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.

 



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

January In Pictures

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:

• Big
• 13 Going on 30
• Eve's Christmas
• Freaky Friday
• Vice Versa
• The Wizard of Oz
• A Christmas Carol
• Liar Liar
• Being Erica
• Samantha Who

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?

Amazon UK | Amazon US

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

 

Guest Post: Katie Stephens

CATCHING LIGHTNING BY KATIE STEPHENS 

Pub date 23 January 2015

When most people come back from a holiday of a lifetime, they are left with amazing memories and wonderful photos. As much as these memories and photos stay with you, it is inevitable that over time the memories fade and other things in life take their place. This happened to me following a trip to Kenya in 2001. It was an amazing holiday with a group of 30 people, of whom I knew four when I arrived at the airport – this was my then boyfriend, his best friend and his wife, and a guy I used to babysit for about 15 years earlier. We were actually heading off on a cricket tour with my boyfriend’s old school and, though I was initially apprehensive about going away with so many strangers, I returned to England with 30 friends, oh and a fiancé!

Every aspect of the trip was amazing and where I am really lucky is that I have been able to relive some of the trip in my latest book, Catching Lightning. 

Catching Lightning tells the story of Mel who has spent the past 14 years resenting her parents for abandoning her at a boarding school in England while they went back to Kenya, a country that even though she was born there, she hates, to run an orphanage and school for their charity. A tragic accident forces her to return to Kenya for her parents’ funeral but meeting the gorgeous, English educated Sam was not part of the plan. Finding her mother’s diaries reveals a lot of unanswered questions and the discovery of a detailed itinerary of a trip round Kenya that her parents dreamed of making with her makes Mel realise that maybe she had things wrong.

The trip that Mel and Sam go on follows a similar route to the one we did on our holiday and meant I could relive those special moments, such as the Giraffe Manor, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Centre and Karen Blixen’s House. They also do the overnight train from Nairobi to Mombasa. This was one of those experiences that, as much as I am glad that I did it, it is not one that I would choose to repeat!

After spending time in Mombasa and in the Masai Mara we returned to Nairobi and on the last day of our trip a small group of us went to an orphanage on the outskirts of the city. This was truly moving experience and it was this trip that provided me with the inspiration for the book and the setting of the Centre that Mel’s parents ran. The children had so little and yet were so grateful for the little that they did have.  

In Catching Lightning I hope I give readers a glimpse of the beautiful country that Kenya is and for those, like me, who are lucky enough to have been there, I hope this book brings back some great memories.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie Stephens works in PR and lives in Surrey with her husband Will and two young daughters.

In 2008 Katie signed herself up for a creative writing course and absolutely loved it. She then found herself spending all her spare time (not much with 2 young children) at the computer. Her first novel Candles on the Sand, set on the Amalfi Coast, was published in 2011 went on to become an Amazon bestseller.   

www.katiestephens.co.uk

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Katie-Stephens-Author/222608691088931

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/KatieStephensGB

If you would like to appear here on the blog via a guest post, email me at jenniferjoycewrites@gmail.com

More details here

#AmWriting Christmassy Things (Still)

 

Yes, I'm still in Christmas mode as I'm working on a festive novella to be released later in the year. It's another 'be careful what you wish for' kind of story (like my novel Everything Changes But You) and sees a return of Clementine, the sort-of guardian angel! I love Christmas so I don't mind prolonging the festive period at all!

 

I'm also working on a full-length novel, which is a sequel to A Beginner's Guide To Salad. It will be a while until it's published as although I finished the first draft way before Christmas, it needs a LOT of work. I've had some breathing space away from the book and I've realised it isn't at all what I want to convey so, after a lot of thought and scribbling down ideas, I've decided it needs an overhaul. A third of the book is being deleted (ouch), a third is being completely revamped and the last third needs some major tweaking due to all the changes. I'll let you know how it's all going next time!

 

As well as the novella and the novel, I'm also writing a short story for Valentine's Day. This one is just for fun though and I'll be posting it here on the blog and over on Wattpad next month.