Stephanie Cage - Writer

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T08:45:00.000-08:00

With not much time for writing lately, I've been concentrating on short 'done-in-a-minute' pieces, and this is my latest, and possibly my favourite. It's designed as a hymn, to be sung to the tune of Londonderry Air (the folk song otherwise known as 'Danny Boy', which can be found in a choral arrangement in the Unitarian hymn book, 'Hymns for Living', published by Lindsey Press.) But I couldn't resist sharing it as my wish for all my readers, and everyone, everywhere, in 2012.

Oh Bright New Year

Oh bright new year, our hurt and anger healing,

We hope you’ll be for all a time of peace,

New paths and places to us all revealing,

And from our sadness bringing sweet release.

Oh bright new year, bring moments of reflection,

And pleasant times, our weary souls to rest.

Oh bright new year, bring fun and love and laughter;

Each moment of the year be heaven blest.

Oh bright new year, our hopes and dreams reviving,

We hope you’ll be for all a time of joy.

We hope you’ll see our near and dear ones thriving,

And happiness for every girl and boy.

Oh bright new year, bring sunny summer weather,

And rain that falls so gently from above.

Oh bright new year, let nations join together;

Each moment of the year be filled with love.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Headteacher's Lesson in Love

2011-10-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

That's the title of my entry for the Mills and Boon 'New Voices' competition I mentioned below. Luckily I get to enter even though I'm a published writer, because I don't have a full-length book out. 'Desperate Bid' is a nice easy read of a novella, at 37,000 words slightly shorter even than a typical Mills and Boon.

My entry is not exactly a typical Mills and Boon, but then at their talk at the RNA Conference they invited authors to try overturning some of the typical conventions, and I knew immediately that I wanted to try writing one with a hero who was both junior to, and slightly younger than, the heroine.

I'd love it if you'd hop over to Mills and Boon's New Voices and see if you think I've pulled it off. You'll need to register there if you want to vote and comment, but if you don't feel like registering you can always pop back here and post your comments below.

Thank you!

The Joy of Competitions

2011-09-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

My success in the Yorkshire Ridings competition has reminded me how much I love writing competitions. Writing to a strict brief can be challenging, as I wonder how to fit a whole story into just a thousand words, or what location is best suited to showing the romantic side of this beautiful county. Yet, in other ways, it's a relief to have clear boundaries, otherwise it's easy for the creative side of my mind to spiral off, moving further and further from the original project I had in mind.

So, after hearing that I'd won the first prize in the Yorkshire Ridings short story competition, I decided it would be a good idea to look around for another competition to focus my attention. And then a friend reminded me of this:

It's a fantastic opportunity for anyone who hasn't got a full-length romance out, to work with Mills & Boon editors, gain a wider audience, and perhaps even be published with the most successful romance publisher of all time.

And even if you don't write romance, only read it, the site is well worth a visit, for all the fascinating opening chapters that have already been posted.

Enjoy!

Yorkshire Romance

2011-09-20T23:54:00.000-07:00

After a break from blogging over the summer, it's nice to return with some good news. And what news!

My story 'Top of the World' won first place in the Yorkshire Ridings magazine romance story competition. From the moment they announced the competition, I felt it was made for me - I live in Yorkshire, love Yorkshire, and read and write romance - but I still didn't quite dare to hope for the winning place. I'd have been happy to be shortlisted and have my story featured in their beautiful, glossy magazine. I'm told the winning stories will appear on their website, though as I write this I can only see the winners of 2010's ghost story competition, so to read my story you'll have to buy the magazine. It's available on the shelves in WHSmiths in Yorkshire, and on subscription through the website (at the time of writing, it's a bargain at £10 for 12 shiny, fun-packed issues).

My story is set in one of my favourite spots in Yorkshire, the Chevin country park, pictured here. Oddly enough, it's the same location which inspired another winning story, 'Hide and Seek'. 'Hide and Seek' was about a girl adjusting to her new step family, while 'Top of the World' features a couple who've been together seven years, just to prove that romance doesn't have to be all about boy meets girl (at least not for the first time). I loved writing it, and am very grateful for the help that Doncaster Writers' Group gave me in tweaking the closing lines.

I hope you enjoy the story, if you get a chance to read it, and I'm looking forward to reading Lorraine Mace's book, 'The Writer's ABC Checklist', which is part of the prize.

A big thank you to Lorraine, and to the lovely people at Yorkshire Ridings Magazine!

Amazing Arvon

2011-05-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so... I haven't been posting much lately. Partly because for a week I've been out of the Internet loop courtesy of Arvon's beautiful, and Internet-free, writing house. I had a great time learning (by doing) about writing musicals. The tutors and participants were brilliant, the food superb, the scenery lovely, and all in all the hardest thing about the course was coming back to reality afterwards. I know I'm not doing justice to the whole Arvon experience, but believe me, the only real way to understand it is to experience it. If, like me, your some of your favourite things in life are writing and meeting cool people, there's really nowhere better. Go on, try it... you know you want to.

The picture below is Lumb Bank centre, once owned by Ted Hughes. I'm told the other centres are equally lovely.

Three of a Kind: Sci-Fi for Easter

2011-04-22T02:21:00.000-07:00

I know, science fiction and Easter aren't exactly a usual combination, but I've been thinking about it recently because of rediscovering Colleen McCullough's extraordinary novel, A Creed for the Third Millenium. Colleen McCullough is better known for writing The Thorn Birds, but she's an extraordinarily varied writer and Creed is a kind of futuristic retelling of the Easter Story, centring around psychotherapist Joshua Christian (the symbolism of the name is obviously intentional). Joshua accidentally hits upon the cure for a condition he calls 'Millenial Neurosis', and in his quest to bring the cure to the world, he finds himself thrust into a prophetic role which sits uncomfortably with him and his family.

Two other science fiction stories which loosely retell the story of Jesus' life are Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein, and Behold the Man, by Michael Moorcock. Stranger was one of my favourite books for a long time, and I'm still fascinated by the idea of the Man from Mars, whose upbringing among Martians has given him almost god-like powers. Behold the Man is an altogether darker story, but equally intriguing, as it tells the story of a man from the future who time-travels back to the year zero and discovers that the story of Jesus is not all it seems.

Three very strange books, but all with some intriguing points to make and of course a powerful story to tell (or retell). They're all good reads at any time of year, but especially thought-provoking at this time, when the message of Easter is so relevant.

So, sorry, this post isn't exactly all fluffy bunnies and chocolate eggs... but Happy Easter anyway!

(Easter card by Simon Howden)

Editing with Barnsley Writers

2011-04-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Another thing that's happened during the past few weeks is that I ran a workshop on editing and rewriting for Barnsley Writers Group. There were some great questions ranging from the very philosophical - 'What is a book?' - to the much more practical - 'How do you manage the pace of scenes?' They're clearly a very dedicated and talented group of writers, and I always enjoy meeting other people who share my fascination with stories. The handouts (available from the Barnsley Writers blog) only scratch the surface of what we covered, but one of them lists useful resources to follow up, so if you want to find out more, grab that one and pick out the books that interest you.

Some Great Events at Hull: Kate Mosse

2011-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm back online (I hate BT, did I mention that?), I thought I'd let you know about some of the great things that happened during my forced absence from the computer. Thanks to a suggestion from a new friend from the RNA, I went to hear Kate Mosse (the author, not to be confused with Kate Moss, the fashion model) talk about her bestselling first novel. The book is called Labyrinth (not to be confused with the film Labyrinth, which is one of my favourites, or the film Pan's Labyrinth, which I've never seen). I wanted to ask her whether sharing her name with a fashion model, and having a book which shared its title with a popular film, helped or hindered her marketing, but I didn't quite dare!

Kate Mosse was speaking at Hull University as part of a series of events, and was great to listen to, despite some problems with the sound system, which meant that the interview went something like this:

Interviewer: hmmmm mmm fmmmm bmmmm gaaaa?
Kate: It's very interesting you should ask that, because...
Me, under my breath to my neighbour: What did he just ask her?
Neighbour: *shrug*

Despite having no idea what the questions were, I found her answers fascinating. She talked with self-effacing humour about the journey from researching her local area of France, to writing a book about it, to finding the book an unexpected bestseller. One thing I found really interesting was that she felt writing 'Labyrinth' was a very private experience. At the end, the audience had a chance to ask questions, and although I didn't have the nerve to ask my silly question about naming, I was able to satisfy my curiosity about whether becoming a published, bestselling author made a difference to her experience of writing the later books. Apparently, it hasn't changed the writing process, but she's had to become more conscious of marketing and her audiences in addition to the writing. (Or something like that - I'm paraphrasing horribly!). She also talked very interestingly about how she uses her website to connect with her readers.

Next month, as part of the same series of events, there is a talk from David Almond, the author of Skellig, who's also a fantastic speaker (he came to speak to the Creative Writing Students at Bath Spa University when I was there). If you're in the area, do try and get along - I'm sure he'll be well worth it. I might even make it over to Hull again myself.

Why I love my publisher.

2011-04-19T02:09:00.000-07:00

I've been away from my blog for a few weeks, for a few reasons, both technical and otherwise. What better to return with than a celebration of my wonderful publishers? The Wild Rose Press is about to turn five years old - a ripe old age in the still-fresh world of e-publishing.

There are e-publishers and e-publishers, and The Wild Rose Press is definitely an e-publisher to be proud of.

Not only do the folks at The Wild Rose Press publish great stories (and no, I'm not only saying that because they published my e-book, Desperate Bid and made it available on Amazon too - they publish loads of great romances, including some by the wonderful Rachel Brimble and Rae Summers). They also make a point of giving lots of help and feedback to new writers.

Their blog Behind the Garden Gate is a must-read if you write romance, or are curious about what goes on behind the scenes at a publisher.

Oh, and they're really nice people too. This post about Agonising Over Rejections shows how seriously Wild Rose editors take their work and their responsibility to writers, as well as readers. This personal touch is so valuable in a world of push-button menus and form letters. Thank you, Wild Rose!

Three of a Kind - Troubled Families and Silent Children

2011-03-23T03:20:00.000-07:00

This week on Book It I'll be reviewing Diane Chamberlain's 'Breaking the Silence.' I found it particularly interesting that my picking up this book about a troubled family and a child whose response to emotional turbulence is elective mutism coincided with a very interesting discussion at academic romance blog 'Teach Me Tonight' about speech difficulties in popular fiction (which mentions, in passing, The King's Speech as part of this phenomenon).

Up until this point, I hadn't given a lot of thought to speech difficulties as a theme, but once it was mentioned, it seemed to crop up everywhere.

First I happened again across a book I'd read a few years ago, 'Overheard in a Dream' by Torey Hayden, the best-selling American author of a whole series of books on troubled children, including several elective mutes. Although the novel was a compelling and moving story, it didn't quite seem to me to retain the power and simplicity of her non-fiction books, especially the superb 'One Child'.

Then I came across a third book along the same lines, also from Mira, who published 'Breaking the Silence'. Like 'Breaking the Silence', 'The River House' by Margaret Leroy is also marketed with a 'moral dilemma' tagline, seemingly echoing the hugely successful taglines employed by Jodi Picault's publishers. 'Breaking the Silence' asks, 'Your husband commits suicide. Your daughter won't speak. Do you want to know the truth?' 'The River House' challenges, 'Would you reveal a secret that might solve a murder, but ruin your life?'

Interestingly, in 'The River House', the heroine is a therapist working with a mute child, but this turns out to be largely irrelevant to the central dilemma outlined on the cover, except to the extent that the theme of the whole story is the question of when to speak and when to remain silent - a question which is explored in different ways by all three authors.

Read an E-Book Week - My Favourite E-books

2011-03-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

Now that, thanks to the ubiquity of the Kindle, e-books are finally coming into their own here in the UK, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favourites. I'll admit that this is a rather biased list, since it is chosen only from those books which I happen to have read in electronic form, but still... here, in no particular order, are my favourite five e-books. If you're thinking about taking the plunge into reading e-books by contemporary authors, or you're just looking for something new to read, any of these is a great place to start.

Slightly Foxed, by Jane Lovering
A deliciously light, funny read, which I loved even more than her first, 'Reversing over Liberace', because this one happens to involve a heroine who loves books, works in a bookshop, and falls in love with dead poets.

Fire and Shadow, by Imogen Howson
I ummed and aaahed for some time over which of Imogen Howson's books to include, because I love them all, but ultimately the winner was Fire and Shadow, a very touching young adult story about two young people growing up with dangerous talents. Her 'Volcano' series from Samhain is also wonderful.

The Spell of Rosette, by Kim Falconer
Another magical fantasy, this time overlapping into science fiction, featuring an orphaned girl with a talent for magic and a world-hopping sentient quantum computer. A short summary doesn't do this book justice - it's truly beautiful.

I, Spy, by Kate Johnson
Stansted Airport's female answer to James Bond, Sophie Green is feisty, funny and forever slightly out of her depth in espionage adventures. The Sophie Green series is a much underrated delight - like a good box of chocolates, it's hard to stop at one!

The Arrival of Lily Curtis, by Rachel Brimble
This is the book that famously made me cry on a train home from Scotland. Elizabeth's parents have it all planned out for her - the rich, boring husband and society life - but she's determined to find her own way in life. Disguised as a housemaid, she goes looking for adventure, and gets more than she bargains for.

Read an E-Book Week - Free Books

2011-03-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

My lovely publishers, The Wild Rose Press, have some great giveaways for Read an E-Book Week. I've just downloaded half a dozen to add to my electronic to-read pile. If your computer/e-reader isn't already groaning under the weight of your wish list, you can access eight fabulous free e-books at:

https://digibookscafe.com/index.php?main_page=specials

Unfortunately, my book 'Desperate Bid' isn't among the freebies, but it is only $4.25 at full price. And if that's too much of a stretch, there's 50% off my two short story collections at Smashwords (full details are in my earlier post) making them just $0.99 each.

So there's an e-book for everyone, whatever your budget. Happy reading!

And thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences of e-books with me this week in honour of Read an E-Book Week. If you haven't done so yet, feel free to comment below. I'd love to hear your experiences, especially as after years of happily reading books on my mini-laptop, I'm finally thinking of taking the plunge into e-reader-land. What should I buy? Let's have your recommendations!

How to Become a Book Magnet

2011-03-07T08:00:00.001-08:00

I've posted several times about prizes, and in particular books, I've been lucky enough to win. The most recent book I mentioned winning was The Italian's Blushing Gardener by Christina Hollis - a fresh take on the whole Mills and Boon millionaire thing, with a lovely, reclusive landscape gardener for a heroine, a refreshingly rural setting and of course the requisite sexy hero with dark shadows in his past. Since, then I also got lucky in an online contest for a copy of Sky Purington's Heart of Vesuvius and a $10 ebook voucher - enough to buy several novellas I'd been drooling over for a while.

Having reviewed several of the books I won, it struck me the other day that blog readers might be just as interested to know how the heck I do it. Just why do I keep getting lucky where books are concerned? And it generally is books, although in the past I have been lucky enough to win a pair of jeans... oh, and a holiday, in a writing competition. But mostly, I win books.

Which makes sense, because I love books. I read a lot of books. I hang out with other people who read books. I talk to readers and writers in real life and on facebook, and I comment on their blogs. So if there are free books going, I generally know about it. And if you hang around with readers and writers long enough, and enter enough competitions, sooner or later you're going to get lucky.

Bottom line: if you want it enough, love it enough, think about it enough and talk about it enough, sooner or later, it'll probably show up in your life. Which shouldn't surprise anyone who's read or watched 'The Secret.'

A word of caution, though. Once you've started the process, it can be tricky to stop. The other day I cleared two bags of books off my overloaded shelves and took them off to the charity shop. Then I went to lunch with a writer friend who'd just been having a similar purge, and handed me a big bag full of her recommendations. Which was lovely - but now my shelves are groaning again!

Read an E-Book Week

2011-03-07T03:16:00.001-08:00

Did you know it's 'Read an E-Book Week' this week? I love e-books, although I don't think they'll ever replace print books. I love to hold real pages in my hands, but my luggage allowance doesn't love carrying a holiday's worth of reading, so I think it's fantastic that I can load dozens of books onto my mini laptop, which I'd be taking with me anyway. It's also a great way to try out new authors as e-books (at least from most specialist digital publishers) are much cheaper than print books. With Sony readers and Kindle readers and the free software 'Kindle for PC', it's easier than ever to read books electronically, and in honour of 'Read an E-book Week', I'm making two mini story collections available as e-books through Smashwords. They'll be around for some time to come, but if you buy them this week, you can enter the code 'RAE50' and get them at a 50% discount.

Click on the links below to view them, and don't forget to enter your code to get each collection for the bargain price of 99 cents (for UK readers, that's around 62 pence).

Tomorrow's News and Other Stories of the Future

'Tomorrow's News and Other Stories of the Future' is a collection of three short stories imagining ways that life might be different in a future Earth - or even another planet.

Love Now and Then

'Love Now and Then' is a collection of four short stories looking at love in the present and past.

Three of a Kind - Media Novels

2011-03-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever suddenly and unexpectedly found yourself reading a sequence of books on the same theme? I don't mean when you deliberately seek out books on a topic that interests you, but when you pick up a book to read and find yourself thinking, on page 3 or page 30, 'Well, hang on, haven't I been somewhere like this before?' The first time I can remember it happening was with a spate of books about book clubs a few years ago, and all three books had been published at around the same time. This time it was more unexpected, as not all the books are recent, although I suppose the topic is one of perennial interest.

It started with Toby Young's How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, which I picked up because the title intrigued me, echoing as it does Dale Carnegie's famous self-help book. I enjoyed the glamorous setting and ironic humour for a few chapters, but soon found myself losing sympathy with the main character (or with the author - it's hard to tell just how autobiographical this account of life in the media jungle is).

In contrast, the next media story I picked up hit just the right tone, but that's no surprise, since the book comes from the author of hit film The Devil Wears Prada. Lauren Weisberger's Everyone Worth Knowing follows Bette's foray into the wild world of Manhattan PR party people as she's catapulted into an unlikely relationship while she fights her equally unlikely attraction to a bouncer who turns out to be more than he seems. Like Andrea in 'The Devil Wears Prada', Bette is just the right mixture of gutsy, worldly and naive, and it's a pleasure to watch her finally finding her way through the Gucci and glamour and finding out what she has that's worth fighting for.

Much as I loved 'Everyone Worth Knowing', I was ready for a break from the media world, but then Snapped turned up on my doorstep, and with its eye-catching cover (a girl lounges by the pool in a staid dress and outrageous red heels) and catchy tag-line ('Is the It girl losing it?') I couldn't resist pushing it to the top of my to-read pile. Author Pamela Klaffke does a neat job of steering her insecure style-guru heroine along line between obnoxiously self-obsessed and endearingly bewildered by the youngsters who are jostling for her hard-earned position. As her well-crafted life falls apart, she finds herself leaning more and more on her new assistant - which turns out to be a very precarious position!

Now I really am taking a break from media novels, except to mention one more I've loved, but already reviewed last year: Nell Dixon's Just Look at Me Now. You can read the review here, and all four books are available on Amazon. If you've read any of them, I'd love to know what you thought!

Going Visiting: Find me at Kelly Moran's blog.

2011-03-03T08:04:00.000-08:00

Today I'm visiting author Kelly Moran at her blog. She has some interesting questions for me about my life and writing, including what it's like being a UK author writing for the US market, and what are some of my favourite books now, and from my childhood. There's also a chance to win a pdf copy of 'Desperate Bid' (you don't need an e-reader to enter, as it can also be viewed on an ordinary PC, so if you're reading this, you'll be able to read the book!).

If you enjoy book chat, come and visit with me at http://authorkellymoran.blogspot.com/

And thanks again, Kelly, for inviting me! It's always fun making connections with writers on the other side of the pond!

'Love Cuts Deep' - A Radio Play

2011-03-02T06:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the lovely people at Sine FM and Doncaster Little Theatre, my first ever radio play has been performed and broadcast. It's a fun science fiction space opera, although its origins are in a rather older story. If you missed it when it was first aired last week, you can now listen here - start from the beginning if you want to hear Sheila North (presenter of 'Book It') interviewing me about writing the play, or jump in at 7 minutes if you just want to hear the play.

Thank you again to Sheila, David, the actors and the folks at Sine for all their hard work in bringing my play to life. For a fiction writer, it's an amazing experience hearing your characters take on voices!

How to Attract Traffic to your Blog

2011-03-02T01:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I came across a link to this excellent article: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/19-tips-for-driving-traffic-to-your-blog/

The timing seemed apt as until recently I hadn't paid attention to my blog statistics, and when I did, I was in for a big surprise. The top two countries of origin for visitors to my blog are, not surprisingly, the UK and US. But the third... I expected Australia. It's an English-speaking country, it's a big place, and I have a number of friends and acquaintances there. But it's way down the list at number eight. Number three is in fact The Netherlands. Why? I have no idea!

Less surprising was the fact that February, despite being a short month, scraped in as the month with most blog hits ever. In February I guest posted on Michelle Zurlo's blog as part of her Valentine's week romance promotion (strategy #8) and was more than usually active in reading and commenting on other blogs (strategy #7). But the biggest change in traffic came about as a result of just one post entitled What is it about 'The King's Speech?'. Which I guess demonstrates why strategy #2 is 'Pay Attention to the Headlines'. Because just after I posted about the surprising popularity of this sweet British film, it swept the board at the Oscars and was catapulted back into the media spotlight.

After my accidental success with strategy #2, I'll be interested to see whether harnessing it deliberately is as effective. I suspect if you're not careful, it can come across as contrived, but when, as this time, there's a natural fit between the blogger's interests and the current media storm, it has to be one of the most effective strategies around.

What is it about 'The King's Speech'?

2011-02-25T02:41:00.000-08:00

I loved 'The King's Speech', but then that's to be expected. I'm British and my friends sometimes tease me for being 'posh'. I take an interest in public speaking and I'm quite an admirer of Colin Firth (and not just for 'that' moment in 'Pride and Prejudice' either). On the face of it, though, 'The King's Speech' is not a film you'd expect to strike a chord with huge numbers of viewers from completely different backgrounds, and even some of the cast admit they have been surprised by the extent of its success. So why has it been such a hit with audiences all over the world?

I don't pretend to have the whole answer, but I do have some ideas. Firstly, of course, there is the star-studded cast: Mr 'Wet-Shirt' Darcy, the hugely glamorous Helena Bonham-Carter, and the very talented Geoffrey Rush. Then there's a script packed with witty observations about the British class system, the monarchy and what happens when a maverick Aussie takes on the establishment - there's no contest, obviously!

But the biggest thing the film has going for it is the underlying story: if you like, the Hero's Journey. It's a simple enough story. The hero is faced with a challenge - to overcome his terrible stutter and make a speech. In the ordinary run of things, it wouldn't matter a great deal whether he succeeded or not, but since this hero is a Prince, soon to be thrust into the role of King, and the speech is his inaugural broadcast to the nation, it matters quite a lot.

You may not be a monarchist, but it's hard to avoid feeling some sympathy for the Prince who's always lived in his brother's shadow, unable to express his own point of view thanks to a crippling speech impediment. We may not know what it's like to be a Prince suddenly faced with the elevation to Kingship, but most of us do know what it's like to be pushed into a position for which we feel unfitted and ill-prepared, whether it's a public-speaking situation ('Oh, I can't do that presentation on Tuesday. Take over, will you?'), a management role, a family responsibility or something else entirely. And because we know what that feels like, we soon find ourselves rooting for the Prince and his unlikely fairy godmother, the down-to-earth speech therapist Logue.

When the Prince is finally goaded into finding his voice, it's about more than his ability to get words out of his mouth. It's about believing that he will be able to step up and accept the huge responsibility that's been dumped in his lap. It's about knowing that he deserves to be heard. I think that's why so many people watched the climactic scene with tears streaming down their faces. For anyone who's ever felt silenced or invisible, and for anyone who's ever been afraid that they're not up to the responsibility they've been given, the King's Speech is a reminder that, with a little help from their friends, even the most unlikely people can be heroes.

Another wonderful story - In the Shadow of the Volcano

2011-02-14T03:37:00.000-08:00

It's not often I find myself teary-eyed over a short story - it usually takes longer to build up characters and a situation that I care so much about - but this story by romantic novelist Imogen Howson had my eyes decidedly moist. It's set in the same world as her Volcano series from Samhain, and it's the heartbreaking yet hopeful story of how one woman learns to live with a gift that could kill both her and those she loves. Another definite recommendation!

http://imogenhowson.com/free-reads/shadow-of-the-volcano/

A story I wish I'd written

2011-02-14T02:00:00.000-08:00

I'm getting back into sci-fi at the moment, with my short story 'Tomorrow's News' appearing in this week's 'Book it', and a post-apocalyptic love story in the final stage of edits. So this story came just at the right time for me. It's a fairly quick read, beautifully evocative, and just made me wish I'd come up with the idea.

If you like science fiction or love stories, I thoroughly recommend Alone by Janette Dalgleish- available for free on the 'Literary Mix Tapes' blog, and as part of an anthology in aid of the Queensland floods. Great stories for good causes... what could be better?

http://literarymixtapes.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/alone/

Why we love romance

2011-02-07T15:09:00.000-08:00

It's coming up to Valentine's Day and love is in the air - so no wonder it's getting steamy at Michele Zurlo's blog. Every day this week, she's visited by several romance writers talking about what love is and why they love romance.

Today's views include 'love is being able to hold your partners hand as the years go by, looking into their eyes, and telling them that there is no one else in the world for you but them.' (Jenika Snow), and 'Someone you can live with, laugh with, love with and get through the rough patches of life with. Someone who's not afraid to see you grow and spread your wings, who'll support you in anything and everything.' (C R Moss). Beautiful.

Tomorrow, on 'Happy Ending Tuesday', I'm one of the visiting writers. Come and find out why I write romance at:

http://www.michelezurlo.com/apps/blog/

Penguin's 52 must-reads of 2011

2011-01-14T05:54:00.000-08:00

It's the time of year for lists, and I was intrigued by Penguin's '52 books to read in 2011'. While the books are sorted into categories - 'must read' fiction, healthy, wealthy and wise - very few of the choices are conventional self-help books. The 'wealthy' section includes the lessons to be learned from the life of a drug lord. Not quite what I expected from the normally staid publishing house. Why not check out the list and see what you think?

52 books to read in 2011great free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

Desperate Bid on the Radio

2011-01-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Exciting news! Desperate Bid has received its first radio review, on Book It - a show on our local station, Sine Fm, presented by my friend and fellow Doncaster writer Sheila North. The review is the first item, so you don't have to listen far to get to it, but I've uploaded the whole show and it's well worth listening on as it also includes a very interesting interview with Joanne Harris (author of Chocolat and Blue-eyed Boy), following a seasonal story by Sheila.

Yes, really. I'm on the same radio show as Joanne Harris. Woo hooooo :-)

Oh, and if you liked the show, why not listen to this week's Book It? Every week features an interview with a guest author, a review, and a piece of original writing, as well as songs chosen by the guests. Enjoy!

Pure Passion

2010-12-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

I've just seen the longlist for the Pure Passion award 2011 (the Romantic Novel of the Year award, to be awarded in March) . It seems a bit early in the year to be awarding the annual prize, but that's the way the publishing industry goes.

So far, I've read a grand total of one of the books: 'The Queen of New Beginnings' by Erica James, which I picked up on a recommendation from Angela Wren on 'Book It', and absolutely loved. I'd be tempted to say I'm rooting for that one, except that a number of others on the list were (or are now) on my wish list. Other authors on the list whose books I've enjoyed in the past include Katie Fforde, Nora Roberts, Elizabeth Chadwick and Christina Jones, while yet-to-be-discovered treats include 'Amazir' by Tom Gamble, who seems to be the sole male presence on this year's list.

You can see the whole list here:

http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/index.php/news/entry/pure_passion_2011_romantic_novel_of_the_year_long_list

I wonder how many of them you'll have sampled by March?

Getting Lucky Part II

2010-11-26T02:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a competition on Christina Courtenay's blog, and received a nice little goody bag of books from Amazon: Nell Dixon's 'Just Look at Me Now', Sue Moorcroft's 'All That Mullarkey' and of course Christina's 'Trade Winds'. My to-read pile has been shrinking more slowly than usual during November thanks to NaNoWriMo. However, I've now read all three, so it's time to report back on some great romantic reads...

'Just Look at Me Now' was first up, and I loved the sparky, surprising heroine Tia. Tia is the glamorous fashion editor of Platinum magazine, but she has a big secret, in the form of a past life as fat, frumpy Barbara. When school bitch Juliet shows up at Platinum and sets her sights on Tia's gorgeous boyfriend, it's a no-holds-barred catfight to the death. Tia and Josh make an adorable couple, but Juliet is one determined lady and so far life has dropped pretty much everything she's ever wanted straight into her perfectly manicured hands. So Tia, aka Barb, has her work cut out to keep hold of her man, her job and her hard-earned new identity. The glamorous setting makes this a must-read for glossy magazine lovers, while Tia's ill-fated attempts to cover up her past are reminiscent of some of the more enjoyable Shopaholic moments. For me, this book was Nell's strongest yet, and definitely sets her up among the stars of the chick-lit sky.

'All That Mullarkey' was another enjoyable read, this time in a slightly more grown up way. The heroine, Cleo, is a married woman - until one day her husband Gavin announces the end of their marriage by writing her a message on the bedroom wall. Stunned, Cleo responds to his bizarre behaviour by descending into almost equal childishness - going out for a drunken night on the town and falling into bed with handsome, irresponsible Justin. At first I found it hard to empathise with Cleo's childish act of retaliation, but as her feelings for Justin developed, I was soon gripped by this modern twist on a classic love triangle, and the story carried me along to a surprising but perfectly satisfying conclusion.

I'm not usually a great reader of historical romance, but I fell in love with the cover of 'Trade Winds' as soon as I saw it. With a clipper ship and an antique map promising new worlds to explore, and gilded scroll-work hinting at the exotic flavour which takes over from the initial dour Scottish setting, it suggests the wide-ranging, detailed historical stories of the early Phillipa Gregory more than the demure, domestic regency settings that seem to be all the rage at present. When I opened the book, I fell in love all over again, with the strong, independent hero Killian, determined to prove himself a success in his own right despite the disapproval of his wealthy grandfather. Killian meets his match in Jess van Sandt, an equally independent woman struggling under the oppressive regime of her new step-father. With a romantic sleigh ride worthy of Dr Zhivago, a clipper voyage so realistic I almost felt sea-sick myself, and an unexpectedly dramatic denouement in the Far East, the book richly delivers on the promise of the cover.

All in all, three great reads - I definitely got lucky there! Thanks, Christina.

P.S. Just the other day I got lucky at Minxes of Romance, so I have a copy of Christina Hollis' 'The Italian's Blushing Gardener' on its way too. Watch this space!

Remember, remember the fifth of November

2010-11-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was waiting at the traffic lights, and as I watched and waited for the lights to turn green, an unexpected flash of colour in the night sky caught my eye. Right in front of me, a huge firework exploded in a shower of ruby sparks. Beautiful! I love going to watch organised firework displays, but sometimes it’s even more magical when you’re faced with a starburst completely out of the blue (or black).

I love fireworks so much that I chose to set the grand finale of ‘Desperate Bid’ at a firework party. Here are a few tasters to get you in the mood for bonfire night…

Like a firework itself, the tiny spark of their idea had caught a fuse, travelled through the dark city, and sent a shower of fizzing, cracking light bursting outwards through hundreds of lives.

Tonight it was alive and electric. The air sang with voices and music from stalls and car radios. The hiss of sparklers and burgers grilling added to the fizzing atmosphere. Alex was exhausted, but he loved every second of his exhaustion.

Crimson stars exploded like dying red giants into showers of tiny white sparks. Pink fizz rained like champagne being opened, an endless flood of celebration. Circles of white lights danced in the sky and turned into a cascade of green.

Enjoy the fireworks tonight. Be safe. And if you have time, do take a moment to share your favourite firework memories. Mine include New Year fireworks over the lake at Disney World, and the Millennium fireworks watched from an attic window in Leeds. My firework ambition is to see the New Year fireworks over Sydney Harbour. What’s yours?

And the winner is...

2010-10-28T01:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I asked what readers would like to ask Alex, the hero of Desperate Bid, and this week, as promised, I put your questions to him. So here, in order of posting, are the questions and his replies:

Why do you like Sarah? What makes her special?
Sarah’s special because I’ve never met anyone else quite like her. At work she’s super-professional and very impressive, but she can also be really funny and gentle, and she has a good ear for music and likes some very cool bands, which I wouldn’t have expected from someone who seems so serious. She’s pretty, kind, and full of surprises, so life is never dull with her around.

In an ideal world, what would your perfect date with Sarah be?
I think our first real date was just about perfect – we went to hear a great new band in a local pub and just talked and listened to music all evening, then walked home together in the rain. OK, maybe the perfect date wouldn’t have the rain, although it did give us a good excuse to ‘get out of those wet clothes’ afterwards!

What T shirt slogan would you say was the most 'you'?
I’ve always liked ‘Pobody’s Nerfect’, because I’ve done some daft things at times, and you have to be able to laugh about your mistakes.

Am I allowed two? If so, my second one would be, ‘A balanced diet is a beer in each hand.’

What motivates you?
I feel like I’m back in acting class with that one! Well, Miss, my character is very ambitious but lacking in direction and not sure where he wants to go in life, so you could say his motivation is to figure out what he should be doing with his life. Although he’s easily distracted by a pretty face!

What's your dream? What do you want most out of life and what's keeping you from it?
Cheat! That’s three questions - but they’re good questions. I had to think about them. As I said before, I feel like I’m still figuring out what my real dream is. I guess I want to be playing music and performing and spending time with people I care about. Just now I seem to be my own worst enemy. I spend too much time thinking and worrying and not enough time playing and singing – and, to come back to the first question, one of the things I like about Sarah is she encourages me to be myself and do the things that matter to me. I’d like to think I could do the same for her, too.

Thanks, Alex! And thanks to everyone who asked such interesting questions. It’s been a hard choice and I wish everyone could have won, but there can only be one winner and this time – for making Alex both think and laugh – it’s Jane Lovering. Jane, a pdf copy of ‘Desperate Bid’ is winging its way through cyberspace to you now!

Getting Lucky

2010-10-20T02:50:00.000-07:00

I got lucky this week... no, not like that! I won a competition on the website of the lovely Christina Courtenay by sharing my favourite ChocLit hero - Ratty, from Sue Moorcroft's 'Starting Over'. So now I'm rushing downstairs whenever the postie arrives, in the hope that today will the day my parcel of books arrives. I can't wait to read Christina's 'Trade Winds' or Sue's latest, 'All That Mullarkey', both of which had been on my wish list, but hadn't quite made it to the top yet. Now they have!

Anyway, having been reminded how much fun it is to get something for nothing, I thought it would be nice to share some luck. This week's blog post was going to be a character interview with my hero, Alex, from Desperate Bid. Now it comes with an added bonus... post a comment with the question you'd like me to have asked, and next week I'll answer some of questions. And the person who posts my favourite question will get a free pdf copy of 'Desperate Bid', complete with the lovely Alex on the cover.

So, without further ado, meet Alex, a few chapters in to the story...

Hi Alex. Welcome. Tell us about yourself. What do you do for a living?

Urgh. Couldn’t you have started with an easier question? I’ve just changed jobs, sort of.

So what did you do before?

I worked in a high-street music store for a few years – it was only meant to be a stop-gap for a couple of months when I finished my Performing Arts degree, but I got a bit stuck!

And what about now?

Erm… That one’s harder to explain. But that’s what you get for deciding the solution to all your problems is to put your life up for sale on an online auction site! Now I kind of work for an event management company.

Woah, back up! You said you put your life up for sale?

Yes, that’s right. I know. Weird. OK, so I think a bit of alcohol might have been involved in the initial decision. And cheap imported beer at that. But, actually, I’m glad I went through with it. It’s not the worst decision I’ve ever made. If I hadn’t done it, I’d still be at the music shop, and I wouldn’t have met Sarah.

Who’s Sarah? Do I detect a hint of romance here?

I hope so. She’s really pretty, and a pretty special person. It’s complicated, though.

Aren’t all the best love stories? What’s the complication?

She’s kind of my boss. And my landlady. And she probably thinks I’m a total flake because I put my life up for sale. Which, let’s face it, is a reasonable assumption.

I’m sure you have all kinds of hidden depths. What do you do when you’re not working for an event management company or putting your life up for sale? Presumably you like to perform?

I do. I enjoy the theatre, but my first love is music. I play the guitar, and sing. Actually, I’m a singer-songwriter, although I don’t usually let anyone hear my songs until I know them pretty well. But I have sent a few demos off to record companies, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that one day you’ll be hearing them on the radio.

Best of luck, Alex, and thanks for talking to me today.

You’re welcome.

Now, over to you. What would you like to ask Alex?

Music to Write By

2010-10-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

If you’ve been following my blog or facebook posts lately, you’ll know that I’m lucky enough to have been featured several times on Sine FM’s book show, ‘Book It.’ One of the fun things about appearing on the show is having to choose a song to go along with the interview or story. Sometimes the choice is obvious – naturally, I couldn’t resist the 'Habanera' from Bizet's 'Carmen' to go along with my Spanish love story. Other times nothing too obvious springs to mind, and then I get to have fun playing with lyrics, titles and obscure connections – that’s how I ended up with Gerry Rafferty’s haunting song ‘Baker Street’ to accompany a review of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’, in which the protagonist, Christopher, is a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

It’s also always interesting to see what music other writers pick to accompany their stories. Some people write to music and pick their favourite writing music for the show, while others prefer writing in silence, but pick a song that, for them, evokes the mood of their story, or their feelings about writing (the Beatles’ ‘Paperback Writer’ has been a popular choice). I write equally happily to music or silence, but am hopelessly distracted by speech, so I rarely listen to the radio but I usually have a stack of CDs by my computer.

Since ‘Desperate Bid’ is a musically-themed book, it has a longer than usual playlist attached in my mind. The song I picked to accompany the launch-day interview on ‘Book It’ was an easy choice. Bryan Adams’ ‘Summer of 69’ is the only song mentioned by name in the entire novella… at least, the only one I didn’t write! I had great fun writing lyrics to imaginary songs for the band in the book to play, but the real high point was writing the love song which my hero Alex sings to the heroine, Sarah. Sadly, I don’t quite have the musical knack to get the tunes for these out of my head and onto the page, so readers will have to imagine them… unless there’s a composer out there who’d like to set them to music for me!

Apart from the made-up songs, 'Desperate Bid' features two other kinds of music. The band in the book is somewhat Gothic in nature, and I imagine their sound as a composite of the songs on the ‘Queen of the Damned’ soundtrack, while Alex’s songs are gentler and more acoustic, perhaps reminiscent of Phil Collins or Mark Knopfler. So even in this one short-ish novella, I’ve managed to combine a number of my favourite musical styles. Nothing classical yet, though – that one’s still on the drawing board, so maybe you’ll hear more about it in future, either here or on ‘Book It.’

Two treats

2010-08-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a wonderful trip to Dublin - the inspiring home of all kinds of fabulous folklore and literary delights, including the bizarre National Leprechaun Museum and the almost too-informative Writers' Museum. I'm hoping at some point to get to work on a folklore-inspired paranormal in the vein of Helen Scott Taylor's delightful 'The Magic Knot', but first I'm looking forward to preparing a piece on Literary Dublin for Book It.

On my doormat when I got back was a second treat: a copy of 'Romance Matters', complete with pages of photos and conference reports. Thanks again to everyone who made the conference so wonderful, especially as always Jan Jones and Roger Sanderson. Coming back to reality after a holiday can be a bit of a let-down, so it was nice to get back to this reminder of a wonderful weekend.

More on Dublin later, but first I must finish unpacking!

RNA Conference

2010-07-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've just been reliving the delights of the Romantic Novelists' Association Conference by reading the fascinating session reports on the RNA Conference Page. I've reported on the panel discussion 'Writing for the American Market', and you can also find out about all sorts of writerly subjects, from planning and research to submitting to specific publishers, like Samhain. If you didn't make it to the conference in Greenwich, this page is definitely the next best thing.

Romantic Novelists' Association Conference

2010-07-19T11:16:00.001-07:00

As always, this year's conference was wonderful. Met old friends, made new ones, and the icing on the cake was that my story, 'Bluebell Day', got an honourable mention in the Elizabeth Goudge Competition, judged by Katie Fforde.

Review

2010-07-01T14:59:00.000-07:00

Oh, and did you catch my first EVER review?

http://hea-reviews.blogspot.com/2010/06/review-desperate-bid-by-stephanie-cage.html

Romance news

2010-07-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Some good news for romance writers, and a mention of my book, from my friend Imogen Howson...

http://imogenhowson.wordpress.com/2010/06/24/quick-updates/

New blog

2010-07-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

With a new book out, it seemed like a good time to start a new blog. But I spent far too long playing with layouts, so useful content will have to wait... Story of my life...