January 6, 2013
New year means a new release from one of my best author buddies, Nell Dixon so here she is to tell you all about her latest:
Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog to talk about my latest release from Astraea Press. Lights, Camera, Poltergeist! will be my 21st title release! So a kind of coming of age.
For those who haven’t met me before my name is Nell Dixon and I’m a UK author based in the Black Country, a small region which is more or less dab bang in the middle of the UK. I write for a number of publishers in the US and the UK and have been fortunate enough to twice win the UK’s prestigious romance prize for category length fiction. I’m the only person to have won twice.
Lights, Camera, Poltergeist! Is set in Scotland and I thought it might be fun to tell you a bit about a spooky Scots tradition.
Tattie Bogles
“Tattie bogles” (potato scarecrows) or “neep lanterns” (turnip lanterns) made by scooping out a turnip and cutting through the skin to create eyes, nose and mouth. A candle was then placed inside (and turnip was on the menu for days afterwards). The pumpkin serves the same purpose in the USA and these are increasingly found in Scotland in more recent times – they are easier to scoop out! But children who have fun doing this do not realise that they were continuing a tradition of placing skulls on poles round encampments to scare away evil spirits.
Read more at: http://www.rampantscotland.com/know/blknow_halloween.htm
Here’s a little about Lights, Camera, Poltergeist!
Things don’t just go bump in the night, sometimes they throw tea cups!
As the presenter for Ghost Uk, the leading TV show investigating paranormal activity, Fae thought she’d seen it all. Until a Valentine’s Eve live show from Scotland’s Fingelly Manor upsets both her preconceptions and her love life.
And a wee taster!
Fae snuggled down deeper into the chunky knitted roll neck of her sweater and wished she could shake off the eerie sensations. She puffed out a sigh and watched her breath condense in the air before her face. It wasn’t only the room that was chilly. The relationship between herself and John had taken on a distinctly frosty tinge lately too.
She strolled across the room to the huge diamond leaded window that would have filled the room with light if it hadn’t been shrouded in dust and some dark red velvet drapes that had seen better days. Out in the corridor the electricians and tech staff were hammering and cursing the ancient electrical wiring.
The afternoon light had already started to fade and fingers of frost were beginning to form at the corners of the window. A flicker of movement near the trees on the far side of the lawn caught her attention and she leaned forward, almost bumping her nose against the glass in her quest to see what it was.
Whatever or whoever she thought she’d seen had vanished and she relaxed back on her heels. Working as a presenter on Ghost UK had made her jumpy. Every dark corner now held the possibility of something spooky. In such a deserted spot it was unlikely that anyone would be outside in the grounds, especially in this freezing weather.
“Fae, darling, there you are!”
She turned around to see her producer, Tim, sweeping towards her. She pasted a fake smile on her lips when she saw he was accompanied by the owner of the house, Giles McGinty, Laird of Fingelly. She’d already met Giles when she’d arrived and her impressions hadn’t been favourable.
“Giles has invited us all to dinner tonight before we start filming. Isn’t that marvellous?” Tim raised his eyebrows at her.
“That’s very kind.” Fae was quick enough to pick up the signal.
Giles smiled at her, his gaze lingering just a fraction of a second too long on her bust before raising his gaze to her face. “The pleasure is all mine. I’m looking forward to getting to know you all better before the filming.”
She suppressed a shudder as his dark eyes locked on her face. “John and I will look forward to it.”
© Nell Dixon 2013
http://www.nelldixon.com
Romance with Heart
You can get your copy of Lights, Camera, Poltergeist from all good etailers including: Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Camera-Poltergeist-ebook/dp/B00AW5JC9I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357229745&sr=8-1&keywords=lights%2C+camera%2C+poltergeist
Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lights-Camera-Poltergeist-ebook/dp/B00AW5JC9I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357229677&sr=8-1
Why not read more about Fae in Cue Me In? Haunted happenings in a Welsh Castle.
Posted by Phillipa @ 7:43 am |
December 30, 2012
I’m a little bit sad to see the back of 2012. Although it started unpromisingly, with a few health problems and no clear direction for my writing, it did pick up – after a bumpy ride!
There were some great highlights, both in my writing life and personally.
The biggest was my Silver Wedding Anniversary – I can’t believe we’ve been married for 25 years! Mr B and I spent the evening itself at The Menzies Welcombe Manor in Stratford upon Avon and then went to northern Cyprus in October.
The second highlight was our day at the Olympic Canoe Slalom where we say Team GB win Silver and Gold. I will never ever forget the noise the crowd made or the feeling of euphoria and disbelief that we’d seen Our Boys triumph in our own Country.
In fact the whole of the Olympics and the Paralympics passed in a dizzying whirl of emotion, triumph over adversity and sheer fun – so can we please have it back for 2013?
The category award winners: Me, Nicola May, Fiona Harper, Rowan Coleman, Christina Courtenay, Mandy Baggot and Lyn Vernham.
As for writing – at the start of 2012, I didn’t know what I was going to be doing writing wise. A few months later I’d had two offers for Miranda’s Mount from very good publishers. That book came out in October and I was thrilled to see it win the Best E book award at the Festival of Romance. My LBD novels were also republished in print which was an unexpected bonus.
This year I do have a plan – It Happened One Night is coming out in June 2013 and I’ve plans for one of my existing books before then. I’m half way through the draft of a brand new Project X which is why I haven’t been blogging. This is completely new for and I’m so caught up in it (and have a tight deadline). But hopefully, the new book will make an appearance in the autumn.
So thank you to all my readers, friends and writer buddies for the support, hugs and laughter in 2012 – and I wish you all a very happy, healthy and successful New Year.
Posted by Phillipa @ 8:53 am |
December 12, 2012
….and the Writer is getting fat.
Yes it’s that time of year, when I get a stinking cold and can’t face the gym – yet do have the energy to reach for the chocolate mini logs and mince pies and all the other Christmas goodies.
But I don’t really mind because the festive spirit is definitely upon me. I’ve almost finished the shopping, written almost all the cards and the tree is in the pot – if not yet decorated. Now I’m planning Christmas lunch and looking forward to my daughter coming home for the holidays next week.
I’m also writing again. Rest assured There Will Be Books from me in 2013.
This year has ended so much better than it started, both in writing terms and in health terms. I had a minor blip for the first few months but I feel great now, fingers crossed (apart from the cold.) I’ve sold several books, won an award and today, Miranda’s Mount was listed as one of 2012’s Highlights of the Year on the Piatkus website. I couldn’t have dreamed that back in January so I count myself very lucky.
Now, it’s back to the laptop to write up a storm. Good luck with all your festive preparations!
Posted by Phillipa @ 7:45 am |
December 9, 2012
Sorry for the lack of blogging: like everyone, I’ve been caught up in work and festive mayhem. Plus I should have blogged this before because my Dating Mr December e book has been on a 99 cents offer on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. It’s been #1 in the Amazon Movers and Shakers chart and hit the Fiction Top 100 at one point. I don’t know how much longer it will be on offer but if you haven’t got it yet…
I’ve been bad at blogging and writing recently (though good at Facebook and Twitter) but I will try to be good in the new year and have signed up for the Facebook 100k in 100 days challenge. That’s the plan, anyway!
Posted by Phillipa @ 6:29 am |
November 18, 2012
With the festival of romance award for Best Ebook
It may be a lazy Sunday morning but I’m still buzzing from The Festival of Romance Awards on Friday night – not only because it was a fabulous, fun and ultra glamorous affair but because Miranda’s Mount won the Best e book award!
There’s so much to say, I don’t feel I can do the evening justice but I’ll try. I travelled to the Awards venue as a guest of Julia, the MD of E-scape with a Book Press, who publish several Coffee Crew authors. We stayed at the cheap and cheerful Travelodge on the edge of town.
Festival organiser, Kate Allan and Julia from Escape with a book press
The venue for the award was the Bedford Corn Exchange Harpur Suite – a very grand and huge neo-classical room built in the 1870s.The room was packed with over 100 writers, guests, readers, bloggers, agents and publishers and looked magnificent. As for the glam factor: everyone had pulled out all the stops. I have posted only a few photos here but there are more on my Facebook page.
The awards were announced before dinner – all the shortlisted writers stood at the front of the room and the names were announced to whoops and cheers. I *genuinely* did not expect to win my category, so when my name was read out I was dumbstruck. I was also incoherent when Margaret James came to interview me for a Writing magazine – so sorry, Margaret, it wasn’t the drink (totally!) but you can also blame my lovely ed for buying me another huge glass of wine…
Celebrating with my Piatkus Entice editor, Donna Condon.
I’ve listed the award winners at the bottom of the post. Massive congratulations to everyone shortlisted and especially to Celia Anderson, Beth Chambers and Terri Nixon who won publishing contracts with Piatkus Entice!
The category award winners: Me, Nicola May, Fiona Harper, Rowan Coleman, Christina Courtenay, Mandy Baggot and Lyn Vernham.
I had only five hours sleep after the awards dinner which was followed by dancing to a disco … some interesting moves on that dance floor, many of them probably mine! The next morning, I found that most of the party goers had been awake early – or half the night. 🙂
Rachel Lyndhurst, Talli Roland
Caroline Bell Foster, Julia from Escape Press, Lynda Dunwell
The Festival is now into its third day with a Historical Meet the Authors afternoon tea, workshops and more.
There was so much going on across Bedford, that I couldn’t possibly report on it all. I’m sure there will be dozens of blogs, hundreds of photos, Tweets etc about the event. On Saturday we headed off the The Lane Bar and Coffee House and to read in public at the Harpur Shopping Centre …but more on that story later this week!
The Winners List
Here is the full list of award winners:
Best Romantic Read:
Dearest Rose by Rowan Coleman
Best Historical Read:
The Silent Touch of Shadows by Christina Courtenay
Best Short Romance:
Dancing with Danger by Fiona Harper
Best Ebook:
Miranda’s Mount by Philipa Ashley
Best Author Published:
The School Gates by Nicola May
Best Romantic Film:
Jane Eyre
Best Romantic TV programme:
Downton Abbey
Innovation Award (Publisher):
DC Thomson
Innovation Award (Author):
Mandy Baggot
Publisher of the Year:
Choc Lit
Literary Agent of the Year:
Jane Judd
New Talent Award:
Winner: Lesley Eames
Highly Commended: Cathy Lennon and Sue Jackson
Piatkus Entice Win a Publishing Contract Competition:
Celia Anderson
Beth Chambers
Terri Nixon
Hall of Fame Award:
Katie Fforde
Black Lace
Laura Longrigg
Congratulations to the organisers, helpers and everyone involved for putting on a fab event that reached out to readers, authors and the industry. Long may it continue.
Posted by Phillipa @ 6:35 am |
