Friday 26 June 2015

Angelic Business 1, 2 and 3!

Today I have the multi-talented Olga Núñez Miret on my blog. I hope you will enjoy reading all about her and her novels in the ANGELIC BUSINESS series. I am sure you will agree with me that her covers are absolutely wonderful!
 
 
 Hi all:

First of all thank you very much for taking part in my Blog Tour for Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters. Don’t worry, I’m not here forever, just twisting the arm of your favourite blogger and borrowing a bit of space.

My name is Olga Núñez Miret and I’m a writer, translator, reader, psychiatrist, I love movies, plays, fitness, owls and recently have taken up meditation (mindfulness). (I thought I might as well summarise and not take too much of your time). I’ll leave you some links at the end just in case you want to find out even more about me (I’m not sure I’d recommend it, but hey…do your worst!).

I’ve been writing since I was quite young and I write in whatever style the story I have in my head wants to be written in. So far literary fiction, romance, YA, thriller…and a few unfinished works.

Around five years ago I discovered and read quite a few interesting Young Adult books and had an idea for what I thought could be a series. At the time I wrote the first of the novels and after trying to find an agent or a traditional publisher without much success, I started self-publishing, but decided to publish some of my other books first. Since then I’ve published 12 books (6 original books and their translations, as I write in English and Spanish).

I kept thinking about Angelic Business and a few months later wrote the second novel in the series: Shades of Greg. (No, nothing to do with…)

And last year, as part of NaNoWriMo I wrote the third novel in the series, Pink, Angel or Demon?

As I had written the three, I thought I’d publish them pretty close to each other so people wouldn’t have to wait to know what happened next (at least not too much).

The three books in the Angelic Business collection are now available for pre-order at the special price of $0.99 each. It’s a bargain price and they’ll go up shortly after publication.

Here, a video: Link: https://youtu.be/ZKWP_Q89CiQ

Don’t worry. My writing is better than my video-creating skills, but as I’d been taking all those pictures of angels, I thought I might as well.

Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters

You are Pink, not the prettiest girl, but smart and with plenty of resources. What do you do when your best male friend offers to have sex with you, because he thinks you’re a lost cause? You plot your revenge with your two best female friends, of course!

It seems you’re in luck when a new and mysterious student appears. And, to top it all, he seems interested in you too. He could take part in the plan. But then, he seems to have a plan of his own… He insists he’s not just an ordinary boy. And what seemed so easy to begin with, gets more and more complicated when Heaven and Hell come knocking at Pink’s door.

Pink Matters is the story of Pink, a 17 year old girl, good student, articulate and smart. What she has never been the centre of attention or made the top ten of the most popular and attractive girls at school. When two guys, both claiming to be angels, insist that she is, indeed, ‘special’, fight for her attention and help and tell her she is the key to the future of the universe, she can’t help but ask: Why me?
 
And a snippet:

“Who are you?” Lorna asked. Before she could say anything else, she froze as if paralysed. And the same happened to Sylvia.

“Oh no, not again” I said.

“Hi Pink. I’m Azrael. I’m…”

“Let me guess...You’re an angel.”

I could say he smiled but it was more like a white light radiating from between his lips. His voice also seemed slightly “otherworldly”. He was nothing like G. Flesh and blood didn’t seem to be his priority.

“Yes. I am.”

“O...K....And...to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? If you are going to make an announcement of some sort...I could have done with some notice.”

The light now seemed to radiate from his whole “body” if that was what it was. Somehow his show was much more believable than G’s. And scarier.

“It’s not an announcement as such. But you should know...G...”

“Yes?”

“I know he told you he’s an angel.”

I looked at him. Maybe he was different to G but he could be as annoying as him. And interfering.

“Yes. I also “know” things...In my case it is because “I” am an angel. He has not been truthful about his identity.”

Pink Matters is currently available for pre-order and will be published on the 26th of June 2015 (Amazon time). So, if you’re reading this post after the 26th of June, you’re in luck and can get the book straight away! (I’m also publishing it in other platforms although as their processing speed is different the dates might vary. Do check there or in my website, that I regularly update).
Link: http://rxe.me/YIHTW96
 
In case you’re intrigued, I leave you the cover (reveal!) and links to the other two books:

Angelic Business 2. Shapes of Greg

What more could happen after the death and resurrection of your mother? What could Heaven and Hell toss at Pink to top that? Well, to start with, she gets a new hellish babysitter, who is seriously hot. And although everybody likes him, he only has eyes for her. When she learns what the price was for the ‘miracle’ of saving her mother, she realises that she must be careful, as Hell doesn’t lose gracefully.

One of her friends wants to find the perfect man, the other one gets into a relationship she refuses to talk about, there’s a demon who doesn’t know when to give up and an angel who seems to have his own agenda. What on Earth, Hell or Heaven is going on?

Shapes of Greg is available for pre-order and will be published on the 15th of July.  Link: http://rxe.me/YHZ21O2

And last, but not least:

Angelic Business 3. Pink, Angel or Demon?

OK, OK, OK. Pink gets it. She’s the Elected, whether she likes it or no. Heaven and Hell are closing in, and their envois are closer home than ever. So close she can’t ignore them. And she’ll do everything but.

However long she has, she’s determined to make it count. She’ll sort her friends out, she’ll help her family and, she’ll live a bit. And then, she’ll take charge. Because no one will say that Pink went down without a fight. However big and bad the enemy.

Gender benders, romances, old loves that come to fruition, new challenges, divine interventions, tears, laughter and magic. All of that and more. Because, if you‘re gonna go, you might as well go with a bang.

Pink, Angel or Demon? is available for pre-order and will be published on the 30th July.  Link: http://rxe.me/YHZHUYS

As I threatened you before, here are some links:

My website is: www.OlgaNM.com

I have a Twitter account: @OlgaNM7

My blog is: http://OlgaNM.wordpress.com

I also have a Facebook author page www.facebook.com/OlgaNunezMiret

My Goodreads author page is:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6562510.Olga_N_ez_Miret
G+   https://plus.google.com/u/0/118443714277719085351

Pinterest : (Don’t miss my board about angels) http://pinterest.com/olganm7/
Wattpad: http://wattpad.com/OlgaNM

Thanks so much for allowing me to visit and post, thanks so much for reading, and as I always tell them in my blog, if you’ve found it interesting, like, share, comment and CLICK! Oh, and I love reblogs!

You are very welcome, Olga. I wish you lots of success with your three novels in the ANGEL BUSINESS trilogy!

Tuesday 16 June 2015

SEVEN YEARS OF BAD SEX

I am delighted to welcome Nicky Wells to talk about her great novel SEVEN YEAR OF BAD SEX which was released a few weeks ago. I have only just started reading the book and I am really enjoying it. What an intriguing plot! I can't wait to read what happens in the end...


Hello Nicky and thank you for coming on the blog today. What can you tell us about you?
Do you know, after four years of writing, appearing on blogs, doing readings, appearing at conferences, writing press releases, and hosting a radio show, this is still the question that trips me up. What does one say about oneself without sounding like a wanna-be wonder woman with a completely overinflated ego?


Nonetheless, you asked, so here goes. My name is Nicky Wells, and I write romance with rock stars because I am personally terminally attracted to long-haired, golden-voiced bad boys with a magical stage presence. I can’t help myself. However, I am actually quite a normal, down-to-earth person. I’m a wife and mum to two boys. When I’m not writing or rocking out, I like to cook, eat, make cocktails, and knit (sometimes). I’m from Germany, but I’ve lived in the UK for the past twenty-two years, and I think my family has finally given up expecting me to return any time soon. I have a wicked sense of humour, and I’m a chronic insomniac. Oh and, if I weren’t a writer and had a better voice, I’d have quite liked to front a rock band myself.

Rock stars are fascinating. I can certainly think of a few who would make great romance heroes! I see we are both originally from continental Europe, although I am not from Germany but from France.

I often get asked how I find inspiration for my stories. I find it a tricky question because pretty much anything can inspire me - a road map, a song or a painting. What about you, Nicky, where do you get your ideas for your stories?
Usually, stories come to me in a complete flash of inspiration triggered by the most random of events. I have a novel in the hopper that came to me on the bus. I was people watching and **coughs, embarrassed** eavesdropping, as one does on a bus, and I was pondering the meaning of life. Somebody was talking about office politics, and suddenly I had this idea for a story that has a rock star going into a witness-protection-style deep cover alternative existence… in an office job. Can you imagine his calamity? Can you imagine the potential for jokes, mishaps, and just general hilarity? I didn’t have anything to write with, so I had to tap the whole thing into the notes section of my phone. This will be my next novel to tackle!!

In three words - What kind of man is Alex, the hero of SEVEN YEARS OF BAD SEX?
Sexy, confused, and hopelessly romantic.

In three words - What kind of woman is Casey, your heroine?
Determined, resourceful, and funny.

What is the one thing you absolutely need to write?
Coffee, tea, and chocolate. That’s three things, hope you don’t mind?

Same as me, although I also like goat's cheese, especially if I'm working late in the evening (!). Can you tell us how you pick the name of your characters?
I used to trawl through lists of baby names until inspiration grabbed me. I usually look for names that are not affiliated with anyone I know, but that can get tricky. However, of late, I have delegated the important task of naming my characters to my readers. For “7 Years Bad Sex,” I put out a call on Facebook asking my readers to come up with a pair of names (hero and heroine), and I was overwhelmed by the reaction… so I had to pick the names out of a hat. It was great fun!

That's a really great idea! What comes first when you are thinking of a new story - the plot or the characters?
Oh gosh, there’s a question and a half! Actually, I don’t think I could separate the two. What usually happens is that I get a flash of inspiration, as per above, about something that happens to someone—so that’s plot and character right there. However, I tend to focus on developing the plan of action—the plot—before thinking about the character too much… I tend to find that the action defines the character, at least to begin with.

And finally, could you tell us about your best ever moment as a writer?
I don’t have a single moment as such, but let me tell you this. The best moments ever are when personal messages from readers ping into my inbox or come to me via Facebook or Twitter. It’s an amazing feeling when someone you don’t know takes the time to send you a message to tell you how much they enjoyed your book, how they identified with the hero or heroine, how much they laughed or cried. Honestly that means the world to me, and I always walk around with a huge smile on my face when I get such a message. It’s the best reward any writer could bet!

I totally agree. It's wonderful to think that people are actually reading and enjoying your book! Thank you so much for coming on the blog today and answering all my questions. 

Here is a little about SEVEN YEARS OF BAD SEX!

One wedding. One curse?  Disaster ever after…
A seven-years-bad-sex curse? Surely not! Yet something went wrong when rock singer Casey and drummer Alex got married on that beautiful yacht anchored off St Tropez in the south of France. Something went badly wrong. For even on their wedding night, the young couple discovers a complete and somewhat surprising inability to make love. Muddling through their honeymoon with a string of thin excuses for their predicament, the lovers defer finding a solution (and panicking) until the return to their home in London. After all, they married for life and to make rock music, not for the love of sex. Right?
But when they resume life as normal in London, all hell breaks loose. Increasingly frantic in their quest for release, the unhappy newlyweds embark on a string of hilarious and occasionally harmful antics that drives them, their band, and an assortment of random strangers to the brink of despair. But it ain’t over ‘til it’s over or, in this case… it ain’t over ‘til the newlyweds sing.

About Nicky Wells

Ultimate rock chick author Nicky Wells writes romance with rock stars—because there’s no better romantic hero than a golden-voiced bad boy with a secret soft heart and a magical stage presence!

Nicky’s books offer glitzy, glamorous romance with rock stars—imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill! If you’ve ever had a crush on any kind of celebrity, you’ll connect with Nicky’s heroes and their leading ladies.

Born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993 and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys. Nicky loves listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When she’s not writing, she’s a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and ad-hoc radio show presenter. Rock on!

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


 

Did you know? There’s a single out now by Nicky’s fictional rock band Tuscq come to life! “Love Me Better” is available for download from Amazon, iTunes and many other places.

 YOU CAN FIND THE PARTY HERE - https://www.facebook.com/events/1000603729951759/

There will be fun and games, Prizes and lots of laughs. Starting online at 9am on 20th June!

Wednesday 10 June 2015

WALKING IN THE RAIN by Julia Ibbotson

Today I am delighted to welcome author Julia Ibbotson and her latest novel WALKING IN THE RAIN. There is a fantastic giveaway at the end of this post, so please scroll all the way down for a chance to win a copy of the book!


Genre: Contemporary women’s romance fiction
Release Date: 30th March 2015
 
How do you cope when your worst nightmare comes true?
Jess happily marries the love of her life. She wants to feel safe, secure and loved. But gradually it becomes clear that her beloved husband is not the man she thought him to be. She survived civil war and injury in Africa, but can she now survive the biggest trauma of her life?
 
This is the second novel in the Drumbeats trilogy but can be read as a standalone. However, Drumbeats is so amazing you should just read it too!
 
Drumbeats
Walking in the Rain
Before I Die
 
Want to read Drumbeats first? Buy-link on Amazon for the first in the trilogy:
 
                                                                                
And, for a taster, the book trailer video of Drumbeats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OYlEXhHvsc
 
BUY LINKS
 
 
 
 


Julia Ibbotson is an author and academic, and lives in the middle of the English countryside in a renovated Victorian rectory with her husband, an orchard, a kitchen garden and far too many moles. Their four children are now grown up and they have four gorgeous grandchildren. She was a school teacher for many years before becoming a senior university lecturer, researcher and writer. She loves reading, travelling, choral singing, theatre, walking, swimming and gardening, as well as cooking for family and friends. Her books include a memoir/recipe book, The Old Rectory: escape to a country kitchen, and a children’s book (9-14 year olds),S.C.A.R.S, a fantasy story of dragons, knights and a boy who slips through the fabric of the universe into a parallel medieval world threatened by the evil Myrthor, the heart of darkness.
 
Author Page on Amazon
 
Author Facebook
 
Twitter
 
Author Website
 
On Pinterest, including boards with pics and images that inspired each book
 
On Goodreads
 
Giveaway
A signed paperback of Walking in the Rain
(Open Internationally)