Have yourself a very Miranda-ry Christmas

Well hello to you my old chums!

Did you get my Miranda-ry tone there?  Or my Amanda-ry tone, as it were.

So you may have noticed I’ve barely blogged this year – totally ashamed, especially as it’s been a pretty good one in a, what I call, writerly way.

‘So have you cracked Woman’s Weekly yet Amanda?’  

RUDE!

No, it’s okay.  It’s only Peggy from round the corner, dropping in for mince pies and a tiny glass of sherry.  She likes to keep abreast of my story sales.

‘Well,’ I say, munching on a pie. (They’re very nice.  Do help yourself!). ‘Thanks for asking, Peggy. But no, despite having such fun writing away, I have YET to crack Woman’s Weekly.’

‘So what have you achieved then?’ She’s pouring another sherry.  Cheeky!

‘Well, I sold 15 stories this year – more than I’ve ever sold in a year – and I’m teetering – *teetering* I like that word – at the edge of 40 sales.   Plus I was thrilled to crack the lovely People’s Friend.’

‘Awh, I love the lovely People’s Friend, and My Weekly is just fab.’

‘I had a couple of stories in there too.’

‘Showing off now, are we?’

‘And I had a few in Take a Break’s Fiction Feast earlier this year.’

‘Showing off now, are we?’

‘But I’m really, really excited because I’ve FINALLY finished my children’s novel – SUCH FUN!’

‘Ooh, tell me more.’  She’s pouring another sherry!

‘I will indeed tell you more.  In fact, I’m hoping to twitter on about it lots in 2013.  Not on twitter, as such – I get very confused on there – but on here.’

‘So what is it about?’

‘It’s about a little girl called Emily, and I’m very excited about it.’

'You said.' Peggy’s not really listening any more.  She's much more interested in the contents of the sherry bottle, so I'd best sign off!

Thanks for dropping by, and I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a brilliant 2013.

Special thanks to the lovely Miranda Hart for lending tiny fragments of her voice for my post.  She doesn’t know – well I don’t know her funnily enough.  But I do LOVE her to bits, she’s right at the top of my candyfloss list.  (People I’d like to share a candyfloss with, obviously)   

SUCH FUN!

Welcome Suzanna Ross

I am thrilled to welcome the lovely Suzanna Ross to Writing Allsorts to talk about Blaze, a Minxes of Romance anthology.

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Thank you so much, Mandy, for inviting me onto your blog. I'm delighted to be here – and especially excited to be talking about Blaze, a Minxes of Romance anthology.

The members of my romance writing critique group, The Minxes of Romance, have often chatted about how nice it might be to work together on a project. These conversations usually took place during our late night Skype sessions, when the talk turns to our ideal dashing hero.

For a long time, it was just chat – a nice idea of something we might do at some future point. Then, one day, it turned serious. There was talk of a common thread – firemen. LorraineWilson worked on a setting. Someone suggested a deadline. And then we had a cover...

Working with friends - particularly when those friends are spread across the globe shouldn't be easy. But, in fact, preparing and self-publishing our Fireman Anthology was more like fun than work.

Of course, it helped hugely that we had our own self-publishing expert on hand: Sally Clements has self-published a number of her own titles and has been phenomenally successful. So we shamefully used her expertise. And it's a mark of how good a friend she is that she took on the majority of the work and kept us all organised (thanks, Sally).

The result of this is Blaze - an anthology of eight stories (ranging from 5,000 to 9.000 words) with very different voices.

Memory’s Flame by Maya Blake

The Fire Inside by Romy Sommer

A Smouldering Attraction by Suzanna Ross 

Locked Into Love by Catherine Coles

Hot, Bothered and Bewitched by Jodie James 

Lighting Love’s Spark by Sally Clements 

Worth the Risk by Tara Pammi 

A Kindling Romance by Lorraine Wilson

Blaze is available now from Amazon UK/US.

For more about the minxes, visit our blog : http://minxesofromance.blogspot.com/ 

Blaze is available now from AmazonUK/US.

For more about the minxes, visit our blog : http://minxesofromance.blogspot.com/

Bits and Stuff

Have you seen that advertisement in cinemas fighting against piracy?  HERE it is if you haven't. Well it reminds me of my blog.  Obviously the fact that it isn't frequented like it once was, rather than any pirates being among the readers, you understand - although I wouldn’t mind the gogeous Johnny Depp dropping by.

Anyway, I thought I’d resurrect it, blow away some of the cobwebs, and say HI!  *WAVES*

I have got things to report.   Good things.  I DID crack The People’s Friend – oh yes indeed - and my story should be out any time soon, which is VERY exciting.   And I DID tip my Short Story Sales over the 30 mark – and today SOLD my 33^rd story!  It was a much needed boost, I can tell you.  There have been some self pitying days in my writerly world of late.  Days when rejection after rejection plopped through my letter box. I would have cried if it wasn’t that I’ve developed the hide of a rhino where writing is concerned. OK, I cried.  

On a positive, I’ve got a new puppy.  Here she is, looking like butter wouldn’t melt – let me tell you it does.

And, whoop!  I’ve finished re-writing NOVEL 1, and feel, for the first time since the idea was born, very happy with it - it’s time to cut the apron strings and see what happens.    

In other exciting news, the very lovely Karen Clarke’s novel: My Future Husband

has been published in Germany.  It’s a fantasticly, funny novel – and I wish it every success!

And the equally lovely Suzanne Jones' - writing as Suzanne Ross - pocket novel Trust in Me is due out this week, I believe - can't wait to pick up my copy!

So that’s a quick catch up.  Hope you folks are all keeping jolly well.

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Is Anybody Out There?

Crumbs, I can't believe how dusty my blog was.  But with a little squirt of Pledge, and a quick nip around with a duster – it’s sparkling like new!

Well it’s been a while hasn’t it?  And although I’m peering through a now shiny screen – I'm wondering if you're there at all.  I wouldn't blame you for disappearing onto other blogs that update miraculously before your eyes, bringing with them exiting news and intelligent banter.  So, by way of an apology and a bribe to get you back, I’ve brought cupcakes.

Okay, so how have you all been over this past – ummm – four and a half months?  Is it really that long?  I’m so ashamed, but have an excuse for being absent without leave. I was waiting to announce that I’d achieved some of my 2012 goals. 

Except I haven't!

I'm doing okay though, as I've now sold 29 stories. I'm nearly able to add an extra star here - and I'm wearing my goggles and flippers in anticipation of plunging feet first into the 'I've sold over 30 stories club.'  Plus I've been asked for a story re-write by People's Friends would you believe?  Although I haven't yet dragged out my dancing shoes ready to celebrate cracking such a fab magazine, as I know they could still easily pass.

Ooh, and just to say Chloe Kent's (a.k.a, the lovely Karen Clarke) brilliant novel Dancing Queen has finalised for the Novelicious Undiscovered 2012 competition.  Go Read - it's FAB!


In other news – well I could go on and on and on, as waffling is my favourite past-time - as my hubby often says with his eyes, but I’d best not.  Just in case nobody’s there reading.  So I’ll just say I’ll be back soon with interesting and exciting posts on writing and other super intelligent stuff in the very near future – and I really, hopefully, maybe mean it this time!

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