tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85976190550817339212024-03-14T01:26:16.295-07:00The Flirting Games, Plus Teen & Paranormal Romance from Author Stella WilkinsonRandom Thoughts, Favourite TV Shows, Book Reviews, Work in Progress, and General Updates from Teen Romance Author Stella Wilkinson.
Read my tips on flirting, your BFF, boys, surviving school and getting that amazing kiss! I'm also covering the process of writing the books and would appreciate comments and feedback! Do follow as I will also be giving away freebies and hosting some competitions too, with great prizes.Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-86496176703371993752017-10-09T02:08:00.002-07:002018-08-29T08:37:38.865-07:00Check out the website for more!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sorry guys, I always forget about this blog. I now have a blog on my website where I post most often, so do follow me over there: <a href="http://www.stellawilkinson.com/">www.stellawilkinson.com</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297794334558325716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-46871267397634701342016-02-27T14:50:00.000-08:002016-02-27T14:50:20.662-08:00Dr Watson puts his paw inHi folks, Dr Watson, the tabby cat, here. My turn to do a blog take-over. Sherlock is out howling at the moon or something (it's full-moon here), so I'm master of the lap and trying to help my mistress come up with a snazzy line to encapsulate the power of the Spear of Destiny for the second book in the <i>Vampires and the Holy Relics Series. </i><br />
<br />
Have you seen the movie Constantine? I have, at least three times, because the humans in this house seem keen on Urban Fantasy. There's a line in the film that says <span class="st">"He who possesses <em>the Spear of Destiny</em> holds the <em>fate</em> of the world in his hands." So we need something just like that, but not the same obviously.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">Any ideas? I have a few but they are being ignored as they all contain prophesies about cats taking over the planet. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">Maybe something like: <i>He who holds the spear hold destiny in his palm</i></span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">Except I think it should be<i> paw</i> not palm<i>.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">Apparently there's a free Stella Wilkinson signed paperback of your choice in the offering if you can come up with the one that gets used in the book. Like a competition thing... So please do leave your thoughts in the comment box or on the website <a href="http://www.stellawilkinson.com/">www.stellawilkinson.com</a> , Oh and if you do go to the site, check out the cover for this book in the "Coming Soon" section, the designer did a pretty fab job of it.</span><br />
<span class="st"><i> </i></span><br />
<span class="st">That's all for now, I've got some cheese to steal (I love cheese)</span><br />
<span class="st">Dr W</span><br />
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<span class="st"><i> </i></span><i> </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297794334558325716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-69372256388531673852016-02-18T06:37:00.000-08:002016-02-18T06:37:02.975-08:00The cats take over the blog -<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFa4BEIAV-foTWH4WVwZo3R5V2RPy2CQN7mXcnlhbT3Lg82XosJQnbkX7ZuEMW0bcRNqIbhCn7IPC2NP8Y5edMzm_PKb9Hvtb31aGEunh9cnSQvHf3-YRSSk_BLdlqviINbx65_t_9YBs/s1600/black-33843_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFa4BEIAV-foTWH4WVwZo3R5V2RPy2CQN7mXcnlhbT3Lg82XosJQnbkX7ZuEMW0bcRNqIbhCn7IPC2NP8Y5edMzm_PKb9Hvtb31aGEunh9cnSQvHf3-YRSSk_BLdlqviINbx65_t_9YBs/s320/black-33843_1280.png" width="213" /></a></div>
It's official, I'm hopeless at blogging, my cats on the other hand, seem
pretty determined to use the computer, so I've decided that from now on
they can make sure that a blog goes out a little more regularly. I've
checked with them and both Sherlock and Dr. Watson are very interested
in having a go. So let's see how they do! Over to the cats:<br /><br /><br />Dr. Watson: I don't want to go outside, it's cold and wet, I don't like spring!<br /><br />Sherlock: But at least Mistress keeps the heating on when she's working.<br /><br />Dr.
Watson: She should work more and spend less time doing laundry, the
washing machine is disturbing my sleep. I notice that she procrastinates
when she has a deadline.<br /><br />Sherlock: I concur with your observation. Perhaps if we moved off the keyboard she would get more work done?<br /><br />Dr.
Watson: Oh, very well, I'm certainly looking forward to the new Vampire
books, do you think I'll be in one of them this time?<br /><br />Sherlock:
Probably not, cats don't like Vampires do they? I was thinking of
running a competition to see if anyone could find the book that has me
in it? Perhaps for a free paperback copy of the box set edition, let's
see if anyone comments with an answer.<br /><br />Dr. Watson: Now you're just showing off, move over. Hey, where's my picture?<br /><br />Sherlock: You can be the star of the next one.<br /><br />Dr.
Watson: Oh, alright then. Ooh the heating has just come on, she must be
about to start work at last! Last one to the radiator is a
cotton-tail...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297794334558325716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-12707484200541438952016-02-18T06:32:00.001-08:002016-02-18T06:32:54.637-08:00Important Update from Stella WilkinsonHi Readers. Due to a change in my contract with Amazon, I'm afraid that
none of my non-free titles are available any longer on all platforms.
The good news is that you can download the free kindle reading app on
any device, and that all my books are available at either the same price
or less on Amazon, or <em>completely free</em> to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08297794334558325716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-14410719374582520502015-07-20T15:29:00.000-07:002015-07-20T15:29:03.215-07:00<h2 class="wsite-content-title" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #8d2424;">Competition! Win the necklace that Leo gives Rose in <em>More Flirting Games</em>!</span></h2>
<span class="imgPusher" style="float: left; height: 0px;"></span><span style="clear: left; display: table; float: left; margin-top: 4px; margin-top: 8px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; width: 129px; z-index: 10;"><a href="http://eepurl.com/wEMmD" target="_blank"><img alt="Picture" class="galleryImageBorder wsite-image" src="http://www.stellawilkinson.com/uploads/3/0/0/9/30097423/2777038.jpg?111" style="border-width: 1px; margin: 5px 10px 10px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 3px;" /></a><span class="wsite-caption" style="caption-side: bottom; display: table-caption; font-size: 90%; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: -10px; text-align: center;"></span></span>
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<div class="paragraph" style="display: block; text-align: justify;">
In <em>More Flirting Games</em>
(Book Two of The Flirting Games Series) Leo gives Rose an antique
silver winged horse necklace. </div>
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</div>
<div class="paragraph" style="display: block; text-align: justify;">
Would you like to win that necklace? All
you have to do is go to the mailing list sign up and answer the related
question you will be asked. (All current subscribers are automatically
entered). The competition closes on 1 September 2015 and the winner will
be notified by email.<br /><br /><b>Click on the picture to enter</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Not read More Flirting Games yet? Get it now:</div>
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</div>
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Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-71602532538908417102015-07-14T15:59:00.001-07:002015-07-14T16:03:13.042-07:00One Star Reviews to make you giggle<br />
<header class="entry-header">
<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><i>I found this on the Ploughshares Blog, and found it so funny
that I just had to share it! I'm afraid that none of these reviews are
for any of my books (though I wish they were as they are hilarious), but
I thought you might enjoy them ... See if you can work out which famous
books they come from!</i></b></span></h1>
<div class="entry-meta">
</div>
</header>
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
Oh, where to even start? I wanted <i>so</i> badly to like this book. The <i>New York Times</i>
called it “a trenchant masterpiece,” and it has blurbs from three Nobel
Prize winners. So I had sky-high expectations. I anticipated a book
that would change my world, that would help me lose twelve pounds and
make clear the meaning of life and cure my husband’s erectile
dysfunction. This book, while excellent, did none of those things. Threw
it across the room on page 20. Ugh. Will not be reading this author
again.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
The paper was rough to the touch, and after just three weeks the back
cover ripped. Also, the book was “like new,” not “new.” Regret ordering
from vendor BookXPress314. Do not recommend!!<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
The author, a known Liberal, has a clear agenda here in including an
African-American neighbor and a “lesbian” boss. I read to be
entertained, not to have someone’s politics shoved down my throat. I was
going to pass this on to my sister, but instead I recycled the book.<span id="more-31224"></span><br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
I expected this book, which won the Story Prize and the PEN Malamud
award, to be a new favorite. Apparently one of the chapters won an O.
Henry award, and O. Henry is a highly respected author. But each chapter
started off with a completely new set of characters and even a new
title! I didn’t see any connection at all between the various chapters.
One took place in 1873, and one was set on a distant planet in the
future. I worked so hard to find the connections between the chapters,
and just couldn’t find one. Too much work, gave up.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
This book<br />
a blur in August sky<br />
empty words, chalk on chalkboard<br />
white as the walls of my mother’s basement<br />
puffs of nothing<br />
footnote to literature.<br />
(check out more of my poetry at burnreviewpoet.com!)<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
If you like highbrow, “well-written” stuff, this might be for you. It
seems very “finely wrought” with lots of “fascinating characters” and a
“satisfying conclusion,” but ultimately it just wasn’t for me.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
I bought this book because there was a cute, sad puppy on the cover. But
it turned out to be a literary novel about a puppy mill in a depressed
part of Georgia. I don’t read to be bummed out! Next time I guess I’ll
have to go that extra mile and read the back of the book before I
purchase something. Lesson learned.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
This book was not formatted properly for the Kindle 2… You will get a
headache trying to read it. Spend the extra money and get the $10
version!<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
I am an asbestos inspector. As such, I’d expect a novel about an
asbestos inspector to get the facts right. And for 345 out of 346 pages
it did. But on page 273 was this glaring error: Jake gets paid $2,300 to
inspect an office building for asbestos. In 2013, when this novel is
set, I was charging $2,450 for an identical inspection. That’s a $150
difference. This book does not reflect my personal experience, and thus I
can’t, in good conscience, recommend it.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
If there were an option for 3.7 stars, that’s what I’d give this, but since there isn’t, I’m giving it one star.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
This will be a short review, because I only read the first paragraph.
But in that time, I just couldn’t latch on to any of the characters or
any real sense of plot. There was nothing at stake, and no development. I
was completely unsatisfied. Burned the book, and have spent the past
two hours reviewing it on all my favorite sites. Save yourself from this
one, folks!<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
I consider myself a connesir of fiction novels but this book was a
definate waist of time, it had no morale, it’s writing was poor, I had a
hard time following the mane plot, terrible.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
It would be a five-star review, but on page 128 the author used the
F-word, which is something I simply cannot condone. I finished the book
and I loved it, but I have to give it one star. I hope this teaches the
author a lesson.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
I did not read this book, but I saw the movie. I felt that Matthew
McConaughey’s character was completely unbelievable. He’s supposed to be
playing a college student? He’s at least twenty years too old, and I’ve
never been able to stand that cocky twang he has going. One star.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
Not uplifting.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
I couldn’t find the symbols. I think maybe the bird on page 22 was a symbol? But I don’t know what of.<br />
<a href="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png"><img alt="one star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-31225" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="27" width="107" /></a><br />
I would imagine this author would be the kind of person who, if you took
a college writing workshop with her, would tell you that your
characters were flat when actually it was <i>her</i> characters who
were flat, and she’d probably also flirt with your boyfriend at the
Sigma Chi winter formal, and then she’d go and become this really
successful writer when you’re stuck as a paralegal, which is never what
you even wanted to do. Just my guess, but this author probably only
deserves one star for this book, which I refuse to buy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<img alt="one star" class="alignnone wp-image-31225 mce-clonedresizable" src="http://blog.pshares.org/files/2015/05/one-star.png" height="65" style="height: 78px; margin: 0px; width: 308px;" width="257" /><br />
<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-small;"><b>Find Books by Stella Wilkinson at: |</b> <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stella-Wilkinson/e/B00CKZCKYM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank" title="">Amazon.com</a> | </b><b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stella-Wilkinson/e/B00CKZCKYM/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1423341186&sr=8-2-ent" target="_blank" title="">Amazon.co.uk</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=stella%20wilkinson&c=books&hl=en_GB" target="_blank" title="">Google play</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/stella-wilkinson/id685079030?mt=11" target="_blank" title="">iBooks</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/stella-wilkinson" target="_blank" title="">B&N nook</a> | <a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=stella+wilkinson" target="_blank" title="">Kobo</a> | <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stellawilkinson" target="_blank" title="">Smashwords</a></b></span></span></span></span></span></span>Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-90312540911314812382015-06-21T15:04:00.000-07:002015-06-21T15:04:40.183-07:0021 June is the Summer Solstice<div class="paragraph" style="text-align: left;">
That's right people, tomorrow is the Solstice, the very same as in my book - Solstice Magic & Mayhem.<br /><br />Tonight
thousands of people are gathering at Stone Henge in Wiltshire, England,
and camping over night ready to welcome the Solstice sunrise. In fact I
just heard a news report that there are over 30,000 people there right
now and more are expected. <br />You might think there would be trouble at
a gathering that large, but no. People meet there every year, to
celebrate in one way or another (religiously or just to party) and it is
always a joyous and peaceful event.<br />I wish I had the time to write a
long post on both the significance of the Solstice and of the
particular significance of Stone Henge (only one of many many amazing
stone circles in the UK, I myself live only a couple of miles from one
that is a mere 4000 years old) but you can easily look up the details.
So I shall simply add in the words of an email I was sent by a reader. <br />So,
thank you Linda for your outline of the Solstice (see below) and I will
send you free paperback copies of my relevant books: Halloween Magic
& Mayhem, Werewolf Magic & Mayhem and, of course, <strong>Solstice Magic & Mayhem</strong>.
And if anyone else would like to send me anything to add to my blog
then please don't forget to include your address so that I can send you a
paperback or two too! Stella!<br /></div>
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The Summer Solstice</h2>
Not written by me! Article supplied to me written by <em>Linda Wright</em>:<br /> <span><br /><em>Summer
solstice is a ritual of Celtic origin. This tradition dates back to
thousands of years. The specific place where this biannual ritual takes
place is at Salisbury Plains and the particular stone formation is
called </em></span><em><span>Stonehenge</span><span>.
Every year on the twenty first of June and on the first day of winter
marks as the day of summer solstice and winter solstice. It is
celebrated by the pagans and druids who in the modern day are also known
as neo-pagans and neo-druids. Every year, thousands of people head
towards </span><span>Salisbury</span><span> plains a
day before the set date and they spend the whole night over there.
Meanwhile, the groups of people either hangout separately or share
parties together. </span><br /><span></span><br /><span></span> <span>It is a universal cycle when the sun has such a setting that it aligns with the central stone of the </span><span>Stonehenge</span><span>
as it rises at dawn. Along with this, two other stones perfectly align
with the sun and the central stone and this repeats every year. The
difference between winter and summer solstice is that in summer solstice
sun is at its highest while in winter solstice, it is the exact
opposite. Summer solstice also marks the beginning of the harvest
season. According to pagans, this is done in order to thank to all the
major forces, sun being the most powerful of all, because of which is
the harvest was made possible. In winter, however, the solstice has a
whole new meaning.</span><br /><span></span><br /><span></span> <span>A
lot of people of pagan and druid community consider it a good omen to
start a new cultivating season, while other consider it a good
opportunity to get married and even get united with their older folks in
solidarity. There is folk music to brighten up the atmosphere as well
as cultural costumes of pagan and druid origins.</span><br /><span></span><br /><span></span> <span>Apart from the believers of </span><span>Stonehenge</span><span>
solstice, there are general public as well in the audience. At times
their attendance is more than the followers of solstice. The
celebrations start at dusk and last till dawn when the sun rises and
lights up the world with its first rays. At the time of dawn there is
pin drop silence as sun approached the horizon. The first ray of sun is
followed by a specific prayer that the pagans chant in order to pay
tribute. These chants become louder and louder and so is the specific of
drum. And when the sun is perfectly aligned, the ritual attendees kiss
it and hug it in order to than for the previous years. </span><br /><span></span><br /><span></span> <span>It
is a great opportunity for the people who do not believe in solstice as
well. They get to know more people and interact with them. While all
this is going on, in the central area of Stonehenge, celebratory events
keep on happening from time to time which keeps the attendees not only
interested in the ritual but also their culture. This has been an going
process for ages to come now and it takes place twice a year which
actually supports the consistency of summer solstice in the </span><span>Salisbury</span><span> plains of </span><span>England</span><span>.</span><br /><span></span></em>Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-40693177188141742692015-06-02T15:00:00.000-07:002015-06-02T15:08:32.364-07:00Me? Cook? Today's blog is about cooking... Something I must confess to sucking at. I bake brownies, that's about it. Yet I was actually invited to submit a recipe to an author cookbook! Why? I don't know. Because I was willing maybe :-)<br />
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I had an idea I might secretly be an excellent cook, a domestic goddess waiting to burst out, I got enthusiastic an envisioned myself as the next Nigella and started to cook. It started well...<br />
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Then went a bit wrong...<br />
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I took a long hard look at my kitchen skill set<br />
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Hmmm, providing an original recipe might be harder than I thought...<br />
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I worked on it, I truly did<br />
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More disasters followed<br />
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I began to lose motivation for the project<br />
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Then the man in my life stepped in and showed me a few tricks<br />
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Which led to one or two spats between us<br />
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But eventually we got on the same page and I mastered the recipe just in time<br />
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Check it out if you feel brave, and support a great cause<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Indie-Author-Potluck-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B00XB45DIG/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1431696451&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=indie+author+pot+luck" target="_blank"><img alt="Author Cookbook on Amazon.com" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNzTfWptRKxBBsQsyQxrhaF4DMjF57IoT5ZweH08Sz8AuyYeNAlKqUHC_0ZeBylqdfBkFhg7oh8w3MHgwalpqn_Tw4n4Y4GZN8H6Lj8IAnNuUk1j2N2jrESMHZXL4kuUtHM1mBCaXDxs/s320/The+Indie+Author+Potluck+Cookbook+Createspace.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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But hopefully you do at least get my love of baking in my latest release :-)<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOIZY88" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOIZY88" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGX58uEleVeDSpe8_J-APazVVlCgKQ4ROvs0U5DMSVeL5nWt3KY1vZIFc8EwHeJzChVXJajqL9KtZjh92OTKm-1gtTdEnmohINFanSBbWPV2-and_4WoWoavttu2rItfdjZ2ska8A8Tc/s320/Romancing+the+Stove+WEBSITE+USE.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Check out these and more on my website <a href="http://stellawilkinson.com/">stellawilkinson.com</a> <br />
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<br />Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-15817843286753440512015-05-19T14:10:00.002-07:002015-05-21T14:20:08.964-07:00Stella Wilkinson - New Release : Romancing the Stove<div style="text-align: justify;">
Dear Readers</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><b>Romancing the Stove</b> is out now on Amazon<br /><br /><b>About the book:</b><br /><i>Typical
lad Harvey is embarrassed to be seen taking lessons in Home
Economics, but he needs to pass the class to get his place at college.
Having to sit next to girly-girl Paige makes him dislike it even more,
but gradually he begins to be seduced by her cooking if not by the
subject itself. <br /> <br />A sweet fun romance novella, from Stella Wilkinson, award winning author of The Flirting Games Series </i></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">Click on cover to go to Amazon page</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOIZY88" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOIZY88" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGX58uEleVeDSpe8_J-APazVVlCgKQ4ROvs0U5DMSVeL5nWt3KY1vZIFc8EwHeJzChVXJajqL9KtZjh92OTKm-1gtTdEnmohINFanSBbWPV2-and_4WoWoavttu2rItfdjZ2ska8A8Tc/s400/Romancing+the+Stove+WEBSITE+USE.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: small;"><b>Find Books by Stella Wilkinson at: |</b> <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stella-Wilkinson/e/B00CKZCKYM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank" title="">Amazon.com</a> | </b><b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stella-Wilkinson/e/B00CKZCKYM/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1423341186&sr=8-2-ent" target="_blank" title="">Amazon.co.uk</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=stella%20wilkinson&c=books&hl=en_GB" target="_blank" title="">Google play</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/stella-wilkinson/id685079030?mt=11" target="_blank" title="">iBooks</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/stella-wilkinson" target="_blank" title="">B&N nook</a> | <a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=stella+wilkinson" target="_blank" title="">Kobo</a> | <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stellawilkinson" target="_blank" title="">Smashwords</a></b></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><b>Books available by Stella Wilkinson:</b><br /> The Flirting Games (Book One, <i>Free!</i>)<br /> More Flirting Games (Book Two)<br /> Further Flirting Games (Book Three)<br /> The Flirting Games Trilogy (Books 1 - 3)<br /> Good @ Games (Book Four)<br /> Halloween Magic & Mayhem (Book One, <i>Free!</i>)<br /> Werewolf Magic & Mayhem (Book Two)<br /> Solstice Magic & Mayhem (Book Three)<br /> Notice Me<br /> A Christmas Gift<br /> Romancing the Stove<br /> <br /> <b>Box Sets and Anthologies:</b><br /> Riot Girls<br /> Supernatural Touch<br /> Something to Read on the Ride<br /> Something to Take on the Trip<br /> Something for the Journey<br /> Something to Read (Omnibus Edition)<br /> Stories on the Go : 101 very short stories by 101 authors<br /> The Indie Author Potluck Cookbook<br /><b><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stellawilkinson" target="_blank" title=""></a></b></span></span></span></div>
<h2 class="wsite-content-title" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Find Books by Stella Wilkinson at: |</b> <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stella-Wilkinson/e/B00CKZCKYM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank" title="">Amazon.com</a> | </b><b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stella-Wilkinson/e/B00CKZCKYM/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1423341186&sr=8-2-ent" target="_blank" title="">Amazon.co.uk</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=stella%20wilkinson&c=books&hl=en_GB" target="_blank" title="">Google play</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/stella-wilkinson/id685079030?mt=11" target="_blank" title="">iBooks</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/stella-wilkinson" target="_blank" title="">B&N nook</a> | <a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=stella+wilkinson" target="_blank" title="">Kobo</a> | <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stellawilkinson" target="_blank" title="">Smashwords</a></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #2a2a2a;"> </span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #2a2a2a;">If you would like to be kept informed of new releases then don't forget to sign up to the mailing list: <a href="http://eepurl.com/wEMmD">http://eepurl.com/wEMmD</a></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-44645875667671252872015-04-30T16:13:00.002-07:002015-04-30T16:13:27.658-07:00Writing Romance is Hard<span style="font-size: small;">Writing romance is hard when you just aren't in a romantic mood. If you feel at all bad tempered it's almost impossible to write about being in love, and most of all it's hard to write romantic comedy. My books are supposed to be light and fluffy, but also a little bit funny and a little bit sexy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">All day I've been chasing the romance like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Somehow just missing that elusive connection between the characters. I even ended up putting in an extra scene because I just didn't want them to meet while I was feeling like this in case I set their relationship off on completely the wrong path and they never came back from it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">But you know what, there is always something to find on the internet that can turn your mood around. I was grumpily searching gifs to find something that set the tone to help me and I found it. This one made me laugh out loud, and is it wrong that I also think it is also totally sexy too? Yeah it probably is, but I don't care. It made my day and put my romance right back on track.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I love you Nathan and yeah okay, I would ;-)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Click on book cover below to go to Amazon Page</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N37KZ3E" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N37KZ3E" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCI62_uBy7KMWVhY7PxPfg4AeVxMtl3RLGbSEIQgGUduZIdu2k49q_jiq57OU1jgo-6DKvtmbnEQLjgIPFilmmPP0hA8CfpUA7fzeQZzorbQqIZDsWFaE210otGtvEblwIGhdfjU48g0/s1600/Notice+Me+EBOOK+UPLOAD.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span>Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-57815884338936262452015-04-25T15:00:00.001-07:002015-04-25T15:00:49.516-07:00Winning Title for Book Five!<div class="paragraph" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: large;">The title of the new book will be : <em>Flirting with Friends</em></span><br /><br />Thank
you to everyone who took part in suggesting names for the title and I'm
very sorry if your title was not the one selected. As a bonus I will be
sending each of you who entered, a free copy of book five when it comes
out, simply because you are fantastic.<br />Love Stella xx<br /><br />Have you read the first four? Click on books below to go to Amazon page</span></span></span></span></div>
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Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-62183238238903608082015-04-23T08:57:00.000-07:002015-04-24T02:27:28.762-07:00Those covers are all wrong...<div class="paragraph" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">Today
I was telling my great aunt about the design of the cover of my latest
book, Book 5 in The Flirting Games Series, and she told me that my
covers were all wrong. Apparently readers want more romance and my
"quirky" covers are not selling that.<br /><br />Bare in mind that my great
aunt has not actually ever read one of my books, but she suggested I
should have more "Fabio" on the front. Well, I had to look that one up.
It turns out that Fabio was the model used on hundreds of book covers
back in the 1980's. Even you, dear readers born after that date will
probably recognise him, heck he even wrote a few books starring - yes
you guessed it - himself on the cover!<br />Check these out:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuPoeGW-Xypc71UttOZX245-jBICIKeOIA5ASI8_sIdQz08xmDHvb6vDp2KuB4hBJ0_FI4CBjRyvnKPOkEyNqCBGCEhTTFHpMEo8wGH3hpbtQKzZEV1Aj-MIinNYWVpGUPTdVSZ4lPcA/s1600/o-FABIO-BIRTHDAY-facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuPoeGW-Xypc71UttOZX245-jBICIKeOIA5ASI8_sIdQz08xmDHvb6vDp2KuB4hBJ0_FI4CBjRyvnKPOkEyNqCBGCEhTTFHpMEo8wGH3hpbtQKzZEV1Aj-MIinNYWVpGUPTdVSZ4lPcA/s1600/o-FABIO-BIRTHDAY-facebook.jpg" height="200" width="120" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBLfNJJa8nCDcVnqX735MkX4MQclv41eO3z60GLujyJouF_3Wqgbmm59fLtC94X-Ow12RwYvpFgln_PXH_X_p262chdUL-t1FQbQcC7Q4TIoPo7Q6bhjJf53nnumDHjavjiM08rReB_Y/s1600/enhanced-32124-1397669939-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBLfNJJa8nCDcVnqX735MkX4MQclv41eO3z60GLujyJouF_3Wqgbmm59fLtC94X-Ow12RwYvpFgln_PXH_X_p262chdUL-t1FQbQcC7Q4TIoPo7Q6bhjJf53nnumDHjavjiM08rReB_Y/s1600/enhanced-32124-1397669939-10.jpg" height="200" width="115" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzWpl9UCGiTbPkCN8tt0mMkc_3VAqhvftbEsExujgzU15-wQzOquCltnm7e1kaqYWUxgkSd14N10EPQRCNf35ljFXbmGZoWqKHj_z0wA0uf7oS_p48M4ktqNkq1Wh7s04W4nWqK-r75g/s1600/fabio+golden+shower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzWpl9UCGiTbPkCN8tt0mMkc_3VAqhvftbEsExujgzU15-wQzOquCltnm7e1kaqYWUxgkSd14N10EPQRCNf35ljFXbmGZoWqKHj_z0wA0uf7oS_p48M4ktqNkq1Wh7s04W4nWqK-r75g/s1600/fabio+golden+shower.jpg" height="200" width="120" /></a></div>
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<div class="paragraph" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">So
what do you think? Is this really the type of romance I write? I think
my aunt has a very different view of my work than I do. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">She thinks my
books are like this:</span></span></span></div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RgUEXuRV_AuOyDc4FfSC98Wl5Jc5b54qhpXSGIg6ryNrAjM-Gl9c4m-_If5Hv-J4k5uKRS52Jz9ImumaCAZhkvLk9CNeX32Z2hBB1lQBy06wTbXJBKSzSZS67oUfdqkO2EQCNaGqUDo/s1600/fabio_romance-132054.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RgUEXuRV_AuOyDc4FfSC98Wl5Jc5b54qhpXSGIg6ryNrAjM-Gl9c4m-_If5Hv-J4k5uKRS52Jz9ImumaCAZhkvLk9CNeX32Z2hBB1lQBy06wTbXJBKSzSZS67oUfdqkO2EQCNaGqUDo/s1600/fabio_romance-132054.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="wsite-image wsite-image-border-thin " style="margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-top: 10px; text-align: center;">
<a class="w-fancybox" href="http://www.stellawilkinson.com/uploads/3/0/0/9/30097423/649844695_orig.gif"> </a> </div>
</div>
<div class="paragraph" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">But in reality they are much more like this:</span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVU3utgf9NvUKXHLJ61oB_WMSc3CrlZfXVw8bYV3_s9jSM3UbD8zA63aVBJbKMQ4_7QslJvhk56UQGyp_PZ0daigHpTqSMPV4sLJQvHEt5P-UJwqq04QRh-PjVOZOdu4yQv3tvgZNwwA0/s1600/tumblr_inline_nd8iryohDq1slwlfy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVU3utgf9NvUKXHLJ61oB_WMSc3CrlZfXVw8bYV3_s9jSM3UbD8zA63aVBJbKMQ4_7QslJvhk56UQGyp_PZ0daigHpTqSMPV4sLJQvHEt5P-UJwqq04QRh-PjVOZOdu4yQv3tvgZNwwA0/s1600/tumblr_inline_nd8iryohDq1slwlfy.gif" height="147" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h2 class="wsite-content-title" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"></span></span></h2>
<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">So
what do you think? Should my covers be way more slushy? Or do you like
them as they are? Keep checking the website for a sneak preview of the
new cover, coming soon!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C14KSH8" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C14KSH8" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVj-Ppfa0UggQdr9OgUzNVvAQ-d0jxcfm5JOzm7HMNU80_xC2gZRTIHqhohIi91GbrU6293055LPBKG_YNrqzIIdD0HUu9sVYY5fB1CZ7HbkIQFuohfnsZkyG7n2XWT5DhNcfic9ybHI/s1600/The+Flirting+Games.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G06MOJI" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G06MOJI" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-o6s_EeG8wLmJHmyZ9O1jCPwKS8ptIqN_6jkwL8mHu-3HHGss1W_E3k4LmxhHkNYHgbT0Jb6viQsWmfbatuKcK-7XxVwdIs0pwawlx5WkbnolYStmU0wEXccT4cgD1Rbw9PxTH9_7qrI/s1600/Further+Flirting+Cover.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NBWJLX6" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NBWJLX6" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuPjYA_uo5EOsZpP_faEMYeSGHwAoP4nvhySUG6aCDEZXnKiMDokeMY4N_IQT4f8MNVwSrqJ0kVEwrL7Pr4pBaWOEFGzPth-i614U_Nb24nghj_54UN2tHHacD9urZYM-6K7DtKEp690/s1600/Good@Games_Ebook.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D2XP5EI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D2XP5EI" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kQ-qW6VaciArqHv6HUmYyfStSQY7ykS8EIPkmZf-zqipAEW_tTSJ3hJqQH5milqH98szZ5MuYTC1Suic4sFyaA3eYvurzMlD1GiJTj_jVA_GkfSKMbAsGSQkqhAT8Kru8AyJAP4nVjo/s1600/More+Flirting+Games.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<br />
If you haven't read books 1-4 yet, click on the books to go to Amazon<br />
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<br />Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-31110982643070393142015-04-19T05:11:00.000-07:002015-04-19T05:11:00.450-07:00Teen Flirting Tips<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Disclaimer: I didn't write this, it was sent to me by a fan who asked if I would consider using it, and of course I am happy to put it on my blog as the subject is relevant. I have not changed anything and none of these words are mine or edited by me.</span> <i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Stella x</span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">(Though I did get a good laugh when I found this flirting gif and just had to insert it!) </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span lang="EN-US">Teen
flirting tips by Linda Wright</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span lang="EN-US">The first and foremost step while initiating any advance towards a
person whom you’d like to flirt with is to get to know that you have got their
attention and to make sure that they know you have got an eye on them. As
difficult as it may sound, it actually isn’t that tedious of a job. All you
have to do is to make a proper eye contact. It doesn’t have to be a long
uninterrupted gaze sort of act rather a subtle and multiple eye contacts
followed by a subtle smile might just work. In all the settings, it is a rule
of thumb to keep it smooth because as these situations might act up towards
something more firm similar and rather greater are the chances of such advances
backfiring resulting in making the other person conscious of your actions.</span></span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span lang="EN-US">Once a proper conversation setting is set up, next comes the step of
establishing and maintaining a good flow of conversation. The topic of which
does not always have to be you or the other person. It can literally be
anything, but the important part is to keep on doubling back and coming to the
point where you pass a smooth remark to appraise them or just to let them know
that you are interested in them as well. This can be in the form of a
compliment towards their outlook, and particular habit or something that they
said earlier. A good sense of humor is a plus and essentially a must in some
par difficult situation when the other person is hard to get. While using sense
of humor, keep it low key. It does not always have to be a joke. One can always
act dumb and let themselves become the target of some situation going on and
hence become a way of the other person to chuckle. Overdoing humor always kills
the whole thing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span lang="EN-US">In the last but not least is the body language that one uses while
flirting with the other person. Expression of interest as mentioned earlier is
essential and it has to be maintained by your verbal language and body actions.
One has to be a good listener and an active one. Express your interest in
everything that they say. Sit while facing in their direction. Lean forward
while saying something to them and try to speak in the same tone as they are.
The ups and downs of voice can also come handy in situations that are not
paying much attention to your conversation. Hand gestures are crucial and must
be dealt with carefully. A lot of movement might just kill the whole thing as
the other person will be busier judging your fidgeting leg or the swaying hand
then in the conversation itself. Make appropriate physical contact but not too
much. A brush of hand against their arm or a gentle poke might just do the
trick in most of the occasions. No matter what manner you chose to flirt, the
important thing is to be yourself. It is only then that you can flirt as well
as keep yourself in a happy zone as well otherwise it might just come off as a
job which one is not always in the mood to pull off.</span></span></div>
Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-68225980516602563222015-04-07T13:30:00.001-07:002015-04-07T13:30:34.683-07:00Competition! Name the next book in The Flirting Games Series<div class="blog-separator">
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<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">Hi Readers!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><br />I'm
currently writing book five in The Flirting Games Series and can't
decide what to call it. So I thought I would run a competition and see
if one of you can come up with a fab flirty suggestion for the title.
The winner will have the book dedicated to them as an acknowledgement
of their contribution and will of course get a free copy of the book.<br /><br />The titles so far:<br /><i>The Flirting Games #1<br />More Flirting Games #2<br />Further Flirting Games #3<br />Good @ Games #4<br />? #5</i><br /><br />So can you come up with something? The storyline is full of flirting challenges:<br /><br /><span style="color: #8d2424;">Michael
is struggling to work out the rules of dating and finds girls a
mystery. The only one he can seem to talk to is Patty, who considers
herself the funny fat friend and only has eyes for cute geek Reed, who
for some reason is dating mean girl Bianca. Patty is convinced they are
all with the wrong person and sets out to put it right.</span>..<br /><br />Email
your suggestions to swilkinsonauthor@gmail.com or through the contact
form on my website stellawilkinson.com. You can enter as many times as you like, but you must
sign up to the mailing list to enter as entrance is for list members
only, new members can sign up here: <b><a href="http://eepurl.com/wEMmD" target="_blank">http://eepurl.com/wEMmD</a></b><br />Competition
closes 17 April 2015 at midnight GMT. The winner will be notified by
email. If you don't hear from me then I'm sorry but you didn't win this
time. <br /><br />Best of luck! <i>Stella x</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><i> </i></span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C14KSH8" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C14KSH8" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRZk9jed7t1cwvyX9HisOsAghLqFTnG62gub_7C-rUAzyz8svQQpJ4k4RPybry20gIr2Bn2aE4YgqFD9oJkGnYejmPs2dbZtWgXARUIH2UHH8UVz4WVGLho-jVe_31QL4E4Lejte8zaY/s1600/The+Flirting+Games.JPG" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
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Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-10574418572497943062014-12-22T16:12:00.003-08:002014-12-22T16:14:53.157-08:00I'm missing Constantine! (the TV Series)I just wondered, am I the only one having <b>Constantine</b> withdrawal?<br />
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They give you a new show, you get completely and utterly hooked, and then what happens? It didn't air on Saturday (here in the UK) as expected... I spent the entire evening tapping my kindle trying to make it update, but oh no, it turns out that there is a break until mid-January!! How rude is that?<br />
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He's currently lying in a sewer, shot and bleeding out with a ghoul from hell about to feast on him, and I'm left drumming my fingers like a base double beat for three weeks?? NOoooooo!<br />
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I just can't say enough good things about this show. Season one is just over half way through and I can see it's going to have a massive cult following. Move aside Angel, Scoot over Supernatural, What-evs Warehouse, there's a new king in cult town and he is seriously sexy.<br />
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This show is <i>dark</i>. Dark, like I actually got a bit spooked out watching it on my own. Some properly scary moments kept me on the edge of my seat. These characters are only from Episode one, and the show doesn't really hit it's stride until Episode three at the earliest<br />
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Yet it's funny too. Real humour! Fantastic one liners that will be quoted for years, and the eye-rolling of Constantine at things like angels (flap off!) made me giggle out loud. And amusing things that catch the eye in the background like this sign behind him.<br />
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Oh, and there's plenty of sci-fi trivia for us geeks, things alluded to, little quips about other characters from the comics that kind of thing. Even a mention of other dimensions to account for the film. And stuff for the spotters (hidden easter eggs), like the helmet of Doctor Fate, which Liv picks up, and John tells her "I'd put that down before it puts you down." In fact, according to this website there are 17 Easter Eggs just in Episode One <a href="http://screenrant.com/constantine-pilot-easter-eggs-comic-trivia/" target="_blank">http://screenrant.com/constantine-pilot-easter-eggs-comic-trivia/</a><br />
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There is an excellent cast for this series too. Matt Ryan looks better than he ever has as John Constantine, and the current female lead, Zed, is one of those women that men want and other women still really like. (Not to mention most of her wardrobe, which I really <i>really</i> like!)<br />
Check out these two urban gothic items (both from Free People fyi)<br />
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The woman originally cast to play opposite Constantine was Liv, who was basically written out after episode one in favour of Zed. I could totally see the reasoning behind that; there just wasn't any sexual chemistry between them. I don't know why, I guess sometimes it just works and sometimes it doesn't. But with Zed it is definitely there!<br />
You can check out the body language in this picture, but I confess it was really just an excuse to put in a pic of Matt with his shirt off, sorry!<br />
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Although, actually, his chemistry is fairly hot with almost every woman he comes accross, even nuns<br />
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And for those in the know, the comic book version of Constantine is in fact bisexual, so maybe there is even a hint of flirtation with the other guys? I'll leave that up to you to decide.<br />
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Anyway. This new series is the perfect blend of dark and scary with plenty of humour, an excellent cast and a fantastic premise. The storyline needs fleshing out though, you can tell they have only one season planned right now, which is truly terrifying - how could they get us so hooked with no promise in the bag for more? I think I'll go into melt down if they don't and write it myself! That's the problem with being an author, when you see something this good you just want to take over and start writing scripts, or even fan fiction, just for another hit of Constantine!<br />
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Oh well, now I've got that off my chest. I can go back to my current work in progress, Solstice Magic & Mayhem, which might come out a lot darker than previously intended since I've been loading my subconscious up with all these demons... lol<br />
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Do check out books one and two in the series, and drop me a line with any comments on them or, of course, on Constantine :-)<br />
Stella x<br />
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Click on the above Covers to go to Amazon page!<br />
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And keep a look out for the next one, isn't my newest cover fabulous?<br />
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<br />Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-21899355649072370312014-10-06T15:40:00.000-07:002014-10-06T15:40:00.935-07:00Bringing back characters from previous books...<b>Warning! </b>This post contains spoilers if you haven't read all The Flirting Games books!<br />
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I'm having a bit of a bad time of it trying to write the next Flirting Games book just now because we are in the middle of moving house! Trying to settle down and even do a first draft is difficult because my mind feels as cluttered as my desk (which is currently a pile of cardboard boxes stacked next to a bean bag) and I can't seem to think through any sort of plot.<br />
<br />
What plot you ask? Well you might have a point there. My Flirting Games books are character driven and nothing all that exciting happens to any of the people in them, except for meeting each other! There are no evil villains trying to kill them, or interesting/sexy supernatural beings. There are no magical doorways into other worlds or visitors from other planets. Just a bunch of kids at an English boarding school. <br />
<br />
In every book I have introduced new characters, but the old ones nag at me to be included. Especially Ellie. She's such a personality that I want to write her back in again and again. But to do what? I don't want her and Nate to break up, so she really needs to just go away and be happy.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, people just going and being happy is killer for my storylines. Readers ask me all the time "What happened next to Sophie and Jack? Or Grace and Ben?" and I think to myself "Oh dear, not a lot happened, they got together, they were happy, there's hardly any storyline in that..."<br />
<br />
It was almost a huge relief, when I was drafting Book Four, to find out that Flora wasn't all that happy with Michael after all, and still hankered for Gabriel. I genuinely thought her story was finished and was a bit sad about it, but no, she nagged me mentally until I gave her and Gabriel a lead role again in book four, and I was so happy I did.<br />
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So now what? I know I ought to think about Rose and Leo's wedding, but they can't get married until they are 18, and do I want to jump forward that far in time? Toby Falcon (Rose's brother) has mentioned to me that he would like a girlfriend at some point, but he's quite a bit younger than Rose, so am I writing about 18 year olds or fourteen year olds? Because it is quite a different stage of life.<br />
<br />
Michael Brenner is also asking for a come back. He feels hard done by at being cast as a villain, he just wasn't right for Flora, but is there no-one perfect for him as well?<br />
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You can see my thought pattern as I try to draft book five. It's all over the shop!<br />
So tell me, dear readers (if you have gotten this far through my procrastinating), what would you most like to see happen? Who would you most like to see back? Give me a push... <br />
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Just in case you haven't actually read any of this series and would like to try it: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C14KSH8" target="_blank">Download now for Free!</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUsLNE8IAb8UoVkPiXIjuOI0KQdvQqJGStcu8FEsSHeITzXHt4gZ2R-uUnbjLzFi8ewjlBKcAavaQ8QRIom_RppWXYGC3GSTKEAlDO4bj5NLl3zD57bHytpq3iCjJc3EWzaEvEByQEeI/s1600/The+Flirting+Games.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUsLNE8IAb8UoVkPiXIjuOI0KQdvQqJGStcu8FEsSHeITzXHt4gZ2R-uUnbjLzFi8ewjlBKcAavaQ8QRIom_RppWXYGC3GSTKEAlDO4bj5NLl3zD57bHytpq3iCjJc3EWzaEvEByQEeI/s1600/The+Flirting+Games.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-08m61IiR46g%2FVDMYolOeE-I%2FAAAAAAAAATg%2FCVZ2pTDdr0M%2Fs1600%2FThe%252BFlirting%252BGames.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUsLNE8IAb8UoVkPiXIjuOI0KQdvQqJGStcu8FEsSHeITzXHt4gZ2R-uUnbjLzFi8ewjlBKcAavaQ8QRIom_RppWXYGC3GSTKEAlDO4bj5NLl3zD57bHytpq3iCjJc3EWzaEvEByQEeI/s1600/The+Flirting+Games.JPG" -->Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-80358407012244912772014-08-02T01:53:00.000-07:002014-08-02T01:53:15.457-07:00Stella Wilkinson Interviewed by Awesome Gang:<div class="headline_area">
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Stella Wilkinson</h1>
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<img alt="225371_BLOGJPG_20130313065530148" class="size-medium alignleft wp-image-133653" height="294" src="http://awesomegang.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/225371_BLOGJPG_20130313065530148-300x294.jpg" width="300" /><b>Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.</b><br />
I am a full time author with six books currently available, plus three
anthologies that I collated and edited for a children’s hospital
charity. The anthologies contain nearly 100 short stories donated by
authors from all over the world. Look out for the Omnibus Edition in
November 2014.<br />
I love writing about young adults and devour paranormal romances, so
it was inevitable that they would come together at some point. I’m best
known for my Flirting Games Series, but have also recently started a
Magic & Mayhem Series, soon to be followed by several other series.<br />
I live in Pembrokeshire in Wales. Widely known as The Land of
Dragons. I’m lucky enough to live by the beach, and when I’m not writing
I’m generally either tipping sand out of my shoes or cleaning mud off
my wellies (it also rains a lot in Wales). I’m an enthusiastic (if
dreadful) cook, and love to bake chocolate brownies by the dozen. I also
collect antique books and first editions of any genre at all, so my
walls are filled with dusty smelly old books, on various boring
subjects, that I treasure but my family hates <img alt=":-)" class="wp-smiley" src="http://awesomegang.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" /> <br />
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<b>What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?</b><br />
The last book I wrote was Werewolf Magic & Mayhem. It is the second
in a series. I actually wrote the first book, Halloween Magic &
Mayhem, just as a fun novella for Halloween, but I got such a lot of fan
mail asking me if I was going to continue the story that I decided to
write a full length novel for a sequel.<br />
I’m still trying to decide whether to continue the series from there, I expect I will eventually.<br />
<b>Do you have any unusual writing habits?</b><br />
I like listening to movie soundtracks to get me in the mood. Like if I’m
writing teen romance then I listen to the soundtrack from teen movies
like Clueless, Mean girls and American Pie.<br />
I eat strawberry liquorice shoelaces to help me concentrate.<br />
If I get really stuck then I go into World of Warcraft and try to complete a quest<br />
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<b>What authors, or books have influenced you?</b><br />
Is it considered a bit yesterday to say that I still love Harry Potter?
My Flirting Games Series is set in an English Boarding School and I like
to envision it as being a bit like Hogwarts but without the ghosts and
the magic.<br />
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<b>What are you working on now?</b><br />
I’m always working on at least three books. Right now I’m trying to
finish book four in The Flirting Games Series, called Good @ Games. I’m
also writing another teen romance short novel called Notice Me, and I’ve
started outlining a brand new series called ESP about a group of
ordinary people with some special powers.<br />
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<b>What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?</b><br />
I think that interacting with readers is key to keeping up with what
they want to read. So I read a lot of what they say on Goodreads, but I
don’t post much. I don’t want people to think that I’m there to promote
because I’m not, I’m there to learn. Basically the best method is to
know what your readers want and to try to keep producing it.<br />
<br />
<b>Do you have any advice for new authors?</b><br />
Yes, lots. I actually get a lot of emails about this, so I wrote a whole
blog post on the subject, check it out here:
http://flirtinggames.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/want-to-be-writer-go-for-it-tips-and.html<br />
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<b>What is the best advice you have ever heard?</b><br />
<i>Write, publish, repeat.</i><br />
<i>
</i><i>Also never never release anything without a professional editor.</i><br />
<i>
</i><i>The journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step</i><br />
<i>
</i><i>Writing is a marathon, not a sprint</i><br />
I have all of the above on post it notes over my desk<br />
<br />
<b>What are you reading now?</b><br />
I’ve always got several books on the go.<br />
I’m reading Wool by Hugh Howey. It’s not my usual type of book, but it’s so good that how could I not read it?<br />
I’m also reading Juliet Blackwell’s latest release, called A Vision
in Velvet. It’s book five in her Witchcraft Mysteries Series. A great
series that combines witchcraft with a murder mystery and has some
wonderful characters. She’s such a good writer that I’d read a paint tin
if she’d written on it.<br />
And I’ve just started A Fault in our Stars, because it is at heart a
young adult romance, even if it is a very poignant and sad one, and I
think it’s really important to keep up with the books in your own genre
that are popular. So far I can totally see why everyone loves it so
much.<br />
<br />
<b>What’s next for you as a writer?</b><br />
Just to keep writing. Since I quit my day job to focus on writing
full-time, I’ve never been happier than I am now. Poorer yes, but happy
lol<br />
I hope that one day my income will actually be enough to cover all my bills, I think I’d better stop buying so many books!<br />
<br />
<b>If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?</b><br />
Ooh, good question.<br />
First I would definitely take Notes from a Small Island by Bill
Bryson. Just to remind me of home. You’ll end up snorting coffee out
your nose, laughing at this book. I almost wet myself reading his
chapter on British car-parks. Perhaps if I were American I might take
The Lost Continent instead. Either way, he’s the funniest writer on the
planet.<br />
<br />
Riders by Jilly Cooper. I know, it’s totally 80′s, but never has a
book been written that contains so much. Action, adventure, romance,
hero’s, villains, and characters that you love and hate not to mention
the horses and the dogs. It’s just got such a lot of stories all tied
together that you couldn’t ever get bored of reading it, so it’s perfect
for a desert island.<br />
<br />
The Bible. I’m not religious, but this book is a tome and a half! It
would keep me occupied for years. It literally contains hundreds of
stories, and perhaps after a long time on the island, I might start to
understand some of them…Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-17688925636522238812014-07-15T13:29:00.000-07:002014-07-15T15:24:52.962-07:00New website up and running!<div class="blog-post" id="blog-post-270484559880541406">
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<a href="http://www.stellawilkinson.com/">www.stellawilkinson.com</a> </h2>
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Finally
I have gotten around to making my website live! It seems like I've been
humming and hawing forever about how I want it to look, but I've been
asked so many times recently whether or not I have a website that I just
thought I'd better get on with it and finish it!<br />
<br />Any
ideas for improvement will be received with cheerful consideration, as
with all things, it is a living document and open to changes. Have I
missed something out? Was there something you particularly wanted to see
or to know that I've omitted? You can now use the Contact page to let
me know! :-)<br /><br />Now, I have spent enough hours on this
when I'm supposed to be writing, so I'd better get back to my current
work in progress, but I hope you will all stop by often to see updates,
to check on forthcoming releases, or just to catch up with me.<br /><br />Best wishes!<br />Stella</div>
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Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-14304660059020797702014-07-07T15:07:00.001-07:002014-07-07T15:07:55.353-07:00NanowrimoWhat is Nanowrimo? It stands for: National Novel Writing Month (I think).<br />
<br />
I first did this in 2012 and using Nanowrimo I wrote the first draft of The Flirting Games, which now gets hundreds of downloads a day on Amazon, this then encouraged me to write several more in the same series. Of course at the end of my first Nanowrimo, I did only have a very rough draft and it required quite a lot of polishing, but it was a great starting point. <br />
<br />
Nano usually runs in April, July and November, and this month I have decided to participate again. The task is basically to write a novel in a month. They recommend a word count of around 50,000 and you get lots of encouragment and support to reach your target.<br />
<br />
I have been a little wimpy, what with a ton of family commitments to consider as well, and have set my own word count goal of 25,000. (They let you set whatever you like and it still works the same). I think 25k will give me a decent novella, and who knows, maybe later I will expand it.<br />
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My plan was that if I could write 1000 words a day then I should in fact finish early! (Especially as July is a long month anyway), but it never happens in reality does it. We are now on Day 7 and I have written just under 5000 words.<br />
<br />
But it's a wonderful incentive, it really focusses you to write, and I recommend to anyone reading this that thinks they might like to write a novel, that they give Nano a go, just for the fun of it, because you never know!<br />
<br />
Also I have been put in a brilliant cabin (the format is like an online summer camp for writing), which is really chatty and full of other writers giving each other inspiration and encouragment.<br />
<br />
You are also encouraged to load up a blurb, a title and a cover if you have one, which I think is a great motivator as well, because once you have those things, the book begins to feel real.<br />
<br />
So here's what I'm doing this month:<br />
Title: Romancing the Stove<br />
<br />
Blurb: When Paige gets assigned to help typical lad, Harvey, with passing Home Economics, they struggle to get along. Gradually though, he begins to be seduced by her cooking if not by the subject itself.<br />
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And here is the cover!<br />
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So keep your fingers crossed for me finishing it this month, and look out for this book joining my others on the online shelves in the near future :-)<br />
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If you would like to be kept informed of my new releases then do sign up for my mailing list here: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://eepurl.com/wEMmD" target="_blank">http://eepurl.com/wEMmD</a></span> <br />
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Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-57962667410897056062014-05-29T16:07:00.000-07:002014-05-29T16:08:51.312-07:00Want to be a writer? Go for it! Tips and thoughts...I get a fair bit of mail from teenagers who have read my books and tell me that they are thinking of writing something similar. So I thought it might be useful if I posted a few thoughts I have on what you should do if you are one of them.<br />
<br />
Firstly, I don't have a publisher. I publish direct to Amazon, to googleplay and to Smashwords (who distribute to ibooks, B&N etc on my behalf). I know we all dream of seeing our books in a bricks and mortar bookshop, of picking up our very own paperback and seeing other people reading it on the train, but the times are changing. These days it isn't a single publisher who decides if your book is worthy, it's the readers. With the invention of e-reading devices you can now get your work out to the entire globe with a few clicks and it is the readers themselves who decide if your book swims or sinks straight out of sight. And you know what? I think there's something very right about that...<br />
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So where do you start? You need to write the book. Just write it. Write it as a short story and watch it unfold, or write a plot outline and fill it in, or write one chapter at a time one evening a week and you have a book before you know it. Just write it. It doesn't matter if it's a mess, you can tackle that later, but get the words down. That's the hardest, most time-consuming bit of all, I promise. I could write a whole post on how to do that bit, but that's a different story, and to be honest, a different process for every single writer out there (though I would be happy to share my own process if you are particularly interested).<br />
<br />
So you have a first draft? Now what?<br />
<br />
1) Start editing. re-read and rewrite over and over.<br />
2) Find Beta readers. Use your family and friends if you feel you can. But I don't, I prefer strangers on the Internet who will give me a more honest critique. There are loads of websites where you can find people who might be interested in reading your work and giving an opinion.<br />
3) Don't take everything the Beta's say too much to heart. Try to extract any practical advice and don't lose your voice if you make more changes based on their opinions.<br />
4) Get a professional proof reader. This is crucial! I've deleted so many self published books I started reading simply because of spelling and grammar errors! It is extremely unprofessional, and although even the best proofreader in the world won't catch everything, they are worth their weight in gold. Yes - you do have to pay for them, but your auntie or your friend next door will not do the same job. If you want some recommendations, I am happy to provide them.<br />
5) Buy a great cover. Before you invest serious money in a custom made cover, really check out the pre-made sites. There are thousands of amazing covers out there that you can pick up from $25 - $60 if you buy a pre-made. You just chose one and then email the designer. They add in your title and your name (plus tag-lines if you want) and it is good to go, yay.<br />
<br />
You should now have a book and a cover. That's all you need to publish...<br />
<br />
Okay, I know that a lot my readers are too young to have accounts and be in a position to set up payments, so I'll very briefly cover that before moving on: If you are under 18 in the UK (I'm not sure what the age is elsewhere) then you can not publish and get paid. It sucks, but that's the reality. So, your options are to either get your parents to publish for you, or to release your book for free. There are only so many places that will take it for free. Certainly not Amazon. But don't be disheartened! This is a great marketing opportunity for you. Start off on the free sites, places like Wattpad, and build a fan-base. That way, the moment you are old enough, you can release on the paid sites and already have buyers waiting for your next great novel. Set up an email address and have fans email you to sign up for your mailing list. You can then email them all direct the moment you release a new book and keep building that base, then one day you can email them and say "my new book is now available on Amazon for x $," and you have sales right out the gate!<br />
<br />
The other advantage of this route is that publishers and film makers and all kinds of useful people may very well see your work and you have a massive head start. You may even find your book being picked up to become a movie before you are even old enough to go and see it... Don't laugh, it has happened! <br />
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For those of you that are old enough to set up a publisher account. Spend some serious man hours getting familiar with the process of loading up a book and filling in the relevant forms. It is worth it. You only have to do it once and from then on you are set to release book after book.<br />
<br />
The ins and outs of publishing are too numerous to fit into a blog post. But if you have done all the steps above then you are ready and I would personally be more than happy to guide you on that road. I don't think you will need me to, but I'm here if you do have any questions.<br />
<br />
There is nothing I like better than seeing a new writer succeed in this amazing new world of e-books, and to see them having their books singled out by the people that actually read them. So with that in mind, I am going to take a big leap of faith (after all, you must be serious about it to have read this far) and give you my personal email address. If you would like further information and advice then just ask me. <a href="mailto:swilkinsonauthor@gmail.com">swilkinsonauthor@gmail.com</a><br />
<br />
And lastly (and very importantly) Good Luck!<br />
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Search for books by Stella Wilkinson at all good online retailers, or pick up her first book FREE here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C14KSH8/">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C14KSH8/</a>Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-78498674520550273112014-05-04T09:07:00.000-07:002014-05-04T09:07:22.769-07:00Reviews of Juliet Blackwells Witchcraft MysteriesAs I'm currently writing my own Magic & Mayhem <i><b>witchy series</b></i>, (Book #1 FREE on Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9M7IGC">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9M7IGC</a>) I have been reading, no <i>devouring</i>, similar style books and have fallen in love with Juliet Blackwell's Witchcraft Mysteries. They are a little more mature than my own, which are aimed at young adults, but they are written with great humor, some characters that literally jump off the page, and Juliet has captured some men that make my heart thump :-) They are the story of 'born witch' Lily Ivory. Here are the covers:<br />
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The best pictures of Lily are of course off the covers of the books, but she is just a cartoon, if I had to pick a real life person who best sums up how I imagine her to look, then I would chose Jennifer Love Hewitt in her cute 1950's style outfits when she played Melinda in Ghost Whisperer.<br />
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There are five books in the series already and I'm going to review all of them! Basically because as soon as I finished one, I had to read the next one. And as each one arrived I was like this<br />
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I'm not going to type out the plot of each book, but here's the official blurb from the first one to give you an idea:<br />
<h1>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Secondhand Spirits</span></h1>
<h1>
</h1>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">#1 of the Witchcraft Mystery Series</span></h2>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="plum"><i>Lily Ivory is not your average witch. Her
spell-casting powers tend to draw mischievous spirits while keeping
normal humans at a distance. But now her vintage clothing store could
give her a chance to make friends in San Francisco....</i></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="dropcap" style="letter-spacing: 1px;">L</span>ily hopes for
a normal life when she opens Aunt Cora's Closet. With her magical
knack for vintage fashion -she can sense vibrations of the past from
clothing and jewelry—her store becomes a big hit.
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">
But when a client is murdered and children start disappearing from the
Bay Area, Lily may be the only one who can unravel the crime. She tries
to keep her identity a secret while investigating, but it's not
easy—especially under the spells of sexy "mythbuster" Max Carmichael and
powerful witch Aidan Rhodes. Will Lily's witchy ways be forced out of
the closet?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><hr class="mtk" style="width: 200px;" />
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Each book is a murder mystery, and contains a host of well rounded characters. Bronwen and Maya, who work in the shop are great, as is Inspector Romero, and Oscar, her Familiar, needs an entire review of his own, even the clothes are detailed so vividly that you want to find her outfits and buy them, but it's the men in Lily's life that really jump off the page. So I've trawled the internet trying to find pictures that do them justice, lol!<br />
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Max Carmichael: A Myth Buster. He and Lily are attracted to each other from the start, but their personal beliefs just can't gel. I could search the internet for days, but I'd never find someone better to play Max than Sam Worthington, he really is the epitome of strong male role, he's <i>all</i> man this one!<br />
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Aidan Rhodes, Male witch is described as blond and unnaturally attractive with boyish blue eyes. He and Lily have some rather explosive sexual chemistry, but she's extremely wary of him. His face was hard to find, but I think this Ralph Lauren model has pretty much nailed Aidan's looks and style as I envision them -<br />
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And lastly there's Sailor. Is it possible to lust after a fictional character from a book? I certainly think so. He's the ultimate bad boy, dark, brooding and gorgeous. Sailor is so wrong and so right for Lily. I wanted to see them together from the moment he appeared, though it took another couple of books before there was a hint. But Lily isn't the type to have a smooth love life. I think Sailor is going to give her a nice bit of rough before the smooth ;-)<br />
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So there they are. I hope you like my choices for the cast?<br />
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Now the really exciting news!<br />
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The new book in the series is due for release next month!! I'm so excited! The cover has been revealed:<br />
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I hope you love them as much as I did. Juliet Blackwell is such a fabulous writer, so go and get these books!! (And if you like them, then you should like mine too, wink wink!)<br />
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If you would like to be kept informed my new releases then sign up to my mailing list here: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://eepurl.com/wEMmD" target="_blank">http://eepurl.com/wEMmD</a> I never spam, I will only email you with my new releases and promotions. Plus the occasional freebie!</span></div>
<br />Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-90830591845682434892014-04-19T17:52:00.000-07:002014-04-19T17:52:48.515-07:00Review of Cassie Mae - Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend, and all the others!Recently I wrote reviews of 'Switched' and 'How to Date a Nerd' by Cassie Mae on Goodreads. Those of you who read it may recall my response was something like this:<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> So how could I not go and read all her other books? I can start by saying there weren't enough of them! I downloaded Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend. </span></div>
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On to the actual review:<br />
Was it as good as Switched? No, it was a simpler storyline with two great main characters. Hayley isn't actually particularly fat, which for some reason I found disappointing, but she did have some self esteem issues and was a total sweetie. Brody is a way too lifelike! He's a boy in the real sense rather than the romantic sense. I loved following his train of thought and watching him being won over by the girl with the bigger personality. There's no cliff hanger here, but it's a fantastic fun read and I'm keeping it for a reread sometime. I think Cassie is an author who is clearly going from strength to strength. I also read 'Friday Night Alibi' and loved it, but I think her later stuff is even better. Switched was brilliant, but How to Date a Nerd made my top 5 fav books.<br />
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I know, I know, I've just reviewed 5 books all at the same time without giving each one enough credit, but when I find an author I like, I tend to devour on mass.<br />
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I guess my final word is that I love Cassie Mae and each book has been even better than the last, so start with the first one and work your way up and if you value my opinion at all then go and pre-order the new one:<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com./dp/B00ILMKZGS/">http://www.amazon.com./dp/B00ILMKZGS/</a><br />
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Because it's gonna make you feel like this:<br />
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Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-17631792421476445312014-04-19T16:48:00.000-07:002014-04-19T16:48:01.508-07:00Hurrah! Halloween Magic & Mayhem now Free on Amazon!That's right folks! Ahead of the release of the sequel, Amazon have now made Halloween Magic & Mayhem FREE! Zero, Zip, Nada, Nothing, Nought! LOL, Grab a copy while it stays that way and hopefully you will like the sequel too :-)<br />
<br />
Find it here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9M7IGC">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9M7IGC</a><br />
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<i><b>Halloween Magic & Mayhem</b> </i><br />
<i>How on earth did I end up here? I was supposed to be at a party kissing
the boy of my dreams, instead I’m dancing naked on the town common, on
Halloween, with a Coven of strange women who might be witches, a bunch
of zombies that I have to return to their graves, a talking crow, and my
pet ghost thrown in for good measure. Just yesterday I was an ordinary
teenager…
<br />
<br />On her sixteenth birthday Emily Rand discovers that she is a witch.
Unable to control her spells she unwittingly raises zombies, and
corporealizes the ghost haunting her house. She finds herself in a race
against time to put everything right if she has any hope of getting to a
certain Halloween party and seeing a certain boy again.
</i><br />
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If you would like to be kept informed of new releases from Stella
Wilkinson, don't forget to sign up for her mailing list here: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://eepurl.com/wEMmD" target="_blank">http://eepurl.com/wEMmD</a></span></div>
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<br />Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-47308843452751502342014-04-14T07:29:00.000-07:002014-04-14T07:29:17.598-07:00Cover Reveal! Werewolf Magic and MayhemBook One - <i><b>Halloween Magic & Mayhem</b></i> ( <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9M7IGC">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9M7IGC</a> ) was a fun Halloween novella about sixteen year old Emily Rand, and the chaotic and amusing consequences of her first night of being a witch.<br />
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Following on from the success of that book and bowing to your requests for more from Emily and her Familiar, Bob; I have written a full length sequel.<br />
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<i><b>Werewolf Magic and Mayhem</b></i> <b>- Due for release 22 April 2014</b><br />
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So here is the much awaited cover! Find the blurb below and don't forget to check out Book 1 first if you're interested.<br />
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<h1>
Werewolf Magic & Mayhem</h1>
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New witch Emily Rand and her crow
Familiar, Bob, are back for another bout of magical mayhem. Emily is approached
by a werewolf called Fletcher who wants her to cure him of his <i>affliction</i>.
Despite her lack of experience, Emily decides to try to help Fletcher.
Unfortunately her spells aren’t known for going according to plan, and Emily
accidentally divides Fletch from his handsome human body and brings forth his
inner wolf in a very real sense. Now she has to find a way to put it right by
the next full moon or Fletcher will be stuck as a wolf forever. A <i>Paranormal
- Comedy - Romance</i> novel from best selling young adult author Stella
Wilkinson.</div>
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<br />Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597619055081733921.post-5175920177451538612014-04-13T09:57:00.002-07:002014-04-13T09:57:50.533-07:00Great Article for Young Adult Writers / Readers<h1 class="single-title" itemprop="headline">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Re-blogging this from TED Blog </span></h1>
<h1 class="single-title" itemprop="headline">
The best way to get a book deal? Write a story 19 million people want to read</h1>
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<a href="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/bethreeklesblogheader.jpg"><img alt="BethReeklesBlogHeader" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-85181" src="http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/bethreeklesblogheader.jpg?w=900" /></a></div>
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17-year-old Beth Reekles had a really good year. She
published two books; appeared on national TV; sold the film rights for
her first book, <em>The Kissing Booth</em>; graduated from high school and started college; and earned a spot on <a href="http://time100.time.com/2013/11/12/the-16-most-influential-teens-of-2013/slide/beth-reekles/" target="_blank">TIME’s list of the most influential teens of 2013</a>, alongside household names like Malia Obama and Justin Bieber. And still she found time to watch five seasons of <em>Gossip Girl</em>.</div>
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How did such a young woman get so far so fast? When Beth
was 15, living at home in Wales, she wrote a novel (“the kind of book I
wanted to read”) and put it up on the story-sharing website <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/user/Reekles">Wattpad</a>. 19 million views later, she won a three-book contract with a young adult division at Random House to publish that first book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Kissing-Booth-Beth-Reekles-ebook/dp/B00AIV2KIG" target="_blank"><em>The Kissing Booth</em></a>, and two more, including the recently published <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Dice-Beth-Reekles/dp/0552568821" target="_blank"><em>Rolling Dice</em></a>.
That kind of transition from self-publishing to traditional publishing
is rare — but her true-to-life stories of teen romance, sans vampires
and werewolves, must have tapped a void that needed filling.</div>
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This much-in-demand writer has developed a routine that
helps her stay focused. Beth likes to write alone with her computer and a
cup of tea. (She avoids writing with others in the room, because she
hates the idea that someone might be reading over her shoulder.) If
she’s feeling blocked, she turns on background music — such as the
soundtrack to <em>Doctor Who</em> or <em>Pirates of the Caribbean</em> —
to help her feel more creative. “Something emotive and exciting,” she
says. She experiments with form as well — on her Wattpad page, you can
find short stories, chapters and novellas, including the holiday one-off
“<a href="http://www.wattpad.com/31377053-deck-the-halls?d=ud" target="_blank">Deck the Halls</a>.”</div>
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She’s a freshman at the University of Exeter now and plans
to major in physics. She’s busy preparing for January exams and working
on her third book. This summer, when classes end, she’s excited to spend
her summer typing away, possibly working on a sequel to <em>The Kissing Booth</em>.</div>
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We talked to Beth via email about self-publishing, J.K. Rowling, and letting go of bad reviews. Our first question:</div>
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<strong>What inspired you to write a novel at 15? Here’s Beth –</strong></div>
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I was looking for a high school romance that didn’t involve
a vampire or werewolf – every teen romance seemed to have a paranormal
element, and I was sick of that. So when I couldn’t find the kind of
book I wanted to read, I decided to write it instead. That’s how I ended
up writing <em>The Kissing Booth</em>.</div>
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<strong>What did you think when Random House called you up and said, “Hey, want to write a few more for us?”</strong></div>
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I was thrilled! I’d thought about traditionally publishing
my books, but I didn’t think it would actually ever happen, and
certainly not like that! Sometimes I still can’t believe it.</div>
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<strong>A lot of people in the publishing world are wary of self-publishing. What is your take on it?</strong></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Self-publishing is making writing something that a lot more
people take seriously now. It gives a lot of new and younger writers
the opportunity to try and put their work out there quickly and easily,
so it’s encouraging more and more people to write.</div>
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<strong>What are you writing now?</strong></div>
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Right now I’m working on my third book for Random House, which is going to be another young-adult romance, called <em>Out of Tune</em>.</div>
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<strong>How do you come up with a new character or story? What’s your process?</strong></div>
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I usually get the ideas for characters before I come up
with a story. My characters seem to have lives of their own that I have
to try and put down on paper. I’ve never been any good at planning
stories; I often go with the flow and don’t know how the story will turn
out until I’ve finished it!</div>
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<strong>Which authors do you really admire?</strong></div>
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J.K. Rowling has always been one of my role models. I’ve
loved the Harry Potter series since I began reading it as a child, and
when I read about how she persevered despite all the rejection letters,
it’s really encouraging and inspiring to me as a writer.</div>
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<strong>Are there any responses you’ve gotten from fans that have really stuck with you?</strong></div>
<div dir="ltr">
I get so many messages from young girls telling me that
I’ve inspired them to write, or that they don’t usually read but tried
my book and loved it. Those are the ones that really stick with me.
They’re very humbling messages to receive, and they always make my day!
It’s brilliant to hear that I’ve encouraged other girls to read and
write more.</div>
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<strong>What is one thing you know that you wish everyone knew?</strong></div>
<div dir="ltr">
One bad piece of criticism can make you feel like
everything you’re doing is a waste of time, but you really need to put
it in perspective. Take note of all the good things people are saying!</div>
Stella Wilkinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08601497196321460084noreply@blogger.com0