Sunday 29 March 2015

Pann is back!


Please welcome the awesome Amanda Ward to my blog with book 2 in the Pann series VIVA PANN VEGAS

 

 

TAGLINE

Getting plastered at a wedding is the sign a good time has been had, but not when it’s the bride!

BLURB

The fun and games continue as Pann Haggerty travels around America with her ‘average’ Joe on their way to Las Vegas.  This time, Joe thinks he’s the one in charge, and able to handle his beloved quirky English rose.  

Apparently not.  Surprises, secrets and wedding bells are in store.  Has Pann given Joe the answer to his big question? Read on in the second MisAdventure of Pann Haggerty.

Laugh at Pann’s antics, thrill to the romance, indulge in copious mugs of tea and try out the delicious recipes! Above all…enjoy.

 EXCERPT ONE

“You know, Pann, this hand would look so much nicer with…”

“Don’t go down that route, Joe,” Pann scolded him. “I said I would give you an answer when I knew what it was. Why, are you feeling insecure, Joe?”

The waitress came back, pouring Joe his thick, syrup-like coffee and placing a tall frosted glass of pink milkshake, topped with whipped cream and a fresh strawberry, on the table.

Pann chuckled. What was this, a drink or dessert?

“Yes, I am,” Joe replied eventually, after taking a sip from his mug. “You are the only woman I’ve asked to marry me, and you won’t give me a definite yes or no. It feels like I’m being led around by the short and curlies.”

“Joe,” Pann admonished through gritted teeth. He sounded rather like her, and one certainly did not mention pubic hair in a dining establishment.

“Well what do you expect, Pann? I love you, and you say you love me. I can’t understand why you are dragging this on.”

“Dragging this on?” Her lips thinned with annoyance. “Joel. We are at a diner surrounded by others eating. This isn’t really the place to have this conversation.” She was trying to no avail to keep her voice calm.

“Shall we go back to the van and talk there?” Joe suggested. “I’ll make tea?”

“Sounds better than shivering in the sunshine, I guess.”

As they walked toward the van, Joe placed his arm around her shoulders. Instinctively she snuggled into his warmth, breathing in his fragrant masculine scent.  Pann placed her arm around his waist, and on impulse, her hand covered his jean clad bottom.  As she squeezed it, Pann smiled an impish grin.

“Wrong pocket, Pann.”

“I beg your pardon?” She tilted her head back to look at Joe.

“If you are after my wallet, it’s in the other pocket,” Joe quipped. 

 

EXCERPT TWO

Pandora Haggerty, sorry…Harper sat in the back of the ambulance in a wheelchair all forlorn and feeling decidedly sorry for herself. Her plastered right leg was elevated, and despite Joe’s hand resting on hers comforting her, Pann’s spirits were low. She was jostled several times, wincing as the vehicle rode over several mountains in the road. Perhaps the pain medication was wearing off. Avoiding looking out the window, Pann kept her gaze on Joe’s steadfast one and the gleaming rings of gold that adorned her left hand. Beside her on the floor lay several packages, and from what she could make out, there was a Zimmer frame ready to be constructed.

“A zimmer frame, my arse,” Pann grumbled.

“What was that, darlin’?”

“Just talking out loud,” she murmured.

“Are you in any pain, honey?”

Pann shook her head. “Actually I’m starting to feel like a total prat,” she told him bluntly. “I cannot believe I managed to break my sodding ankle, and now I’m totally reliant on someone else to help me do everything. And I am not using a sodding Zimmer frame. What do they think I am, an elderly geriatric?” Then, turning her head…she noticed a chair behind her.

“That’s not a commode is it?” She asked incredulously in a high squeak. Joe nodded.

“You have to be taking the royal piss,” she exclaimed.

“No, that’s what the commode is for. So that you can—” Joe’s voice broke off.

“No chuffing way am I using a commode.”

“The doctor said you had to stay off that leg. This way you can use the toilet by simply lifting yourself from one chair to another,” he said soothingly.

Pann’s temper finally got the better of her. Humiliation, frustration and that nagging ache from her leg took over her usually sane-ish temperament. She squeezed Joe’s hand digging her nails in, almost breaking the skin. At this point, she really didn’t care if she hurt him or not. She was hurting. Why couldn’t he sympathize? It really wasn’t fair.

Pann sat complacently as Joe wheeled her into the now widened doorway of their motorhome. A strange smell assailed her nostrils. What on earth…could she smell?

“There’s a cat in here,” Pann announced, her eyes darting around the kitchen area. It had been widened for accessibility. As Joe closed the door, she caught a glimpse of a tray.

“What makes you think that?” Joe murmured, putting the brake on. He busied himself by putting the kettle on and preparing a drink for them.

“The litter tray behind me, and the two bowls on a mat just over there,” Pann pointed out. “You do know I still have a cat back in England, even if it is living with Mum now.” She sniffed again, wafting her hand in front of her nose. Several pots of fragrant violets lined the middle of the dining table. She hoped Joe had secured them with Velcro strips.

“Interesting and beautiful flowers, but no matter how many pots of violets you use, there is no cure for the niff of a farting feline,” she told him with a grin, using as many English terms as she could fit in. It was ridiculous, but in a way Joe had diffused her temper by diverting her attention onto something else. “So where is it?”

Joe put two steaming mugs on the table, fetched a plate of digestive biscuits and sat down next to her on the seat.

“Look up,” he suggested.

Pann’s head tilted back. On what had been her bed, two white fluffy paws and a nose with two black splotches were all she could see. All those awful feel sorry for herself feelings disappeared. Joe handed her the tea mug.

“So how did we end up with whats-his-face up there?”

“I have no idea. I picked up the van yesterday after the refit, and well, there he was,” Joe explained.

“He?”

Joe nodded. “I took him to the vet with every intention of handing him to a rescue center, but, I don’t know. There was something about him. It turns out he is a pedigree Ragdoll.”

Pann melted. “The ones that go limp in your arms. They are so soft and fluffy…Oh, Joe. Look at the splotches on his cute little nosey. Bloody hell. Is that the cat?” Her nose wrinkled. “Oh God, that’s foul,” she breathed.

“There is nothing wrong with that cat’s stomach. Apparently, some cats are prone to gas and this is one of them I’m afraid.” Joe chuckled. “So are we gonna keep him? I had him vaccinated, micro chipped and everything.”

“What have you called him?”

“I thought I’d let you name him,” Joe replied with a smile. “It’s taken you out of your bad mood hasn’t it?”

“Yes, you rat, it has.” Pann couldn’t take her eyes off the two fluffy paws and now emerging face over the edge of what had been her bed. “I’m still not using that commode, you know.”


AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Amanda Ward lives in Bedfordshire, England with her husband, three children and two insane cats. The expression ‘What you see is what you get’, sums her up perfectly.
She is the author of the novel Without Saying A Word with Books To Go Now and The MisAdventures of Pann Haggerty with Secret Cravings Publishing.  She is a member of the Romance Novelists Association
(RNA).  There is always some moment waiting around the corner to be written into a novel.

Her interests include a passion for history and the royal families of Europe, romance novels, cooking, and science fiction including Doctor Who.  Of course not forgetting the great and wonderful Doris Day musicals and English costume dramas.

A perfect afternoon for Amanda would be a pot of tea, plenty of biscuits with a Doris Day film on the telly. Shared with great friends and her amazingly tolerant mother in law. 

Find out more about Amanda and her manic life at www.amandajward.weebly.com

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Friday 27 March 2015

My Seven Writing Facts!

I was tagged earlier in the week, by Isobelle Cate to reveal 7 writing facts.... so here goes....

1/  I enjoy listening to music while writing, I listen to varies kinds of tunes from soul, rap to dance music and even the odd classical. It depends on what songs I have found powerful and engaging enough to help me write the scenes and follow the characters journey. However, not all times do I like music on some scenes must be written in silence.

2/ I write when I can as I work 12 hour shifts, two a week but sometimes pick up extra's or have training to attend. I also have recently become a nana to twins and love spending my free time with them and my daughter. So I write now when I can and if I don't have time to write a full scene I try for at least a paragraph just to satisfy my urge, failing that I will promote.

3/ I write of the cuff...I allow the words and characters to take the lead and allow my imagination to follow them, I don't write notes. I have a small incline to where the story will go, but in all honestly I have no idea where or what the ending will be. I was told when back in the day to always write a story, with a beginning, middle and end...I don't think so...just write and write to my hearts desire.
 
4/ I always write on my laptop, I can type at the speed my imagination is working at. I use to write longhand when I was younger, but these days by the time I get half way through the sentence I have forgotten what I would be writing lol.
 
5/ I love to research, I love the internet these days, google maps and I take some great inspiration of other authors for ideas. For Innocence the book is based in York and the surrounding area, and therefore being a good hours drive from where I live it was easier to drive to the location and get as much accuracy as possible, including seeing the Hall where I based Calvin's parents, the pub, and the local village. I will confess the pub that I used I have eaten a gorgeous meal in giving me the real feel for the place, let alone the atmosphere for the establishment. Now the river...the river you will discover in the book I am intending to go back and visit to get better pictures to use for my banners and posters.
 
6/ I love to read, I enjoy reading erotic contemporary romance, but recently I have been delving into more romance, no I'm not leaving the erotic world, but I enjoy the fact I can write more than one genre as you'll discover in Innocence. I have also touched on paranormal. 
 
7/ If I was to give advice to any new author who is wishing to explore the author world, I have this to share, keep writing try and spend a few hours a week if possible to write. You have to re-working your manuscript to make it perfect, you could re-write, take out, add over and over again until you become satisfied, but never stop your dream, as dreams do happen! Ignore bad reviews you are never going to satisfy everyone! Enjoy what you write! 
 
Happy writing!  

Friday 20 March 2015

Process of 'Innocence' News!

Where about's is Innocence?

Well I can tell you things are getting pretty heated, exciting and I for one cannot wait for the next few weeks, this is the part where I start working on promoting and banners and thinking when should I show of my new glorious Innocence front cover.

What I can tell you is Innocence at present is with my wonderful editor, who I hope enjoys the book, it's always a fear of what they expect, or what they think, whether they enjoy it or not, the truth is they are only there to edit and make comments and tell you what is wrong...My editor is the best and thankfully I have had the pleasure of working with her on my erotic series Desires, Embracing Desires and Dan's Desires, both she needed oven gloves for due to the scorching temperatures. However, Innocence is something different something open to a wider audience something I hope somewhere along the line people can relate to and I for I can.

I am not going to give any clues to the story at this moment, and be mean and keep the front cover under wraps for now, but what I will share if the tagline


Monday 16 March 2015

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day
 
 
 
I will confess I had to work the day job in fact all weekend on twelve hour shifts on mother's day which is a day in the UK we have a day to spoil mum's, only my argument is we should be spoilt every day of the week, now that would be cool, chocolates, wine and flowers all week, my hips might argue with me lol
 
In  the morning of the 15th I woke to find a stunning pot plant, something to keep for a while :) and two cards from my daughter and what tipped me over the edge and made me cry, one from my grandchildren Thea Louise and Jacob Luke, my first year being a nana.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Then after a long weekend, tired, and hungry I found this gift from my son sitting on my laptop....wow, I just love it, I think he knows I like books, how perfect, I have gifts to keep for a while and be reminded how loved and appreciated I am.
 
 
Thank you Rhys, Victoria and Alisha xxxxx

Friday 13 March 2015

Re-Working The Ending

 
In the recent months I have been working hard on getting the edits and re-reads done for the Innocence series book 1 coming soon. When doing the final edits for book 4 Return To Innocence I re-wrote the ending only yesterday when re-reading again, there was something not right, something wasn't chiming with me heart. I re-read again, needing to try and work out what was wrong, why it didn't conclude, and then it came to me, so I set my mind into mode and re-wrote the ending and boy, had it grabbed me by the heart, even to bring a  few tears.
 
I am so looking forward for this series to come out and share this tearjerker that will play havoc on your heart...it did mine!

Saturday 7 March 2015

Polising, polishing and polishing



Since getting my wonderful contract in January with Secret Cravings Publishing I have been exceptionally busy working on polishing all four books
 
Innocence
Innocence of Love
Breaking Innocence
and
Return To Innocence

and as I've come to the end of the series I have decided to make the ending bigger and better than the original.

I have enjoyed reading through each chapter and extending many and putting more description and I will confess the series has played heavy on my heart. Not just the emotional trip I endure with Calvin and Sophie, but the suffering from people around them and how their events have affected others.




Wednesday 4 March 2015

Follow Your Heart!

 
 
I often get asked where is your heart?

Answer. Writing and reading

Of course I have other commitments which need my engagement, my hubby, children and grandchildren, they are what comes first.

I have a vision and set myself deadlines to certain things such as writing, edits, reads, research is a continual thing, never learning enough.

I spend each day promoting, where I can, and stalk other authors to see how its done, to get an idea of how things are done. It's amazing how much I miss in a few days away from my hobby, and I intend to miss quite a bit, depending on how my days work out.

Regardless, I have deadlines and right now achieving my goal and happiness is what I desire.

Before I was fortunate to be published this was a song that influenced me, and kept me fighting and never give up chase you dreams