Wednesday 27 November 2013

Right Up My Street - AVAILABLE NOW!


Get the flags out!

Hang out the bunting, bring on the marching band and crack open a bottle of something fizzy because ……. today’s the day.  Well the day was actually Sunday 24th November 2013 but I wasn’t QUITE ready to tell the world!

I have been working towards this moment for about a year and a half.
I’d be lying if I said I had been working on this full time because of course, life comes along and has a habit of getting in the way.

Our dog, HuffingtonBear arrived en route to the completion of the first draft of the story and needed some tlc and more than a modicum of training, the kids had various things going on in their lives like grown up birthdays and starting new jobs and college courses.  We attempted to move house, then decided to stay, then decided to build an extension.  Oh and I have read somewhere in the region of 90 books in the same amount of time it has taken me to write just one!  All very welcome interruptions of course, but they have all been things that distracted me from the end objective.

So here we are finally.  Wednesday 27th November 2013 – Right Up My Street by Juliet Robbins is available to buy in paperback and on Kindle via Amazon.  If you buy it in glorious, glossy paperback it’s £6.00.  Thankfully I have also been able to publish it via Kindle and you can buy it for the fabulous, minuscule price of 77p.  Cheap as chips, which I am thrilled about because of course, this is my first go at writing a book …… so be gentle with me ;)

If you are kind enough to buy it then I do hope you enjoy it and if you don’t, well it’s 77p that you will never get back – gadzooks! ;)  Although it’s a light, weekend read and just a bit of fun I have honestly put a great deal into it and am now extremely proud to be able to say that I have written and published a book.

Thank you to all my brilliant friends and family who have been kind and supportive.  For those who know me well, the story is truly Holly’s and she’s a made up person and although I met the love of my life Internet dating it’s not about us or my friends and family ….. although I guess you could easily add two and two together and make five! In doing my research some years ago now, I really did meet some of the most absurd people along the way - that much is true, but each character has been dreamed up out of my imagination.  Tis amazing where one can draw inspiration from ….

So here we are, finally.  I hope you enjoy reading Right Up My Street in whichever format you choose.  It has been a journey, it has been an education and it has most certainly been emotional.  

Big love beautiful people, Julesy ;) xxx

Friday 22 November 2013

Are we there yet? Adventures in book writing ….


Guess what?  I think we are almost there. Eeeeeeek!

So I have reviewed the book proof yet again and have just made my absolute final changes so if anyone finds anything from here on in then please, please just smile a little wry / smug smile and keep it to yourself … unless of course you want to see me carted off to the funny farm.  Your choice … on your head be it!!

Now this is the final bit of the process.  I send off my final, final, FINAL manuscript digital proof jobby, the lovely computer robot thing at Createspace runs it through a special programme and hey presto we are ready to rock and roll.

Holding my actual book in my little paws has been the most brilliant feeling.  However pressing the publish button is like sending your child off out into the big wide world and standing waving at the door, hoping for the best.  I’ll not be there to defend it if people are mean and I’ll just have to hope it is accepted and liked.

I keep reminding myself that this is chick lit and not a literary great although to me it’s a massive achievement.  When all is said and done, this is just me telling a story that I made up as I went along which is hopefully vaguely entertaining. Ta daaaa!

As I said in a recent post, an agent and publisher would have been mega fantastic but in the mean time I have done it ‘all by myself ‘(I feel a song coming on) and on that basis I’m pretty thrilled with it.

Right Up My Street will be published NEXT WEEK!  It will be available to buy as a paperback and to download on kindle.  As I explained previously, Createspace print on demand and therefore this drives up the price (which they set) of each copy so sorry folks if it’s not cheap as chips at this stage.

So here’s the back cover blurb…….

‘Holly fears a future living alone, eating pot noodles and rocking in a chair.  Will Internet dating be the source of true love?

Recently divorced Holly Matthews is about to make a decision.  It’s a decision she hopes will result in the discovery of Mr Lovely.

As she throws herself headlong back into the dating game, will the Internet be a help or a hindrance in finding her knight in shining armour?’

If you’re into science fiction fantasy, literary greatness, epic family drama or intelligent poetry, please step away from the computer and under no circumstances should you press ‘BUY’.

However, if you are looking for a light read, a bit of fun and a peep into the world of dating for single gals then step right up and have a nosey through.  I so hope you like it.

Julesy x

Sunday 17 November 2013

Book Review - Wish Upon A Star by Trisha Ashley


Hello and happy Sunday folks,

In between learning to bake the perfect brownie, proof reading my own book for the gzillionth time and taking Huffington Bear for walkies, I recently invested in and read the latest offering by author Trisha Ashley.  Here's my review:

Last week heralded the arrival at my house, of the long awaited Trisha Ashley festive novel, Wish Upon A Star.  As ever Trisha delivers a warm hug of a book that you just can’t put down.  From its sparkly glittery cover to the dedication to her readers, Wish Upon A Star is a book that keeps on giving!

Wish Upon A Star is set in the Lancashire village of Sticklepond.  Lots of the residents of Sticklepond and thereabouts form the basis of other Trisha Ashley novels so if you’ve read any of them you feel like you’re visiting with old friends.  If you haven’t read any of them then you’re in for a treat, as you will have plenty to read and keep you occupied this winter.  In fact Trisha has a list on her website (trishaashley.com) that tells you a little about each of them.

So Wish Upon A Star is the story of Cally and her daughter Stella, born with a heart condition that is steadily worsening.  Cally needs to take Stella to America for a life saving operation and enlists the help of the Sticklepond residents to help raise funds.  Central to the story is Cally’s developing relationship with speciality baker Jago.  Will her friendship with him develop into romance or will his ex fiancée, the dreaded Aimee, ruin any possibility of anything more than friendship?  And will Cally be won over by the return of Stella’s ‘penguin daddy’ Adam, who appears out of nowhere?

As always, Trisha’s characters are warm and likeable.  Characters you may have met in previous books are consistent which is a nice touch and as ever, there are baking tips and recipes at the end of the story.

So is there a happy ending?  I’ll let you find out for yourself.  Suffice to say this is a heart-warming and uplifting story that you should definitely invest in for the festive season.  Hoorah for Trisha!


Monday 21 October 2013

The Writing Game

Happy Monday beautiful people!

I can't believe it has been so long since I last wrote on my blog.  Life has been hectic and slightly haphazard at best.  The extension is now complete thanks to a succession of delightful, if slightly needy builders.  I have run out of sugar several times and had to invest shares in caffeinated drinks for 'the lads'. Seven weeks later and the last bit of work is just being finished because, as is always  the case, you finish doing one job only to find something else needs doing.

So work on my book took a back seat for a while there but I'm ready now.  At least I think I'm ready.  I can't tell you how many times I have read the same pages over and over again, checking spelling, grammar, punctuation etc. and I'm sure there will still be the odd minor thing.  In fact, much as I have loved writing Holly's story (which is called Right Up My Street), if I'm honest, I'm now a tiny bit sick of it although encouragingly some bits still make me laugh and I've read them about a hundred times.

Those of you who know me well, know that the objective in writing this book was for me to just tell the story.  To write a book.  To be able to say that I had achieved it.  It was never to sell it.  I'm not a famous author, I'm just me.  However, throughout this process it has grown on me and I have loved writing.  Along the way I wrote a short story that won a competition and was published (Waiting For George) and it was mostly this that helped me to decide that I wanted Right Up My Street to reach a wider audience.

At the beginning of this year I made a decision to try and find an agent.  Now, in the book writing game you find an agent first and then the agent represents you in your quest for a publisher.  Along the way you collect an editor and all sorts of other fabulous people who get involved to make your book shiny, exciting and perfect.

I wrote to a dozen or so agents, who represent women's commercial fiction.  Each one that replied was encouraging in their own way telling me to 'keep trying' and that my work was 'promising'.  One said they 'really hoped I would be successful'. Apparently this is good.  Agents rarely tell you things they don't mean, especially if they have no plan to represent you.  However, I was lucky enough to get positive feedback from all but three.  The missing three chose not to reply or give any feedback.  Everyone else was kind but not kind enough to represent me.  So I remain agent-less and therefore publisher-less.

So I then had a dilemma.  Take this on alone and try to make it good enough by myself, forget it or keep trying.  I decided to take some time out, read the book afresh and found myself editing large parts of it.  Each time I went through the checking and editing process there was less to do until just lately I have been changing the odd word here and there.

I'm largely happy with how the book now looks and I have taken the decision to self publish.  Self publishing is a huge industry now with a massive percentage of books and e-books being sold through the likes of Amazon.  Of course I would have loved to have gone the traditional route but I am impatient to get my writing out there.  I have loved this process and have learned so much from it. Writing a book is far from just putting a story down on paper.  There is so much to consider.  I am not put off though and would do it again in a heart beat and would love to attract an agent through this, my first tip toe through women's fiction.

So watch this space my lovelies.  I now tread with extreme caution and slight nervousness into the world of self publishing.  The next step is to create a front cover, which I have ideas for already and then to format the book for publishing through Amazon.

Right Up My Street should be available to buy mid November both in paperback and Kindle versions.  I decided to publish in both formats as so many of my friends and facebook / twitter followers have said they would like both options.  I'm pretty sure this makes it more expensive to buy than I would have liked.  Given the choice I'd sell this, my first novel for 99p on Kindle and £2 in paperback, after all it's only little old me telling a story.  However as paperback will be printed on demand this drives up the price.  I'll keep you informed but I promise it won't break the bank.

Wish me luck everyone.  I'm so excited about publishing.

Blog you later, Julesy xxx

Friday 9 August 2013

Katie Fforde - Going Dutch

Happy Friday lovely people,

Todays post is a quick book review.  Some time ago, one of my favourite authors, the lovely Katie Fforde, wrote a book called Going Dutch.  I have read many of her books but this one managed to slip through the net until kindly Amazon reminded me of it a week or so ago.

In case you haven't read any of her books, Katie writes romantic fiction.  In true Katie style this particular tale has the feel good factor and is perfect for a Summer read.  The story is of Jo and Dora, both escaping broken relationships and finding lasting friendship on a barge on the Thames.  Not only do they find friendship but also adventure and the possibility of romance.

Will Jo get herself together and find love on the Holland trip?  Will Dora ever see what the rest of us see in Tom?

I read this book over several nights.  Ordinarily a night owl, I couldn't wait to switch off the tv, snug up under the duvet and read more of the story.

Thank you Amazon for kindly recommending it to me, I shall heartily recommend it to my friends.  Oh and thank you Katie for yet another lovely light hearted story. 

Julesy x




Thursday 1 August 2013

Short Story - A Moment In Time. I hope you like it x



A Moment In Time.
Alex felt the heat of a scorching red sun beating down on the back of her head on a dizzying hot summer’s day.  And in the all too familiar headspace of another unwelcome trance the flashbacks came.
This time Alex was looking back at the school playground.  A place where lifelong friendships might be forged or perhaps moments that shape a person into what they later become.  There stood a 7-year-old boy and a slightly older girl.  The boy stood quite still, wearing little round glasses with brown plastic frames.  He lifted his hand and shielded his piercing blue eyes from the sun.  He was a skinny specimen in grey shorts with elasticated waist, a crisp white shirt and knee-high socks.  Alex looked back at her childish self; she was somewhat taller and thicker set than the boy, her curly red hair pulled back into a bunch with a bright blue bobble.  She was wearing her red check summer uniform and she carried a pink skipping rope, which dangled down from her right hand.  ‘Move’ she said forcefully, standing directly in front of him.  She stood firmly, hands on hips, her pretty face contorted with contempt.  The boy stood still, rooted to the spot.  Alex enjoyed the feeling of power she had over the boy especially since so many other kids teased her for having ginger hair, pale skin and freckles.  She was taking back control.  This was not the first time she had picked on him; he was a pretty easy target.  ‘Are you deaf as well as stupid’ she said poking him in the chest with the plastic end of the skipping rope.  ‘You could go around me’ he answered, standing up straight and growing in height and confidence.  ‘The playground is big enough for everyone’.  The girl’s face reddened and screwed up with rage.  She took a step forward and leaned in towards him spitting in his face as she spoke ‘Give me your lunch money you silly boy.  You look like a monkey with your stupid hair and your sticky out ears.  Do it now or you’ll be sorry.’ 
The boy thought for a moment and chewed his lip. He fiddled with the coins in his pocket and with a considered look on his face he finally held out a two-pound coin in his sticky hand.  He breathed deeply to stop the tears, which were forming in the corners of his eyes.  As Alex went to snatch it from him he curled his fingers back around it and silently put it back in his pocket. He turned from her and walked away but as he did so Alex whipped the back of his legs with a sharp thwack of her skipping rope, the cheap nylon leaving red welts on the backs of his knees. ‘That’ll teach him’ she thought as she waited for his response.  The boy didn’t falter, he kept walking and he didn’t look back.  She was momentarily puzzled.  Why hadn’t he cried?  Why hadn’t he challenged her?  He had turned the other cheek.  This was bravery.
As quickly as the flashback came, it had passed and in it’s place another.  It was a cold and crisp autumn day.  Alex’s dad was pushing the rusty red bike through piles of red and brown leaves on the pavement outside number 47.  The stabilisers had finally been taken off.  ‘If you believe in yourself you can do it’ he called encouragingly, his hand cupped by the side of his mouth, as she began wobbling down the street on two wheels for the very first time.  Dressed in warm clothes and wearing kneepads and helmet Alex started pedalling hard, wobbly steering giving way to confidence.  ‘Yes!’  Her dad shouted ‘Yes!  I knew you could do it’.  As the bike gathered pace down the hill Alex thought she saw the familiar face of a boy wearing glasses watching her.  At about the same time, she realised that the brakes were failing and as her concentration lapsed both bike and rider clattered in a heap on the pavement.  Alex stood up and brushed the leaves from her woolly jumper.  She was embarrassed having fallen but she waved at her dad from the bottom of the hill and grinned despite the bruised knees and grazed knuckles.  She looked around for the boy.  He was standing beside his own garden-gate half way down the hill.  They exchanged shy smiles as the boy clapped lightly to congratulate her bike-riding success.  With an extraordinary feeling of self-belief never previously experienced, Alex ran back up the hill with the bike.  This was confidence. 
No sooner had the positive sensation of confidence settled then the desperate and unnerving whining noise of an animal in pain flooded through Alex’s mind, like a tidal wave, sweeping the optimistic mood of the previous memory crashing to one side.
Barnaby lay on his side, wrapped up in a thick red jumper.  He shivered, his eyes opening now and then as a tiny whimper escaped his mouth.  The elderly black Labrador foamed gently at the mouth while the boy and the girl sat cross-legged on the floor, side by side and tempted him with water, squeezing a sponge between his lips one last time.  Barnaby was the boy’s dog and he was leaving.  He had been poorly for weeks and nobody could bear to see him hurting any more.  The lady in the green veterinary nurses uniform picked up his weary body and gently carried him to the table.  Family and friends crowded round, each one holding a paw or stroking their friend Barnaby’s grey chin.  Salty tears rolled silently down the faces of ‘his people’ as Barnaby slipped gently away from one world and unseen by the family bounded into the next, released from pain and suffering.    Alex reached out for the boy’s hand and squeezed it gently.  Through the dream-like haze, Alex felt the prickle of new tears forming at the memory shared by two childhood friends.  This was loss.
Looking through a picture window into a small cottage Alex watched as another moment in time flashed before her.  He was big and strong, much changed from his gawky younger self.  He was tall, manly and wearing a smart suit.  Alex matched him in height, her demeanour displaying a gentleness brought on by maturity.  Her thick red curls were pulled back from her face leaving wispy trails just at the sides.  She wore a white cotton dress and no shoes.  A ceiling fan above them gently circled, cooling the oppressive summer night.  They began swaying gently together as the music played.  The sultry sound of At Last by Etta James filled the room.  Alex looked on and drank in the familiarity of the scene. A memory from a life filled with exceptional moments.  The man took off his glasses to reveal his pretty blue eyes and pulled the girl towards him, his lips gently brushing hers.  Their eyes locked as they moved slowly back and forth in time to the music.  He took her hand in his as they edged towards the bedroom and he tenderly touched her cheek.  Electricity filled the air as a storm brewed.  She smiled at him, an unmistakable look of adoration and complete and utter love.  He led her into the bedroom and gently closed the door as thunder grumbled and lightning struck.  This was love.
One memory merged into the next as the thunder grew louder.  Alex watched, unable to move, unable to do anything as the image of war played out.  It was baking hot and the air was dusty and dry, so dry it caught in their throats.  The muffled sound of gunfire and exploding grenades in the distance suddenly replaced by an almighty intense flash of orange and a deafening boom.  The dirt-covered truck was thrown by the full force of the explosion onto its side. Panic ensued. Sound became muted, barely audible.  The medic with the thick red hair, tied back with a blue bobble ran to the aid of the soldiers in the truck.  Everyone else ran the other way, arms gesturing her to safety.  Alex was alone as she reached the silently smouldering truck and frantically searched, hands desperately clawing at the wreckage for signs of life.  There was none.  And then she found him. Once so big and strong, he now lay there broken and bleeding, barely breathing.  She gathered every ounce of strength she could muster and pulled him to safety, dragging him like a doll and shielding him as best she could. The truck exploded and the man’s glasses fell from his pocket and onto the dirt.  One final blast as shrapnel flew through the air and life ebbed away.  This was death.
Alex gulped air into her lungs frantically, her heart beating wildly against her rib cage and her eyes flew open.  The pavement rushed up towards her face, her red curls flying out behind her. 
The broken man in uniform, clutching a two-pound coin had reached out to her from beyond the grave in her final moments and reminded her of special shared experiences.  They had grown together, the awkward little boy and the feisty red head, and Alex had loved him more than anything.  She had loved him more than life itself and life had tortured her with his loss.  In that split second as the pavement at the foot of the tallest building in the city greeted Corporal Alexandra Stone, she remembered love, she remembered bravery, she remembered all that she had learned with him and from him.  She knew he had made her a better person and as her life drew to a close she wished she could have taken one step back instead of forward. This was regret.

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Lepe of faith ...

At the risk of this blog turning into a 'dog blog' today I'm going to share our shenanigans in the New Forest.

Just as we were expecting that rain would stop play at Wimbledon and therefore also that it might stuff up our few days away in the New Forest, summer surprised us all and leapt into action.  With impeccable timing, just as OH finished work for a few days, the sun burst out from behind the clouds and smiled a great big summer smile.

So, to start off our few days break together, we set off into London and the O2 to see Michael Buble in action.  Having bought tickets at a phenomenal price last November (I'm not even going to think about telling you how much we paid in case you faint because on a day like today you do not want to be collapsed in a heap on the floor) we were really looking forward to it.  I say we and I mean we.  OH is partial to a bit of Buble's musical talent - I honestly didn't have to drag him.  I guess that's why we are lucky - we have SO MUCH in common.  Anyway, Buble didn't disappoint and having danced our way through all my absolutely favourites, which were performed with a smoothness to rival carte d'or ice cream (really?  yes really) I gathered together my very expensive signed programme and the heart shaped confetti I caught as it tumbled through the air during All You Need Is Love and we strode happily out into a perfect summer's evening.

Next day we set off with a massive holdall full of 'just in case' items .... Raincoats (just in case), jumpers (just in case), jeans (you get the idea by now surely) and walking boots together with t shirts, water, sweets for the 'journey', several changes of clothes (for all weathers ... you guessed it ... just in case) and my trusty camera.  OH then heaved into the car 'Huffington's holiday box'.  Now, you think that all the stuff you have to remember when taking kids on holiday is a chore.  We ran through his 'list' (just in case) ... Towel (check), short lead (check), wheelie lead (check), Kong (for those without canine companions this is a red heavy duty rubber toy thing that you stuff treats in) ... (check), Dentastix (check), peanut butter (yes really - for the Kong - check), food (check), water for the journey (check), water bowl (check), food bowl (check), poo bags (check), wipes (check) ... and we finally set off, laden down with things we 'might need' in case the weather changed.

Arriving at the New Forest OH and I deliberated for a bit as to why it was called the New Forest - it seemed fairly old actually, the trees were REALLY tall.  We decided that it 'was new at the time I suppose' and that's why they called it that!  With my trusty pal google to hand on my phone I looked it up and apparently the New Forest was created by William the Conqueror.  William the Conqueror was not a massive tree hugger by all accounts but was partial to a bit of game hunting.  At the expense of several small villages and farms, he cultivated this forest, added some game and then hunted there.  Ta daaaaa - New Forest.  Two of his sons died there though so maybe what seemed like a good idea at the time might have backfired slightly.

We drove gently over cattle grids, marvelling at the New Forest ponies who gathered at the side of the road and ambled carelessly in front of passing cars until we passed the very picturesque Beaulieu.  Oohing and ahhhing along the way at the peacefulness and beauty of the place we eventually arrived at Bucklers Hard.  Now I have to say choosing Bucklers Hard and The Master Builders hotel was an absolute stroke of luck.  We had been searching for a dog friendly hotel with walks and a beach for ages on t'internet only to chance across The Master Builders in the Alistair Sawdays 'dog friendly' holiday book.  What a find!

So we approached the entrance as the gates opened for us and drove down to the patrons only car park.  In front of us was the most gorgeous view.  The sun was shining and small boats bobbed up and down gently on the water.  We had so lucked out.  The Master Builders hotel is placed within Bucklers Hard, an 18th century ship building village on the banks of Beaulieu river and it is absolutely stunning.  You can take a walk into Beaulieu by the river or just while away the afternoon watching the boats with a glass or two of wine from the hotel bar.

Once we felt sufficiently revived from our car journey the following day, having spent the previous evening sitting out by the river with a bottle of champagne and a very patient dog, we decided to go to Lepe country park and beach.  This was an easy decision for us in terms of 'where to go' as Lepe beach is dog friendly.  It does have a small area for families which is not accessible for dogs from May to September but it is easily bypassed on foot and you can walk back down to the beach with your furry friend.

Everything about Lepe was lovely.  The car park, country walk, beach cafe, toilets and information point were clean and tidy and the cafe was well staffed.  The sun was shining and therefore everyone had a smile on their face - even HuffingtonBear who was about to experience his first splash in the sea.  So we led him down to the sea, oh and they have these perfect little sectioned off bits of beach so HB couldn't dash off, and in he went.  At first he wasn't sure but he was soon splashing in and out of the sea chasing a small piece of driftwood and actually bringing it back 'a la fetch'.  The Huff has never quite caught on when it comes to fetch but 'fetch the piece of driftwood from the shallow water' is definitely HIS game.  With my trusty camera I took dozens of photos like I did with the kids when they were little at the beach for the first time.  We had a great time.  The weather was perfect, the dog was well behaved, they had ice cream at the shop and cold water for The Huff and we remembered hay fever tablets (see previous Richmond Park blog posting!).  The only things we forgot were hats and sun cream.  We honestly didn't think the weather would be so good and we had COMPLETELY forgotten to add them to the 'just in case' list.  Never mind - I look rather fetching with a red nose and OH had a rather angry looking patch of red on the back of his neck.  Thankfully though, neither of us got sun stroke and generally we just had a great day.  On the way back to the hotel, donkeys entertained us by aimlessly wandering about in the road where the ponies had been before.

So there you have it, just a little snap shot really.  To give you a general idea of Beaulieu, Bucklers Hard and Lepe.  well worth a visit I'd say and we went just outside the school holidays which meant that it was all pretty quiet.  A quick note on the hotel.  It's quirky and old so don't expect perfection.  Having said that, the staff are helpful and the bar food is tasty and reasonably priced.  You are really paying for the location - which I have to say is spot on.  All in all a good few days away - we will definitely re-visit especially as HuffingtonBear loved the sea so much.

Have a great week people and enjoy the sunshine.

Blog you later, Julesy x