Author Guest Post
A Day In The Life Of Nicky Wells, Author
Now that the truth is out and the world knows about my secret life as an author, I often get asked, when do you manage to fit that in? The answer used to be, at night, when the kids are asleep. But since signing with Sapphire Star Publishing, writing has actually become my day job. Nonetheless, I have another day job that competes for my attention: my kids and family. So how do I fit all together?
6:00 The alarm clock goes off for my husband to rise and shine. While he huffs and puffs and dithers about getting up, I drag my weary self out of bed and get going.
6:20 Having put a load of washing into the washing machine, I arrive downstairs in my office and switch on the computer. First task for my still bleary-eyed self: check email, blog, Twitter and Facebook.
7:00 Mummy mode. Roll on mad whirl of breakfasting, dressing and preparing two boys to get ready for school. Collect up book bags, homework, lunch boxes, drinks, PE kits and such like.
9:10 Author mode: write, write, write. Or, depending on stage in the process, edit, edit, edit. Or work on blog tour. Or whatever else is required at the time. This time slot is my creative time and it is absolutely sacrosanct. I won't answer the phone or the doorbell, go on the Internet, do housework or anything other than creative stuff.
12:30 Time for lunch! I unchain myself from the computer and have my lunch away from the office.
1:00 Social time! The post-launch weary time slot is dedicated to catching up on email, Facebook, Twitter, my blog and other non-creative tasks.
2:00 Back to author mode; get in another hour or so of creative time.
3:30 Mummy mode and family time: collect boys from school, make dinner, help with homework, play games. That's a lot of time spent away from my work, yet my brain will keep ticking over! I've learned to have a notebook handy to jot down ideas that come to me when I'm in the middle of something else.
8:00 Sit down with husband and a glass of wine. Not yet! Most of the time, I'll probably put in another wee little hour on the computer, either to act on ideas that will have popped into my head during the day or to catch up on social networking sites again.
9:00 Definitely sit down with husband and a glass of wine. Occasionally indulge in favorite TV shows, currently oscillating between The Mentalist and Castle.
10:30 Time for bed. Thank goodness for that, because I can barely keep my eyes open ...[yawns widely]. G'night!
And that, my friends, is roughly how it all fits together. It's pretty full on, but it's fun, and at the end of the day, it's up to me. If I feel like a day off, I shall have a day off. Rock on!
About The Author
Rock On! Nicky Wells writes fun and glamorous contemporary romance featuring a rock star
and the girl next door. Her debut novel, Sophie's Turn, is the first part in her Rock Star Romance
Trilogy. Not unlike Sophie, her heroine, Nicky loves rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters.
When she’s not writing, Nicky is a wife, mother, and teaching assistant. Nicky is also a featured
author on the innovative reader/author project, lovehappyending.com.
Originally born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993, and currently lives
in Bristol with her husband and two boys. In a previous professional life, Nicky worked as a
researcher and project manager for an international Human Resources research firm based in
London and Washington, D.C.
Visit Nicky on her blog where you can find articles, interviews, radio interviews and, of course,
an ongoing update on her work in progress, the second and third parts of the Rock Star
Romance Trilogy. You can also follow Nicky on Twitter and find her on Facebook.
Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway
Win An eBook Copy Of Sophie's Turn
Book Review
Sophie's Turn by Nicky Wells
Publisher: Sapphire Star Publishing
Publication Date: September 6, 2012
Format: Paperback - 424 pages / Kindle - 580 KB
ISBN: 1938404203
ASIN: B00961HXC2
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Chick Lit / Women's Fiction
BUY THE BOOK: Sophie's Turn
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Reading Addiction Blog Tours.
Book Description:
Slapper. Slut. Adulteress. These are hardly words that Sophie Penhalligan would
normally use to describe herself. Yet this is exactly how she is behaving, all things considered,
even if she isn’t quite married to Tim yet. And it’s all happening because her past is coming to
tempt her! Nine years ago, she met her teenage idol and rock star extraordinaire, Dan, up close
and personal. Well, almost. Now Dan has crash-landed back in her life. How could Tim ever
stand a chance against the charming, handsome singer? How could she?
Book Excerpt:
“What the hell is going on here?” I hissed, trying to prevent others from hearing our exchange.
“Oh, Sophie, Dan’s turned up. Isn’t it amazing?” she beamed at me.
“I can see that,” I kept hissing, “But what is he doing here?”
Rachel was quite drunk herself and looked at me with those bleary eyes that usually meant she was up to no good. “Sophie,” she declared solemnly and rather loudly, “you have broken the man’s heart. He has come to reclaim you.” She wobbled unsteadily and I gripped her arm. Usually one to hold her liquor, party-girl Rachel had clearly gone too far tonight.
“Shshshshshshshsh!” I admonished. “Will you keep your voice down? What are you talking about?”
“Dan is completely besotted with you, and he said he couldn’t bear the thought of you getting engaged to Tim so he had to…hic…come and check him out…hic!” Oh God, she had the hiccups. She would have to spend the night in the guest room. Once Rachel got the hiccups, she was beyond salvation. I gave her twenty minutes before she collapsed. I had to extract critical information fast.
“Why did you introduce him to Tim?” I continued my interrogation. “Couldn’t you have sent him away?”
“Oooh noo, Sophie. I couldn’t turn this lovely, heartbroken man away.” She looked at me with big, innocent, and totally unfocused eyes. “In fact, we were just looking for you. You seemed to have… hic… hic… hic…disapp-hic-eared.”
"What did you say to Tim about who Dan was?” I needed to know.
“That he was Dan, of course. Your boy-hic-friend from Tusk!” She dropped this bombshell completely nonchalantly.
“You what?” I squeaked. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Noooo, I’m s-hic-erious! Ti-hic-im thought it was very funny. Hic.”
I wrung my hands and barely prevented myself from tearing at my hair. If Tim had thought it was funny, he must have thought Rachel was being facetious or winding him up. He had seen her drunk before (and the experience hadn’t done anything to endear her to him in any way), so it was likely that he hadn’t paid the slightest bit of heed to the truth she was spouting. But I had to move, and fast.
“You,” I said to Rachel, grabbing her by the shoulders and steering her toward the stairs. “You have had enough to drink. You are going to bed.”
“I hic-am?” Rachel asked, surprised.
“Indeed,” I confirmed grimly and marched her up the stairs. “Right, here you are. Guest room. Bed. Now.” I propelled her forward and she flopped on the bed like a rag doll.
“Very ti-hic-hic-red,” she mumbled before passing out.
I, on the other hand, had sobered up dramatically and had only one thought left: damage limitation. I blundered back downstairs, racing quite unladylike in my high heels, and skidded to a halt in the lounge. There they were, companionably sitting in front of the stereo, playing DJ.
I clattered across the floor, grabbing a bottle of champers and three glasses off a table as I went. Tim looked up, and then sprang to his feet.
“And here she is,” he announced to Dan with no small measure of proprietary pride. “Doesn’t she look gorgeous?”
Dan rose to his feet, somewhat unsteadily, and looked me up and down. A sad smile played on his face for just the briefest of moments.
“She looks stunning, indeed. Congratulations to you both.” He walked over to me and planted a chaste kiss on my cheek. “Well done,” he said softly, and Tim beamed gratefully, completely unaware that the comment was aimed solely at me. In fact, he seemed completely besotted by Dan’s manly, famous presence.
“Dan here and I were just discussing rock music,” he informed me as though Dan were his new best friend.
I shuddered for a moment. God forbid.
“Dan has some very interesting views about the movement, you know?”
I winced and smiled a secret apologetic smile at Dan, but he was too drunk to notice anything patronizing in Tim’s comment. I had to separate the two before things got out of hand. Luckily, one of our other guests absolved me of thinking up more ruses by descending on Tim and whisking him away to the kitchen.
Dan and I regarded each other in silence.
“You do look beautiful,” Dan repeated, suddenly sounding a whole lot more sober.
I wanted to cry. “What are you doing here?” I whispered, not trusting my voice.
“I don’t really know,” he acknowledged. “I just felt…lonely. At a loose end. I had to see you and convince myself that…well, that it really is too late. You know?”
I was simultaneously touched and petrified. “I thought we’d agreed…,” I started, but Dan interrupted immediately.
“Oh, Sophie, Dan’s turned up. Isn’t it amazing?” she beamed at me.
“I can see that,” I kept hissing, “But what is he doing here?”
Rachel was quite drunk herself and looked at me with those bleary eyes that usually meant she was up to no good. “Sophie,” she declared solemnly and rather loudly, “you have broken the man’s heart. He has come to reclaim you.” She wobbled unsteadily and I gripped her arm. Usually one to hold her liquor, party-girl Rachel had clearly gone too far tonight.
“Shshshshshshshsh!” I admonished. “Will you keep your voice down? What are you talking about?”
“Dan is completely besotted with you, and he said he couldn’t bear the thought of you getting engaged to Tim so he had to…hic…come and check him out…hic!” Oh God, she had the hiccups. She would have to spend the night in the guest room. Once Rachel got the hiccups, she was beyond salvation. I gave her twenty minutes before she collapsed. I had to extract critical information fast.
“Why did you introduce him to Tim?” I continued my interrogation. “Couldn’t you have sent him away?”
“Oooh noo, Sophie. I couldn’t turn this lovely, heartbroken man away.” She looked at me with big, innocent, and totally unfocused eyes. “In fact, we were just looking for you. You seemed to have… hic… hic… hic…disapp-hic-eared.”
"What did you say to Tim about who Dan was?” I needed to know.
“That he was Dan, of course. Your boy-hic-friend from Tusk!” She dropped this bombshell completely nonchalantly.
“You what?” I squeaked. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Noooo, I’m s-hic-erious! Ti-hic-im thought it was very funny. Hic.”
I wrung my hands and barely prevented myself from tearing at my hair. If Tim had thought it was funny, he must have thought Rachel was being facetious or winding him up. He had seen her drunk before (and the experience hadn’t done anything to endear her to him in any way), so it was likely that he hadn’t paid the slightest bit of heed to the truth she was spouting. But I had to move, and fast.
“You,” I said to Rachel, grabbing her by the shoulders and steering her toward the stairs. “You have had enough to drink. You are going to bed.”
“I hic-am?” Rachel asked, surprised.
“Indeed,” I confirmed grimly and marched her up the stairs. “Right, here you are. Guest room. Bed. Now.” I propelled her forward and she flopped on the bed like a rag doll.
“Very ti-hic-hic-red,” she mumbled before passing out.
I, on the other hand, had sobered up dramatically and had only one thought left: damage limitation. I blundered back downstairs, racing quite unladylike in my high heels, and skidded to a halt in the lounge. There they were, companionably sitting in front of the stereo, playing DJ.
I clattered across the floor, grabbing a bottle of champers and three glasses off a table as I went. Tim looked up, and then sprang to his feet.
“And here she is,” he announced to Dan with no small measure of proprietary pride. “Doesn’t she look gorgeous?”
Dan rose to his feet, somewhat unsteadily, and looked me up and down. A sad smile played on his face for just the briefest of moments.
“She looks stunning, indeed. Congratulations to you both.” He walked over to me and planted a chaste kiss on my cheek. “Well done,” he said softly, and Tim beamed gratefully, completely unaware that the comment was aimed solely at me. In fact, he seemed completely besotted by Dan’s manly, famous presence.
“Dan here and I were just discussing rock music,” he informed me as though Dan were his new best friend.
I shuddered for a moment. God forbid.
“Dan has some very interesting views about the movement, you know?”
I winced and smiled a secret apologetic smile at Dan, but he was too drunk to notice anything patronizing in Tim’s comment. I had to separate the two before things got out of hand. Luckily, one of our other guests absolved me of thinking up more ruses by descending on Tim and whisking him away to the kitchen.
Dan and I regarded each other in silence.
“You do look beautiful,” Dan repeated, suddenly sounding a whole lot more sober.
I wanted to cry. “What are you doing here?” I whispered, not trusting my voice.
“I don’t really know,” he acknowledged. “I just felt…lonely. At a loose end. I had to see you and convince myself that…well, that it really is too late. You know?”
I was simultaneously touched and petrified. “I thought we’d agreed…,” I started, but Dan interrupted immediately.
My Book Review:
One woman ... two very different men ... two proposals ... which one does she choose?
Sophie Penhalligan is a twenty-eight year old London newspaper journalist who has been in a two year relationship with the safe and steady accountant Tim, who has finally proposed to her. But then along comes a blast from the past when her teen idol and rock star heartthrob Dan Hunter from the band Tusk comes back into her life after ten years and proposes to her too! Sophie accepts both of their proposals and finds herself in a dilemma ... what's a girl to do?
Sophie's Turn is a sassy fun rockin' romance story that will keep your toes tapping! Written in a witty and humorous style and told in the first person narrative by Sophie, the reader is drawn into her romance story with two very different men, and the journey she embarks on to make a choice of which one will be the man of her dreams. The story is split into three sections: the first section is a flashback to how Sophie got herself into the dilemma of being engaged to two men at the same time; the second section is about the progression of Sophie's relationships with both men; the third section is about the dilemma and how Sophie gets herself out of the predicament and the decision she makes at the end. I really enjoyed how the author weaves this romantic tale within the three sections, it flows smoothly and has a nice balance of humor, emotion and romance in the mix, with so many twists and turns that will keep you guessing how it will turn out for Sophie, Tim and Dan.
The author has created a great cast of characters who are realistic, engaging and easy for the reader to relate to. You can't help but feel for Sophie, she's a sincere woman who battles with her conscience over the dilemma she finds herself in and agonizes over a decision, come on if you had two men in love with you could you make an easy decision? Luckily Sophie has a valuable BFF in Rachel who stands by her ready to listen, give advice and provide a shoulder to lean on. Then we have the two men: steady, dependable and anal accountant Tim; and sexy rock star Dan ... each have qualities that are appealing ... but what's a girl to do when she has to choose one or the other? As I followed Sophie's story, I found myself swaying back and forth between Tim and Dan, I'm glad I wasn't in Sophie's shoes because I don't know how I would make my choice.
Rich in detail and descriptions of the music scene and European settings, with witty character dialogue and interactions, passionate romance scenes, and a completely unpredictable ending, makes Sophie's Turn one heck of an entertaining read!
Sophie's Turn is the author's debut novel and first installment in the Rock Star Romance Trilogy. This modern day romance will captivate you from the start, keep you rockin' as you turn the pages and leave you wanting more!
RATING: 5 STARS *****
Kathleen, wow! Thank you so much, first of all, for hosting me and Sophie's Turn as part of my launch tour. It's such fun to be here, and I hope your readers will enjoy a glimpse into this here author's daily routine.
ReplyDeleteThank you also for your amazing review and your detailed thoughts on Sophie's Turn. It means everything to me when a reader connects with my book in such a manner, and it's absolutely the best reward there is. :-) *happy dance*
Here's wishing good luck to all giveaway entrants... and rock on! xx
Hi Nicky! Thank you for the opportunity to read, review and host your virtual book tour event. I loved Sophie's Turn, and I look forward to reading book 2 in the trilogy. :)
DeleteYay!! Wow, what a fabulous, fabulous review! Well done, Nicky! You must be on cloud nine (I would be!). I loved your interview, too (actually felt exhausted reading it ;) Oh, and I adore this site, Kathleen. Sooo pretty. :) xx
ReplyDeleteTotally am on cloud 9. **Sings** I am sailing... I am sailing... **screeches to halt** Oops, wrong song! Thanks for visiting and sharing my excitement, Sheryl. And isn't it just the prettiest blog? So glad you connected. X
DeleteHi Sheryl! Thank you for stopping by and visiting with Nicky! Thank you for your kind comments, I appreciate it. :)
DeleteCongratulations Nicky! I love the review and the guest post!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Doreen, that's fabulous news. Nice to meet you, too! :-)
DeleteHi Doreen! Thank you for stopping by and visiting Nicky! :)
Delete