OOOOH . . .

The poster says it all and what a sale. I’ve loaded up my kindle already with some fab titles from amazing authors, and now my essay has finished and my WI presentation is done and dusted, I can hopefully get some reading done this Easter.

And some writing! Both have been seriously neglected recently but it never stops the ideas; my head is full of them, and my laptop and notebooks full of unfinished stories. After the success of my WI talk, I am now hungry to write the third instalment for Katie Button too. The ideas are percolating, the characters louder in my head. I don’t mind. I like them. Katie is a girl after my own heart; she loves drinking cocktails especially mojitos and loves chocolate brownies. Both feature heavily in my two novels.

Romance, chicklit with historical twists, quirkiness and humour.

One of my favourite reviews. 

 

If you’re looking for that little something different, that little piece of escapism, that little bit of quirky romance, then check out the reviews on Amazon and give them a go.

Love Lizzie

Those all important links to your Amazon 🙂

viewBook.at/HappyEverAfter

myBook.to/buymehere

Buckets and Gallons – an old #ThursThreads Winner

 

I’m in the middle of preparing my talk with the WI ladies this week and think I’m going to share this flash fiction piece from the prompt ‘buckets and gallons’ for ThursThreads by Siobhan Muir . Written back in 2016, it won out of all the entries.  Not only do you need to include the prompt but there’s a word limit too; 250.

The Struggling Artist

Sweat ran down his spine, his body glistening with every aggressive stroke of the brush. Paint bled into the walls, unable to cover the memory he desperately wanted to erase. Buckets and gallons of paint seeped into his secret but still he continued, brush after brush as bristles frayed like his temper.
But the slate had to be clean, the walls bare, fresh and ready for his next work of art; always a blank canvas to open his mind and explore his demons. That’s what his therapist said, release his demons through his art. But he was never satisfied. The demons kept talking to him, whispering their loathing, mocking his aspirations.
At last, he could do no more. The unblemished white canvas was ready. His muse was ready. She sat on a lone wooden chair in the sparse room as he held his large palette, walking around her, inhaling her scent, studying her naked curves. He ran his fingers through her long golden hair, fanning out the strands around her milky shoulders.
There were no words as he began his art, releasing the jagged knife from under his palette, spraying his canvas in rich red as the demons cheered his work, silencing her gurgled screams. For now, his art briefly released him, his art lived as he watched crimson drip down the walls before it stopped and died.
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Simone’s Night Off

This came up on my news feed from Jan 2014 and I’m sharing again as the feedback I received for this piece blew me away (and still does) and because I fell in love with it all over again as I read.

I miss the flash fiction circuit I belonged to. I know a few of the sites are back in business so I now have to find the time between essays and lesson obs to write for them. This piece has inspired me.  Enjoy.

Simone’s Night Off

I wander around, dressed for the occasion but no one sees me. But they know I’m there, can feel my presence for I am a Guardian Angel. I rest a comforting hand on heavy shoulders, I sooth a sick brow. I am only seen by those moving on upstairs as I lead them on their way. Tonight I am at an office party. I love the atmosphere of parties. Everyone is smiling, conversation flowing, sparkling dresses twirling. No one will see me tonight though. I just feel like being somewhere full of laughter and life where a Guardian Angel isn’t needed, where no one is moving on. Even I need to relax sometimes.

I stand alone, silently watching the flirting, the politics, the laughter. But one person isn’t laughing at the witty joke cracked by Ian in accounts. He doesn’t wear a smile on his stern looking face. His eyes are dark and stare ahead . . . at me. I turn around, but no one is behind me. I turn back to him and he’s walking towards me. In my two hundred years of being a Guardian Angel, I have never been seen unless by the dead or dying. He is neither.

“Hi.” His voice shocks me, not because its weird or funny because it isn’t. No one has ever spoken to me, no living human anyway and I am visibly startled.

“Hi,” is all I can say even though a thousand questions are on the tip of my tongue.

“Great party isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Leo.” He holds out his hand.

My hand slips into his and I feel the warmth, so welcoming. “Simone.”

“Care to dance?” We walk to the dance floor and he smoothly places an arm around my bare back, his hand feels hot against my skin. He leans in close, pulling me in tight. And we move gently as I rest my head on his chest. I can’t describe how the touch of another makes me feel. For so long, I’ve been alone.

For the rest of the party, Leo and I are inseparable. I don’t want it to end. But apparently, it already has as I realise we’re alone.

“So, you can see me?” I finally ask.

“I sure can, every inch.”

As an angel, I can’t blush but his remark sends fuzzy feelings whizzing through me that I try to ignore.“How?”

He shrugs, pouring the remnants of a champagne bottle into a glass. “I guess I’m in tune with the universe or something like that.” He laughs, and empties the glass in one gulp.

“You know what I am?”

“Yes I do. Which is why I haven’t offered you a drink all evening. I know you don’t need to eat or drink. I know you don’t get the chance to feel the touch of a man,” he says softly, stroking my cheek. “I also know that you long to be kissed,” he whispers as he tips my chin up to meet him. Anticipation rises; after a drought of two hundred years, it’s to be expected and when our lips meet, I feel as light as a cloud, floating on air.

“So, this is what it feels like to have your halo slip.” I laugh. “I’m so going to get into trouble for this.”

“I think you’ll find you’re already in trouble, Simone.”

“I mean with my boss, not you,” I joke looking up at him. The smile fades from my face as the eyes staring back at me glow red. I try to pull back but he clutches hold of me, his hand burning into my arm. I cry as my flesh sears.

“You see, I’m very much like you, Simone. I am also not seen by humans. But unlike you, I work for him downstairs. My job is to bring despair by ridding the world of hope which means ridding the world of angels and as gorgeous as you are, Simone, that means you.”

The pain is acute, a quick blow. Looking down, I see the bloody blade being pulled slowly from me, a crimson stain rapidly spreading across my white beaded dress. Leo holds me, laying me gently on the floor where we’d danced all night.

“Sorry, Simone, it’s nothing personal, just doing what I do,” he whispers, gently pressing his lips against mine. I know my last breath is leaving me. I know the last thing my blue eyes will see is him, Leo. I see his hand glide down my dress, pulling off a bead and slipping it into his pocket. He gives me one last look before vanishing, leaving me to the unknown.

 

The original link   (the prompt pic has been removed. It was a snippet of a gorgeous beaded white dress)

 

There’s another 59 short stories by here you can read if you wish.  xxx

 

 

Location. Location. Location.

And how to choose it.

Writing romantic comedy is pretty straightforward when it comes to the setting. I don’t have to create a new land and all that entails for a start. I can draw on my own knowledge of places and choose some favourite locations. Which is exactly what I did for The Adventures of Katie Button, my first romantic comedy novel. Katie lives and works in London. I love London, I’m from London, I visit frequently so for me it was a no brainer to have the capital as the setting.  They say ‘write what you know’ which includes where. And it makes it so much easier to carry on with the nitty-gritty of the actual story.

The King’s Road in Chelsea gets a special mention, on the number 11 bus. I don’t know how many times I travelled on that bus or have walked up and down the King’s Road, having grown up just round the corner. It made it easy and enjoyable to write. Although I think Katie wishes she never jumped off that bus . . .

But what happens if you want to write about a setting you’ve never visited? In Dreaming of a Happy Ever After, Katie visits New York. I’ve never been. But it’s on the bucket list and it’ll be on the bucket list for a fair few years to come. It helps that New York is in a gazillion films and TV shows with its fabulous skyline and iconic buildings. It also helps that I have a very dear friend who is from New York State and visits NYC quite a bit, sharing her experiences and photos.

 

My gorgeous American friend and her pics

Google helped me too. Google maps for a start to get roads and locations. Photos helped too. I also looked up reviews and menus so I would get the dishes right at least for particular restaurants. It’s these kind of little details that will help the easy flow of the story.  The internet is wonderful for researching a place never visited. And it’s made my urge to visit stronger! One day . . .

 

Brighton on the other hand is one place I’m very familiar with, living not far from this beautiful coastal city.  Katie loves to shop so Brighton with The Lanes seemed an obvious choice and not too bad a car journey from London. However, I don’t think Katie will look back on the trip fondly . . .

Looking back on the locations, cities are an important aspect of Katie’s life. I love them too. Maybe that’s why they feature heavily.

I’m in Spain right now, looking at the ocean view as I write. It’s gorgeous. Maybe it’ll feature in a future novel . . .

Could Katie find herself in Spain? 

Thanks for reading,

Lizzie x

My publishers, Crooked Cat are holding a sale on most of their ebooks right now. You can catch mine and other fantastic reads for 99p until Thursday over on Amazon. x

 

 

Whaaat?! ‘Bridget Jones’ You Say!  review of Dreaming of a Happy Ever After

My Books

The Meet Cute

Have you watched The Holiday where Cameron Diaz swaps her Hollywood mansion for Kate Winslet’s cute little Surry cottage? If not and you love romcoms then you must. It’s two hours and ten minutes ( according to my DVD) of gorgeousness. My favourite character in the movie (and story line) has to be Arthur played by one of Hollywood’s golden greats, Eli Wallach, you know from The Magnificent Seven, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Misfits to name but a few of his great movies.

 

TL: With Marilyn Monroe, filming The Misfits. BL: The Magnificent Seven. R: As Arthur in The Holiday

In The Holiday, Arthur meets Iris, played by Kate-there’s-not-enough-room-on-this-piece-of-wood-for-you-Jack-Winslet, and he introduces to Iris the phrase, ‘meet cute‘ where the  future romantic couple meet for the first time.

 

As a romantic comedy writer, the ‘meet cute’ is pretty important. Finding different and interesting ways for your romantic couple to meet isn’t as hard as you think either and they come from the most surprising of places when you’re not expecting or looking for it.

Quote from Random Hse, Inc. via wikipedia. Image my own.

 

Recently, a question was posed on social media about the percentage of time thinking about writing and actual writing. I’ve found myself thinking about writing all the time because out of the blue will be a gorgeous ‘meet cute’ moment. Seriously, they’re everywhere.  I’m not looking for it and it doesn’t develop into anything other than in my brain, the story mapping out in front of me. Here’s some examples just from this week alone.

Meet Cute 1

Earlier this week, I had a day trip to London with a friend. We’re busy chatting away whilst coming down the rather long escalator on the London Underground when a man hurries past us only to stop abruptly. The loop from my friend’s cardigan had caught in the zip of his bag. A chance in a million encounter. The bottom of the escalator approached and there was nervous laughter as they tried to unhook each other with comments like ‘what are the odds?’ as others tried to get by. Once off the escalator, they managed to separate. He smiled and said his goodbyes to us then hurried on his way. That was the ‘meet cute’. He was rather cute too. 

In my head, it continued and I shared with my friend that despite him hurrying off to catch his train, he would end up on the same train, in the same carriage and he would smile on seeing her and give up his seat for her. She would smile back and they would laugh about their little entanglement. And chat until she would get up to leave and it’s his stop too. What are the odds? Definitely a ‘meet cute’, all from a tangled cardigan in a zip.  

Meet Cute 2

Whilst walking to the shops, I had to cross over and saw a man walking towards me. unfortunately, the path narrowed due to overgrown hedges and he ended up having to walk on the grass. I apologised babbling about not wanting to get caught in the no doubt beast infested (read little creatures with more than four legs *shudders*) brambles. He smiled saying it was okay. Not really much of a meet cute but then  . . .

In my head for the romantic couple to meet, she would have snagged her clothing on the brambles and he would have stopped to check she was ok. Or he wouldn’t have moved, maybe too busy on his mobile phone and having nowhere to go, she gets knocked into the bushes and falls over. Either way, it’s a ‘meet cute’ moment of the classic boy meets girl. Girl hates boy but you know what happens in the end.

Meet Cute 3

I recently found out that a pharmacist from one of the many chemists in town is really cute. He’s going to make handing over copious amounts of cash for medicines rather easy. Anyway, there was a problem with one of the prescriptions and he put it right. The end.

In my head . . . the problem isn’t resolved easily and the pharmacist asks her questions, trying to get to the bottom of it. She is polite, answering his questions and sees he’s really handsome. His whole face lights up when he smiles and he does smile a lot as he talks to her. A quick scan from her reveals he doesn’t wear a ring.  She doesn’t want to leave. He doesn’t seem in too much of a hurry either despite the queue forming behind her. Could this be love at first sight? He finally sorts out her prescription and hands it over with an accidental slight brush of his hand against hers. And  . . . she  has to leave but they will bump into each other that night in a pub etc and . . . who knows.

So whilst my percentage of thinking about writing is much higher than actually doing it, sometimes the thinking comes out of know where,  from a ‘meet cute’ which inspires the inky fingers to get busy. 

Do you have any ‘meet cute’ moments you’d like to share. You never know, it could appear in a future novel. 

Love Lizzie

 

Find out Katie’s ‘meet cute’ moment in The Adventures of Katie Button, my first romantic comedy. It’s a ‘meet cute’ with a difference. The story continues in Dreaming of a Happy Ever After.  Click the link to see what others are saying in their reviews  . . .  Whaaat?! ‘Bridget Jones’ You Say!

Thanks for reading. x

Whaaat?! ‘Bridget Jones’ You Say!

RomCom Gold

 

I’ve caught up with my reviews for my latest release. Yes, I know I should have been all over it but there was this little pesky maths test that consumed my entire being for several weeks which I wrote about here: When you’re alone and have no one to share your news . . .    

Anyway, I caught up with them (more than one – woo-hoo!!) because my gorgeous readers have been kind enough to leave their thoughts for everyone to see. I’m over the moon which is massive understatement. They’re amazing!!!!!

Two readers have mentions the BJ word.

Of course I mean Bridget Jones!!

              What BJ word did you think I meant??”

I adore writing chick-lit. I love reading it and love watching chick-flicks; Bridget Jones up there to watch again, again and again. So to have Katie Button, my protagonist, compared to Bridget is one of the best compliments a chick-lit writer can have, I can have! Thrilled to bits. I love Bridget! I believe there’s a little bit of Bridget in all of us.

 

 

‘Movie gold’ ?? 

What a compliment. As to who I would love to see play Katie and her love interest(s), I’ll leave that for another blog but would love to hear your suggestions. I’d also love to read your reviews so if you’ve read (and enjoyed) my novels, please leave a few kind words. It means the world to us authors.

Thank you, lovely readers,

Love Lizzie xxx

Amazon for your ebook or paperback copy of Dreaming of A Happy Ever After 

Amazon for your ebook or paperback  copy of The Adventures of Katie Button

You can like my facebook author page here. xx

 

 

 

 

 

When you’re alone and have no one to share your news . . .

 

Reading the first word on the letter; ‘Congratulations,’ and immediately ignoring the rest as all the stresses and emotions of the past several weeks exploded into a mass of tears and whoops.  Yep, that was me last Friday as I sat in a quiet park in Croydon to read whether I had passed or failed the ridiculously hard (to me) Maths skills test.

It was a big moment. If you failed the third attempt, that was it for another 24 months!

Anyway, as you know, parks are public places. This one was no exception especially as it was lunchtime. All the office workers were enjoying the high temperatures and glorious sunshine as well as the quiet . . . until I opened my letter. I think I jumped up, squealing. I must have as I wasn’t sitting down anymore.  I know I was crying and laughing and not giving a thought to the many people enjoying the park and peace and quiet.

I did shatter it.

Big time.

Then, from behind me a voice called out, “Good news?”

I turned to see two lads grinning madly, phoned poised.

“Yes!” and then they asked what? So I told them, blurting out a thousand words a second.  It felt good to share this! I was bursting! Yes, they were complete strangers. Yes, one had his phone out, videoing. But I really didn’t care. It was a moment that had to be shared. And I was on my own so random strangers it was. They offered their hands in congratulations and I shook them vigorously. Human contact was soooooo good.

I then skipped away, clutching the crumpled letter.

Things I learnt from this:

1. Londoners are friendly and ready to celebrate with you.
2. I love speaking with/to complete strangers.
3. I hate maths.
4. I think I might now be good at maths.
5. I still hate maths.
6. There’s a video out there somewhere of a crazy, mad woman sharing her success and relief at passing the maths test.
7. And I would love to see it!!!
8. Not only was I stressed but my friends, colleagues and hubby were also stressed – I just hadn’t noticed.
9. It’s been a long couple of months.
10.  Southern Rail are rubbish and multiplied my stress levels. If it wasn’t for friends and cake, I think I would have spontaneously combusted.

Now back to some quality reading in the sun, and catching up on my writing . . . which will include reading the 50k I’ve already written as I may have forgotten most of it due to having to fill my fluffy, scatty brain with maths.

Normal service will resume. xxx

Love Lizzie

 

 

 

 

 

Horror Bites Challenge #6

Josh raked a frustrated hand through his hair, watching Felicity shovel in a handful of chocolates. “You lose the weight, feel good then stuff your face. Will anything stop you?”

     She rolled her eyes. It was worth going the whole week without, just to taste the delectable little spheres of chocolate as they melted in her mouth, titillating her tastebuds. Closing her eyes she leant back on the sofa and let out a small moan. Josh slammed the door behind him.

    The following week, sitting on the sofa with her bag of chocolates ready, Felicity studied the coffee table. There was something different.

  Josh stood against the doorframe, eyeing Felicity. “My treat as an apology.”

   “What are these?” She pointed to the transparent spheres nestled on top of darker ones.

    He shrugged. “Came with the jar. I thought if I buried your chocolate underneath, it would take you longer and you might not eat as much. I want to help you.”

   Touched by his thoughtfulness, Felicity’s heart swelled. With gentle fingers, she began scooping out the smooth, cool beads until a few of the darker ones showed. Shiny dark orbs enticed her, cool in her mouth, then tickling her tongue. She bit down, surprised by the crunch and burst of liquid. A bitter taste filled her mouth. She spat it out, once, twice, losing count as her fingers swiped frantically at her tongue. Staring wide eyed, the contents of her mouth scurried on the carpet. The untouched spheres burst and came to life, crawling up the side of the jar, spreading across the coffee table in a black wave. On invisible threads, they abseiled down, landing on the carpet, a thick, moving blanket towards Felicity. Her mouth crawled as did her insides, from her throat to her stomach. Tears streamed down her face, black, tears that crawled into her ears, her mouth, her hair.

   “I knew I’d find a way to stop you eating chocolate,” said Josh.

   It took longer than necessary for Josh to tell Felicity that the clear beads would rid her of the spiders.  

347

Thanks to my buddy, Laura over at Getwordy, creator of #Horror Bites. Visit her blog for more tales of horror and creepiness, and catch up with her on Twitter.  

Under The Spotlight

Jane Bwye

I know there is a slight greenish tinge on some of us, but at least it was colourful at the Eastbourne Book Festival on Saturday 19th November. Five Crooked Cats were given prime position at center stage. With me, were – from my left  – Lizzie Koch, Jeff Gardiner, Susan Lodge and Sarah Stevenson, and there was another feline colleague at stage left, (or is it right?) Marcia Wolf, manning her own table. If you follow the links, you’ll see that we are a healthy, eclectic group.

We delighted in getting to know, and learning from, each other. Lizzie, on my left, taught me a thing or two about selling. She never stops talking, she admits – except when she’s nervous – and successfully drew people in with her animated pitch, then passed the punters along the line. Jeff provided the colourful posters which we tacked…

View original post 225 more words

My First Book Festival

 

With the Cats and our novels; LtoR- Jane, me, Jeff, Susan  (Sarah taking pic)

 

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a teeny bit nervous about attending the book festival with my novel. The fact that I sat in silence on the way to Eastbourne was enough to convince my Hubby; “I know you’re nervous as you’re not talking,” he said. This was true as my stomach was churning and I always have something to say. Talking is a skill of mine so the silence was unusual but I think a blessing to Hubby and his ears. I think the silence made it worse as I kept looking at the clock and worrying I would be late every time we stopped at traffic lights. It was a stressful journey.

But I wasn’t late and  I needn’t have worried about anything. Upon arrival, I met my fellow Cats and immediately felt myself relax as they were extremely friendly. We chatted like old friends and laughed lots especially under the lighting that gave  us a green tinge in photos (until a nice man sorted it).

But best of all, I met new readers for my book. I don’t mind admitting it was a buzz talking about and selling my book if a little nervous signing it in front of them. I loved chatting to them about Katie, writing and what’s next. Their enthusiasm was contagious. I hope when Christmas morning comes, people are thrilled with their gift.

I loved the experience but there’s plenty to improve on for next time.

Good ideas for the next Book Event

• Business cards
• Complement slips inside novel
• Book stands
• Leaflet/info about publisher. (A fair few asked about Crooked Cat and where to find those all important books)
• Let people know I’m attending in advance of the actual day (sorry friends for not being so vocal about it but I was really nervous, I mean REALLY nervous)
• Have a float for that all important change!!!!!
• Believe in myself and my novel – I really thought no one would be interested hence the keeping it quiet
• Have a steady hand when signing

Thank you to all those who stopped by and chatted with the Cats and purchased our novels.

If you’ve had experience at a book event, what’s your top tips for a successful event?

 

 

 

For more information on the South East Crooked Cat gang of authors, click on links. x

Jeff Gardiner      Jane Bwye       Sarah Stephenson      Susan Lodge      me, Lizzie Koch  and Marcia Woolf who had her own table at the event.

 

 

Love Lizzie x