It was the best decision I ever made. After a year of unpaid work, I got my dream job at Company magazine. I spent the next three years writing features – including my own column, working with incredible people, meeting celebrities – and the best part? I got to meet my favourite authors and grill them about how to get a book deal. I was still writing fiction, but in my spare time. I even sent a manuscript off to a couple of publishers –at one point I had lunch with an editor from Harper Collins which I was so excited about, but nothing ever came of it. I was getting closer, but not close enough!

Guest Post - A Different Kind of Hero by Carole Matthews

I’ve never written arrogant, smouldering male romantic heroes.  The men in my novels have always been ordinary, attainable men. They’re kind, flawed, trying to do their best. Sometimes they’ve been high-flying corporate men. Sometimes they’ve had no job at all. But they’ve always been the sort of men that most of us would come into contact with on a daily basis.

So it was a big departure for me in my latest - and nineteenth - novel Wrapped up in You to have a hero who is a fully-fledged Maasai warrior! When my heroine, Janie, goes in search of adventure on an African safari, she doesn’t expect to fall in love. Similarly, when I set out to write the character of Dominic, I had no idea that I would fall in love with him too.

I wanted to explore the fact that it’s so much easier these days to find love outside of our own small circles. It used to be the case that you’d meet someone at school, at work, in your own town, date and get married. But that’s not how it works now. Due to the internet, it’s now possible to forge relationships with people from all over the world.

But, as Janie finds out, falling in love with someone from another culture and on another continent can also be fraught with difficulties. Dominic doesn’t look the same as the usual romantic hero - he’s exceptionally tall, has a shaven head and wears traditional costume.  I also wanted to have some fun comparing a village in the Maasai Mara to a typically English village, so brought Dominic back to England.

This is a man who doesn’t conform to the norms of our society and, as well as making Janie fall head over heels in love, he sets the hearts of the good ladies of the The Nashley Church Flower Committee fluttering too with his easy charm.

He’s and incredibly strong, emotionally and physically, due to his Maasai culture. Theirs is a life of hardship and privation. Ladies, this man can wrestle lions with his bare hands! But he realises that he’s a man caught between two worlds and strives to blend the two without losing his identity.  The more I wrote about Dominic, the more I fell in love with him too.  He has a beautiful sense of fun and a fundamental commitment to his community.

At first, I thought that Dominic and Janie’s relationship might not survive, that the odds would be too great for them, but I just knew that Dominic would do all that he could to keep them together.

He might not wear a suit or work in high finance but, in some ways he’s the ultimate alpha male. Already my readers are asking me where they can find their very own Dominic. I hope when you read the book that you’ll fall in love with him too. I think he’s my most perfect romantic hero so far!

Thank you, Carole.

Wrapped Up In You is out 27th October.

You can find out more about Carole at her website, find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter: @carolematthews

Novelicious has drinks with Jane Fallon to celebrate the launch of her new book The Ugly Sister

INTERVIEW BY AMANDA KEATS

Amanda: It’s always exciting times when Kirsty sends over invites to events and asks if you can go. Being the only Novelicious Londoner I tend to get dibs and it’s one of the greatest perks I could ask for. But this time, things were slightly different. We’ve been invited to drinks for a book launch ladies – Kirsty told us – oh and it’s for Jane Fallon… at the Ivy.

Hold up – the Ivy? To celebrate the launch of a book by the author who got me into chick-lit/women’s fiction with her brilliantly fun tale Foursome?! Oh and it doesn’t stop there folks… it’s just for bloggers.

You can imagine how long I spend deliberating whether or not I could attend.

Fab author – check.

Fab bloggers – check.

Free drinks at the Ivy – yeah you get my point.

Kira: Getting off the Tube at Leicester Square with it tipping down with rain, I stood there for a moment wondering where the hell I was meant to go. Being an out of towner I had absolutely no idea where The Ivy was so I went about asking every Londoner possible, then finding out I managed to ask people that weren’t even from the city, don’t ask me how I managed that but I did!

Amanda: It was lovely getting to meet two more Novelicious ladies on the night – the lovely Kira who made it in all the way from Reading and Anna (who had her Chick Lit Blog hat on for the night) who’d come in from Portsmouth.

So Anna and I made our way up the magical lift with an outward-opening door, trying to “blend in” and were greeted at the top by the lovely Helen from Penguin who took us through to meet the team. As introductions carried on, we reached the “Oh and this is Jane” moment.

Er hi? Yes, you’ve guessed it folks – we were the first to arrive!

Of course after my initial shell-shock at meeting the woman who started me in my Novelicious path to women’s literature, I realised of course that she is just like anybody else. She is a lovely, friendly person – who just happens to write books. We also discovered that this was going to be the only launch – so to speak – as Jane is not a big fan of big speeches. I suggested she write a speech and make somebody else read it. She started to think of her ideal A-lister…

Brilliant.

Kira: Upon finding The Ivy tucked down a side street, I politely asked the doorman if this was where the launch party for Jane Fallon was. He nodded and directed me to the most opulent lift I think I’ve ever seen, it was so fancy I didn’t even know which way the lift door opened, which was highly embarrassing for me. It’s not often small town Brummie girls get to visit The Ivy, so I was trying to be as classy as possible and look like I belonged there!

Once inside I met a few of the girls from Penguin and some lovely blogger people. It was so nice to meet people who I had so much in common with that I think I could have gladly stayed there all night chatting. Upon meeting Jane Fallon I found her to be lovely, down to earth and very easy to chat to. The party in itself felt very quaint and as there were a select few groups of people, it was easier to chat and get to know each other.

 

Amanda: I also got to chat to the lovely PR ladies at Penguin some more and learned that my review for one of their books had been discussed in their weekly meeting *blush*.

I love writing - whether it be stories, reviews, discussion topics or just general scribbles. But get me in a room with other bloggers, writers and avid readers and I am at my happiest. Everybody is the same. Everybody there loves books – simple. And getting to talk about them with others is almost as much fun as reading them.

Massive thanks to Penguin for sorting it out and getting us lowly bloggers out from behind our laptops for a night and actually meeting each other face to face. It was a delight!

 

Kira: On the whole my experience of The Ivy and of Jane herself was very memorable and one in which I’ll be regaling to anyone who will listen (the postman, bin man, customers at work-nobody is safe!)

Many thanks to Jane Fallon and the Penguin team for such a fantastic night.

Novelicious Chats To...Polly Courtney Part 2

INTERVIEW BY AMANDA KEATS

Many articles have said you “ceremoniously dumped” your publisher but it did seem that you were still grateful to those who helped you and worked with you on the book.

Absolutely! I really don't want it to be a personal battle because it's not. It's a problem with a huge number of author's books. The perpetrators are not the particular editors I worked with, it's an industry problem. The big machine does things in a certain way.

The perpetrators are not the particular editors

I worked with, it's an industry problem.

Do you think they have to, given the recession?

There is an air of desperation. They have titles that are going to be their big sellers, as opposed to really trying to nurture and work on each author and title and make the best of it they can – which is a sort of old-fashioned way of doing it. Overall, their way may be the more financially successful now but it's risky and not long-term. Apart from anything else, somebody would pick up a book based on its appearance and then be confused and disappointed when they realise it isn't what they thought it was. Then they won't go back and buy that author again. If they think about what's inside, what the writer is trying to say – then they would have a long-term sellable commodity in the author. Author back-catalogues are incredibly important. I love Nick Hornby and I will buy anything by him, even in hardback, just because it's him.

It feels as though the retailers are squeezing their margins because they can. They are the only ones left. The publishers want to get in with them so they'll do what they have to.

So did they offer you a new contract when the three-book deal came to an end?

It was a three book deal with an option to continue, which as you know I declined. I didn't think the news would be ground-breaking to them in all honesty [Polly announced that she would not be continuing with HarperCollins at the book launch]. They were the ones involved in those lengthy email correspondences where I was battling with them over covers and such. I know that my Editor said I was a dream to work with but in terms of this I was not a dream! They should have realised that it wasn't the right match and I can't understand how it was surprising to them.

Was it a battle from the very beginning?

What I found with my very first book “Golden Handcuffs” is that all the editors were coming back and saying “good style but this whole office, city thing – can we change it to shopping? They've got loads of money, can we see them spending it?”

I didn't want to glamorise it. It was meant to be an exposé on the NON-glamorous side of it. They didn't want to do anything new or different because it might not sell. I am interested in what it takes for them to that risk and make the leap. Maybe it's the small ones that are happy to take the risk on a small print run while the big ones are just churning them out as mass market.

Are you against the idea of working with publishers again then?

I don't see myself as being the writer, editor, publisher all rolled into one. I would rely on an editor to tell me bluntly “that's too waffly” etc. The only thing is whether I fund it or go with a small publisher. 

To be fair, my books have sold reasonably well. I don't have qualms about that. In response to the channel 4 interview, people picked up on me saying “the wrong readers” were reading my books. It's not either chick-lit or army [as they showed in the interview] - there's a whole mix in between. There's a spectrum. Everyone has different tastes. Mine don't fall under heavy literary or the male side - they're not Andy McNab - but I do think they're different to chick-lit on the spectrum.

I don't see myself as being the writer, editor, publisher all rolled into one.

Do you think your books are better than chick-lit then?

I don't think in terms of a quality scale, I think in terms of people’s preferences. The only quality aspect I consider is whether or not the book is well-written. As long as it's well-written, I think most books are worth reading if it suits you. It's all about what you like!

Do you think the term “chick-lit” has negative connotations?

I think the term is really overused so it engulfs women's fiction and has grown bigger than the genre it sits in. I don't know that it has negative connotations but it does have connotations. As a rule, they are light, easy reads with humour about women looking for love and happiness. In my books, there are relationships involved (and hopefully some humour!) but they are small strands within the overall plot. I hope they have stirred up thoughts about inequalities, minorities or societal issues.

Do you read chick-lit?

I read a variety of books. I read some like Jane Green, Marian Keyes, Lesley Lokko but I also love Nick Hornby as I said and Ben Elton and PD James style books. I suppose a lot of it would be called lad-lit?

Do you consider yourself a feminist?

I would consider myself a feminist. If I were to explain to someone what I meant by that I would say I am all for equality. In the same way that chick-lit has connotations, so does feminism. What I mean is that women and men should have equal rights, not that women are better than men. There should be very few differences in terms of their rights, their roles and their place within society. Obviously there are some undeniable differences but apart from them, there shouldn't be inequalities. Putting gender specific covers on books is a whole new level of irony when it's on a book that's about trying to bring to light the inequality in media, especially with a sexy image all about how the woman looks, not what she's doing. She looks a bit ditzy and confused.

I would consider myself a feminist… I would say I am all for equality.

Why did you decide to go so public with your disapproval of the way the publisher handled your books?

I campaigned, HEAVILY, to my editors for each of the three books at the point when they showed me the cover design (and title) they intended to use. Frustratingly, they responded each time with a somewhat patronising “thanks, but no thanks” so my voice was lost.  THIS is why I have felt the need to make the situation public. And now I have done, it would appear that a huge number of other authors are coming out of the woodwork declaring that they have experienced something similar. Some quite high profile names have contacted me to say “Bravo, I've been suffering in silence for years”.

I realise that I'm going to get come-back from those on the side of traditional publishers, that I risk being seen as bitter, but I'm willing to be the scape goat / whistle-blower because I believe strongly that this is a situation that needs to be exposed.

Photo by Rachel Ellis

You can follow Amanda on Twitter @filmvsbook

Festival of Romance News

 
Celebrating romantic fiction in all its forms is the first Festival of Romance which takes place on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd October at Hunton Park, near Watfort, Herts

During the two days, there will be a programme based around romantic fiction, giving readers the chance to meet favourite and new authors. Also included will be a chocolate tasting and the Festival of Romance Ball and Awards on the Saturday. What more could a romantic ask for?

The three new literary awards will be: the Festival of Romance Reader Award for Best Romantic Novel, the Festival of Romance Reader Award for Best Historical Novel and the Festival of Romance New Talent Award.

The Best Romantic Novel and Best Historical Novel awards are for novels of romantic fiction published between September 2010 and October 2011 and will be judged exclusively by readers. The Best Historical Novel award is for a work of romantic fiction set in the past and the Best Romantic Novel award for a romantic novel with a contemporary setting.

The New Talent Award aims to spotlight emerging talent and is open to unpublished writers. The industry expert judges are Donna Condon, senior commissioning editor at Piatkus and Jane Judd, literary agent at the Jane Judd Literary Agency.

Full details of the rules can be downloaded here

Further details are available here and join the online community free here and buy tickets here

I'm definitely going to do my best to be there.

 

Sue Moorcroft Tells Us Why - Heroes Aren't Born On Page 1

Getting to know my hero is something I do early in the novel planning process and giving him a past is one of my first priorities. My son once told me that a friend of his was the only male in a household full of women and it had made him aware of female sensitivities – but if he hadn’t stuck up for himself he would’ve spent his life being bossed about. I was intrigued! I know the friend and he certainly is no pushover, so I decided to give a similar background to Martyn Mayfair in Love & Freedom.

Having the novelist’s gene for drama and emotion, I embroidered it a bit, and decided that Clarissa, Martyn’s eldest sister, is really his mother. So his other sisters are really his aunts … And Martyn and Clarissa have a relationship so prickly that cacti are jealous. 

You might wonder why I bother knowing the ins and outs of Martyn’s family. After all, he just has to stride on stage being tall, dark and handsome (which he is, as it happens) wearing a label that says ‘hunk’, right? The heroine will find him irresistible and …

Wrong. How could he act, react and interact with the plot, if he didn’t know who he is? If he hasn’t lived a life to make him that person? How would Honor fancy a one-dimensional man? (Actually, here’s a hint about what first grabs Honor’s attention: His stubble was as dark as the straight hair that fell either side of his face and flicked across his forehead above near-black eyes, like a Manga character. Exotic cheekbones and a sculpted jaw … UK dictionaries probably said: toned – see Martyn Mayfair.)

Winner of the RNA Joan Hessayon Award

Last night was the Romantic Novelists' Association Summer Party. The winner of the Joan Hessayon Award was announced at the party and the winner is

 Charlotte Betts for The Apothecary's Daughter (Piatkus)

Katie Fforde said in her adjudication:
Charlotte Betts:  The Apothecary’s Daughter (Piatkus) This is a terrific,
involving historical novel set against the very real drama of the Plague
Year and the Great Fire. Well-researched and beautifully written, it tells
of one young woman's struggle against the constraints of her time and
gender, interwoven with betrayal, tragedy and loss, to find a measure of
personal and professional identity and ultimate happiness.

Congratulations to Charlotte and also to everyone else on the shortlist:

Kate Jackson Second Chance (DC Thompson)

Molly Hopkins It Happened In Paris (Little, Brown)

Sally Clements Catch Me A Catch (Wild Rose Press)

Paula Williams A Place of Healing (My Weekly Pocket Novel)

Review - Kissing Mr Wrong by Sarah Duncan

 I love Sarah Duncan's books and having read Kissing Mr Wrong, I wasn't at all surprised that it was shortlisted for the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2011.

Lu Edwards travels light. She's a cartoonist who likes her independence. While most of her friends have moved on to bigger homes, marriages and children, she doesn't even have a pet to hold her back and she likes it that way. She's met a few Mr Not Quite Rights, but is waiting for Mr Perfect to come into her life and when she meets successful, handsome Marcus, she's pretty sure she's finally found him. Unfortunately, Marcus soon tells her that he's leaving to go to America and doesn't know when, or even if, he'll be returning.

Lu's grandmother asks for her help. She's about to go into hospital for surgery and asks Lu to help her trace a man. All she has to help Lu is a photograph and a name. Lu doesn't know where to start, until her best friend, Briony comes up with a solution. She introduces Lu to Nick, a military historian who agrees to help her try and trace the mysterious man from her grandmother's past.

Meet 5 Fabulous Authors at Girl's Night Out

Do you live in Nottinghamshire? Well you are a lucky bugger because Jojo Moyes, Amanda Brookfield, Jessica Ruston, and Claire Irvin just happen to be popping by for an event at Worksop Library.

Details (as posted on the Nottinghamshire Council Site)

Come to Worksop Library's Girl's Night Out Tuesday 26 April, 6.30pm, to meet five of the UK’s most exciting women writers for fun and lively banter about the books you love.

Fiona Walker

Claire Irvin (Editor of She Magazine)

Amanda Brookfield

Jojo Moyes

Jessica Ruston

Enjoy wine and cupcakes while hearing our lively panel of best-selling writers talk about their books and their inspiration live on stage, before ending your night with the ultimate girl’s treat – make-up tips from The Body Shop

Tickets are expected to sell fast so book yours now.

Tuesday 26 April, 6.30pm

Tickets: £3 (includes a glass of wine)

For more information and tickets contact Worksop Library

(VIA Fiona Walker's website)

Win a Skype Chat with Adele Parks!

Using the wonders of technology, Headline are offering five of you – plus your friends - the chance to chat to Adele Parks in a venue of your choosing, via skype - all you’ll need is a computer and internet access, and saying hello face to face is just a touch of a button away…

 You might have a book group who’ve read or are going to read MEN I’VE LOVED BEFORE; maybe you’re a member of a library who you think would like to host the skype event; you might have a regular coffee morning, or gather with other mums and readers at an after school club, or maybe you work with people who love to read too.   Who and where is up to you - if you’d be interested in getting a group together – large or small – to chat to Adele and tell her about your experience of her books, we’d love to hear from you.

 We’ll be running events with the selected five groups on the week of 2^nd May, and are flexible to find times that suit you and your group.  Places are limited so apply soon – all you have to do is send an email to me rosie.gailer@headline.co.uk, explaining in a few lines who you and your group are, and why and where you’d like to chat – deadline is Thursday 21^st April…

VISIT ADELE PARKS' WEBSITE!

Sarah Duncan's Awesome Blog!

I've been meaning to tell you about this. I recently discovered the blog of author Sarah Duncan and had to bring it to your attention. It's an absolute treasure trove of excellent writing advice for those aspiring authors among us.

Not only does Sarah write marvellous Rom Com books, she also teaches creative writing at the Universities of Oxford and Bristol. She knows her stuff!

So take a peek, but be careful not to get locked on (like I did), else you'll be so caught up in reading about writing that you won't actually, you know, do any writing.

Visit Sarah's Blog

Event for Lisa Jewell Fans!

To celebrate the release of AFTER THE PARTY, Lisa is offering 40 people the chance to attend an exclusive event at her local bookshop in West Hampstead, where she will chat about the sequel to RALPH'S PARTY. To get your free ticket, all you have to do is sign up over on the book website...

If you do get the chance to go, we would love to know what you thought!

Visit Lisa's website here!

Buy the book here!

Girls Night In Event and Novelicious Competition!

On April 6th three fantastic girly authors - Tess Stimson, Lucy-Anne Holmes and Noelle Harrison - will be doing an event at Birmingham Library Theatre in which they will be talking about and reading from their latest books!

Sounds like an excellent event (not least because you get a free goodie bag with every book purchase!) and if if you are in the area, might be a lovely way to spend an evening.

The event starts at 6:30 pm, tickets are free and you can find out more details by clicking this link!

To celebrate the event, Macmillan have offered Novelicious three sets of 3 books to giveaway to our readers (yay!)

Each 3 book bundle includes...

  The Adultress by Noelle Harrison

 50 Ways to Find a Lover by Lucy- Anne Holmes

 
What's Yours is Mine by Tess Stimson

TO ENTER

Just leave a comment letting us know why you want one of the book sets.

You can also enter by following us and Tweeting about the event and contest (only once) making sure to end your tweet with @Novelicious (so that we know you have done it)

This contest ends on the 6th April and is UK only!

Good Luck!