A recipe for “clootie dumplings” and a lovely Scottish memory for St Andrew’s Day
St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and today, 30th November, is St Andrew’s Day – and I have the perfect guest and the perfect recipe to celebrate!
Lizzie Lamb is a Scottish author and her fiction is set in lovely Scotland. Lizzie’s joined me here today with a recipe for the fabulous sounding Scottish “clootie dumpling”. Welcome, Lizzie – I can’t wait to find out just what this is!
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I only have to unscrew a jar of cinnamon and I’m seven years old again, making my way home from school through the deep snow of a Scottish winter. But I don’t mind the cold because I know that there’s Clootie Dumpling waiting for me. Not Lord Snooty’s Christmas pudding, as dark and round as Guy Fawkes’s bomb – I mean Clootie Dumpling, its bigger, more substantial Scottish cousin, a cross between a Quatermass Experiment…
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Happy Birthday to New Romantics Press!!
Three years ago this month New Romantics Press was born, huddled together in the backroom of a village pub in the wilds of rural Leicestershire. Trembling with fear and trepidation, four fledgling authors launched themselves on the world …
Dozens of book launches, blogs, reviews, newspaper reports, radio interviews and videos later, we’ve embraced each and every element of what being an author in today’s multi-media environment entails; standing shoulder to shoulder, through drafts, edits, rewrites and great big gaping holes of self-confidence…
Yet at the very essence our passion, our need to tell our stories our way, remains. The highlight of our journey so far? Holding a book launch in Waterstones, Kensington. That’s Kensington, London -in case you’re wondering. We were hoping that Dustin Hoffman (who regularly shops there) was going to turn up, but alas he was otherwise engaged.
Ten acclaimed novels later … the dream is a reality and the greatest reward? Every single time a reader says: “I loved your book, when is the next one coming out?”
Happy birthday sisters, fairy Godmothers one and all. Cue music: ‘Sisters Doing it For Themselves’, and exit stage left.
So what are we up to ATM?
Here’s our news, hot off the press . . .
Adrienne? “I’m currently working on my fourth novel, Scandal of the Seahorse Hotel, a contemporary Irish American romantic suspense, steeped in mystery from World War II.”
Lizzie? “I’ve started novel number four – working title: THIS HIGHLAND MAGIC. I hope to publish it on our fourth anniversary November 2016. No pressure, then. I have a heroine with a secret and gorgeous new hero who has his own demons to confront. I’m keeping him all to myself until then, ladies.”
Mags? “I’m currently working on novel number three (as yet, untitled). Here’s the blurb so far – After her mother’s fatal car accident, Lexie Neave receives four threatening anonymous letters. Private investigator Forbes’s brief is to identify the writer and discover what it is Lexie has that’s “valuable, very valuable; which by rights is mine”. Lexie hasn’t a clue. Forbes’s preliminary investigations convince him Lexie is in danger.”
June? “Until October this year, I’d been playing out scenes, progressing the story in my historical romance set in 1960’s London and San Francisco, (all going pretty well, I thought!) Then, I went back to SF, imagination took over and the story just went whizzing off in directions I hadn’t expected! So now, here I am – hanging on, getting it all down!”
So, it’s happy birthday to us and a big thank you to everyone who’s helped us on our way. Christmas is just around the corner and what could be better than to find a copy of one of our books in your Christmas stocking? Diamonds, you say? OK – we’re on the case.
Happy Birthday to us !
Scotch on the Rocks by Lizzy Lamb
“Romance novels are birthday cake and life is often peanut butter and jelly. I think everyone should have lots of delicious romance novels lying around for those times when the peanut butter of life gets stuck to the roof of your mouth.”
– Janet Evanovitch
Life had too much peanut butter in it. I needed a birthday cake of a romance novel and, thankfully, Scotch on the Rocks was on the menu.
Why a birthday cake of a romance novel?
Well… because like birthday cake, you aren’t expecting nutrition from your romance novel. You don’t expect your latest romance or slice of birthday cake to make you a better person. And you don’t actually want much of a surprise. “Surprise – your birthday cake has nuts!” Is not something anyone wants to hear.
The comfort of predictability, reliable sweetness, a touch of decadence, and a great big pile of happy……
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Welcome – Jo Lambert, writer and her latest novel
Lizzie in interviewing mode
Hi Jo and welcome to my blog. Sit down, Jo, make yourself comfortable and we’ll begin. When I started out as a writer I think yours was one of the first blogs I appeared on – that was back in 2013. Can you believe it? How the time (and the writing) has flown.
I had no idea what I was doing but you soon sorted me out. Now I’m more savvy, I’m happy to repay the favour. So, tell us all about your new novel: SUMMER MOVED ON. Great cover by the way.
Thank you Lizzie for giving me the opportunity to showcase my latest novel,
Summer Moved On.
Jo’s new novel – Summer Moved On
It’s a contemporary romance set in 2007 about two people from completely different backgrounds meeting and falling in love. Jess Hayden is a middle class girl on course for university…
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Scotch on the Rocks by Lizzie Lamb
From the first few lines of Scotch on the Rocks we know exactly the kind of character we are meeting in heroine Ishabel Stuart. Brave and intelligent, her single minded determination could achieve anything but she may well antagonise anyone who crosses her path. Returning to her home island in the Scottish Highlands she is seeking peace and a new life after the break down of her engagement.
But first she must arrange her father’s funeral and she is not best pleased to find her Aunt Esme’s B and B brimming with guests. The guests depart, sadly taking Esme with them, but Issie still has to deal with the unwanted presence of a tall, handsome, charming American. Why is she so rude to him and what is he hiding?
On the face of it, we have the recipe for a sweet romance as conflict gives way to love but Lizzie…
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Do I write? Or do I ‘do my social media’?
Some shrewd tips from writers on how/when/where to promote your writing.
Scotch on the Rocks by Lizzie Lamb
Many thanks to Liz Lloyd and her fabulous blog – LOST IN A BOOK for reviewing Scotch on the Rocks today. She really caught the essence of the novel. http://viewBook.at/scotchontherocks
Teaser Tuesday
Thanks to Liz for giving Scotch in the Rocks a shout out,
Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
My present bedtime read is Scotch on the Rocks by Lizzie Lamb, a contemporary romance set on an island in the Highlands of Scotland. The story moves from humorous escapades such as:-
Lindy exploded through the back door with her silk gerbera looking slightly the worse for wear, her expression that of an angry wasp. “Issy…
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Life Cycle of a Writer – Jan Brigden – Cover Reveal!
Our lovely supportive friend Jan Brigden has finally become a published author. Fabulous front cover – off to pre0-order now!
Wow! Am I excited or am I excited? 😀
With all my edits complete, I can now proudly reveal the fabulously glam cover for my upcoming debut novel As Weekends Gowhich will be published by Choc Liton December 4th!
Huge thanks to BERNI STEVENS for the design. You’ve done me proud!
Blurb:
What if your entire life changed in the space of a weekend?
When Rebecca’s friend Abi convinces her to get away from it all at the fabulous Hawksley Manor hotel in York, it seems too good to be true. Pampering and relaxation is just what Rebecca needs to distract herself from the creeping suspicion that her husband, Greg, is hiding something from her.
She never imagined that by the end of the weekend she would have dined with celebrities or danced the night away in exclusive clubs. Nor could she have predicted she…
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New Book – THE HOUSE OF YORK by TERRY TYLER
Firstly, thanks so much to the New Romantics Press for featuring my new book here – it is an honour indeed!
Terry Tyler – author
It’s a pleasure to support a fellow author, Terry, and we have learned so much about the publishing world through following yours and Rosie Amber’s blogs (to name but two). So, fire away and tell us all about your new novel – The House of York.
The House of York is a contemporary family drama, spanning the years 1993 – 2014. A bit darker than my previous novels, it features some dastardly secrets and a smattering of murderous intent, not to mention a couple of inappropriate relationships. The story centres around Lisa Grey, a widowed single mother from a fairly working class family who meets wealthy businessman Elias York. Enter stage left: the rest of his dysfunctional family 🙂
The story was inspired by the events of the Wars of the Roses, though it’s not an actual retelling of history, like Kings and Queens and Last Child (about the Lanchester family, modern day Tudors). I hasten to add that you don’t need any knowledge of history to enjoy this book, though anyone who knows a bit about the Plantagenet era will recognise the York brothers, and others.
I hadn’t intended to write a sequel, but my test readers all say that the massive twist at the end made them want to carry on reading, so I shall be starting that very soon; it’s already begun in my head, usually when I’m doing things like cooking (cue overcooked vegetables).
I’m thrilled that the book has already gained some very positive reviews, and even more delighted that several people started reading it the minute it was published – the biggest compliment a writer can have. THANK YOU!
If you live outside the UK, you can take a look at The House of York here:
New Romantics Press is really looking forward to reading and reviewing THE HOUSE OF YORK, Terry. You may not know this, but we live in Leicester and recently, Lizzie visited the Richard III exhibition. Here are a few photos to get you writing that sequel. A turbulent time in history, indeed. Good luck with this and all future projects.
The stone catafalque which marks the place where KRIII was re-interrred
A detail of the pall which covered his coffin while it was waiting to be re-interred
KRIII statue outside Leicester Cathedral – recently moved from Castle Park.
A reconstruction of Richard Third. They now believe that he had ‘dark blond’ hair and are about to change the wig to reflect this!
New Romantics Press 