Sally Quilford Back With Three New Releases

Here at RBH we're happy to welcome back Sally Quilford, who has had not less than three releases out since the last time we met her.  She's released two of her pocket novels (print editions released by a British magazine) released as Kindle books and she's released a romance writing craft book as well.  We invited her over to talk about the new releases and bring us up to speed on her latest projects.

SALLY ON THE WEB:

Website/Blog     Twitter      Facebook

Three recent releases!  That's amazing.  How do you keep up the output? 
To be honest, they were all written quite far apart. Midnight Train was written in November of 2012. Take My Breath Away was written early 2013, and Love Craft, which is quite short, was written over about a week in April and May. That means I haven’t been as prolific as usual. I’ve only written one full pocket novel this year, so it’s a very slow year for me!

How many hours a day do you spend writing? 
Ooh, how long is a piece of string? It really varies. I don’t (can’t) sit down to a blank page and hope that something turns up. I can only write when I’m in the grip of an idea. So on good writing days, I can spend four or five hours writing. On bad writing days, my only output is Facebook statuses…

Did you find working on the craft book more or less enjoyable than writing fiction? 
It felt more enjoyable because it was something new for me to do. On the other hand, there’s a huge responsibility involved in writing about craft. I hate for anyone to think I’ve written ‘rules’, but advice can’t be wishy washy either. People are looking for definite answers about writing when really there aren’t any. That being said, romance has its tropes and once you know and understand them, you can play around with them to your heart’s content.

Sum up all your three books in a tweet?  Okay, three tweets (140 characters). 
Midnight Train: A thrilling ride through Europe, with a sassy heroine and the sexiest vicar since Gene Hackman in The Poseidon Adventure.

Take My Breath Away: A celebration of the romance that took place both on set and off set of the 1963 film Cleopatra.

Love Craft: Everything you ever wanted to know about writing romance … and a little bit more besides.

Are there more releases coming up in the near future?
I’ve got a couple of novellas I’m thinking of polishing up to put on Kindle, but I’m also working on something new at the moment, inspired by a dream I had. It’s called The Sandman and is not one of my usual romances. It’s a bit dark and end of the world-y. But it’s nice to take a break from romance every now and then.

TAKE MY BREATH AWAY

When Patty Carter’s first husband, hell-raiser Jason Carter, is murdered during the filming of the remake of Cleopatra, she becomes the prime suspect. Handsome Private Investigator Tony Marcus knows she’s hiding something, and that it’s linked to her young son, Jude. Still he finds himself drawn to the beautiful actress. But he has a rival in the form of hunky Australian actor, Matt Archer, who is playing Marc Antony to Patty’s Cleopatra. 

With two Mark Antonys vying for her attention Patty needs all her wits about her to protect both herself and her young son from impending danger and from having their hearts broken by a man who cannot keep his promises.

2013 is the 50th anniversary of the renowned Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton classic, Cleopatra. Author Sally Quilford also celebrates her 50th year in 2013. This novel commemorates both.

Get this here:  Amazon     Amazon UK


MIDNIGHT TRAIN

When sexy and sassy older actress, Angela Cunningham takes the Midnight Train to Cariastan, she meets the gorgeous but mysterious Michael Fairfax. They are forced to share a cabin on the train, but soon they're sharing a very dangerous journey that threatens both their lives. 

An adorable child, a bunch of bad guys and a bomb that could go off at any second add to a thrilling story.

Get this book here:  Amazon  Amazon UK

LOVE CRAFT, Sally's romance craft writing book, pictured above, is also  available on Amazon.

Amazon   Amazon UK

Sally has an ecopy of one of her backlist backlist books for one person who leaves a comment, so please remember to do that before you go.

Suzanne Ross Jones' New Release YOUR SECRET SMILE - GIVEAWAY!

We're happy to welcome our old friend Suzanne Ross Jones back to RBH to tell us all about her new release YOUR SECRET SMILE, a contemporary sweet romance and the first of her new series MONTCRAIG SWEETHEARTS.  Suzanne has authored several novels, all available on Kindle as well as a short story anthology and is a regular short story contributor to several British publications.  She's also been published in Australian magazines too.   So let's find out more about YOUR SECRET SMILE....

SUZANNE ON THE WEB:

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ANNOUNCEMENT:  The winner of Suzanne's giveaway is T.F. Walsh.



What gave you the inspiration for your latest release?
A friend made a short film about a theatre that had been refurbished by a local businessman. It was really interesting stuff, so I’d had the idea to use a theatre refurbishment backdrop in mind for a while. When my lovely editor at The People’s Friend suggested that I try writing a pocket novel for them, the characters of Sean and Grace arrived – and I decided the theatre would be a perfect place to have them hang out together on dark Scottish evenings.

How did you think of the name for the book?
How did you think of the name for the book? I didn’t. Or, at least, I didn’t think of this name. The book was
originally called ‘Sean McIver’s Return’ – but the pocket novel was published as ‘Your Secret Smile’. The ebook and the large print version have different edits to the pocket novel, but they all have the exact same story. To save on confusion (and as there’s no copyright in titles) I used the pocket novel title.

Which is your favourite type of hero?  Strong and masterful or sensitive and empathetic?Oh, I like all types of heroes. Sometimes I’m the mood to read about strong and masterful and at other times an entirely more sensitive hero will get my vote.

Can you sum up your book in a tweet?
Sean McIver's eager to renew old acquaintances. But Grace is determined she's not going to allow the same man break her heart twice.

How many books will come in the new series?
At the moment, I have another four in mind, but these characters are speaking to me quite a lot, so the series might well go on and on.

Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog today, Nas, I’m always thrilled to visit you.


YOUR SECRET SMILE

When Sean McIver left town to go travelling, he took a piece of Grace Anderson’s heart with him. It’s taken years for her to get over him, but at last she’s happy on her own. Her time is filled with good friends and fulfilling work as a maths teacher. But when Sean returns it’s obvious he’s intent on causing havoc in her well ordered life.

Sean had only been gone five minutes when he realised he should never have left Grace. Over the years, she has never been far from his thoughts. When he’s offered a job at the school in his old hometown, he hopes this will be a chance to make up for past mistakes – particularly as Grace now works at the same school. All he needs to do is convince Grace that an art teacher with a head full of dreams can be compatible with a practical maths specialist.

Get it here:  Amazon     Amazon UK

GIVEAWAY

Suzanne has a copy of one of her backlist books for one lucky reader too.  All you have to do to be in the draw is leave a comment. 

Suzanna Ross with a New Novel - and A Giveaway!

I'm happy to welcome Suzanna Ross to Romance Book Haven today.  Suzanna has just released HIDDEN HEARTACHE, her second romance novel.  However, she's also a prolific short story writer, writing as Suzanne Ross Jones and has  published an anthology of short stories, THE BABY OF THE FAMILY.  All the way from Scotland, Suzanne has come to tell us about her new release and also to tell us how she balances her short story writing with novel writing.





How do you combine writing romance novels with writing short stories, Suzanna?
I used to be able to work on both simultaneously, but now I find it best to concentrate on one or the other. Short stories fit into the months between longer projects. Which invariably means I'm writing fewer. But I enjoy writing both novels and short stories, so I'm reluctant to give up either.

Where do you get the inspiration for writing your stories, long or short?

This is a very difficult question to answer - and I suppose, I could say that I wish I knew. Some of my stories are inspired by real life people or events. Others by snippets of conversation or an article in a newspaper... It's quite a skill to work out which ideas have the legs to run for the length of a fully story and I still have some false starts.

Can you sum up the essence of HIDDEN HEARTACHE in 140 characters? (That's the size of a Tweet).

Two doctors, a shared past + a motorbike and a tragic secret = a love that not even fourteen years apart can destroy. (I think that's less than 140 characters - is that okay?)

Tell us something about your two main characters in HIDDEN HEARTACHE.

My hero, Nick, is lovely. I'd run away with him in a heartbeat - if he wasn't spoken for (and if he was real). Emma, the heroine, is perfect for Nick - she's vulnerable but also has inner strength that's helped her to survive a very difficult past.

What's next for you?

More of the same with short stories and the longer romances. I have a new pocket novel (currently called Sean McIver's return) due to be published by The People's Friend in April and also some short stories awaiting publication in various womags. I'm also hoping my critique group, The Minxes of Romance, might work together on another anthology - putting Blaze together was so much fun. There's also a non-fiction project in the background which I'm hoping to have some time to work on.

Thank you so much for inviting me to visit you here today - and for these great questions.

Suzanna is giving away a free copy of her previous novel to one lucky commenter - or if the winner prefers, a copy of her short story anthology.  So please leave a comment before you go to be in the draw.

SUZANNA ON THE WEB:

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HIDDEN HEARTACHE

Dr Emma Bradshaw’s life is disrupted when Nick Rudd arrives back in town to take up a post at the GP practice where Emma works. The bad boy attitude is still very much in evidence, but Nick is a doctor now – against the odds – and Emma’s forced to work closely with him. Not so easy to ignore the love of your life when you have to see him on a daily basis. And Nick’s getting perilously close to breaking down the barriers Emma’s built to protect herself from the tragedy in her past.

Nick thought, as a doctor, it would be easy to command respect from the residents of his hometown – and most are pleased to see how well he’s done. But, the one person he wants to impress remains unmoved. Emma is keeping her distance. And she’s changed – the fun loving girl he knew has gone. She’s hiding something big, he’s sure, but she’s not telling. He can’t blame her – he knows he let her down badly in the past. But now he’ll do anything to rekindle the trust and love she once showed him.

Buy Links:  Amazon     Amazon UK