Click on the logo below for more information.Postage rates quoted are for the UK, but I’ll post overseas if requested.

If you’re outside the UK, please email me with your whereabouts so that I can check the postage rate before you buy.

A friend kindly collated all the reviews from eligible sites, numbered them, and then asked me to pick a number in order to select the winner.

The winning entry belongs to Eleri
Congratulations, Eleri! Your copy of New Beginnings: Starting Over will be posted on Monday, and I hope you enjoy reading it

At the moment, the paperback version is only available via Lulu, and the digital version is only available via Amazon, but additional outlets and format options will become available during the next few months.

When you’ve read it, please let me know what you think! I welcome feedback, either here or via Twitter or Facebook, or on book sites such as Amazon, Lulu, or Goodreads etc.

As a gesture of his commitment to her, Jamie bought Tasha a CD of the band’s debut album, and pointed out a specific song – “I’m Yours” – which became ‘their song’.

An excerpt from the song features in the mini trailer that I made for “New Beginnings” but I thought I’d share the whole song, with lyrics, here (courtesy of YouTube).

Let me know what you think.

The Script’s official website is here

I’m thrilled to see this final instalment in book form, but a little sad that it’s the last in the series. I still have a few ideas for book four (and possibly five) but they’ll have to stay on the back-burner for now. Whatever I decide to do about my sequel ideas, the first three books stand alone as a series, and I’m proud of that

Here’s a taster from New Beginnings: Starting Over (page 86/87):

2.45 p.m.
There’s definitely something wrong with me. I’ve just had a bloody good cry over that stupid row, then I went to send Jamie a text but I couldn’t find my phone, and that made me cry again. I rang The Brief Encounter to see if I’ve left my phone there, but if I have then someone’s made off with it because it hasn’t been handed in. Shit.

3.05 p.m.
I’m a mess, I really am. I’m so lucky, and I don’t deserve him. Jamie rang me just now – he’d texted me earlier and then when I didn’t reply, he rang my mobile a couple of times. He didn’t get an answer, obviously, because I didn’t have my phone, and he started worrying that I’d crashed the car because I was so wound up, so he’s just phoned the house phone and it made me cry. He just wanted to know that I was okay, and I wanted to apologise for being so bitchy earlier, and he wanted to know what’s wrong, and I’ve got no bloody idea. And my phone was in the car – Jamie said he’d seen me put it on the passenger seat. I went to get it and there were 3 messages and 4 missed calls. I was a total bitch to him, and he just wanted to make sure I was okay. He calls me his angel, but I’m not. He’s mine.

Don’t forget that you can win a free copy of this book; details are here.

Reviewers of either of my first two books (New Beginnings and New Beginnings: Moving On) will have the chance to win a copy of my third book, New Beginnings: Starting Over.

This giveaway applies to reviews that have already been written, as well as any that may be posted between now and midnight on 16 April 2013.

Reviews can be posted on GoodReads, or on the relevant book’s page at Lulu or Amazon, or on any other book-related site.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply share the review’s URL in a reply to this post, and I’ll add it to the pot. If you’re unable to access WordPress, I’ll also accept entries via Twitter or Facebook.

The closing date is 16 April 2013 (midnight, GMT). On 17 April 2013, I will collect all eligible reviews (good, bad, and indifferent) and one lucky winner will win a free book!

Good luck!

I could write several paragraphs giving a very detailed description of my life during the last three months, but suffice to say that “Real life got in the way.” Unfortunately for those of us with dreams, life has a rather nasty and persistent habit of getting in the way. To quote John Lennon, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” and that’s certainly been the case for me.

I’ve recently had to accept that I don’t have enough time or energy to do everything that I’d like to do, and certain activities must take precedence. As well as family commitments and an ever-dwindling social life, I have a very demanding full-time job, I contribute to several online profiles (Twitter, Facebook, blogs) and I’ve committed myself to an Open University degree, which takes up a large chunk of my spare time. The online profiles include those of Johanna Nield, but my updates have been infrequent at best during the last few months.

I’ve known for some time that I needed to let something go, and to that end I’ve finally made a decision about my quest to establish myself as a recognised author. I’ve written three novels (four, if you include the one that’s been sitting in a folder for nearly 30 years), and I’ve loved every moment of the creative process involved. I’m very proud of my work, and I’m very grateful for the support and encouragement I’ve received from family, friends and readers. However, because I don’t have enough time now to research all the literary agents and publishers based in the UK, I will no longer be submitting queries for representation and/or publication. I’d love nothing more than to see my books published by a nationally recognised publishing house, but that dream will have to go back on hold.

I will continue to maintain my online presence via Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and my blog. I’ve also recently been accepted as a featured author on Eto Magazine, “a bi-annual anthology of short fiction by authors from Wales or in the Welsh diaspora around the world”. Strictly speaking, I haven’t written any short fiction, but there are always a few projects on the back burner

The first and second books in the ‘New Beginnings’ series have been independently published, and they’re on sale via Lulu, Amazon, and most online retailers. They’re also available in some High Street book stores, but I believe they have to be pre-ordered. Book three has just undergone its final edit and is now being prepared for publication, again via the independent route.

I know that I’ll never make the best-seller list – I won’t even be able to give up the day job! – but I am an author: I have two published novels available worldwide, and a third in the pipeline. I simply struggle sometimes with the notion that my work is outside the “Big Six” publishing houses and therefore is unlikely to make even the most miniscule beep on the book market’s radar.

Despite that, though, I’ll be very happy knowing that my trilogy is out there, and that (hopefully) people will enjoy getting to know Tasha and Jamie.

Will you?

The purpose of this short series is to highlight some of the places that Tasha visits, for the benefit of readers who are unfamiliar with the place names in my books. I will be posting ten short entries over the coming weeks which I hope will bring some visual enhancement to the relevant incidents and periods of Tasha’s story.

Chester

Photo source: The Independent

I’m starting with Chester because it’s Tasha’s favourite city. When we meet her, she lives in a fairly large rural town in Cheshire with many amenities, but Chester is where she likes to shop, and it’s where she and Hayley spent many a Friday and Saturday night tottering from club to club in their dancing days.

Tasha’s never taken much notice of Chester’s history or its architectural diversity: she goes there for the shops, the clubs, and the cafes. She visited the Cathedral once on a school trip, but was so impatient to spend her money in Top Shop that she remembers nothing of the tour.

Chester Cathedral

Tasha and Hayley have broken many heels on the wooden floors of the Rows, but that only gave them the excuse to buy more shoes, with no regard for the history of the two-tiered shopping area.

Chester Rows

If there’s a nightclub in Chester that Tasha and Hayley haven’t visited (before Jamie and Craig were on the scene, of course), then they’ll both want to know why. They’ve also visited most of the pubs in the city, although – as with most towns and cities – there are one or two that they only visited once.

Tasha and Hayley have enjoyed several days out at the races – a popular Saturday pastime in that area – although both would admit that it was more an excuse to get dressed up and have a laugh and a drink than to pay any attention to the horses; neither have a particular talent for spotting a winner on the track.

Ladies Day at Chester Races. Photo source: Collette Costello

Whenever Tasha and Hayley arrange to meet in Chester, they usually do so at Wetherspoons on Foregate street, because it’s familiar and very close to the shops; their nights out in the city often start there too. On one memorable occasion, they decided to have a change and arranged to meet at The Grosvenor for lunch, but both felt so out of place in the sumptuous 4-star surroundings that they turned tail at the door and hurried down the street to their favourite pub instead!

Tasha treasures the memory of a childhood trip to Chester Zoo with her Mum and sister – a joint birthday treat for both girls – but she hasn’t been since. She’d no doubt notice many changes as the zoo has expanded over the years.

I hope I’ve managed to convey a sense of what attracts Tasha to Chester. She and I have very different tastes (I love the architecture, the history, and the book shops that she walks by without noticing) but we both agree that it’s a city worth visiting.

For more information on Chester, try Visit Chester
Disclaimer: I do not work for, nor do I have any affiliation to, the Chester Tourist Board

The fair took place in the theatre at The Gate in Roath, a beautifully refurbished church with an art gallery, café, the theatre and no doubt much more.

This is the theatre, taken from the side of the stage:

The central space was filled with seats, and I estimated that there were around 200 in the audience.

It’s the first event of this kind that I’ve attended, and I had no idea what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day and hope that this will now become an annual event.

The first panel presented Introduction to E-publishing and Digital Futures. This was chaired by poet and Aberystwyth University professor Damian Walford Davies and featured Claire Houguez (Editor and Marketing officer at Parthian), Elwyn Jones (Director of The Welsh Books Council), and Alison John (Producer for Yello Brick, a brand new media company who present playful narratives and events using digital platforms). The panel discussed ways in which the publishing sector is evolving and expanding through the use of technology, and how writers can use this in their work; they also answered questions from the audience. It proved to be a very informative and interesting session.

At 11.30 we were given a choice of two simultaneous events…
- Genre Writing with science fiction author Jasper Fforde and crime novelist Belinda Bauer.
OR
- Marwolaeth y Siop Lyfrau (The Death of the Book Shop – Welsh Language Event) a panel discussion about the future of the book shop in Wales with Elwyn Jones, Eirian James, Gareth F Williams, and chaired by Catrin Beard.
I’d have preferred the opportunity to attend both sessions, but I knew that I’d struggle to understand or take part in most of the Welsh language one, so I stayed in the main hall for a very informative and entertaining session with the two novelists, which included some excellent exchanges with the audience.

We had a break for lunch and networking between 12.30 and 2.00 pm, during which I chatted with several women but felt too shy to approach any of the guest panellists, most of whom were chatting (not eating!) throughout the entire break.

At 2 pm there was another choice of two simultaneous events…
- International Opportunities for Writers with Nia Davies from Welsh Literature Exchange and 2012 Wales Book of the Year winning author Jon Gower, who has spent time writing abroad.
OR
- Wicipedia Cymraeg (Welsh Wikipedia – Welsh Language Event) with Carl Morris from Hacio’r Iaith and the author Robin Llwyd ab Owain.
I opted for the former, and enjoyed the guests’ anecdotes.

At 3.00 there was a bilingual panel, The Art of Self-Promotion / Y Grefft o Hunan-hyrwyddo with author and arts critic Jasper Rees, social media consultant Emma Meese, and poet Osian Rhys Jones. This offered an insight into how writers can use the internet and social media as effective tools for self-promotion, and again there were some lively discussions with the audience.

We were given another choice at 4.00 pm of two simultaneous events…
- A Novel Pitch – Jasper Rees and Angela Graham will be offering invaluable advice on how to pitch your creative ideas, in person or in writing, to a publisher or agent.
OR
- Golygu Creadigol – y Gyfrinach Fawr (Welsh Language Event) – An insight to creative editing and its importance for the success of the Welsh novel with panellists Bethan Mair Hughes, Alun Jones and Tony Bianchi.
Again, I’d have liked the opportunity to attend both, but I stayed in the main hall for the Novel Pitch panel which was very informative and helfpul.

I had to leave at 5.00 pm in order to catch my train home, so I missed the final event (Readings from eminent Welsh authors Christine James and Jon Gower). I felt rather sad to go, as it had been an immensely enjoyable and interesting day during which I’d met some very friendly people, made several new contacts, and taken copious very useful notes.

I was one of several attendees tweeting throughout the day; you can read our comments here and here

Photos from Google

I’m not sure when this was originally published, but I came across it today via a link on Twitter and thought I’d share it here for several reasons:

1. I’m curious to find out if it works
2. Book four could do with some help
3. I’d like to know what other writers think of this proposed way of working, especially if anyone has tried this method.

All links lead to the original article and related pages

How to write a book in 30 days

Source: The Guardian

My approach to writing is much less rigid: I work full-time and now study part-time, and although I usually have some kind of outline to follow, I’ve never written to a timetable. I jot ideas down as soon as possible after they occur to me, and I write when I feel confident that I have something to say. Sometimes that may be during a stolen few minutes at work, but more often it’s during the weekend or evening at home, in between my other commitments.

This “as-and-when” method has worked for me so far but now, with my schedule stretched more than ever, I have less time to devote to book four and I feel that a timetable may help me get back on track with it. We shall see!

Writers:

• how do you schedule your writing?
• do you have a timetable similar to that suggested by The Guardian?
• what time-management tips can you share?