London Archives - Jessie Cahalin Writes

The magic of Covent Garden cast its spell on me.Having seen the brilliant trailers for The One I Want, I felt as if I had walked into the pages of the novel. Lynne Shelby greeted me on a balmy summer’s evening, wearing a sleeveless linen dress and flat strappy sandals. Laughter of revellers, in the cafes and bars, rested on the warm air. Bottles of cool wine sat on tables and tempted us to join the merriment.

Lynne:I am so tempted to crack open a bottle of white wine, but I want to watch some street theatre.

We stopped to admire some mime artists performing an entertaining scene behind an invisible locked door. We sat outside a restaurant and ordered sparkling wine.

Jessie: The cover of your novel is delicious. What’s the novel about?

Lynne: Theatrical agent Lucy Ashford falls for film star Daniel Miller and is swept up into his celebrity lifestyle. But can Lucy tame the A-list bad boy, or she just one more girl in Daniel’s long line of conquests?

Lynne grabbed her book from her bag and instantly read an extract to me.

‘Lucy, tell me honestly. Is there something going on between you and Owen?’

‘There honestly isn’t,’ I said, taken aback. Where was this coming from?

‘I’m notÂ attracted to him.’

‘Does he know that?’

Jessie: I love it.You get straight into the drama. How has the book been received by the reviewers?

Lynne: I’ve been so delighted by reviewers’ responses to the book. One reviewer described it as ‘a wonderful story and a really perfect summer read.’ Another said, ‘The story sweeps you away in a flurry of stardust that will leave you wanting an encore…’

Theatrical agent Lucy Ashford falls for film star Daniel Miller, and is swept up into celebrity lifestyle.

Jessie: Who would you like to read your book and why? Â This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.

Lynne: I’m always delighted when a reader tells me that they’ve read and enjoyed my book. One of my dreams is to have one of my novels made into a film or TV series, so it’d be fabulous if a Hollywood director read The One That I Want and thought it would make a good script!

Jessie: Why should I keep your book in my handbag?

Lynne: Because it’s an entertaining story that gives an authentic picture of the glamourous world of showbusiness, but it also shows the importance of friends and family.

Jessie: What is the last sentence written in your notebook?

Lynne: She goes to Greece. But why?

(I need to get the heroine of my WIP to Greece, but not for a holiday.)

Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?

Lynne: With so many books published each year, I think a lot of authors would say that getting your book seen by readers is a greater challenge than writing it.

Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?

Lynne: To keep on writing even if your first efforts aren’t all you want them to be, because you can edit a first draft, but you can’t edit a blank page.

Jessie: Tell me three facts about yourself.

My ideal night out is a visit to a West End Theatre to see a play or a musical. I love travelling, especially exploring a foreign city. Being an author is the best job ever.

Biography

Lynne Shelby’s debut novel,French Kissing, won the Accent Press and Woman magazine Writing Competition. She’s done a variety of jobs from stable girl to legal administrator, but now writes full time. She lives in London with her husband and has three adult children who live nearby.

Contact details:

Â https://www.lynneshelby.com/

@LynneB1

Â https://www.facebook.com/lynneshelbywriter

Â https://www.instagram.com/lynneshelbywriter/

Please see all my author interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

Boot Camp Bride

Lizzie Lamb

Having downloaded all of Lizzie Lamb’s books, I opened Boot Camp Bride. Remembering Lizzie Lamb’s Scottish romance books, I expected to be travelling with a man in a kilt. Instead, I was off to London with Charlee, a fledgling journalist. Charlee is forced to attend a boot camp to get a scoop for the magazine she works for. I adored the situation set up for this story – such fun! The author is very clever at painting her characters and adding poignant brushstrokes of humour and vulnerability. Oh my, Charlee’s anecdotes will chase away the winter blues!

Charlee guided me through her adventure, and I could not stop laughing. How does Lizzie Lamb manage to combine humour, adventure and romance? Charlee was feisty, fun, intelligent and clumsy – perfect. Undeterred by the alpha male, she managed to fight him with wit and stubbornness. Lizzie Lamb’s characters and style of writing sparkle in Boot Camp Bride. This romantic comedy is classic gold: it is the equivalent of comfort food and a good night out with friends.

The soundtrack track to Spectre boomed, as I read the opening chapters of Boot Camp Bride, and Charlee was assigned her first undercover operation as a ‘faux’ bride. And her ‘self- assurance and sassiness’ made this an absolute hoot. Charlee’s ‘off the cuff remarks’ constantly entertain. I adored this refreshingly bubbly style of writing. The wit and tension fizzed and bubbled like a good Champagne. At this point, Charlee would observe:

‘If she was beginning to think in clichés, it was time for her to put down the empty glass.’

However, I didn’t have a glass of anything. It was a joy to immerse myself in Charlee’s world. She spoke before she put her brain into gear and is charming, funny and endearing. Lizzie Lamb used her characteristic turn of phrase to describe that moment when one says the wrong thing:

‘As the seconds drew out, Charlee imagined she could hear the tick of the grandfather clock marking time: feel the chill wind of disapproval whistling round her ankles…’

‘He did a double-take when he saw the cow’s head slippers…’

This captured the moment perfectly! I think there is an element of Charlee in all of us. She is a very real, honest and intelligent young woman. Then there is the experienced Bear Grylls meets James Bond type hero, Rafa Fonseca Ffinch, but thankfully he doesn’t take himself too seriously. I adored the sparks flying between Charlee and Rafa combined with the calamities. Furthermore, the dialogue is superb, and the scenes were filmic in quality. Lizzie Lamb is very skilled at challenging stereotypes for comic effect.

The narrative hurtles at great speed while the humour awaits the reader around every corner. Even the weather manages to mock Charlee as ‘hailstones hurled themselves at the window aided and abetted by a cutting wind off the marshes.’ Clever writing makes this novel feel like a trusty companion – I loved it! It is the sort of book one can return to chase away the blues!

About Lizzie:

After teaching my 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large primary school, I decided to pursue my first love: writing. I joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, wrote Tall, Dark and Kilted (2012), followed a year later by Boot Camp Bride. Although much of my time is taken up publicising Tall, Dark and Kilted and Boot Camp Bride, I published a third novel Scotch on The Rocks in July 2015. It achieved Best Seller status within two weeks of appearing on Amazon. I am a founding member of an indie publishing group – New Romantics Press and have held an Author Event at Waterstones High Street, Kensington, London. The icing on the cake, as far we are concerned, and a fitting way to celebrate our achievements. March 2016 saw Scotch on the Rocks shortlisted for the prestigious Exeter Novel Prize and in November 2016 I held an author talk in London, at Aspinalls. In Spring 2017 I published – Girl In The Castle, which reached #3 in the charts. I am currently working on a novel set in Wisconsin – Take Me I’m Yours, and have more Scottish-themed romances planned.

Lizzie’s Links

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/author/lizzielamb
Amazon author page: viewAuthor.at/LizzieLamb
Facebook www.facebook.com/LizzieLambwriter
Facebook www.facebook.com/newromantics4
email lizzielambwriter@gmail.com
website: www.lizzielamb.co.uk
blog: www.newromanticspress.com
Linked in: uk.linkedin.com/pub/lizzie-lamb/18/194/202/
Goodreads http://tinyurl.com/cbla48d
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/lizzielamb/
Twitter https://twitter.com/lizzie_lamb
Twitter https://twitter.com/newromantics4

Tag: London

A Summer’s Tale with Lynne Shelby

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Perfect Antidote to the Winter Blues in my Handbag

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