Novelicious.com | The Women's Fiction Blog for Readers and Writers

Novel News – Meet Lindsey Kelk!

To celebrate the launch of Lindsey Kelk's new book About A Girl, HarperCollins are organising a brunch for the author and her fans. The event will be hosted by Kiehl's in Central London.

To be a part of it, email:

aboutagirl@harpercollins.co.uk

or follow this link to Lindsey's website.

It's probably best to get in quick though, as there are only 40 places available and they'll be given out on a first come first served basis.

But if you're not able to get to London for brunch, Lindsey has also recorded a Question & Answer session, the first of which you can watch here!

Novel News – Avon Announce Short Story Collection

The lovely folks at Avon will soon be releasing two collections of short stories as ebooks, one of which will be a women's fiction title called The Perfect Escape.

The stories will be written by some of women's fictions best known authors including Sunday Times bestsellers Claudia Carroll, Miranda Dickinson and Julia Williams, and will contain exclusive extracts from their upcoming titles!

The Perfect Escape will be released on 27th June and will be free to download.

Novel News – International Chick Lit Month 2013

It's almost May and Novelicious is excited to once again be joining the fabulous teams at Chicklit Club, Chick Lit Is Not Dead and Chick Lit Central for another jam-packed International Chick Lit Month.

Keep your eyes peeled for tons of fantastic bookish posts over at the International Chick Lit Month website.  You can also follow on Facebook and on Twitter.

Novel News - Cally Taylor signs deal for psychological suspense novels

The Novelicious Team were buzzing with excitement to discover that after the success of her two super romantic comedy novels, Heaven Can Wait and Home For Christmas, one of our favourite authors, Cally Taylor has a new two-book deal with Avon HarperCollins in the UK and Sourcebooks in the States for her psychological suspense novels.

 

Commissioning Editor Lydia Newhouse bought UK and British Commonwealth rights from Madeleine Milburn at The Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency.

 

Described as 'high concept, hard-hitting suspense novels' Cally's two novels, THE ACCIDENT and AMNESIA GIRL under the name C.L.Taylor are scheduled for publication with THE ACCIDENT due out in June 2014.

 

I can foresee a queue forming at Novelicious HQ for the chance to review these books.

Congratulations Cally!

Novel News – Women’s Prize for Fiction 2013 Shortlist

The Women’s Prize for Fiction is the UK’s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman. Now in its eighteenth year, the award was previously sponsored by Orange but following their withdrawal this time round, it has been funded by private donors.

The chair of the judging panel, actress Miranda Richardson said, “After an exhilarating meeting, all the judges were in agreement that this is an exceptional year for women’s fiction.”

The shortlist for the award is as follows:

Kate Atkinson – Life After Life

A.M Homes – May We Be Forgiven

Barbara Kingsolver – Flight Behaviour

Hilary Mantel – Bring Up the Bodies

Maria Semple – Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Zadie Smith – NW

The winner will be presented with a cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze statue known as ‘the Bessie’, created by artist Grizel Niven. The awards ceremony will take place on 5th June.

Who do you think should win? Are any of your favourites missing from the shortlist?

Novel News - RNA Joan Hessayon Award 2013

The contenders of the Joan Hessayon New Writers' Scheme Award, run by the Romantic Novelists’ Association to encourage fresh talent, has been announced.

Manuscripts submitted by unpublished New Writers' Scheme members and subsequently published as a debut novel become eligible for this Award, provided the author is still a member of the RNA.

The nine contenders for the Joan Hessayon Award 2013 are:

Joss Alexander : Tainted Innocence published by Carina Press

Jenny Barden : Mistress of the Sea published by Ebury Press/Random House

Serena Clarke : All Over the Place published by Crimson Romance

Henriette Gyland : Up Close published by Choc Lit

Liz Harris : The Road Back published by Choc Lit

Carol McGrath : T he Handfasted Wife published by Accent Press

Cathy Mansell : Shadow Across the Liffey, published by Tirgearr Publishing

Liesel Schwarz : A Conspiracy of Alchemists published by Ebury Press/DelRey

Anne Stenhouse : Mariah's Marriage published by MuseItUp Publishing 

This award, sponsored by Dr David Hessayon in honour of his late wife Joan, who was a longstanding member of the RNA and a supporter of the New Writers' Scheme, will be presented on 16 May at the RNA Summer Party in London, as well as the award for the winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year.

Romantic Novelists’ Association Website

Novel News - The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

We're really loving the new direction Lisa's books have taken over the past couple of years. This next one sounds quite dark and intriguing, and the cover is wonderfully evocative. 

Meet the Bird family. All four children have an idyllic childhood: a picture book cottage in a country village, a warm, cosy kitchen filled with love and laughter, sun-drenched afternoons in a rambling garden.

But one Easter weekend a tragedy strikes the Bird family that is so devastating that almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear them apart.

The years pass and the children become adults and begin to develop their own quite separate lives. Soon it's almost as though they've never been a family at all.

Almost. But not quite.

Because something has happened that will call them home, back to the house they grew up in...

The House We Grew Up In will be released in July. 

Romantic Novelists' Association Awards 2013 Shortlist Revealed

The Romantic Novelists' Association have revealed the shortlist for their awards this year. Huge congratulations to the shortlisted authors and best of luck!

The Contemporary Romantic Novel 

Katie Fforde, Recipe for Love, Arrow
Veronica Henry, The Long Weekend, Orion
Mhairi McFarlane, You Had Me At Hello, Avon
Monica McInerny, The House of Memories, Pan Macmillan
Sue Moorcroft, Dream a Little Dream, Choc Lit
Polly Williams, The Angel at No. 33, Headline

The Epic Romantic Novel 

Rowan Coleman, Dearest Rose, Arrow
Dilly Court, The Lady's Maid, Arrow
Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles, Bloomsbury
Kate Morton, The Secret Keeper, Pan Macmillan
Gill Paul, Women and Children First, Avon
Liz Trenow, The Last Telegram, Avon

The Historical Romantic Novel

Charlotte Betts, The Apothecary's Daughter, Piatkus (Little Brown)
Christina Courtenay, The Silent Touch of Shadows, Choc Lit
Kate Furnivall, The White Pearl, Sphere (Little Brown)
Pamela Hartshorne , Time's Echo, Pan Macmillan
Susanna Kearsley, The Rose Garden, Allison & Busby
Mary Nichols, The Kirilov Star, Allison & Busby

The Romantic Comedy Novel 

Jenny Colgan, Welcome to Rosie Hopkin's Sweetshop of Dreams, Sphere (Little Brown)
Victoria Connelly, The Runaway Actress, Avon
Jane Costello, All the Single Ladies, Simon & Schuster UK
Nicola Doherty, The Out of Office Girl, Headline
Belinda Jones, Winter Wonderland, Hodder & Stoughton
Jane Wenham-Jones, Prime Time, Accent Press Ltd.

The Young Adult Romantic Novel

Jo Cotterill, Sweet Hearts: Model Behaviour, Red Fox (RHCP)
Laura Jarratt, Skin Deep, Electric Monkey/Egmont
Marie-Louise Jensen, The Girl in the Mask, OUP
Victoria Lamb, Witchstruck, Corgi (RHCP)
Sarra Manning, Adorkable, Atom (Little Brown)
Susan Waggoner, Neptune's Tears, Piccadilly Press

The winners of each of the above categories form the overall shortlist for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award, which will be announced on 16th May.

What do you think of the nominations? Any surprises or shoe-ins? Who do you think will win?

The Romantic Novelists' Website

Novel News - After The Fall by Charity Norman

We've heard such great things about this book and have shuftied it even further up our TBR piles because Richard and Judy have selected it for their Spring 2013 Book Club. Richard and Judy are all knowing.

After the Fall is out now and it sounds like it would be a good fit for fans of Jodi Picoult...

In the quiet of a New Zealand winter's night, a rescue helicopter is sent to airlift a five-year-old boy with severe internal injuries. He's fallen from the upstairs veranda of an isolated farmhouse, and his condition is critical. At first, Finn's fall looks like a horrible accident; after all, he's prone to sleepwalking. Only his frantic mother, Martha McNamara, knows how it happened. And she isn't telling. Not yet. Maybe not ever. 

Tragedy isn't what the McNamara family expected when they moved to New Zealand. For Martha, it was an escape. For her artist husband Kit, it was a dream. For their small twin boys, it was an adventure. For sixteen-year-old Sacha, it was the start of a nightmare.

They end up on the isolated east coast of the North Island, seemingly in the middle of a New Zealand tourism campaign. But their peaceful idyll is soon shattered as the choices Sacha makes lead the family down a path which threatens to destroy them all.

Martha finds herself facing a series of impossible decisions, each with devastating consequences for her family.

Download a sample chapter of After the Fall here

BBC take on classic ball from Pride and Prejudice

By Terri-Ann Williams

This year the much loved classic Pride and Prejudice turns 200!

Jane Austen's romantic comedy was released in 1813 and is often said to be the greatest romantic comedy ever written. The book has gone on to inspire films and sitcoms such as the wonderful 1995 TV series, the 2005  Keira Knightley film and the TV series ‘Lost in Austen’ in 2008.

In recognition of the magnificent achievements of Pride and Prejudice, BBC Two will recreate a Regency era ball, exactly like the one in the classic novel.

Pride and Prejudice: Having a Ball, which will be filmed on location at Chawton House, Hampshire and will air on BBC Two this Spring, will look specifically at the social conventions surrounding Austen's world. Just how important were these balls in the pursuit of finding a husband?

Novel News - Cupcakes at Carrington's by Alexandra Brown

Debut novelist Alexandra Brown recently signed a deal with HarperCollins for a series of three books set in Carrington's - a fictional seaside town department store. The first of the series will be released in January of next year and it's called Cupcakes at Carrington's. The blurb sounds very sweet indeed and we're really loving the cute monochrome jacket!

Here's the blurb:

Georgie Hart loves her job – running the luxury handbag concession at Carrington's Department store in the pretty seaside town of Mulberry-On-Sea, and treating herself (once too often!) to a red velvet cupcake with buttercream icing in Carrington's café.

But Georgie is thrown into disarray when Carrington's is plunged into a recession-busting makeover, cueing the arrival of femme fatale Maxine, who wields the axe in her immaculately-manicured hands.

It spells a recipe for disaster for Georgie and soon she is fighting not only for her job, but also for the attentions of her gorgeous boss, James. And when hot newcomer Tom arrives, who may or may not be the best thing since sliced bread, Georgie must decide where her loyalties really lie…

MORE ABOUT CUPCAKES AT CARRINGTONS

ALEXANDRA BROWN'S WEBSITE

Novel News - You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane

This modern re-telling of Persuasion caught my eye when the first chapter was included in Avon's free short story ebook The Perfect Treat.  I'm in the middle of it now and it really is a joy: Smart and sharp and funny in a cool girl kind of a way.

Queen Marian Keyes has described it as “Very very witty and funny. Left me in awe…a total gem.”

So Mhairi is clearly a writer to watch out for.

Here's the blurb:

‘Think of the great duos of history. We're just like them.’
‘You mean like Kylie and Jason? Torvill and Dean? Sonny and Cher?’
‘I think you’ve missed the point, Rachel.’

Rachel and Ben. Ben and Rachel. It was them against the world. Until it all fell apart. It’s been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away.

They’d been partners in crime and the best of friends. But life has moved on: Ben is married. Rachel is not. Yet in that split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return. And along with it, the broken heart she’s never been able to mend.

Hilarious, heartbreaking and everything in between, you’ll be hooked from their first ‘hello’.

You Had Me At Hello has just been released and is only 99p. Our full review will be with you soon!

 

Author Video - Jenny Colgan talks about Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe

We loved Jenny's Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe and absolutely can't wait to read this one, which is out on October 25th.

You can read the first chapter here.

Here's what Jenny had to say about the book:

I know, I know, you are going to look at this and say, 'What, don't be nuts, if anyone says the word 'Christmas' anywhere near me I am going to whack 'em', so I am going to duck quickly and say, I hope you had a lovely lovely summer – yes, okay, the weather was dodgy, but come on, weren't the Olympics amazing? I went from never watching any sport at all to watching tons of the stuff and pretending I knew loads about rowing. ANYWAY. I wonder if I'm too old to become a diving champion? Oh yes, probably. ANYWAY. I do have to let you know that there is a sequel coming out to Meet Me at the Cupcake Café and it is set around (whispers quietly) Christmas time. But don't worry, it's just when the book comes out, the real Christmas is AGES away, we have tons of time to get it all done. Totally.

Christmas at the Cupcake Café came about because I really wanted to revisit Issy, Austin, Pearl and all the gang and see what they were up to, and it was great fun to put together a whole bunch of new recipes just for that time of year (you may want to stock up on cinnamon). But don’t worry if you haven’t read Meet Me at the Cupcake Café, because this one totally stands alone. The publishers have also done a really beautiful job on it, so it's really gorgeous and shiny and will hopefully make a lovely gift, I keep running my fingers up the cover and saying 'ooh' (is that too much information?).

Novel News - Man Booker Prize Shortlist 2012

The shortlist for the Man Booker Prize for 2012 has been announced and this year the finalists are:

Tan Twan Eng - The Garden of Evening Mists (Myrmidon Books)

Deborah Levy - Swimming Home (And Other Stories/Faber & Faber)

Hilary Mantel - Bring Up the Bodies (Fourth Estate)

Alison Moore - The Lighthouse (Salt)

Will Self - Umbrella (Bloomsbury)

Jeet Thayil – Narcopolis (Faber & Faber)

The judges this year were Sir Peter Stothard, editor of the Times Literary Supplement, who was joined by actor Dan Stevens, critic Dinah Birch, historian Amanda Foreman and writer Bharat Tandon.

The winner will be announced on 16 October.

Man Booker Prize on Twitter

Have you read any of these? Any favourites to win?