Sunday 25 October 2015

The beginning of Dreaming of a White Wedding





When i had finally decided that i wanted to write properly instead of doing the odd little thing here and there.  I joined a writing group here in Sheffield but unfortunately after about fifteen weeks it closed due to lack of funding. I was gutted now what did i do? There was a lot to learn about writing that i didn't know and would need to know if i was ever going to be taken seriously.

So when i discovered the Open University did a creative writing course A215, I signed up and in 2009 we had to produce a full chapter of a novel or a short story as our final piece of work. This is when what was called Twin Deception started.

Scarlet and Cressida my characters are based in part on my daughter and two of her friends identical twins. Kell would come home from school and regale us with stories of how they would trick the teachers and swap places.

My daughter Kell, loved to organise trips out or birthday parties so unbeknown to her she had helped form my story.

Within the year the story had been finished, but sat on my computer doing absolutely nothing. I did have a critique partner from across the pond who had read several of my stories and i sent this over. Unfortunately for me i was just told it was good rather than what was wrong with it. So it again sat on my computer until July when I read about the Carina Christmas in July competition I renamed it Christmas magic and sent in the first three chapters and a synopsis.

After the winner had been announced I forgot all about the contest until an email landed in my inbox offering me a contract.

I could not believe that a story i had penned six years before was going to finally see the light of day. I do hope that people will enjoy Dreaming of a White Wedding. I'm still ecstatic over what has happened. Now the hard work starts with revisions. edits and continuing my new work in progress Cookie Magic Bakery.

Love Misty x


Friday 23 October 2015

DAISY JAMES THE RUNAWAY BRIDE AND A SCRUMPTIOUS RECIPE FOR SWEET BASIL BISCUITS



The Runaway Bridesmaid
By
Daisy James
Rosie Hamilton Character profile
Have you ever wanted to run away from a situation and never look back? I’m sure most of us have been in that situation when the flight or fight instinct kicks in. But would you run away from your sister’s wedding - when you are holding the bridesmaid’s posy?

Well, that’s exactly what Rosie Hamilton does. A fancy wedding in Connecticut which she has single-handedly arranged for her beloved, but spoilt little sister, the fabulous, floaty dresses, the elegant flowers and the spectacular catering - she leaves it all behind. After finding Freya in the linen closet with her wedding date, she slings her bouquet out of the window and storms away in her hired red roadster. Enough was enough!

And whilst Rosie adores the vibrant buzz of Manhattan, its vertiginous glass buildings, its quirky, cosmopolitan residents and its awestruck tourists, she needs to get away from the overwhelming sense of loneliness that had infused her bones. So she ditches her Louboutins for Wellies and flies off to London - well, Devon to be precise - where she holes up in her late Aunt Bernice’s thatched cottage hoping that her heartache seeps away.

Rosie doesn’t know what to do with herself in the tiny hamlet of Brampton where there’s only the village shop and the village fĂȘte for entertainment. She’s uncomfortable with the invasion of privacy masquerading as community spirit and yearns to return to her old life of social indifference. But then she discovers her Aunt’s hand-illustrated recipe journal entitled ‘Bake Yourself Better’. Not only is the diary crammed with beautiful drawings of flowers and herbs from her Devonshire garden, it is also contains recipes to ‘bake yourself better’.

She decides to take her aunt’s advice. The first recipe Rosie tries just has to be …Strawberry Tarts for Broken Hearts’ where her aunt has recorded:    
‘Strawberries are often referred to as the fruit of love. When the strawberries in this recipe are sliced as directed they appear heart-shaped, bursting with sweetness and zinging with a luscious rich red, the colour of love and passion. They are nutrient-rich and packed with healthy antioxidants, especially if grown in your own garden! Some believe they possess healing qualities and can alleviate melancholy. And if that isn’t enough to tempt you, darling Rosie, the strawberry plant is part of the rose family.’

And she sets to - to bake, bake, bake until she’s liberally doused in flour and sugar and exhausted from her culinary exploits.

There are many other recipes from her Aunt Bernice’s Bake Yourself Better journal to try out on a wet April afternoon - ‘Fig Delights for Passion-filled Nights’ and ‘Sweet Basil Biscuits for New Love Interests’ - all of which Rosie bakes - with varying degrees of success.

But will Rosie find the solace she craves? Or the love and happiness her aunt has urged her to find?
All will be revealed in The Runaway Bridesmaid!

Here is a taster for your lovely blog readers:

‘Sweet Basil Biscuits for New Love Interests
One of the meanings of the herb basil is love and I know we can all do with an extra sprinkle of that in our lives! It is written in some folklore that a young man who accepts sweet basil from a woman will fall in love with her. I love that story so I had to include this recipe for you, Rosie, especially as I have grown basil in my garden since I bought the Lodge. Be careful who you select as a sampler, darling! We wouldn’t want to tempt the fates, would we?

Ingredients
150g butter, softened
75g caster sugar
75g ground almonds
150g plain flour, sieved
Large bunch of basil

Instructions
Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the ground almonds and mix. Fold in the flour and knead gently. Wash the basil and dry with a paper towel. Remove stalks and chop. Roll the basil into the mixture until it resembles a speckled green sausage 8-10 cm in diameter. Wrap in cling-film and refrigerate for ten minutes whilst you clear up. Cut into biscuits approx. 1 cm think and place on a greased baking tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden (gas mark 6, 200˚C). Cool on a wire rack.’

I’d love to hear from readers who’ve tried out any of the recipes in The Runaway Bridesmaid - either via Facebook or Twitter or Instagram - and photos would be a bonus!!!
Here are my links:

Thanks ever so much for having me.
Happy Reading Everyone.
Daisy


Wednesday 14 October 2015

My Big Fat Christmas Wedding by Samantha Tonge Blog Tour




Bio
Samantha Tonge lives in Cheshire with her lovely family and a cat that thinks it’s a dog. When not writing, she spends her days cycling and willing cakes to rise. She has sold over 80 short stories to women’s magazines. Her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award in 2014. Her summer 2015 novel Game of Scones hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart.


Blurb

Things don’t always run smoothly in the game of love…
As her Christmas wedding approaches, a trip back to snowy England for her ex’s engagement party makes her wonder if those are wedding bells she’s hearing in her mind, or warning bells. She longs for the excitement of her old London life – the glamour, the regular pedicures. Can she really give that all up to be…a fishwife?
There’s nothing for it but to throw herself into bringing a little Christmas magic to the struggling village in the form of a Christmas fair. Somewhere in amidst the sparkly bauble cakes and stollen scones, she’s sure she’ll come to the right decision about where she belongs…hopefully in time for the wedding…




                                                                          Standing Alone

My Big Fat Christmas Wedding is a standalone sequel to my summer book, Game of Scones. I just couldn’t bear to part with the three main characters, feisty scone-maker Pippa, exotic fisherman Niko and suave property developer Henrik. What a joy it’s been, to write a story starring them again, with a wedding and Christmas in the background! However, in my opinion, a lot of thought has to be given to writing a sequel.
I’ve done it once before – From Paris With Love is a sequel to Doubting Abbey. For me, the most important thing is to make sure that each book can be read as a separate story – that each novel is important in its own right. As the author, you have to accommodate readers who don’t necessarily wish to read the original book first. Yet, at the same time, you have to consider those readers who have already read the first instalment.
For those readers returning to the story, they will want to see further character development – otherwise, what’s the point? In Game of Scones, executive Pippa gives up the London rat-race to open an afternoon teashop in sleepy Greek village, Taxos. The thrust of My Big Fat Christmas Wedding is... does Pippa have any regrets? No doubt many of us dream of escaping our hectic lives, but if we actually did... would we be surprised by the things we began to miss, faced with the reality of our new lifestyle?
Pippa discovers a lot about herself as she comes to terms with leaving behind the bustle and sparkle of London. Niko and Henrik also work out what is important to them. Of course, some things in the second book are the same as in the first – the catchy Greek string music, those mouthwatering honey pastries, the laughter that follows too many ouzos!  Plus there is a life-and-death situation that pushes two of the characters to the edge.  And a big will they, won’t they question, that doesn’t get answered until the very end.
A love-triangle. Wedding. Christmas. Scones and baklava...! I hope I’ve chosen literary ingredients to do my characters proud, a second time around!



Perfect for fans of Lindsey Kelk and Debbie Johnson. Don’t miss the Christmas Wedding of the year!


Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor

Website: http://samanthatonge.co.uk/

AmazonUK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Big-Fat-Christmas-Wedding-ebook/dp/B00XAFSXFG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1444041016&sr=1-1&keywords=my+big+fat+christmas+wedding


AmazonUS: http://www.amazon.com/My-Big-Fat-Christmas-Wedding-ebook/dp/B00XAFSXFG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Friday 2 October 2015

SAMANTHA TONGE COVER REVEAL MY BIG FAT CHRISTMAS WEDDING

I AM PLEASED TO BE A PART OF SAMANTHA TONGES COVER REVEAL. 

Things don’t always run smoothly in the game of love…
Former hot shot city girl Pippa Pattinson loves her new life of rustic simplicity, running a quaint teashop on a sleepy Greek island with her hot fiancĂ©, Niko. But it’s been a quick change to slow living – and you can’t blame a girl for wondering, ‘how did I get here?’
As her Christmas wedding approaches, a trip back to snowy England for her ex’s engagement party makes her wonder if those are wedding bells she’s hearing in her mind, or warning bells. She longs for the excitement of her old London life – the glamour, the regular pedicures. Can she really give that all up to be…a fishwife?
There’s nothing for it but to throw herself into bringing a little Christmas magic to the struggling village in the form of a Christmas fair. Somewhere in amidst the sparkly bauble cakes and stollen scones, she’s sure she’ll come to the right decision about where she belongs…hopefully in time for the wedding…
Perfect for fans of Lindsey Kelk and Debbie Johnson, you won’t want to miss the Christmas Wedding of the year!