It's that in between books stage...and I'm twitchy

Hi all, it's Tuesday, 
I'm on the settee with a cup of coffee on the table, eyeing up the cakes just out of reach (on purpose), sitting in front of my lap top and toying with a couple of ideas and part stories.

And wondering what to do next.

(pic, source pinterest)

It's not that I haven't got some stories in the making—I have. I'm also half way through writing a Regency mystery-romance with the lovely Cassie O'Brien. That is first on my next list if you get the gist. However it needs concentration as I'm checking we have our timeline and continuity right, and today, there's a lot happening in the Raven household. (No I do not have, or have moved the hammer, sticky tape, made a cuppa found x, y or z...

So, after going over the first chapter three times I've decided that's for when I have a clear, free and uninterrupted few hours later in the week. 

But that means now I'm twitchy. It's all well and good knowing what's on my list for a few days and weeks hence (I sort of do, well for the next week or so anyway) but I like a story on the go. 

And today I have three I could write and none are screaming 'me, me, do me.'

It's a great dilemma in one way, I don't have writer's block just writer's argh, what next.

I think I'll go and read a book, eat the cakes and make another cup of coffee.

How much do you bet I'll get a can you please do this asap email from someone?

Happy reading,

love Raven xx

blimey what a roller coaster of a ride...

Yes, it is me. The me who seems to have disappeared from the blogging scene this last year. My bad.
I've had a roller coaster of a 2019... Lots of highs...lots of lows.

(source: pinterest)

As most of you know it started with a massive low with the death of my bestie, the late great Doris O'Connor, went on to the high of out last joint story being published.

you can find it here

I've had a best seller on Amazon.com in three categories The Duke's Seduction of Lady M.

that's here

Plus a few more books out.

I've been lucky enough to visit lots of the UK, plus, South Africa, California, Portugal, Malta and Gozo, and Lanzarote.

Eaten some great gluten free food and some not so great

Watched (and got joyfully tearful) as our daughter got married, gained the perfect son in law, seen our son happy with his special lady, and spent time with the lovely hubby, both at home and away.

I've carried on my habit of writing anywhere I can get my laptop out, made lots of notes, had work accepted and yes, rejected.

It's been interesting to say the least.

I've started this year I hope, as the way I want to go on. More interaction, blog posts, guest blog posts, chat, fun, competitions, giveaways and writing. Lots of writing.

So on that note, I'm back off to my edits for my next Katy Lilley romcom, What Maisie Did Next.

But I'll be back, sooner rather than later.

Happy reading,

love Raven xx

A note from an absentee blogger, and a BIG shout out for a Doris and Raven paperback

That is me lately.

I've been remiss in blogging, in fact i've been remiss in a lot of things.

I'm still not quite up to par with all things writing. Dammit, I still go to talk to Doris O'Connor before I realise I can't do that any more.

If you see my lips moving and I appear to be arguing with myself, I'm doing both her and my side of any conversation we might have had and I know the outcome. Even if I am thinking I wonder if the outcome could be diff...no, okay. I can hear her in my mind!

Before you think, oh blimey, Raven's doing a woe is me blog, no I'm not. I'm actually doing a happy dance, oohh look isn't this fab sort of post.

Because The lovely Evernight Publishing have brought out our last joint book, The Tattoo Artist's Mate in paperback. along with The Good Bad Boy, and our time slip story, The Dukes Christmas Abductions.

To say I'm excited and over the moon is an understatement. And 'Volume one'!

Luckily I do have some more ides for Bare Alley Ink and those people who visit it or work there. Watch this space.

However for now, shameless link time...

Amazon .com        here

Amazon .co.uk     here

Happy Reading,

Love Raven (and Doris) xx

Ps, I promise to do better, R x

#SundaySnippet where I (or my heroine) ramble a bit

Hi all and welcome to this week's #SundaySnippet

I've had one of those up and down weeks which culminated in my deleting around 8k from my WIP. I might manage to savage around 1,000 words but sadly that will be it. Ah well, it had to be done and I'm a lot happier with it now.

My heroine isn't so happy though...

The trouble with telling yourself you're all fine with the situation and you can cope, is that you don't always believe it.
Iona muttered and mumbled and eventually gave up trying to read. She put on her trackies over Bugs (Her Bugs Bunny pj's—R) shoved her feet into her wellies—it was still damp, and after covering up in a waterproof headed for the track around the campsite.
Tess might call it an exercise track. Iona hoped if she trudged around it long enough, it could be called a 'make you so weary you'll sleep and not think of ways to castrate your ex,' track.

Poor Iona...

Happy reading,

love Raven xx

#SundaySnippet with a bear and a problem

Hi all,

It's a short snippet today from a story the lovely Doris O'Connor and I started when she went into hospital, to as she said when I reminded her we'd got an idea for a shifter...'take her mind off things'.

Sadly Doris passed away before we finished it, but hopefully I've done us both proud, by getting to the end, and submitting it. Just hope now it's accepted.

Bare Alley Ink

The Tattoo Artist's Mate

~The door to the shop blew open with a bang that rattled the windows nearby as a sudden gust of wind blew through the aperture and lifted a sheaf of drawings from the desk. They fluttered around like overlarge confetti and landed in a haphazard heap on the floor.

“Dammit, I should have shut that back door earlier,” Gaspar said with a growl that would put the fear of god into anyone who wasn’t on his side. “Sodding through draft, especially when the back alley’s like a wind tunnel. You could test a jumbo jet in there and…. what the fuck.”

Gaspar couldn’t have stopped the animalistic growl that rumbled out from his chest if his life depended on it, and he wasn’t sure he hadn’t grown a few inches too, because the scent on that breeze….

It couldn’t be, yet his bear responded to the call in the wind with another deep, menacing growl, which shook the floorboards and made the bell above his shop door go into spasms.

It was her, the woman he’d been with in her sleep. The woman he yearned for had wet dreams about and knew was his. She’d come to him.~

happy reading,

love Raven xx

#TakeoverTuesday... By me because... well, read on.

Yep, today I am taking over my own blog. Sounds weird? Probably, after all I can blog anytime.

But today is special.

Today is the day, The Viscount Meets his Match goes on preorder from Totally Bound.

Am I excited? Heck, yeah. I had so much fun writing this story about two people who are shall we say very much their own person.

They do say the path of true love is a bit stony don't they? They're right in this case. 
I do hope you enjoy how David and Josephine cope with each other and their feelings.

Here's a wee tease...

“Is it all men or only me you have an aversion to?” he asked as she began to walk away. He pitched his voice just loud enough for her to hear. She might ignore his question but there would be no chance of her not hearing it. “For if it is me, what have I ever done to you to deserve your contempt?”

“What?” She turned and took the three steps necessary to get within arm’s reach once more. Her blue eyes sparked in a way he had never noticed before and his body responded accordingly and tightened with interest. Again, she tempted him in a manner he would not have thought possible. How he’d like to shake her out of her present mood, but not in a manner that would be at all acceptable.

Not yet, anyway.

Again a notion to contemplate. Was he really debating dallying with this woman? His head said no, the rest of his body, the opposite. Why had he never really examined her luscious curves before? They appeared perfect in every way.

“Dare you not answer me?”

She frowned as if puzzled by his remark. David repeated himself. “How have I earned your contempt?”

“Sadly, as far as I can see, from my knowledge of your sex it encompasses all men, my lord. Although, with your reputation, I would put you near the top of my list.”

Well, that told him. David bowed and with a swift look around decided, if she thought she knew him, he might as well live up to the sort of person she thought she was. He grasped both her arms, drew her close and pressed a hard, swift kiss to her lips.

The jolt of immediate arousal was as unexpected as it was exciting.

you can preorder your copy

here

Happy reading,

love Raven xx

The Gluten Free Author's guide to goodies or not.Or ... pondering on labels

Morning all, 

I'm writing this, at some early hour, drinking coffee and pondering the label on the cereal. 

Not the cereal I can eat, though not that long go I did. Then either they changed the recipe and it's no longer below the codex index, or I got extra super sensitive. Because on holiday a while back, I was eating said cereal, and I was ill. So ill, one day I had to go back to bed. 

Lovely hubby came in waving the packet, and said, "I think you've been poisoning yourself."

More than a slight exaggeration, but I got the gist. There, on the list of ingredients was 'wheat flour.'

I swore a bit and went out and bought the cereal with 'gluten free' emblazoned on the front.

Since I've had to cut gluten out, I have read labels religiously. Checked and double checked. Looked up what certain words mean, made sure anything is gluten free or below the codex limit.

Been ultra careful.

But, I guess it's easy to just assume something is okay if it used to be. There's a gravy mix that was gf, then wasn't now is again. It's enough to make you dizzy.

Thankfully these days there is a much better choice than even five years ago. The Gluten free shelves now cover twelve foot instead of two. (Some companies have even done the make them and stop because they say whatever it is doesn't sell. I mourn Genius croissants) 

There's more than one brand of bread and no longer is it so heavy, that if you threw it, it would kill a sparrow at ten paces (As my gran would have said) Biscuits taste 'like biscuits'. Scotch pancakes by whatever name taste as I remember them) You don't need to struggle and cuss with home made pastry, and so on.

But even with all that you still have to be vigilant.

Labels are my new best friend. But oh how I wish they didn't need to be.

Happy eating,

love Raven xx

#SundaySnippet—where Iona confronts her now ex-best mate.

It's Sunday again, and time for my, yes, you've guessed it #SundaySnippet.

This week, It's from a new WIP, and as yet, it hasn't told me if it is a Raven book, or a Katy Lilley—my softer sweeter side. All I can say is I'm having so much fun writing it.

Iona returns home early to find her best mate—from that moment on her ex-best mate in bed with Iona's husband.

later on she mets the mate to confront her...

So, here's your seven sentences...oops I've counted wrongly—it's er.... needed?

“A bit of a dominant sort then?”

Susie rolled her eyes. “You better believe it, I’ve spent all afternoon pleasing him.”

 Well you spent half the afternoon pleasing someone in any case, though unless you’ve changed jobs lately it wasn’t your boss. Iona took a deep breath. “Funny how I’ve never seen him like that.”

“What...who...what do you mean?” Susie asked as she opened her eyes wide. 

“The man you spent the afternoon with...in my bed...my husband. Why do you need to screw him when you’ve got a husband of your own?”

I'll let you know how this goes... At the moment, I'm doing as they tell me and writing the thing. I have my own ideas of course, but that doesn't mean they will happen.

Happy reading,

have a great Sunday

love, Raven xx

The Sunday Snippet, AKA #SundaySnippet #HappySunday

Hi everyone, happy Sunday

(source, pinterest)

As some of you will know Doris O'Connor and I, along with some others, used to do #SexySnippets every (well most) Sundays. 7 sentences from a book or WIP

Now, as I am writing less these days (but trying hard to write more—there's been a lot of 5am starts lately), I know I can't guarantee sexy, but I thought, I can do seven sentences.

(Source Pinterest)

(I'll try and sort a logo-thingy out soon, but this is the best I can do today...)

So my Sunday posts will now be #SundaySnippet. Seven sentences as before, hopefully interesting and good enough to grab your attention, but not necessarily sexy. 
Today's seven sentences come from the Regency due out in May, The Viscount mets his match (Up for your wishlist soon at Totally Bound here )

Blurb...

How to persuade the lady your interest is genuine? No easy task. Has the Viscount has met his match, or can he win and claim a wife?

What do you do when your father has no faith in you?

Ignore him.

David, Viscount Suddards’ father, assumes—wrongly—that David gambles deep and has had an affair with a married lady before she has given her husband an heir. Enraged, his father issues an ultimatum. Marry within three months or lose everything that is not entailed.

David refuses. If that’s what his father thinks of him, he can go to the devil. He will marry when he is ready and not before.

What a shock then, a year later, when the one woman he is interested shows no interest in him!

It’s up to him to persuade her he’s the right husband for her, and when he does…sparks fly. Can these two strong-willed people ever learn how to compromise and find that in fact they are the perfect match?

and your seven sentences...

“Then you didn’t climb those lampposts and put ladies’ hats on them all or swim naked at Brighton under a full moon?” she asked quizzically, then blushed as if she had just realized she had committed the sort of faux pas no well-brought-up female should ever do. Commenting on a gentleman’s less-civilized activities. However the flush went as fast as it appeared and to David, seemed unreal. Yet something else to ponder on.

 Life was becoming interesting. His body sizzled with the thrill of the chase. Perhaps not sexual—yet—but a definite hint of interesting things to come.

Happy reading,

love Raven xx