Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Round-up of the Week

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News from around the world

China’s governing Communist Party has proposed removing a clause in the constitution which limits presidencies to two five-year terms. This is in an attempt to allow the current President Xi Jinping to remain as leader after he is due to step down.

News from London

A Letter containing a substance sent to St. James’s Palace is being treated as a ‘racist hate crime”. The substance was tested by the Met Police and was found not to be harmful. The letter is said to have been addressed to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

My News

I have finally finished decoration my living room at home, which has taken quite a while being a weekend only job. I now need to replace the carpet and furniture but really pleased with how it’s looking so far.

Writing News

This week I’ve focused on the last minute tighten up of Sins of the Father which is due to head to the editor on Thursday which will be a nail-biting experience. I even managed to get a newsletter out for the first time in about 5 months.

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Spotlight of the month – Audrina Lane

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Audrina Lane

1. Do you write as a full-time author or do you have to squeeze it in around a full-time job or looking after the children? If you don’t write as your main job what are your aims for your writing?

I somehow squeeze my writing in around my full-time job working for the Library Service in Herefordshire. I’m sometimes not sure where I find the extra time but I can be found writing on the bus on my way to work or during my lunchtime. My aims for my writing are to continue working on my current 3 WIP novels. Hoping to get them all out at some point in 2018.

2. What inspires you to write?

I tend to write everyday type of characters who are either experiencing love for the first or second time around. Or equally about them battling their demons, such as abuse or depression – powerful; topics. On a lighter note, I also love motor racing so one of my recent novels and one of my WIP novels is based around the world of fast cars!

 

3. Tell me about your writing process, when and how? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I used to use an ipad but have recently switched to a Surface Pro which is both a tablet and laptop when the keyboard is attached. This means that I can carry it around with me and write whenever I find I have 20 minutes to spare. It also means I can write on my lap in the evening in front of the fire. I try and do a little bit each day but longer periods of writing take place at the weekend when I’m not at work! I’m afraid I’m mostly a pantser and just let my character guide me but I generally start out with a basic storyline in my head.

4. How much of your life experience goes into your books if at all?

With my first novel ‘Where did your Heart go?’ the storyline is based on my first love affair, with a few embellishments. But the first kiss for my main characters Stephanie and James was my actual first kiss. I did contact my first boyfriend and asked him if he was happy with the book content and he was kind enough to write the first review I had for the book on Amazon! I do try to draw from life experience because I think it gives the characters more depth and the storyline more meaning.

5. Describe your ideal writing location if money were no issue.

My ideal writing location would be outside my private home on my own island off the coast of New Zealand. I’d be on a lounger next to my swimming pool.

6. What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?

With my current final book in the Bloodstained Heart Trilogy its making sure that I stick to the storyline and conversations in the Heart Trilogy series (it’s a series about one of the characters in my original series) so I need to make sure the timeline stays the same but I bring a different slant to the same scenes. This makes it harder than just writing straight from your head. Also editing!!

 7. What one thing would you fix about the whole world to make it a better place?

Religion, I believe what I believe but don’t push it on anyone and truly think that most of the world’s wars and conflicts are because people have different beliefs and think that theirs is better than the others. That’s about as political as I get in that if we got rid of religion maybe we’d all live more peacefully – although probably not!! There would always be something I guess!

 8. What is your favourite review from any of your books?

This one for Bloodstained Heart. Part 1 – Passion. Because I knew I’d captured the essence of Felicity and equally made the reader feel sorry for her when everyone of my readers who urged me to write this story told me that they didn’t want to like this woman!!

 Oooh. You made me feel sorry for Felicity and I soooo didn’t want to. After reading the Heart Trilogy it was great to see what made Felicity the cold and driven woman she became. At the same time I felt so sad for her. Audrina has written this in such a masterful way that you can’t pinpoint the exact moment when the sweet and innocent girl turns into a ruthless murderess. It reads well as a stand alone but if, like me, you have read the original trilogy first then the added dimensions of how the stories link together makes this an ingenious and very satisfying read. Consider this my first nag to you Audrina Lane to get the second part finished asap. I know I’m not the only one waiting with baited breath. Thank you for a great book.

9. When you’re not writing, working, looking after the kids what else do you enjoy doing?

I love music and dancing, so you’ll either find me at a concert or out with my OH who plays guitar in a local band. I also attend a monthly barefoot dance session which is 2 hours of an eclectic mix of music where everyone who attends just dances however they like. A sort of disco but without the alcohol or the blokes trying to chat you up! Its pure bliss and I wish it was more often than just monthly. Also I have 3 black Labradors so I enjoy taking them out for walks. I find most of my poem ideas come from this pursuit.

 10. Can you tell me what you’re working on now?

I must be a sucker for punishment as I have 3 different novels in progress. The first is ‘Bloodstained Heart. Part 3 – Redemption’ which is the final story in this trilogy and the culmination of Felicity’s story. It’s a dark romance and she’s a rather evil, bitch of a character.

My second is another spin off from the third book in the Heart Trilogy series. I started a short story about two of the secondary characters in Closer to the Heart for an anthology. However the anthology never reached fruition so one of my readers who read the short story urged me to turn it into a full length novel. Its called ‘Bonfire Heart’ and is the story of Sebastian and Lena’s life – it may not be a very happy tale as it touches on Dementia and Depression, but is set in my favourite part of the world – New Zealand.

Finally the third WIP is with my co-author Rita Ames and we’re part way through the 2nd book in our ‘Need for Speed’ racing romance series. This one is called ‘24Hrs to Heartbreak’ and centres around Dre and Charlie who meet at the Indy 500 race.

Continue reading “Spotlight of the month – Audrina Lane”

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Monday Chuckles

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I have started this fortnightly blog slot which I’ve called chuckles due to popular demand. A lot of these funnies have been emailed to me through the years and they’ve sat in my inbox. Occasionally I’ve shared them on Facebook and I’ve had a great response. People have told me how much they’ve brightened their day. It was suggested that I blog them so I am. Please note there is no offence meant in any of these jokes, if you take offence then that is because of your outlook, not mine. All I want is to make people laugh, I will never post anything that I think victimises anyone.


A Couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things. During a check-up, the doctor tells them that they’re physically okay, but they might want to start writing things down to help them remember.

Later that night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair. ‘Want anything while I’m in the kitchen?’ he asks.

‘Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?’

‘Sure.’

‘Don’t you think you should write it down so you can remember it?’ she asks.

‘No, I can remember it.’

‘Well, I’d like some strawberries on top, too. Maybe you should write it down, so as not to forget it?’

He says, ‘I can remember that. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.’

‘I’d also like whipped cream. I’m certain you’ll forget that, write it down?’ she asks.

Irritated, he says, ‘I don’t need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream – I got it, for goodness sake!’

Then he toddles into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes, the old man returns from the kitchen and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment.   ‘Where’s my toast?’


 

“Of course I won’t laugh,” said the nurse. “I’m a professional.  In over twenty years I’ve never laughed at a patient.”

“Okay then,” said Bob, and he proceeded to drop his trousers, revealing the smallest male part the nurse had ever seen.   In length and width, it was almost identical to an AAA battery. Unable to control herself, the nurse tried to stop a giggle, but it just came out anyway.  And then she started laughing at the fact that she was laughing. Feeling very badly that she had laughed at the man’s privates, she composed herself as well as she could.

“I am so sorry,” she said.  “I don’t know what came over me.  On my honour as a nurse and a lady, I promise that won’t happen again.  Now, tell me, what seems to be the problem?”

“It’s swollen,” Bob replied.

She ran out of the room.


Two police officers responding to a domestic disturbance with shots fired arrive on the scene. After discovering the wife had shot her husband for walking across her freshly mopped floor, they called their sergeant on his cell phone.

“Hello, Sarge.”

“Yes.”

“It looks like we have a homicide here,” he reported.

“What happened?” asked the Sergeant.

“A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she had just mopped.” The Sergeant asked, “Have you placed her under arrest?”

“No, sir. The floor is still wet.”


A local Queensland politician boarded an aeroplane in Townsville with a box of frozen mud crabs & asked a blonde flight attendant to take care of them for him.

She took the box & promised to put it in the crew’s refrigerator.

He  advised her that he was holding her personally responsible for  them  staying frozen,

Mentioning in a very haughty manner that he was a local Politician, & proceeded to rant at her about what would happen if she let them thaw out.

Needless to say, she was annoyed by his behaviour.

Shortly before landing in Brisbane, she used the intercom to announce to the entire cabin,

“Would the Politician who gave me the crabs in Townsville please raise your hand?”

Not one hand went up, so she took them home and ate them.

Two lessons  here:

1.  Politicians aren’t as smart as they think they are.

2.  Blondes aren’t as dumb as most folks think.


John decided to go golfing in Scotland with his chum, Keith.

So they loaded up John’s  minivan and headed North.

After driving for a few hours, they got caught in a terrible blizzard.

So they pulled into a nearby farm and asked the attractive lady who answered the door if they could spend the night.

 ‘I realise it’s terrible weather out there and I have this huge  house all to myself, but I’m recently widowed,’ she explained and  ‘I’m  afraid the neighbours will talk if I let you stay in my house.’

 ‘Don’t  worry,’ John said.’We’ll be happy to sleep in the barn. And, if the weather  breaks, we’ll be gone at first light.’

The lady agreed, and the two men found their way to the barn and settled in for the night.

Come morning, the weather had cleared, and they got on their way.

They then enjoyed a great weekend of golf.

But about nine months later, John received an unexpected letter from an attorney. It took him a few minutes to figure it out, but he finally determined that it was from the Edinburgh based solicitor of the attractive widow he had met on the golf weekend.

 He dropped in on his friend Keith and asked,

‘Keith, do you  remember that good-looking widow from the farm we stayed at on our  golf holiday in Scotland about 9 months ago?’

 ‘Yes, I do.’ Said  Keith.

‘Did you, er, happen to get up  in the middle of the night, go up to the house and pay her a visit?’ 

‘Well, um, yes!,’ Keith said, a little embarrassed about being found  out, ‘I have to admit that I did.’

 ‘And did you happen to give her my  name instead of telling her

your name?’ Keith’s face turned beet red and he said,…….. ‘Yeah, look, I’m sorry, old mate. I’m afraid I did.” Why  do you ask?’

‘Well, she just died and left me everything.’


 

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Round-up​ of the week

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News from around the world

A helicopter crashed in Mexico killing at least 14 including a baby, two senior officials who were on board were unharmed. The pilot lost control as it was coming into land. They had been up assessing the damage from the earthquake which occurred on Friday. The military helicopter is said to have crashed on top of several vans carrying earthquake survivors.

This is heart-rending, to live through the earthquake and be killed by the team sent out to assess the damage beggars belief.

 

News from London

Ride-by moped thefts on London’s main shopping streets have increased six-fold over the last two years. Oxford Street is the worst hit with 291 offences in a year.

These moped thieves aren’t just resorting to bag snatching and the like but any biker in the London area will tell you that bike theft is now off the scale. At least three people I know have had their bikes stolen in the last couple of years. The ped scum are going out tooled up so they can deal with disgruntled bike owners trying to protect their property.

 

My News

Another busy working week which has kept me extremely busy and terribly tired at the end of the day. This weekend I planned on finishing decorating my living room but was disrupted today when I had to take my motorbike to the garage to get my front brake fixed. I managed to squeeze in a visit to my lovely Mum and Dad and saw my brother too which is always a pleasure. I have managed to get on with some wallpapering but don’t think I’ll finish it this weekend.

 

Writing News

Another quiet writing week but have managed to work through a little bit more of Illicit Love and I’m quite excited about where it’s going. I’m also doing my last read through of Sins of the Father before it goes to the editor.

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

My Review of: Closer to the Heart by Audrina Lane

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A spectacular end to the trilogy

Click here to pick up a copy of Closer to the Heart 

http://getbook.at/CloseHeart

I wondered where the author could go with this third book but OMG the author blew me wide apart with this one. I didn’t see any of this happening and I don’t want to give anything away but this book is explosive, edge of your seat stuff. Tears of happiness and sad will flow if you have a soft side.

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Round-up of the Week

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News from around the world

A Russian passenger plane has crashed after leaving Moscow’s Domodedovo airport. The plane vanished just minutes after take-off and crashed near the village of Argunovo, about 50 miles south-east of Moscow. All 71 people on board are thought to have died.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

News from London

Anh Nhu Nguyen, 53 from Beckenham was jailed for 21 months after pretending his family had died in the Grenfell Tower fire. He claimed his wife and son were killed in order to obtain about £12,500 from funds meant for victims. Anh Nhu Nguhen met Prince Charles as he posed as a survivor of the tragedy.

It sickens me how people will play on a tragedy that claimed so many lives in order to make money.

My News

Another busy work week which has impacted on home life, sleep and energy levels. I have made some positive steps this week in redecorating my living room. Started hanging the wallpaper today and already seeing a vast improvement.

Writing News

I’ve only managed to write a few thousand words this week which yet again is disappointing.

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Monday Chuckles

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I’ve started this fortnightly blog slot which I’ve called chuckles, due to popular demand. A lot of these funnies have been emailed to me through the years and they’ve sat in my inbox. Occasionally I’ve shared them on Facebook and I’ve had a great response. People have told me how much they’ve brightened their day. It was suggested that I blog them, so I am. Please note there is no offence meant in any of these jokes, if you take offence then that is because of your outlook, not mine. All I want is to make people laugh, I will never post anything that I think victimises anyone.

Books · Life · Self-publishing · Uncategorized

Round-up​ of the Week

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News from around the world

Something a bit lighter today.

North and South Korea joined together to compete under the same flag as the women’s ice hockey team competed against the Swedish team. The Swedish team beat them 3-1.


News from London

Serial sex attacker John Worboys is believed to have been moved back to HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire prison having been moved from HMP Belmarsh in south-east London.

Worboys was jailed for a minimum term of eight years in 2009, convicted of 19 offences. Police believe that he may have committed over 100 rapes and sexual assaults. The parole board announced last month that Worboys would be released from prison. Sir Brian Leveson and Mr Justice Garnham will consider whether to allow the mayor of London and two of the victims’ to apply for a judicial review.

I’m a believer that when someone has served their sentence they should be allowed to re-enter society, however 9 years for 19 confirmed assaults, really? Crimes of this magnitude, on this scale, should not allow the perpetrator to see the light of day ever again. That equates to about half a year per victim – or at least all those he was convicted of. When the victims get to live with the effects of the abuse forever then so should the perpetrator.


My News

It’s been another busy working week which has taken up most of my energy and concentration, so much so that I forgot to take my disk lock off my motorbike when I left work on Monday. Needless to say, I ended up lying on the floor in the carpark and my bike suffered a broken mirror. We were both ok though despite the “lovely” gentleman who pulled up in front of us, looked at me and then drove off without even ascertaining whether I was alright.

Managed to get a gym session in, need to step these sessions up though in order to start my training for the half marathon.

I have started redecorating my living room, this is going to be a slow process with so little available time, I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed doing this.

I’m currently reading, and enjoying, “Banker’s Town.” by Joel Hames.


Writing News

This week hasn’t seen too much writing but I have added a little bit more to Illicit Love and I’m getting very excited about where it’s going. If you want to find out a bit more about this series.

Click here to pick up a copy of Is this Love?

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What you see isn’t always what you get.

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We’re complex creatures, hiding a multitude of emotions. Some people wear their emotions on their sleeve, their eyes and faces expressing everything they’re feeling, leaving you in no doubt when they are angry or upset. I’m like that but when I’m working I have to retrain my brain in order that clients don’t see when I think they’re cretins, and believe me that’s not always easy.

For some people, though they successfully mask their feelings without having to try and whether that is a skill learnt or an ability to distance themselves from emotions is hard to say.

We spend our lives judging people on what they wear, how they look, or the attitude they portray to the world, but we only know what goes on in the minds of those we are closest to. What does that smile, that frown, that withering look hide? Maybe, it is simply what it appears to be. Maybe the smile is a person who views the world and everything in it positively, at all times. Are they naïve or are the rest of us slightly jaded? Just because they show you a smile doesn’t mean though that they don’t hurt when you say something cruel. That person who is walking in with the frown, are they angry or maybe they are just so caught up with their own thoughts, overworked, family stresses, that frown may not be aimed at you. The withering look, oh but don’t you just want to slap that face? But consider for one moment, maybe there is something going on underneath it. It doesn’t make it acceptable but sometimes people are going through so much that they can’t/don’t know how to behave in a courteous manner and they should be pitied. This is about them, not you. If you can remember that, which I don’t suggest is easy, then you will be better for it. My point isn’t that unacceptable behaviour becomes acceptable because someone might be going through hell in their personal or work life but maybe its something to be thrown into the equation.


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In ‘Is this Love?’ one of the supporting characters, Jake, blots out emotions because of abuse suffered in his childhood. He’s one of those characters you want to dislike because he’s obnoxious and charming at the same time. If you’re anything like me, you won’t be able to help being pulled in by the side of his character that he hides from most people.

Jake, inadvertently, forms a friendship with the male lead, Theo, and this is what he sees as a weakness. Jake doesn’t want to form strong ties because it opens him up to feel, and feelings make you vulnerable. He uses women as sexual objects, unable to recognise that they aren’t responsible for his abandonment by his own mother. Jake’s strengths start to come to the fore in the second half of this book and that personal development grows in book two where he forced me to make him one of the main characters with his own POV. On the surface, he isn’t pleasant but when you scratch the surface someone else appears, a man who has been hurt and abused but a spark of humanity is kindled by his friendship with Theo, but it takes a chain of events of bigger magnitude for him to really come into his own.

Do you want a sneak peek at Jake’s profile?

Continue reading “What you see isn’t always what you get.”

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My Review of Closer to the Heart

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A solid continuation of book one.

Click here to pick up a copy of Closer to the Heart

This is the second book in the series, I devoured this book. This book follows the relationship between Stephanie and James and Charlotte and Mitchell. But if you’re expecting happily ever after then you’ll be sadly mistaken, like any good book this author puts her characters through the ringer. Will it end well though? The characterisation in this book is so strong that they were as well known to me as my friends and the pacing was spot on. From here I dived straight into the last book in this series.