The Summer House by the Sea Blog Tour

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on The Summer House by the Sea blog tour! Today I have author Jenny Oliver on the blog sharing a guest post on her top holiday reads.

My Top 5 Holiday Reads by Jenny Oliver

1.) My favourite pool-side read has to be Polo by Jilly Cooper. I remember when I was younger I’d take stacks of Sweet Valley High on holiday, then my mum told me there were these books called Mills & Boon which I then took stacks of away with me, then I saw my sister reading this giant book called Polo and, daunted by the size, I turned my nose up, only to discover it much later on and absolutely LOVED it! I am a huge Jilly Cooper fan – it’s the ultimate escapism.

2.) Last summer I read Nina is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi and, while the story was completely different to what I was expecting, I couldn’t put it down. Hilarious, poignant, painful and brilliant.

3.) The People at Number Nine by Felicity Everett is the book I keep recommending at the moment. It shines a light on parenting, envy and middle-class snobbery in such a sharp, clever, insidious manner. I thought about it for ages afterwards. I think it would have me sizing up all the other people lounging by the pool.

4.) My favourite crime recently has been Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner. Intelligent and gripping with a great female detective.

5.) I’ve never met anyone disappointed with Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park – funny, touching and completely absorbing.

And of course, all the Jenny Oliver books you can cram into your suitcase! ;-)

 Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

Summer at Conwenna Cove Blog Tour

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Summer at Conwenna Cove blog tour! Today I have a brilliant guest post from author Darcie Boleyn on why she writes romance.

Why I Write Romance by Darcie Boleyn 

Life can be pretty full on at times, and reading is one of my favourite ways to relax. I enjoy all genres but when I want something to make me smile, something that I can rely on to lift my mood and to transport me away to another time and place, I turn to romance novels.

A romance novel takes readers on a familiar journey. That’s why I always smile when a novel is described as being ‘predictable’, because yes, romance readers do want a happy ever after. Or at least, a happy for now. And as much as I enjoy reading romance novels, I enjoy writing them. I love creating the complex main characters with their baggage, their lost hopes and dreams, and bringing them together. They might not always like the other character at first, but by the end of the story, they will do. However, the journey they go on mustn't be easy; there must be plenty of conflict, both internal and external, and there will always be a black moment, when the conflict is at its highest and it seems as though there couldn’t possibly be a happy ending.

I love the dance that the two characters perform… the will-they, won’t-they build up as their relationship develops. I love to build the physical and emotional tension between them, to convey how the other character makes them feel just by being close. I love describing how they feel when it dawns on them that they are in love, even if at that point it still seems like they can’t possibly be together. Because when they eventually do admit their feelings, it will be all the sweeter.

Most films and TV series feature at least one love story. Take Ross and Rachel, Monica and Chandler, Jim and Pam, Glen and Maggie, Carrie and Big, Harry and Sally, the list goes on. Many of us enjoy watching characters we like and care about getting together and reading romances is no different. We become invested in the stories and in the characters’ lives and want them to be happy.

The point of a romance isn’t just that everyone has someone, but that everyone is fulfilled, and when I write romances, I want the characters to evolve to a state where they don’t need someone else but are finally ready to be with someone. They have to be strong enough and confident enough and developed enough to be in a fulfilling relationship.

I want the reader to feel satisfied when they finish reading one of my novels, to believe that the two main characters have overcome the obstacles I put in their way and that they deserve to be together. I want the reader to feel happy and hopeful, because life is tough enough, and a happy ending in a romance novel can be something for them to hold close when real life is not quite so perfect.

Don't miss the rest of the blog tour!

What’s a Heroine without a Hero?

The other day one of my blog readers got in touch with me. She explained that she was going through a break-up and wanted some YA book recommendations that didn’t feature a romance. Well, I was stumped. I gave her a list of the few books I could think of and since then I’ve been thinking a lot about romance in YA.

Compared to other genres, YA is very romance heavy to the point where I’m actually surprised if a book doesn’t feature some kind of romantic relationship.

I want to start by saying that I think that romance in YA books is important to represent. First love can be passionate and messy and it’s so important that teenagers can explore that in books and read about first time dates, kisses, love and sex. When romance is done right, I love to read about it.

But does every YA book need a hero?

I’ve read so many books where the main character hasn’t got a parent, or a best friend, but it’s unlikely that I ever stumble across a book where the heroine doesn’t have some form of love interest. It seems funny to me because growing up not all of my friends had boyfriends. Sure, boys featured in our lives from time to time, but it was our friendships that were the most important thing to us. As a teenager (and even as an adult) your best friends can be the real loves of your life and I’d love to see that represented more in YA.

I think that it’s important to show young girls that they can be a heroine without a hero.

There are so many massive life events that happen as a teenager that don’t involve a boy being at your side. Sometimes I feel like romance is added in for the sake of it and as a selling point. After all, the big YA books all feature an epic love story.

There are so many wonderful and inspiring books that I’ve read that cover new topics and bring fresh ideas to the table that still feature a romance that’s usually so small that I can’t help but wonder what it’s doing there in the first place. Is it really needed? Does it add anything to the story?

Just as we need books that represent diverse characters, I feel that we also need books that represent young single women. I think that it’s important to show that a happy ending doesn’t always involve that long awaited kiss with your crush. Your life and achievements can be enough; your story is just as valid and important despite not having a boyfriend. There’s so much more to a young woman’s story than her love life.

I think it’s about time that we showed girls that their voices matter, with or without a hero.

Guest Post: Sarah Alderson on Writing Romance Across the Genres

Hi guys! To celebrate the e-book publication date of Sarah Alderson's (writing as Mila Gray) steamy New Adult novel Come Back To Me I have Sarah joining me on the blog today to talk about writing romance. Sarah has wrote books in the Thriller, Paranormal and now New Adult genre but no matter what subject she tackles you can always expect a swoonworthy romance within the pages. If you've read a book by Sarah you'll know that she writes the best book boys and so today she's sharing where she gets her inspiration from and what a great romance means to her.

Writing Romance by Sarah Alderson 

Finding Inspiration 

There’s inspiration in everything. My biggest inspiration comes from characters in books and movies. I’m a total romantic. 

I fell in love with Han Solo when I was a kid - his cheekiness & rebel rouser ways made my seven year old heart beat faster. Then it was Nathaniel from Last of the Mohicans (I still sigh every time I hear the line ‘I will find you. Just stay alive no matter what occurs.’). In my teens it was Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then Noah from The Notebook. When I ran out, I started writing my own. 

I’ve also been lucky enough to date some amazing guys (and a few not so amazing) who have all ended up in my books in one way or another. My husband was the basis for Alex in Hunting Lila. 

What Makes a Great Romance? 

In my opinion a great romance is: 

- One with believable obstacles in the way, not ones that are clearly contrived for the purpose of a story. 

- One with fully rounded out characters with quirks and history. 

- Characters who complete each other - not in a Jerry Mcguire way - but in the sense that they both bring something to the relationship that helps the other one transform into a better person. 

- Not necessarily a happy ending (though I prefer that!) Some of the greatest romances have tragic endings: TFIOS, Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights. 

 - A guy who isn’t an asshole! I’m so tired of reading about guys who are arrogant, controlling / violent / stalkery - it’s SO not attractive. And yet readers seem to lap it up. It confuses me. I’d like to see more authors writing about male characters who have integrity, respect women and use words instead of fists - isn’t that way sexier? 

- A slow build. It’s OK to make the chemistry sizzle from the off but no insta-love. Real love builds over time and grows from friendship. OUT OF CONTROL is set over just 36 hours in New York and the two leads only meet at the very beginning so there was no falling in love but there was intense emotion and they have fantastic chemistry. On the other hand in Hunting Lila, Lila’s been in love with Alex since she was five years old. There’s something gorgeous about a friendship that morphs into something more… :)

Come Back To Me is available to buy on Kindle as of today 

and in paperback on October 23rd 2014

Month of Men Blog Tour: Guest Post Nicole Williams On Writing Romance

As part of the Month of Men New Adult blog tour I'm thrilled to welcome Nicole Williams to the blog today to discuss writing romance. But first of all I'd love to introduce Nicole's books to you guys Crash and Clash will both be published this June by Simon and Schuster and I'm so excited to read them! Here are the synopsis' and our gorgeous newly revealed UK covers.

 

Crash (Crash, #1) by Nicole Williams 

Southpointe High is the last place Lucy wanted to wind up her senior year of school. Right up until she stumbles into Jude Ryder, a guy whose name has become its own verb, and synonymous with trouble. He's got a rap sheet that runs longer than a senior thesis, has had his name sighed, shouted, and cursed by more women than Lucy dares to ask, and lives at the local boys home where disturbed seems to be the status quo for the residents. Lucy had a stable at best, quirky at worst, upbringing. She lives for wearing the satin down on her ballet shoes, has her sights set on Juilliard, and has been careful to keep trouble out of her life. Up until now…

Jude's everything she knows she needs to stay away from if she wants to separate her past from her future. But she's about to find out that staying away is the only thing she's incapable of.

For Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, love's about to become the thing that tears them apart.

 

Clash (Crash, #2) by Nicole Williams 

For Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, love might be the thing that just isn't enough.

The only easy thing about Jude and Lucy's relationship is their love for one another. Everything else is hard. Especially when it comes to reining in Jude's trigger touch temper and Lucy's increasing jealousy of the female attention that Jude attracts. Feeling the stress of trying to hang on to her quintessential bad boy while becoming the foremost dancer in her class, Lucy knows something's going to break. She wants both. She needs both. But if she doesn't make a choice, she risks losing everything.

Full of passion, steamy scenes and hot romance, CLASH is a must for fans of BEAUTIFUL DISASTER and PERFECT CHEMISTRY.

 Nicole Williams: On Writing Romance

 
What did I use to picture when someone told me they read romance novels? Yeah. You probably already know. That one aisle in the bookstore that no man ever wandered into, where the covers of the books featured broad and bronze chested men clutching to a woman with long, flowing hair and a heaving bosom. Anyone know what I’m talking about? I thought so.

Needless to say, I avoided those aisles like they meant social, professional, and emotional ruin. I found myself drawn to Young Adult books, where I knew I’d almost always find a happily-ever-after waiting for me, and the romance was often sweet and slow-simmering. It was only a couple of years ago when I stumbled on the Contemporary Romance category, where the romance could still be sweet and slow-simmering, but there weren’t any fade-to-black scenes. For me, a romance is all about the relationship the writer’s established between the two characters. That’s what I focus on when I write a book, because the heat and chemistry can be scorching between a couple, but if the relationship isn’t there, the romance falls flat for me. The relationship is what I try to never lose sight of, because if I build that correctly, the romance often falls into place pretty seamlessly.

My goal when I write romance is simple: to entertain. To offer a temporary escape and make the reader sigh. To make the reader feel something. If I succeed at that, then my mission is accomplished.

END 

Thanks for being on the blog today Nicole! I completely agree with you, if a couple have all the chemistry in the bedroom but none outside of it it doesn't feel like a romance to me and kind of cheapens the book. I much prefer the two characters having a romantic connection and then the tension between them speaks for itself! Look out for the next stop on the Month of Men blog tour and keep updated with the rest of the posts here. The Month of Men blog tour is hosting some of the hottest New Adult authors you wont want to miss it!