Cover Reveal - The First Christmas Without You

By me! Yes, it's finally out there, the absolutely GORGEOUS cover for my first book published through Harper Impulse, The First Christmas Without You.

For anyone who isn't already aware, this book is a re-edited and newly-titled Christmas Without Icing, a book I self-published this time last year. But, when I heard Harper Impulse were looking for Christmas-themed stories for their Winter Wonderland competition, I decided to submit the book, and see what happened. And it actually became one of the three eventual winners of that competition!

I absolutely loved writing this book, and I hope that people will love reading it, too...

*

A story of love and hope at Christmas, The First Christmas Without You is an emotional and poignant novella.

Young widow Jessie Collins has always wanted to visit Lapland. But this Christmas, more than any other, it’s the place she feels she really needs to be.

It’s time for Jessie to come to terms with a future she didn’t expect, but one she really needs to start living.

*

The First Christmas Without You is released on December 19th, but you can pre-order your copy HERE on Amazon.

Follow @michellebetham Tweet

Meet the Author - Teresa F. Morgan

It's been a while since I've had a Meet the Author post here on my blog, but today I'm delighted to be bringing this feature back, and kicking it all off by introducing one of my fellow Harper Impulse authors, Teresa F. Morgan. 

So, come and find out more about her, and her book Plus One is a Lucky Number...

When did you first realise that you wanted to be a writer? 

I’m not someone who’s known they’ve wanted to be a writer since the age of five, I discovered writing in 2006. In 2009, I decided I wanted to pursue it professionally. (Before that I was just dabbling in fan fiction).

What made you want to write romance?

I’ve always wrote romance, even in fan fiction. I think it’s because I like writing the conflict between two people fancying the pants off one another and not knowing how to deal with it. Plus, I don’t think I’m clever enough to write crime novels. Lol!  


Do you listen to music while you write, or are you someone who needs complete silence to work?

  

I usually need complete silence. Music inspires my stories, but while writing, I need to concentrate and so no distractions, even from music. 

Do you have a designated “work space”, and if so, can you describe it?

In my old house I had the ‘Study’. Now I’ve moved into a much smaller house, I’ve actually bought a bookshelf unit with a desk from Ikea. It does take up the corner of my small lounge, but I knew I needed an area dedicated to my writing. The idea is that when the boys grow up and move out, I’ll take over the small bedroom (my six-year old’s room). It might happen sooner if they can’t keep their rooms tidy – I keep threatening that they’ll have to share a bedroom ha ha! 

Do you get nervous reading reviews of your books?

Oh, gosh, yes! Obviously, the ones that say they loved my book make me smile and give me that warm fuzzy feeling. For the ones that are not so positive, I realise I will not please them all and the world is built by different people with different tastes, so my book will not be to everyone’s liking.

    

Paperback or ebooks – do you have a preference?

Both! I have to say that as my debut novel is in ebook. But I do love my kindle, and then I do love reading from real books too and having them line my bookshelf. 

Do you plan your stories before you start writing them, or do you just “wing” it?

Hey, the good thing about romance is that I know I’ve got to produce a happy ending. I am a bit of both. I usually have in mind how I want my story to end. Sometimes, I  have a blank page and I’ve got to fill it and the characters go off and do their thing – and sometimes I’m amazed by my genius of it all ha ha! Then, sometimes I know a certain scene needs to be written to make A get to B. But yes, I’m probably wing it more than I plan it. Is that good or bad? 

How did it feel the first time you saw your name on the cover of that book you’d written?

I think I’m still pinching myself even now! It was EPIC! Or as my nine year old would say, “Awesome!”   

What advice would you give to anyone just starting out on their writing journey?

Just write it! It doesn’t matter how good or bad it is, you can not edit a blank page.

Social media – friend or foe?

I love social media because I’m a sociable type of person. I love with Facebook I’ve found friends from years ago, and am now able to stay in touch. Twitter has allowed me to chat to people I never thought I’d be able to. I had a real fangirl moment when Liz Fielding (one of my favourite Mills and Boon authors) replied to me for the first time. Now we’re RNA Chapter buddies!
But I do find it is a time drainer and makes you very easily procrastinate, because before you know it an hours gone and you’ve not done any of the
jobs you were supposed to have done, i.e. writing... 


Plus One is a Lucky Number - The Blurb

Sophie’s going to a wedding where the invite is strictly plus one… but with her single girl status not exactly fitting in with the bridesmaid dress code, and the best man being none other than the ex she would rather forget, Sophie needs a date and she needs one fast! 

Luckily for Sophie, her dreamy but distant co-worker Adam Reid owes their mutual friend James big time…and his gorgeousness more than fills the role of the ‘Perfect Boyfriend’!
 
As they take off to the sunny shores of Cornwall for the wedding weekend, it’s not long before pretence leads to passion and Sophie and Adam must decide; is their relationship real or is it all for show?

Author Bio:

I live in sunny Weston-super-Mare, trying to hold onto my Surrey accent where I was born and bred.

For years I persevered with boring jobs, until my two boys joined my nest. In an attempt to find something to work around them, and to ensure I never endured full time boredom again, I found writing.

I am at my happiest baking cakes, putting proper home cooked dinners on the table (whether the kids eat them or not), reading a good romance, or creating a touch of escapism with heroes readers will fall in love with.

                   

                                         *

 
Contact Links for Teresa - Blog / Website / Twitter / Facebook

And for more information on Plus One is a Lucky Number, plus purchase links, check out the following sites -  

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Harper Impulse
Add on Goodreads

Kobo

Follow @michellebetham Tweet

New release! Offside! by Jamie Tucker Dougan.

My lovely Twitter friend and fellow author Jamie T. Dougan's latest release Offside!
is the first in a series of novellas featuring fictional Premiership footballer Shane Henderson. You may remember I revealed the rather sexy cover for this book just a couple of weeks ago, but now you can finally get your hands on the book itself! 

 

Want to find out what it's all about? Read on...


Shane Henderson is not your typical premiership footballer. Fast cars, faster women, casinos, nightclubs and the likes are not for him. So it probably wasn't a good idea to marry an attention seeking, bed-hopping ex-topless model with a few secrets.
 
Shane is just a normal guy with a heart that's broken trying to settle with someone who deserves his heart. Sometimes his head has other ideas though.
 
Offside! is the first in a series of novellas about Shane's life that at times is more complicated than the offside rule in football.

* 

Offside! is available to download now from AmazonUK and Amazon.com.

You can also check out all of Jamie's books HERE on Amazon. 

To find out more about Jamie, and his books, check out his BLOG, follow him on TWITTER, and you can also pop over and "like" his FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE!

*

Wishing you loads of success with Offside!, Jamie. I can't wait to read it!  


Follow @michellebetham Tweet

Nicky Wells talks Spirits of Christmas...

Today I am absolutely delighted to be featuring the fabulous Nicky Wells - and her latest book Spirits of Christmas - here on my blog.

The festive season is now well and truly upon us, so read on to find out more about Nicky's rock 'n' roll take on A Christmas Carol, check out an excerpt from the book, and find out what inspired this rock chick author to write a Christmas-themed novella... 

*

 Spirits of Christmas: A Rock’n’Roll Christmas Carol

At one time, up-and-coming rock singer Jude had it all: a great band, a platinum record, a loving girlfriend. This Christmas, however, he is well down the road towards spontaneous self-destruction.

Unwitting at first, Jude has progressively alienated his band and driven away the love of his life. Tonight, the night before Christmas Eve, he has broken the final taboo during a disastrous gig. Yet Jude doesn’t see how badly his life has derailed, not until a ghostly procession of legends passes through his bedroom with a series of vivid and powerful wake-up calls.

Will the Spirits help Jude put the friendship, love, and rock music back into his Christmas?

Spirits of Christmas is a modern-day rock’n’roll adaption of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. This novella will enchant romance readers, rock lovers, fans of ghost stories, and everybody who adores the festive season.

Amazon.co.uk Kindle | Amazon.co.uk Paperback

Amazon.com Kindle | Amazon.com Paperback

*

EXCERPT

‘Hiya, Jude!’

The voice emerged from the door, and Jude’s head whipped round as if drawn by a string.

‘Hiya, Jude,’ the voice repeated cheerfully. Unexpectedly, it launched into the first line of one of Jude’s most favourite songs. Jude once again sank onto the bed, his legs refusing to carry him with the shock of this second apparition.

‘Is this really you?’

For a moment, Jude’s second otherworldly visitor abandoned his song and remained silent, motionless, allowing Jude to take a good, long look. The sideburns, the nose, the defined chin, the round glasses were clearly visible despite the spirit’s transparent appearance. Everything about this figure was familiar, yet nothing was quite as it should have been. It was as though Jude was looking at a hologram, a distorted, stretched vision where nothing quite fitted together.

Nonetheless, Jude found his voice. ‘Oh my God, it is you!’

Excitement made his exclamation strong and clear. The figure flinched at the sudden burst of noise, but Jude ploughed on. ‘This is…this is totally unreal. I mean, imagine this—here’s me in my bedroom, and there’s you, come to visit me.’

‘I’m not who you think you see,’ the apparition interrupted. ‘I’m the Ghost of Christmas Past.’

*

Inspiration for Spirits of Christmas…

Writing this novella was a bit of an inevitability for me, all things considered. If you don’t already know me, you have to understand that I simply love rock music. Rock musicians are like Viagra for my soul. I’m also a sucker for romance and a good-old fashioned happy ending. Moreover, I love the Christmas season: the lights, the sweets, the laughter. Combining all those things ~ rock, romance, and Christmas ~ was one of the most delightful writing projects of my career so far!

The idea for this book came to me the very night after I launched my second book, Sophie’s Run, in February of this year. I was hyped up with excitement, I had finished writing my third book and was waiting for publisher edits, and I had already planned my fourth full-length novel. I was utterly and completely unable to sleep with everything that was going on, and quite unexpectedly, the whole story was in my head. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is one of my favourite Christmas stories both in the original and its many varied adaptations. I suddenly thought… why not bring it into the rock’n’roll domain?

My wonderful husband, Jon, was somewhat taken aback when I presented him with this plan the following morning.

‘I’m going to write a Christmas novella,’ I said.

‘But you’ve got another book launch in September, and you’ve planned your fourth book already—how’s this going to fit in?’ he responded enthusiastically, if pragmatic.

‘I’ll figure it out.’

And so I did. It took me just over a week to write the first draft in May 2013, and another few weeks here and there to tweak, fine-tune and polish it over the following months. But here it is. Spirits of Christmas. I hope you enjoy!

*

About Nicky Wells: Romance that Rocks Your World!

Hi! I’m Nicky Wells, your ultimate rock chick author. My books offer glitzy, glamorous contemporary romance with a rock theme ~ imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill! If you’ve ever had a crush on any kind of celebrity ~ rock, pop, movie or other ~ you’ll connect with my heroes and my leading ladies!

Like my first leading lady, Sophie, I love listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When I’m not writing, I’m a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and regular contributor to The Midweek Drive show on Lincoln’s Siren 107.3 FM. Rock on!

My books: Sophie’s Turn | Sophie’s Run | Sophie’s Encore | Spirits of Christmas

Join me:Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Romantic Novelists’ Association |Sapphire Star Publishing | Amazon | Goodreads| Pinterest

*

Nicky is also running a very special offer this month - you can grab yourself a copy of Spirits of Christmas for just $0.99/77p until 14th December! What are you waiting for?

  

Thank you so much for guesting here on my blog today, Nicky, and I wish you every success with Spirits of Christmas! Have a rockin' festive season! 

Follow @michellebetham Tweet

I got the call!

No, not the one from Timothy Olyphant begging me to don my cowboy boots and get myself over to the set of Justified to be the leading lady he's been looking for all his life... sorry. I let my imagination run away with me slightly there... where was I? Oh yeah. I got the call! The call. The call I've been dreaming about from the second I started out on this crazy writing journey of mine. The call I've been dreaming about forever, really.

It had been a pretty average day, to be honest, the day it all started to happen. I wasn't feeling particularly on top of the world. I'd just spent the morning re-watching episodes of Breaking Bad as a way of distracting myself from doing anything constructive, and I was in one of those "meh" moods, if truth be told. My motivation had taken an unannounced holiday, the weather was rubbish, and I was seriously thinking about giving writing a bit of a break. But then I decided to pop into my office and check my emails for the first time in days. And what did I find? One from Charlotte over at Harper Impulse asking if I was free for a chat about the manuscripts I'd sent them! Talk about an instant mood change...

I had to re-read it a couple of times at first, because I just hadn't been expecting to see that. I'd submitted a manuscript to them way back in March, and had assumed that one had been rejected, but then I'd also sent them another one a few months later, but hadn't really thought anything would happen with that one, either. I'm one of life's eternal pessimists, you see. I look on the black side of everything, and if anything good happens then it's a bonus. I can't help it, I'll never change. So, I was just over the moon that a real-life publisher - a publisher! - wanted to speak to me, about my books. Books I'd written. I didn't sleep the night before that phone call, believe me. Publishers don't usually ring you to tell you they've rejected your manuscript, and Charlotte had sent an email back saying it was happy news, so I was just a little bit excited.

And once I'd spoken to Charlotte - who is just so lovely to talk to, but I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to her because when I'm nervous I tend to ramble on and sound a bit like a wittering idiot - I was even more excited! Then nervous, then excited again, then scared, then a little bit more excited... It was a roller-coaster of emotions over those next few days, but I can't tell you how grateful I am to the amazing team over there at Harper Impulse. They have - quite literally - made my dream come true. Well, maybe not the one about Timothy Olyphant in a stetson going all US Marshal on me... maybe I'll keep that one for some book inspiration (first draft is almost finished... no, seriously...) They made my lifelong dream of becoming a published author come true. Oh, I know I've self-published over half a dozen books over the past couple of years, but in the back of my mind I always wondered if I was good enough, if my stories were good enough, for a publisher to sit up and take notice. And one did. And, what's more, it was the publisher I'd set my heart on. And I still can't believe they wanted me.

And, if all of that wasn't enough, I got another call from Charlotte just a week or so ago telling me my little Christmas novella was one of their three winners of the Winter Wonderland Competition they'd been running! More amazing news! That little book I wrote a year ago was good enough to win a competition! To say I'm still stunned would be an understatement, because I'm literally living my dream now.

But it's still scary. There are some incredible authors signed to Harper Impulse, and I sometimes wonder if I can live up to their talent, but all I know is I'm going to give it one hell of a go and work so hard. All I ever wanted to do was write - from the day I could pick up a pen; from the time I started reading those Enid Blyton books to the day I picked up my first Jackie Collins novel and thought, that's the kind of stuff I want to write. I remember telling a lecturer at college back in the early 90s, when she asked me what my dream was, that I wanted to write novels, and I wanted to, ultimately, have a book published. And I hope, one day, she'll see that I finally achieved that dream. Thanks to Harper Impulse. I'm honoured and blessed to be part of such an incredible team.

My first book with Harper Impulse is due for release very soon, so watch this space for news on that, and for the impending cover reveal! Exciting!!

And check out the Harper Impulse website to find out more about their authors, their books, and the special winter sale that's currently running...

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a manuscript to finish...




  Follow @michellebetham Tweet

How a hot, hat-wearing Kentucky lawman spawned the book I can't stop writing...

Sometimes, as an author, you just need to hole yourself up in a little space somewhere and lose yourself in your work - am I right? Well, it's certainly true for me. Sometimes. Like, right now. Because, at the moment, I'm actively looking for a few distractions to take my mind off one or two things going on at the minute, so, I decided to set myself a bit of a target and see if I could write a brand new book in just a matter of weeks. Now, when I say I decided to see if I could write a brand new book, it wasn't quite as simple as that. I already had an idea, you see. Unexpected inspiration had hit me like a rocket launcher, and when that happens I just know I've got to get stuck in and write. So, last week I started this new book. Almost six days in I've written over 31,000 words and the story is still pouring out of me. I can't even relax and watch TV in the evenings because my mind is whirring constantly with ideas and notes I have to make.

Timothy Olyphant as Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens in Justified

However, there is one programme I have the ability to concentrate on quite easily - sort of, anyway. And that's the programme that gave me the inspiration for this new book I'm writing. The book that has meant everything else has been put on the back burner because this just needs to come out. Like, really badly! And that programme is Justified. And the man who gave me that head-on, rocket-launcher-style hit of inspiration is an actor called Timothy Olyphant, and, more importantly, the character he plays in Justified, Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens. Described as a "19th century style lawman in 21st century Kentucky", Raylan is a strong, takes-no-crap kind of guy who can handle a gun pretty damn well and carry off a stetson and cowboy boots better than any man I've ever seen. And, after watching just two episodes of this pretty addictive show, I'd created my own sexy lawman - Sheriff Ethan Everett - and a story that I now can't stop writing. It's taken over everything I do at the minute, because I have never felt so excited about a new book, or a new set of characters, for a long time. And I know I should really be concentrating on the third installment of the Striker trilogy, and I will be doing just that, real soon. That book is all but planned out and ready to go, but I just need to finish this (as yet un-named) new novel, while the inspiration is hitting me like it's hitting me now. 

The super-gorgeous Timothy Olyphant, again - funnily enough, this time playing a sheriff in 2010 movie 'The Crazies'... arrest me, please!!!

I've been re-reading through what I've written so far this morning, and I actually felt butterflies in my stomach as I read through it all; I felt excited, and proud of what I've managed to get down in less than six days of beginning this novel. The characters are now fully formed, the story is pushing forward, and I'm in love with writing this book. In love! It's a strong story (even if I do say so myself), it's a heartbreaking story at times, hell, it even made me cry when I read certain bits back, but it's something that has provided me with that much-needed distraction; it's given me a chance to see just what I can do in a short time-frame, and it's given me a chance to create a whole new set of characters I am so in love with, I miss them when I have to shut down the laptop each night. Call me crazy, call me sad; I have no life at the minute, that's probably fairly obvious. But at least parking my arse on the sofa last week handed me inspiration I just didn't see coming, but I'm so, so happy it turned up when I just wasn't expecting it.

What kind of book is it, then, exactly? Well, it's a love story - pure and simple. The story of a woman who goes back to a place where she'd once spent a long summer way back when she was young; a place that harbours secrets, and a man she was never really able to forget. It's a complicated love story, a heartbreaking love story, but it's romance my style. Let's not forget that, so, yeah, it's just a little bit sexy, too...

Loving that hat...

So, I just felt the need to get this off my chest - and to tell the world that, hopefully, one day, Sheriff Ethan Everett will make it onto those virtual bookshelves out there, and people will enjoy reading about him, and this story that hit me from right out of nowhere, just as much as I am enjoying writing it. To get to my desk each morning and literally get goosebumps at the thought of spending the day writing this story, that has to be a good thing, doesn't it? Or am I just a little bit crazy...???

Anyway, I'm aiming to have a rough first draft of the book ready by the time I've finished watching the first 4 seasons of Justified. That's my target. We're about to finish season 2 in the next day or so, so that means we should be caught up in around a fortnight's time. And that's when I aim to have the first draft finished, but, we'll see. Who knows what may come up to thwart that best-laid plan, but, that's certainly what I'm aiming for. And I can be one very determined author when I set my mind to it! This story is going to get finished. You can bet your life on that! 

So, watch this space for more info on how I'm doing, and for a few little teasers from the book, too... I think some of you are just going to fall in love with my very own sexy Sheriff...


Follow @michellebetham Tweet

Cover Reveal - Offside! by Jamie Tucker Dougan

Today I am delighted to be featuring the cover reveal for fellow author Jamie Tucker Dougan's soon-to-be-released novella, Offside!

So, check out that pretty sexy cover, and then I'll let Jamie tell you a little bit more about the book itself...

'Offside! is the first in a series of novellas following the love life and career of fictional footballer, Shane Henderson. The story is not all about football though and neither is it all about sex, as the cover may hint at. Yes, there are parts of the story that are “adult” themed and some may find quite racy. But the main theme of the story is Shane trying to find who his heart belongs to… or, who deserves his heart.

The picture on the cover hints to one line in the story where a shy Shane is convinced by his girlfriend to pose with her for a charity football calendar.

The first “episode” of Offside! is scheduled for release on Kindle before Christmas 2013. The second “episode” is scheduled for release in spring 2014.'

*

You can find all of Jamie's other books HERE on Amazon. 

And they're also available HERE from the Kobo Store.  

You can also keep up-to-date with Jamie via his BLOG, follow him on TWITTER, or check out his Author Page over on Facebook!

 

Follow @michellebetham Tweet