Tag Archives: Sophie’s Encore

My Holy Grail: Two hits, one touch

Posted on July 19, 2013 | 9 comments

This has been a pretty awesome week for me. In terms of my personal holy grails (of which there are many, LOL), I hit two and touched one. Alas, because of the unexpected and rather longer than predicted heat wave, my brain’s fried so I’ll give you my week in pictures rather than words.

Holy Grail, Hit 1:
Cover Reveal for Sophie’s Encore

I had the most astounding day, with no less than 23 fabulous bloggers taking part and a HUGE amount of interest in the cover, the excerpt and the giveaway (did I mention there are two preview e-copies of Sophie’s Encore up for grabs?).

You can visit the cover reveal post here,
or see the giveaway here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holy Grail: Touch (A Near ‘Hit’)

Yes! On Tuesday morning, I found Sophie’s Turn on the list of the 100 best-selling romantic comedies over on amazon.com. It started at #98 and ‘worked up’ to #95 before gradually sliding back down and out over the rest of the day. But still: I touched the holy grail of charts.

Incidentally, Sophie’s Run made it onto the HUMOUR list on amazon.co.uk that same morning ~ it sunned itself in the #95 slot for a little while!

Holy Grail, Touch 2:
“This Is It” Edit

Yup, that’s me, completing the THIS IS IT proof edit on Sophie’s Encore across yesterday and today. My third book is nearly ready to go to the printer!!
I am so insanely proud of the Grand Finale.

And that was my week.
How was yours?

9 Comments

Posted in Miscellaneous

Tagged #95, Amazon, Charts, cover reveal, Holy Grail, Proofing, Sophie's Encore

SOPHIE’S ENCORE COVER REVEAL plus excerpt and giveaway!!

Posted on July 15, 2013 | 52 comments

Ooooooh! Are. You. Ready??

I am so excited about this cover for Sophie’s Encore. I know, I always say this. But this one is different yet again. You’ll see! Between myself, Chad, Katie and Amy at Sapphire Star, we have ramped things up a few notches, which is only befitting a rousing final part of the Rock Star Romance Trilogy!!

Read on for:

The BLURB
The COVER
The EXCERPT
The GIVEAWAY!!!!
YES! Here’s your chance to win an advance review copy of Sophie’s Encore or Rock Star Romance SWAG!

Sophie’s Encore

Her rock star is waiting in the wings, but will he get a second chance?

It’s all change for Sophie Jones—only this time, there is more at stake than just her happiness.

Rock star extraordinaire, Dan Hunter, has been her patient and caring friend through the highs and lows since her wedding day, but now he figures it is time for her to start over. By stealth, the rock singer draws Sophie into the behind-the-scenes work for his band’s latest album. Through the days and weeks spent together at the mixing desk, Sophie discovers whole new horizons for her life, yet before she can even begin to explore them, she faces the very real threat of losing her rock star for good.

Join Sophie and Dan in Sophie’s Encore to find out how their journey will end…

Cover design: Nicky Wells and Chad Lichtenhan
Cover image: Singer in the darkness © Dmytro Konstantynov | Dreamstime.com

Wow, right?

Sophie’s Encore: Excerpt

My bedroom door opened slowly and Dan crept in. All thought of sleep forgotten, I flicked the light back on and was met by an astonishing sight. There was Dan, the rock star, legend for his antics on and off stage, clad in a demure pair of checked pajamas with a button-up top and a mismatched, stripy dressing gown. His feet were stuffed into fluffy slippers, and he clutched a bottle and two glasses in his hands.

“Come on,” he whispered. “Dinner is served.”

I giggled and left my bed, grabbing my own stripy dressing gown and a pair of thick socks.

“What are you doing?” I breathed into his ear, but he simply took my hand and pulled me down the dark corridor toward the open-plan lounge.

“Have a seat,” he invited me and gestured at the dining table, which was once again laid, although only for two, complete with candles and napkins.

He set down the bottle and glasses and scurried off to shut the lounge door. While he busied himself in the kitchen, I basked in the heat from the fire which Dan had re-stoked, and observed my rock star with some degree of amusement.

Within a few minutes, he brought a dish of smoked salmon bites to the table, followed by olive bread, a cheese board, various cold meats, olives, pickled anchovies, and prawns with some sort of aioli dip. He popped the cork on the bottle of champagne, poured two glasses, and sat down, satisfied at last.

“Now we can eat,” he announced. “Tapas. What do you think?”

I raised my glass. “Cheers,” I giggled. “So that’s what you meant earlier. I think it’s amazing. It’s like a midnight feast. I’m just waiting for matron to discover us and give us detention. Why all the secrecy?”

Dan speared a prawn and pointed it at me. “Well, for one, as you say, matron will certainly come and give us detention. Peter is very strict on my sleep regimen, you see.” He dipped the prawn into the aioli before popping it into his mouth. The beatific look on his face and his scrunched up eyes suggested he was enjoying this humble treat far more than was warranted.

He swallowed and cleared his throat. “And for another, I’m on a strict diet. Every last bit of cheese gets weighed, the carbohydrates counted, the sugar added up. It’s really tedious.” He grimaced.

I helped myself to some bread and salmon. “Tedious indeed, I can see that. But why? I thought you were supposed to eat lots and get better.” I chewed greedily, my tummy having given an impressive rumble.

Dan speared another prawn and added a mountain of cheese and bread to his place. “Bliss,” he murmured before explaining further. “I’m supposed to eat healthy, not lots. So Peter has taken it upon himself to reform the bad eating habits of a lifetime. Bless him, it’s what he’s paid to do. I’ve been going along with it, and I have to admit, I’m feeling pretty good. But…”

He grinned his school-boy grin, took a big mouthful of food, washed it down with a large gulp of champagne, and finished his thought. “Well, it gets boring. And I wanted to do something special with you. On my own.”

I burst out laughing, but quieted down when I saw the alarm on Dan’s face.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

“Peter’s bedroom is right next door there,” Dan whispered back. “And he’s a light sleeper.” He pointed his finger, and we sat in silence for a minute, straining to hear.

“I think we’re okay,” Dan finally concluded and resumed eating.

I giggled softly. “Naughty, naughty us.”

“Ha, we’re not naughty yet,” Dan shot back, speaking softly as well. “I was working up to that part.”

He winked, and my heart skipped and jumped. He didn’t mean—he couldn’t mean what I thought he meant?

“What do you mean?” I bumbled, hoping for clarification, but Dan was enjoying himself.

“All in good time,” he teased. “Let’s finish our meal first.”

The Giveaway

I want to share my excitement about this cover reveal and upcoming release with you! Enter for your chance to win:

One of TWO Sophie’s ENCORE Advance Review e-Copies
or
One Sophie’s RUN Mug
or
One Rock Star Romance Trilogy SWAG Pack featuring postcards and bookmarks

ENTER HERE: a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY CLOSES 15 AUGUST AT MIDNIGHT BST. The small print! Entrants must be aged 18 or over. Giveaway is open internationally. Winners will be drawn via Rafflecopter.

GOOD LUCK!

****STOP PRESS:
The Kindle editions of Sophie’s Turn and Sophie’s Run are now available for only $0.99 (£0.77 or equivalent) each to celebrate the cover reveal! Hurry ~ limited time only!! *****

SOPHIE’S ENCORE: coming your way in e-book and paperback editions on 5 SEPTEMBER 2013!!

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

THANK YOU

There’s a great group of awesome bloggers supporting this cover reveal today in a massive cover-reveal blitz enterprise. Here’s the roll call of honour! Ladies, I love you one and all, and thank you for everything you do. ROCK ON!

Andi’s Book Reviews ~ Bookreview by Rea ~ Book Mama ~
Boyfriend Bookmark ~ Brook Cottage Books ~ Celtic Connexions ~ Chick Lit Central ~ Cosmochicklitan ~ Dana Mason ~
Dizzy C’s Little Book Blog ~ Eve’s Chick Lit Reviews ~
Everything Books and Authors ~ Forget the Housework ~
Jera’s Jamboree ~ Jersey Girl Book Reviews ~ Kim The Bookworm ~ Me and Reading ~ Me My Books and I ~ My Seryniti ~
Perusing Princesses ~ Supportive Business Mums ~
The Adventures Within ~ Today I’m Reading

All together now… Don’t they look stunning?

52 Comments

Posted in Rock Star Romance, Part 3: Sophie's Encore

Tagged ARC, cover reveal, giveaway, Rock Star Romance, Sophie's Encore

Ten questions, Sunshine!

Posted on April 19, 2013 | 14 comments

It’s the spring season for blog hops and awards, and I’m delighted to take part in two of these today. Are you ready for my 10 questions, sunshine?

Ten Questions Blog Hop
(aka The Next Big Thing)

Jo and Ron over at the Lazuli Portals (Story Telling with Love and Light!) very kindly invited me to take part in this blog hop. I’m delighted to say ‘yes’ even though I missed my nomination to begin with, having been away from the computer for a few days (shocking notion, I know)! But Jo and Ron are extraordinarily forgiving, so here goes…

My task is to answer ten questions about one of my books or projects, and then tag 4 or 5 other bloggers or novelists who I hope will do the same.

Like the badge? There didn’t seem to be one so I made one. Feel free to re-use! 🙂

1. What is the working title of your book or project?

Sophie’s Encore

2. Where did the idea come from for the book or project?

It’s the logical conclusion of my rock star romance trilogy ~ the third and final book in the series (but by no means my last!).

3. What genre does it fall under, if any?

Contemporary romance; chick lit; humour; self discovery

4. If applicable, who would you choose to play your characters in a movie?

I have answered this question many times but I have recently changed my mind. At this precise moment in time, while I’m finishing up the last lot of polishing edits before the masterpiece goes to the publisher, I see in my mind the following people… (they would HAVE to put on a British accent though, pretty please)

Sophie ~ Reese Witherspoon. Or maybe Piper Perabo.

Dan (the rock star) ~ the man himself… Mr. Jon Bon Jovi!!!

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your manuscript or project?

Her rock star is waiting in the wings, but will he get a second chance?

6. Will your book or story be self-published or represented by an agency?

Sophie’s Encore will be published by Sapphire Star Publishing on 5 September 2013!

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It took me about 12 weeks, but not all in one go as the writing process was disrupted by two book launches (Book 1, Sophie’s Turn, in September 2012, and Book 2, Sophie’s Run, in February 2013), plus a month-long break from writing in December.

8. What other book or stories would you compare this story to within the genre?

That’s a tough one. There are plenty of books out there featuring rock stars but my feeling is that the Sophie series is different in feel and nature. It’s sweet yet sexy, glamorous yet firmly grounded in the real world. I’d say it’s Bridget Jones rocks Notting Hill!

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book or story?

I love rock stars. What more can I say? I am the eternal rock chick, and the modern-day fairy tale (girl meets Prince Charming/rock star) simply captivates me.

10. What else about the book or story might pique the reader’s interest?

It’s not just about rock, nor is it just about love. Sophie’s Encore tackles some deeper issues as it continues the story of Sophie a few years on. Her character has grown; events have transpired that have changed the course of her life; nothing is quite as it seems, new beginnings need to be made ~ if perhaps reluctantly. Sophie’s Encore concludes Sophie’s journey of self-discovery, and this sense of finding oneself in the wider context of the pursuit of happiness has run through the entire series. I hope it inspires as well as entertains!

There. Wow!

This is the place where I’m supposed to tag… and I shall, just after I’ve introduced the next award. Bear with me while I spread some…

Sunshine!

My sunny and cheerful disposition (not my words!) has prompted not one but two fellow authors to nominate me for the Sunshine Award. A big thanks to the amazing Linn B. Halton and the wonderful Dana Mason for their vote of confidence and enthusiastic acknowledgement of my blogging and writing endeavours.

The Sunshine Award comes with a few simple rules:

(1) Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post.
(2) Do the Q&A below.
(3) Pass on the award to 10-12 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs. Here are my answers to the sunshine questions:

Favorite Color: Blue! Without the shadow of a doubt, it’s blue. I love sea blue, sky blue, turquoise, navy. Blue. I dress mostly in blue. My eyes are blue. And I once, very briefly, had blue streaks in my hair.

Favorite Animal: Um. I’m not an animal person. Don’t get me wrong, I love cats and dogs as much as the next person but…I’m just not an animal person. *whispers* Sorry!

Favorite Number: Three. I like to think lucky!

Favorite Non-alcoholic Drink: Cranberry and Orange juice (mixed half and half) over crushed ice with a slice of lime.

Facebook or Twitter: Both! I’m addicted to both and some days, I hang out more on Facebook, others on Twitter.

Your Passion: Rock music. Rock musicians! Writing. Chocolate. Seafood. And, above all, my family. 🙂

Giving or getting presents: Giving. I always feel really awkward about receiving presents, I’d much rather give.

Favourite Day: Saturday. A lie-in, no commitments, a lot of long, unstructured hours ahead. Bliss!

Favorite Flowers: Roses. I had white, red and variegated (if you call it that ~ I’m not much of a flower connoisseur) roses in my wedding bouquet. Roses are some of the few flowers that don’t make me sneeze (I got terminal hayfever, LOL). And I adore that they are spiky.

Passing the baton, sharing the joy!

I’m going to be slightly unorthodox here. Rather than nominating five people for the Next Big Thing and ten for the Sunshine Award, I’m going to list some amazing authors and I’ll leave it up to their discretion whether they’d like to accept one or the other, or both. Some of them have already been tagged for one or the other, I’m sure, so this is my Friday pick’n’mix for them! Rock on:

Samantha Stroh Bailey

Talli Roland

Tracie Banister

Tonya Kappes

Have Fun, Ladies!

14 Comments

Posted in Miscellaneous

Tagged Awards, Blog Hop, Next Big Thing, Sophie's Encore, Sunshine, Ten Questions

Sophie’s Encore, First Draft… Done-Done-Done!

Posted on March 8, 2013 | 32 comments

In this post: how I improved my writing process; and what’s next for Nicky Wells, author

I finished!

It’s done! Oh yes, the first draft of Sophie’s Encore is finished. It came in at just over 105,000 words and I am pleased with it. It made me laugh, and cry, and bite my nails.

Done-done-done!!

It was quite a different writing experience…

Unlike Sophie’s Turn and Sophie’s Run, which were both written in a mad, continuous and single-minded frenzy, Sophie’s Encore was written in small, deliberate instalments. If you added all the time together, you’d find that it probably took me about twelve weeks to write this third book. However, the twelve weeks were spread out over almost five months because there were several other authorly activities that required my attention.

First and foremost, the beginning of writing Sophie’s Encore overlapped with the book launch for Sophie’s Turn, book 1. I spent a significant amount of time promoting my first baby and keeping up with the book tour.

Next, writing Sophie’s Encore also clashed with the editing process for Sophie’s Run. I had a three-week break from writing in November while I took care of publisher edits for book 2; and then another two-week break in December for proofing and final formatting of ditto. Add to that the Christmas festivities, and you won’t be surprised that I didn’t touch the manuscript for Sophie’s Encore at all in December.

And lastly, of course, there was the launch of Sophie’s Run which coincided with the very end of the writing process of Sophie’s Encore. Talk about multi-tasking!

And yet, Sophie’s Encore got done, and ahead of my own personal schedule too. How so?

Two reasons, I think. One is that the frequent breaks and smaller writing instalments actually made for better writing, or at the very least for a better writing experience. I came back refreshed and eager to the manuscript every day; and after the longer breaks, I took the time to re-read the entire work before continuing it, pressure-testing it ‘real-time’. This meant that I had a much greater confidence in what I had already produced, and also afforded me the opportunity of doing a little bit of pre-editing here or there.

Which leads me to the second reason. Having had the benefit of two extensive editing processes through Sapphire Star Publishing also improved the writing process for Sophie’s Encore. Let me remind you that the first draft of my second book, Sophie’s Run, came in at nearly 150,000 words ~ requiring a good 45,000 words to be chopped by me personally before publisher edits and eventual publication. I learned my lesson, but I didn’t notice until I started writing book 3.

Everything I chopped out of book 2 (and book 1 before that) involved amusing episodes or back story that I enjoyed writing but that, in hindsight, didn’t advance the plot. What’s more, I probably knew that even while I was writing them because I got a kind of…impatient buzz from them. A kind of, move-on-and-hurry-up buzz, only I didn’t know what it meant at the time.

With Sophie’s Encore, I did. The first time I found myself writing something that gave me that kind of…nice-but-not-relevant feeling, I stopped. I re-read. I listened to my heart. I thought of the editing process. And I chopped the section out right away.

It’s incredibly hard to gauge this but I think I figured it out. When I re-read the manuscript after my breaks, I whizzed through it with barely an itch for the red pen. My famous ‘Queen of Hearts’ internal editor remained silent.

Of course I’m not deluded enough to believe I have produced the perfect manuscript. In fact, I am quite certain that it’ll require some significant polishing to bring you the very best I have to offer. But I do think it’s the best first draft I have yet produced. Surely that counts! 🙂

What happens now?

Well, right now, I am spring cleaning! I kid you not. I have given myself a couple of weeks off writing, or thinking about writing, while I let my mind come to a rest and give myself distance from the manuscript. To me, that’s a critical part of the process.

LOL, you know me ~ I don’t do anything by halves!

And when I’m done with spring cleaning, I’ll get planning book 4. Of course. You didn’t think you’d heard the last of me after Sophie’s Encore, did you? Book 4 will be an entirely new story with new characters and I’ll tell you more about that…nearer the time.

In April, I will take Sophie’s Encore through a first round of author edits, incorporating the feedback of my beta-readers who are busy reading as I write this blog post. I love you, ladies, and I trust you with my baby! Over the summer, Sophie’s Encore will undergo publisher edits and then….before you know it… It will be launch day. 5 September!

See that small pile on the left? That's Sophie's Encore. By the time Sapphire and I are done with the editing, the pile will probably be as big as the one next to it which...yes, you guessed it, is the complete round of edits and proofs for Sophie's Run. Who says us writers aren't busy??

See that small pile on the left? That’s Sophie’s Encore today. By the time Sapphire and I are done with the editing, the pile will probably be as big as the one next to it which…yes, you guessed it, is the complete round of edits and proofs for Sophie’s Run. Who says us writers aren’t busy?

When can I tell you more about Sophie’s Encore?

Patience, my friends, patience. I will keep you posted, I promise. Sophie’s RUN is only just out ~ let me share the joy of book 2 with the world before I move onto shouting about book 3. I promise you’ll be the first to know. There’ll be a cover reveal at some point, and I’ll post a synopsis and who knows… I’ll probably share an excerpt ahead of time too. Watch this space!

🙂 Rock on!

32 Comments

Posted in Progress Updates, Rock Star Romance, Part 3: Sophie's Encore

Tagged Finished Draft, internal editor, Lessons learnt, Multi-Tasking, publishing, rock star, Romance, Sapphire Star Publishing, Sophie's Encore, Upcoming release

Belly Laugh ~ because it’s Friday

Posted on March 1, 2013 | 11 comments

Happy Friday, everyone!

I was going to bring you a post about The Smelly Novel, but I’ll do that in a couple of weeks. Then I was going to bring you a post about finishing my third book, Sophie’s Encore… because yes, whoohoo, I have finished writing it!! But do you know what? My head is spinning and I am all written out. So I will bring you that post next week instead.

Today, I’m relaxing and I’d like you to have a laugh with me. Take a look at this brilliant little clip which I discovered via my lovely new Facebook friend, Inga Kupp-Silberg. Thank you Inga!

It’s an ad. But it’s not just any old ad; it’s an ad by a German language school promoting the need to learn foreign languages. The first few seconds are in German ~ you don’t need to understand this dialogue, it’s basically just the older chap reminding the younger chap what the equpiment is all about, with a special emphasis on the emergency squak box.

Sit back and…. let me know if you laughed! (And who says us Germans don’t have a sense of humour??)

Have a great weekend!

11 Comments

Posted in Miscellaneous

Tagged Belly Laugh, Berlitz, foreign languages, Friday, Humour, languages, Sophie's Encore, The Smelly Novel

Sex on fire

Posted on October 15, 2012 | 27 comments

It’s Music Monday!

It’s a very special Monday, as far as I am concerned. While you are reading and listening to this post, I will almost certainly have disconnected the internet and muted the phone. For today I return to work ‘proper.’ It is my first day of writing the last part of the Rock Star Romance Trilogy.

Yes, I am officially writing in earnest, and at full speed, my third book, Sophie’s Encore, so that it will be in your hands on 7 September 2013.

As befits the final part of a trilogy, things will seriously hot up here. So what better song to get me (and you) in the mood? “Consumed with what’s to transpire…” Well, that totally captures it for me today!

Kick back and enjoy… and I’ll see you later, much later…

Rock on!

Do you have a special song for kicking off a new project, whether a book or any other undertaking? Something to get you in the right frame of mind? I’d love to hear it!

But please remember to stay the right side of copyright law and keep it legal by posting official videos only. Thank you!

27 Comments

Posted in Music Monday

Tagged Kings of Leon, Mood song, Music Monday, Rock, Sex on Fire, Sophie's Encore, writing

The Serial Juggler: One’s Out, Two’s Done, Three’s WIP as the Rock Star Romance Trilogy takes shape

Posted on September 21, 2012 | 16 comments

Did you know I can’t juggle? Not at all. I’m hopeless with balls in the air. I have no spacial vision whatsoever and any kind of ball games involve me scrabbling around ungracefully, feeling foolish.

But write and promote a Trilogy within a contracted timeframe with a publisher while also performing my day job as a mum? Yeah, bring it on! Right at this moment, I am juggling. I’m juggling promotion, editing, planning and writing, and I’m having a ball.

The Trilogy in Process. On the far right is Sophie’s Turn, all done and dusted. The cardboard boxes contain promotional postcards and bookmarks. In the middle is the first draft for Sophie’s Run. And the small pile of paper on the left contains the initial outline, all plans and some of the research for book 3! (Read on to find out more about that…)

Promoting, promoting, promoting

You all know my first book, Sophie’s Turn, is now out and available to buy. It’s been getting fabulous reviews in my 67-strong blog tour, and I’m doing interviews, guest posts, give-aways by the dozens. I’ve also had the local paper round to do a lovely little feature, and I’m hosting a ‘meet the author’ event at my local library in October. In addition, I’m planning to contact local book clubs, independent book stores, the WI, radio stations… you name it, I’m on a roll. I live on Twitter and Facebook as the great promotional rollercoaster goes through loop after looop. Rock on!

Editing, editing, editing

My second focus at this time is Sophie’s Run. It is completely written but at just over 149,ooo words for the first draft (yes, you read that right) it is slightly too long. I am going through page by page, scene by scene, chapter by chapter, looking for excess fat, unnecessary detours and undue verbiage in my quest to eliminate around 30,000 words from the first draft. God, that sounds a lot, right? But it will be done. I have about four weeks to get the slimline version to my lovely publishers over at Sapphire Star.

Moreover, the cover is being designed right at this time and it is going to be absolutely stunning. I don’t know when the cover reveal will take place, but rest assured, I will shout about it!

What happens in Sophie’s Run? Here’s a little taster…

Her famous star remains her rock while life takes her on a little detour…

Who says that the road toward true love is straight and even? Sophie is certainly discovering that it is anything but.

So she has finally found the man of her dreams. Well…she knows who he is, even though she hasn’t actually quite met him yet. When she misses her opportunity, her life goes crazy. Rock star and ex-fiancé, Dan, keeps getting in the way of her new romance—even if he is just trying to be helpful. A fire, an impromptu mini-trip with Dan, and a dreaded wedding later, Sophie is still struggling to meet the love of her life. Just as she is getting it together with her perfect man, best friend Rachel commits an act of unspeakable betrayal. And to top it all, her new boyfriend leaves her lying in the mud.

Sophie has had enough. Confused and distraught, she decides that it is time for radical change. Surprising herself and shocking her friends, she embarks on a secret that eventually gets her life back on track.

If you’ve enjoyed Sophie’s Turn, you’ll be in for a real treat, if I say so myself with all due humility. Sophie’s Run is due for release by Sapphire Star Publishing on 7 February 2013.

And planning, and writing, and planning, and writing

So then… what about the last part in the Trilogy? Well, my friends, this is all planned out and I will be writing it just as soon as I’ve sent Sophie’s Run back to Sapphire Star for proper publisher editing.

The working title is Sophie’s Encore and this book is due for release by Sapphire Star Publishing on 7 September 2013!! It’s too early to give you a teaser for this last part, but it will end the story with due style and panache. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed!