Cover Reveal and October Events

 

I'm so delighted to reveal the lovely cover image for my new historical romance, Midwinter Masquerade, which is being released by Tirgearr Publishing on October 24th! Although the story takes place in the Regency era of 1816, it's not quite as traditional as my previous one and after the beginning in Edinburgh, it is mostly set in the southern Scottish countryside around the winter solstice. And, yes, there is a masquerade ball towards the end! I love the winter feel of the image as it captures the setting beautifully. I'll post a little bit more about it on my Romancing History blog in a day or two. And, of course, I'll be arranging an online launch party once it's released.

Other events happening in October include a great Christmas in October giveaway of YA and tween books every Monday and Thursday all month on Penny Estelle's blog. The Jigsaw Puzzle is mentioned on October 7th. Lots of lovely books on offer to some lucky commenters, beginning on October 3rd.

Also during October, Karen Nutt is featuring Flash Fiction stories for Halloween all month on her blog and my story will be posted on October 27th. Again, there are lots of giveaways on offer to commenters. Should be fun and it starts on October 1st.

From Thursday 3rd October, I'll be featuring authors now and then on the blog again, so please look in on Thursday to meet wonderful debut author Sara Bain.

Rosemary

TV Inspiration

As autumn draws in, I love nothing more than to settle down for the evening, curtains closed against the dark, ready to watch the latest TV drama. I also find some of the programmes and story lines quite inspiring to a writer. Apart from the return of Strictly Dancing, which I watch for pure pleasure, here are my other favourite programmes of the last two weeks.

The Guilty

I adore watching Tamsin Greig in anything and it was great to see her play such a powerful dramatic part (the detective), rather than her usual comedy. Like Broadchurch before it, The Guilty dealt with the disappearance and death of a young boy, some of which was very upsetting to watch. From a drama point of  view, however, it was interesting to see how the various characters interacted and behaved after the discovery of the body. I guessed the outcome, although not exactly how it happened, and I enjoyed the added element of angst for Greig and her husband over the worry about their own young boy's possible autism/Asperger's. It was a satisfying drama that thankfully only took three episodes to deliver a good story.

The Young Montalbano

As a huge fan of the Sicilian series, Montalbano, I was wary of the new series portraying the detective as a young man in the early 1990s. After all, it's partly the characters and actors that make the original programme so watchable. However, Young Montalbano didn't take long to hook me and keep me wanting more. I love the actor playing the main character (Michelle Riondino) and find it very easy to imagine him as the younger version of the mature Montalbano. Add to that all the other characters, setting, and enjoyable storylines, making it one of my favourite programmes. It even inspired me to write a letter to the Radio Times, which was published in the current issue!

Sicily

Downton Abbey

Although it has its critics, I was pleased to see the return of Downton last night. The storylines vary in quality but for me it's a visual delight. What better way to enjoy research of the early 1920s than to watch the interplay of servants and masters, the introduction of 'modern' touches to the house and kitchen, and the gorgeous clothes adorning the ladies. It's also a fairly good reference for women's place in society at the time, from the highest born lady to the lowliest servant's expectations and opportunities.

I certainly won't feel guilty about enjoying TV this autumn and winter and can put many of the programmes to good use by seeking inspiration at the same time!

And now to inspire you to get writing and sending out your short stories, Words with Jam is running a new competition with three different lengths of short story. Closing date is 31st October and full details are on their website.

Over on my Flights of Imagination blog today, American YA author Chris Weigand tells us the inspiration behind her new book, Palace of the Three Crosses.

Happy writing and watching,
Rosemary

So You Think You Can Write

No, I'm not asking that question of my lovely readers - I wouldn't dare! So You Think You Can Write is Harlequin's competition to find new writers for their various romance lines. As one of the biggest traditional publishing houses, Harlequin offers this great opportunity for romantic novelists to submit the First Chapter (up to 5000 words) of a novel plus a 100-word pitch to the series you're aiming at.

This first part of the competition runs submitted between 23rd September and 9th October. The top fifty First Chapters will be chosen by mid-October and the authors will be asked to submit the full manuscript - ten finalists will survive to the next stage.

Although this is an excellent chance to be noticed, you have to be prepared for your first chapter to be posted for all to comment upon it, readers and editors. The full details are on the Harlequin SYTYCW website. I noticed they're also running a competition on Wattpad to find a winning writer for their New Adult series. Good luck to anyone who enters either.

Over on my Flights of Imagination blog, I'm featuring British author Pam Kelt who tells us the inspiration behind her intriguing YA fantasy, Ice Trekker.

And now I must make sure I've finished preparing my talk for a writers group across the other side of river from me this evening. Looking forward to it as it's always good to share information and chat to other writers.

Have a productive writing week!
Rosemary

Slow Down Challenge

 

After working very hard yesterday, completely redrafting the mainstream novel I'm now sending out to seek an agent, I needed a change of focus. Right on time, I received a new post from Jeff Goins, who I follow online. He mentioned his new challenge, Slow Down, which was partly inspired after the birth of his first baby and his pleasure in being a father.

I'm a great believer in taking time to enjoy the beauty and nature around us but this is a focused challenge over five days, although I dare say they don't have to be consecutive days. So in between the next lot of work, I'm aiming to follow Jeff's challenge - even ten minutes a day will take the focus away from the computer and social media. I'm sure the body and mind will thank me for it!

You can check out the Slow Down Challenge if you want to take part. The illustration above is from the first day's challenge and there are suggestions of how to take time to notice those 'other things' on Jeff's post.

Have a relaxing weekend,
Rosemary

Inspiring Coffee Breaks

Many of you already know that I love to write in my favourite Costa one morning each week - inside a mall where I can also do some shopping before returning home. During this past week, I happened to have an unexpected free morning, which I probably should have spent working at home, and I headed off to a nearby town for inspiration.

I found it in the beautiful cathedral, after remembering about the coffee shop inside. The photo is the view from my seat and it actually distracted me from the story I was intending working on to set me day-dreaming about the past. I love medieval times and this is the perfect cathedral for inspiration (it's taken on my mobile so isn't as clear).

It reminded me of the wonderful medieval day they had inside and around the building and down by the river a couple of years ago. Fortunately, I heard about it in time to wander around and pretend I'd stepped back to the past. It wasn't difficult, with the musicians, jousters, dancers, apothecary, scribe, bakers - all in medieval costume. And yes, several storylines have come and gone since then but none has made it into a completed story yet. This is the cloisters earlier in the year.

After finishing my coffee, I wandered around the cathedral and then got chatting to a woman about my own age who attends the services. What a serendipitous moment to discover she sometimes takes part in a medieval plainsong community choir - something I've always wanted to try. They perform in different parts of the country several times a year and I now have the choir organiser's contact details so it's up to me whether I explore it further. Unfortunately, it's not within such convenient distance as the cathedral, so it remains to be seen if I ever get to take part. But the opportunity is now there.

That's the beauty of taking impulsive coffee breaks in different places - we never know what kind of inspiration we may find along the way. The next historical event in that particular town is a re-enactment of the famous witch trials of the 17th century, in October. If I happen to get into the town that day, I'll let you know. Meanwhile, it's back to the work I should be writing!

Over on my Flights of Imagination blog, I'm featuring YA author Kai Strand with her intriguing book King of Bad. Imagine an academy for villains!

Rosemary

Back to Work and Romance Special

 

There's something about September that makes me want to get organised and get back to work after the holiday breaks during summer. Perhaps it's because I love this time of year as we head towards the final darkest few months. So I'm delighted to be finished with edits for my new full length historical romance, Midwinter Masquerade, which will be released by Tirgearr Publishing in late October. It begins in Edinburgh but is set in the Scottish Borders countryside in 1816, during the winter solstice and I'm really looking forward to it being available. My lovely editor, Georgia, has made me work hard on this one and I've now run off a copy of all the repetitions to avoid and such like!

Now, I'm getting set to finish or redraft other work over the next couple of months, plus aiming to send out completed stories. I definitely need to start making a daily or weekly list - keeping too much in my head at times, which is a bad idea if I don't want to forget anything important. So it's onwards and upwards! 

For romance lovers, one of my publishers, MuseItUp, is offering a Back to School 3 for 2 promotion on romance novels for mums (and dads). Just go to the MIU Bookstore and make your choice, using the code.

Meanwhile, over on my Flights of Imagination blog, YA author Penny Estelle tells us how she uses legend and history as inspiration for her time-slip books. Penny is kindly going to draw a name from commenters to win a copy of one of her books.