Stephanie Cage - Writer

Squee!  And assorted other excited noises!  It feels like Christmas... for two reasons.  One is that seeing my book going out into the world always feels as exciting as opening a shiny new parcel and waiting to find out what's inside.  The other is that the book in question is the snowy story I've mentioned a few times on this blog... The Santa Next Door.  Although it's not officially released until early December, it's already available exclusively from Amazon on the Kindle Select program .  Look, here's a picture!  Oh, and if you missed the earlier mentions of the story, you can find a sneak peek into the snowy opening here and an introduction to the lovely Sue and Bryn here.

The Witness by Nora Roberts My rating: 5 of 5 stars There are only two things you really need to know about this book: I couldn't put it down, and it made me cry. Just in case that's not enough to convince you that you need to read it NOW, I suppose I should explain the reasons behind my love of The Witness. From the first, I empathised with the intelligent but socially inept heroine, Elizabeth. We first meet her as a vulnerable teen making her first foray into rebellion, and while most of us manage to dye our hair and sneak into clubs without drastic consequences, Elizabeth's rebellion leads her by degrees into a terrifying situation where she will need all her intelligence just to survive.  Nora Roberts has gone to great lengths to set up a character who could convincingly outwit a group of Russian gangsters and hack into top secret files, so that despite the high drama of the story, it never steps beyond the bounds of possibility.With such an outstanding heroin...

I was delighted when fellow Crimson Romance author Nancy C Weeks, whose Wednesday Interview I so much enjoyed, offered to return the favour.  She invited me to pay a visit to her blog to talk about keeping the writing dream alive, a topic which, as a writer and a life coach, is close to my heart!  Not only that, but she allowed me to share one of my favourite photos of the lovely part of the country where I live and work.  Thanks Nancy!  The link is below if you'd like to see what Nancy had to ask... and find out why dragons feature in the interview!   http://nancycweeksauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/keeping-dream-alive-with-author.html?spref=fb

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've found Jodi Picoult's books a little hit and miss in the past, and this is the first I've read in a while. I picked it up based on a friend's recommendation, and soon saw why they'd labelled it a must-read. There is nothing heavy-handed about Picoult's treatment of two big issues: gay parenting and choices about IVF and embryos (or, as the annoying lawyer insists on describing them, 'pre-children'). Her two heroines, Zoe and Vanessa, are warm, realistic, lovable but not-too-perfect characters, whose lives and choices we come to understand, not only through their present-day interactions, but through some superbly chosen moments of memory. I particularly liked the fact that we are even led to understand how Zoe's ex-husband, Max, becomes vulnerable to the homophobic church group that ultimately leads him to oppose Zoe in court for possession of the embryos that were frozen during their...

Today I'm delighted to welcome Crimson Romance author Nancy C Weeks to my blog.  Hi Nancy!  When did you first know you wanted to be a writer? I think I have always wanted to be a writer but never thought it was something I could do. Honestly, I didn’t believe I was smart enough to write a book.   I don’t know why I had so little faith in myself. When I meet people now and hear my words coming out of their month, “OH, I could never write a whole book,” I give them a hug ― because I’m a big hugger — and tell them that they sure the heck can write a book if that’s their passion. How did you come to start writing Romantic Suspense? Since I love reading the excitement of romantic suspense almost as much as I love the romance, I decided to begin my writing career in that genre. I throw an element of supernatural into the suspense to add to the conflict and tension. ‘In the Shadow of Greed’ has both paranormal and hi-tech aspects to it – what did you do to r...

So...  it's official.  My Christmas novella, The Santa Next Door, now has a cover, and I love it!  That's about it really.  Oh, except that if you missed an earlier sneak peek of the opening, you can read it here .  Now I'm just waiting for a release date.  Hopefully some time around Christmas...

I'm on the Book in a Week blog this week with an article about why every writer should attend a writing conference - real or virtual - at least once, and preferably once in a while.  It's great to get together with other writers to share ideas and information... but if you want to read all 7 reasons, come over and see me at http://www.book-in-a-week.com/2013/08/7-reasons-to-attend-writing-conferences/ By the way, if you missed my previous post about this year's Romantic Novelists' Association conference, read on here to find out why it was so much fun! There's even a link to Miranda Dickinson's fabulous vlog.