Leslie's Bus - Out Now!

Are you ready to take a ride on Leslie's Bus?

I'm proud to announce the release of my fifth full length novel, Leslie's Bus.

Set in England in the 1990's it follows the story of Susan, a young woman who is faced with some difficult choices in her life.  She is befriended by a New Age traveller boy called Paul and he introduces her to the colourful alternative scene.  She makes new friends and opens her mind to a new way of thinking, but when her world falls apart the only person there is support her is Leslie, a charming and seasoned traveller with a sexual appetite for young girls.

Leslie's Bus is available to buy from Amazon  and Smashwords.

I hope you enjoy it and I'l love to hear your feedback so don't be shy, please rate and review.

Thank you!

Cover Reveal - Leslie's Bus

The waiting is nearly over!  I'm still dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's on my latest novel, Leslie's Bus, it's very nearly ready for release but I couldn't wait to share the cover with you.

Ta dah!

Leslie's Bus

Adult content 18+

"You do a lot of daft stuff when you're sixteen, when you're full of hormones and angst and you're convinced the world is against you.  You can let your guard drop and do things that you'd never dream of doing."

With her mother in a mental hospital and her father preoccupied with his pregnant girlfriend, Susan Blake is lost and lonely.  She finds an unlikely friend in Paul, a New Age traveller, and he introduces her to the colourful and exciting British alternative scene of the 1990's.  Susan discovers a world full of drugs and alcohol, raves, parties and festivals, but not everyone is as nice or as honest as Paul.

When Susan's world falls apart she finds comfort in the arms of Leslie, a charismatic and seasoned traveller.  He shares his alternative philosophy as they travel on his bus, but will she heed the warnings that there is more to him than meets the eye?

Leslie's Bus is a touching and at times harrowing story of a young woman's self discovery.

Contains strong language, drug use, sexually explicit scenes, sexual abuse and violence.

Coming soon to all good eBook retailers!

Quarantined! The Kobo saga continues...

Further to 'Kobo did WHAT?' I emailed the company to ask why my novels and short stories had been removed from their website.  I was told they hadn't been removed, they were merely quarantined.

A letter to our KWL authors and self-publishing partners

In order to address the situation Kobo is taking the following steps:

1. We are removing titles in question from the Kobo platform.

1. We are quarantining and reviewing titles to ensure that compliance to our policies is met by all authors and publishers. We will ensure that content meeting the policy is made available online as soon as possible.

1. We are reviewing our policies and procedures to implement safeguards that will ensure this situation does not happen in the future.

I am glad they are addressing the issue of the vile and unwholesome books that slipped through the net but the whole situation reminds me of being at school.  Someone has written a naughty word on the toilet door so the whole class is kept behind until someone owns up.

As an author I am still a very small fish in the big pond of self publishing.  I hate to admit that I'm unlikely to lose much revenue from my books being unavailable but I really feel for the bigger authors and especially the small publishing houses who have been affected by this situation.  Kobo's mistake could cost them dear indeed.

It has raised a lot of discussion about what is suitable subject matter and what is not.  Erotica is subjective, some people are turned on by sunset walks on the beach, other's prefer a bit of slap and tickle but I think we can safely draw the line at illegal acts.  Or can we?

I have been feeling a little paranoid about the book I'm currently working on.  It explores the grey areas of sexual abuse.  Is it sexual abuse if the woman doesn't say no?  Is it rape if she is incapable of saying no?

Without spoiling the story there are scenes were an older man takes sexual advantage over an inebriated young woman.  The scenes are reasonably explicit but I didn't write them as erotica to turn people on, I wrote them as part of a greater story.  If scenes of rape are unacceptable then does my book break the policy?  If it does then  by the same measure do we also lose such great works as Alice Walker's The Color Purple?

It's food for though and I don't envy Kobo's review team one little bit!

Kobo did WHAT?

I love my little Kobo Glo.  I've been singing it's praises for the past month or so and I have been busy tweeting links for other Kobo owners to buy my books from the Kobo website but today the love affair turned sour.  I went to the Kobo website and my books weren't there anymore.

What?

All six of my books had disappeared from the Kobo website.

Heaven Knows This Time.  Gone.
Another Perfect Angel.  Gone.
Angel's Shadow.  Gone.
Being Isobel.  Gone.
The Last Bite.  Gone.
The Boutique.  Yup, my innocent little ghost story had gone too.

Head scratching commenced.  I double checked my Smashwords account (they distribute my works to Kobo and other retailers) and I started to Google for clues.  Then I came across this.

BBC - WH Smith takes website offline after porn e-book scandal

Now if you've ever visited Smashwords and turned the Adult Filter 'OFF' then you might have seen some of the unsavoury titles available in the 'erotic' genre.  I'm not a big fan of porn but each to their own, I gloss over it and move on.

My husband then sent me this link.  WARNING!  The subject matter is pretty offensive, don't click if you have small children around.

The Kernel - An Epidemic of Filth

It all started to make sense.  This extreme material had found it's way onto some eBook websites and the way they chose to deal with it was to shut them down and get rid of all the self published books.

WHAT?

I'm not a computer expert but surely there are better ways of dealing with the problem than shutting the whole website down?  WHSmith website is still offline as I type this and the holding page states:

Our website will become live again once all self published eBooks have been removed and we are totally sure that there are no offending titles available. When our website goes back online it will not display any self published material until we are completely confident that inappropriate books can never be shown again. 

Now I'm glad they are trying to stop the very extreme and nasty novels from being available but did they really have to tar all self publishing authors with the same brush?

My books have been removed from the Kobo website and I've not been given a reason or explanation.  There is chaos amongst self published authors on the internet.  No-one seems to know what is going on and I'm sat here feeling hurt and confused.

Were my books bad?  Are they too explicit?  What about The Boutique?  There's no sex in that!  The conspiracy theorists are whispering about it being a planned attack on self publishing authors.  The old school publishers don't like that we're doing a better job than they are, but I don't really subscribe to all that.  I just want Kobo and WHSmith to put my books back on their websites.

I worked hard on my novels.  They may not be the most deep or thought provoking books in the world but I think they are good stories and I want to share them with people so they can enjoy them too.  I might be too much of a risk for the big publishers to take on but at least by self publishing I can reach people and hopefully provide a little entertainment to brighten their day.  Some of my stories are even free!

So, Kobo, if you're listening.  Could you put my books back, please?

If not, I'm sending everyone to Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords!

I've defected to the Kobo Glo

I was a bit late to the electronic book party.  I guess I was a purist, I liked to feel the pages of a paperback between my fingers and my eyes never really felt comfortable reading a screen for any length of time.

Kindle Touch v's Kobo glo

I bought my Kindle Touch when I started writing seriously again.  I wanted to be able to review what I'd written sitting in the comfort of my armchair instead of propped up at the PC.  The Kindle Touch seemed like the perfect thing for me.  It was easy to buy books from Amazon and my DH was pleased that I wasn't cluttering up the house with yet more paperback.

I really liked my Kindle.  OK, it was a bit grey and boring but I bought a snazzy red case to brighten it up.  It was light and fitted in my handbag so I took it everywhere with me.  It killed time in hospital waiting rooms and it provided anonymity when I was reading *those* books.  Still not sure why I bothered but curiosity and all that...

Anyway, the Kindle was great but there was a small problem.  I found myself straining to read the screen in the evenings.  I needed a light.  I did a bit of research and found you can get cases with lights on but I they looked like more trouble than they were worth.  I also researched the Kindle Paperwhite.  It looked like it would fit the bill and until I read the reviews.  They weren't very convincing.  The more I read about faulty screens, bulb shadows and weird colour casting the more I realised it wasn't going to be the one for me.

Grey Kindle, pretty blue Kobo

I'd never really considered any of the other eReaders because they weren't Amazon, but I'd seen some reviews of the Kobo Glo and people were raving about it.  I popped into my local W H Smith store and had a play.  I was sold!  The screen was clearer, the page turns were faster and best of all at the touch of a button the page lit up and I could read at night!!!

I decided to get the blue one.  It wasn't available online but thankfully they had it in stock in W H Smith at Meadowhell  (and no, that's not a typo!).  I got it out the box and fell in love!  It's so cute in blue!  It took a little while to set up on the computer but buying books is just as easy as getting them from Amazon.

I did have a little panic when I realised I could only put books on it that I'd bought from the Kobo website but then I remembered reading about Calibre and pretty soon I'd downloaded that too and I had all my other books on my new beloved Kobo Glo.

I am so loving it.  I can read in the conservatory when it starts to get dark, I can read in bed without turning the lamp on, and I can adjust the brightness so it's perfect for my eyes.  So, I'm sorry Kindle, you're relegated to reading old books in the bath because I've defected to Kobo :D

Its glow in the dark!

Do you like ghost stories?

I love a supernatural tale.  I have fond memories of reading ghost stories aloud with my friends in the school library but as an adult I've been quite disappointed with some of the short ghost stories I've read.

I like to challenge myself with my writing.  I decided to write my own ghost story but I wanted to do it a little different.  I didn't want to rehash the old stereotypes, I wanted something modern with a twist.

What if the main character was a ghost but didn't know it?

How would they feel when they realised that they were dead?

And more importantly, what would happen next?

The result was a short story called The Boutique. 

When Alison closes up her fashion boutique for the night, a chance encounter with Peter, the security guard, changes her life forever. Peter is used to people looking straight through him, but when Alison engages in conversation he's faced with the dark realisation that she is just like him. A short ghost story with a heartwarming twist. 

The Boutique is available to download for free from Smashwords.  I hope you enjoy it and I'd love to hear what you think.

Happy reading!

1001 Downloads!

Hi!

I'm having a little celebration.  Being Isobel has had an incredible 1001 downloads from Smashwords!

I am so grateful to everyone who took the time to download my story.  I can't thank you enough!

The idea for Being Isobel came about after seeing other authors pinning hunks on Pinterest and casting them in their romance novels.  I wondered what the authors would do if they ever met the objects of their desires?  My imagination ran away with me and I decided to write up the story for NaNoWriMo 2012.

Writing the story was quick, easy and a lot of fun!  I took a little break before editing it and in January 2013 I published it as a free novel on Smashwords.  I decided to give it away for free just to drum up a bit of interest in me an an author.  I'd already published Heaven Knows This Time and Another Perfect Angel but despite excellent feedback from my readers, I wasn't exactly challenging JK Rowling in the earnings department!

I quickly started getting five star reviews on Smashwords and Being Isobel featured in Heart of Glass magazine.  I joined an indie review group on Goodreads and received this really positive three star review from fellow author MC Lavocat.

The positive reviews were really uplifting but not everyone appreciated my story.  My mum blushed as she told me how she enjoyed it but she thought it was 'very explicit!' and a reviewer was not happy about me dropping so many F-bombs.  I know it was childish but that made me giggle :)

It's always hard an author to read bad reviews.  I was a little upset when a Goodreads reviewer gave me my first ever one star review: 'Awful writing style. It was free, but not worth the time. Implausible and annoying read.'

I know everyone is entitled to an opinion but it's hard to take criticism that isn't backed up with any reasoning.  What was so awful about my writing style?  And since when was plausibility a requirement for fiction?  Is it plausible for Harry Potter to go to school on a magic train?  Or for a little man with hairy toes to go on adventures with a magic ring?

Thankfully the reviewer was in the minority and I received many more positive reviews.

"Really enjoyed this book. Characters you can understand, romance, lust plus some real down to earth moments. I loved it. Nice and easy to read, didn't take me long at all."

"A Must Read! This book was wonderful!! I was very impressed with the author's ability to gain the reader's sympathy. Tracy is a wonderful character! Can't wait to read more of her work!!"

"I LOVED IT? THE WHOLE PLOT LINE FIT WELL TOGETHER? AND THE ENDING WAS GREAT!!! I HOPE THEY HAVE A BOOK 2 OR MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MORE BOOKS LIKE THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So may I say thanks again to everyone to downloaded the book and if you haven't already got it why not download it for free?  It's available from Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo Books and all good ebook retailers.  I hope you enjoy it!

Clair

The trilogy is complete

So, that's it then.  The Heaven Knows trilogy is complete.

I know it sounds daft but I kind of feel a bit sad to be leaving Angel and her friends.  From the opening lines of Heaven Knows This Time I lived with the characters in my head, wondering what they would do next and how they would handle all the bad stuff I threw at them.

I still feel guilty about Simon, he was a unique character and one of my favourites, but he played his part and was the catalyst for everything that was to follow.

I had fun with Lora, the flaky party girl with a heart of gold.  She's the perfect BFF, even if her mouth isn't always connected to her brain.  Livi was fun to write too but Oliver was quite tricky.  He might look like his brother but his personality is quite different.  It was interesting writing the relationship between him and Angel.  I wanted them to have a close relationship but I didn't want it to be physical, even though at times it nearly was.

Angel is no heroine, she started out as a blank canvas, passive and obedient, but I think she grew up into a pretty strong young woman, despite what I put her through.  Miles is her rock and I think they make a pretty cute couple.  They're aren't perfect but who is?

I had too much fun writing the novels, drawing on happy memories of going to  gigs when I was a teenager and mucking about in bands.  I especially enjoyed writing from Miles's point of view in Angel's Shadow.  It wasn't easy putting myself in the head of a 24 year old man but I felt the story needed his voice.

It's hard to believe I only started writing these books 18 months ago but I didn't have to think too hard about any of the story lines.  The plot came together pretty well and  I really hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoyed writing them.

I still have to finish Lora's Secret Diary but for now I'm going to close the door on Angel and concentrate on other writing projects.  I recently wrote a short vampire story, The Last Bite which you can download for free from Smashwords.  I've also written a short ghost story which I've entered into a competition and I'm currently working on a novella about love and knitting.  I think I might be addicted to this writing lark!

Anyway, thank you for all your support and I hope you enjoy my books :)

Heaven Knows This Time

Another Perfect Angel

Angel's Shadow

Angel's Shadow - OUT NOW!

Hi!

I'm pleased to announce the release of Angel's Shadow, the third book in the Heaven Knows trilogy.

Unknown Pleasures are back from their US tour and Angel is glad to have Miles home until her world is rocked by a shocking discovery. She's pregnant, but Miles isn't the father. 

Tensions are high and Angel struggles to make sense of everything as events unfold. A singer goes missing, a body is found and Angel wonders if her nightmares hold the key to what happened. 

All Miles wants to do is protect her but he's fighting his own battles. Fame has gone to Jamie's head, he's mixing with the wrong people and jeopardising the future of the band.

Is this the end for Unknown Pleasures? Will love tear them apart or can Angel and Miles rebuild their unique family.

The book is available to purchase from Amazon UK, Amazon US and Smashwords.

Can I get that in paperback?

Hi!

I've recently been asked if my books are available in paperback.  Unfortunately the answer is no, not yet.

As a self published indie author I chose to publish my novels electronically because I wanted to share them with people and not have them sitting unloved on my computer or in some literary agent's slush pile.  I don't have the budget to fund my own print run so I chose to go the eBook route because it's cost effective and it allows me to reach a global audience.

As a reader I love electronic books.  I'm very impatient and I like the fact that I can spot a book I want to read and have it on my Kindle within just a few minutes.  I admit it's not quite the same holding a real book and feeling the smooth pages between your fingers but eBooks do have the advantage of taking up no space at all in my very cluttered family home!

But what if I don't have an eBook reader?

You don't need a Kindle, Nook or Kobo eReader to read electronic novels.  If you're reading this blog then you already have the necessary equipment.  You can download a free Kindle app to use on your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or android device.

Get a FREE Kindle app HERE!

Once you have the app you can purchase my novels from Amazon UK or Amazon.com and have them delivered direct to your device.

You can also download my novels in a variety of formats, including ePub and PDF from Smashwords and the following retailers:

Barnes and Noble

WHSmith

Kobo Books

Sony ReaderStore

Diesel eBook Store

I would love to be published in print someday.  I am currently looking for an agent but I haven't found the right person to represent me yet.  If you are an agent or know an agent who might be interested I'd love to hear from you!  Email me at clair@clairlouisecoult.com  In the meantime I'll just keep on writing and publishing electronically, and I hope you'll all keep reading and enjoying my stories.

Clair

You know I have a thing about shoes...

When I'm not writing and looking after the children, I like to make things.  I am a serial crafter.  I am also a shoe addict.  I love shoes, I have far too many shoes but I always find myself needing more.

I love shoes that are a bit different, that stand out from the crowd, like Irregular Choice and Iron Fist but they can be quite expensive and as I have mobility problems, the heels are impossible for me to walk in.  As a crafter I wasn't going to let lack of funds and my disability get in the way.  I thought I'd make some!

I had a pair of green not-too-high heels that I bought in the sale and never wore.  They are comfortable but they didn't really go with any of my clothes so they sat there, unloved in the back of my wardrobe. I raided my stash of Japanese fabrics, watched a few videos on Youtube and sat down with my glue, Exacto knife and sewing kit.  And this is what I made!

I glued the fabric to the heels and cut around the edges with my Exacto knife to neaten it up.  Then I made two bows with buttons at the centre and stitched them onto some shoe clips I bought on eBay.  Ta dah!  My own crazy custom shoes!  I can't wait to wear them!

Do you like vampires?

I have a love/hate relationship with vampires. I love a good Hammer Horror movie and have been known to wear glow in the dark fangs at Hallowe'en, but I've never taken vampires that seriously. I'm not really a Twilight fan, even though my daughter has made me watch all the movies with her, and I only watched Interview with a Vampire because Brad Pitt was in it :)

I recently read some vampire romance and let's just say it wasn't really my thing. I found myself laughing at all the wrong bits and found it all rather tragic. It did however give me an idea...

The Last Bite is a short story about a girl called Seren who has a new job in a new town. She goes to a club and meets the beautiful DJ, Gabriel.  They both have a hidden agenda and who knows what will happen after midnight?

 You can download The Last Bite free from Smashwords. Enjoy!

Angel's Shadow - Pinterest Board

Hi!

I've been busy making another Pinterest board for my forthcoming novel, Angel's Shadow.  There are a few new characters and a few surprises!  Take a look HERE...

I'm kind of addicted to Pinterest.  I love how I can drool over my dream wardrobe of shoes and dresses, learn new crafts, tricks and tips and pick up great new recipes.  I've found I don't need to buy magazines anymore because I can put my feet up, use the Pinterest app on my tablet and check out all the wonderful things my friends are sharing on their boards.  It's also great for hearing about special offers and of course great new books to read from indie authors ;)

Anyway, no rest for the wicked.  I'm back writing again, I'm playing around with idea I've had for a short story about a goth and a vampire, but of course there is a twist...

Angel's Shadow - The Blurb

Hi!

I hope you all enjoyed Read an eBook Week.  Copies of Heaven Knows This Time and Another Perfect Angel were practically flying off the Smashwords servers!  I'm delighted to have reached so many people and I would really appreciate your feedback.  If you have the time to rate my books or leave a little review that would be very much appreciated!

I'm getting closer to releasing Angel's Shadow, the third book in the Heaven Knows trilogy.  Today I wrote the blurb.  It's harder than it looks summarising a whole novel in a few words, especially when you don't want to give the plot away.  What do you think?


Angel's Shadow

Unknown Pleasures are back from their US tour and Angel is glad to have Miles home until her world is rocked by a shocking discovery.  She's pregnant, but Miles isn't the father. 

Tensions are high and Angel struggles to make sense of everything as events unfold.  A singer goes missing, a body is found and Angel wonders if her nightmares hold the key to what happened.  All Miles wants to do is protect her but he's busy fighting his own battles.  Fame has gone to Jamie's head, he's mixing with the wrong people and jeopardising the future of the band. 

Is this the end for Unknown Pleasures?  Will love tear them apart or can Angel and Miles rebuild their unique family.

Angel's Shadow is the third book in the Heaven Knows Trilogy.

Angel's Shadow - Sneak Preview

Hi!

I hope you're enjoying Read an eBook Week!  I've been busy putting the finishing touches on the third book in the Heaven Knows trilogy.

It's called Angel's Shadow and it's a little darker and more intense than the previous two books.  The characters struggle with some pretty challenging issues but as always there is romance, drama and a few funny moments.

It's not quite ready for release just yet.  I've still got run through it one last time to check for those elusive typos but here's a little teaser from the first chapter...

Angel's Shadow

My finger was shaking as I typed the number into my phone.  Fear was consuming me but I knew this was something I had to do and it really couldn't wait.  I hit dial and waited for an answer.  The phone rang three times before someone picked up.  I tried to speak but my mouth was dry.  I coughed to clear my throat, I could barely bring myself to say the words.

"Hi, my name is Angel Denby.  I'd like to make an appointment for a termination, please."  My voice sounded squeaky and strange.  

"Certainly.  Have you had the pregnancy confirmed?" the receptionist asked me.

"Yes, my GP ran a test and it was positive," I replied.

"And how far along are you?"

"5 weeks."

"OK, would 9:45 on Tuesday morning be suitable for you?"

"Yeah, that's great.  Thank you."

I sighed in relief.  I felt so shaky, my knees gave way and I collapsed onto the sofa in my apartment.  I was so scared.  I didn't want to be doing this but I had no choice.  I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.  I hardly had chance to collect my thoughts before the apartment door opened.

"So this is where you've been hiding!" said Miles as he walked in carrying our one year old daughter, Scarlet, in his arms.  I reached across the coffee table and quickly closed the lid of my laptop so Miles wouldn't see the abortion clinic website on the screen.

"Mumum!" Scarlet babbled and held her arms out to me.  I smiled and took her from Miles.

"So how was toddlers?" I asked.

"It was good.  Scarlet was running around with a dolls pram most of the time, weren't you?  She had her juice and a biscuit but she wasn't brave enough to try the slide."

"Aw, never mind Scarlet, maybe next week, eh?" I said, kissing her head.  She gave me a big cheeky grin.  I smiled back at her.  She was such a happy baby.  I loved being a mum to her, which made what I was doing even harder, but there was no way I could let this pregnancy continue.  The sooner it was over the better.

Read an eBook Week

It's Read an eBook Week and I'm joining in with a special promotion on Smashwords.  From 3rd - 9th March my novels Heaven Knows This Time and Another Perfect Angel will be FREE to download.

Follow the links and use the code RW100 at checkout.

Heaven Knows This Time - Book 1 Heaven Knows Trilogy

When the shy and quiet, 15 year old Angela Blackman is sent to the head teacher's office she doesn't expect to find love in the form of the 17 year old eccentric millionaire, Simon Wetherall. Upon discovering a shared love for the post punk band Joy Division, Simon sweeps Angela off her feet and they embark on a rather unusual affair, but the course of true love runs anything but smoothly. Angela discovers a whole new circle of friends within the alternative music scene but she finds herself having to grow up fast to deal with trials and tragedies that fate brings her.

Another Perfect Angel - Book 2 Heaven Knows Trilogy

Angel is finally with Miles, the man of her dreams, but the course of true love never runs smoothly. Miles is hiding a secret from his past and how will Angel cope when she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant with his child? It seems like the world is scheming against them with an ex causing trouble and a stranger threatening to steal her fortune. Is their love strong enough to conquer all?

Another Perfect Angel is the sequel to Heaven Knows This Time.



Happy read an eBook week!

Heart of Glass Magazine Reviews Being Isobel

Hi!

I received a message on Twitter yesterday from Heart of Glass magazine letting me know that they reviewed by novel, Being Isobel.  It's always great to hear what readers think about my stories and it's even better when they take the time to post reviews.

As a self published author it's very challenging trying to reach your audience.  As a reader I appreciate the risk taking a chance on an unknown author, which is one of the reasons I made Being Isobel a free download.  Reviews are immensely helpful in spreading the word and I was thrilled when I read Victoria McDonagh's excellent review.

I was very pleased that she completely got the point of the book and I almost laughed out loud when she said that 'Tracy’s doubt is more convincing than Anastasia Steele’s.'  Yes, I've read that book and I suppose it did partly inspire me to write Being Isobel but I wanted Tracey to be a little more realistic than the wishy-washy Ana.

Anywhere here is a link to the review:

Heart of Glass Magazine - Being Isobel

Enjoy!

Clair

5 Star Reviews :)

Hi!

I'm grinning like a mad thing right now.  It's been 20 days since I published Being Isobel for free on Smashwords and it's had over 500 downloads!  That is totally amazing considering I'm an unknown author with no budget for advertising or promotion.

Best of all Being Isobel has received no less than six five star reviews :D  I'm so pleased that people are enjoying my story.  Here's what they had to say:

"awesome book!!" 

Nanette

"Great read! Tracey is very real and while the story is a bit far out at times it was very enjoyable. Thanks!"

Ruby

"Great story! More down to earth, than some romance novels"

Claus

"A Must Read! This book was wonderful!! I was very impressed with the author's ability to gain the reader's sympathy. Tracy is a wonderful character! Can't wait to read more of her work!!"

Brittany

"A bit fanciful but very enjoyable!"

hrhsophia

"wow.. loved it.. highly recommended"

holy angel

If you haven't already got your copy you can download it for free from Smashwords.  It's available in all major formats for Kindle, iPhone, iPad, Nook, Kobo, Sony Reader etc.  

Download Being Isobel for free!

Thank you!  Enjoy!

Clair

The best cupcakes in the world!

Hi!

When I'm not busy writing one of my favourite things to do is baking cupcakes.  There is just something about them, the taste of cake mix, the smell as they bake and then chosing which sprinkles to use to decorate the icing.  I do a lot of baking with my kids but I can be a bit of a control freak so it's nice to be able to bake on my own sometimes.

My friends have asked me what my secret recipe is.  To be honest I don't have one!  I just make ordinary cupcakes from the recipe my mum taught me as a kid.  4oz of flour, sugar and butter, and a beaten egg.

As part of a health drive I have started using wheat free flour and dairy free margarine in my cupcakes and they taste pretty damn good so I thought I'd share my recipe.

Clair's Wheat and Dairy Free Organic Chocolate Cupcakes (Makes 12)

120g Doves Farm Organic Wheat Free self raising flour
120g caster sugar
120g Pure sunflower margarine
1 medium free range egg, beaten
2 tablespoons Green and Blacks Organic Cocoa

Chocolate Icing
60g Pure Sunflower margarine
175g Icing sugar
1 tablespoon Green and Blacks Organic Cocoa

Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4

Mix the caster sugar and margarine until light and fluffy.  Add the beaten egg and beat well.  Sift in the flour and cocoa and carefully fold into the mixture.

Line a muffin tray with paper cupcake cases and divide the mixture equally between them.  Bake in the oven for about 15-17 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the muffin tray and allow to cool on a wire rack.

For the icing:  blend the margarine and icing sugar until smooth.  Divide the mixture into 2 bowls and add the cocoa to one bowl, mixing well.  Using a Wiltons 1M nozzle, fill a piping bag with the the plain and chocolate frosting and pipe swirls on top of the cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Thank you!

Hi!

Wow!  I am completely overwhelmed.  Four days ago I published Being Isobel as a free novel on Smashwords.  I just wanted to put my little story out there for people to enjoy, and enjoy it you have!  In four days Being Isobel has been downloaded over 300 times and it's received no less than five 5 star reviews :D

I never dreamed I would be able to reach so many people but with your help and support I have succeeded and I am very grateful!  I can't thank you all enough!

If you haven't already got your copy you can still download Being Isobel for free from Smashwords.

Download 'Being Isobel' now!

If you enjoyed the book, don't keep it a secret.  Please rate it, review it and tell your friends!

Thank you!

Clair

Being Isobel - Out Now!

Hi!

I'm pleased to announce the publication of Being Isobel.

Tracey Smith needed an escape. Living in a council flat with her seven year old son and abusive boyfriend, her life was far from perfect. She needed a real man, someone big and strong who would worship the ground she walked on. Then she saw Shay Donovan's photograph. He was perfect, deep tan, huge muscles, rock solid six pack and come to bed eyes. He was all the inspiration she needed to start writing her erotic novel. It started out as pure fantasy but life can be stranger than fiction and she never dreamed it could set her free. 

Get your copy of

Being Isobel 

FREE from Smashwords

What Genre? New Adult!

When I started writing Heaven Knows This Time I didn't really have any specific genre in mind, the story just followed it's natural course and I didn't really think about what kind of person would be reading it.  I guess this was a little naive of me as when I came to publish it I wasn't sure what category to put it in.

Was it romance?  The story is one of of love and relationships but it wasn't exactly a typical romance novel.

Was it chick lit?  The main character is female but she's in her mid teens and hardly a Bridgit Jones kind of girl.

Was it young adult?  Most of the characters are teenagers but the story included swearing, sex, drug use and suicide, which is not exactly suitable for younger readers.

I felt like my novel didn't quite fit anywhere until I stumbled across a website http://naalley.blogspot.co.uk/ and I had a light bulb moment.  I'd written a New Adult novel!

New Adult is an emerging genre catering to 18-25 year olds who are looking for something more mature than young adult books but wanting something more relevant to their age group than mainstream adult fiction.

I'm so glad Heaven Knows This Time finally has a genre :)

Clair

Snow and romance

Hi!

Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year.  I woke up this morning to a coating of the white stuff.  It's pretty nippy out there so I'm glad I'm cosy at my computer with hot coffee and chocolate biscuits.

I'm still putting the final touches on Being Isobel (which I hope to release very soon) but I'm also hatching a plan for a new novel.

I watched a documentary about writing a Mills and Boon book over the holidays.  It was actually my other half's idea to watch it.  It was pretty interesting and it got me thinking, could I write a Mills and Boon?

The author in the documentary struggled with the formula writing and I thought it would be a good challenge for me to give it a go.  I didn't really know very much about Mills and Boon so I started doing research, what's expected from the story, the alpha male etc.  I downloaded a few freebie novels to read, they were OK but kind of frustrating and predictable.  I did learn one thing - I cannot get my head around vampire romance!  I couldn't help but laugh at all the wrong bits *blushes*

I mentioned my idea to a few friends and they were very encouraging so once I've got Being Isobel and the third book in the Heaven Knows trilogy published I might just give it a go...