Thursday 24 November 2011

Celebrity Chefs - who do you love...?

Love ‘em or hate ‘em those celebrity chefs are everywhere - at food shows, in your magazines, on your TV and in your face - but which one do you love the best?

My new novel, launching for Kindle on Wednesday 14th December is entitled ‘Reaching for the Stars’ and is about a disillusioned Scottish celebrity chef who has just won his third star and lost his third wife.

The idea for this novel sprung from my fascination for the rock stars of the culinary world. I have my favourites - what about you?

So who has you salivating on the sofa? Vote now using the poll on the sidebar!

With great excitement I’d like to announce from 15th to 23rd December, following the fabulous and fun themed blog party, I’ll be on a blog tour with my new novel ‘Reaching for the Stars’. I’ll be talking about what inspired me to write about a sexy celebrity chef, the research I did and how it ended up as a television news feature, and about my life as a writer living in the wilds of Scotland.

These are the stops - and I’d be delighted if you were able to take a little time out of your busy Christmas schedules to visit the tour host’s blogs (links will be provided on the day) and perhaps leave a comment and even tweet or share the links? I’d really appreciate any and all support you are able to offer!

Thursday 15th December
Lou Graham’s Blog
Friday 16th December
Celtic Connexions Blog
Saturday 17th December
Jera’s Jamboree Blog,  High Heels & Book Deals,  Debs Carr Blog
Sunday 18th December
Today I’m Reading Blog
Monday 19th December
Rea Book Reviews Blog
Tuesday 20th December
Turning the Pages Blog
Wednesday 21st December
Kim The Bookworm Blog
Thursday 22nd December
Love Reading Love Books
Friday 23rd December
Talli Roland’s Blog

In ‘Reaching for the Stars’ the main character Chef Finn McDuff feels he's had enough of all the food campaigns, the TV cookery shows, the constant frenzy surrounding his private life and disappears into a self-imposed exile for a while. Read an excerpt here.

So, the theme of Launch Day is therefore 'Wish I Was Here...'

On Wednesday 14th December just put up a photo or picture on YOUR BLOG of where you wish you could escape to - for a little while - or forever! It might be a paradise island, a secluded beach, a woodland hut, a mountain ski lodge? The possibilities are endless - but fun to imagine right in the middle of December!

Then On Launch Day I will post a full list of all the blogs taking part and I'll be visiting all the blogs to see where YOU would like to escape to and to leave a comment!

I'd love it if you would consider taking part. All you need to do at this stage is submit your email and blog address into the form below. On the day itself you can pop along too to see where everyone wishes they where if you wish, but there is no obligation to do so. Every participant will be entered in a draw to win fun prizes - there are chef's hats and celebrity chef aprons to be won!
 


I really appreciate all your support.


Janice x

Friday 18 November 2011

We are Go For Launch!


Yesterday, with much excitement, I sent ‘Reaching for the Stars’ off to my lovely editor Kit Domino to be professionally edited, so we are on schedule to launch as planned on Wednesday 14th December!

On launch day I’m hosting a ‘Wish I Was Here...’ blog party and you are all invited to take part.

There is no writing or diary checking involved you will be pleased to hear - all you have to do on the day is post up a photo or a picture on YOUR blog of a place you’d like to escape to for a little while or forever! It might be a paradise island, a secluded beach, a woodland hut, a mountain ski lodge? The possibilities are endless - but fun to imagine right in the middle of December!

On launch day I will post a full list of all the blogs taking place and I’ll be visiting to see where YOU would like to escape to and to leave a comment! You can pop along to all the blogs too of course but there is no obligation to do so. I’ve had a fabulous response so far - so sign up now to join the party!



In preparation for the big day itself and the blog tour to follow (more details next week on the fabulous Reaching for the Stars blog tour!) this week I had some new author photos taken. I’m embarrassed to tell you that I’ve been using the same old photos for the past couple of years, photos taken at the same time as a Prima Magazine shoot, and I’m sure I look quite different now - not to mention a bit older!

Now, I don’t mind having my photo taken, but I do tend to blink at the click of a shutter and want to suck off my lipstick at the suggestion of a zoom lens, so you can imagine what my photos usually end up looking like?! I asked my lovely photographer friend Sara, who always makes me smile, to come along and take my new author photos. I think she did a really good job - as you can see I actually have my eyes open and my lipstick in place. Thank you and well done Sara!



Other news this week is that my lovely blogger and twitter friend Liz Crump awarded me the Liebster Blog Award and kindly said she thought my blog was creative, fun and friendly. I was so delighted as that is EXACTLY what I want my blog to be!


So, in accepting the Liebster Blog Award, the recipient agrees to:

- Thank the person who gave them the award and link back to that person's blog
- Copy and paste the award to their blog
- Reveal the 5 blogs they have chosen to award, commenting on their blog to break the news!
- Hope those people in turn pay it forward by accepting and awarding "The Liebster Blog Award" to bloggers they would like to honour

This award is for anyone with fewer than 200 followers. :)

The 5 blogs I’ve chosen to award are……


So until next week my friends, when I will tell you more about my fabulous Reaching for the Stars blog tour plans, please consider signing up to take part in my ‘Wish I Was Here’ blog party on 14th December - I know it’s a busy time of year but I would so appreciate your support - and promise fun and prizes!

Janice xx

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Party On...!


I’m excited to tell you that on Wednesday 14th December - which is the official Launch Day of my new novel Reaching for the Stars - I’m hosting a themed on line party here on my blog!

What’s the theme I hear you ask?

Well, in ‘Reaching for the Stars’ the main character Chef Finn McDuff feels he's had enough of all the food campaigns, the TV cookery shows, the constant frenzy surrounding his private life and disappears into a self-imposed exile for a while.

So, the theme of Launch Day is therefore 'Wish I Was Here...'

On Wednesday 14th December just put up a photo or picture on YOUR BLOG of where you wish you could escape to - for a little while - or forever! It might be a paradise island, a secluded beach, a woodland hut, a mountain ski lodge? The possibilities are endless - but fun to imagine right in the middle of December!

Then On Launch Day I will post a full list of all the blogs taking part and I'll be visiting all the blogs to see where YOU would like to escape to and to leave a comment!

I'd love it if you would consider taking part. All you need to do at this stage is submit your email and blog address into the form below.

On the day itself you can pop along too to see where everyone wishes they where if you wish, but there is no obligation to do so.

I really appreciate all your support.

I know it’s a busy time of year for everyone and so I want you to know how much I will appreciate your support. Please sign up now to take part in this fun blog party. All blogfesters will be included in a draw for super pwizes on the day!

If for any reason you don't want to use the form then please leave your blog address in the comments box instead - or email me at: janice.horton@btinternet.com and I'll be happy to add you to the list manually.

Thursday 3 November 2011

Strings Attached Blog Tour


Tuesday 1st November 2011 was the official launch date for Mandy Baggot’s fabulous new hot, contemporary romance, Strings Attached!

I am thrilled to be hosting Mandy and her book today as part of her Blog Tour.

Mandy, tell us more about Strings Attached!

Strings Attached is the story of tom-boy caterer George Fraser and gorgeous rock god Quinn Blake. George is called to cater for Quinn’s after-show party and when they meet we’re talking sparks, magnets and an attraction as intense as it gets! But relationships are never that clear cut and there are plenty of obstacles in the way of their getting together! We learn about George’s passions, Quinn’s complicated relationships and we meet Marisa Thomas, a Welsh seventeen year old who knows everything about celebrity and fashion and is determined to get a little limelight for herself! It’s a complex mix of sex, drama, family relationships and humour! Dallas in paperback perhaps?

Quinn Blake is on Twitter isn’t he? What gave you the idea for this?

Yes! You can find him on Twitter @quinnblakemusic and he does like to interact with the ladies! I went to a talk by Lorelai Mathias at the Romantic Novelists Association conference this year and she had used one of her characters on-line to promote her novel involving speed dating. I thought this was an excellent idea and wanted to see how readers would react to being able to interact with a character from a novel. He has been getting quite a few people hot under the collar and has helped build the excitement for the book. Promoting a book in a new and different way is always going to add something to your profile. Even if some people don’t take to the idea you’ll be remembered!

Half the novel is set in England, the other half in Spain. How much research did you have to do?

I had to travel to Spain a lot on holiday for research purposes obviously! I set the Spanish part in La Manga and I have never been there but it sounded like the celebrity hangout Quinn would travel to. I spoke to two friends who had been to the area and one of them worked in the property industry in La Manga for a number of years. I told her about the castle that features in the book and she looked at me openmouthed and said that there was a viaduct in La Manga that was built to look like a castle and that it was a standing joke in the region. Spooky! I have however, been to the Murcia area and that also features in the book.

Finally, tell us something about you that hasn’t been published before!

Hmm, that’s a tough one because I do like to share! Some people might know this, but I have a tattoo of a Tasmanian Devil somewhere on my body…you’ll have to guess where! LOL!

You can buy Strings Attached in Paperback and for Kindle on:

Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com

Mandy Blogs here and you can follow her on Twitter @mandybaggot & @quinnblakemusic


Join in Mandy’s blog party all next week!

Monday 7 November - Turning the Pages here
Tuesday 8 November - Reabookreviews here
Wednesday 9 Nov - Chick Lit Reviews and News here
Thursday 10 November - Sarah's Book Reviews here
Friday 11 November - Love Reading Love Books here




Next Friday I’m unveiling my own exciting December 14th Launch Day Plans and subsequent Blog Tour Dates for Reaching for the Stars - not to be missed!

New visitors - please do consider 'Following' my blog and I'd love you to leave a comment!

Janice xx