Scribbles!

March Poster: Simply Dreaming.....

2012-03-01T03:34:00.003-08:00

As part of my 2012 theme, I am designing a poster for each month and today I can reveal the poster for March!

I took this photograph as the dawn was breaking over the ocean in Puerto del Carmen. I've used the words, Simply Dreaming because it conjures up so many thoughts, but what words would you use?

Sometimes It Happens

2012-02-28T07:27:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, my protagonist, Doreen Wilkinson from Sometimes It Happens... has had a few elocution lessons and the book has now been republished, but Doreen is still Doreen and I still love her. She has joined me today to add her little piece.... go on take away Dor, you tell it your way.......

"Hello everyone, you can be sure me is still me, I might have been given some of that fancy talk malarkey, but I can tell you I'm still good old Doreen Wilkinson. As you know I won the lottery and I can tell you for nothing, it's not all about having plenty of dosh, though we've got our fair share now. But when I ended up with my girl on holiday at Villas Bonitas, nothing, and I mean nothing, could have prepared me for what really happened there. It took more than the wind out of me sails and if I had my way, I'd light up a fag, pour us all a big glass of bubbly and I'd tell you all about it right now, but Pauline, nice enough girl, a tad bossy for my liking, as said I've to keep me trap shut. So if you really want to find out about my week at Villas Bonitas, take a look at me book, Sometimes It Happens.... and sit back enjoy the luxury, the poshness and the surprises! You can find it at Amazon.

"Anyway, thanks for stopping by I hope you'll have a giggle, believe you me I did. Cor blimey, I certainly did!"

Puerto del Carmen - Carnival Time!

2012-02-26T06:29:00.000-08:00

Saturday 25th February was Carnival Day in Puerto del Carmen and what a Carnival it was. The procession started at 5pm and meandered along the long seafront road, 3 hours later it was still flowing. But it was not only the magnificent costumes of the parade that was breathtaking, but those who watched along the entire route. Everyone was into the spirit of the festival including the restaurant, cafe owners, shop workers everyone soaking up the carnival atmosphere. We went as ghosts...... and as well as us, here are just some of the amazing sights that enjoyed the 2012 Carnival!

An finally........

A Wonderful Surprise - Three Desk Top Posters!

2012-02-24T06:05:00.001-08:00

Look at what I had today in my inbox - not one, but three gorgeous desk top posters. These fabby posters have been designed by the wonderfully talented, Cathy Helms from Avalon Graphics..... what do you think?

I just love them.... thank you so much Cathy!

I'm in the Virtual Florida Sunshine!

2012-02-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

For all of this week, I'm at the amazing Janet Beasley's Author Splash in Florida! Not only is there lots of fabby pics about me and where I live, but Janet as produced an amazing video too!

I hope you'll be able to come along and share Janet's amazing hospitality, you'll find us at http://www.jlbcreatives.blogspot.com/

Oh yes, this is me, but you'll need to come along to Janet's Blog to find out more!

Doreen Wilkinson to get Elocution Lessons, Cor Blimey!

2012-02-19T04:27:00.000-08:00

After some reviews about the main character, Doreen Wilkinson being a little difficult to understand, Sometimes It Happens... is being re-edited to soften her accent.

Re-publishing on Kindle is planned before the end of the month. When asked about having these lessons, Doreen said. "I fink it's sad, but if yer can't understan' wot I'm sayin' then yer missin' all about me lottery win an' also wot really happene'!" Giggling added, "Sorry, I meant to say, I think it's sad, but if you can't understand what I'm saying then you're missing all about my lottery win and also what really happened. I hope when my mate Pauline republishes my amazing story in Sometimes It Happens..., because it really did, you'll still read all about what a crazy time I had at Villas Bonitas and I promise to talk proper!"

I'm Spoilt for Choice are You?

2012-02-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

When I'm not writing I love to find a warm comfy spot and read. As well as my Kindle, which I love, we have shelves of books, though most read, but there are a few still to go! Of late I've changed my reading habits because there is a wealth of new authors out there which I can so easily download to my Kindle.

Last year I decided to read as many new author books as possible and did I read some fantastic book? Of course I did! And I've already got the New Year of to a fabby start with more new author books on my list to read, but here are few I recently read and loved.

The Ghost of You and Me by Joanne Lambert

The Diary of a Misfit Mummy by Amanda Egan

Shades of Appley Green by Miriam Wakerly

To Much Trouble in Paradise by Michelle Betham

And if you are like me and love to read new author's publications can I suggest you take a peek at the BOOKS page over at Famous Five Plus, the choice is mind boggling with over 60 titles and in paperback and Kindle. Oh yes, you can also request to join their chatty Reader's Club.

I'm away to pick my next book, so difficult as they all sound fab!....eeny meeny miny mo, which to read first.....sigh!

Do share wiht us what you love to read: new, old, well known....or?

My Unexpected Reader!

2012-02-12T06:42:00.000-08:00

Now don't we writers just love readers?

Of course we do and the more the merrier. My emotional passionate saga, Satchfield Hall attracted a very unusual reader.....

I'm awaiting to hear what she thinks and to hand her the tissues as she paws her way through the pages!

From Little Acorns... It's the lovely Sheryl Browne

2012-02-10T03:41:00.000-08:00

Today, I have the fabby Sheryl Browne reclining around my pool sipping at a glass of bubbly and excitedly telling me all about her best selling debut novel, Recipes for Disaster. Come and join us we've got all the ingredients for a great day!

From Little Acorns…
Recently, I visited my local library. Nothing unusual about that, except this time I wasn’t there to browse, fingering spines and peering under richly coloured book-jackets wrapped tantalisingly around the delicious goodies within. I was there to meet the Library Manager to discuss an author talk and book-signing. The author talk to be given to members invited from book-clubs and art networks throughout the county. The book to be signed: my own. A quite unique book, the Library Manager enthused, and went on to outline how she’d already requested twelve copies to be housed in county libraries and wondered if she could perhaps have a stand housing more in their library.

Perhaps?
Ooh, I should think so, was my reply, trying to sound efficient, rather than so effervescent I might pop on the spot and burst with excitement. I’d done it! After twenty years trying to write right, which didn’t pass by agentless and completely without hope, I’d finally got a book published and was being taken seriously as an author! Only a writer can know the sheer joy of being able to justify so much time and emotion invested in something, because, quite simply, you are too passionate about your writing to give up.

For me, though, the joy was threefold. The publisher, you see, had invested in me to a degree. When I approached them, I didn’t have this book. It wasn’t written. Bear with me while I elucidate. I write rom com ~ my aim to leave people with that all-important feel good factor, particularly in today’s gloomy climate. I had sent examples of my work to the publisher and, in truth, expected a rejection. I’d done my homework and realised that perhaps my work wasn’t quite right for them. There was something about their site though, their aims, history and attitude, that made me think… hope …that maybe they could offer me a little advice. Sometimes, approached in the right way, publishers and agents will.

I was thrilled when they did just that. I’m always determined to use suggestions/criticism positively, even when my heart might be sloshing about somewhere shoe-level. Then I was gobsmacked. Safkhet Publishing, it turned out loved my style and asked me to write Recipes for Disaster for them: a truly innovative cookbook with sexilicious rom com recipes!

Would I?

YES! You bet. Now! Immediately. Naturally, I seized the opportunity. I’d love to, I said delightedly. But could I? Uneasy trepidation crept in. Really, could I? Or would doubt cloud my creativity until I could barely string a sentence together? No, it would not! I gave negativity short shrift and began writing, positively. I have to confess waiting for the initial feedback, I ran out of fingernails and almost started on the desk. And then they said Yes! They loved it! Music to a writer’s ears.

And so, with much encouragement from Safkhet Publishing, Recipes for Disaster was born ~ and here I am, about to meet with another local resident. This lady runs her own business, a deli on the High Street, and has an inspired idea to cook from the book, selling the produce at the deli in combination with a book-signing. Like the library, she is also proposing to have the books on the shelf. Hoorah! She has local media contacts and our hope is to bring customers to the High Street, which will be beneficial to all.

This, I think, explains my euphoria ~ and this is one of Safkhet Publishing’s aims: We believe in people helping themselves, so we support other independent businesses and non-profit endeavours.

From little local acorns… Recipes for Disaster, published Feb 1, sold over 5,000 copies in less than a week! What’s more, I now have a further three-book contract!! Somebody To Love, A Little Bit of Madness and Naked Fully Clothed are to be published under the new Safkhet Soul imprint.  THANK YOU, Safkhet!

Recipes for Disaster

The shortest way to a man's heart

Mix romantic comedy and step-by-step cooking instructions. Bake at 200 degrees for an entertaining read and handy guide.

She's a single. He's a widower. She wants him. He wants her. She wants to impress. So does he. There's just one catch – she can't cook. To get him, she needs to get past the big fish – his mother. Lucky her, she's got an Ace up her sleeve and all she's got to do is impress this one time. Bad luck, though, her new guy can't cook either, her dog Rambo is on the loose and now they've got to pull off the big lunch at the club. Will it be a match made in heaven? Will they be able to pull off a culinary miracle? Will their combined efforts result in love at first bite? Or is it simply a Recipe for Disaster?

Format: Paperback. Also available on Kindle

Available from: Amazon, any local bookstore, or direct from Safkhet Publishing

Safkhet Publishing
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com
Website: www.sherylbrowne.com
Author Facebook
Romantic Novelists’ Association
A loveahappyending featured Author
Twitter: @sherylbrowne

Thanks Sheryl for telling us all about your wonderful journey to publishing, Recipes for Disasters, enjoy the bubbly, I think you more than deserve these bottles!

Reviews: Blessing or Curse?

2012-02-07T06:59:00.000-08:00

Today, I am over at Famous Five Plus looking at reviews: are they a blessing or a curse and how do we deal with them?

Do pop over and leave your thoughts at http://famousfiveplus.blogspot.com

Aloa Vera Truly Beautiful!

2012-02-06T04:17:00.000-08:00

This time of the year, the Aloe Vera plant is beautiful with its poker red blooms creating a contrast between the blue sky and the green rubbery plant.

Aloe Vera can be seen planted all over the island, along roadsides, communal gardens, seafront gardens, hotel gardens, private gardens. It can be a small plant or very large. We have around a dozen medium size in our own garden, but it is only at this time of the year we see its true beauty.

During the periods of no rain, these plant turn a light brown and can look forgotten and dead! But they are not, a sprinkle of water will have them back to light green colour in no time. Mentioning, rain, we have had no real rain here for around ten months!

But Aloe Vera is not just any plant, it is a healing plant and creams and lotions are sold in abundance on the island. The extracts from the plant help heal irritated skin, ease the irritation of shingles, helps re-hydrate skin as well as keeping skin soft and smooth. If you have a tad too much sun and your skin is burning, the way to sooth the soreness is to snip at the Aloe Vera, squeeze out the green jelly type fluid then rub directly onto the burnt skin. It is almost instant in its effect at taking out the sting.

As well as being excellent for the skin, I know of a local lady who drinks the juice from the Aloe Vera plant to help heal her stomach, I have no idea if this is normal, so can not recommend it, but this person insists it is good for her!

Just one of the exotic plants we have on our little pebble in the ocean.

Book Reviewer Extraordinaire, Kim Nash!

2012-02-03T03:42:00.000-08:00

Although it is a little overcast down here today, we've still decided to sit round my pool and chat, so please welcome my lovely guest, Kim Nash.

"Hi Pauline, it’s a pleasure to join you on your fabulous terrace in the sunshine. Pass the champers sweetie! *clink*

Thanks so much for inviting me to join you and tell you a little bit about me and why I blog about books. Here goes :

I have always been an avid reader. As a child I remember my Mom telling me not to stay up too late reading, but I would sit up till all hours dying to get to the end! She didn't mind really, she was exactly the same when she was young - obviously where I got it from.

I love a book which makes me think about it, when I’m not reading it. I lose myself in the plots and feel like I’m watching from the shadows. I find it really easy to picture the people and the scenes and there are days when I just can’t wait to get home to find out what the next thing is that is going to happen. I love chick lit, love, humour, crime, stories about spirits, angels and mediums, and I love to read self help type books too. That probably covers most genres really! I just wish I had more time to read. I’d be quite happy to go to bed really early every night to read, but think that makes me a very unsociable member of the family!

I've read so many fabulous books over the years and they just keep on coming. There are many amazing authors out there, and I’m discovering new ones every day, and that makes it very difficult to say who my favourites are. One of the most memorable ones for me, is Lets Meet on Platform 8 by Carole Matthews, a fabulous and emotional read. She is still one of my most favourite authors and I am totally honoured and privileged that I am now a reviewer of her books. I have to admit to being a bit star struck when I speak to her on Twitter or by email! And to think that my little old blog and hobby could possibly help them to sell more books is quite astounding.

When I was young, I always imagined myself having my own book publishing company where I got to read books all day long! Fantastic. I'm now 43 years old (ssshhhh don't tell anyone that please) and never got my dream. However, last year I had a “moment” when I decided that it was about time I did something I really enjoyed doing.

After reading a book called Spring Affair by the wonderful Milly Johnson, I wrote to Milly to tell her how fabulous, motivating and inspirational I found it. It was all about clutter clearing and made me immediately go and clear out my cupboards then look at different aspects of my life. Milly wrote back to me the same day to thank me for my comments and I kept in touch with her a few times. I suppose that was the instigating moment that made me decide to do this blog and when I suggested my idea to her she told me to go for it. I owe a lot to Milly – a lovely lady and a fabulous author.

One of the first people to ask me to review their book was you Pauline and your book Sometimes It Happens was such an enjoyable read, I felt like I could feel the sunshine beating down on my body, and living in the fabulous complex with the rich and famous. My review can be found here http://kimthebookworm.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-sometimes-it-happens-by-pauline.html
I do believe that I was born to have a life like that which was probably why I could relate to it so much. Maybe one day!

I am Mom to 4 year old Oliver, who keeps me busy and is the love of my life! I work for a PR and editorial agency in Cannock, Staffs called Passionate Media (www.passionatemedia.co.uk). I absolutely love working with the people there, such a genuine and lovely group of people and I am a reviewer and contributor to our family travel website http://www.havealovelytime.com/
which is really enjoyable. We also specialise in helping people with their social media profiles so I get to Facebook and tweet to my heart’s content.

I hope that my wonderful Mom is looking down on me from heaven and is proud of the fact that I've created this blog all about books and that she's happy that I'm able to spend a little of my time doing something that I thoroughly enjoy. I just wish that I could share all these wonderful books with her.

Thanks so much for having me over Pauline and have me whitter on about my hobby. I’ve had a lovely time but I think I’ve talked enough now and I’m probably ready for another glass of bubbly x x"

Thanks for sitting around my pool, enjoy the rest of the bubbly, *hands over a full bottle! *

You can read all of Kim's reviews on her Blog http://kimthebookworm.blogspot.com
Or chat with her on Twitter: @KimTheBookworm

Hearts & Fowers Love & Kisses

2012-02-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

February the Month of Love!

As part of my plan to design a poster for each month of the year,

today I share with you my February one!

I just love this photo and decided that this month would be perfect to use it.

Poppy, or Mrs Sausage as she is also called, is one of our gorgeous rescue doggies, she was a very sad little thing when we brought her home.

We'd had only a few weeks when this photo was taken. She was five and half then, now ten and a very happy little doggie these days and bossy! But we love her to bits.

So if you have a pet give them a big hug right now!

Writing is Strictly Business!

2012-01-30T07:14:00.000-08:00

A special thank you to Debbie & Paul at Strictly Business, who have, on a number of occasions, supported me and now support the exciting and dynamic Indie Group, Famous Five Plus.

As most of you know, I set up the Indie Author group, Famous Five Plus so that authors could share their writing experience and feel part of a group that has many things in common. So far it has been an exciting journey, bringing amazing and talented writers together from all over the world, but one thing I had not expected was that other people who were not writers, but offered services in marketing, publishing, designing etc, would be interested to offer support to the group.

Some of these wonderful people are now official Friends, to Famous Five Plus. One of these Friends runs an e-magazine, Strictly Business and their February edition, out today, includes a page highlighting six book covers from some of FFP authors, plus a link back to our FFP site. And there will be a new page next month showing more of FFP authors' publications. Now how kind and supportive is that?

To see the magazine and our page, click here

I will no doubt be sharing more of these stories with you, but please feel free to share your story too in the comments and I just might do a new post with all of them included!

Kimberly Menozzi, Italy & Writing!

2012-01-26T02:55:00.000-08:00

Today I have the lovely Kimberly Menozzi sitting around my pool, originally from the USA, Kimberley now lives in Italy. Author of two publications, she is talking about the influences her new home has on her writing.... take it away Kimberly!

"I'm frequently asked if living in Italy has any influence on what – or how – I write. Naturally, the short answer to this is 'Yes, it does.' Of course it does – how could it not? I live in a country which I'd never even considered living in until I was actually here and preparing to do so.

The truth is, when I arrived here eight years ago, I knew nothing about Italy aside from a few menu items and a multitude of stereotypes. More importantly, since I've lived here, I've found myself viewing the world – not to mention my own home in the US – a bit differently, perhaps even a bit more clearly. Distance will do that for you, and I'm grateful for that.

The ability to look at things with some objectivity and clarity is a precious thing, I've found. This shift of perception is the thing which has had the biggest influence on my writing. I have always had a desire to educate and to entertain, and what better way is there than through a novel or short story?

When I started writing Ask Me if I'm Happy, I didn't intend to educate my readers about Italy. I just wanted to tell a story. As I wrote that story, though, I discovered certain themes and threads appearing in the narrative. I realized I was writing about people I knew in real life, and not the stereotypes I'd read countless times before. Along with the characters populating the novel, Italians and Americans alike, the Italy I described was as true to life as I could make it.

Early on, I understood this meant I would have to write about an imperfect Italy, and that, in turn, meant writing a story which might disappoint some readers. To say, albeit indirectly, that Italy is not the paradise we've come to consider it – particularly if you live here permanently – might not go over too well.

I'd already separated this story from those of many other writers by setting it in Bologna. While this is a city I love, it isn't a city most people think of when they think 'Italy'. I continued in this vein, writing as realistically as possible and doing my damnedest to make that city live and breathe as vividly and deeply as I could.

Any time I walked through my new hometown of Reggio nell'Emilia, I drew from the resources it provided: snatches of conversation, whether cheerful or heated; the clothing of the residents going to and from work; the way the gold-tinged sunlight slants downward on an early February afternoon; the fog which hangs low over the tops of buildings, never quite burning off before descending once again as night falls.

Just crossing from one end of town to the other could give me both a world clad in grey mist and a fragile, sunlit instant, depending on how close I was to the plain or to the mountains. That shift from one aspect to another is as mercurial as an Italian's disposition – perhaps even explains it – and it's something I'm still learning to get used to.

All of this made it to the page in one form or another, creating the atmosphere in which Emily and Davide meet, connect and, yes, fall in love. And in keeping with the story, they do this somewhat imperfectly. Which was only natural, I thought, since we're all affected by our surroundings – be they environmental, or cultural, or familial.

Ultimately, I wrote the story I wanted to write. I told the story I wanted to tell, the way I wanted to tell it. So far, it seems to have worked. I hope my readers are inclined to agree."

Thanks Kimberly for sharing this with us and wishing you great success with your life in Italy and your writing.

Kimberly is also an group member at Famous Five Plus for Indie Authors

Here are Kimberly's links
Website - http://www.kmenozzi.com
Blog - http://www.kmenozzi.com/blog.html

Books: Ask Me If I Am Happy
US - http://www.amazon.com/Ask-Me-Im-Happy-ebook/dp/B0051BDTXI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1325002876&sr=8-4

UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ask-Me-Im-Happy-ebook/dp/B0051BDTXI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1325002876&sr=8-4

Alternate Rialto
US - http://www.amazon.com/Alternate-Rialto-ebook/dp/B0051BTUQI/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_2_2

UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alternate-Rialto-ebook/dp/B0051BTUQI/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_2_2

A Grain of Courage!

2012-01-23T06:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but sometimes I wish I had little more self believe, particular when it comes to my writing. If I know who is reading my books I suddenly feel very critical and wonder if what I have written is interesting enough to keep them turning the pages to the end. I have this every time despite some wonderful reviews.

It is times like this that I know I would benefit from a pinch of Henry Bryant-Smythe's character. Henry is not only ruthless, but totally absorbed in his own importance and gives not a jot for what others might think of him. He goes about his business and his life unconcerned about his impact on those who have contact with him, including family. Henry Bryant-Smythe is a powerful and rich Squire in my novel, Satchfield Hall. Of course I wouldn't or couldn't be like him, but maybe a tiny grain of his personality, the part that stops him dwelling on what others think about what he does or says would be very nice indeed.

As I writer, I know I am not alone at being sensitive about my work, but which character would you like to have a grain of personality from, either from one of your novels you have written or from a book you have read?

Home or Home Sick?

2012-01-19T03:39:00.000-08:00

I'm often asked if I ever get home sick? Particularly as many people who come to the island for a holiday dream of living in the sun, many know they never will and love to know if I miss 'home'. The answer is yes!

We have lived outside the UK for a number of years and as much as I love the adventure of learning about different lifestyles and learning a new language I sometimes miss 'home!'

So what do I miss? Well, I'm not a great one for shopping, but sometimes it would be nice to have big shops and lots of them to meander around and have a choice. Though the last time we were in the UK we did run amok in the shops, but compared to our little stores, we needed a Sat Nav to get round the mega stores...!

Also as a writer it would be fab to be able to talk over a cup of coffee or lunch with another like minded person. Then there is the language, of course we try at all times to converse in Spanish when required, but when I need to explain something technical or legal, I would be so much better doing it in English. Thank goodness for arms and facial expressions, worth a thousand words!

I could list a few more, nice to have and dos, but it would be pointless becasue most of the time, I count what I have not what I miss, but we all have off days even living in the sun! And as lovely as it all looks to others, it can be the simplest things that you occasionally miss being an expat. So if you are an expat living abroad or a person who dreams of living outside your country, what would you miss?

Why Famous Five Plus?

2012-01-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

Today I am over at the lovely Paul Anthony's Blog talking about a group we are both members of the Famous Five Plus.

In fact I am trying to answer the question everyone keeps asking:

Why Famous Five Plus?

I hope I've managed it!

Here is the link for you to find out...

http://paulanthonys.blogspot.com/2012/01/selection-of-paul-anthony-books-ladies.html?spref=tw

Amanda Egan on how a phobia turned into a 5 Star Book

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

I have the wonderfully talented, Amanda Egan sitting at the side of my pool today talking about how a sad and terrible phobia set in place the foundations of her five star book, The Diary of a Mummy Misfit.

For as long as I can remember I’ve been a huge reader. As a child I liked nothing more than to escape into a good book and see it unravel in my head like a film. And I've always written - short stories, half finished novels and even a bad attempt at Mills and Boon!
I think the main reason I gave up on those attempts was because I'd got into the habit of over-planning and then, when it came to the actual writing, I was bored with the idea. Now I love to get the seed of an idea and see where the characters take me - much more exciting.

Diary of a Mummy Misfit came about five years ago when my son developed school phobia. At the age of eleven he left a small prep school and moved on to secondary school. He was, quite literally, unable to enter a classroom. The advice from child psychologists was to take baby steps with me constantly in the background. So for three long years, I remained either outside classroom doors or in the school car park.
Most days would see me reading at least ONE book and then, quite suddenly, I decided that I could use my more humorous prep school experiences and turn them into a work of fiction. My car became my office and I would tap away from 8.30 in the morning until school finished at 4. The book wrote itself within a matter of a few months - it’s amazing what you can do with no distractions. Then the hard graft of editing and polishing started. That wasn’t quite as much fun and seemed to take forever.

People often ask if the character of Libby is based on me and, I guess to a certain extent, she is. We made sacrifices to put our son through private education, we didn’t fit the demographic and met some larger than life characters along the way - some loveable, others intolerable. I took the whole experience and blended it into a story. Due to the nature of the book there are only six people from the school who are aware of the book (as far as I know) and I still live in fear that I could be run out of South West London!

The sequel, The Darker Side of Mummy Misfit, was written from the comfort of my home - son was flying solo by then. In some ways this made it more difficult as there were always reasons NOT to write - go on Twitter, put the washing on, make coffee, watch TV! But in lots of ways it also wrote itself as the stage had been set and the characters knew where they wanted to go.

Readers have suggested that there could be a third book in the series but I’m not so sure this would be the right move. I’m looking forward to writing other novels and moving away from the diary format.

So from my son’s sad and worrying condition, some good came - the birth of Mummy Misfit.

Thanks Amanda for talking time out to enjoy my bubbly and talk about your wonderfully funny book, which I loved.

You can read all about Amanda and her writing at http://mummymisfit.blogspot.com/

The Diary of a Mummy Misfit is available from Amazon

Does a Name Make a Difference?

2012-01-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

'Doreen Wilkinson is an unlikely name for a heroine!' I read this comment on one of the lovely reviews I received for Sometimes It Happens... So why did I choose this name?

Doreen's life had never been easy, her upbringing was nothing to write home about and by the time she was in her late teens, she was pregnant, married and living in a Council flat holding it all together as a cleaner when her hapless husband cleared off. With her strong Eastender accent, Doreen, soon became Dor, and despite her desperate existence, her sense of humour never deserted her.

As her daughter heads towards her eighteenth birthday, Doreen wins the lottery and is catapulted in to a world that makes no sense to her despite all her dreams of a better life for both of them. For a start she giggles too much which masks her insecurities, her accent instead of softening is more pronounced as she tries to compete with the rich and posh, but as much as she is out of her depth she never loses her sense of humour or her roots.

So why did I give my heroine an unlikely name as Doreen, well to be honest, because I really believe it suits her and to me she will always be Doreen or Dor or even Doll! Oh yes, she is called that too, but you'll have read the book to find out why!

As for the future, I'm still in to different names, my work in progress as a Kitty and a Rupert!

Blowing the Cobwebs Away!

2012-01-08T03:48:00.000-08:00

Phew what a start to the New Year and not all good, but to shake the gloom and cobwebs away, Saturday we got out our bikes and went for a fabby cycle ride.

We cycled along the wonderful cycle path that runs along the seafront at Puerto del Carmen through to Arrecife around15kms. The sea with its gentle waves lapping on the shore close by, the beach doted with sunbathers, the breeze in your hair and the sun on your face, now that is how to forget all your troubles.

Heading towards the airport we watched as silverbirds flew onto the island, bringing more tourists and taking the sun kissed ones back their home countries.

On the way back we parked our bikes and stopped at a lovely cafe /restaurant overlooking the ocean for a late lunch and munched into a mega club sandwich. Filled with roast chicken, bacon, egg, cheese, ham and salad we then pedalled along the seafront and up the very steep hill to home. Phew did I feel better...... Yay!

January the month for Dreams!

2012-01-04T07:25:00.000-08:00

As we start a new year, I am going to try and produce a poster each month throughout 2012 to reflect moods, emotions and whatever takes my fancy!

I confess to being excited about it all!

So to January, the month for promises, goals and dreams, this month's poster shows the sunrise taken this morning as we walked the doggies along the seafront in Puerto Del Carmen.

It was stunning and the colours breathtaking and I could not resist taking a picture.

To show off all my posters, I am going to create a page on this Blog and add each month's poster so you can see the mood changes as the year slips by.

January Book Cover Sponsors

2012-01-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

To start the New Year, I have some fabby book cover sponsors who will appear on my Blog for the entire month of January. You will see their book covers in the top corner on the right hand side of my Blog.

If you would like to be a book cover sponsor you will be most welcome, all I ask is that you add one of my covers to your Blog for the same period your cover is on mine..... simples! Email to chat more at
paulinembarclay@gmail.com

Now to meet my lovely sponsors...

Reaching for the Stars

Janice Horton

Devils With Wings

Harvey Black

Devils With Wings Silk Drop

Harvey Black

Sylvia Massara

Sylvia Massara

Maureen A. Miller

Jan & Don Beasley

Romy Gemmell

The covers are gorgeous and I hope you will read some if not all of these fabby publications!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T01:56:00.000-08:00

How did we get to the end of the year so fast, did I blink?

For me 2011 has been a year filled with many things some fabby times and a few not so fabby, but on balance a lovely year. On the writing front, with the help of the lovely Helen Hollick, my third novel Sometimes It Happens... was beautifully polished before being published in Kindle in May.

Seeing my third book so well edited, as you know I decided to re-edit my other two novels, Magnolia House & Satchfield Hall, due to heavy commitments for Helen, we could not work together for these two publications. Jo Field, another amazing and wonderful editor took me under her wing and by December, these two novels were not only republished in Kindle and paperback, but sporting fabby new covers designed by Avalon Graphics.

In June I also became one of the invited authors at loveahappyending.com and on 31st October, I set up a group for Indie Authors, called Famous Five Plus.

Not only has my year been filled with so much, but filled with smiles thanks to so many people who have taken their time to read my Blog, read my books and chat to me about their lives.

So I am not even going to attempt a list because it would be, as our American friends say, awesome! Thank you everyone of you for your kindness, friendship and support. Enjoy your New Year celebrations and I hope that 2012 is a year that brings you more moments than you can count to laugh, nano seconds that make you cry and twelve months of happiness and good health.

Sending sunny smiles and Hugs

Michelle Betham on Steamy Novels!

2011-12-28T05:52:00.000-08:00

With all the turkey eaten and the chocolates gone, not to mention all the wine drank, what better way to chill than round my pool. Today, Michelle Betham, author of three novels, is sipping champagne, soaking up the sun and chatting to me! Come on Michelle tell me all about those steamy novels of yours.....

When Pauline asked me if I would join her round by her pool for a little chat, I didn’t hesitate to say yes! Talking books, poolside, clinking glasses of bubbly with a fellow author? Who would turn that down?

So, I’m here to talk a little bit about me and my books - where do I start? Well, how about with, why did I want to become a writer? And there’s an easy answer to that one - because I’m a dreamer. I’m also slightly obsessed by the world of celebrity, for my sins - the world of movies and music, Hollywood and rock stars. I think, deep down inside, I’ve always really wanted to be an actress, up there on the big screen, surrounded by gorgeous leading men, (Bradley Cooper, preferably!) but the more rational side of me knew that was never going to happen. So I wrote about it instead, in my first book, No Matter What – the story of an ordinary girl from the North East of England who finds herself catapulted into an extraordinary life in Hollywood. Would that whole situation have been a dream of mine? Oh God, yes! That's what made it so easy to write!

And then there’s my fascination with rock music and rock stars. You see, it’s not just the clean cut, handsome Hollywood types that I find attractive. No, I love a man with tattoos! Think Dave Grohl from The Foo Fighters and you’ve just about got my perfect rock star! And it's my love of all things rock (I’ve even got my own tattoo!) that led me to write See You At The Show – a rock’n’roll love story about a beautiful, wild female rock-band roadie, a drop-dead gorgeous rock star, and a handsome politician! Sound like a slightly unlikely premise? You’d have to read the book to find out how that all comes together. But it does!

So, that’s how two of my books came about, but what about the more light-hearted romance, Too Much Trouble in Paradise Well, that book came about by mixing another two loves of mine – the beautiful island of Tenerife, and my love of darts! I used to live in Tenerife, and I still miss the place terribly so I knew I had to set a book there, to give me a chance to re-visit the island and remember why I love it so much. The darts connection? The lead male character is a professional darts player, that’s all. The book is in no way about darts – it’s a funny, romantic love story, set on a beautiful island in the sun!

And, thanks to Pauline's fabulous Famous Five Plus site, I have been given great support and exposure for, not only my books, but also myself as an author, and I just didn’t have that before. Writing can sometimes be a lonely business, but since joining FFP I’ve felt as though I’m now part of a community, and that’s why I joined the group - to be part of a fantastic support network. I truly am grateful for everything FFP and Pauline has done for me so far, and I look forward to being a part of FFP for a long time to come!

So, that’s me – a movie mad music fan who loves a game of darts, a glass of bubbly, and some gorgeous men to write about, which is exactly what I’m doing right now as I write my latest book, the follow up to No Matter What. I’m back surrounded by the palm-tree-lined streets of L.A. and the lights of Las Vegas, and I love it!

Thanks for having me round by your pool, Pauline! It really was great to talk to you!

To read sample chapters from my books and links to buy, visit me at:
http://michellebethamwriter.blogspot.com/
http://michellebethamindieauthor.blogspot.com/

A Special Thank You!

2011-12-23T01:33:00.000-08:00

A special thank you to you all for your amazing and fantastic support in keeping me focused on my writing when I'm so easily distracted to twitter or generally faff! And equally as important, thank you for buying, reading and talking so positively about my beautiful three novels.

Wherever you are and who every you are with, have a truly wonderful Christmas.

Sending sunny smiles!

Merry Christmas

The beautiful Christmas picture is from digitalart at freedigitalphotos

Christmas in the Sun!

2011-12-21T01:58:00.000-08:00

It's an exciting time of the year and today I am over at the lovely Amanda's One more page Blog talking about Christmas in the sun. I hope you'll pop over to sit with us on the beach! Oh yes, bring your shades!

http://www.onemorepage.co.uk/?p=5383

Chilled, Spilled & Thrilled!

2011-12-19T06:42:00.000-08:00

Whilst many of you are having freezing cold temperatures we are not as you might expect roasting here! This last week has been overcast and for here a tad cool.

Yesterday, it was a mixture of sunshine and clouds and very windy. Being Sunday we decided to take a trek up the mountains to Tias. We set of with the dogs, the wind was harder to fight against than the hike up the mountains and if that was not bad enough we got rained on twice, but it was a fabulous walk. No other person, just us, the dogs and openness!

We stopped in Tias for a drink, watered the dogs and then headed back down the mountain. It was wonderful, exhilarating and downhill all the way. With the wind on our backs we almost flew down!

Two and half hours later after leaving home we were all back home.

Two very happy and tired doggies flopped in to their baskets for the day and we chilled out too!

Stephanie Keys Talks about her Debut Novel

2011-12-17T01:06:00.000-08:00

Today, I am thrilled to have sitting around my pool the gorgeous Stephanie Keyes talking about her debut novel, The Star Child. So whilst I open a second bottle of bubbly, I'm leaving you with my fabby guest. Go on Stephanie take it away.......!

The Romance Behind The Star Child

Let me just say how excited I am to be sitting around Pauline’s pool today! It was a little to cold here in the states today: 33 degrees F/0 C. I’ll take the pool!
Over the past month, I’ve finally started to share with friends and work colleagues that The Star Child is about to be released. Even though I always knew I would publish it, I didn’t want to deal with the inevitable “Have you finished with that book yet?” types of questions. However, now that we are so close I’ve started letting the cat out of the bag so to speak.

Needless to say, I’m getting quite a lot of questions about the book. Particularly from people who are surprised that it’s from the Fantasy genre and it’s for Young Adults. So as I sit on an inner tube with my margarita, I thought I’d tell you a little but about that.

The reason that I was drawn so much to Fantasy is because there is very little magic in our day-to-day lives. Granted there are those of us who try to incorporate it, myself included. However, when it comes to it, most of us are stuck in a cycle of getting up, going to work, coming home, and going to sleep – with various other tasks mixed in between. There is very little opportunity for anything other than the ordinary. Pauline, you are probably the exception. Do you have an extra room here?

The Young Adult audience was equally appealing because at that time in our own lives, there are so many possibilities. Your life hasn’t quite begun yet. There is a strange sort of romantic quality associated with this exciting time, so the combination of these two appealed to me.

In The Star Child, I was writing a protagonist in an opposite gender from my own, so it was very important that he have a very strong personality. Kellen St. James shares many of my own views. That was something that I decided to pass on early.

For example, I am a very direct, no-nonsense kind of person. However, when it comes to romance, I’m mush, if the sceptic in me allows the romance in. Kellen is that same way. He is absolutely convinced that Calienta is lying to him and really takes a decent amount of time deciding whether or not to believe her, let alone fall in love with her.

The relationship between Kellen and Calienta mirrors my own with my husband in many ways. I didn’t believe that he was for real; he was almost too normal. Opening myself up seemed risky and I put him through the ringer quite a bit before I really decided to commit to him. He was always patient and always there, consistently reinforcing his commitment. So Calienta is quite a bit like him. Although, between us it would be nice if you didn’t share that I gave his qualities away to a female character. I don’t want him to suffer an identity crisis.

Although The Star Child is a fantasy, there is also quite a bit of romance and adventure backed in. If you look carefully you will also see quite a bit of my own real-life romance embedded in the story, minus the world-saving prophecy.

Use the comments section of this article to tell us about your real-life romance! If Stephanie picks your comment, you could win an Amazon gift card! Only comments posted on December 17th are eligible.

The Star Child is available on;

Amazon Kindle US http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006GADZ1Y

UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Star-Child-ebook/dp/B006GADZ1Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322888380&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/stephanie-keyes

Paperback http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-star-child-stephanie-keyes/1037031019?ean=9780615566290&itm=2&usri=stephanie+keyes

About the author:

When Stephanie isn’t writing, she works full time as a Corporate Educator and Curriculum Designer. She holds a M.Ed. from Duquesne University and an undergraduate degree in Management information Systems from Robert Morris University. Stephanie is a clarinetist, saxophonist, and vocalist, and is always making music somewhere at sometime. She credits her loving husband of ten years and her two sons for the completion and publication of the Star Child.

Find out more about Stephanie at http://www.stephaniekeyes.com/.

Friend her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Keyes/150860604966160

Follow Her On Twitter: http://bit.ly/jjneXg

Stephanie is a featured author on Love a Happy Ending.com http://loveahappyending.com/stephanie-keyes/

And an Author member at Famous Five Plus http://famousfiveplus.blogspot.com/

Celebrating the launch of Reaching for the Stars!

2011-12-14T00:53:00.000-08:00

Today, Janice Horton is celebrating in wonderful style the launch of her new e-book, Reaching for the Stars.

Part of the celebrations is that we have to post a photo of where we wish we could be, well here is mine.... to be on that luxury cruiser sipping champagne and eating fancy goodies at the captain's table..... !

But before I dream myself on to this fabby cruise ship, let me tell you about Janice's great new book.

In Reaching for the Stars the main character Chef Finn McDuff feels he's had enough of all the food campaigns, the TV cookery shows, the constant frenzy surrounding his private life and disappears into a self-imposed exile for a while. Hence the theme of Launch Day is 'Wish I Was Here... But this is hardly enough to get your teeth into, so why not pop along to Amazon and download a copy and find out just what is being cooked, baked or casseroled! Enjoy!

Amazon UK

Amazon.Com

Wishing Janice great success and hoping she sells zillions!

Getting in the Mood!

2011-12-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

I hope you had a great weekend and despite the proximity to the festive season, I hope you found sometime to chill.

This Sunday we got a little Christmassy, I uploaded my Santa smile for twitter and we put up our Christmas trees, I say trees as we have four: large, medium and two small ones - of course, not all in the same room! And as you can imagine the villa looks very festive indeed. I'm not one for trimmings, but love my trees especially at night when we can switch on the lights. During the day it is a waste of time if the sun is shinning, though as I write, it is overcast! So one of the little trees, is twinkling away on my desk.

As well as putting up the trees I've designed a Christmas poster for my beautiful three books! Now we're getting festive!

So do tell are you a tree and trimmings person or just a tree person? I hope you are enjoying the run up to Christmas.

TGI Friday!

2011-12-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

A December dawn in Lanzarote

I don't know about you, but I love Friday's. The thought that the weekend is here is a fab feeling. Though as a writer I never really stop, but the other distractions that take me away from writing are so much more less at the weekend... TGI Friday!

This week has been another manic week and despite packing lots in, I've still not got all the Christmas presents bought or the tree up so I will need to get my skates on next week.

But as well as re-designing my web site http://www.paulinebarclay.co.uk/ I have managed to write a few more words on my next novel, book 4. It's been a bit of s struggle with this book for a variety of reasons, mainly because my thoughts are constantly thinking about how to improve my marketing for my three published books. But the good news is that the characters in my new novel are getting restless and are not just talking to me, but begging me to listen! So I intend to devote large chunks of time this weekend to finding out just what they want me to hear!

Do your characters behave like this or is it just my crazy imagination running riot?

Whatever your plans are for the weekend, reading, writing, even listening to characters.... make sure you have a fab one!

Monday Mews & More!

2011-12-05T06:32:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend, no doubt Christmas being the main thoughts of everyone.

My weekend was very busy though I did manage to design our Christmas cards and get all those that need to be in the post away to the post office this morning... phew!

The other area that has taken up much of my time of late is my new venture for Indie Authors, Famous Five Plus, it has increased 400% in 4 weeks and I have several authors sending details to join too. We have members from the UK, USA, Canada, Portugal and Spain, now how international is that! You have no idea how taken aback I am at how it has all happened so quickly. If you have a moment, please take a look at the site and let me know what you think. I'm burning the midnight oil to keep it bang up to date and I think it is worth doing because I believe many Indie Authors are very professional and due to a variety of reasons they are doing their publishing alone. Here is our fabby site, I hope you'll take a peek and maybe follow us! Famous Five Plus

As well as keeping up with everything else. today my first In Focus appeared on the loveahappyending.com site. It is a little different from what I've done before for loveahappyend, but what do you think. In Focus

Oh by the way, I've added a little News Page to this site where I add snippets of information about this and that. Phew! I think that's it for now, a big thanks for stopping by and taking time to say hi! I'll return again later in the week, so please join me, and I'll bring homemade mince pies with brandy butter!

Sending sunny smiles and have a fabby week until then.

Thank you to my December Sponsors

2011-12-01T04:00:00.000-08:00

A big thank you and welcome to my December sponsors. Each month authors can include their book cover in my sponsor photo frame, in return for one of my book covers appearing on their Blog. This month I am happy to welome:

Dangerous Deceit - Romy Gemmell

Astral Travelling, The Avatar and Me - Richard Holmes

December Moon - Suzy Turner

Excess All Areas - Mandy Baggot

Endless Night - Maureen Miller

Orange Petals in a Storm - Niamh Clune

No Matter What - Michelle Betham

Production Party - Jan & Don Beasley

The Golden Chain - Margaret James

If you are interested in being a monthly sponsor, please email me at paulinembarclay@gmail@com for more details.

Winners & A New Look!

2011-11-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my new look Blog.... bubbles all the way!

Before I announce the winners for the Kindle copies of Satchfield Hall, I would like to thank everyone for their wonderful support for the re-launch of my epic saga because without you it would not have happened.

And now for those who kindly added The Situation to their comments on my previous post, it is the time to reveal who the winners are. So drum roll please drrrrrrr.... and the winners who will receive a voucher to download a copy of Satchfield Hall are........

Jontybabe
Janice Horton

So that you can download Satchfield Hall onto your Kindle vouchers will be winging there way to you very shortly. Warning: tissues are needed!

Thanks once again to everyone who entered the draw and of course you can read the prologue here, just go the the Satchfield Hall page at the top of my Blog, click and read..... enjoy!

Oh yes, I do hope you like the new look to my Blog too!

It's Offically Re-Published!

2011-11-24T01:53:00.000-08:00

I know I have been going on and on and on about my Magnolia House and Satchfield Hall being edited by the wonderful and amazing Jo Field. And then on top of all that, I've crooned about the beautiful new covers designed by Cathy at Avalon Graphics. Well you will be very pleased to know, I will stop going on about it all because today Satchfield Hall is officially re-published!

As you know Magnolia House was re-published in October, and today it is the turn of Satchfield Hall to stand high above all the books to get noticed. So please raise a glass of bubbly with me, there is plenty on that side table over there and toast .... Satchfield Hall!

As you enjoy your bubbly and wolf down all those lovely nibbles I've laid on, here is a little about Satchfield Hall....

Set between 1942 and 1986 Satchfield Hall is not about gentleness, tranquility and privilege, it is about power, love, lies and in the end revenge. Lives will be lost and destroyed and it will take until the death of the one man who had callously started it all, the Squire of Satchfield Hall, Henry Bryant-Smythe, until it is finally over.

If you enjoyed Downton Abbey, I think you will love Satchfield Hall and because I want you to have a taster, I've added a new page to my Blog so that you can read the Prologue, so please click on Satchfield Hall page at the top to find out where it all begins.

And today, I am giving 2 Kindle copies away, so if you would like the chance to win a Kindle copy, please leave a comment with these words. The Situation! By the way The Situation was the beginning!

Do help yourself to more bubble!

Manic Madness Monday!

2011-11-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

Phew the week has got of to a mad start, but all good stuff though!

My little new venture has taken me by surprise and I have received many emails from people wanting to join. In just 3 weeks we have doubled in size and had over 1,200 visits to our fabby new site. This morning I had emails from the UK, USA and Canada from authors asking to join! Oh yes, did I not mention, my new venture is the Famous Five Plus, a site specially for Indie Authors and Book Reviewers. If you are interested, please meander over and find out what all the talk is about and meet some great authors too!

Also this week, I have my official re-launch day for my Satchfield Hall and that will be Thursday 24th, so please pop back as I will be offering free Kindle versions of this epic saga.

On top of this I have to organise.... no no I must stop, I don't want to bore you with all my doings, but please do come back on Thursday to have a chance to win a Kindle copy of Satchfield Hall. See you then, I'm away to chill the champas!

A Fab Week!

2011-11-18T03:18:00.000-08:00

It's Friday again! And what a fabby week it has been. It got of to a cracking start with two great reviews for Magnolia House from Sue Fortin and Susan Livingstone, quickly followed by a 5 star Amazon review for Sometimes It Happens... from Linn B Halton. And if that was not enough, I had a birthday! The champagne, chocs and being spoilt were all so fab, but adding another year to my age..... well!!

To end this wonderful week I am over at the new Indie Author Blog, The Famous Five Plus talking about Marketing - Technology and the Imagination. Come on over and find out not just what I'm saying, but more importantly come along and meet the team too. See you there!

New Cover for Satchfield Hall

2011-11-14T10:13:00.000-08:00

I am so excited that at last I can reveal the beautiful new cover for my Satchfield Hall.

The cover has been desinged by Cathy at Avalon Graphics. Cathy designed the covers for Sometimes It Happens... and Magnolia House and as you know they are all fab!

Satchfield Hall will be re-published this month, firstly in Kindle, followed within a couple of weeks in paperback. Satchfield Hall is a sweeping saga set during and after the second World War. It is about the rich and powerful and how the power of one man, the Squire of Satchfield Hall used his position to destroy lives. It will be decades later before everything will be laid to rest, but not before revenge is executed.

I hope you like the cover as much as I do and that the brief description will tempt you enough that Satchfield Hall will be added to your reading list.

A Little Taster

2011-11-11T04:05:00.000-08:00

I am so close to the end of all the work for re-editing and polishing Satchfield Hall and today, I saw the concept for the new cover. I am so excited about the design that I can't wait to share it with you.... ! So please do come back very soon and then I will be able to show you my beautiful new cover.

Until the next time, here is a little taster from Satchfield Hall...

Celia stood alone in the shadows of the sweeping boughs of a willow tree. From her vantage point, she could clearly see the four people huddled together by the open grave, their heads bowed as they carried out the solemn ritual of bidding their last goodbyes. Despite it being no more than twenty yards from where she watched, the gathered mourners could not see her. She need take only a few steps forward to be visible to them, but Celia had no desire whatsoever to be seen.
Unlike the small party, she was not dressed in sombre clothing, nor was she weeping. For her, it was not a day to mourn; she had done that years earlier. Wept at the loss of the man she once believed had cared for her. He had, but not in the way she had hoped. Like everything in Henry Bryant-Smythe’s life, he had viewed her as an asset, an investment, and when she had deprived him of what he believed was his insurance with a healthy dividend, he had made her pay, The price had been high; very high.

That Zing Feeling!

2011-11-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a bit of a zing week and not just for me, but for some of the fabby cyber friends I have made over the last couple of years. This last week three of these friends celebrated launch days, so a BIG congrats to:

Mandy Baggot, Strings Attached, Niamh Clune, Orange Petals in a Storm and Marie Duffy, Any Dream Will Do

My little zing celebration this week was down to the fact that we have just finished the edits for my Satchfield Hall and now we are left to re-read the complete book again. I confess to shedding a few tears, not for ending the edits, but the story is a real tear jerker..... I know I should not be weeping, I wrote the story and know the end.....!

Another happening that added more zing to my week is that I have seen the concept for Satchfield Hall's new book cover and it is another beautiful design. I can't wait to share it with you.

Just one or two of my zing moments, I hope you've had a few zing moments too so far this week and that you'll share them with us all. For now, I'm away to re-read Satchfield Hall to make sure it is absolutely perfect before publishing. Until next time, keep smiling, I will if you will.

Nicky Wells - Long Manes & Deep Voices!!

2011-11-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

You have no idea what an entertaining time I have had sitting around my pool, sipping cool drinks and eating squidgy delights with the fabby Nicky Wells. Please do sit down and join us as Nicky reveals all about Sophie's Turn!

When the lovely Pauline invited me to join her on her blog to have a chat, I was absolutely delighted. When she added, “tell us something interesting about you or your book,” I panicked. There’s that word again: “interesting.” Oh, the pressure of being “interesting.” Am I interesting? I don’t really know.
But then I realised, hey, we were going to be lounging round the pool! There’ll be G&Ts and finger foods, right? So… if we’re having that kind of a chat, I might well be able to tell you, in strictest confidence of course, the real inspiration behind Sophie’s Turn. Between us girls…
So here goes.

OK, this is a bit embarrassing. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for rock stars, particularly lead singers with long manes and lovely deep voices. This started when I was a teenager. My first crush was the gorgeous Joey Tempest of Europe, and I was fourteen. I spent months constructing elaborate scenarios in my head of how I might bump into him (and more) (whoops).

I grew up, as one does. The crush faded, but the weak spot for rock singers stayed with me. Over the years, I even had an opportunity to go backstage with a couple of bands but I usually had a boyfriend with me so it wasn’t quite the same.

And then I got married, fell pregnant, and left my job. Suddenly, I had an opportunity to do something I’d always wanted to do: write a book! Write the book. The definitive Nicky book. The one that would resurrect all those daydreams and weave them into a funny, charming, dreamy and (just occasionally) sad narrative. Somehow, though, the story didn’t quite work out as I’d imagined. Mostly, I think, on account of having actually grown up properly somewhere along the line. So the original daydreams became tempered with the lens of reality, of authenticity. I wanted to write a story that could have happened, not a madcap flight of fancy. The result is… Sophie’s Turn. It is all fiction, of course. But, based on my own experiences, I feel all of them could have happened to somebody. And there you have it… 

About Sophie’s Turn
Rock star romance Sophie’s Turn is the charming, funny and occasionally bitter-sweet story of one young woman’s entanglement with a rock star. One fine day in Paris, Sophie Penhalligan suddenly finds herself engaged to her teenage crush and love-of-her-life-from-a-distance, rock singer and star extraordinaire Dan Hunter. But there is the small matter of her very recent, but very prior, engagement to Tim. Reliable, honest, trusting Tim, her boyfriend of two years stashed away safely in his mews house in South Kensington while Sophie is drinking rather too much champagne with Dan in Paris. The novel describes how Sophie gets into this impossible situation and how she turns it around.

Sophie’s Turn is available for download on Kindle
Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sophies-Turn-ebook/dp/B005C1GIFS/
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Sophies-Turn-ebook/dp/B005C1GIFS/

About the author
Nicky Wells is a writer, wife, mum and teaching assistant. Born and raised in Germany, she moved to the UK in 1993 to study and work. Nicky is married with two children and lives in Bristol. She is currently busily writing the sequel to Sophie’s Turn.
Find out more about Nicky at Nicky’s Blog at http://nickywellsklippert.wordpress.com You can also find Nicky on Facebook and Twitter.

Nicky on Twitter: @WellsNicky
Nicky on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Nicky-Wells/240322162658246

Chill Sunday!

2011-11-06T02:36:00.000-08:00

It is Sunday and and I do try and make them a tad different to the other days in the week, though not always successful as commitments yell loudly! However, today, I've turned my earing aid off... laugh!

At first light we were out with the dogs and after a long walk and Barney chasing the waves on the shoreline, an hour later we were back home, for breakfast. Well the dog's breakfast! After feeding them, we quickly made ourselves look like we belonged to the real world and headed to one of the beautiful hotels in the resort. There we sat in the dinning room, overlooking the tropical gardens of palms trees, banana palms, large exotic cages with even more exotic birds flying around and the sound of the sea gentle splashing to the shore, enjoying a champagne breakfast with smoked salmon. What a fabby way to start a Sunday.

How did you start your Sunday?

A Catch Up!

2011-11-03T05:10:00.000-07:00

How did we get to November so fast? I don't know about you, but time for me seems to fly at an alarming rate. This week is no exception, but there are a few good things to show for it so far. On Monday I launched the Famous Five Plus Blog for Indie authors to not only show case their books, but to talk about their journey to publishing and beyond. There are six members of the group so far and a new author will be joining us shortly. If you are an Indie author and would like to become involved, do take a look at the Blog site.

This week I also launched my book cover sponsors, you can see who is involved this month in the top right hand corner. To be a sponsor on my Blog I ask that you place a copy of one of my books on your Blog for the same period your book is on my Blog, which is normally one calendar month.

I also received some lovely reviews for Magnolia House, one from the wonderful author Margaret James
Also Margaret has made Magnolia House, her book of the month on her Blog!

Keeping pace with everything else, I've been working with my wonderful editor, Jo Field on Satchfield Hall. Jo is well respected in the publishing world and together we are working on bringing Satchfield Hall up to the same polished standard of my other two books. We plan to re-publish Satchfield Hall at the end of November with a new cover from Avalon Graphics.

Satchfield Hall is now in two parts, the first part from 1943 - to 1952, the second part 1952 - 1986. It is a sweeping saga of love, power, lies and in the end revenge. I can not wait for this book to be re-published in Kindle and paperback. And of course, I will keep you updated on progress and the publication date.

Until we meet here again, have a fabby day!

Thank You Sponsors

2011-11-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

An exciting start to the new month because from this month my Blog will have sponsors!

So please page down to meet my first NINE sponsors. For the month of November you will see all of these book covers in the sponsor box in the right hand column of my Blog page at the top.

Last month I asked if authors would be interested in sponsoring all my posts for a month and many of you said yes! So without further ado let me introduce the nine book covers and their authors......!

Silver Locket Margaret James

Torn Gilli Allan

1923: A Memoir Harry Leslie Smith Harry

No Gypsies Served Miriam Wakerly

December Moon Suzy Turner

Gypsies Stop tHere Miriam Wakerly

Jungle of Deceit Maureen Miller

Discovery at Rosehill Kathryn Brown

Raven Suzy Turner

If you would like be a sponsor in December please contact me to find out more at paulinembarclay@gmail.com

Once again a BIG thank you to this month's sponsors

The Famous Five Plus......!

2011-10-31T02:23:00.000-07:00

Today you will find me over at the launch party of the Famous Five Plus, stroll over to find out what is going on, I believe bubbly is being served! See you there.

The Fabby Balloon picture came from:
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Other_Holidays_and_E_g321-Alcoholic_Bottle_With_Bubbles_p51933.html

Fall Back It's Change the Clocks!

2011-10-29T02:21:00.000-07:00

It's that horrible time of the year when we have to turn the clocks back one hour and that happens tonight! I don't know about you, but I hate having to do this.....! So let's instead think about positive things, perhaps a holiday in a luxury villa, the sound of corks popping from champagne bottles, a sparkling swimming pool, hot sunshine and a blue cloudless sky......now that sounds fabby! But you don't have to dream because Sometimes It Happens... can transport your to this luxury paradise to meet some amazing and unforgettable peeps and all via your Kindle..... get those shades on and I'll see you at the side of the pool!

Download from Amazon.co.uk £1.72

Amazon.com $3.25

P.S. Don't forget to change your clocks back one hour!

The Biggest Shop Window!

2011-10-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

Before I launch into my idea of the biggest shop window on the planet, I would like to share with you those precious moments when I can think and work out new concepts. Every morning at first light we take our two little doggies for a long walk along the seafront. It is the most beautiful part of the day and few people are about as we make our way along the long wide pathway watching the sunrise brighten our island. The dogs run along sniffing at odours that only they can detect, OH and I chatter to each other and some mornings we just enjoy the peacefulness of the hour. It was on one of these morning that I thought about how to create more awareness of not only my three published books, but other published books too and here they are.
One: I would like to offer authors an opportunity to have their book cover on my Blog for one month in return they have one of my book covers on their Blog for the same period. No cost for either parties, but a little more exposure for each author.

To give you an idea of how it will work, take a peek at the top of my side panel. The very first thing you will see is this months sponsors, this is a free test to show you what it will look like.
Also at the change over of book covers, I will do a new Blog about the authors and adding a link to their Blog or web site

Two: 1st sentence. I trialed this with earlier Blogs and have now added this special feature to my side bar. So if you would like to feature there and also add this feature to your Blog, we can talk. So please take a peek and see what you think.

If we can work together to help each other widen the net of awareness of our books, we can all look to sell more copies of our beautiful stories.

If you are interested please leave a message in the comment box or visit my web home page for my contact address and email me.

Let us work together to make our shop window the biggest on the planet!

And The Winners Are......

2011-10-21T04:23:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to everyone who visited my Blog and left a comment to win a Kindle copy of Magnolia House, signed with love via Kindle Graph and the winners are.......drum roll please, party poppers at the ready.... whoa big shout cheers!

Lesley Holdway
Debs Carr

The winners will be receiving their Amazon voucher so they can download Magnolia House to their Kindle, then snuggle down and find out why Jane Leonard had to sell her home. Warning: tissues required.

Once again thank you to everyone and I hope you will still want to read Magnolia House which has 12 five star reviews and is available in paperback and Kindle and I can always sign a copy with love via Kindle Graph for you!

Magnolia House Give Away!!!

2011-10-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

With the republishing of my first novel Magnolia House after being professional edited by the gifted Jo Field, and now resplendent with its beautiful new cover, by Avalon Graphics, I am giving two Kindle copies away! But before I go into all the fabby detail, here is the first sentence.... Take it away Helen!

Jesamiah Acorne, four and twenty years old, Captain of the Sea Witch, sat with his hands cradled around an almost empty tankard of rum, staring blankly at the drips of candle-wax that had hardened into intricate patterns down the sides of the green glass bottle Bring It Close by Helen Hollick

When Jane Leonard gave half of her house to her only son, little did she realise that within twelve months, she would be forced to sell the home she had lived in for nearly five decades.

The choice for this action was not hers, but the events that led up to her handing over fifty percent of Magnolia House paled by comparison to what happened after the ink had dried on the documents that named the new owners.

As Magnolia House is put on the market for sale, love and betrayal, hopes and dreams and ultimately family loyalty will affect the lives of all of those who become involved.

If you would like the chance to win a Kindle copy, with a personal message, with love of course, from moi via Kindle Graph, then leave a comment telling me why and adding I want it!

My Fabby Guest is Talli Roland!

2011-10-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

My lovely guest sitting around my pool this week, is the one and only Miss Talli Roland. As you know Talli has 2 books published and is about to launch her 3rd book, herself..... but before I say more, here is the first sentence.

Dylan didn’t believe in spirits, vampires or zombies, but if the undead were stalking the planet, they couldn’t feel any worse than he did right now.

Dead Silent by Shirley Wells

Now before we get going, who is going to control the pouring of the wine.... laugh!

"Controlling? Moi? Why, Yes!

Who doesn’t like a little bit of control? There’s nothing more heady than having the power to make your own choices; steer your destiny. Many writers I know (myself included) are Type A personalities. And that’s what makes the publishing industry so difficult to handle. So much is out of the author’s control – the editor you’re assigned, the cover design, the amount of sales and marketing your book receives. And that’s just if you’ve made it to the publishing stage! Let’s not forget the query-go-round, being on submission, the endless waiting . . . it’s all enough to drive a writer to drink (more).
So, when I decided to self-publish my next novel, Build a Man, I felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Now I had control of my novel’s destiny – well, as much control as one can have when it comes to selling to the public. I could hire an editor I respected, ensure it had the cover I wanted, and use my skills to promote the book to the best of my ability. Not only that, but if I self-publish in the future, I can control my timeline and output. If I want to release three novels a year, the only thing stopping me is me.

The control freak inside couldn’t be happier! Is striking out on my own after having two novels traditionally published a risk? Sure, but any new venture in business is risky, and I’m confident I have the skills and knowledge now to create a quality product. That doesn’t mean I’m doing everything alone – just like my previous novels, I’ve had a bevy of beta readers, an editor, a cover designer . . . it’s still a collaborative effort, but it’s one that I’m directing.

I’m excited about holding my future in my hands. It’s a brave new world out there for authors, and I can’t wait to get started!"

Talli Roland has three loves in her life: chick lit, coffee and wine. Born and raised in Canada, Talli now lives in London, where she savours the great cultural life (coffee and wine). Despite training as a journalist, Talli soon found she preferred making up her own stories – complete with happy endings. Her first novel, The Hating Game, was an Amazon UK best-seller and was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read at the UK’s Festival of Romance awards.

Talli has just released her second novel, Watching Willow Watts. Her next novel, Build a Man, will be out in December. Talli blogs here and can be found on Twitter here.

You Can Now Download my Sunshine!

2011-10-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

I am always harping on about how fabby the weather is down here on our little pebble in the ocean, and it nearly always is, so I want to share a little bit of it with you, but before I tell you how I intend to do this, here is the first sentence.... !

"You’re hiding from me, Margaret."

ENDLESS NIGHT by Maureen Miller

Our winters are normally still pretty hot / warm. We can expect daytime temperatures, in December and January to be around 23c. Remember that is in the shade... phew! The sun is still pretty fierce despite the time of year, but as we are only around 70 miles off the Moroccan coast we are semi tropical!

My third book, Sometimes It Happens... is set in a tropical location and the book cover reflects this with its totally blue sky and inviting ocean. How I love that sky! And that is how the sky looks down here most of the time.... honestly!

So I'm thinking how can I share my little piece of sunshine paradise with you and voila! I came up with an idea. So instead of looking up at your grey cloudy sky, you can feast your gaze on a beautiful sunny day!

The amazing Cathy Helms from Avalon Graphics has designed me two fabby screen savers. Just look at these. You can not help but feel uplifted.

So here is the deal, if you would like one or both, just let me know. Yep there are free!

Tell your family and friends and they too can have a copy..... tell the world, let us share this fabby sunny scene and make everyone's winter just a tad warmer, bubbling over with sunshine.

So put on your sunglasses and let's all enjoy sunny days!

Personally Signed with love!

2011-10-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I spent time sorting out how to sign my Kindle books personally and I've done it! But before I grab pen to sign, let me give you the 1st sentence and then I can scribble away!

Sometimes Jake wondered if the screaming would ever stop, it hit him every time he ran on stage, like a physical assault on his senses. From Forbidden Love by Gilly Fraser

You've probably heard that there is now Kindlegraph and through this, readers can request a personally signed message from the author, in this case moi!

It is so simple, the reader simply clicks on to your Kindlgraph link or goes to http://kindlegraph.com/ and searches for the author (s) they want to request a signature from. As an author, I send back a signed message.

So if you have a copy of one or more of my books, or are thinking about dowloading a copy, then please let me sign it for you.... with love!

http://kindlegraph.com/authors/paulinembarclay

Looking forward to seeing your request and opening my fountain pen and writing.....!

My Guest, a Truly Positive Lady, Sue Johnson

2011-10-10T02:28:00.000-07:00

As another week begins, the hot weather continues down here, today we can expect 30c in the shade, so my guest, this week sitting around my pool is going to fry! So before I introduce her, here is the first sentence!

''The roller coaster of life was gathering speed and I was getting itchy feet'' Chapter 1, Astral Travelling, The Avatar and Me by Richard Holmes

Now please welcome to my pool terrace the lovely Sue Johnson, a wonderful lady who puts the positive into positive ! Sue's first none fiction book, Creative Alchemy was published last week in a blaze of publicity. Despite it being a hectic time, Sue, still found time to lounge around my pool and tell me all about her writing. Go on Sue, finish your champas and then take it away.....

Thanks Pauline, it's nice to sit here in the hot sunshine and chill for a moment or two. August 2011 saw the launch of my first novel ‘Fable’s Fortune,’ published by Indigo Dreams Publishing. www.indigodreamsbookshop.com I am currently awaiting Indigo’s decision on novel number two!

Last week was launch day for my non-fiction book Creative Alchemy: 12 steps from inspiration to finished novel. My inspiration for writing this was because I read somewhere that for every 100 novels that are started only one is completed. Many prospective writers are deterred by destructive comments (often from friends and family) and negative messages from the past.

Since 2001, I have been running writing workshops – many of them for users of the mental health services. My biggest task has been to encourage students to ignore these negative voices, to believe in themselves and the story they wish to tell – and just go for it and not stop until they’ve achieved their writing dreams.

I am happy to report that I’ve witnessed many successes for which I can claim no credit – one of them being the lovely Sue Watson. All I have done is to provide exercises to kindle a spark and then offer support and encouragement when the creative fire starts.

This was my reason for writing Creative Alchemy – which has been described as a ‘course in a book’. I wanted as many people as possible to be able to achieve their writing ambitions. The book is pocket-size, non-scary, and contains advice and exercises to keep writers on track.

Creative Alchemy: 12 steps from inspiration to finished novel by Sue Johnson
is published by HotHive Books www.thehothive.com. Intro offer £6.99.

Packets of Sunshine!

2011-10-08T06:47:00.000-07:00

It's a bright hot sunny day down here, and I know by saying this I will hear many groans from you because I am always saying this! But our weather is almost always fab! Well today, I am sharing it with you and sending it all your way! As my little packet of sunshine speeds towards you, before I chat further, I'd better introduce the First Sentence.

The Bridge Club by Patricia Sands

Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright. It wasn’t Christmas and it’s not about religion, but whenever I think of that night, those words filter into my head. Kind of bizarre, I know, but that’s how thoughts are sometimes.
(click on the book & author name for more details)

It's the weekend, but I'm still busy working editing Satchfield Hall with my lovely editor Jo Field and it is all going really great. As well as this professional edit, Satchfield Hall will also have a brand new cover. And yes, you've guessed it, I will be keeping you updated on this too... so exciting!

Another little bit of excitement today is that the lovely Nikki Bywater is talking about Sometimes It Happens and how it effected her. Nikki is sitting in the Review Chair over at loveahappyending, so please feel free to meander over and find out what she is saying.

That's it, I'm away to edit and hopefully squeeze a little writing in on my book 4... wishing you all a fabby day!

Magnolia House back on the Market!

2011-10-05T07:10:00.000-07:00

It's been busy of late, but with so many wonderful things happening, I am not complaining. But I am getting ahead of myself, let me start with my special guest's 1st sentence, then I can tell you more. Yay!

My life began like a fairytale - I was born under a roof of stars in the plum orchard at the bottom of the garden. Chapter One, Fable's Fortune by Sue Johnson

There are two special things happening today, firstly I am over at the fabby web site of NovelKicks talking about being part of loveahapppyending.com and writing. Laura is an amazing host, thank you.

Also today, my novel Magnolia House, after being re-edited and with its beautiful new cover is once again available. Today you can download a Kindle copy, the paperback version is due out next week. Magnolia House is a tear jerker, filled with sadness, compassion and hope. It has 12 x 5 star reviews on Amazon.....but I will stop here because as the author I do get carried away.... ! So if you would like to know more about Magnolia House, please read the review from Louise Graham. And if you like it, please would you think about downloading a copy? Thank you.

My Gorgeous Guest - Stephen Richmond

2011-10-03T03:14:00.000-07:00

As part of my special feature, here is the opening sentence from The Night Watcher, by Chris Longmuir

Chapter One - "Mist shrouded everything except for the Discovery’s skeletal masts pointing long bony fingers into the sky."

My gorgeous guest this week sitting around my pool is someone I have known for most of their life and what started of as a little boy’s love of tractors has turned into a professional passion.

Stephen Richmond and his business partner Jonathan Whitlam have written 6 books and produced 17 videos / DVDs on every aspect of farm machinery during the last one hundred years. Stephen and Jonathan regularly appear on local TV, local radio and in local newspapers as well as specialist magazines. These days they are regarded as experts on everything to do with farm machinery.
Come on Stephen it’s time for you to plough in and tell us more…..

“Thanks Pauline for having me sit round your pool today, though not quite sure I’ve got the right kit on, my chequered shirt, jeans and steel toe cap boots don’t quite fit the scene… *laughing* As you know, Jonathan and I both grew up in Suffolk near the most easterly point of the UK. Living in a small hamlet surrounded by arable farming, we watched 1970s farm equipment at work. From as long as I can remember, I was fascinated with tractors. Those early days were the beginning of an all-consuming passion for tractors that has grown into a small business -Tractor Barns Productions

“Our first book, Modern Tractors, was published in 1996 and was followed by 5 further books and several video productions. At the beginning of 2009 a decision was made to leave our agent and we launched Tractor Barns Productions. With our new company we now concentrate on producing our own high quality, interesting and informative DVD programmes.

“In 2010 we released our first DVD Working Tractors volume One followed by the first in the Farming Diaries series both of these have proved to be very popular. Our aim as tractor and farm machinery enthusiasts is to produce a full range of DVD programmes that celebrate vintage, classic and modern tractors along with the changes seen in farm equipment and machinery. Our latest DVD is due to be released later this year and is a fascinating look at the changes in how tractors have evolved since 1906. Titled, International Harvester Tractors: A Power on the Land1906-1985

“Last year we invested in a Showman’s Trailer. This is used to promote our books and DVDs and those of Old Pond Publishing - our official distributor - at various plough days, steam rallies, exhibitions and other events in the UK.

“Also in 2010 we achieved another important milestone with Tractor Barns Productions we became a fully fledged limited company.

“Still living in Suffolk we have now taken our passion of farming equipment further and now own a fleet of British built Fords, Marshall's and Leyland tractors dating from the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

“We have many ambitious plans for the future but these will take time to achieve, we both still have full time jobs, I have a young family of three, but our enthusiasm and commitment is full steam ahead and you can be certain there will be many more exciting productions coming in the future from Tractor Barns Productions.”

To find out more about all the books, videos and DVDs or buy any of these visit Tractors Barn Productions at http://www.tractorbarnproductions.com/

Or email tractorbarn@ymail.com

Tears & Hope!

2011-10-02T04:07:00.000-07:00

Before I start with what I have to say, let me introduce the first sentence from Mandy Baggot's Excess All Areas. Chapter One - 'Auburn Blush' it had said on the packet.

If you would like to be included with your 1st sentences, please leave your email address in comment box below or visit my web site for the address.

Having just revealed the new cover for the re-publishing of Magnolia House, you can imagine how moved I was when I opened an email on Saturday morning and read this....

"Well what can I say ... Magnolia House is an amazing story. I don't think there has ever been a book that has touched me so much as this story did .. I've shed more tears this week than I can remember but for some reason, the story actually makes me feel better and gives me hope in my own life (if that makes sense) . Really beautiful."

"You write beautiful stories ... thank you so much. I'm a BIG fan!" Louise Graham

You can read Louise's full review by clicking here! Thank you!

Thank you Lou, thank you so much.

Magnolia House will be re-published in paperback and Kindle early October.

A Makeover for Magnolia House

2011-09-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

Lots of exciting things are happen with my books, but before I launch into what I am about to show you, I want to tell about the new little extra I will be adding to all my Blogs in the next few months. We writers all need a little help from time to time and to this end, I will be adding to every Blog the opening sentence from a chapter of a book. Any author can be included. To do so, please leave your email address in the comments or visit my web site, to see my email address and email me...it's that simple!

My first opening sentence comes from Bagpipes & Bullshot by Janice Horton - Chapter One.... In a hamlet nestling within the hills of Southern Scotland, August sunshine filtered through the pine trees surrounding the old house known locally as Glencorrie, encouraging ivy and wisteria to climb the ancient walls, securing unstable chimneystacks, and binding together dangerously loose stonework.

Now to the news I am so excited to share with you.....my fabby new cover for Magnolia House.
As you know, along with my lovely editor, Jo Field we have re-edited and re-polished this book and now, thanks to Cathy at Avalon Graphics, my Magnolia House has a new look. Magnolia House already has 11 x 5 star reviews on Amazon and it will still make you cry as well as give you that feel good feeling. Magnolia House will be re-published in October, of course I will be telling you all about the date very soon. So to the cover, I love it, but what do you think?

Sunny Smiles & Friendly Awards

2011-09-26T04:58:00.000-07:00

I'm smiling today because I have received a Friendly Blogger Award from the lovely Rosalind Adam. I met Ros through Blogging and Twittering and during the last couple of years, I have come to think of this lady as a special friend. She has the most amazing Blog, updated regularly and is filled with smiles, laughter and occasionally tears, but always interesting and heart warming.Those who visit Ros's Blog will know exactly what I am talking about. If not please take a peek!

Now I have this superduper award, I am going to pass it on to some special people who make life shine no matter what is happening. These people take time to chat to me, comment on my Blog and remind me I am not alone in the world. I love having visitors and many of you who visit and comment have become friends. Making the sunshine on a dull day, seeing the stars shine despite the clouds and making eyes twinkle with laughter is what makes our world a better place to be.

Drum role please, here are the names who deserve the Friendly Blogger Award

Linn B Halton
Shirley Wells
Debs Carr
Janice Horton
Eileen Schuh
Talli Roland
Shazjera
Janet Beasley
MaureenAMiller
Kit Domino
Lotsocats100
DebutNovelist
Liz Fichera
Nikki Bywater
Wendy Soliman

Award rules: Send this award to about 10 people who regularly comment on your blog. A link back to my blog would be fabby too.....

...and don't forget to keeeeeep coming back and commenting!

Lanzarote to Lowestoft

2011-09-23T03:11:00.000-07:00

Not sure if I've been missed, but I've had a 7 day social media silence, no Twitter, no Facebook and only the most essential emails have I answered and all because of our surprise trip to the UK.

This last week has been hectic and emotional. For the last six weeks I had been quietly organising a trip back to the UK, we told no one as we wanted to surprise my parents. With a fantastic doggy sitter able to look after our two rescue doggies, we left our little pebble in the ocean and flew back to the UK.

My parents live in a village just outside Lowestoft (Lowestoft is the most easterly place in the UK), we arrived at our hotel late Thursday evening and after a restless night, because I could not stop thinking about the surprise we had in store, we quickly breakfasted and waited for the taxi to take us to my mum and dads. Oh my my, so many tears and lots of hugs - we rang the door bell and as dad answered the door, we chimed, "we thought we'd surprise you," dad swept me into his arms tears streamed down our faces and a lump in my throat threatened to choke me..... it was very emotional for all of us.

The week raced by in a flash as we caught up with family and friends with lots of laugh and many tears. We ate far to much and red wine flowed as if it was going out of fashion. The weather was amazing, warm, dry and sunny - on Tuesday in the deep shade in my parent's garden the temps registered 22c.....!

We shopped in the mega supermarkets, Asda being the nearest to my parents and our hotel. The choice was mind blowing and the service breathtaking, we bought so many things, thank goodness we travelled to the UK light!

But before we could draw breath we were back in the car for the two hour journey to Stanstead to fly back home. It was difficult having to leave everyone behind, needless to say, there have been many more tears.

The whole week went amazingly smoothly thanks to all the staff at the Victoria Hotel in Lowestoft who made our stay there fantastic. Also special thanks to Atlas Taxi Service in Lowestoft, especially Ian and Sue for providing a first class and friendly service. They helped to make our special week, special!

We are back on our little island, the weather that greeted us was overcast, hot and with rain this morning. Our doggies were overjoyed to see us and have not left our side since collecting them. It feels good to be home, but oh my my I'm filled with emotions...!
Will we go back to live in the UK? Probably not, but it was good to go back.

If I Could be Anyone I'd Be....

2011-09-14T02:32:00.000-07:00

Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With The Wind.... a book I truly love! Why Scarlett, because I love her sassyness, her independence and at the same time her passion for Rhett Butler. Those were dark days, but they were also elegant and privileged days for someone of Scarlett O'Hara's standing.

No doubt you are wondering why I'm twittering on about who I would like to be for the day, well it is all part of Talli Roland's release party for her latest book, Watching Willow Watts.
So, if you could be anyone for the day, who would it be? Do tell!

Congratulations to Talli, fabby person and fabby writer....sell zillions!

This & That!

2011-09-08T06:50:00.000-07:00

What a week is has been, for a start it is sizzling hot down here, temps in the low 30c and that is in the shade!

Before I get too carried away, I want to welcome Susan Livingstone another Associate Reader at loveahappyending.com, who has added her name to my list of fabby Associate Readers, I now have 6 great ARs. Please go along to her Blog, across the pond, and say, hi! http://lotsocats100-fascinatingbooks.blogspot.com/

This week (Thursday 8th) is publication day for fellow author at lovehappyending.com Sue Watson with her debut novel, Fat Girls & Fairy Cakes. You can read all about Sue on her author page at http://loveahappyending.com/sue-watson/

Putting on my lovehappyending.com editor hat, I've written another edition of The Fizz, so if you have time please stroll along and see what or who I've been gossiping about this week! http://loveahappyending.com/the-fizz-with-pauline-barclay-5/

The other day I read Lou Graham's wonderful review on Satchfield Hall and I admit to crying... sob! You can read why I needed a tissue or two http://lougrahamiiblog.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/satchfield-hall-pauline-barclay/

Today, I saw another new 5 star review on Amazon for Sometimes It Happens.... Thank you Dot from the UK.

In between everything else, I've been busy editing with my wonderful editor, Jo Field. We are storming through Magnolia House. My lovely story is still the same, my characters have not changed, but it now has Jo's special sparkle.
Very soon I will revealing a new cover design ready for the re-laucnh later this year.

That's it folks, as alwasy, big thanks for stopping by, I love to see you and I hope this time, I've not bored you to sleep.... yawn! I'm away to edit!

A Love of Life - Janet Beasley

2011-09-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

Don and Janet with their Bichon Frise

This week siting around my pool all the way from Florida is Janet Beasley: Epic Fantasy Author.We are so seriously international here. Welcome Janet, make yourself comfy and help yourself to my bubbly and nibbles!

Janet was raised in the mid-western state of Ohio in the once Norman Rockwell setting of the small town Beavercreek, and now resides in Florida where she enjoys writing, reading, kayking, hiking, and scenic nature photography with her knight in shining armor, her husband Don. They have been married 31 years and have one kid...well, they call him a kid...a loveable Bichon Frise. They also enjoy spending their summers in Michigan's U.P. in their quaint cabin nestled deep in the north woods on Lake Superior.

Ohio nostalgia - a well known intersection
near the town where Janet grew up

It is all yours Janet, so take it away!

"Cheers Pauline, my my this is so quaint compared to back home, but gorgeous and your kids, like mine are so cute! I can hear you asking why epic fantasy for a 50 year old named Janet? If you know me that's an easy question to answer...if you don't know me then it could be a little more difficult, so let me fill you in.

Ohio farmland (not Janet's - just a landscape
shot from near her old house)

I have been involved in theater, dance, event production, and technical theater production (audio, lighting, and special effects) since the age of 5. These were my first outlets for my creativity. (And I was quite successful I might ad). I have spoken at international conferences, developed seminars and training classes, written articles for trade specific magazines, and helped many technicians and drama directors get through not only their productions - but life in general when it comes to the stress of the job. As my life progressed I faced challenges that would have brought most of us to a screeching halt. But becoming a victim to stacking chronic illnesses which lead to having to give up on productions and the closing of my "Bark-ery"/Bakery due to physical restraints, surviving 5 hurricanes, suffering through many of life's hardships (death of loved ones, putting a dear pet to sleep, financial ruin, sharing the duties with my father of caring for the sweetest mother in the world 24/7 who is a diabetic facing dementia, and the list goes on), and never learning how to read and comprehend a story until the age of 48, believe it or not, it hasn'tstopped me.

Sunset through the palm frawns at
Don and Janet's house in FL

I am not a quitter...especially when it comes to utilizing my creative imagination. I claim it was the hardships that brought me to discover the world of fantasy writing. A self made goal in the midst of these trials was successfully completing a science fiction/fantasy writing course through Gotham Writer's Workshop. From this I have found a passion that no one or nothing can quench. I have now moved on to entering the writing world as one of the most creative authors waiting in the wings to be discovered.

When asked to be a part of loveahapyending.com I was humbled and secretly wondered, "What the heck? I don't have those kind of credentials." But when I stopped to consider the name, Love A Happy Ending, I realized I was right where I needed to be! My main focus in writing epic fantasy novels which I guess is to present an "escape" to those facing hardships and longing to forget about their circumstances for a while to discover a world where I hope everyone would want to live. You're probably asking yourself...what world? Well let me tell it would be Maycly - Volume 1.Maycly is a 6 volume epic fantasy series titled Hidden Earth.

You see, my goals in life, other than writing, is to bring a smile to at least one person's face a day. And in return, I've found that the new loveahappyending.com family returns the favor with much love and encouragement. I couldn't be happier."

You can watch Janet's amazing video on youtube to meet and discover this epic novel series just click on the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpopbT_p_Cw&feature=youtu.be

Don paddling his kayak into the sunset
in front of our Michigan cabin

Hidden Earth" - Volume 1 "Maycly is currently out on submission to a publisher.
Janet continues to work diligently on the next 5 novels while waiting to hear the grand word "Accepted" so the editing process can begin and the novel finally reaches publication. She and her sister make quite the epic fantasy team, with Janet being the creative force and author, and her sister Darlene Bagby being Janet's full time illustrator and proof reader.
If Janet could live in a fantasy world, I asked her what it would be like.
Without hesitation she answered:

The living room of our log cabin
in Michigan's U.P.

"My log cabin (with a hot tub on the porch and a fireplace in the gathering room) would be built rather far off a dirt road where tame wildlife is abundant. My bed and pillow would be so soft I'd sink ever so deeply encasing myself in the fluffiness. The continuous aroma of a north woods forest and plumerias combined would float on the breeze. The trees would never lose their leaves, only change to brilliant colors in autumn then back to green in summer. Flowers would grow in whimsical bouquets. Spider webs with dew drops would be my jewelery. Clear water rivers would run effortlessly through the land (the absolute best for kayaking) ending up in calm lakes lined with stately trees and foliage for water fowl to build their nests. Fluorescent illuminated aquatic species and plants would bring light from the depths to the top of the waters. There would be a dock at the end of every path that leads to the water's edge. At the end of each dock would be a few log chairs with plush seat pads and a table to place a drink. There would be a magic wand on each dock table too - just for creating fireworks or auroras in the evening skies. Sounds of numerous waterfalls of every size toppling from mogul hills and mountain tops would tickle the ears. Snow would never be cold. Birds would land in my hand singing their songs, and I would understand their words. The sky would be pink, purple, blue, amber, and gold. The twin suns would warm my bones during the day, and the three moons would tell me it's time for bed at night as they swooned me with their vocal lullabies. Sprites would be my daily guides through the woods. Fireflies would light my path in the evening. Of course my family and friends would be welcome anytime and could stay as long as they'd like. I would have my soul mate Don and canine companions by my side. Let's see, did I forget anything? Oh yeah...and there would be an endless supply of chocolate and sweet berries."

I hope you are like me, keeping everything crossed for Janet's fantasy book Maycly appearing soon. If it reads anything like above, it will be awesome!
Janet is an amazing photographer and all the photos in this Blog are taken by her!

Please visit Janet's web http://www.jlbcreatives.com/

Blog: http://jlbcreatives.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JLBCreatives

Twitter: http://twitter.com/JLBCreatives

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/janetbeasley

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/bzinclermont

Sparkle!

2011-09-02T07:54:00.000-07:00

As most of you who follow my Blog know that for my third book, Sometimes It Happens... I had the amazing author Helen Hollick as my mentor and editor. Seeing how this book shines, I now want to revisit my first two books Magnolia House and Satchfield Hall and give them that extra sparkle to equal my latest book. So despite 11 five star reviews for Magnolia House and 7 for Satchfield Hall I have decided re re-edit and re-polish these book. I am delighted to be able to tell you that Jo Field (New Writers UK) has taken me under her wing for these books, Helen's commitments are too great for us to work together at the moment, but we will again!

Jo is well respected in the publishing world dealing with many well known authors, so I am honoured and nervous in equal measures, but I know it is going to be an exciting, if not a busy few months ahead for me.

Both books will have new covers from Avalon Graphics and each one will be re-launched later this year.
Of course, I will keep you updated on everything....you know me, not one to keep quiet...laugh!

Already I have reviewers who will review or re-review Magnolia House and Satchfield Hall when the new editions are published. Thank you everyone that is fab!

Update on progress and covers to follow soon!

Image by Rawich http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Blues_and_Violets_g333-Star_Sky_Background_p41250.html

A Little in the Micro Light!

2011-08-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

If I said this week has been busy, and it is only Wednesday, I would be fibbing, it has been hectic.I make no bones about it, marketing my books is not easy to say the least, I feel I am forever trying to climb the steepest and highest mountain on earth...phew! But this last week as seen a tiny glimmer of light down the long dark tunnel, and before you ask, no it is not the train hurtling towards me.... at least I don't think it is!
Sorry,I digress, as I was saying, this week I've seen a sliver of light on my efforts to promote my books and last Tuesday the Redhill & Reigate Life printed an article about my books and my association with loveahappyending.

Yesterday, the e-magazine, Strictly Business printed, a full page (page 21) yes a full page no less, about moi and my association with loveahappyending.com. I wrote both the articles, so feeling a tad pleased. I hope it will also translate in to a sale or two of my bubbly new book, Sometimes It Happens...

This week I have also taken on the responsibility of being Head of Communications for loveahappyending.com along with my other role there, the Editor of The Fizz. I hear you yell, "Are you mad!" Well probably, I am, but being part of this exciting new group is about helping each other. This is my tiny contribution to the group. So please when you hear my calling out loudly, look at my latest Fizz, take a peek and leave a comment. Ta!

Oh yes, meant to add, but nearly forgot....! I mentioned above only my latest book, Sometimes It Happens... because later this week I will be talking about my other two books, Magnolia House and Satchfield Hall, so please come back to find out what I am twittering on about!

Silhouette Dance Music by jscreationzs
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1152

Shirley Wells, Murder & Mystery!

2011-08-29T01:22:00.000-07:00

Murder, mystery and mayhem....oops, sorry, no mayhem, just murder and mystery...laugh! This week sitting around my pool drinking champagne and talking about her latest book and Blog Tour is the lovely Shirley Wells. Shirley, as you know, is famous for her detective novels and whilst she is lounging around here in the sunshine, Shirley is going to tell us more about her Dillan series. But before we begin, let me pour you another glass of amber nectar, can't let this heat dry up your throat! Cheers, now you can take it away!

Firstly, thank you for inviting me to your lovely sunny abode, Pauline. Phew, it’s hot!
For those of you who don’t know, Pauline and I are Facebook Friends and Twitter-ers. Writing is a solitary occupation so it’s wonderful to enjoy a few laughs. I moan about the weather in the UK and Pauline sends me sunshine from Lanzarote. Oh yes, and we also talk about books and writing.
I suppose, for me, the most exciting part of being a writer is The Call. After months spent writing the book, you have to send it out into the big wide world. Then, if you’re lucky, an editor phones, writes or emails to say they love your book and can’t wait to publish it. It’s time to splash out on ridiculously expensive chocolates and champagne.
For me, the last ‘call’ I had was tempered with a little anxiety. I’d already sold five crime books featuring forensic psychologist Jill Kennedy and DCI Max Trentham to Constable & Robinson in the UK but, for my Dylan Scott mystery, I wanted a new publisher. After a lot of thought, I sent it to Carina Press, the brand new (so new they hadn’t released a single book!) digital-first imprint of Harlequin.

Naturally, I was thrilled when I heard they wanted my book, but I had a few concerns. Were e-books really the way to go? Would my book be well produced? Would people think Carina Press = Harlequin = Romance? I had a million concerns.

Carina Press published their first book on June 7th 2010 and my mystery, PRESUMED DEAD, was published on 26 July 2010. My concerns vanished. The book looked fantastic, and Carina Press, I soon discovered, is the ultimate in professionalism.
The good news just kept on coming, too. As much as I love e-books and read almost nothing else these days, I was delighted when I heard that PRESUMED DEAD was being produced as an audio book by Audible.com. As if that wasn’t enough, it then appeared in paperback for readers in the US and Canada. For an author, nothing quite compares with holding a ‘real’ copy of your book.

Perhaps the best news of all was knowing that Carina Press liked my private investigator, Dylan Scott, so much that they wanted to see him in another story. I’d realised a long time ago that I had the best publisher ever so I was more than happy to oblige. Dylan’s second outing, DEAD SILENT, is available for download now. The third book in the series, SILENT WITNESS, will be published in March 2012.

Despite my initial doubts, getting the call from Carina Press was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

Thank you so much for inviting me to your beautiful home, Pauline!

Having had several hundred short stories, ten serials and ten novels published, Shirley Wells is finally getting the hang of this writing lark. She’s lived in Orkney, Cyprus and the Cotswolds, and now lives in Lancashire in the UK where the Pennines, with their abundance of great places to hide bodies, provide the inspiration for her popular mystery novels. She shares her home with her husband, two dogs, two cats and any other stray animals that fancy being pampered.

For more information, visit Shirley's website follow her on Twitter or find her on Facebook

Her latest Dylan Scott mystery, DEAD SILENT, is available from
Carina Press Amazon US Amazon UK Barnes & Noble and all good e-book retailers.

Roar and Rasps!

2011-08-23T03:24:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article the other day at the lovely Rosalind Adam's Blog about one of the sounds that fill the air, particually throughout the summer months - the roar of the lawnmower!

I have to admit, it is a sound I have not heard in years and not because we don't cut our lawn, it is more that we don't have one - a lawn not a lawnmore, though we don't have one of those either!

Down here on the island, grass is very very rare, the two golf clubs do have grass, but for the rest of the island, it is not normal. For a start it is far too hot and secondly our rain fall is very low. Trying to keep a lawn green would be very expensive (our water is desalinated.) Instead our gardens, private and public are covered in pecon. Pecon is crushed volcanic matter and is used to dress all areas where plants and trees grow.The normal covering of pecon is black, though there is red pecon, but this is rare and expensive and tends to be used in special municipal areas.

Pecon keeps the intense heat from the sun from destroying the plants and the mositrue from watering from evaporating. It is perfect for our all year round sunny and dry climate.

So the only sound you will hear everyday, all year round, is the gentle rasp of rakes as gardeners keep their pecon looking immaculate.

A Pain in the Bum!

2011-08-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

I know of late, I've been a bit of a pain in the bum and I should say I'm very sorry, but with a big Cheshire grin on my face, it is a tad difficult. I've been somewhat overwhelmed with some of the fabby reviews I've been getting for my latest book, Sometimes It Happens... and I've got carried away!

From now on, I will try and warn you first before I start to shout and whoop loudly. On Facebook and Twitter, I will no longer clap my hands like the sound of thunder and pop all those noisy party poppers, instead I will whisper my glee adding only my book cover and the link to the review. OK? **Giggling loudly**

Thank you everyone for being such fabby peeps, listening to me shrilling, reading my books and reviewing them.....thank yoooo!

Aaahmm, sorry about that, now back to what I really should be doing......writing book 4!

The Celebration photograph is by Simon Howden from:http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=404

Rosie Still - Snapping at The Rich & Famous!

2011-08-15T01:56:00.000-07:00

If and when we as writers ever become famous, I hope we will have photographers wanting to take pics of us like the rich and famous have done for years. One photographer who has brushed shoulders with stars for nearly four decades is the very talented, Rosie Still. I am so delighted that she has taken time out of her very busy schedule to talk on my Blog. And I've got my best smile plastered on my face, just in case the camera swings my way!OK Rosie, let's get snapping!"

Rosie, please tell us the names of some of the famous you have photographed
Having been in the business for over 38 years now I’ve photographed a lot of famous people. Back in the 70 & 80s I got to photograph The Jacksons, Queen, Alvin Stardust, Suzi Quatro, Kylie Minogue, Whitney Houston, … the list is endless, but besides musicians, I’ve worked with Victoria Wood, Stephanie Cole (currently Roy Cropper’s Mum in Corrie), Pauline Quirke (Emmerdale) and more recently Michelle Hardwick (The Royal).

An impressive line up there, but how did you get into photographing such famous people?
Back in the early 70s I was a hospital radio DJ and I decided that I’d like to spice up my programme a bit by including interviews with celebrities. Glenda Jackson was a local lady and had just been voted “Actress of the Year” and she invited me to her house. After the interview she asked if I’d considered doing interviewing professionally, which at the time I hadn’t. A couple of weeks later after interviewing the then virtually unknown Joanna (Absolutely Fabulous!) Lumley, she asked the same question. To cut a long story short I wrote up my next interview and sent it to all the women’s magazines. The editor of Annabel magazine (based in Dundee) was coming to London and asked to meet me.

A few weeks later I got a letter from Ken Gordon, Editor of Diana magazine (the slightly younger sister to Jackie magazine) asking if I’d be interested in interviewing pop stars & celebrities for his magazine. It took me all of half a second to decide!

In the meantime I’d bought a second-hand camera with a telephoto lens and suggested to Ken that maybe I could photograph as well as interview them. He thought that was great, but I hadn’t told him that I’d not finished a roll of film, so I didn’t even know if it worked properly …
The rest of this story and many many more can be found in my book “Still photographing the Rich … the famous … and the wannabes!” … how’s that for a plug!

But I will just say that the first person I interviewed/photographed for Diana was Jimmy Savile, OBE (which he said stood for Old Blonde Ead!) and I had the instructions on the back … ie which aperture to use according to his distance from the camera! … and he saw me looking and said “You’ve never used that bloody thing before have you?” …. Jimmy then decided that he would show me how it should be set and before I left he gave me his phone number and said “You might be needing this”. Whatever he did to it, nothing came out and so the following week I was back at the Beeb … without his help … doing a re-shoot! I found out that he liked little blondes.
I must admit though that Jim and I became good friends over the years and he was such a help to me. He had a programme called “Speak Easy”, where he’d have an audience and on the stage a panel of experts (depending on the subject matter) and throughout the programme a singer or band would perform two or three times. Jimmy suggested that I went along there during the day when they were rehearsing and did interviews and took photos. So I got to meet a lot of big stars of the time, that I may not have got the opportunity to meet anywhere else.
Although I continued with Diana I also was asked to work for other teenage magazines such as Jackie, Blue Jeans, Patches, Shout, Catch …. And I’d also take surplus slides along to IPC for them to keep on their files and I gradually had several front covers and centre spreads in their publications.

Also, by working for so many magazines I got to work with the same celebrities over and over again and people like Alvin Stardust and Suzi Quatro became good friends, so it was never like working ….. it was just such good fun.

When did the Pop sessions end?
When the Punk era came in, although I did a few like Blondie, The Damned, etc ‘Glam Rock’ was dying out and I was starting to lose a bit of interest. Also by then IPC was doing the famous ‘photo stories’! For those of you who don’t know what they are. They are cartoon stories, but instead of being drawn they have real people posing the shots with speech bubbles. I just happened to ask one of my editors if D C Thomson was thinking of doing them …… and I ended up doing them for 18 years, and for about 10 different magazines. When I stopped doing them it was like being released from prison and I finally got my life back again!! It was good money and regular work but it was hard work and although fun at the time, when the last of the magazines finally died it was almost a relief.

Is it right that you were the Jazz trumpeter/ Radio 4 presenter, Humphrey Lyttelton’s personal photographer?
Yes. I happened to be strolling through my local village in 1984 when I bumped into the late Ted Taylor (Benny Hill’s musical associate & owner of the local recording studio). I’d known his family for years and we started chatting. When he found out that I had my own photographic studio he asked for my number and said he’d be in touch. A few days later he called and asked if I would do some shots in his studio and also mine for an album that was being recorded by Humphrey Lyttelton and Helen Shapiro. I did, Humph, Helen & I hit it off instantly and I ended up doing all his sessions for the next 24 years until he died in 2008.

How did you move on to photographing actors and drama students?
Helen Shapiro is married to the actor John Judd and I started doing his Spotlight shots in 1986. He then suggested that I should use my studio for more than just photo stories (I faked a lot of locations there … from disco, café, classroom, shops, etc with a lot of props!) and Humph’s sessions, as he felt I had a gift for acting headshots. So I put an advert in the Stage and then later Contacts and although I do virtually any type of studio session, my speciality and favourite sessions are definitely acting shots. I guess I like looking at people’s faces. And since going digital it’s become so much easier (and no smelly darkroom chemicals any more!) as my clients can see instantly that they are getting the results they came for.

Have you had many famous people in your studio?
Apart from Alvin, Dollar, Squeeze, and a few other musicians of the 80s, Humph and all his Jazz celebrities, I tend to have more of the up and coming actors and drama students. But having said that, Bella Emberg, Liz Fraser, Gabrielle Bradshaw, Charlie Clements, Christopher Parker, Chris Jarvis, Zoe Heyes (London’s Burning & She’s Out) and also Maureen Sweeney (She’s Out, Only Fools & Horse, etc) have all been here. But Michelle Hardwick who I mentioned earlier was a real thrill for me.

I’d recently joined Twitter and I was being followed by Steve Huison (Eddie Windass in Coronation Street) and although I’ve still not met him, we exchanged quite a few Direct Messages and it turned out that he used to go to Rose Bruford, which is a drama school near me, and went past my house every day! I was currently updating my website and Steve tweeted to promote my work. Michelle saw this tweet and checked out for herself and a few weeks later drove 197 miles (and back again) to my studio for her current Spotlight pictures. We’ve now become good friends and hopefully very shortly her friend Venetia Deane (another actress/singer) will be doing the same journey for her new publicity shots. I’m also hoping that one day Steve will come here for his.

Talking of Twitter I believe that Fat Brenda is a friend of yours. Apparently she works on the switchboard at Street Cars in Coronation Street. She certainly keeps me amused on Twitter. Have you ever photographed her?
Fat Brenda! Another lady that I met on Twitter thanks to the lovely Steve Huison. She’s the unseen hero of Coronation Street who the characters Lloyd and Steve have mentioned a few times recently. But none of us know a great deal about Brenda, but we all love her to pieces, mostly for her outspoken manner. I’ve offered her a free photo shoot if she’s willing to travel down from Manchester to London, but it hasn’t happened yet. We actually spoke about her doing a nude centrefold, but she was worried that my studio wouldn’t be warm enough and that she’d freeze her bits off! But I did reassure her that the heating would be full on! She’s hoping to come down here one day with Steve Huison (who, between you and me and her thousands of twitter fans, she’s in love with) so I’ll keep you updated.

Tell us a bit more about your book.
Unfortunately I did a bit of a silly thing. I wrote it after I’d been in the business for 25 years and got several famous people … some of whom I’ve mention before … to kindly write something about me in their own handwriting to be included in it. It’s a book full of anecdotes rather than a photographic book, but when I finished it I hadn’t a clue what to do next.
I didn’t approach any publishers or agents …. I didn’t know which ones to go to … and instead I saw an ad in the paper asking for new writers, new manuscripts, etc. To cut a long story short, they were a self-publishing company. I would like to stress that I’ve absolutely nothing against self-publishing companies, but this unfortunately was the wrong road for me to go down. The quality of the pictures is dire and it was a case of here’s your book … now go and sell it. I did several radio and newspaper interviews – which I arranged myself and several celebrities, including Alvin, Humph, Helen, John, Chris Jarvis and actress Claire Oberman, came to my launch, which again I had to organise.
I’ve got about 600 copies in my loft that I bought back from them, so I sell them to clients or when I give talks, but I wish now that, as it includes so many celebrities in it, that I’d done it differently. Since scanning 31 years of negatives and slides, for talks and my new website, I feel that maybe I should give it another go with all my new material. But it’s all down to time, which I seem to have so little of, and really I’d have to know that at the end of it I can get it published … who knows, one day.

Tell me about your new website
For years I had a basic ‘lite site’, but early last year, I decided that I should include slide shows on it rather than just have a few pages of selected pictures. Unfortunately the site was too ‘lite’ and the only way I could do this was to teach myself how to create a website totally from scratch and do it myself. I finally, after about 8 months, got it up and running ….. but still something wasn’t right, so recently I took it off line for 3 weeks and totally revamped it and now I’m happy with it. I’ve tried to include as much as I can of the past as I can, so you can see a lot of famous faces on my Celebrities, Music and Jazz pages. On my About Rosie page I’ve included some of the written pieces that are in my book and also pictures of me with celebrities.
I should stress that I hate being in front of the camera, so I have a lot of sympathy for people who quake at photo shoots. I like to make the sessions fun and fortunately a lot of my clients come back over and over again to keep their pictures up to date.
Hope I’ve not bored you too much!
And Rosie Still …. Yes, Still is my real surname, so I guess I was destined from birth to become a ‘still’ photographer!!!

Thank you Rosie for coming along and sharing your photographic years with us, I know of all the people you have snapped away at, what a line up. I just want to wish you many more years ensuring the rich and famous keep saying cheese into your camera lens! I'm practising, just in case...laugh!

Please visit Rosie's web site to see some of the amazing photographs she has taken. http://www.rosiestillphotography.co.uk/

Rosie is also found chatting on Twitter most days!mailto:days!@rosie391

It's Not Me!

2011-08-12T05:39:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this beautiful poem with you that I recieved in my email box. You'll need a tissuse!

CRANKY OLD MAN

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in country NSW, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.
Later, when the nurses were going through his meagre possessions, They found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

One nurse took her copy to Melbourne . The old man's sole bequest to posterity as since appeared in the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.

And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet.

Cranky Old Man

What do you see, nurses?.What do you see?
What are you thinking when you're looking at me?
A cranky old man, not very wise,
Uncertain of habit with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice,'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice the things that you do.
And forever is losing a sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding the long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding,as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten with a father and mother.
Brothers and sisters who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen with wings on his feet
dreaming that soon now a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide and a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty, my young now grown fast,
bound to each other with ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons have grown and are gone,
but my woman is beside me to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children my loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me, my wife is now dead.
I look at the future, I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing young of their own.
And I think of the years and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man and nature is cruel.
It's jest to make old age look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles grace and vigor depart.
There is now a stone where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcase a young man still dwells,
and now and again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living life over again.
I think of the years all too few gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people open and see.
Not a cranky old man look closer, see ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within . ... . . . we will all, one day, be there, too!

The Sound Of Tubular bells

2011-08-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

One of the loveliest sounds, to me, is the sound of tubular bells, particular the ones for the garden. Some years ago we bought a beautiful set, tuned to the Westminster scale. These magnificent tubular bells hang in our stairwell. Our doors are always open so the gentle breeze that filters through our villa make the bells resonate.
And to compliment the inside bells, we have another magnificent set in our pergola lounge. They mange to pick up plenty of breeze and we can hear their deep tone donging sound drifting into the garden.

I just love these sounds and they always make me smile.

What sounds do you have around you that makes you smile?

Great Reads!

2011-08-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

This year I have tried to read only books by new authors, and what a great read year is has been so far. I have read some fantastic books. There are some seriously fabby writers out there!

A couple of months ago I listed the books I had read to date, here is an update. I hope, some, if not all of these will end up on your TBR list !

I've read them all and they are superb reads!

The Traz by Eileen Schuh

Discovery at Rosehill by Kathryn Brown

Bagpipes & Bullshot by Janice Horton

Endless Night by Maureen A. Miller

The Shoeless Kid by Marcelle Dube

Raven by Suzy Turner

Awards & Awards!

2011-07-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

I am so delighted, I've received two fabby awards for my Blog.
A BIG thank you to Pat Newcombe, who by the way is a fabby writer and also lives on Lanzarote, for the Stylish Blogger Award.

The Rules for receiving the Stylish Blogger Award are:

1. Thank and link back to the person giving you the award. (A huge thanks Pat!
2. Share 7 Things About Yourself.
3. Award the Blogs Who You Think Deserve This Award.
4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award.

Well before I announce my second award.... soooo exciting, here are the seven things you might not know about me:

1. I can not ballroom dance, so no chance of being invited on Strictly Come Dancing!
2. I love to rollerblade and have rollerbladed in UK, Paris, Holland, Boston and Lanzarote
3. My claim to shame is that I ate a MacDonald's in Singapore!
4. As a child I bit my finger nails
5. I love to sing, but have a terrible voice!
6. I hate cruelty of any kind
7. I'm one of the 30 invited authors at loveahappyending.com

Now it is my turn to make some awards and I award these fabby peeps the Stylish Blogger Award:
Nikki Bywateer at Books4U
BaggieAggie
Onemorepage

My second award, is a beautiful homemade award from Deidra Eden-Capel, whose Blog is A Story Book World. Please take a peek at Deidra's fabby awards that she has designed.

Here is my award, Powerful Woman Writer . Isn't it gorgeous? I am awarding this award to some seriously powerful writers.These are:

Wendy Soliman
Janice Horton
Nicole MacDonald
Helen Hollick

A Dog's Breakfast!

2011-07-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

I thought you might like to see our dining room now and before.....! Enough said!

Before!

Now!

Before!

Mimsie!

2011-07-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

For the life of me I have no idea why I feel so mimsie. I know we are in a terrible muddle with the villa, but that is going to take quite some time to get sorted. And as much as it is very upsetting to see the new floor dug up and deep trenches across the room, it is not the end of the world.

Of course, I would like to see my latest book selling better, but it is selling, so not the end of the world

And I really would like to get my head more into the latest book that I am writing, which by the way has a working title, Maddison's, but despite many attempts only a few hundred words make it to the keyboard. In fact yesterday I deleted far more than I wrote, but it is not the end of the world!

This afternoon I ate several chunks of chocolate, I try not to do this as I feel I am fat enough, but I fancied chocolate! But adding a few extra kilos is not the end of the world, well having said that, I'm not too sure!

So why am I mimsie? I don't know, but just wanted to share my mimsie days with you....thank you for listening.... Phew I do feel better already....laugh!

Sitting at the side of my pool - Nikki Bywater

2011-07-25T01:16:00.000-07:00

This week my guest is not only an avid reader, a jobbing actress, but a paranormal investigator. Please relax on one of my pool side recliners and meet the amazing, Nikki Bywater. Over to you Nikki, Take One...LOL!

"Hello and thank you Pauline for inviting me to be a guest on your lovely blog. My name is Nikki Bywater and for the past decade I have mainly been a housewife, but I have also worked as a support artist and jobbing actress. I prefer only to do small roles so that I can spend time with my family. I am also the daughter of a well known medium. I am not a medium myself but would call myself more of a paranormal investigator and through this I research mediums. I have also been on the radio chatting about my paranormal work and what it is like to grow up with a parent who is a medium. As well as my rather different background I am an avid reader.

As far back as I can remember I have enjoyed reading. I had a Great aunt who every Christmas and birthday would buy me a couple of Enid Blyton books. It was stories like The Faraway Tree that got me hooked on books. As I got older I was still reading Enid Blyton and went on to her Malory Towers series. It was the way these books really got your imagination working and you could picture all the magical adventures in your head.

Now as an adult I read lots and lots of different kinds of books from biographies, to Chick Lit, Crime and the paranormal and much, much more! I think we can learn something new from every book that we read. I always go by the old saying never judge a book by the cover. If ever I have any spare time to myself you will find me with my head in a book. I still love the escapism a book brings and if I have had a stressful day I find reading a couple of chapters from my latest novel really relaxes me. My house is full of books.

It was because of my love of reading and my books that I first heard about loveahappyending.com through our good friend here Pauline. I had come to chat with Pauline about my love of reading after I had read Pauline’s wonderful book Magnolia House. It was then that Pauline told me all about the love a happy ending site I was interested straight away and I thought it was a fantastic idea, because it involves people like me, readers. I am now an Associate Reader and through this I am learning lots about different authors and their new books. It is like a behind the scenes look at how the books have been written and you can interact with the authors. I like also that you can get more out of the book that you have just read because you get an opportunity to talk and learn more from the author. I also love the review part. As a reader, it makes a real difference to be able to interact with authors and other like minded people.

Being involved with loveahappyending.com for me as made me see just how much I love books and reading. I very much hope in the future to work with books. In fact my dream would be to have my own book shop and spend my day surrounded by books! But for now I have started my own blog all about the books I have read and reviewed. I have added links to the authors I have read and reviewed so that my visitors can read and learn all about these writers. To make my blog more interesting I have tried to include different genres so that there is something for everyone.

I hope you will stop by and see what my book shelves look like, but for now, I'm away to read a great book from one of the authors from loveahappyending.com. My review will appear on my blog shortly, so don't forget to stop by. Until we meet soon."

I recently did an interview, The Paranormal and Me over at loveahappyending.com
You can also find me at
• My Facebook Paranormal Page
• My Facebook Page
• My Twitter page
• My Blog

The Fizz!

2011-07-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

Oooooha!... As from this week I will be the Editor for The Fizz at loveahappyending.com All exciting stuff as I will be taking a peek behind the scenes of the fabby Associate Readers and Authors who are featured at Loveahappyending. Checking out for snippets of info, secrets and if I'm lucky a bit of gossip too....yay!

Here's my official introduction, http://loveahappyending.com/the-fizz-is-coming-soon-come-and-meet-a-new-publisher/

I hope you'll stop by from time to time to see what I'm revealing and don't forget if you love reading you could be an Associate Reader and then you could be featured in The Fizz too! Click here to learn how to get involved...go on I know you want to!

A Bit Creepy!

2011-07-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

I could not resist buying this lovely hand made Gecko, from the amazing gift shop in Puerto Calero last weekend. He will be climbing up one of the white walls of our villa when I can work out which wall.... ! He looks so good on all of them...laugh!

... and here is Barney checking the metal Gecko out to see if it is something to eat!

My Guest This Week: Amanda Rutter from Floor to Ceiling Books!

2011-07-18T02:58:00.000-07:00

This week my guest is an avid book lover and book reviewer who is well respected by both publishers and authors, please come on down and meet the lovely Amanda Rutter from Floor to Ceiling Books.

"Thanks so much for inviting me to stop by your website and be your guest, Pauline! As you suggested, I thought it would be a great idea to talk about why I read, what genres I cover, why I now review the books I read and why I finally chose to take the plunge into reading and reviewing self-published fiction.

I read to escape. I’m sure many other people would say exactly the same! When I open the pages of a novel, I am allowed into another world. I meet new characters that I come to love or hate. I visit strange countries. In my day job I am an accountant, and, at times, I find it serious, dull and formulaic (not all the time, I hasten to add!) Consequently, reading is of great value to me. There is nothing better at the end of a long day than cosying up on the couch with my two cats and opening a book. It’s magical!

I was a lucky young reader. Both my parents read a lot when I was younger – my mum loves Wilbur Smith, while my dad is an aficionado of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. They encouraged me to read, by sharing stories with me (an early memory is of sitting on my dad’s lap as he read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) and buying me books. As I got older, they delighted in taking me to car boot sales where I would rummage for gems – that was how I came upon the whole Belgariad series by David Eddings for less than three pounds!

As to why I started reviewing... Well, when you read as much as I, every now and again (and more often as I get older and the grey matter starts failing a little!) you start reading a book and end up finding it more than a little familiar. Eventually you realise that you’ve read this book before. So part of my intention was to catalogue all the books I read, highlighting the details, so that I would have a permanent record of everything I’ve tried. This is why I am one of those reviewers who will review everything they read, whether a positive or negative experience. When I do have negative experiences, I try to be constructive and give reasons for why I didn’t enjoy the book, rather than just saying it was awful and leaving it at that... Another reason for starting to review publically was to share my love of reading and books. There is nothing better than having a love fest with someone else for a book you both adored! Or, in fact, having a discussion with someone who didn’t hold the same views as you and exploring why that might be.

Book reviewing has become a massive part of my life. My blog is something I spend at least two or three hours a day on, whether answering emails, connecting with others on Twitter and their blogs, reading other reviews – and, of course, reading books. I can’t imagine a time now where I won’t be lovingly cultivating Floor to Ceiling Books, and trying to make it a place where people feel welcomed to discuss all things bookish.

In order to be all-inclusive – and because I have a genuine love for ALL books – I decided very early on that my blog simply couldn’t be contained within one genre. Sure, my first love is probably fantasy and science fiction, but I adore a good chick lit novel. I read a little horror, some crime, thrillers, family sagas, historical novels. I’ve read so much, from Tolkien to Marian Keyes, visiting a little Stieg Larrson, Bram Stoker and Stephenie Meyer in between. I don’t look down on any authors or genres, and I’m willing to give anything a try!

That is one of the reasons why I decided to start accepting self-published work. The other major reason for this is thanks to Angry Robot Books. In a stunning opportunity for me, I was invited to be one of the “slushpile” readers for their Open Door Month, where they invited non-agented authors of speculative fiction to send in manuscripts. (By the way, I do hate the term slushpile, having now been involved with one – I use it because it’s the recognised word for what I tackled). While reading through almost 500 partial manuscripts, I realised that there are a LOT of exceptionally talented authors out there. And they simply won’t all get published through traditional means, thanks to sales budgets and yearly slots and all the other things that restrict publishers to only accepting a limited number of manuscripts each year. For me, this is why self-publishing is now just exploding. Thanks to the Kindle and Amazon, it is easier than ever to get your novel out there. Do I think *everyone* should be publishing? Definitely not – some self-published works are still questionable at best! However, it is an outlet for those people with talent who are willing to put in the work, use beta readers and exploit the fact that most people now have some form of eReader.

One of the easiest and best ways of supporting these intrepid authors who decide to take their fates into their own hands is to give them a try. You might read a few pages and decide that your 99p was a bust. You might end up reading something marvellous, and recommending it to all your friends. Hence, I now welcome self-published works to Floor to Ceiling Books. After having such a fun time with Sometimes it Happens... I realise that I made the right decision – I might well stumble over more great novels *grin*

Well! I think I’ve chattered on long enough about reading and reviewing – I hope you can tell it is something I’m deeply passionate about. I look forward to seeing a few of you over on my site – you’re always welcome. And thanks once again to Pauline for this opportunity.

For more about Amanda and her book reviewing, please stop by at Floor to Ceiling Books
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ALRutter
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001188310569
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3269646

A Bright Moonlit Night!

2011-07-15T05:09:00.000-07:00

The night was so alight last night with the full moon I just had to try and capture the scene. Our day light hours don't change too dramatically down here. The real change is around two and half hours, the changing of the clocks has the biggest impact, which makes the overall difference three and half hours.
In December we are dark by 6.30pm and the height of Summer we are dark by 9.45pm. Visitors to the island in the winter, love the longer days here!

You Have To Smile!

2011-07-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

My writing is not doing too good at the moment, I am distracted which ever way I turn. We have some pretty big things to do to our villa. Those who have read my earlier Blogs will know we have had serious problems with tree roots in the sewer pipe. The garden section has now been replaced, but we must now dig up floors inside the villa also to replace the pipe there too. This along with a number of other issues has managed to halt my usual over active imagination to sub zero!

I know all the issues that are bothering me will be sorted, because they always do and I will once again get weaving on my book 4... fingers crossed and the wind blowing in the right direction! I even have a title...laugh!

Despite these set backs, I try to be positive, see the best in people and situations and make the most of everything. Someone once said, though I don't know who it was....! The happiest people are not those who have everything, but those that make the best out of everything.... On that note, I am making the best of what is left of my ability to write and posting this Blog.

Thank you for stopping by, it really makes all the difference....keep smiling....I will!

My Guest - Mandy Baggot

2011-07-11T01:32:00.000-07:00

With three books already published, Mandy Baggot is busy burning the midnight oil as her fourth book will be published in November 2011. Okay Mandy, take it away....

"Hi everyone and thanks so much to Pauline for inviting me onto her fab blog! Along with all her other guests I am also jealous of her location and feel I must invite myself over for some sunkissed inspiration sometime - charging it to business expenses of course!
Well, about me - I'm a married mother of two girls (6 and almost 4) and I write contemporary romantic fiction/chicklit. I had my first novel published in 2008 under a scheme set up by Youwriteon.com to get new writers into the marketplace and that chance couldn't have come at a better time for me. I had written my first two novels on my maternity leaves with my girls and I was keen to explore the possibility of making a real go of writing as a career. I've been writing since school, mainly endless ongoing soap opera style stories involving my school friends and the popular hunks of the time but although I loved writing I knew how difficult it was to get into and never really considered it as a career. But a passion you have and a compulsion to keep on writing no matter what can't be ignored so after publishing Breaking the Ice I chucked in my job and became a full time author! How scary is that? And its the hard work I thought it would be. A lot of my time is spent writing proposal letters to agents and publishers, marketing and publicising my novels and making people realise I am out there, because if people don't know you're there they can't buy your books! But even though its hard work I still absolutely love it and have no doubt this is what I was destined to do!

Excess All Areas was my first novel and it tells the story of Freya (a feisty size 20 photographer with more than a few skeletons in her closet) and Hollywood heartthrob Nicholas Kaden (who despite his perfections is keeping a shocking secret himself). I set this in the gorgeous village of Kassiopi on the island of Corfu, a place I have visited many times. This is a feel-good beach read which I hope pulls at a few heart strings along the way.

Breaking the Ice is my Dirty Dancing meets Dancing on Ice novel. Box office assistant Samantha is nervy and neurotic and has panic attacks over the slightest thing. Jimmy Lloyd is a star skater and recovering alcholic. They are thrown together when touring show 'Skating on Broadway' comes to the Woolston Civic Hall. Can they find common ground in their bid to save the hall from closure or do opposites not attract after all?

Knowing Me Knowing You is my latest release and is set around a fictional gameshow rather like Mr and Mrs meets The Generation Game. Lawyer Kate is forced to employ a male escort for her plus one at a work function but her bitchy boss has set her up and soon they are taking part in a relationship contest. A bit tricky when you've only met that night! Thrown into the mix is a tarot card reading childminder, a nasty ex-husband and a foot stamping devil child called Cyrus. Can Kate win the contest and the love of the right man.

I am delighted to be a featured author on a terrific new website Loveahappyending.com which launched on 29 June 2011. It hopes to give readers a chance to support new published/unpublished authors with books that promise the 'feel good factor'. We are all hoping that supporting and promoting each other will boost both our sales and our profiles and make readers take a chance on an unfamiliar name in writing and see the quality that lies there.

At the moment I am doing final edits to my next release Strings Attached which should be released in November time this year - hoping to bag some pre-Christmas sales! And then I have a couple of other novels simmering away in the background all demanding my attention!
I blog at least twice weekly and am always looking for new members for my website to join in the conversation! We chat about all sorts from your opinion on heroes and book covers to mashed potato and Vanilla Ice - there's always something mad going on! Pop along and have a look here http://www.mandybaggot.webs.com/

So that's me, Mandy Baggot - keeping love alive - well, trying to!
Mandy
Knowing Me Knowing You
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Knowing-Me-You-Mandy-Baggot/dp/1908147601/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309083198&sr=8-1

Excess All Areas
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Excess-All-Areas-ebook/dp/B0051WRSDY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1309083198&sr=8-2

Breaking The Ice
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breaking-the-Ice-ebook/dp/B0053CZKHS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1309083198&sr=8-4

Associate Readers!

2011-07-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

On 29th June loveahappyending.com was officially launched and promises to be a new and exciting venture. I am delighted and honoured to be one of the 30 chosen Authors to feature on their website. Being a featured Author has many advantages, one of them is that I have my own Author page with my book details and all my links, but more importantly, I have four Associate Readers.

These four people along with all the other Associate Readers at loveahappyending.com play an important role for all the new Authors featured. Today I want to introduce my special Associate Readers.

Nikki Bywater

Twitter A/c @NikkiiNola: http://bit.ly/kkkUQ7

Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/lLt2ds

Blog: http://nikkis-books4u.blogspot.com/

Louise Graham

Twitter Account @lougrahamiihttp: http://bit.ly/iyaYS1
Blog: http://bit.ly/j4kSZl

Cara Donovan

Website: http://www.frecklesfamily.com

Twitter A/c @carafreckles: http://bit.ly/j3sm2u

Lindsay Gentles

Blog: http://bookbybookreview.blogspot.com/

Twitter @ttpbookreview: http://bit.ly/rd40Sj

These special people will be twittering, Blogging and talking about their passion -reading. So please take a peek at their web and Blog sites to find out what their latest read is. They will also be featured in the Review Chair at loveahappyending.com, so please stop by from time to time to say "hello."

Thank you Nikki, Louise, Cara and Lindsay for being my special Associate Readers.

If you love books and have a passion for reading and you are interested in becoming an Associated Reader, please take a look at loveahappyending.com. It just might be for you too!

Sometimes It Just Happens!

2011-07-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

What a week it has been so far. I've burst into tears. Somethings made me scream whilst others have brought a smile to my lips.

On the scream side, since last Saturday, if we add up all the times we have had Internet connection, it would probably be at best 60 mins! It has caused us great pain and serious difficulties.

The problems with our sewer pipe has turned into our worst nightmare! The trench we have dug (you will remember my Blog from a couple of weeks ago), well by the end of today, it will have new pipe laid in there. But we have just been told that the pipe is very badly damaged further into the house, again through massive tree roots, and we have to dig up our new floor in our downstairs dinning room, kitchen and through to the downstairs bathroom….I just burst into floods of tears.

Plucking another tissue from the box and wiping at my tears, I know there has been some smiles. I have had more lovely 5 star reviews for Sometimes It Happens… and also the Kindle sales of my other two books have been increasing. So ending this Blog on a positive note... sniff!

PS our internet is still very iffy!

Scribbles!

March Poster: Simply Dreaming.....

Sometimes It Happens

Puerto del Carmen - Carnival Time!

A Wonderful Surprise - Three Desk Top Posters!

I'm in the Virtual Florida Sunshine!

Doreen Wilkinson to get Elocution Lessons, Cor Blimey!

I'm Spoilt for Choice are You?

My Unexpected Reader!

From Little Acorns... It's the lovely Sheryl Browne

Reviews: Blessing or Curse?

Aloa Vera Truly Beautiful!

Book Reviewer Extraordinaire, Kim Nash!

Hearts & Fowers Love & Kisses

Writing is Strictly Business!

Kimberly Menozzi, Italy & Writing!

A Grain of Courage!

Home or Home Sick?

Why Famous Five Plus?

Amanda Egan on how a phobia turned into a 5 Star Book

Does a Name Make a Difference?

Blowing the Cobwebs Away!

January the month for Dreams!

January Book Cover Sponsors

Happy New Year!

Michelle Betham on Steamy Novels!

A Special Thank You!

Christmas in the Sun!

Chilled, Spilled & Thrilled!

Stephanie Keys Talks about her Debut Novel

Celebrating the launch of Reaching for the Stars!

Getting in the Mood!

TGI Friday!

Monday Mews & More!

Thank you to my December Sponsors

Dangerous Deceit - Romy Gemmell

Winners & A New Look!

It's Offically Re-Published!

Manic Madness Monday!

A Fab Week!

New Cover for Satchfield Hall

A Little Taster

That Zing Feeling!

Nicky Wells - Long Manes & Deep Voices!!

Chill Sunday!

A Catch Up!

Thank You Sponsors

The Famous Five Plus......!

Fall Back It's Change the Clocks!

More Fab Reads!

The Biggest Shop Window!

And The Winners Are......

Magnolia House Give Away!!!

My Fabby Guest is Talli Roland!

You Can Now Download my Sunshine!

Personally Signed with love!

My Guest, a Truly Positive Lady, Sue Johnson

Packets of Sunshine!

Magnolia House back on the Market!

My Gorgeous Guest - Stephen Richmond

Tears & Hope!

A Makeover for Magnolia House

Sunny Smiles & Friendly Awards

Lanzarote to Lowestoft

If I Could be Anyone I'd Be....

This & That!

A Love of Life - Janet Beasley

Sparkle!

A Little in the Micro Light!

Shirley Wells, Murder & Mystery!

Roar and Rasps!

A Pain in the Bum!

Rosie Still - Snapping at The Rich & Famous!

It's Not Me!

The Sound Of Tubular bells

Great Reads!

Awards & Awards!

A Dog's Breakfast!

Mimsie!

Sitting at the side of my pool - Nikki Bywater