Some time ago I read Roz Morris's first Nail Your Novel book, (Nail Your Novel: Why Writers Abandon Books and How You Can Draft, Fix and Finish With Confidence)which gives advice on what to do with a first draft and how to work on it so that you don't end up hurling the dratted thing into the shredder and taking up crochet instead.
It so impressed me with its step-by-step guide and common sense that when I saw the author had published this follow up I bought it without even reading the blurb.
Nail Your Novel: Bring Characters To Life is another gem of a book from Roz. Easy to read and broken down into manageable sections it helps you to create believable characters who won't just be names on the paper. She carefully steers you away from identikit characters who all sound alike in spite of their different ages, cultures and backgrounds and uses examples from well known novels to help demonstrate successful characterization. She shows you how to create believable dialogue and provides a highly useful toolbox to equip you with all you need to know to engage your readers and make them eager to read on.
Not only does she deal with the protagonists, but she also helps you to think about the secondary characters and shows how to create a whole cast that will ring true and ensure that your main characters are not existing in solitary confinement. Heroes and heroines that are not too heroic, villains that are not too villainous, avoiding the stereotype and cliche, the importance of realistic dialogue, all these and much more are covered in this fabulous book, and it's all written in an easy to understand language that doesn't make you clutch your forehead and reconsider the crochet.
An essential reference for the would-be writer, I would recommend it without hesitation. Make sure you get the first book, too, if you haven't already. You need never look at a crochet hook again.

I've never read a Stephen King novel, although it turns out I have seen some films and tv programmes based on them - I never knew he wrote The Green Mile, for instance.
I bought this book because everyone seems to recommend it as a great read for would-be writers. I admit, I wasn't convinced, fearing it would be pretty dull for someone who wasn't a fan. Well, I was wrong.
This book is incredibly easy to read. The writing style is so easy and flows so well that you just don't want to put it down. The book is divided into different parts - one part is about his life and the other about writing. At the end is a separate part which deals with an horrific accident that the author was in and about his recovery and return to writing after fearing he had lost the ability for good.
I didn't think I would be interested in his life story at all but I am not the sort of person who can skip half a book so I was forced to start at the beginning, and I'm very glad I did. He doesn't go into massive detail about his life - this isn't an autobiography. What it is a collection of memories about his childhood and beyond which had an impact on his later career. He recounts these memories in a really interesting way and it's certainly no chore to read them. On the contrary, they are fascinating and amusing and poignant, and a delight to read.
The writing section is fascinating. One of his tips is to forget about plotting and just go with the story...see where it takes you. As someone who has plotted to within an inch of her life and found myself struggling with feeling stale as a result, I found this a very interesting tip. I am now trying it and feeling happier than I have for a long time with the writing process.
I can see why this book is recommended over and over again and I would add my recommendation to the growing pile. Much more than a "how-to" book, it may even convert me to reading some of his novels!

Where to start with this review? I have read several of Carole's books and have enjoyed every single one of them. She really is a truly gifted writer, able to draw the reader into the story, creating interesting and appealing characters and absorbing stories that can't fail to entertain. A Cottage by the Sea has her usual mix of personalities and situations, but there was something more to this novel somehow that made it stand out from the other Carole Matthews' novels I have read.
The story is about a holiday in the charmingly named Cwtch Cottage on the Pembrokeshire coast, owned by artist Ella who lives with her band manager husband, Art. She has invited her long-term friends, Grace and Flick, to stay. Grace is the narrator of the story - a reluctant accountant, always trying to be the nice one, the understanding one, the good one. Grace is married to Harry but the marriage is in serious trouble, with Harry's drinking becoming a real problem. Lovely Ella is the artistic earth mother of the group, desperate to make Cwtch Cottage her permanent home, struggling with a husband who doesn't want to grow up and would rather be on the road with his bands or living the high life in London. Flick is the glamorous, wild child of the trio. She has had a troubled past and lots of "man problems" but she is determined to put all that behind her and settle down, and the man she has chosen to do that with is Noah. The minute Grace and Noah meet, sparks fly, and the relaxing holiday by the sea that was planned turns into something completely different.
This book has everything. There is a fabulous setting which is beautifully described, some wonderful set pieces, an interesting insight into coasteering, and lots of humour. But the thing that stands out is the characterisation. We see a true friendship between these three women who have been through so much together, and the way that their partnerships with men affect the dynamic of the group and how the friendship affects the relationships with their partners. There is an almost aching sadness in the description of a marriage teetering on the brink, the despair felt by Grace as she tries desperately to make it work and keeps hoping that things will be all right in the end, and the sickening disappointment of repeated let-downs. Her confusion and fear is palpable in the writing, and the reader can only sympathise with her as she endures one of the most painful processes in life.
Although it's not difficult to guess what is going on in the background and the eventual outcome of the story, nevertheless the journey that the reader goes on with these three lovely women is a fascinating and emotionally satisfying one. It's the sort of book that you close reluctantly, yet with a contented sigh, knowing all is well and everything is just as it should be. I really loved it and felt enriched by reading it.

First of all, a confession. This is the first Trisha Ashley novel I have ever read! Sorry, Trisha! I own several of her books and they are all sitting waiting patiently on my to-be-read pile, and have been for months or even years. It's nothing personal against Trisha or her writing...I just buy too many books and can't get round to reading them all fast enough! So, given that I already possessed at least four other novels by this author, what on earth made me start to read Good Husband Material the minute I saw it in the shop? Well, I loved the cover for a start, and the title intrigued me. Good husband material? Hmm, would love to know what that is! I read the blurb on the back cover and just knew I had to read this, and having finished it this evening I had to post a review because, yes, it really is a five star novel.
I just adored everything about this. The writing was fantastic. The narrative style was so appealing and so easy to read. I loved the fact that the story was mostly told from the first person viewpoint of Tish, our heroine, a redhead in denial. She is a marvellous creation and I was rooting for her all the way. Fergal is a gorgeous hero (of course!) and his viewpoint is cleverly woven in through a series of headlines in local and national magazines and newspapers as he muses on the difference between the way he is perceived in the media and the reality of his life and feelings.
The secondary characters were a wonderful assortment that held my interest. A batty grandmother, a pathetic mother, jealous women, a wily shopkeeper, weird neighbours...Even the animals were fascinating, featuring a Borzoi (or bourgeois bitch) called Bess, a rude parrot called Toby, a deformed cat and assorted offspring and hangers-on. Tish's husband, the man her mother had decided long ago was "good husband material", is a character who slowly shows himself to be the opposite of what Tish initially believes him to be. As the book develops we see layer upon layer of James unpeeling to reveal a distinctly unattractive and rather weak man.
The setting itself was lovely, with the village really coming to life under Trisha's skilful writing. It may come as no surprise to discover where Tish ends up and who with, but the thrill is the journey she takes to get to that point. The narration is witty and sharp and there is some sparkling dialogue, which all goes to ensure that the book never flags and keeps you reading right to the end to find out how Tish will get her happy ending in spite of all the obstacles thrown at her.
I am so glad I read this book and very pleased that I have several more of Trisha's novels ready and waiting to read. They have been bumped up on my waiting list and I'm very much looking forward to them. I understand that this is a reprint of a novel previously published some thirteen years ago, but I didn't consider it to be dated, although, as a previous reviewer mentioned, the lack of mobile phones, internet etc is quite startling, if only to remind us how much things have changed in such a short period of time. Some things, however, never change, and love, thank goodness, is one of those things. So, if you want a well-written, sparkling love story with extremely believable and likeable characters and a lovely setting, buy this book! Great reading material.

When I heard about the forthcoming release of this book I knew immediately that I had to buy it. I am a massive Dr Who fan and anything that involves time travel and romance was always going to appeal to me. I couldn't wait to start reading this and finished it within two days.
A Stitch In Time is very easy to read. The subject of time travel can be unbelievably complicated and baffling, but Amanda James manages to explain the way that it works in her novel in a very easy-to-understand way. I found the whole concept of Needles and Stitches very imaginative and a clever concept.
The main characters are Sarah and John. Sarah is a teacher whose self-esteem is at an all time low after a double betrayal, and whose morale is at rock bottom with the pressures of her teaching job and her unfulfilled longing to be a mother. John is a market gardener who lives a double life as a Needle - a kind of guardian to his Stitches. Stitches must travel through time to prevent the death of a person whose loss would have a massive impact on the future. Sarah has been chosen by the powers-that-be to be a Stitch.
Sarah, understandably, is completely stunned by this revelation. She believes she has been hallucinating and it takes her quite a while to accept the truth of her situation. When she does, she is ready to undertake her first mission, and finds herself in Sheffield, during the Blitz. It's an area that she is very familiar with, but it's also the night of a major air raid that will leave all those around her dead. Who must Sarah save? And how can she achieve her mission?
The time travelling scenes are brilliantly done, with Sarah also travelling to Kansas in the nineteenth century to save a life among a group of homesteaders who are enduring a plague of locusts, Edwardian London, and a hospital in the nineteen twenties, where a very important discovery is about to be made...if Sarah can be successful. These scenes are just the right length, with the author striking a successful balance between the missions and Sarah's home life and her developing romance with Needle John.
The two main characters are very likeable. From the first scene Sarah wins the reader over. She is a very modern girl dealing with a complicated life, and immediately the reader will be on her side, willing her on through her heartbreak and cheering her through her challenges. John is a delightful hero, and there is enough passion, conflict and tension to make a very enjoyable romance. Besides Sarah's trust issues, there is also a former girlfriend of John's to deal with, and on top of all that, the powers-that-be or "The Spindly Ones" as Sarah calls them, are unwilling to allow a Needle and a Stitch to be together. Can John and Sarah prove that their love is genuine? Will The Spindly Ones give them a chance? Or will Sarah's lack of faith lead to the end of her Stitching days and the erasure of all her time-travelling memories, including those of John himself?
This is a well thought out book with a unique twist on time travel, likeable characters, a strong romance and some interesting historical facts thrown in for good measure. As Sarah is a history teacher she is quickly aware of the situations she has landed in, and through her easy summing up of what is happening around her the reader understands what is going on without being force fed a lot of dry and dusty facts. School history lessons were never like this (sadly!) and I can well understand why some reviewers are demanding a sequel. I don't know if that's the author's plan but I could quite see it working. All in all this is a very entertaining novel and highly recommended.

Texas in the nineteenth century. Colt McCall, half Sioux, half Irish, is a handsome cowboy. He earns his living dealing horses, is popular with the local ladies, and has friends in unlikely places - as well as enemies. Colt has a reputation and he has a shady past. Staying alive is tough enough; this here's Comanche country and it sure ain't no place for a lady.
Annie Haddon - abandoned by her father and left in the care of her unwilling aunts, permanently lame after a spiteful trick by her cousin Charlotte, and all but promised in marriage to a man who repulses her - is travelling with her relatives in a stagecoach when it is attacked, and she is knocked unconscious and left for dead.
Colt is on a mission. He is in a hurry, is in dangerous territory, and a badly injured Englishwoman is the last thing he needs. But he sure ain't gonna leave a lady to the mercy of scalp-hunters, so he hauls her onto his horse and together they set off to take Annie to a place of safety where she can hopefully be reunited with her family and the man who is to become her husband.
Annie is scared of McCall and he has no time for prissy English women. They come from different worlds and don't have much trust in each other. Yet, somehow, their journey across the inhospitable Texan plains will bring healing and a whole new beginning for them both...
I loved this book, although I admit I was reluctant to read it. I'm not particularly interested in Westerns and the idea of a cowboy hero didn't appeal to me. However, I'm happy to say I was right to give it a try. Colt McCall is a real treat. A rootin' tootin' cowboy with full on sex appeal, yet kind and understanding, with just enough hurt in his past to make any woman's heart melt. Oh, and he's kind to puppies, too!
Annie is a very modern nineteenth century miss, with a determined attitude and strong moral values, but she is also very human. She makes lots of mistakes and errors of judgement and I loved the fact that she wasn't the typical beautiful heroine. Her cousin, Charlotte, makes the point very forcibly on several occasions that Annie is no beauty and hardly likely to attract any man with her limp and her frizzy red hair. Yet Colt sees beyond all that, ignoring Charlotte's prettiness and falling for the person that Annie truly is.
There is lots of witty banter between the two of them, as well as a sizzling chemistry. The characters in the book are all very deftly portrayed and feel very real and easy to visualise. There is some wonderful descriptive prose, too, which really brings the west to life. You almost feel the scorching heat on your back, see the sun-bleached bones of dead buffalo, and cough to clear the dust from your throat as you read this novel. It really is wonderful and I can't wait to read the author's next book. Colt McCall is a wanted man - and frankly, I'm not surprised!

Personally I blame Sarah Tranter. Having managed several decades (never mind how many!) without having the slightest interest in vampires, and having sat through the first two Twilight films, at the insistence of my daughter, with eyes glazed over with boredom, I picked up her novel "No Such Thing As Immortality" and loved it. Totally fell in love with her vampire hero, Nate, so much so that I actually watched Twilight Eclipse the other week and didn't fall asleep - although I still think those films are curiously lacking in passion. (Can't comment on the books as I haven't read them). Anyway, with Sarah busy working on her sequel, I decided I needed another vampire fix, and fast. And who has written a vampire novel but the writer of one of my favourite books, "Please Don't Stop The Music". Yes, Jane Lovering had turned her very capable hand to vampire fiction and so, of course, it was the obvious choice.
Well, it turns out "Vampire State of Mind" is actually better than "Please Don't Stop the Music", and, believe me, I wasn't expecting that. The heroine, Jessica, lives in an alternative York, where a rift has opened and allowed all sorts of otherworldly creatures in, such as werewolves, ghouls, zombies, shadows and, of course, vampires. Jess works for York City Council, and her job is to make sure that the otherworlders keep to the rules. After a terrible war with humans, a peace treaty was drawn up and the humans and otherworlders now live in relative peace, although neither side really trusts the other and there is a lot of prejudice on both sides.
Jess is a great heroine. She has humour, courage and compassion. Her relationship with her sidekick Liam is warm and trusting, with a great deal of gentle mickey-taking on both sides. Jess's one weakness is her feelings for the leader of the city's vampires, Sil, a sexy vampire with an inner demon. No, literally. You see, vampires in Jane Lovering's world, are humans that have been bitten by other vampires and "seeded" so that a demon grows inside them and lives within them. It is that demon that keeps them alive, craves human blood, and drives the vampire to indulge in rather unsavoury pursuits as it needs the adrenaline rush this produces. Luckily, a form of synthetic blood has been developed which can be bought freely and which staves off the need to drain humans, although certain clubs exist where willing humans can "donate" blood to eager vampires. As long as the blood is freely given no crime has been committed, and the vampire is able to withdraw before "seeding" takes place if the human doesn't wish to become a vampire, too. Sil frequents these clubs and is never short of company at them, something which fills Jess with disgust.
As with all ChocLit book we also get to see things from the hero's perspective, and it soon becomes clear that Sil is not the unemotional monster that Jess believes him to be. But Sil is determined to keep his feelings at bay, and Jess can't risk getting involved with a vampire who she believes will never love her, and never be satisfied with her.
When a stranger called Malfaire arrives in York, seeking out Jess, it triggers a series of events which leads to Jess and Sil having to work closely together. Jess, who sees herself as nothing more than a council worker doing her very poorly-paid and rather undervalued job, is shocked to discover her life is in danger. Someone wants her dead, but who? And why? The danger is growing, the uneasy truce is threatened, and both Jess and Sil have to come to terms with who they really are. "The stakes are high and very, very pointy"!
Told with a lot of humour, this book neverthless has a very dark edge to it, and there is some really passionate romance in there, too. The mystery of Malfaire is intriguing, and the mistrust and prejudice displayed by both humans and otherworlders is thought-provoking.
This novel is gripping, exciting, passionate and funny. It's a bit Harry Potter, a bit Buffy, but most of all it reminded me of the first two series of Torchwood. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read Jane's next novel, Hubble Bubble. Hmm, wonder what that could be about?

I admit here and now that I owe Jane Wenham-Jones a huge debt. It was reading her book "Wannabe a Writer?" that finally persuaded me to give writing a go after years of believing that I couldn't do it any more and I will always be grateful to her for that. Even if nothing ever comes of it, I have enjoyed myself so much over the last couple of years that I would heartily recommend her book and its follow-up "Wannabe a Writer We've Heard Of?" to anyone.
Having said that, I hadn't read any of her novels in spite of meaning to for ages. When I saw that this novel was one of the ones nominated for an award from the Romantic Novelists' Association I decided to give it a go. Having read various magazine columns, Tweets and Facebook comments from Jane I was pretty sure it would be a light, amusing read. What I wasn't expecting was that it would also be surprisingly moving and would really make me think.
Laura is divorced from Daniel who has walked out on her due to his love for a stick thin, health obsessed, much younger woman. Laura feels fat, frumpy and washed-up. In her early forties, she suffers from low self esteem and treacherous hormones. But Laura's life is about to change as a series of events lead to her becoming involved in reality television and with a gorgeous young director called Cal.
This novel is brilliant because, although Laura is quite self-deprecating, she's not a quitter. She's a devoted mum to her son Stanley and a loyal best friend to Charlotte, but both of these relationships cause her much angst and lead to her feeling even more of a failure. With Stanley seeming to be permanently sad after his parents' divorce and apparently deeply unhappy at school, in spite of the kindness and concern of his teacher, and Charlotte oblivious to a looming crisis in her own life, it's down to Laura to desperately try to make everything all right for everyone around her, in spite of the fact that she has a stressful and unsatisfying job, a demanding boss, raging PMT and a mother from hell.
Don't for a minute think that this is a gloomy book, though. Laura is funny and Jane Wenham-Jones writes in such an easy, chatty manner that you could be listening to your best friend as she regales you with her tales of woe, while you both knock back the wine and tuck into the Maltesers, promising each other that you'll fast tomorrow.
Stanley is beautifully drawn and your heart aches for him and for Laura as she battles her guilt and tries desperately to ensure that he is able to cope with his new circumstances - living apart from his father and settling in at high school.
She is a well-rounded heroine (no pun intended!) whose vulnerability is well-observed. This makes you really ache for her as her life spirals out of control and you just know that she is about to come a cropper. Poor Laura is always trying to do the right thing, but unwise associations, the monthly "curse" and, quite often to be honest, too much wine, leads her to somehow always making huge errors of judgement that just makes everything much more complicated.
Will Laura ever recover her shattered self-esteem after her divorce? Is Cal really all he seems? Can Stanley ever be happy again? Will Charlotte ever put down her wine glass long enough to open her eyes to what's going on around her? And can garden gnomes ever be truly exciting? It's all here in this lovely, thought-provoking novel. Its nomination is well-deserved and I'm now going to have great pleasure working my way through this writer's other novels.

This novel is a lesson in itself to all would-be writers who struggle with writing descriptive prose and forget to include sensory detail. The language is just beautiful. The detail is incredible and the descriptions bring the scenes to life in full colour. The reader gets to taste, touch, smell, see and hear everything that Fable herself experiences. Little touches such as the fact that Fable, as a child, "tastes" words, so that some taste like ginger biscuits and others liver and onions is quite enthralling. It really is beautifully written.
However, let's not forget the story. This is a sheer delight. Fable is born under a roof of stars, to Jasmine, a gypsy woman who has broken up with Fable's father as he has become a religious fanatic after guilt brings on a fervent desire to save fallen women. Fable's early years are happy as she lives with Jasmine and Gangan, the old gypsy woman who has great wisdom and gift of sight. Unfortunately, they also share their home with Peggy, a bitter, spiteful young woman whose duplicitous actions lead to Fable being snatched back by her father and taken to live in the cold, damp and loveless vicarage, miles away from the people she loves.
As Fable grows her life takes many twists and turns and she suffers a great deal of sadness and loss. However, she hears the voice of Gangan in her darkest hours, urging her on, making her believe that things will get better.
As things reach crisis point for Fable she looks back on her life in order to make sense of where it all went wrong, and as she does so, she changes the course of her future and finds help from the most unlikely source.
I am so glad I read this novel. It's a lovely story and so well-written. A real treasure. I highly recommend it.

I can see looking from other reviews that there has been a lot of comparison with Twilight. I can't really make that comparison as I have never read the Twilight books and I only managed the first two films in the series before giving up. What I can compare Nathaniel Gray - the unlikely hero of this novel - with is Mr Darcy, and frankly that's good enough for me. Darcy will always win out over Edward, or most other heroes for that matter. Nathaniel was alive when Jane Austen was churning out her classic Pride and Prejudice and his head is still stuck in the early nineteenth century when gentlemen were all, well, gentlemanly, and behaved with courtesy and politeness to a lady. Unfortunately, Nathaniel, or Nate as he is now known, is also a vampire, and so to avoid doing the extremely ungentlemanly thing of ripping the throat out of mere mortals he has made a concerted effort to close down his feelings, stay away from human company and cultivate a taste for small mammals and black pudding.
Like Mr Darcy, Nate has a younger sister whom he adores. His desire to protect and look after her is what leads him to becoming a vampire in the first place. Also like Darcy, he has a grand ancestral home in the Derbyshire countryside and he shares this with Elizabeth (the sister), her husband Frederick, an ex-soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars, and his two friends James and Madeline. All five of them are vampires, needless to say. They are a close knit community and Ridings affords them privacy and seclusion, funded by the Gray business empire of which Nate is the head but very much a hands-off boss, leaving the running of it to others.
It's pretty safe to say that Nate isn't looking for love. In fact, the only real emotion he feels, apart from his loyalty and friendship to the other four, is a self-loathing for the "monster" he perceives himself to be.
Then one night, he is involved in an impossible car crash and meets the driver of the other car, the very modern, very independent Miss Rowan Locke, and Nate's NON-life is thrown into total chaos as he is assaulted by emotions he has never experienced, even when he was mortal. Not only is he forced to deal with his own awakening feelings for the beautiful Rowan, but for some mysterious reason he is also bombarded with Rowan's emotions, too. After two hundred years of being supremely controlled and "locked in", can Nate find the strength to take charge of his new circumstances, or does he represent the biggest threat to the woman he finally has to accept he has fallen in love with?
This beautifully-written novel is a joy to read. From the very first sentence the reader is hurled into the story, much as Nate is hurled into chaos. The delicious unfolding of an unlikely hero, watching as a man used to being in total charge of his feelings is changed beyond recognition by an intense, passionate love, is always a delight to read. It worked with Darcy and Elizabeth and it works with Nate and Rowan. Like Miss Bennett she is a feisty young woman, not some doe-eyed pushover. The intensity of her feelings for Nate stagger her. These are two people who are seemingly destined to meet and fall in love, no matter what the consequences, no matter what the outcome.
I was thrilled to discover that this book will have a sequel, not least because there is much mileage to be gained from the other vampires in the group and the other minor characters in this novel (if, indeed, any of them could be called minor!)This is much more than a love story, although it's the romance that is paramount. There is a mystery running through the storyline, tangling around all the characters and leaving many questions unanswered. I can't wait to read the next book to find out exactly what does Aunt Hetty know? Who or what is the evil Simeon Frey? Will Elizabeth ever get her heart's desire? Will Frederick give in to his wife's wishes? Will James and Madeline ever find love? What are the strange beings that came to Nate's and Rowan's rescue? But more than anything I want to read more about Rowan and Nate. Oh yes. Nate...*sigh* How ironic that a man without a pulse can set my pulse racing. Such is the power of Sarah Tranter's creation. A truly fabulous debut novel.