Monday, 9 February 2015

Fall In Love With... Billy This Valentine's Day


Billy Worth is a bit of a puppy dog. He's kind and loyal and he can cook too! Billy works in IT, which is an important part of his life. If you can put up with his love of computers and gaming (hello, geek chic), then Billy could be the man for you.

Billy has a bit of a shaggy look about him with his curly brown hair but the great thing is, you'll never have to fight him for the bathroom. He isn't into hyper-grooming and doesn't possess a scrap of arrogance. In fact, Billy is quite low on the whole self-confidence thing. He needs a woman who can show him special he is!

Billy can be found in A Beginner's Guide To Salad, supporting his best friend and housemate, Ruth as she attempts to lose weight in time for her school reunion. I'll let you in on a little secret - Billy thinks Ruth is lovely just the way she is. That's the kind of guy he is.


 



Ruth loves nothing more than curling up in front of the telly with a family-sized bar of chocolate. She doesn’t do diets and she certainly doesn’t do exercise. But all that changes when she’s invited to her school reunion.

Bullied at school for being overweight, Ruth’s first reaction is to rip the invitation into a million pieces. But then Ruth hatches a plan. She’ll lose the weight and arrive at the reunion looking gorgeous and glamorous, leaving her old classmates in awe. Especially her former crush, Zack O’Connell.

With the help of her friends and a new, unbelievably hot colleague, Ruth begins her transformation. With six months until the reunion, losing weight will be a piece of cake, right?





Friday, 6 February 2015

Everything Changes But You: Fun Facts Part 2



I’m a huge fan of stories with a sprinkling of magic and a lot of films and TV shows inspired the themes of Everything Changes But You (you can see my 'inspiration from film and TV' post here). As a homage to these, I tried to put a bit of each film or TV show into the book.
  • The Wizard of Oz: There are several references to The Wizard of Oz, from the tagline ‘There really is no place like home’ to Oz the cat. In the original version, the cocktails Ally takes a liking to were called Yellow Brick Roads, but I decided to remove the name in later versions.
  • 13 Going On 30: In 13 Going On 30, the rival magazine to Jenna’s Poise is called Sparkle, which I named the salon in the book.
  • Big: In the book, Ally and Gavin live on MacMillan Road, which was named after MacMillan Toys, the company Josh works for in Big.
  • Eve’s Christmas: Ally and Gavin’s neighbours are Eve Simon and her son, Drew. Eve and Drew Simon are characters from Eve’s Christmas.
  • Freaky Friday: Ellen Andrews is the mum in Freaky Friday and there is also a character of the same name in the book. I won’t say who she is as it’s a bit spoilerish.
  • Liar Liar: Ally works at a coach tour company and its MD has a secretary called Greta, who was named after Fletcher’s secretary in Liar Liar.
  • A Christmas Carol: Marley House features in the book, which is an apartment block named after Scrooge’s deceased partner, Jacob Marley.
  • Samantha Who?: Samantha Who? is a TV series where the main character loses her memory and starts to discover she wasn’t a very nice person before her accident. I named the beauty therapists/hairdressers at Sparkle after three of the characters: Samantha, Andrea and Dena.
  • Being Erica: Being Erica is another TV series that I loved, in which Erica goes back in time to pivotal periods of her life to rectify mistakes. In the series, she lives on Palmerston Avenue, which is where Marley House is situated in the book.

http://www.jenniferjoycewrites.co.uk/2015/01/everything-changes-but-you-fun-facts.html





Be careful what you wish for...

Ally Richmond is dreading turning thirty and bidding farewell to her youth. And when her husband says he wants to start a family, she begins to panic.

Is this all that life has to offer from now on? Popping out babies and growing old gracefully? She wants a life crammed with glamour and spontaneous adventure, not one full of dirty nappies and night feeds.

When Ally makes a silly birthday wish for a new, exciting life, her wish is granted.

But when Ally is presented with the freedom and opportunities she craves, she soon realises this new life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and that there really is no place like home. But can she find her way back - or is she stuck in this new reality forever?




http://www.jenniferjoycewrites.co.uk/search/label/ECBY%3A%20Book%20Extras

Thursday, 5 February 2015

Blog Tour: As Good As It Gets by Fiona Gibson

 
 
Charlotte used to be a happily married mum of two. But ever since her husband Will was made redundant, their marriage has been slipping. Will doesn't seem very interested in Charlotte anymore and she begins to doubt that he even likes her anymore, never mind loves her.
 
Charlotte's 16-year-old daughter is spotted by a modelling agency while out shopping and begins an exciting new career, changing the dynamics of the household even further. But Charlotte's family could be thrown into even further turmoil when she's contacted by Fraser, Rosie's biological father. Fraser walked away from Charlotte shortly after she found out she was pregnant and hasn't been seen or heard of since. With Charlotte's marriage seeming weaker by the day, she begins to wonder what might have been if Fraser had stuck around.
 
I really enjoyed As Good As It Gets, which had me laughing out loud within the first couple of pages - which is always a promising sign! I liked the character of Charlotte, who was very down to earth and doing her best for her family, despite the struggles she and Will are experiencing. There were times when I really felt for Charlotte as the life she has built seems to be moving further and further away from her, but despite all of this she remains quite positive and always full of humour. I liked that Charlotte was an everyday kind of woman; a mum who isn't quite as perky as her younger self who is juggling family and work life. I found her to be a relatable character and I warmed to her immediately.
 
My favourite character from the book has to be Ollie, Charlotte's 11-year-old son. He's a smart and cheerful and I thought he was hilarious. I loved the scenes with him and his older sister, Rosie, who is a typical moody teenager. I didn't always agree with Rosie's actions but they were true and realistic for her age.
 
I thought As Good As It Gets was a thoroughly entertaining read with plenty of humour and warmth. The writing was light-hearted and the varied characters kept me engaged throughout.
 


Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Guest Post: Anne L Harvey

I’m pleased and proud to announce the publication of my debut novel A Suitable Young Man. The book has been a long, long time in gestation but I’m so excited that I’m finally seeing it being published, as an ebook and as a print book via Createspace.

Self-publication was a deliberate decision on my part rather than go the traditional publishing route of seeking an agent who, in turn, would seek a publisher on my behalf. This can be a drawn-out process that can take anything from a few months to a few years following which is the actual publishing process, possibly another year. Quite frankly, being in my 70s, I don’t have that much time to wait, especially if I want to get my second novel out there as well. Another aspect of choosing self-publication is that I get to keep complete control over my book and that definitely appeals to me. Of course, there’s the burden of having to do all the marketing and promotion of my book myself but even traditional publishers expect their authors to do marketing and promotion these days. I’m quite proud of the fact that I drew up a marketing plan several months ago and even as I write this, I have it printed as a poster by my screen. It’s got lots of scribblings-out/handwritten additions but it’s all there, including approximate dates. And I’ve made myself available to give talks to various community groups if they’re interested, hopefully to sell print copies. I’ve already got one date booked for August next year!

So what’s the book about? Basically, it’s a nostalgic tale of friendship, family, love, loyalty and loss, set in a Lancashire mill town in the new Elizabethan era of the mid-1950s. One dark December night, Kathy Armstrong is rescued from two thugs by Nick Roberts, whom she’d known as a schoolgirl. But Nick is a Teddy boy, hell-bent on having a good time in the pubs and dance halls of the era. Shortly after, she meets accountant John Talbot at a party and is captivated by his middle-class charm. To the background of the new rock and roll, a mounting crisis over the Suez Canal, family and personal crises, Kathy struggles with a wayward attraction to Nick and her incubating love for John. But which one is ‘The Suitable Young Man?’


You can find me on www.annelharvey.blogpost.com where I frequently post memoirs as well as pieces about my writing. I'm on Twitter @annelharvey1 and www.facebook.com/anneharvey.10. All visitors and comments welcome.

 
A Suitable Young Man is available now
[Amazon UK     Amazon US]
 
 
If you would like to appear here on the blog via a guest post, email me at jenniferjoycewrites@gmail.com
More details here

Friday, 30 January 2015

Everything Changes But You: Inspiration From Film & TV



In Everything Changes But You, Ally makes a birthday wish that comes true. Ally is bored with the life that she has with her husband, Gavin and wishes for a more exciting life. So she should be happy when wakes up and her life has changed beyond recognition. But is the grass truly greener for Ally?
I love films and TV shows with a fun, magical element. Films where wishes are made but the outcome isn't quite as rosy as the character believed it would be, or the characters learn that their lives were pretty damn good to begin with. Usually the characters learn some valuable lessons about themselves along the way so that when they do return home/back to normal, they can appreciate what they have.
With these films and TV shows in mind, I was inspired to write one of these kinds of stories of my own and Ally and Everything Changes But You were created!
There are lots of films and TV shows along this theme, but my favourites are:

Samantha Who is the only one in my list that doesn't have a magical/otherworldly element to it, but in the show Samantha suffers from memory loss after an accident. As she begins to put the pieces of her life back together, Samantha realises she wasn't a very nice person at all and I also drew inspiration from this too!




Be careful what you wish for...

Ally Richmond is dreading turning thirty and bidding farewell to her youth. And when her husband says he wants to start a family, she begins to panic.

Is this all that life has to offer from now on? Popping out babies and growing old gracefully? She wants a life crammed with glamour and spontaneous adventure, not one full of dirty nappies and night feeds.

When Ally makes a silly birthday wish for a new, exciting life, her wish is granted.

But when Ally is presented with the freedom and opportunities she craves, she soon realises this new life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and that there really is no place like home. But can she find her way back - or is she stuck in this new reality forever?




http://www.jenniferjoycewrites.co.uk/search/label/ECBY%3A%20Book%20Extras

Thursday, 29 January 2015

Book of the Month: January

 
Daughter
 
by
 
Jane Shemilt
 

THE NIGHT OF THE DISAPPEARANCE

She used to tell me everything.

They have a picture. It'll help.

But it doesn't show the way her hair shines so brightly it looks like sheets of gold.

She has a tiny mole, just beneath her left eyebrow.

She smells very faintly of lemons.

She bites her nails.

She never cries.

She loves autumn, I wanted to tell them. She collects leaves, like a child does. She is just a child.

FIND HER.

ONE YEAR LATER

Naomi is still missing. Jenny is a mother on the brink of obsession. The Malcolm family is in pieces.

Is finding the truth about Naomi the only way to put them back together?

Or is the truth the thing that will finally tear them apart?
 
*     *     *     *     *
 
I was intrigued by Daughter as soon as I read the blurb. It sounded like such a gripping read - and it really was! I was quickly drawn into Jenny's world as the events of her daughter's disappearance unfold and I was eager to keep reading to find out exactly what happened and how the family would deal with the fallout. I thought the writing was excellent and instantly hooked me in. I'm very much looking forward to reading more from Jane Shemilt!
 
 
You can read my full review of Daughter here or see all Books of the Month