Cover Reveal! ~Sophie’s Turn~

Posted on May 19, 2012 | 42 comments

This is it! The ultimate cover for Sophie’s Turn.  How excited am I?

Why another new cover, you ask?  Quite simply, another new cover marks the start of a new era for Sophie’s Turn, the first published edition coming out from Sapphire Star Publishing on 6 September 2012.  As for those of you who’ve been following my publishing journey, it’ll strike you that actually, this new, ultimate cover is quite similar to the last version you saw.  That’s because the amazing folks over at Sapphire Star Publishing liked the concept so much, they didn’t want to change it much at all.  Thank you!  🙂  But check out the subtle changes… see if you can spot the differences!  I’m enchanted, personally.

Huge congratulations go out to the original creator, Jessie Dalrymple–see, I told you you rock. 🙂

And here it is! Cover first, but don’t miss the credits below…


Here’s the credits, with HUGE thanks:

Cover design:  Chad Lichtenhan

Original design concept:  Jessie Dalrymple

Image:  “A carousel and the Eiffel Tower lit up at night” by www.unrestrictedstock.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Over the coming days and weeks, you will gradually see this cover appear on all the usual sites, beginning with the book icon in the top right-hand sidebar of this very blog.  Hooray!

So… what do you think?

42 Comments

Posted in Sapphire Star Publishing Book Launch

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Nicky Wells, Gracing BBC Airwaves (Again)

Posted on May 17, 2012 | 19 comments

Holy Microphone! as Sophie would say.
It’s official! I’m a radio addict.  I love being “live on air” on the radio.  So: I thought I’d do it all over again….

Nicky and Elise after the interview in December ’11

As many of you probably recall (given the noise I made about it!), on 21 December last year, I had the great fortune of visiting Elise Rayner on the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Bristol to talk about my romantic comedy debut, Sophie’s Turn.  Elise gave me an amazing amount of airspace during my first “Beeb” interview and I remember ‘threatening’ that I might have to return when the sequel is written.Well, not only is the sequel, Sophie’s Run, written but it has also been signed by Sapphire Star Publishing–alongside, of course, my first novel.  So I thought it was time to make good on my promise (threat?) and return to BBC Radio Bristol for an update.

Today, I had the pleasure of having a 15 minute chat live on air with the wonderful Alex Lewis.  And did I have the best of times again?  Absolutely!

Nicky and Alex after the interview in May ’12
(Thanks for letting me snap-and-share again!)

Alex asked me about me, and my writing, Sophie’s Turn, the sequel, signing a publishing contract and also about loveahappyending.com.  Once again, I forgot all about being in a studio and talking live on air.  It was such fun!  I think I am addicted.

So here’s the audio…

The definite introduction to Me, Nicky Wells, and to Romance that Rocks Your World, with a big mention for loveahappyending.com.

Due to the length of the interview and the size of the resulting sound file… you guessed it, I had to split it into two parts. Actually, the soundcapture software did it for me without telling me but hey ho, I figured it out when two truncated files showed up. Apologoies! Anyhooo….  In Part 1, Alex asks me about my writing history and background right up to the point of signing with Sapphire Star **inelegant interruption of soundfile here**

**resumption of soundfile here** and in Part 2, Alex asks me about connections with Bristol, inspiration and loveahappyending. Rock on!

And here’s the question for the real pros out there:  How do you stop yourself from “uhm-ing” and “err-ing” and mentioning a lot of “stuff” when live on air?

19 Comments

Posted in Radio Interviews

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CentreStage with Sheryl Browne: Of Ships Captains and Swamp Monsters

Posted on May 16, 2012 | 45 comments

Welcome to CentreStage! What an amazing run of authors we’ve had of late… and the series continues to move from strength to strength!

CentreStage showcases fantastic authors from around the world, introducing in particular my fellow featured authors at loveahappyending.com as well as fellow authors in the Sapphire Star Publishing family.  In this new, exciting feature, these authors might write for you about their lives, or their writing journey, or anything else that matters to them.  Every feature will be different in format and flavour, so watch out for a variety of stories and tales.

Today, it is my honour and my pleasure to host a fellow Loveahappyending.com author, the one and only Sheryl Browne! Welcome Sheryl!  Today, Sheryl writes about ships captains… and unappreciated swamp monsters!

Being a shy, retiring sort of person, I don’t normally like to be centre-stage, but as you’ve asked, I…  Oi, Nicky, shove over a bit!  You’re hogging the spotlight!  Humph.  Thank you.  *Turns good side to audience.*  Now, as I was saying, I don’t generally volunteer to be the main attraction, preferring to stay backstage as suited to my quiet disposition.

Launching into a new venture… in more than one sense!

I certainly would have preferred not to have been the main attraction on one of our recent boating expeditions.  You may, or may not know, because it’s possibly not that riveting, but my partner and I have decided on a major life-change, the idea not only to downsize, but to stop and smell the roses.

We are in the process of swapping this …

…for this!

Our new des res will actually be a luxury (all essentials included, as in plughole for hairdryer) narrow-boat, rather than a tugboat, but still some people might wonder if I haven’t taken leave of my senses. I’m wondering if I haven’t taken leave of my senses, particularly as he who fancies himself as ship’s captain apparently doesn’t notice whether the crew are on board.

My audience didn’t seem particularly moved either, when I plopped silently off the back of the boat into the murky depths of the water.

Captain Unaware doesn’t miss his crew…

Canal banks, you see, don’t have streetlights, a fact I pointed out to ship’s captain, as he deftly wedged our boat in between two correctly moored (as in, they still has the benefit of daylight to moor by) early-birds, shouting instructions to me to jump onto the bank with the mooring rope as he did so.  I did.  I missed.  I wasn’t missed.

I still hadn’t been noticed by my absence as I emerged from the water looking something akin to a swamp monster, nought to be seen for mud but the whites of my eyes.  My audience, three men discussing their day’s sailing, glanced over from their ringside seats on the boat behind us, and then had another sip of their lagers.

The captain, by this time, had managed to negotiate bank from boat, and was admiring the view, clueless, whilst waiting for me to hand him the rope.  I did.  At which point, brow furrowed in obvious concern, he leaned forward to wipe a splodge of mud – from the boat.  Otherwise, he didn’t bat an eye.  Nothing.  Not a flicker of an acknowledgement of my slimy predicament.  I was off his radar.

Taking the sensible way out (just)

Next crew’s job: to fetch mooring pin and mallet, in order for captain to undertake crucial task of securing boat (this job only to be undertaken by person competent enough to accomplish, i.e. someone with scouting experience).  Rather than hit him, possibly with both implements, I chose to bypass the possible murder weapons in favour of the shower.

Captain was still standing on the bank, rope in hand, as I emerged from the shower, cleaner, less pungent, and dressed in my jim-jams.   “Aren’t you going to pass me the mallet?” he asked, peering through the porthole, clearly perturbed.

“*!!*!*!#*!!”  I answered sweetly.

The clunk of the closing porthole shutters was echoed only by the hoot of an owl – and the hasty battening of hatches next door.

Moral of story.  If you are considering sailing off into the sunset by way of relaxing lifestyle-change, you might want to suggest to your man he ditches the captain’s hat, before you end up ditching the captain.  Glug, glug…………………………….

Sheryl, what an amazing story! I’m afraid to say that your humorous rendition of the mud monster experience had me in fits of laughter when you were probably looking for empathy.  But if you will make it sound so funny…..  Thanks for sharing this story, and now let’s find out more about you and your book.  Book first!

Recipes for Disaster
The shortest way to a man’s heart

Mix romantic comedy and step-by-step cooking instructions. Bake at 200 degrees for an entertaining read and handy guide.

She’s a single. He’s a widower. She wants him. He wants her. She wants to impress. So does he. There’s just one catch – she can’t cook. To get him, she needs to get past the big fish – his mother. Lucky her, she’s got an Ace up her sleeve and all she’s got to do is impress this one time. Bad luck, though, her new guy can’t cook either, her dog Rambo is on the loose and now they’ve got to pull off the big lunch at the club. Will it be a match made in heaven? Will they be able to pull off a culinary miracle? Will their combined efforts result in love at first bite? Or is it simply a Recipe for Disaster?

Recipes for Disaster is available in paperback and Kindle format, and you can buy it from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com,  any local bookstore, or direct from Safkhet Publishing

And now let’s find out more about the lovely Sheryl Browne:

Sheryl grew up in Birmingham, UK, where she studied Art & Design. She wears many hats: a partner in her own business, a mother, and a foster parent to disabled dogs.

Creative in spirit, Sheryl has always had a passion for writing. A full member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, she has previously been published in the US and writes Romantic Comedy because, as she puts it, “life is just too short to be miserable.”

Sheryl’s new novel, RECIPES FOR DISASTER, combining delicious and fun recipes with sexilicious romantic comedy, has just been released by Safkhet Publishing. Sheryl has also been offered a further three-book contract under the Safkhet Publishing Soul imprint.  SOMEBODY TO LOVE will be published July 1st 2102.

You can visit Sheryl on her website, on Facebook and on Twitter.  Sheryl is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and a featured author with innovative reader/author project, loveahappyending.com. 

Sheryl, this has simply been the most fantastic tale on CentreStage, thank you so much for sharing. I like your style and I adore your sense of humour.

And now it’s over to you, dear reader. Personally, I think Sheryl was remarkably restrained in her management of her misadventure.  What would YOU have done, had you been in her shoes… sorry, mud?

45 Comments

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Under The Sun

Posted on May 14, 2012 | 10 comments

It’s Music Monday!
And I’ve added a nifty logo for the feature…

[Logo Back Soon]

So what have I got for you today?  Well let’s see!  Today I have a feature that was inspired by Joanna Gawn of The Lazuli Portals blog… and you’ll have to visit the ‘Bio‘ Page to find out why!

There are first love memories…

Moreover, I’m bringing you a song that takes me right back, and I mean right back, in time.  First love, first boyfriend, first foreign holiday in the sun without parents.  A fourteen hour drive in the car from Essen, Germany, to Capbreton, France.  Driving through the night to arrive in the blazing sunshine at 10 am in the morning.  And always, always that song:  Under The Sun by Dare.  For some reason, it encapsulates the entire holiday.  The haunting voice, the guitars, the piano all fitted the atmosphere and the mood.

Recognising that even at the time, we nonetheless thought we were immune to the lyrics, that our love would last forever.  Alas, we were too young, it was too soon, and a few years later, it was all gone.  Prophetic words indeed, in places!

…and double starstruck memories!

Amazingly, I did have the good fortune of having a beer with the guys from Dare once.  Yes, indeed, my claim to fame!

They were supporting German rockers Warlock (fronted by Doro Pesch!) in the Grugahalle in my native Essen, and they were fantastic.  In actual fact, my then boyfriend (he of the first-love-memorable-France-trip) and I had gone to see Dare rather than Warlock, and we were at a bit of a loose end when Dare’s act finished.  So we loitered at the back of the hall, my boyfriend focusing on the stage (obviously–what male wouldn’t, with Doro up there?), me being bored.  I was keenly clutching the drumstick thrown out by James Ross and very casually (and quite unexpectedly) caught by me, yes me!

And then… Dare just wandered by, heading downstairs to the open bar. Of course I went straight after them.  And thus we ended up having a beer and a chat, me clutching my drumstick in one hand and my plastic mug of beer in the other. Oh happy days!

Without further ado, I give you the lyrics and the video…  If you like it, remember to honour the artist by buying the music through the appropriate channel. Thank you! 🙂

Under The Sun by Dare

Nothing lasts forever
Especially the things you always wanted to
See the reddened sky
I long to be there where the eagles used to fly

Methods to their madness
Or so they say before they throw away the key
Is there anyone there
Won’t you open the stairways for me

Under the sun
Where can we run
Under the sun
Where has love gone

Hear the deafening silence
While slowly losing all control of what you do
Chance would be a fine thing
A momentary loss of all thoughts

Holding back the fear
They point the finger every minute of the day
Doesn’t anyone care
Won’t they open the stairway for me

Nothing lasts forever
Especially the things you always wanted to
See the reddened sky
I long to be there where the eagles used to fly

Methods to their madness
Or so they say brfore they throw away the sky
Doesn’t anyone care
Won’t they open the stairways for me

Do you have a first-love, first-holiday mood song that takes you right back? I’d love to hear about it! xx Rock on!

10 Comments

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#romcom4all: Let’s liberate romance!

Posted on May 11, 2012 | 20 comments

Why should romantic comedy be for women only?  Why? I mean, really, why?

I bet now you’re thinking about it, there doesn’t seem to be a good reason.  That’s why fellow author Janice Horton and I are introducing:  #romcom4all

Closet romance lovers, reveal thyselves! Come on now, don’t be  shy!

I had the tremendous pleasure of welcoming Janice on my CentreStage feature on my blog this week, and her great post sparked a fabulous debate on the subject of reading-related gender stereotype.  As a result of which, we decided, through the winding course of the discussion threads, to start a campaign called #romcom4all.

What the heck is that about, you wonder?  It’s quite simple; it does exactly what it says in the #hashtag: it encourages everyone to admit that they read romcom.  And we mean, everyone!  In particular, however, this is meant to encourage the male of the species to come out of the closet and speak out.

Men do read romance.  Yes, they do.  I know that for a fact!   They just don’t talk about it, they don’t like to admit it, and they certainly wouldn’t want to be seen holding a romantic novel in their hands while travelling on the Tube.  So how do I know men read romance?  Easy.  I’ve had quite a few members of the male species read Sophie’s Turn.  Some were beta readers, but some were actual customers who bought Sophie’s Turn on Amazon, and one was a reviewer who wasn’t too shy to write and publish his review in his very own local magazine; you can read his review here.

If you think about it, it’s kind of obvious.  Everyone loves a happy ending.  Everyone wants to be loved.  Why should men not enjoy a romantic novel?  Several male readers have commented that a romantic novel is a fantastic way of getting insights into the female brain, understanding ‘the other side.’

In fact, the clever man will read romance as a ‘how to’ manual.  Even if our seeming erratic behaviour or overly emotional responses continue to perplex the male reader, at the very least he gets to take away the comforting knowledge that his beloved is quite normal.  Now I wouldn’t say that my male readers are serial romance readers, nor are they likely to come out of the closet any time soon.  But it does make me smile to think that they are out there, enjoying a cracking romantic read.

Here’s what the amazing Janice Horton has to say regarding #romcom4all:

This week I’ve been completely bowled over by a fabulous independent review of my contemporary romance novel Reaching for the Stars on Amazon UK. Why bowled over, you might ask? Well, as I explained on Nicky’s ‘CentreStage’ blog this week – it was because it was by a man!

Okay – he confessed to downloading my book by accident and then reading it anyway – but the fact remains that he enjoyed it, took the time to write a fabulous review, and then to download my previous book Bagpipes & Bullshot.

All of this made me wonder why bookshops, both on the high street and online, continue to label Relationship Novels as ‘Women’s Fiction’ as if men should have nothing to do with them?

It’s stereotyping in the extreme. Yet the market for relationship novels continues to expand and men and women are breaking the stereotypical role image every day in real life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So: do men have a lot to learn from a romantic relationship novel?And are men more likely to read romance on an ereader?

What do YOU think?

Ladies, how do YOU feel about the segregation of ‘Women’s Fiction’?Gentlemen, are YOU man enough to read a romance novel?

Fellow author Janice Horton and I are calling for a tag campaign to bring ‘Romcom for All’.  We will be tweeting using the hashtag #romcom4all. Please join us and share your views!

Click here to go to Janice’s Blog

Please feel free to leave a comment before you go, share this post on Facebook or your other social networks, tag this blog with your own blog post so that we can follow YOU – and don’t forget to and tweet YOUR thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #romcom4all. We look forward to hearing from you!

About fellow author Janice Horton:

Janice writes romantic and descriptive novels with humour. Look out for her Amazon bestselling Bagpipes & Bullshot and latest novel Reaching for the Stars. Janice is a regular blogger and you can find her on Twitter and Facebook. When not writing novels, Janice writes lifestyle articles and has had work published in national and international magazines and regional newspapers. She has also been involved in BBC Scotland’s ‘Write Here Write Now’ project. She is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association and an Associate Author and Editor at Loveahappyending.com. Janice will be speaking at the Loveahappyending.com Summer Audience Event in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, on the 16th June 2012.  You can find Janice’s books on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

20 Comments

Posted in Miscellaneous

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CentreStage: Janice Horton wows the male of the species with her latest novel!

Posted on May 9, 2012 | 29 comments

Welcome again to CentreStage!

CentreStage showcases fantastic authors from around the world, introducing in particular my fellow featured authors at loveahappyending.com as well as fellow authors in the Sapphire Star Publishing family.  In this new, exciting feature, these authors might write for you about their lives, or their writing journey, or anything else that matters to them.  Every feature will be different in format and flavour, so watch out for a variety of stories and tales.

Today, it is my honour and my pleasure to host a fellow Loveahappyending.com author, namely the amazing Janice Horton! Welcome Janice–and I look forward to hearing about an event that really moved you just lately!

Janice writes: RomCom for Men…!

An amazing thing just happened. My latest eBook, a contemporary romance novel entitled Reaching for the Stars has received its seventeenth review on Amazon.co.uk!

You may understand that I’m pleased – it was a very complementary review – but why was it amazing you ask? Well, you see, it was from a man.  Now, there is no reason why a man should not read and enjoy this novel – as it does have a strong, topical and a humorous storyline, which is told in part from a male point of view.

It’s about a man, after all. A disillusioned and media stalked celebrity chef who has just won his third ‘star’ at the same time as losing his third wife. An irony lost on no one, least of all the infamous chef himself.

But you see, this particular male reader (having at first confessed to downloading ‘Reaching for the Stars’ by accident and reading it anyway) said he really enjoyed it and has since also downloaded my previous novel ‘Bagpipes & Bullshot’. He entitled his review ‘Romcom for Men’.

Well, to say I was delighted is an understatement because here at last was a man who didn’t think that reading a book with a romantic thread in it was not for him, and by posting his review has singlehandedly exploded the myth that my books (about relationships) are written exclusively for only half the population.

And it’s not just books, mine or otherwise, that get those misleading gender genre labels. Take movies for example; even the ones labelled War/Crime/
Action/Adventure usually have a strong thread of romance in the storyline. So why market Romance exclusive as ‘Women’s Fiction’?

Thank you to my lovely male reviewer. You not only moved me with your generosity in taking the time to put up such a wonderful review – you also made my day. RomCom for all!

Hear, hear! I couldn’t agree more! What a fabulous occasion, Janice, I am thrilled and I share your excitement about ‘wowing’ the male of the species.

Let’s find out more about Janice Horton

Janice writes romantic and descriptive novels with humour. Look out for her Amazon bestselling Bagpipes & Bullshot and latest novel Reaching for the Stars. Janice is a regular blogger and you can find her on Twitter and Facebook. When not writing novels, Janice writes lifestyle articles and has had work published in national and international magazines and regional newspapers. She has also been involved in BBC Scotland’s ‘Write Here Write Now’ project. She is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association and an Associate Author and Editor at Loveahappyending.com. Janice will be speaking at the Loveahappyending.com Summer Audience Event in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, on the 16th June 2012.

You can find Janice’s books on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. 

A big Thank You to Janice for visiting CentreStage today and sharing her fabulous anecdote! 🙂

Now then… calling all men! Are you a closet RomCom lover?  I know at least some of you are, because I know you’ve read Janice’s book and a few of you have read my book, too… but will you own up here?

Calling the ladies: what do you think about genres? Why shouldn’t men read romantic comedies?  And you, do you read crime? Horror? Do you read them out in the open, or in secret?  Let’s have the genre/gender discussion, see what shakes out!

29 Comments

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Russians

Posted on May 7, 2012 | 11 comments

It’s Music Monday here on Nicky’s blog and today I’m bringing you a real classic.  I’m posting no other than the first single I ever bought! It was a proper single, for those of you who remember the shiny black vinyl 45rpm plastic disks you used to get in traditional style record shops.

The motivation: a crush
I was thirteen and I bought it the day after a party at a friend’s house, where I had been asked to dance to (yes, you guessed it) just this song by the boy on whom I had a big crush.  It was a heavenly moment, and I tried to prolong the exprience by obtaining the music the very next day.  I wasn’t really into music then; I was just awakening to it, shall we say.  So I didn’t have a clue what or who I was looking for, and I had been too embarrassed the previous night to show up my complete ignorance and ask.

Instead, I opted for making a bit of an idiot out of myself in front of a complete stranger in the record shop.  I sang bits of the song to him.  Luckily it was very high in the charts, so he recognised it despite my subpar performance.

The fascination: the story in the lyrics!
Having got it home, I put in on play non-stop for something like three weeks.  Why’s that, you ask?  Well, it wasn’t just to do with having shared a dance with my crush.  The lyrics drew me in and didn’t let me go.  This is where it all started, my obsession with lyrics!  Anyway, here it is… I hope you enjoy.  The sentiment of the song is eternal, I feel, even though the actual historical circumstances have (thankfully) changed dramatically.

The insight: rock meets classic
Last but not least, I frequently rant on about how rock music and classical music aren’t actually a million miles apart. I often cite Verdi’s Requiem as a case in point, but consider this! Russians uses the Romance theme from the Lieutenant Kijé Suite by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev! Just for the love it, I attach a link for the theme as well… and you can see how amazingly skilfully Sting used this music in his own work. Rock on!

Russians by Sting

In Europe and America, there’s a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets
Mr. Krushchev said we will bury you
I don’t subscribe to this point of view
It would be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too

How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer’s deadly toy
There is no monopoly in common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

There is no historical precedent
To put the words in the mouth of the President
There’s no such thing as a winnable war
It’s a lie we don’t believe anymore
Mr. Reagan says we will protect you
I don’t subscribe to this point of view
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
What might save us, me, and you
Is if the Russians love their children too

PS: I feel I ought to say “thank you” to Sting here for teaching me invaluable phrases. You would not believe the surprise on my English teacher’s face when, challenged during a class discussion, I offered a nonchalant, “Well, I don’t subscribe to this point of view.” 🙂

Here’s the vid:

 

And here’s the Romance theme from the Lieutenant Lieutenant Kijé Suite by Prokofiev. It’s very quiet, so listen carefully… 🙂

So, hand on heart: what do you feel when you hear this song? Does it give you goosebumps?

11 Comments

Posted in Music Monday, Nicky Reviews Rock

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Shooting a likeness!

Posted on May 4, 2012 | 61 comments

What’s in a photo, you wonder? Well, anything, and everything.
When I launched my debut novel, Sophie’s Turn, unto the world, I was proud of the product (am, to this day, incidentally) and excited to present it to a keen readership.  I was a nifty author (still am, of course) but a hapless publisher.  As many of you have read over the past few months, my learning curve was vertical in every respect.  But there’s one aspect I haven’t yet talked about:  the author’s likeness.

The what?  you say, incredulous.  Yes, the author’s likeness, the legalese term that the industry appears to prefer.  A photo, to you and me.

Well, I needed one.  Naturally, I hadn’t given that any thought until I started blogging, tweeting and Facebooking.  I frantically dug around in thousands of digital photos taken over the past eight years or so, only to discover that not only wasn’t there a decent photo of me anywhere, but also there wasn’t a single (not one!) photo of me without kids or husband.  Somewhere along the motherly career path, I appear to have been lost as a person in her own right.  But that’s a different blog post for a different time.

Nicky’s author image, mach 1

Never fear, I am crafty with the old cut-and-paste function! Rather than being an egg-head, I selected the most suitable photo and cut myself out of it.  Yes, that one there, to the left. What’s that white fog, you want to know? Well, that was my older son’s hand, once, but it looked rather weird there, all chopped off and disembodied.  Granted, the white scwobble doesn’t look much better, but it did the job.  For… all of four weeks or so. Then I decided I need something more suitable.  When we happened to have some friends visiting and I had some time and looked presentable for once, we took some more snaps.  The outcome was author photo number 2, yes, the one to the right here.  An improvement, don’t you think?

Say cheeeeese! Nicky’s author photo, mach 2

This photo has graced my author’s pages, guest blogs and avatars all over the web ever since.  It’s an alright photo.  It’s sunny, and very me.  But it’s also decidedly… unexciting.  Unglamorous.  Not like me at all then, seeing as that I write romance that rocks your world! What to do? There had to be a solution somewhere.  Well, of course there was.  An obvious one, even.  I needed a photographer, and a photo shoot.  So that’s exactly what I did, with the help of amazing friend and budding photographer, Deborah Smith, and a superbly professional camera courtesy of Simon Smith.

Shooting a likeness:  The big photo shoot for Nicky’s ultimate author photo!

9 am: return from school run and switch on computer
9:10 am: switch off computer as feeling uninspired. Potter around the house
10 am: run bath and consume cup of tea
11 am: emerge from bath and dry hair
12 pm: have lunch, select outfit, beautify.  Yes, beautify. The whole works. Actual make-up. Eye shadow and everything. Might as well, just this once!

2 pm: arrive at Deborah’s house styled and ready, carrying bubbly for inspiration and courage.

Deborah getting ready for photographic action…

Spend a delightful hour flouncing around, posing, giggling, turning the music up loud and living every rock-star photo-shoot cliche and movie quote under the sun (go on, give me a bit more shoulder…. love the camera…. work it, baby!)

3 pm: done!

Job done! Cheers!

A portfolio of likenesses…

Very first picture… not bad.

A little shimmy on the floor?

Work it baby, work it…

Hello, I’m your local author!

Oh la la!

 …and here it is, the ultimate author’s likeness:  Nicky’s new, official author photo! ***Drumroll!***

Romance That Rocks Your World! Meet Nicky Wells, Author.

So there, that wasn’t so difficult. In fact, that was fun.  And what a difference, huh? (Please don’t tell me you like my old pictures better. No, honestly, don’t.  You can’t be serious!)

A big, massive Thank You to Deborah for taking the time to indulge my vanity, snap 150+ pictures (or thereabouts) and having fun along the way.  You are a rock star and a superhero. Here is your credit:

ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF DEBORAH SMITH.

or:

AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DEBORAH SMITH.

I like the look of that–there’s a career here for you, Debbie!  And, dear reader, now YOU can tell me about your photo moments!  Have you lost your identity among the nappies and the baby puree, too?  Are you ready to be snapped by the paparazzi anytime? Do you feel the urgent need to glam up, go out, and have fun?  Or… have you got that ACE photo of yourself that inspires you with confidence on a bad hair day, anytime? Let me know…

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Hall of Fame Party: Mandy Baggot launches “Taking Charge” with Sapphire Star Publishing

Posted on May 3, 2012 | 26 comments

Roll out the red carpet!
Open the champagne!
It’s time to enter the Hall of Fame!

Today, it is my tremendous pleasure to welcome you to the Hall of Fame celebration party as Mandy Baggot launches Taking Charge with her publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing.  Let’s open the floor to Mandy to introduce herself and her book…

Well, here I am on Nicky’s Hall of Fame! Thank you for having me Nicky! Wow, Taking Charge is my fifth novel and it hardly seems possible. In the four years since my first novel was published, I’ve brought you a hot film star, an ice-skating god, an ex-Army/underwear model/escort/personal trainer, and a delicious rock musician. So what have I served up in Taking Charge?

Cole Ryan, hunk and gorgeous male hero in Taking Charge

Well, today I am introducing you to Cole Ryan. He’s handsome, athletic, intelligent and has a great sense of humour. He’s also sensitive, passionate and loyal. But besides having Cole as the hero of the piece, there are also some other equally gorgeous specimens of manhood in the shape of the Portage Panthers ice hockey team. Here are some of the main players! We have:

Mickey!  He’s tawny haired, well built and works as a mechanic. He’s easy-going, laid-back and takes life as it comes. He doesn’t really worry about anything. He lives for simple pleasures like beer and discounted pizzas. He has a good, honest heart and he’s a good friend to have. He’s a little bit of a joker and sometimes this makes him seem a bit dumb. He isn’t stupid though, just good-natured and content with his spot in life.

Brad! Brad is the ex-boyfriend of lead female character, Robyn,  and although he is the complete opposite to Cole in looks, he is equally gorgeous. He’s tall with short cropped blonde hair and he’s a police officer. He’s athletic in build with biceps like grapefruits, and he’s the character with the ice blue eyes! He likes to help people which is why he’s good at his job; but he does have a temper and can fly off the handle if he’s rubbed up the wrong way.

Henrik!  Until Cole joins the team, Henrik is unrivalled as the Portage Panthers’ best player. He’s recently moved to America and works at the local supermarket. His English isn’t the best and he sometimes gets teased by the team when he gets phrases wrong. He’s tall with brown spiky hair and some designer stubble he goes to great lengths to get just right. He’s a real ladies’ man and the crazy one of the team. He does what he wants and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him. He loves hot-tubs and no one in Portage knows what nationality he really is!

So, that’s some of the boys! I hope that’s intrigued you enough to find out more!

It certainly has… and that’s why there’s a little more info about Taking Charge below.  But meanwhile, Mandy has another treat for us, haven’t you?

I certainly do!  OK, the last thing! To give you a flavour of the music of the town I have included a playlist of songs in Taking Charge. And here I am performing one of them for you!


Taking Charge:  Is going back Robyn’s only way forward?

American-born Robyn Matthers is going home. With her dad in hospital, his roadhouse in ruins and the ice hockey team slipping down the league, she needs to take charge. But does she have the strength to do it?

Cole Ryan is a hockey player on a personal mission. He’s tall, dark, hot and Robyn’s noticed! But can she trust her feelings – or his? And what will Cole do when he finds out the truth about her?

With an ill father, a trailer trash step-mom and ex-boyfriend Brad desperate for another chance, does Robyn have time to contemplate a relationship? Can she start again? Does she really want to? And can two people really fall in love in three days?

You can buy Taking Charge on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com from today! And don’t forget to join the party on Twitter using hashtag #TCParty–see you there!

About Mandy Baggot

Mandy writes strong contemporary romance and characters you’ll fall in love with. Previously self-published, she was signed by US publishing house Sapphire Star Publishing in January 2012. Shortly afterwards she became a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Mandy is a self-confessed Twitter addict who also likes to show off her singing talents on You Tube:  check out Lady Gaga! She has auditioned for X Factor, appeared on ITV1s Who Dares Sings and longs to duet with Bryan Adams. She also has a fondness for white wine, mashed potato, country music and World’s Strongest Man.

Mandy lives near Salisbury in Wiltshire, UK with her husband, two daughters and two cats called Kravitz and Springsteen.

You can find out more about the launch (including the full blog tour schedule!!!) on Mandy’s website. You can also check out her author page at Sapphire Star Publishing.  Mandy is on Facebook and on Twitter (of course!), and she has author pages on amazon.co.uk, amazon.com and Goodreads.

A big congratulations to Mandy on her launch date for Taking Charge. Now what we’d like to know is… have you ever taken charge of an impossible situation?

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