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

My Book Deal Moment by Helen Chandler

The essential piece of background information to my book deal story is that my literary agent and my mother-in-law are one and the same person. That’s not quite as strange as it seems – my MIL, Sheila, runs her own literary agency, so when I was a few chapters into my first novel I gave it to her to ask her professional opinion. She loved it, and wanted to represent me, and so we worked out a way of keeping our family and professional relationships separate and went for it.

Unbeknownst to me, my husband had bullied/bribed/begged his mum to let him know first if I got an offer, so that he could arrange a surprise celebration for me. One Saturday evening we’d just got back from a friend’s birthday barbeque, and I was slumped on the sofa, trying to summon up energy to start making dinner while my husband put our daughter to bed, when the doorbell rang. I heard Thomas answer it, and barely registered it, assuming it would be someone selling something. When I did look up I saw Sheila standing there with a very wide smile and a bottle of champagne. My mind whirled, and apparently I sat there with an attractively gaping jaw for quite some time before brain and mouth connected and I stammered “Oh my God, have I had an offer?”

Five Darling Desks

Every writer needs a desk. Trust me, no matter how brilliant working in bed is, sooner or later your back will politely request that you sit at a desk on a properly-supportive chair. Happily, desks come in all shapes and sizes; ordinary and ornate, bijou and sprawling, crustily antique and sleekly modern. You could use a piece of wood balanced across the arms of your chair à la Roald Dahl, of course, but that wouldn't make for a very interesting round up...

1. The Pomidou desk has a metal frame and glass surfaces which means it will look incredibly messy if you don’t keep it clean and tidy, but it shouldn’t look too dark and heavy or dominate a small room. £550 from OKA. 

2. This oak desk from John Lewis has built-in storage at the back for organising your paperwork. It comes in this brightly coloured version or plain wood and costs £225.

Ask the Author with Pippa Wright – If you weren’t an author, what would you be?

We've really enjoyed having Pippa Wright as our author in residence for the past month. Here's the final installment of Ask the Author. Thanks Pippa!

This week a Novelicious reader asks:

If you weren’t an author, what would you be?

Pippa says: I think I’ll probably always be some sort of writer now, even if I’m not published. I like writing and though I moan about it like mad, I know I’d miss it if I stopped altogether. But I have always wanted to run a kind of deli/cake shop.

My friend Suzy and I have sold cakes as part of the Brighton Festival for quite a few years – Suzy’s mum is a jeweller who works from an amazing barn in Sussex which she opens to the public every now and then. We make enticing cakes to tempt people to hang about longer and buy jewels, and they do! Both of us get quite carried away with our creations - they’re usually a bit unusual, things like courgette, coconut and lime cake or a Mexican chocolate cake with cinnamon and chilli. Sometimes Suzy and I get asked if we’d consider baking cakes professionally and it’s a daydream we allow ourselves indulge in from time to time. Once we start doing the sums though, it all becomes a little more frightening. One day though…

Here’s a cake recipe that has always gone down very well, and feels summery now that the sun is finally out. Man, that was a long winter.

Women's Prize for Fiction Review - May We Be Forgiven by A. M. Homes

Reviewed by Kelly Allen

Harold (or Harry) is the elder, less athletic, less competitive brother to his narcissistic bully of a brother, George. One day George has a car accident and later murders his wife when he finds her in bed with Harry. The family are left stricken with grief and Harry is left in charge of their two children, house, dog and cat. Meanwhile, George has been contained in a ‘special’ facility, whilst Harry works his way through George’s medicine cabinet and dabbles online with strangers.

Finally one day it all catches up with Harold and he has a stroke. Once recovered, Harry returns to work to the discovery that he has been fired. This is his final push to finish the novel he has been working on over the years about his idol, the former President Nixon. During this time he forms a close relationship with Cheryl (who is married with children) and another woman called Amanda who seduces him after following him home after they meet in the grocery store. Things get even more hectic for Harry as he experiences a rollercoaster of extreme situations and difficult struggles. Harry finally realises what he wants in life is not what he expected… at all.

Win! A copy of Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher to give away!

Giovanna Fletcher has just released her debut novel Billy and Me, and we have a brand new copy to give away!

Sophie May has a secret.

One that she's successfully kept for years. It's meant that she's had to give up her dreams of going to university and travelling the world to stay in her little village, living with her mum and working in the local teashop.

But then she meets the gorgeous Billy - an actor with ambitions to make it to the top. And when they fall in love, Sophie is whisked away from the comfort of her life into Billy's glamorous - but ruthless - world.

Their relationship throws Sophie right into the spotlight after years of shying away from attention. Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy? And most of all, is she ready for her secret heartbreak to be discovered and shared with the nation?

Charming, heartwarming and utterly romantic, Billy and Me will completely capture your heart.

To enter the competition, all you have to do is leave a comment telling us why you want to win.

This is for entrants in the UK and Ireland only and the last day for entries will be next Friday 7th June.

Best of luck!

Review – Dead Rich by Louise Fennell

Reviewed by Kirsty Nicole Pole

Sexy, Rich, Glamorous...and hiding secrets.

The Spender family are in turmoil. Georgia Spender, famous fallen celebrity, has been found dead, and now Britain’s favourite family have to deal with the aftermath. Glamorous, rich and very, very famous the family must try and stick together through the scandal that is spinning them out of control before they’re ripped apart for good. Trapped behind the doors of their exquisite house, epically named ‘The God’s’, the Spender family try to hold everything together whilst keeping the crazed paps, and the even crazier fans, out.

‘Dead Rich’ is the perfect title for this book. The Spender family ooze money and their nonchalant attitudes to life are addictive to read as they swan around London’s most glamorous boroughs throwing money, and sometimes themselves, at whatever they want. As a nation of people who enjoy dipping into the lives of the rich and famous with television shows such as ‘Made In Chelsea’, ‘Dead Rich’ is a deliciously indulgent tale of sex, scandal and lies for anyone who would never dare behave like this family.

Review – As You Wish by Eloisa James

Reviewed by Jennifer Joyce

As You Wish is actually made up of two novellas – Seduced By A Pirate and With This Kiss. In Seduced By A Pirate, Sir Griffin Barry has been away at sea for fourteen years, leaving his new bride on their wedding night. But now injured and pardoned by the crown, Griffin has returned to England and plans to track down his wife.

Phoebe is shocked to learn that Griffin has returned to England, having fled from their marital bed as a short weedy 17 year old. Griffin is now tall and muscled but, despite her growing attraction to Griffin, Phoebe isn’t pleased by the reappearance of her husband. She is quite happy with the life she has built for herself and doesn’t want Griffin, practically a stranger, to disrupt it. However, the biggest shock of all is waiting for Griffin in the form of Phoebe’s three children.

I really enjoyed Seduced By A Pirate and loved the spark between Griffin and Phoebe as they battled over whether they should remain married. I was enjoying it so much, I would have liked the story to be a full-length novel, so we could see Griffin and Phoebe’s relationship blossom and see for ourselves how the bond develops between Griffin and the children.

Charlotte Betts' Top Five Writing Tips

Charlotte Betts is the author of The Apothecary's Daughter - winner of the 2013 Romantic Novelists' Association RoNA for Historical Romantic Novel - as well as her latest book, The Painter's Apprentice, recently gave us her top writing tips.

1) I always go for long solitary walks, while I’m working on the plot. The rhythmic pace seems to unlock the creative side of the brain.

2) Write every day – even if it’s only a sentence. That way the story is always in your mind and it’s not hard to start again.

3) Write an outline. I prefer an outline as a writing tool to a synopsis. You can write the whole novel in miniature and it makes it easier to see where it doesn’t work. You can make changes here without losing chapters of work.

• 4) Join a writing group. My own excellent group, WordWatchers, will give me truthful feedback and cheer me on when I can’t see the way forward.

5) Keep a notebook with you at all times. If you don’t write a brilliant idea down immediately, you’ll have forgotten it by teatime. I keep old notebooks and find them a useful source of inspiration.

Women's Prize for Fiction Review – Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Reviewed by Cressida McLaughlin

What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right? This is the very enticing strapline of Life After Life. I am a huge Kate Atkinson fan, love Behind the Scenes at the Museum and all of the Jackson Brodie novels, and I had been dying to read this book even before I started hearing amazing things about it. I came to it with high expectations.

Ursula Todd is born in England in 1910. Her birth is not straightforward and, in one version of events, she doesn’t survive. But in another she does. As she grows, a young child when her father leaves to fight in the First World War, she faces the challenges of being a woman in twentieth century England.

Sometimes Ursula survives and sometimes she doesn’t, but when she doesn’t, she gets the chance to go back and relive certain moments, changing the course of her future. She gets déjà vu and often has a sense of impending doom, but the future is still unknown, and her new path always has fresh challenges.

Novelicious Chats To... Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale's most recent book, Austenland, has been made into a film starring Keri Russell, JJ Feild and Jane Seymour, and will hopefully be screened in the UK sometime in the next few months. We'll be reviewing Austenland here soon, but in the meantime here are a few questions that Shannon recently answered for us.

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

I have four young children, so my writing time revolves around their schedules. I'm a full-time mom with a part time sitter who gives me 3 hours/weekdays to write. 

When you are writing, do you use any celebrities or people you know as inspiration?

Nope. I'm sure aspects of people I know seep into aspects of my characters, but I never model characters on real people. They feel more real in my head than almost anyone I know anyway.

What is your favourite Women’s Fiction book of all time and why?

I'm terrible at picking favorites of anything. I just can't play that way.

What is your writing process? Do you plan first or dive in? How many drafts do you do?

Every time I have an idea spark for a book I write it down (daily usually) then I see if it's a magnet idea--if other ideas are attracted to it till it becomes more of a story. I may take notes and write random scenes for a book for 1 year-many years before organizing my rough notes and using them to write a first draft. And then I rewrite. A lot.

Review – Lessons in French by Hilary Reyl

Reviewed by Zoe Lea

It's 1989 and Kate is fresh out of university, full of ambition and looking for excitement. When she is offered a position in Paris as a personal assistant to the renowned photographer Lydia Schell, Kate is thrilled. Here is her chance to discover the artistic, intellectual and political circles of Paris... or so she thinks. Lydia Schell turns out to be the boss from hell, her job description is to do 'a little bit of everything' and that's what Kate ends up doing, from walking the dog to collecting dubious diet pills.

Even with her earnest enthusiasm, Kate struggles to be included in the social and professional whirl of Lydia and her history scholar husband and she slowly learns that if she is to thrive out there, she has to make life work on her own terms. She reacquaints herself with her cousin, Etienne, who she hasn't seen in years and begins to make friends of her own. As she becomes more confident, Kate realizes that she's caught up in various psychological games between Lydia and her family, and becomes involved in a web of lies and treachery. In order for her to have any sense of self, Kate must stand up for herself and decide who she is going to be.

Women's Prize for Fiction Review – NW by Zadie Smith

Reviewed by Jennifer Joyce

Leah and Michel have been trying for a baby for a year and, as far as Michel is aware, their attempts have been unsuccessful. But Leah is pregnant and hasn’t told her husband because she doesn’t want to have a baby.

Leah’s best friend, Natalie, is a mother of two and a barrister. Her life and the house she shares with her husband are luxurious compared to her meagre upbringing but Natalie is unhappy and has resorted to meeting strangers for sex.

Once a heavy drink and drug user, Felix is now clean after help from his girlfriend and is hoping to sort his life out. He is making a start at turning his life around when he is stabbed in the street.

N-W tells the gritty story of three people living in North West London as they struggle with the lives they’ve ended up with. The book is told in three sections, with Leah’s story first followed by Felix’s and then Natalie’s. I found Leah’s section of the book so difficult to read, which wasn’t the best way to start a book. Most of it was like trying to decipher riddle after riddle as a lot of it made no sense. I wasn’t entirely sure why Leah didn’t tell Michel she didn’t want to have children – as far as I could see, she never once let him know of her complete lack of desire to procreate and simply went along with his plan, dealing with the consequences later. I never warmed to Leah, despite her otherwise good nature.

Novelicious Chats To...Lucy Diamond

The lovely Lucy Diamond has kindly answered some questions for us here at Novelicious. Her new book, Me and Mr Jones, is published on 6th June. 

Can you tell us a little about your average writing day?

I have three children so the minute I am back from the morning school run, I make a massive cup of tea and sit at my desk where I faff around on the internet – I mean, write slavishly until three o’clock, aiming for 2,500 words in that time. Once a year, I go away for a few days, usually to the place the current book is set, and lock myself away with the laptop. With no distractions, it’s much easier to get on a roll and I can write 5-6,000 words a day like this. Extremely handy when a deadline is looming!

When you are writing, do you use any famous people or people you know as inspiration?

As a rule, no. My characters may have traits or catchphrases nicked from people in real life but they evolve into a completely different individual by the time I’ve finished with them. My friends are definitely wary of me using their stories in a novel though – often a particularly juicy bit of gossip is prefaced with “You’ve got to promise not to put this in a book!”

Novelicious Natters – Judge a book by its cover

The saying goes that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. It's what's on the inside that counts, right? Of course, when it comes to actual books, the cover is the first impression - the difference between you oozing charm and charisma that lures people over to talk to you or the sneeze in the drink and glass-shattering laugh that makes people run for the hills. The book cover is what makes you stop browsing in a bookshop and pick a book up.