Blog Tour: The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me

Today I'm thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice's The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me.

I loved the book (you can see my review here) so I'm super duper happy to be giving away 3 copies of the book. The paperback isn't out until July, so you will receive an uncorrected paperback proof copy.

To enter, simply fill in the Rafflecopter form below. The winners will be contacted by email and announced on the blog on Monday 21st April.

Good luck!

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Writing Opportunity: Sunlounger 2

A Chat With Cally Taylor

Can you tell us about your new book?
‘The Accident’ is a psychological thriller about a woman called Susan whose teenaged daughter Charlotte steps in front of a bus and falls into a coma. Susan’s husband Brian thinks it was an accident but Sue isn’t convinced and when she finds an entry in Charlotte’s diary that says ‘keeping this secret is killing me’ she sets out to discover exactly what that secret is. 

What was your inspiration for The Accident?
I was pregnant with my son when the idea first came to me. I wanted to write a novel about ‘keeping secrets’ but I had no idea who would be keeping the secrets or what those secrets would be. Then one day, when I was walking back from the supermarket – waddling along under the weight of my groceries – the first three lines popped into my head. I heard Susan’s voice as clear as day and I knew immediately that she was the mother of a teenaged girl who’d stepped in front of a bus. I kept repeating those three lines over and over again as I walked home so I wouldn’t forget them, then frantically scribbled them down. I kept writing and, less than two hours later, I had the first chapter.

I didn’t write any more until a couple of months after my son’s birth. As a new mum in a new town I was lonely, and very sleep deprived, and I missed writing so, in his naps, I started plotting the rest of the story. I finished the first draft in five months.

What has been your greatest experience of being a published writer?
That’s such a hard question to answer because so many wonderful things have happened to me but, if you twisted my arm, I’d chose the moment the postman gave me a box contained copies of my first novel. It was such a magical moment. I couldn’t stop stroking the cover and flicking through the pages because I couldn’t quite believe that it was really happening, that I was a ‘real life’ published author. It was something I’d dreamed of since I was eight years old.

I cried. A lot.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
If you’re reading this and you’re an aspiring author the chances are that you already read a lot, you already write a lot and you’ve already studied the craft of writing. Hopefully you’ve also joined a writing or critique group (in person or on line) so you’ve got some impartial feedback on your book. If you haven’t then I hugely recommend it. Getting feedback that something in your novel isn’t working can really hurt but you need to take that criticism on board and learn from it because the criticism won’t end when you get an agent or publishing deal. You’ll receive editorial feedback from your agent and editor and reviews – good and bad - from book bloggers, reviewers and readers. Grow a thick skin now and use the critiques you receive to become the best writer you can be before you send your manuscript to an agent. You only get one chance to impress them.

What was the first book you ever bought yourself?
Woah. That’s a tough one. I remember being at school and using my pocket money to buy little owl stamps that I stuck in a paper wallet. When the wallet was full I could then swap it for a book. But what did I buy? I honestly have no idea but the chances are it was probably something by Enid Blyton. My favourite childhood book is ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’ and I’m pretty sure I read everything else she wrote after I’d read that.

What was the last book you read?
I’ve been told it’s a bit odd but I’m currently reading three books. I’ve got Rowan Coleman’s ‘The Memory Book’ in the living room. I read that in the evenings or when my toddler is happily playing on his own. I’ve got Mel Sherratt’s ‘Watching Over You’ in the bathroom and I read that when my toddler is having his bath. And ‘Apple Tree Yard’ by Louise Dougherty is on my bedside table.

Finally, what are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently working on my second psychological thriller. It’s very different from ‘The Accident’ as it’s set in Nepal and it’s about four girls in their twenties going on what they think will be the holiday of a lifetime. And it will be – but not for the reasons they think. 

The Accident is available now

Guest Post: Kelly Florentia

Guest Post by Women’s Fiction Writer Kelly Florentia

 

 

Hi Jennifer, thank you so much for having me on your blog today to talk about my new anthology, To Tell a Tale or Two, and my writing in general.

I’ve enjoyed writing ever since I can remember and used to write poetry when I was younger. I’ve still got them stuffed in a draw somewhere. But I think my love affair with writing fiction began when I sold my first story to Best magazine. The publication gave me a huge boost and turned me into a prolific short story writer almost overnight. My stories have now been published in women’s magazines worldwide and in charity anthologies.

People often ask me whether my characters are anything like me or people that I know, and if my stories are based on personal experience. I don’t write about my personal life, per se, but I sometimes write in scenes, especially humorous ones, that have actually happened. And I think most writers air some of their views via a character’s voice. That’s what makes a story breathe. I choose themes that I have an interest in, ones that have raised my curiosity, and I love doing the research to bring it all together. Some of it is done online but a lot of it is done by talking to people who’ve been through the experiences I’m writing about.

I create my characters by pinching features and attributes from several people. They’re hybrids, a concoction of people moulded into one. Once my heroine is born I follow her on her journey, always one step behind, as if I were her shadow and I tell her story. But a little bit of me always seeps through. It might be that we share the same star sign or sport, as with my protagonist Emma in my WIP novel. Or we might have a shared interest or taste. Audrey from my first novel Betrayal (not yet published) enjoys the same tipple as I do and also lives in North London. I find the story easier to tell if I’m familiar with the settings and locations but I love using my imagination for everything else. I’ve often heard it said that you should write what you know, but I think creating a world where anything and everything is possible is far more exciting!

Anyway, back to my current book. I’ve just released a collection of short stories in an anthology called To Tell a Tale or Two, which I affectionately call Tattoo. The book comprises ten very short stories about the highs and lows of love, relationships and family sagas. A couple of them have a ghostly theme, which may appeal to people who enjoy paranormal fiction. It’s an eBook and available to download onto your kindle or any device which supports the kindle app from Amazon. It’s been described as a quick read with clever twists and has received several good reviews. I put the cover together myself and I had a fabulous time creating a short trailer for it. Great fun!

Links:

You can download To Tell a Tale or Two - http://9nl.be/kbnw

Facebook – http://facebook.com/kelly.florentia  

Twitter - @kellyflorentia

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7915633.Kelly_Florentia?from_search=true

Website - http://www.kellyflorentia.co.uk 

YouTube Trailer - http://youtu.be/jfLU6lguRjE

The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me by Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice

 

 

Eleven years ago, Holly and Alex were best friends. As teenagers, they fell in love but they never told the other how they felt and when Holly moved away to uni, they lost touch.

 

Eleven years later and Alex has landed himself a new job and is moving to London, which just happens to be where Holly now lives. Alex can't wait to catch up with his old friend and is sure his old feelings won't resurface now so much time has passed. Which is lucky, as Holly has a boyfriend that she's crazy about.

 

I was looking forward to reading The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me as I was intrigued by the joint authors. I was a fan of the Josie Lloyd/Emlyn Rees collaborations so I was hoping it would be something similar. I thought I might like it, but I wasn't expecting to love it quite as much as I did. I was immediately hooked by both the characters and the storyline and couldn't wait to find out not only what would happen next, but what exactly happened in their past. Even though the book is written by two different authors, the chapters were seamless and both jam packed with humour.

 

Although all the characters are great in their own ways, I think my favourite was probably Jemma, Holly's workmate. Her scenes were fantastic with plenty of laugh out loud moments. I also grew a bit of a soft spot for Alex's friend, Kev, which I wouldn't have believed was possible in the beginning!

 

The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me is a fun, light-hearted read and I loved it. I can't wait to see what Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice come up with next.

Cover Stars: The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me by Laura Tait and Jimmy Rice

Every month I choose my favourite cover from my TBR pile. Feel free to comment or add your own suggestions for ‘Cover Stars’.

Everyone remembers their first love.

Holly certainly remembers Alex. But she decided ten years ago that love wasn't about mix tapes and seizing the moment - though she's not exactly sure it's about secret dates with your boss, either.

But what if the feelings never really went away?

Alex wants to make every moment of his new job count. It's a fresh start in a big city, and he's almost certain that moving to London has nothing to do with Holly. Almost.

How do you know if it was meant to be. or never meant to happen at all?

 

*     *     *     *     *

 

 

If you've ever read my 'Cover Stars' feature before, you'll know that I'm a big fan of silhouette covers, so The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me was always going to be a contender. What I love about this cover though is the little details alongside the silhouette people, like the river flowing across the cover with little London attractions dotted along it. It's a lovely cover that definitely caught my eye.

 

You can see my review of The Best Thing That Never Happened To Me here on the blog tomorrow, and I'll be hosting a giveaway of the book on Saturday.

 

Click here to see all 'Cover Stars'

 

#FreebieFriday

Throughout April, I'll be giving away copies of A Beginner's Guide To Salad on Twitter every Friday. I'll be tweeting about the giveaway and all you have to do to enter is retweet!

You can follow me on Twitter here

As well as the giveaways on Twitter, I'll be giving away 4 copies here on the blog on the final Friday in April. All you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter form below.

The giveaway ends at midnight on Thursday 24th April and the winner will be contacted and announced on the blog the next day.

This giveaway is open internationally.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway