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Sunday 16 October 2011

BUSY AS A BEE...

It's been a hectic few days. I've hardly had time to catch my breath since my latest Modern Romance for Mills and Boon, Weight of the Crown, was released in the UK. Thank you to everyone who has sent lovely comments to me via my website, http://www.christinahollis.com, direct by emailing me at christinahollis@hotmail.co.uk, or by commenting on one of the blogs I've posted as part of my Big Blog Tour. This has been my first experience of serial blogging, and it's been great. I've learned so much from people who have been kind enough to leave comments: from scrummy recipes to being directed toward some wonderful crafting sites on the Internet. 
If you'd like to take part in the fun, you can catch up by checking the sidebar on my dedicated Weight of the Crown blog tour site, http://rbpp-ch.blogspot.com/ where you'll see all the dates and venues. 
To whet your appetite, over the next few days I'm appearing with Kylie Griffin at http://kyliegriffinromance.blogspot.com/ on Monday 24th, then I'm being interviewed by Zana at LoveCats DownUnder http://lovecatsdownunder.blogspot.com/ on Wednesday 26th (because of time differences that'll appear a day earlier for those of us Up North) and I'm there to on Sunday 30th October for the deliciously named LoveCats Sunday Smooch! There, I'll be talking about - among other things - Lysander and Alyssa's first kiss in Weight of the Crown. I'd love you to drop by all of these sites and have your say - there'll be signed copies from my backlist for a comment picked at random from each one.

Friday 7 October 2011

Focus on...Rachel Leigh

Today I'm delighted to welcome UK author Rachel Leigh, who is giving us the low-down on her latest release Coming Back.  


The story behind the story…
When people ask writers where they get their ideas from, more often than not we have no clue – or is that just me? Having said that, I know where the idea for my latest release started at least. “Coming Back” came from a snippet of dialogue I heard in my head while ironing – I kid you not.
I was watching the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy when I heard someone say “I am going celibate until I find love. End of.” I knew whoever said it was young from the phrasing and I knew from her tone of voice she was struggling to be heard. Someone was either making fun of her or at least taking her claim with a note of derision.
That’s how a lot of stories start for me. I usually get to hear a character’s voice in my head either telling me their problem, or what they want or, like the character who eventually became Kelly Hampton, wanting to start a new phase in their lives.

Storytelling is about a journey, a protagonist’s change as they work through problems and obstacles, and in romance, finding a love that will last the rest of their lives. I love my job and hope I can do it forever.
Excerpt from “Coming Back”
Kelly Hampton looked along the line of faces sitting at her bar, her body humming with frustration. “What? I mean it.”
Silence. 
Narrowing her eyes, she planted her fists on her hips and waited. So she’d lived in Jessop Hill, a sleepy town in rural England, all her life. So these men looking at her with such reservation might have known her since she was an eight-year-old kid running around the fields, climbing trees with muddy knees and scraped elbows…didn’t mean they knew her, right? Twenty years on, Kelly owned the bar they needed more than their beds, so they better listen up before she kicked them out on their asses.
 “No more sex,” she said. “Nada. I will be celibate for the foreseeable future and that’s final.”
Another long moment passed, the only sound in the bar was Bryan Adams rasping about heaven and wanting nothing else but his baby - before Len, Kelly’s surrogate father and general all-round protector, picked up his pint of beer and sniffed.
“Yeah, right.”
Like the ‘joined-at-the hip’ drinking buddies they were, the four regulars looked at each other before emitting a barrage of dismissive male laughter.
“Fine.” Kelly slapped a cloth up and down a two feet space of the bar. “I’ll show you. I’ll show all of you. I’ve had enough with the wasters and idiots who want nothing more than to cop a feel. From now on, it’s commitment or nothin. Either they want a lasting relationship or they’re out. No negotiation.”
Bio
Rachel Leigh lives in the UK and is married to her own sexy hero.  With two erotic romance novellas published and numerous short stories in UK national magazines, Rachel loves her job. Her next novella is about two Brits living in Greece…where things get hot, hot, hot!
When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, watching American TV dramas. running around after her two daughters….or playing with her husband.

Thanks for blogging today, Rachel, and best of luck with Coming Back.