Happy Punctuation Day, Have Some Free Stuff!

You know what I love about the modern age? Special days on the calendar for everything and everyone, including word geeks. I’m sure we can all agree, Punctuation Day is among the unappreciated greats.

How best to celebrate? WITH BOOKS, clearly! I’m starting a giveaway for the paperback of my new book, Hawaiian Heartbreak, over on Goodreads. If you liked the eBook and want a physical copy, or if you need an easy present for Christmas (hey, it’s coming closer), or even if you haven’t got around to reading it yet, click the book cover below and try your luck. I promise, all the punctuation is in the right place.

P.S. For those hanging out for book two, that’s going swimmingly. I put in the last of my own edits last night, and it heads off to the official editor this week. So not long to wait until you find out what’s next for Kayla!

Goodbye To A Legend

Jackie Collins blazed a trail for so many women in fiction. She showed us all what it meant to be insanely successful, a brilliant storyteller, all while looking effortlessly glamorous. She’s an icon and a role-model for me, and I’m sure countless other writers.

Keeping her breast cancer diagnosis secret for so long must have been difficult. I’m sure there were times she wanted to lean on people she hadn’t told, but she was determined to be strong.  Facing it like that only increases my admiration for her.

I think the best way to remember her is through her own words. “I refuse to mourn people, because everybody dies.”

Her family’s asked that people wanting to remember her donate to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Organization (U.S.) or Penny Brohn Cancer Care (U.K.). A beautiful and fitting way to pay tribute to a trail blazer.

Oh Yes

Some people might test a new friend by introducing them to their dog, but I’ll test them by looking at their bookshelf 😉

Flaming Fast Fingers

Two weeks after Hawaiian Heartbreak went live – I’ve finally finished the full draft of book two in the trilogy!

Now admittedly, I cheated a little bit. While Heartbreak was with my editor I started on the next book, and got pretty far into the draft. But at ten past midnight last night, the last full stop went into place. Nothing quite like that feeling of getting it all down!

So for all of you who told me off over the cliff hanger (I’m not sorry), you don’t have much longer to wait. Yes, I still have to do a lot of editing myself, and then it has to go to the official editor. But we’re all on track for a release hopefully within two months. Then you can stop being mad at me 😉

In the meantime, I’m spending today celebrating.

Audiobooks: Yay or Nay?

I’ve been toying with the idea of audiobooks. I produce both print and eBook for my readers already, because those are the most commonly used forms. Just because I’m personally all about eBooks doesn’t mean I ignore the print fiends. (You’re fuddy duddies, but I say that with love.)

BUT. I’ve never been one for audiobooks, which means I’ve never even considered them until now. They are (apparently) very easy to organise, it’s just a question of whether I want to bother spending the energy.

What say you? Do you use audiobooks? Should I publish in audio as well as print and eBook? Or maybe only bother when the entire trilogy is out? Let me know what you think!

Try, try again

Me, about an hour ago. But with less of the fabulous tan.

It was only a couple of days ago I was blogging about giving up sugar. So smugly, I told you about how I was even giving up diet coke! How virtuous of me!

Well, I made it four days, which to be fair, is better than I thought it would go. Today, not only did diet coke make a triumphant return, but so did a bunch of lollies (does that translate for the rest of the world? I think for Americans it’s candy, Brits it’s sweets?), AS WELL AS a giant chocolate cookie. If you’re going to binge, do it in style.

Needless to say, I now feel slightly sick. I’ve also decided I’m never allowed to try meth, as clearly I make a terrible addict.

P.S. Tell you what though, sugar is great for fuelling fast typing. First draft of book two is almost done!

Hawaiian Heartbreak

I’m starting to get some reviews back now, and it seems people are really enjoying Hawaiian Heartbreak! This is an absolutely lovely one from Kyra that made me smile. I’m so happy when people like the book. It’s always what you’re hoping for when you’re writing, but it’s always impossible to judge your own work isn’t it 😉

kyræviews

Title: Hawaiian Heartbreak

Author: Libby Cole

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: September 2nd 2015

Pages: 98

★★★★

So I was asked to review this book by the author and I’m so glad I took up the opportunity. This is a short book, so I finished it pretty quickly, and I never wanted it to end. I have to say the writing style of this author is very descriptive and gripping. I felt like I was having the holiday romance myself! I couldn’t put it down! I haven’t read a romance like this really since Fifty Shades came out and I pretty much had enough then, but this was completely different. I felt like this wasn’t just about the love, it was also about the travel adventure, and it has definitely made me want to visit Hawaii as soon as I can!

The author clearly knows a lot about Hawaii…

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The Not-So-Sweet Life

Every now and then I’ll be persuaded to go on a health kick. The guilty culprit this time is my husband. He’s given up sugar and caffeine, like some sort of sadist. Who does that?! They have to be the top two best things in life!

Now, while you can pry my coffee out of my cold, dead hands, I do have a problem with my sweet tooth. I’ve been a sugar fiend since I was a kid. Probably one of the few way to ensure good behaviour from me when I was younger was to bribe me with candy. Actually, that’s still one of the few ways to ensure good behaviour from me.

So, fine, I’m also trying to reduce sugar. No cheating allowed – my beloved diet coke is also gone! The first two days were a bit tricky, but now I’m finding I’m coping with the help of a lot of sweet fruity herbal teas. Surely that alone means I’m a bit healthier?

Have you gone on a health kick lately? Or even given up sugar? If you have any tips for sustaining it, help a girl out!

P.S. Am I the only one that now has this tune on repeat in my head? It’s also the song we played when my husband and I were cutting the cake on our wedding day. Still get mushy when I hear it.

Hawaiian Heartbreak Release – Free For Now!

What do you do when you meet someone who could be the love of your life, but to be together, one of you will have to give up everything?

Kayla had her life all mapped out, before her ex-boyfriend tipped her world upside down by cheating on her. But she’s had her time licking her wounds. Now she’s ready to take time out for herself on a dream vacation in Hawaii. If that won’t pull the shattered pieces of her heart together, nothing will. 

What she hadn’t planned on was falling for someone new. Especially someone tall, tanned, and distractingly sexy. What starts out as a fun holiday fling quickly turns into a full-blown love affair, with neither wanting to face up to the fact that the clock is ticking until Kayla has to return home. 

The first book of three in the Hawaiian Heartbreak trilogy. This book is recommended for readers over the age of 18 due to explicit sexual content. 

Exciting news, guys! I’ve been keeping you updated for so long, you probably thought the book would never materialise. But the day is finally here – Hawaiian Heartbreak is being released on Kindle.

It’s only free for a few days, so do hit download quick. Click here, and you should be taken right to it. A print version is coming, so if you’re holding out for a hard copy, you won’t need to wait much longer.

Once you’ve finished the book, I’d love if you could take the time to review it. An Amazon review either helps fellow readers find something good, or helps me do better as a writer. So don’t hold back – good or bad, it’s a win-win! If you’re a fellow blogger and want to review it there, go for it, I’d love to see what you think of it.

Happy reading!