My New Baby – Darcie’s Dilemma

This week sees the publication of my new baby – Darcie’s Dilemma. Writers are fond of calling their books their babies, because we love them so much, even though the labour pains are so fierce. But I’m calling Darcie’s Dilemma ‘a baby’ because it’s a novella. It’s a halfling, to use a handy Lord of the Rings term, and, at least for the moment, it’s only out as an ebook.

Novellas are becoming increasingly popular in the ebook world – publishers don’t have the same economic factors to take into account as they do with a print book; readers seem to like a few shorter pieces on their ereader – and so Choc Lit invited their writers to submit novellas for the ‘Choc Lit Lite’ line. Darcie’s Dilemma isn’t a short story, it’s a shorter book, so there’s plenty of plot, emotion, heat, characterisation, and everything else readers like and, kind of disappointingly, there was still a LOT of research to do! But I really enjoyed spinning a story for Darcie and Jake, and Darcie’s little brother, Ross, and the strange, fey, dysfunctional Casey.
Here’s the blurb:

How do you weigh one love against another? Things haven’t been easy for Darcie Killengrey; left with the responsibility of her troubled teenage brother Ross and a past of unhappiness and heartbreak. And then Jake Belfast strides back into her life, as acerbic and contrary as he is exciting and handsome— he also just happens to be her best friend’s brother. Having parted on bad terms two years previously, Darcie and Jake now find themselves flung back together. Tensions reach new heights when they’re forced to work in the same place and the pair struggle to put the past behind them. And, all the while, Ross is becoming increasingly involved with a dangerous influence, which looks set to make Darcie’s problems with Jake pale into insignificance …

I set Darcie’s Dilemma in Bettsbrough, which readers of Starting Over and All That Mullarkey will have caught a glimpse of as it’s a town close to Middledip village. The plot needed just a little more space to unfold.

It’s a really pretty cover, isn’t it? The colour reminds me of being under water.

 

In conversation

Radio Interview

Had a brilliant morning, yesterday, being a guest on the Bernie Keith Show on BBC Radio Northampton. You can listen in here – move the slider up to 2:37.30

Bernie (and his gorgeous dog, Riley) made it a relaxed and fun experience and I couldn’t believe it was over so quickly. But Bernie kindly said they’d welcome me back in June when All That Mullarkey hits the shelves.

I was invited on to talk about Loves Me, Loves Me Not and was delighted that Bernie had not only read many of the stories, but had interviewed contributors such as Carole Matthews and Joanna Trollope.

The presenter makes or breaks the interview, of course, and Bernie had done his research and gave me the opportunity to mention just about everything I’m involved with, so I came away delighted. And I left him a chocolate bar and signed book – what greater gesture of esteem is there?

On-line interview

You can also read an on-line interview with me about Starting Over, here at Conversations With Writers, a great site, packed with material about authors.

Choc Lit Blog

Speaking of on-line presences, my publishers for Starting Over, Choc Lit, have begun an author blog at http://blog.choc-lit.co.uk/ and I have blogged the first post, Cover Stories. So do go along and tell us what you think.