The Things A Boy Will Do To Get A Girl: Becoming Edward by Faye Meredith

Today I'm lucky enough to be joined by the fabulous Faye Meredith, author of Becoming Edward. I've read the novel and have to say I loved every second. At one point I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. Cute, funny and unashamedly British, this is a story I'd love to see on TV. It's genius!

Rachel’s hooked on Twilight and is in love with Edward Cullen. Clive is obsessed with Rachel but he’s no Edward. Lewis is in love with himself until he meets Rachel.

Both boys fail to win her until one of them has the bright idea of becoming Edward.

Becoming Edward is a light-hearted teen fiction novel for young adults who love paranormal romance, especially Twilight and Breaking Dawn. There are no vampires in it, but there is a boy who thinks he's Edward Cullen.

The author is a huge Twilight fan and explores what happens when obsession goes too far.

What will readers like about your book?

The lengths that boys will go to attract the girl of their dreams, even if it means dressing up like a fictional character and getting it completely wrong. Hopefully, it’s funny and insightful at the same time.

What inspired you to write it?

I was in Borders (which I sorely miss now it’s gone) and I saw a group of teenage girls sitting around the Twilight section, reading the books like their lives depended on it. I think Breaking Dawn had just come out and I guess they couldn’t afford to buy the hardback. A thought popped in my head: how would they react if someone who looked like Edward Cullen walked in? That’s where I got the idea for Becoming Edward.

Originally the boy was going to be the full package and be completely unaware that he looked like Edward Cullen. But then I thought it would be far more interesting to make him change into him. More importantly, what would make him want to do that? It had to be for a girl.

Do you have any new works in the pipeline?

Yes and no. I have far too many ideas. I’ve have about 4 books planned out but I can’t decide which one to write first.

Who are your favorite authors?

Gosh, so many. Here goes, in no particular order: Anne Rice, Suzanne Collins, Nick Hornby, Ian Banks, Stephenie Meyer, Ken Follet, George Macdonald Fraser, Philip Pullman, Roald Dahl, Terry Pratchet, CS Lewis, Eoin Colfer and Shalini Boland, of course.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

At weekends I dress up in rubber (no, not that sort of thing you dirty lot!) and go surfing. I’ve been doing it quite a few years now and have surfed in Spain, Portugal, France, the Canaries and chilly old Cornwall.

Thanks so much, Faye!

If you like the sound of Becoming Edward, here's where you can get your mitts on a copy:

Amazon for Kindle

Barnes & Noble for the Nook

Smashwords

How to Tame the Heart of a Hoodie

 It was the usual scenario – a bunch of hard teenagers hanging out in the park where we were playing with our young boys. We kept our distance, but I could still hear a few choice swear words.

My four-year-old had a balloon which he accidentally lost his grip on. As he watched it swirl away out of reach, up into the sky, he cried:

‘My balloon! My balloon! No!’

The group of youths all turned towards my son and his disappearing balloon.

‘Aaawww,’ they cried. ‘His balloon!’

There’s nothing quite as sad as a child who’s lost his balloon. Even the local hard kids would agree.

Free Ereaders Coming Soon!

I’ve been thinking about the publishing industry and, more specifically, about where the publishing industry is headed and what it will mean for readers and authors - the rise of ebooks, the decline of print books etc etc. And then something occurred to me. Ereaders will soon be free.

Of course they will. It’s blindingly obvious to me now. Kindles and Nooks and Kobo Readers will be given away or sold for a fraction of their current price. Surely the real revenue is in the thousands of books we download each month. If Amazon wants to sell Kindle books, it has to make sure everyone owns a Kindle.

Maybe readers will pay a monthly subscription, like a mobile phone tariff. For example: Get a free Kindle 3G for a monthly payment of $20 and receive 4 free downloads.

As authors, we might even be given the opportunity to opt in to the ‘monthly subscription programme’, where we receive a set fee each time a reader chooses our ebook as one of their monthly downloads.

At the moment, a lot of video games consoles are sold at a huge loss because the games themselves are where the money is. So it follows that the same could happen with Ereaders.

And where would this leave the author? Wouldn’t it eventually make more sense to go directly to the ereader manufacturer rather than via a traditional publisher?

So this takes me back to my initial pondering about where the publishing industry is heading. What of the traditional publisher? In the short term, print books will still be around, but if everyone owns a free ereader, why would anyone want a paperback? Aside from nostalgic and aesthetic reasons, of course.

As an author, I can buy in editing, design and formatting from freelancers, get it straight from Amazon or do it myself. Which means, one day maybe we’ll all be indie authors. Interesting times.

Author: Winslow Eliot

A PERFECT GEM

Bad things happen to other people. Not to us. Crista's husband says this often, right up to the day his car goes off the cliff, killing him. Then she learns he was married to someone else. She's fired from her job and evicted. She and her two children move to Tahton, the small town she fled 25 years earlier, vowing never to return. As she begins to recover from the shock of betrayal, his ‘real’ wife contacts her, looking for something valuable…that Crista doesn’t even know she has.

What will readers like about your book?
Any reader who enjoys romantic, suspenseful page turners I hope will like A Perfect Gem. My books are written for pleasure and entertainment. My greatest joy is when a reader tells me they stayed up all night reading one of my books. I write to make readers happy. I have a happiness guarantee on them – if you don’t like it - and you’ve bought it from my website – I’ll give you a 100% refund. J

What inspired you to write it?
Two things came together one hot summer afternoon: First, I was driving along a quiet country road after a fabulous encounter with a wonderful man - Bernie Fallon (author of 'Goodology.') At the time he owned the Public Market in my village, and he's very much like Gareth in 'A Perfect Gem.'

Then, on my way home, I noticed a small, handmade sign by the side of the road that said "Crystals and Gems" and a funny arrow pointing up a driveway I'd never seen it before, even though I know this road by heart! Of course I pulled in. There was no one around, so I went around the side of the house to a small barn in the back and there were these two odd-looking gentlemen with a barn full of the most amazing crystals and gems you've ever seen. (This is all true, I swear.) I spent hours and hours with them, touching the stones, learning all about them, sitting in the sun as I held one, talking about their travels... That whole experience seems other-worldly. Afterward, I tried to get in touch with them, but never saw either them or that barn again.

Do you have any new works in the pipeline?
Yes – PURSUED will be published in fall 2011. Here’s the blurb: “A storm–a disaster–a theft. When Kale Trenton’s most valuable possession is stolen, investigative reporter Leigh Gardner vows to go to the ends of the earth to bring it back. She chases every lead, explores every possibility, and hunts down Kale’s rival, Peregrine, to find it. How far will Leigh go to bring it back, and will she survive?”

Who are your favorite authors?

I have so many! Daphne Du Maurier, Georgette Heyer, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. But probably the author who has had the most influence is my grandmother, Ethel Cook Eliot. She wrote wonderful children’s books (The House Above the Trees, The Wind Boy). She also wrote teenage mysteries, way before the term Young Adult was coined. She’s mystical, romantic, wise, and, best of all, a good story-teller. That’s my ideal writer.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.
I’m a belly dancer!

Thanks so much for sharing a bit about yourself, Winslow. I'm really looking forward to reading A Perfect Gem.

If you’d like to learn more, here’s Winslow’s website and you can find her books at Amazon and Smashwords.

Winslow Eliot's Author Bio:

My greatest pleasure is entertaining readers with tales of romance and thought-provoking posts about writing in general, and poetry, teaching, and inspiration in particular. My free online newsletter, WriteSpa – Oasis for Writers, welcomes visitors from all over the world. Besides writing novels and my WriteSpa, I teach high school English (not sure if that’s a hobby or a job, or both!).

Fantasy Romance Author - Amanda Leigh Cowley

Soul Protector is a fast-paced fantasy romance. In part one of the Soul Protector series, Gracie discovers she can switch into other people's bodies.

Unaware she has a visible aura, she gets abducted by a monitor, Dan. He introduces Gracie to the world of Soul Protectors, but while she admires what they do, she isn't brave enough to embrace switching herself.

She falls for Dan, but finds he has hang-ups of his own. When Gracie does finally pluck up the courage to switch again, she uncovers a dark secret; one that shocks her to the core.

Hi Amanda! What will readers like about your book?

Soul Protector is a fantasy romance with twists and turns, so hopefully you will be hooked, but unable to predict the outcome.

What inspired you to write it?

I’ve always wanted to write a book, but when I tried in the past, I gave up after the first chapter. Then I had one of those days where everything was going wrong, and I was worried about a family member (illness – but they’re all better now). I just wanted to escape into someone else for the day and leave my worries behind – and that put the idea for Soul Protector in my head. The idea just grew and grew, and I couldn’t type fast enough…

Do you have any new works in the pipeline?

Yes. Part two in the Soul Protector series is my work in progress. I hope to have it available in digital format and paperback by the end of this year.

Who are your favourite authors?

I like Kelley Armstrong, Richelle Meade, Stephenie Meyer, Kazuo Ishiguro and Marian Keyes.

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

I have the world’s worst sense of smell. It’s shocking. I was on plane once, and when I came out of the toilet, the air hostess sprayed me with air freshener. I was a little put out to say the least – but my husband told me the gentleman who came out before me had left a really bad smell, and the air hostess ran off to get the freshener; no once could believe I’d wandered in, (oblivious), while they were all gagging.

Amanda Leigh Cowley lives in Northampton, UK, with her husband, two sons and a shaggy dog. In addition to helping her husband with the admin side of his business, ferrying the kids between football (soccer!) matches, and writing articles online, she has managed to fulfil a burning ambition to write a book. Soul Protector is her debut novel.

You can find out more by checking out Amanda's blog: http://amandaleighcowley.blogspot.com

Soul Protector is available to buy from Amazon and Smashwords

I Predict a Riot

Petrol is non-existent and there has been no food on the supermarket shelves for weeks. People are hawking produce in the streets and goods are traded as British coin is currently worthless. People want food, alcohol, tobacco and medicine. Pharmacies and hospitals have been emptied of stocks. Supplies, supposed to be on their way, just aren’t getting through to their destinations. Electricity, phones, gas and water are functioning, but only intermittently and people are hoarding bottled water.

We’re lucky to be in a small village and not a big town or city where there are riots and looting. It’s a surreal time where a person can be stabbed to death for a pack of cigarettes.

I know the London riots have been bad, but we haven’t reached this stage yet. My new novel Outside explores what could happen if things really did escalate out of control.

What are your views on the riots? Why do you think they happened and could the government have done anything to stop them sooner?