Archive for February 1st, 2011

Fiona Cassidy is back! If you remember, Fiona Cassidy (real name Fionnuala McGoldrick) began writing us a series of articles at the beginning of 2010 about what it takes to go from writer to author but due to family reasons, we had to put the series on hiatus until Fiona was able to write the blogs for us again! We have one now, so please enjoy!

Well….I had written my autograph on the dotted line, met my publishers and signed with my agent so basically I was all set…there was just the small matter of actually getting the book on the shelf but that would be a relatively simple process wouldn’t it! WRONG!

I never knew that there was so much involved in getting a novel to the finishing line and take my hat off to everyone involved in the publishing industry for the very important but vital tasks they perform which are intertwined and invaluable! From the marketing to the editing to the cover design, printing, binding and co-operation of the book buyers, book shops and media it’s a lot of hard work and effort on everyone’s part and that’s all before you pray that the public will take a liking to your work and spend their hard earned cash on buying your book…whew…I’m exhausted just saying it!
After I met with my publisher’s there was a bit of a lull where I didn’t hear from them for a while (which they had warned me would happen) but which still left me reeling a bit all the same! It was a bit of an anti-climax after all the excitement of hearing the news and signing the contract not unlike the feeling you get on Boxing day when you wish you could fast forward to February and be done with all the depression of the remainder of December and all of January (the most hateful month in the calendar, to my mind, where you spend all your time yapping about the amount of weight you’ve put on, how much money you haven’t got and how you’re permanently freezing.) Sorry…I digress! I felt a bit lost in that period as I had been on what can only be described as an out of control roller coaster where I think I had experienced every emotion under the sun only for the ride to come to a sudden and grinding halt that knocked me off and left me feeling rather bewildered.

I coped though with the help of my lovely agent who constantly reassured me that no, they still liked me, yes, they would definitely be publishing my book as promised in the contract and no, I wasn’t dreaming and could stop pinching myself anytime!

I suppose the first real bit of excitement was filling in an author questionnaire that would be passed to the media containing all my personal information (or at least the bits I wanted to give out) along with details of who or what inspired me and what the book was all about! It’s amazing to think that one day you’re just like anyone else but then because someone’s been willing to give you a chance and have a bit of faith in you and your talent that they could literally change your life overnight! During this time we realised that I was going to have to change my name to a pseudonym or pen name…my name is Fionnuala McGoldrick (I can hear you twisting your tongue into a knot as you try to pronounce my first name whilst wondering how the feck it could all fit on a book cover so now you see the dilemma we were all in!) At first I wasn’t thrilled at the thought of losing my name after I had worked so hard to achieve my dream. Naturally I wanted my name emblazoned across my work as its creator but on reflection I did see that both my agent and publishers were right…after all you wouldn’t open a coffee shop and call it something long and complicated that people wouldn’t remember easily or be able to pronounce…F’wha??

After we had sorted out my name, there was a break in proceedings, suffice from the occasional email where we all checked in and said hello, until I was asked for some input regarding the book cover. The publisher had decided to keep the title I had given the book…Anyone for Seconds?…which I was thrilled about. I’ve always disliked faces on book covers as when I’ve been reading a book myself I like to imagine what the characters look like and if my version is different from what’s depicted on the front of the story then it upsets me…so needless to say I asked for no faces! My book was about families…complicated families…therefore I liked the idea of hinting at the mess that children create as well as subtly giving an indication that the adults like creating sticky situations for themselves also. I had thoughts about an untidy kitchen table which is the hub of the home or big hands and little hands together or alternatively shoes or feet…my idea was to have a pile of shoes together boots for daddy, stilettos for mammy and sneakers for the children (if my home was similar to others the shoes would all be in a messy heap in the corner with the mother of the house roaring at her children to go and put them away!)

As it turned out somebody somewhere liked this idea as the end result depicted colourful slippered feet swinging off the side of a bed. I absolutely loved the cover and will always remember opening the email that held its attachment with excitement and anticipation! When you’ve shed blood sweat and tears writing a book, been rejected and had your confidence squished in trying to get it published then had someone put their faith in you, and offer you a deal, I think seeing your book cover complete with the title you gave your story and your name makes everything that went on beforehand worthwhile! I was delighted to have had a say although will be the first one to admit that if they had come up with something entirely different which they thought would be attractive and entice both the book buyers and the public to pick it up and give it a chance I would also have readily accepted that!

Sometimes, the most important thing is not taking control or feeling the need to always be involved, instead it’s recognising that you can make suggestions but also must be prepared to take guidance from those who know the business and what works.

Then…came the editing! And what an unforgettable experience that was…

February sees the releases of some wonderful novels. The brilliant Jill Mansell is back with a new book this month, Sarra Manning makes her debut with Transworld, Fiona Gibson is back after a couple of years without a new release and Diane Chamberlain has another novel out, one that sounds brilliant.

There is also no Little Black Dress post because as far as I’m aware, I can’t see any LBD releases for February!

Jane Lovering – Please Don’t Stop The Music – 1st February 2011

How much can you hide?

Jemima Hutton is determined to build a successful new life and keep her past a dark secret. Trouble is, her jewellery business looks set to fail - until enigmatic Ben Davies offers to stock her handmade belt buckles in his guitar shop and things start looking up, on all fronts. But Ben has secrets too.

When Jemima finds out he used to be the front man of hugely successful Indie rock band Willow Down, she wants to know more. Why did he desert the band on their US tour? Why is he now a semi-recluse?

And the curiosity is mutual - which means that her own secret is no longer safe …

Sarra Manning – You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me – 3rd February 2011

Sweet, bookish Neve Slater always plays by the rules. And the number one rule is that good-natured fat girls like her don’t get guys like gorgeous, handsome William, heir to Neve’s heart since university. But William’s been in LA for three years, and Neve’s been slimming down and re-inventing herself so that when he returns, he’ll fall head over heels in love with the new, improved her.

So she’s not that interested in other men. Until her sister Celia points out that if Neve wants William to think she’s an experienced love-goddess and not the fumbling, awkward girl he left behind, then she’d better get some, well, experience.

What Neve needs is someone to show her the ropes, someone like Celia’s colleague Max. Wicked, shallow, sexy Max. And since he’s such a man-slut, and so not Neve’s type, she certainly won’t fall for him. Because William is the man for her… right?

Somewhere between losing weight and losing her inhibitions, Neve’s lost her heart – but to who?

Jane Moore – Love is on the Air – 3rd February 2011

Cam Simpson has been going out with Dean for six years. It’s a comfortable, cosy life and Dean is everything she could possibly want – dependable, manly and generous. Or he once was. He seems more interested in football than her these days and, if she dared to admit it, their relationship has become a little predictable. But isn’t that what happens when you’ve been with someone for that long? Deciding all she needs is a holiday with the girls she sets off for Tenerife with her two best friends. Almost immediately she meets single-father Tom and rather disturbingly feels that lost spark ignite. But blaming the sun, sea and sangria, she returns home ready to recapture what she and Dean once had.

Until one morning, over the radio, Cam hears ‘Tom has written in to the show. He came back from holiday in Tenerife a couple of weeks ago and wants to trace a lovely woman he met there. The woman’s name is Cam…’ With the man she’s decided to commit herself to sitting right there beside her, Cam knows she can’t brush this one under the carpet. And she is forced to finally ask herself the crucial question: should she settle for Mr Good Enough or risk it all for Mr Maybe He’s The One?

Dorothy Koomson – The Woman He Loved Before – 3rd February 2011

Libby has a nice life with a gorgeous husband and a big home by the sea. But over time she is becoming more unsure if Jack has ever loved her ? and if he is over the death of Eve, his first wife. When fate intervenes in their relationship, Libby decides to find out all she can about the man she hastily married and the seemingly perfect Eve. Eventually Libby stumbles across some startling truths about Eve, and is soon unearthing more and more devastating family secrets. Frightened by what she finds and the damage it could cause, Libby starts to worry that she too will end up like the first woman Jack loved…Tense and moving, The Woman He Loved Before explores if the love you want is always the love you need ? or deserve.

Coleen Nolan – Denial – 4th February 2011

The Girl Talk presenters are out of work and out for revenge on the man who publicly humiliated them and destroyed their careers. So when James Almond, the ruthless controller of Channel 6, is murdered, suspicion falls on all five women. Was it icy Julia Hill, recovering from the car crash that almost killed her and blaming James for her crippling injuries? Naughty diva Lesley Gold, who is famed for holding a grudge? Sweet Karen King, who has finally learned to stand up for herself? Ambitious Cheryl, or weak Faye?

As the girls battle to get back on television, sort out their tangled love lives and avoid arrest, the body count starts to rise. Who is the killer, and will they be able to stop her - or him - in time? Full of glamour, scandal and intrigue, Denial is a funny and fabulous read.

Amy Bratley – The Girl’s Guide to Home Making – 4th February 2011

‘What makes you happy? What do you want from life?’

I ran through a list of things that I supposed would make me sound cool. And then I told the truth.

‘A home,’ I said. ‘A home with some people in it I love.’

On a mission to have the perfect home, with tweeting bluebirds and a white picket fence, Juliet hits a major stumbling block - reality. On the first night with her boyfriend in their new flat, Juliet discovers that Simon has been sleeping with her best friend. After growing up in a dysfunctional family with secrets that haunt her, there’s no way she is prepared to build her nest on a broken branch.

Heartbroken and seeking an escape from her troubles, Juliet retreats into the comforting world of her grandmother’s 1950s homemaking manuals, discovering tips like ‘put a ribbon in your hair to brighten your husband’s day’ and though Juliet knows that won’t get her anywhere, she discovers that craft and homemaking are back in style. Taking control of her life, Juliet is determined to get her home with a heart. But who will win hers?

Matt Dunn – The Proposal – 17th February 2011

Ed Middleton is ecstatic: he’s just got engaged to his girlfriend, Sam, and he couldn’t be happier. At least, he thinks he’s engaged. The thing is, it was Sam who did the proposing, and the more he thinks about it, the less he’s sure that she was actually asking him to marry her. She could have just been asking the question, you know…hypothetically. As the wedding day draws nearer, Ed becomes more and more uneasy. Sam keeps disappearing off for furtive meetings and private phone calls, and when he spies her going into a pub with a man he’s never seen before, all his old jealousies and insecurities threaten to re-surface. It’s the perfect time for Ed’s unhinged ex-girlfriend, Jane, to show up on his doorstep. Meanwhile, Dan - Ed’s best-friend and soon-to-be-best-man - is determined to throw him a stag night to remember. And when a severely hung-over Ed wakes up the morning after the night before to see a second dent in the pillow, it seems as if Dan has got his wish. Will Ed manage to find out the truth about his stag night as well as the identity of Sam’s secret man? Or will an accidental proposal lead them both down the aisle to a wedding neither of them ever imagined?

Jill Mansell – To The Moon and Back – 17th February 2011

The gorgeously indulgent, funny and touching new novel from the bestselling author

When Ellie Kendall tragically loses her husband she feels her life is over. But eventually she’s ready for a new start – at work, that is. She doesn’t need a new man when she has a certain secret visitor to keep her company…

Zack McLaren seems to have it all, but the girl he can’t stop thinking about won’t give him a second glance. If only she’d pay him the same attention she lavishes on his dog.

Moving to North London, Ellie meets neighbour Roo who has a secret of her own. Can the girls sort out their lives? Guilt is a powerful emotion, but a lot can happen in a year in Primrose Hill…

Fiona Gibson – Mum on the Run – 17th February 2011

Sports Day at her children’s school is a nightmare for Laura because of the event she dreads – the Mums’ Race. She knows the other mothers have been in training for at least three months – even though they’re trying to pretend that they haven’t. Laura’s vowed never to take part, but the morning of the School Sports Day she makes a fatal error and promises her daughter that if she eats her Rice Crispies, she will run. With no escape, Laura is forced to take part and as she moves towards her inevitable humiliation, she is horrified to spot her husband Jed flirting with Celeste the delectable French girl who works with him.
Determined to put up a fight and to show Jed there is still plenty of spice left in their marriage, Laura decides it is time to give her body the work out it has been desperately crying out for. But when Laura makes a special new friend at the running club that she has joined, she gets much more than she bargained for.
From buying sexy lingerie displayed alongside the gherkins at Tesco to struggling into the last playsuit in Topshop, this novel is full of humour and Laura is a true heroine for our times. A sparkling, witty novel, that fizzes off the page.

Lotte Daley – Faking It – 17th February 2011

It’s not you, it’s me That’s the cowardly text message that Katie receives from Jack, her actor boyfriend of three years, when he dumps her. And things go from bad to worse when photos of Jack canoodling with a famous size-zero actress are splashed across every gossip magazine and tabloid soon after. Just how much humiliation can a girl take? With the paparazzi camped out on her doorstep, Katie decides to preserve what’s left of her dignity. So she agrees to become her PR colleagues’ next project. They will make her over (hair, teeth, clothes, Botox, boobs – the works) and turn her into an instant celebrity in order to win back her ex and show the world that an ordinary girl can rival a beautiful bimbo. But will a new life in the limelight be everything Katie dreamt of? Can she make it in the cut-throat world of the beautiful, rich and famous? Is Jack worth all the hassle or is there someone else out there who might love Katie just the way she is?

Diane Chamberlain – The Lies We Told – 18th February 2011

How far would you go to protect your sister? After witnessing the murder of their parents, Maya and Rebecca Ward had only each other to cling to in their teenage years and beyond. Now both doctors, they have developed very different coping strategies since the tragedy. Daredevil Rebecca races off to disaster sites with an international team of doctors whilst Maya is content in her quiet medical practice and life with her husband Adam. But Maya is unwilling to deal with the cracks in her marriage, or the secrets she’s kept since the night her parents died. When a hurricane devastates north Carolina, Maya is feared dead. Adam and Rebecca are left to mourn and hope for a miracle but as the days pass and hope fades, they face unexpected and unwanted feelings and Rebecca discovers that she’s been burying some secrets of her own.

Amanda Brobyn - Crystal Balls - 26th February 2011

No synopsis available.