Sophie Penhalligan of Sophie’s Turn was nominated for BEST HEROINE in the eFestival of Words Awards 2014. Moreover, Sophie’s Turn was also nominated for Best Cover Art!
How excited am I? VERY!
What’s next?
The eFestival of Words volunteers will be narrowing down the nominations and producing a list of finalists by 1 July. After that, the voting will be opened to the general public, and winners will be announced in August during the eFestival of Words Virtual Book Fair.
Will Sophie win? Who knows. When the time comes, you might want to cast your vote. But either way, I’m simply over the moon to have received a nomination! I had no idea this was going to happen, so whoever of you lovely folks nominated me: THANK YOU ALL!
This week I bought myself the most amazing pair of heels in the sale. They are blue and sparkly and just absolutely fab. My heart had lusted after them ever since I first saw them in January. And when this last remaining pair winked at me from the shelf on Tuesday, I was done for. I couldn’t leave them there. They had my name on!
Sparkly blue heels… I’m ready for anything!
Of course, I can’t walk in them. I am known for my notorious inability to walk in any kind of heels. But who cares? I simply had to have them. They are ‘me’ all over. Plus they scream ‘Emily!’ ~ my leading lady in Fallen for Rock would certainly be able to show these off!
So I’m keeping them in their box, lovingly wrapped in tissue paper, for me to admire and gaze at every now and then (which is often, at the moment). One day, I will get that movie deal, whether for Sophie’s Turn or Fallen for Rock, and then, my friends, I will elegantly glide down the red carpet in these blue sparkly heels: mark my words. Until then, I’m just happy to have them. Moreover, that’s another item crossed off my bucket list (“buy totally impractical but drop-dead gorgeous pair of shoes that you might never wear but without which your life isn’t complete.” Done!)
Have you ever made an equally lustful and whimsical purchase?
April really didn’t quite go to plan for me, at least as far as my authorly existence is concerned. You may or may not know that, for reasons entirely too complicated and uninteresting to explain here, the time I have available to be “Nicky Wells, Author” has been cut in half since the beginning of February. By and large, the implications for my readers are negligible as I am abounding with ideas for books, and I am working fast and furious when I can. Moreover, I’ve had a bit of a strategic realignment in terms of how I spend my time. I mean, come on, I was a project manager in a previous lifetime—workflow management is my specialty, and crunched agendas don’t intimidate me!
So I took a long hard look at how I should spend my author time, and I made some adjustments. As a result, the time I dedicate to actually producing product—writing books for you, my friends!—has barely been affected.
However. Every now and then, life will throw up a few wrinkles, and April was one of them. Through the entire month of April, I managed a grand total of fifteen hours of work on my books, if that. Why? Grab a chair and a cuppa and find out…
5 April—Older Son’s Birthday Party My older son celebrated his ninth birthday in style at a local leisure centre, and the grandparents came to stay with us for advance celebrations for the weekend. Lots of fun and cake was had, my gorgeous nine year old was chuffed beyond belief by all the presents and attention, and writing didn’t seem important.
Superhero cupcakes for a superhero ninth birthday party!
7 April—The Big Rock Concert Monday, 7 April, was not only the first day of the Easter holidays, but also the day of The Big Rock Concert. From about nine o’clock, I was busy dealing with the excitement of my two children as they got ready for their first rock gig ever. In the early afternoon, we drove over to Nottingham for the FM, Europe and Foreigner concert. We took the opportunity to link up with some old friends for dinner beforehand, and then we launched ourselves head over heels into the rock extravaganza.
The Big Rock Gig–the boys’ first–and we loved every minute… Especially when Europe delivered The Final Countdown!
8 April—Older Son’s Actual Birthday If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that we like to party here at the Wells house. Certainly by the end of this post, you’ll be convinced of the fact. So either way, it’s no surprise that in addition to the ‘pre-party’ on Saturday, we also celebrated my son’s ninth birthday in style on the actual day.
Of course we had a proper birthday cake ‘on the day’. S.H.I.E.L.D., as made by birthday boy and dad.
12 April—Wedding Anniversary (Number 11) Yup! Eleven amazing years! With all our normal babysitters literally being out of the country owing to the Easter holidays, we elected to turn our anniversary day into a family celebration. We amused ourselves cooking up a feast of home-made ravioli, filled with lobsters for the adults and four cheeses for the kids. If you’ve ever made ravioli from scratch, you’ll know that this can easily take up a day. We had cake and fizz and snacks and music in between, and it was glorious. Writing? Errr…
Homemade Lobster Ravioli… the best anniversary dinner ever!
19 April—Unscheduled Day Trip to Bristol The week following our wedding anniversary passed in a blur. We made Easter decorations, baked cakes, and went on outings—work can wait, right?
On Saturday, 19 April, we travelled to Bristol for the day to visit one of our children’s best friends who was in hospital with a burst appendix. We left Lincoln at seven a.m., arrived in Bristol at just after eleven a.m., and dashed to the hospital to see the patient. Our visit lasted only twenty minutes, and those were spent in shifts as the poorly patient couldn’t have more than two visitors at a time, but it was absolutely one-hundred percent worth it to see her little pale face light up.
After we said our farewells, we dropped in on some other friends, and then some other friends… and some other friends still. We turned the day into a flying-visit-bonanza of epic proportions with three rounds of tea and cake and a big dinner, and we had an absolute blast.
20 April—Easter Sunday The traditional egg hunt took place a little later than planned owing to our very late arrival back from Bristol the previous night. Eggs duly found and gathered by the kids, we went to church, cooked lunch, watched a movie, and ate altogether too many chocolate eggs. Did you know that you can’t possibly work on a book if you’ve overdosed on chocolate?
Happy Easter!
24 April—Husband’s 40th Birthday As if April hadn’t been eventful enough already, my husband also celebrated his fortieth birthday. The kids and I spent ages making him a special commemorative present in the week leading up to the Big Day. On the day itself, I got busy organising a surprise dinner and putting the final touches to the surprise cake party. Birthday boy himself didn’t want a fuss, of course, but you’ve got to, for your fortieth, right? I arranged for several friends and their children to creep quietly into the house while the boys and I distracted Jon in the kitchen with his steak dinner. When everybody had arrived, we allowed Jon to go into the hitherto locked up dining room, and everyone jumped out and shouted ‘surprise.’ The look on my birthday husband’s face was, as the saying goes, priceless.
Happy 40th Birthday, Jon!
26 April—110 Reasons to Celebrate To round the month off perfectly, we had a big party in the local village hall celebrating all in one go: all recent family birthdays, our wedding anniversary, and our moving-house anniversary. Family from near and far and friends old and new came together to dance, sing and make merry—kids ‘n’ all. The Higgledy Piggledy Band took us through our paces in many a round of ceilidh dancing, and everybody had brought food to turn the buffet into a veritable feast. At one point, I was invited by Tom, the caller, to demonstrate a dance (what, who, me, with my two left feet?) and a little later in the evening, the guitarist decided to go rock and launched into a rendition of ‘Mustang Sally’, for which he summoned me to be backing singer. I accepted the challenge, although I requested backup from a friend, and it was an exhilarating if possibly slightly out-of-tune stage debut for the both of us.
Let’s party! Actually… I really wanted to include a party photo here, but I was so busy having a great time, I never even got the camera out of the bag. LOL!
The highlight of the evening, however, was to see the many smiling faces of parents dancing with their kids, of kids dancing, and of everybody having a whale of a time.
Getting my priorities right… With all of these goings on, it is fair to say that during the month of April, I didn’t overachieve, as would usually be my wont. There are many things I wanted to do that I never got round to. However! Everything that needed to get done has been done to bring you my next book on time. Editing, proofing and cover design is all under control. Fallen For Rockwill be out on 3 July. Watch out for the cover reveal in late May!
Meanwhile, the whole family is buzzing with happiness and memories right now. We had a truly outstanding month with many events we will never forget. When all is said and done, that’s what life is about. Rock on!
The Dream Line-Up: FM, Europe and Foreigner. Completely live and in person.
7 April 2014 marked another historic moment in the rock diary of Nicky Wells, author of romance with rock stars! Not only was I lucky enough to secure front-row balcony tickets for one of the best gigs of the year… but I also got to take my entire family. Yes, husband and kids. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. It’s almost like I’m bringing my love for rock full circle as it’s blossoming in the kids. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but it was just beyond words to take the kids and see them enjoying themselves so much! But I’m getting ahead of myself here…
Now I know my boys are only seven and nine respectively, but they do love their rock music, and they had been begging for months to see a ‘real bona fide’ gig, especially one that would involve the band that plays “Tough It Out” (that would be FM) and the “Rocket Song” (otherwise known as “The Final Countdown”–yes, that would be Europe!). So when this opportunity in Nottingham offered itself with no age restriction for the venue… we jumped at it. And my goodness gracious me was a good time had by all!
First of all, we got the chance to meet up with the lovely Andie and Caroline Farren whom we had met at an FM gig in Nuneaton last year. I’m telling you, folks, rock friendships last a lifetime! We started the evening with a pizza dinner together and then were delighted that, by pure fluke, we even only sat a few rows apart from each other in the venue. Awesome stuff!
Wells and Farren families in the Royal Concert Hall…ready for the show!
FM took the stage and owned it, playing as many classics and all-time favourites as was possible to ram into a forty-minute set. “Burning My Heart Down” practically burned the hall down, the fans loved it so much!
Europe absolutely rocked. There really is no other way to describe the magic they performed last night. My boys were more or less out of their seats, and my little drummer was drumming along ferociously on the balustrade. When the band eventually closed with ‘Final Countdown’, everybody–and I mean everybody–in the entire hall was on their feet.
In between sets, we managed to do a tiny little bit of hobnobbing with FM, introducing them to the next generation of their fans…
Foreigner was a new experience to me. As in, they are one of those bands that I’d always meant to see but never previously managed. Sadly, guitarist Mick Jones had been taken ill for the evening, but the show went on anyway, and the remaining band members did their music proud. Front man Kelly proved himself a star entertainer and had the crowd eating out of his hands. It was mind-blowing!
And the all-round verdict? Let’s do this again soon!
There, I said it. I’m a blogaholic, and I’ve been in rehab. That’s why it’s been so quiet around here.
You see, what happened is this. Once upon a time, I was a enthusiastic debut author who started blogging to support her platform. I came at this technology completely innocent. I had no idea that there was a huge community of fabulous bloggers out there dedicated to their cause and content. It was a complete revelation. The possibilities were endless! The universe was mine for the taking!
So I grabbed at it with both hands, and then some. I spent hours designing my blog, forging links, building relationships, garnering a following. I developed a schedule that involved music and guests and posts about writing. My blog was thriving, and so was I. It was a heady, breathless, exciting time, and I cherished every moment of it.
Some of my highlight moments…
But then, gradually, imperceptibly, things began to change. I no longer owned my blog, but rather my blog owned me. My blog turned into the Mephistopheles to my Faust. I became obsessed. I dreamed about my blog—when I wasn’t in the throes of blog-induced insomnia, that is. I worried about content. I fretted about comments. The blog became the focal point of my life. I would be out and about with the family, snapping photos… for the blog. I would be writing down little anecdotes… for the blog. I became consumed with awards, challenges, memes, blog hops, more awards, more hops…. Moreover, I had connected with so many amazing blogs and bloggers that I was running myself ragged, literally, trying to follow, support, comment, share the love, and keep my head above water.
And therein lay the problem. I didn’t keep my head above water. I couldn’t! Not even remotely. You know I can’t swim, right? Joking apart, I felt like I was drowning. Eventually, one day, everything came crashing down on me and I asked myself—what the heck am I doing, and why? Me, the most energetic, enthusiastic, zesty person I know (ha!), quite suddenly lost her oomph. What a shock!
Now I don’t like to whinge. Life’s simply too short. So just before Christmas last year, I took stock, and I put myself into blogging rehab. In other words, I decided to cut myself some slack, give myself a break, and put blogging on hold for a while. In corporate terms, I undertook some strategic regrouping.
Well, now. I’m not quite there yet with the strategic regrouping. I’m not quite cured. I can feel the obsession pulling at me once again even as I type. However, so many of you have been in touch with emails and via social media to ask when my blog will return to normal that I thought I’d emit a little sign of life. I am here, my friends, and I thank you for your patience and your support. You rock! And it’s for you that I’m blogging.
Therefore — to mix a few metaphors — I’m going to put the cart behind the horse once again, and then get back on the horse. Romance That Rocks Your World! is back in action but, for the time being, according to no fixed schedule. You’ll hear from me whenever possible, but I’m not committing to anything. I’m going write with pride and joy, and I’m going to have fun when I’m here—which means you’ll have fun along the way… just not according to a strict pattern. But hey, that’s the spice of life, right?
Most importantly, as I’m less blog-o-centred, I’m writing books faster than ever. Fallen For Rock, my fourth full-length novel, is finished and currently awaiting feedback from betareaders. Publication date is 1 July. My next Christmas novella is well under way, and once I’ve finished writing that—probably in about May time—I’ll start writing my fifth novel, which is completely planned in outline format. So the time that I don’t spend fretting about blogging I spend writing books which, ultimately, is what I’m all about. Does that make sense?
I hope it does.
So I remain with renewed vim and vigour and a cautious dose of bloptimism… Yours in rock and books,
Nicky Wells (blogaholic)
🙂
How about you? Have you ever fallen out of love with blogging? How did you cope, and what did you do to reignite the passion? I’d love to hear from you!
Hello, you! It’s Monday, and that means music here on Romance That Rocks Your World! It’s also 23 December (wow!!), and that means it’s nearly Christmas. It’s the end of one heck of an eventful year for me ~ and for all of you, I’m sure. 🙂
So I’d like to party and wish you a Merry Christmas in true rock-chick style…
…plus wishing you
all the very best for 2014!
And now… I’m taking a little break from blogging until early 2014.
Expect me back some time in January or February! Thanks for all your support throughout this past year, for all your lovely comments, your enthusiasm, and all your tweets. I couldn’t do this without you! When I’ve caught my breath and finished up my latest WiP (#FallenForRock, remember?), I’ll get back to my normal blogging self.
Yup! That’s me! How thrilled am I? Well, let’s say I’m over the moon! What a wonderful early Christmas present ~ a huge thank you to Supportive Business Mums for this fabulous award. YAY!
Feel like sharing the joy? Here goes:
Rock star award! @WellsNicky’s #Rock Star #Romance series wins Best Book Trilogy 2013!! http://ow.ly/s0J4Q via @sb_mums #kindle #sspub
And the #winner of Best Book Trilogy 2013 as awarded by @sb_mums is: @WellsNicky’s #Rock Star Romance series!!! YAY! http://ow.ly/s0IPG
Hooray!!! I’m now officially an award-winning author. Excuse me a moment while I sit down and come to terms with this new reality… LOL!
There. I’m back. Give it up for the real winner,
and thank YOU for all your support…
I got your Christmas reading all wrapped up ~ are you ready to get carried away with a rock star?
In fact, welcome to the last CentreStage of 2013! It’s only fitting, therefore, that it should be a very special edition indeed. One that combines music with winter romance. I have the wonderful Jennifer M. Eaton here today to talk about her latest release. Take it away, Jen!
Paper Wishes
Merry Christmas! I love this time of year, don’t you? Except for the snow. I can really do without the white stuff. Unless I can stay home. I just don’t like to drive in it.
Did you catch that rambling? That was me beating around the bush because Nicky asked me to come up with a song for my Christmas romance Paper Wishes. Shoot that was hard!
I think I found the perfect song though… but then I had to find a video of someone who didn’t butcher the heartfelt lyrics! This is very unlike me, but I’m going for a classic voice to go along with my contemporary novel.
In Paper Wishes, we start off with Jack pining for his best friend Jill. But when Jack gets his Christmas wish… a date with the office she-devil, Jill suddenly realizes how alone she would be without him.
So, what’s the song? Here you go:
Take a listen while you enjoy the first chapter of Paper Wishes.
And if you are feeling Christmasy, Paper Wishes is available now for only $.99! Give your Ereader a stocking stuffer. 🙂 Click here to buy it now…
Paper Wishes: The Blurb…
Jill has no idea what she wants for Christmas, but when it looks like her best friend Jack is going to get exactly what he asks for, Jill makes a Christmas wish that will change both of their lives forever.
…and the Excerpt
I scrolled the words Dear Santa across the page. For crying out loud, how stupid is this?
“Come on, Mom,” Nicole said, placing a long fold in her letter. “It’s not that hard.”
I dropped my pen on the table. “It’s hard if you’re a grown-up.”
“Just write down what you want.” She bent and tucked the folds together, molding her letter into a perfect origami star.
“But I don’t want anything.”
Nicole held up her creation, scratching a freckled cheek. “Everyone wants something.” She fastened a paperclip to her star and hung it on the Christmas tree. The matte paper stood out from the bright glass ornaments.
I ran my fingers across my bare neckline. I’d love to have back the ornate silver and gold necklace that Nicole broke a few months ago, but I couldn’t write that. It would hurt her feelings.
“I’m too old to be writing to Santa,” I announced.
“Then write to God. He listens too.”
I narrowed my eyes. Stinker. “Okay…” I placed my pen on the sheet and crossed out Dear Santa. “Okay. Dear God.” I sighed. “It’s not helping. I still don’t know what to ask for.”
I threw my long, dark ponytail over my shoulder and tapped my pen across the sheet, leaving a wavy line of dots marring the clean, white-lined paper.
Nicole shook her head, jostling her auburn locks. “Come on, Mom. Just write something. It’s God. He already knows what you want.”
“Then can He tell me?” The rumble of the school bus granted me a temporary respite. “Grab your lunch.”
“Got it.” She tossed the brown bag into her backpack and grabbed her jacket off the back of the chair. “See you later, Mom.” The screen door slammed behind her, rattling the knickknacks on the shelf beside the door. The frigid December air swirled through the kitchen, pushing the paper across the table.
I tossed my pen to the side and poured myself another cup of coffee. Liquid heaven rolled down my throat. Well, day-old reheated liquid heaven. I tossed the rest down the sink. Coffee Stop drive-through here I come. I popped the last bit of toast into my mouth and grabbed my car keys.
The nearly empty sheet of paper shifted across the tabletop as I passed by. The words Dear God taunted me.
Writing the letter didn’t seem like a game anymore.
Dear God… it doesn’t get more serious than that.
What do I want? I hadn’t thought of it much since Bill took off on us. The pressure of being both Mommy and Daddy left little time for thinking about me. What I wanted was for Nicky to be happy. Nothing else seemed to matter.
I eased back down into my chair, picked up the pen, and began tapping it on the paper again. Another line of scrolling black dots appeared across the sheet. What do I want… really? My wrist flicked, and I wrote the word please.
I stared at the letters, and before I knew it a sentence had formed. Fifteen little words stared up at me, the blue ink solid and demanding on the white ruled page.
Permanent, but ridiculous.
It’s not even what I want. I crumpled the letter into a ball and tossed it over the counter. It scooted across the beige surface before slipping off and falling into the trashcan.
Done.
I’m too old for Christmas wishes anyway.
###
Paper Wishes is on sale now for just $.99! Snuggle up with a great Christmas Romance today! Click here to buy it now!
About Jennifer M. Eaton
Jennifer M. Eaton is a contemporary blender of Science Fiction, Dystopian, and Romance. Her work ranges from the sweet contemporary romances of Paper Wishes, to the dystopian society of Last Winter Red and Optimal Red, with a dusting of young adult paranormal just for fun in The First Day of the New Tomorrow.
While not off visiting other worlds, Jennifer calls the East Coast of the USA home, where she lives with her wonderfully supportive husband, three energetic boys, and a pepped up poodle.
Full time team leader, full time mom, and full time novelist… what more can you ask for? Writing help did you say? Well, sure! Jennifer hosts an informational blog aimed at helping all writers be the best they can be. Stop on by and chat. She loves to hear from fans! http://www.jennifermeaton.com/
Paper Wishes: Jill has no idea what she wants for Christmas, but when it looks like her best friend Jack is going to get exactly what he asks for, Jill makes a Christmas wish that will change both of their lives forever.
Last Winter Red: In search of a husband, Emily leaves the safety of the city and risks her life stepping into the outside world. What she finds there will question the foundations of everything she believes in. Available as part of the Make Believe anthology.
The First Day of the New Tomorrow: Maya dreams of having everything she wants, but when she gets it, she can’t give it back fast enough. (Coming in September, 2013 from Muse It Up)
Woohoo! Congratulations on your latest release, Jennifer, and wishing you a fabulous Christmas! May all your (paper) wishes come true… Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Such a lovely title! XX Rock on… 🙂
Hope you’re all in the mood for Christmas by now. Yesterday was the third Sunday of Advent, and true to tradition, we lit that third candle:
We also went to see the stage play of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at the weekend. It was a magical production, and the kids were absolutely enchanted. So with that, there’s only one song that comes to mind today. If you love The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, you’ll know why.
Have a great week! Only nine sleeps ’til Christmas ‘proper’… (Eight, if you’re German. Woohooo!)
Photos and images used on this blog stem from one of two sources. Either they are Nicky Wells' own images or photos, or photos and images supplied by, and used with permission of, the author(s) featured in a given post. Logos and blog award images are used with permission of the originating organisation(s). Occasionally, the blog will feature images used under a Creative Commons license, which will be clearly indicated and credited. Copying, sharing or distribution of these photos and images is not authorized unless prior written permission is given.
Copyright by Nicky Wells
Copyright of Nicky Wells, 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the material on this blog without express and written permission from Nicky Wells is strictly prohibited. Nicky Wells does not authorise any copying or distributing of any content of her blog except through the intended channels of sharing (Twitter, Facebook, Press This, etc.). Excerpts and links may be used if direct and full credit is given to Nicky Wells with a direct link to the original content. Nicky Wells reserves the right to delete any inappropriate or offensive comments.
Nicky Wells: Love & Thrills 