Large Print

Great news!

Miri's Inheritance is now available in paperback in large print. This format can be purchased from Amazon.com

Christmas for Romance

Two anthologies of romance with three stories in each book. Only 99 cents as a thank you to my readers. Hope you enjoy.

Romantic Memories

Sweet romance anthology where the reader gets three stories in one book. 

Misty Memories - Gayle wakes up in a man's bed and can't remember how she got there. What happened to her the night before? 

Visit from the Past - a woman's past comes back to haunt her, dare she tell her husband the truth? 

Broken Dreams - Fay waits for her true love to come home, but he brings another woman with him, how can she cope with the knowledge her love isn't returned?

Can be purchased from Amazon

Romantic Mysteries

Sweet romance anthology of three stories in one book.

Wyrd Fortune - Jenna must clear her name after two reporters write an unflattering article about her ability to read the tarot cards. 

The Big C - a solo mother has to deal with the stress of test results and how to tell her children. 

The List - two lists to help a young woman lose weight. One for goals to achieve and the other for temptations to stop.

Can be purchased from Amazon

Recipe for Romance - Available Now

RECIPE FOR ROMANCE RELEASED

Recipe for Romance has been released and is available from Desert Breeze Publishing.

The new hotel manager upsets Kirsty from day one. Reeve's high handed attitude makes her wonder if the accidents in the kitchen really are her fault. With the head chef on one side and Reeve Stuart on the other she feels as if she's being torn in two different directions.

Both Kirsty and Reeve feel a growing attraction for each other, but decide to put their feelings aside until the restaurant problem is resolved. Kirsty knows it is time to take action when the attacks on her ability become personal. How can she prove she is not to blame?

Recipe for Romance is a contemporary romance set in the beautiful scenery of New Zealand. Although a sweet romance, the attraction between the Kirsty and Reeve sizzles with tension. 

Next Big Thing Blog Hope

Today it's my turn. Unfortunately I had no takers when I asked other authors to join in the fun, so I'm afraid this branch of the blog hop will end with me. It's been good fun answering the questions and I hope you enjoy reading my replies.



The Next Big Thing blog hops from one blog to the next blog link for more a wealth of new and exciting books.  Some are still being written, some are just being released. Either way, for fiction lovers . . . it’s a treasure and I’d like to thank Marva Dasef for tagging me to participate.

The answer to my ten questions are set out below. Happy reading.



What is the working title of your book?
Dragon Ice. This the third novel in my Dragon trilogy.

Where did the idea come from for the book?
Basically I love dragons and this one has followed on from the previous two. Originally it was intended to be only the first book, but the other two pleaded to be written.

What genre does your book fall under?
This trilogy is fantasy for young adults. Fantasy is my favorite genre - adult, young adult or middle grade. Love them all.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Neisha looks like India Eisley while English actor William Moseley reminds me of Tane. I have no idea what these actors are like, but their photos are just as I imagined my characters to be.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Brought together in their dreams, Tane and Neisha must escape the silver dragons to fulfill their hopes for the future.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Published by an ebook publisher - Desert Breeze Publishing.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I'm still writing it so by the time I've finished, it will be three months then another month of editing.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I'd love to be able to say Anne McCaffrey but hesitate to put myself on the same level as this magnificent author. My book revolves around the dragons but they are unique to their environment.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
The previous two novels in this trilogy were the main inspiration for the third novel. It kept niggling at me until I knew I had to write it.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Dragon Ice is set on an alternate world and the dragons have their own culture and way of life. 

Fairytales can come true

Welcome Laurey, Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

Thanks Sue. I'm 26-years-old and a reporter at the Newark Advertiser, Nottinghamshire, UK. This is my first novel which I have self-published. It is available on iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, Sony and a few other ebook stores.

Fairy tales seemed an appropriate theme for me to use in the novel, as fairy tales reflect universal themes of social class, love, money, appearance, the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between - all resolved at the end with a happily ever after. I believe that every person on this planet seeks a happily ever after, whether they realise it or not or even if they don't really believe in them. One of the hardest parts though is realising when we have attained that happily-ever-after. What really defines it? What really makes us happy?

My story follows four women as they embark on that exact journey and face different trials and tribulations in their day-to-day lives to reach that ultimate goal....a fairytale ending.

What type of reading inspires you to write?

My inspiration to write comes from within – a simple desire to want to tell a story. However, if I’ve read a book that I was able to lose myself in, it only heightens my desire to get my own stories out into the public domain and give people a similar experience.

What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story?

A gripping beginning, an entertaining middle and an explosive ending – I also think the advice of ‘writing what you know’ also adds to the story you want to tell.

What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person?

There are certain voices for certain types of story and I adapt easily when I read all of them. However, I have found writing in the first person allows me to really get to grips with the character and understand what drives them as I effectively become that character.

 What well known writers do you admire most?

All of them – purely for the fact they have been able to write a novel and get published. Something I dream of doing every day! It takes a lot of will power, determination, support, love and copious amounts of coffee to create 300+ pages of a believable world, full of dilemmas and resolutions. Anyone who has done that, whether I enjoyed the story or not, has my utmost respect.

What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours?

I think all characters can be believable in the right setting and with the right motive. However, I have made mine believable by giving them a little bit of me. As I said, write what you know!

Deep down inside, who do you write for?

I write for myself. After all, if I don’t like what I’ve written, no one else will.

Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force?

I personally love writing. I love being able to create a world in which I can control what happens. The only conflict I have is with the clock, as there are never enough hours in the day to get my day job done, and write as much as I want to.

Do you share rough drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust?

I often talk my ideas through at people rather than to people. They sometimes join in and I secretly delight in the fact I have sucked them into my fictitious world. After all, that is a writer’s ultimate aim.

Do you believe you have already found "your voice" or is that something one is always searching for?

I have been told I have a particular style – sometimes the way I phrase things can be confusing to read, but it’s the way my brain works I’m afraid and it is something you get used to. I don’t try to write like anyone else, so in that respect I suppose I have found my voice.

What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.?

I am afraid I am naughty on this front and I write only when I feel inspired to do so (which luckily for me is a regular occurrence) otherwise I would probably write a load of rubbish that would be discarded the next day. However, I still write even if I don't know fully where the story is headed …sometimes perseverance has led me down a path I didn’t know was there and the best twists and turns have arrived in my plot.

As a reporter, I write every day anyway so sometimes I do find it hard to sit at my laptop when I get home - but the love I have for creative writing makes me settle comfortably into my chair and start typing.

What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate?

I’m a minimalist girl really so coffee and my mobile? I like to know if anyone has text me or tried to get in touch. I also have music playing in the background, loud enough to sing along to but quiet enough so that my creative thoughts rise above it.

Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper?

I write on the laptop, print two to three chapters out at a time and then correct any mistakes as I go along. Once the novel is complete I print it off again and correct mistakes. I repeat once more for good luck.

What sites do you frequent on-line to share experiences or information?

Facebook mainly – although I’m on Twitter, I’m not a Tweeter – but that will change. I will change!

What are you working on now?

My second novel! I’m quite excited about it as the characters are only semi-formed and I can’t wait to flesh them out and meet them.

What do you recommend a new writer should do with all those things written years ago but never shown to anyone?

Have confidence in yourself and share them. Stories are meant to told - they are born to be shared.

How and why did you begin to be creative?

I have always been arty – I paint, I play the piano, I dance and I write. It’s a magical feeling being able to express yourself in colour, in movement or even create a whole world with words that will be interpreted so differently by the people who read them. I don’t think you begin to be creative, I think you either are or you are not.

Your mind is your work tool. How do you take care of it?

By giving it the right fuel. Eating right, plenty of exercise and being generally happy. That is how my mind works best.

Do you have a ritual like retiring to a lonely place from time to time to cleanse your mind?

Writing is a lonely exercise in itself – any more time alone and I would go crazy. I love my family and friends and like to be around them. They cleanse my mind for me – and often provide great material.

Have you ever had a job that was so stimulating that you could not get your mind off of it?

I am a reporter for a local paper – my first job since leaving University. Therefore, I often think about the stories I have written or heard that day – and while it is a rewarding job, I can easily leave behind the real world for a fictitious one.

"To give birth to ideas." Is this only an expression, or are there really parallels between giving birth and creativity?

I wouldn’t know personally. However, I would go as far to say that conceiving an idea is like sex for the mind….the spark of an idea can be quite orgasmic and you enjoy the moment of having thought of it in the first place. The idea then grows and develops inside of your mind until you have to get it down on paper – a painful and laborious process. But when the finished product finally arrives, you feel so proud that you were able to manage the feat of creating such a thing. You feel your product is the most beautiful thing in the world. Therefore, I think the whole writing process is like a pregnancy – if only an asexual one.

What do you feel when, after two or three years, you see an idea of yours again?

Critical

Thank you for this opportunity Sue. 

A Girl's Guide to Fairytales

Tomorrow Laurie Buckland visits my blog to tell us about her new book A Girl's Guide to Fairytales. I have recently read the book and decided to do a review prior to Ms Buckland's appearance.

Four very different women who are good friends. Maddy dreams of her own company, but is afraid to take the step into the unknown. Claire's future seems bleak. Her nature borders on the obsessive compulsive and prevents her meeting any potential boyfriends. Issie is an actress, following in her mother's footsteps but can she prevent her mother interfering? Sophie and boyfriend Tom have just moved in together and their life is full of happiness.

A Girl's Guide to Fairytales follows the lives of these four women as their future unfolds. They each have their own chapters as they support each other through thick and thin, encouraging and advising when needed. The story travels through happiness, sadness, anger and despair until I felt I knew each woman as a friend.

When I first started reading I wondered if this was going to be a 'Sex and the City' type of book. The only resemblance to the famous four is the main characters are women. Other than this there are no parallels. Ms Buckland has taken her characters from real life with all their problems, heartaches and happy times. It's not only the story that grabbed me, it's the quality of the writing. I would recommend A Girl's Guide to Fairytales to any reader of light romance. A very good read even if you don't usually read Chic Lit.

Two New Covers

I have two books coming out in January and both covers have been done at the same time. Different but beautiful and clever in their own way.

A Young Adult fantasy "Dragon Flame" which will be released by Desert Breeze Publishing.
Fire breathing dragons destroy Talei's home but when she links telepathically with a dragon, he explains goblins are holding their females hostage. Talei and her friend Adri lead a group of teenagers to free the beasts. Failure means both dragons and humans will be destroyed.

The other release is a Middle Grade book to be released by MuseItUp Publishing
Reva fights evil in Fey with the help of a garden gnome, elves, griffins and a knight in shining armour.

Blog Tour for Blitz

My novel Blitz was released on 1st May by Desert Breeze Publishing and I started a blog tour on 2nd May also I'm the Spotlight author for Desert Breeze Publishing for this week on the Desert Breeze Blog

Follow my blog tour and be in to win a copy of Blitz. Locations and dates are as follows:

4/29/2011 Release Party at Goddess Fish Party Pavilion
5/2/2011 Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
5/3/2011 Grace Elliot--gripping historical romance
5/4/2011 BK Walker Books Etc. 
5/5/2011 Believing is Seeing
5/6/2011 A Chick Who Reads

See you there. Happy reading.

Sue

Party! Party! Party!

I'm delighted to invite you to the party for the launch of my
20th Century Historical Novel Blitz. 



Visit

Goddess Fish Party Pavilion 

and join in the fun.

Happy 2nd Birthday Desert Breeze Publishing

Today it's my turn to host the Desert Breeze Birthday Blog Tour

In my mind I imagined myself sitting in a circular room with no doors. Reflected on the walls were all the ideas I needed to put onto the computer screen. I knew an unfinished manuscript would not find a publisher. At last a ray of light broke through. I had been offered my first contract.

Further down the track a strange restlessness came over me. I had been treated well but read about other authors experiences. No support and very little input into cover design. Food for thought. Should I search for a second publisher? 

On the writer’s groups I read and asked questions of editors who were invited to answer questions regarding submissions to their particular company. There were none who specialized in sweet romance. 

A light appeared appeared at the end of the tunnel when Gail of Desert Breeze Publishing answered questions on one of the loops. Her company only published sweet romance and its sub-genres. Gail sounded friendly and her answers were very informative.

I sent an query email. Would Desert Breeze be interested in a novel previously published but now out of contract? Gail replied promptly and asked me to send the manuscript. I settled down to wait for her response. To my surprise she offered me a contract for Three Hearts within 24 hours. Her promptness, businesslike manner and friendly attitude were amazing and very reassuring.

Later I found that Gail’s partner Jenifer to be equally dedicated to presenting Desert Breeze, its authors and books in the best possible light. Jenifer does the cover art - and does it beautifully I might add.

I’ve never regretted my decision to sign with Desert Breeze. Thank you Gail and Jenifer for being so supportive. Desert Breeze will release my 20th Century Historical Romance Blitz on the 1st May. Leave a comment on my blog today you will be in to win an ARC copy of Blitz.

Velma’s large family refuse to accept she is now a young woman. She falls in love with Jack and her family discuss whether he is a suitable husband for their youngest sister. She is determined to show her siblings she is now an adult and can make her own decisions. 

World War II is declared. The engaged couple are forced to cancel their white wedding only days before the service. This puts a strain on the relationship between Jack and Velma. She must choose whether to let Jack go to war as a single man, or to marry in a registry office without the support of family and friends. Can Velma survive the worry of Jack being at the front? Will it be easier to cope if they are married.

Buy Link (as from 1st May):  http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-157/Blitz-Sue-Perkins/Detail.bok

Continue with the Birthday Blog Tour - Monday 25th travel on to STEPHANIE BURKHART’s blog at http://sgcardin.blogspot.com

Blitz - a 20th Century Historical Romance

Blitz - a 20th Century Historical Romance will be released by Desert Breeze Publishing on 1st May. By chance this release coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Blitz of Plymouth, England, the main setting for the book.

The story was inspired by my parents romance, but is fictional. However, I have tried to keep the historical facts correct.

To discover more about the Blitz of Plymouth visit the Ford Park Cemetery website or visit the actual cemetery (in Plymouth Devon) if you are close enough. They have an exhibition A Defiant City, Plymouth in World War 2 running from 20th March to 23rd April 2011 and a Blitz Memorial Service to be held on Thursday 21st April at 2:30pm in the Ford Park Cemetery Chapel.

To purchase Blitz by Sue Perkins please visit Desert Breeze Publishing from the 1st May onwards. Also keep watch for my Release Party and Virtual Book tour hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions.





Blurb - Blitz - Release Date May 1, 2011 

Velma’s large family refuse to accept she is now a young woman. She falls in love with Jack and her family discuss whether he is a suitable husband for their youngest sister. She is determined to show her siblings she is now an adult and can make her own decisions.

World War II is declared. The engaged couple are forced to cancel their white wedding only days before the service. This puts a strain on the relationship between Jack and Velma. She must choose whether to let Jack go to war as a single man, or to marry in a registry office without the support of family and friends. Can Velma survive the worry of Jack being at the front? Will it be easier to cope if they are married? 

FREE EBOOKS

Need something to read over Christmas, but spent all your money on presents for friends and family. Why not visit Desert Breeze Publishing? You will find my free read Broken Heart as well as many other free books by Desert Breeze authors. Enjoy.
Wishing you all very Merry Christmas but make it a safe one.

Three Hearts available in New Zealand

The ebook version of "Three Hearts" is now available from Whitcoulls ebooks for reading on the Kobo reader. It can also be read on computer or other ebook readers if they have the ePub format. At last New Zealand's coming into the new century.

New contract!!!

My novel "Blitz" has found a home with Desert Breeze Publishing. It will be published in May 2011 and I'm really looking forward to its release. The story is inspired by my parents real life love story. Although it takes place before I was born, writing it made me remember many happy moments of my childhood.

Coming Soon

Coming soon - well May 20th to be exact - my guest will be Shawna Williams.

Travelling on a blog tour to promote her latest release Shawna will swing by this blog on the 20th May.

Shawna's book No Other, set in the years following World War II, is published by Desert Breeze Publishing. Visit my blog on the 20th to read Shawna's article. In the meantime check out her No Other on the Desert Breeze site.

Three Hearts Release

Where has the time gone? It's almost October 1st when my romance Three Hearts will be released by Desert Breeze Publishing. I've done a video to celebrate the release. Go take a look and see what you think.

Classic Romance Revival

While erotica has its place, so does the classic romance novel. I am proud to say I am a member of the Classic Romance Revival group. No we are not prudes, the books we prefer are the ones with sensual lovemaking that enhances the story. Sometimes the hero and heroine make love, sometimes it's just the sexual tension between them.

Our new website has been launched so why not pop on over to the Classic Romance Revival site to find out more about romance at its best. Either follow the link to www.classicromancerevival.com or click on the logo on the right hand side of this page.

Here you will find details on authors, reviews of books, answers to any questions you might have about Classic Romance Revival and much, much more.

Three Hearts Cover

Check out my new cover for Three Hearts done by Jenifer at Desert Breeze Publishing. I think it's absolutely beautiful and really captures the background of the book.