Paperback arrival!

Very exciting news here today! I've just received the paperback copy of my novel # 3 - THE YEAR OF NO RULES. It's so lovely to see it in print! 

Please check out my short video below. 

And do please pre-order a copy! The pre-order copy is super cheap! Here's the link: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0743BFMPV/ref=sr_1_1?tag=geolinker-21&ie=UTF8

A Book, A TV series and a Short Play

Sex sells. Apparently. Which is why I want to talk about sex in my blog today. Or rather – Escorts.

Belle du Jour – My review on a book about the life of an escort.

The Secret Diary of a Call Girl – My review of the TV series which has been adapted from the book Belle du Jour

My short play – entitled HOME WORK – which is about a girl working from home as an escort.

The Secret Diary of a Call Girl 

I have watched this entire series on box set several times and loved it. I found it hilarious and I think Billie Piper is a fantastic actress.

I have only got around to reading the book Belle du Jour recently. I wanted to see how it compared with the TV series.

I was interested to discover that the book is really very different from the TV series. I recognised very few scenes from the book and the character of Ben did not exist in the book.

The book is a series of blog posts, which, though funny in their own right, did not provide the same continuity as the TV series, nor the chemistry between Belle and Ben.

The reason I discuss the book and TV series is because the theme is similar to the short play I have written.

HOME WORK is a mix between The Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Pretty Woman. It is about a girl who works from home as an escort.

I have had one play put on by the Black Box before and it’s interesting to see how the Director adapts it and how the actors bring their energy to the script. I am looking forward to seeing how this play will be performed.

I hope you can make it down to see it. Date to be confirmed but it will be between October – December and will likely be a Friday lunchtime.

Thanks for reading!

Rose x x 

A Day in the Life... of a Book Review Editor!

Writers - ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a book review website?

Readers - ever wondered if you could manage to get free books in return for writing a review?

Today I chat to the Editor of the 'Judging Covers' website to find out what really goes on in the world of book reviews!

Nikki, thanks so much for joining me today!

When did you decide to set up a review blog and what were your motives for doing so?

I'm a freelance writer and had been toying with the idea of starting an online magazine, but I couldn't come up with an idea that I really loved. One day I finished reading a book and I immediately wanted to chat to the nearest person about it - and it struck me that a book review site could be the answer!

There are some incredible book review blogs for women out there, but most tend to focus on chick lit and women's fiction - which I love, but I also read other genres too, and there seemed to be a gap in the market for a women's book blog that covered a bit of everything.  I didn't want the blog to be restricted to just my opinions, so I talked to a few friends who were all really keen to get involved and help the site offer a wider range of tastes. And so, Judging Covers was born!

* Judging Covers was born! * 

How would you have rated your computer skills beforehand? I'm not the most tech-savvy person & I know I can get quite frustrated with my blog at times!

I've always been quite good at computers and I've had a few blogs in the past, so over the years I suppose I've picked up enough knowledge to make things run smoothly and look relatively presentable! I couldn't create a website from scratch, but I have enough experience with Wordpress to edit the templates and make it all look nice. I did a bit of graphic design and basic web design on my degree, but I'm pretty much self-taught... trial and error!  

How did you go about approaching publishers for free books? Was it difficult to drum up support initially?

I actually didn't approach anyone - the original team just started reviewing books they'd bought, and after a few weeks I started to get emails asking if we'd be interested in receiving review copies, presumably as more people stumbled across the site.  Free stuff was never the intention, so it's all happened quite organically.  We do get offered a lot of books now (too many!) but there wasn't anything I did to make that happen.  The majority of reviews at the site are still of books that we bought ourselves.

If a reader would like to review for Judging Covers, do they need to have a lot of writing experience?

Not necessarily, but I suppose you need to have a natural talent for writing. I've always wanted to provide a really high standard of reviews, and our team includes professional journalists, copywriters and authors, as well as students and bloggers. I always ask for an example of writing from people before they join the team, so I know that standards will remain high - but I'm happy to support aspiring reviewers too. Everyone starts somewhere.

* Judging Covers - Meet the team! * 

Are reviewers expected to review a certain number of books per month or is it flexible? Do they have to review every single book they are sent?

I'm really flexible when it comes to the amount that people contribute. I don't think I can demand anything from people when they're not paid for their efforts, so I don't put pressure on reviewers to meet deadlines or targets. It's supposed to be fun! There's a huge variation in the amount that people contribute, but I'm happy with that as long as we continue to post great content. I will also accept one-off reviews from people if they're not really interested in an ongoing commitment, but would like to share their thoughts on a particular novel they've read.

We have a system in place where the team can request the books that they'd like to review from a list, so nobody receives a book that they have no interest in reading. It's nice if they do review all the books that they're sent, but I never chase them up - I know sometimes I simply don't have time to read everything I want to, so I wouldn't nag people!

*Want to review for Judging Covers?* 

With regard to setting up the blog, tell me about the best experience so far?

We were shortlisted for a Cosmopolitan Blog Award in 2011, which was amazing. We had only launched in January 2011 so hadn't been around very long, but two of our reviewers were able to attend a very glam awards party in London.  We didn't win, but the recognition was fantastic. I've also had emails from some of my favourite authors saying how great the site is, which means a lot.

What has been the most challenging aspect so far?

We've had a few instances where reviewers may have upset an author by a negative review, but that's kind of the point of reviewing. If we only posted positive reviews, people wouldn't trust our opinions. Sometimes you do read a book that didn't work for you, but it doesn't mean that everyone will hate it or that the author isn't talented; it just means that it wasn't your cup of tea, and I believe reviewers are well within their rights to say that.

I see you are also involved in another website "Twelve52" - tell us a little about that?

Twelve52 is a digital magazine that is run by one of my good friends, Joy. I contribute a monthly book column, which includes interviews, mini-reviews, features and opinions on book-related topics. I always wanted Judging Covers to be strictly a review resource (we don't post any interviews or book news) so my Twelve52 column features all the fun stuff that I can't post at JC! The Judging Covers review team often contribute quotes or opinions to the Twelve52 features, which is a nice little extra.   


Wow! That was fascinating! I really enjoyed getting inside the head of a review editor! I hope some of you readers will consider approaching Nikki and writing some reviews for her. I have reviewed for Judging Covers for some time before getting my publishing contract. I know it really helped to boost my writing confidence. Reviewing books also helps you to read more and read differently. You'll learn much more about characterisation, pace and plot.

Thanks for joining me Nikki! :o) 

Rose McClelland - Published Author!

Hello there! Just wanted to write a follow up on my last post:  

It has only been five weeks since then and yet it feels like much longer (in a good way!)

It’s good for me to ‘check-in’ on what’s been happening, so that I can look back one day and say, ‘oh yeah, I remember that, that was so cool’.

So here goes.

Release day – 6 April – A text from my sister Ruth woke me up at 6.30am –

“I bought it! I bought it!”

I sprang out of bed and was on my laptop before I could say “Coffee”.
Loads of lovely messages were coming in from my friends on Facebook telling me that they had bought the book.

By lunchtime I was receiving an email from my publisher saying that the book was showing early signs of reaching the Top 100 in Women’s fiction.  Over the moon, I trotted off to Café Vaudeville to meet friends Laura and Lisa for a celebratory lunch.  By the time we had finished lunch, the book was sitting at number 45! It was fantastic.

That evening I went out for the night with friends and halfway through the evening checked my phone to discover it was now at number 35! Okay, I won’t lie, I was checking my phone constantly. I can now see why people can end up with a gambling addiction – the adrenalin of checking one’s ratings is quite a buzz.

Anyway, here’s a summary of all the lovely reviews and articles that have taken place in just five weeks.  I feel very grateful indeed!

LONDONDERRY SENTINEL: here

BELFAST TELEGRAPH: here

REA BOOK REVIEWS: here

PAGE BOOKSHELF CENTRAL: here

DERRY JOURNAL: here

CHICK-LIT CENTRAL: here

CHICK LIT PLUS here

TRASHIONISTA here and here

HELLO YOU - YASMIN SELENA BLOG: here

MICHELLE BETHAM BLOG: here

My book has also received gorgeous reviews on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon Worldwide.
You can check the reviews out here:
and for US/ Worldwide here:

The book is at a discounted this weekend as part of a Crooked Cat May sale so grab it while you can!

To finish, I am going to tell you about the Sunday World article.  This was a lovely full page article (except for a panel of advertising along the side) on my book. I have not posted this article before because, being the usual self-critical person that I am, I was unsure about the photo.  Let me tell you about this photo-shoot.  The lovely Eavan Murray of the Sunday World phoned me and said, “Oh hi Rose, any chance you can be at the Belfast Telegraph in ten minutes to get your photo taken?” Knowing that one has to grab an opportunity when it arises, I legged it down Royal Avenue, in the pouring rain, worrying about the frizz issue with my hair and the fact that I’d had no time to fix my make-up.  It’ll be grand, I thought. They’ll give me ten minutes to sort my hair out.

No.
The photographer was waiting around the side entrance of The Belfast Telegraph.  He was all smiles and very encouraging about my book. But he was also a pro and didn’t waste too much time hanging around. “Dump your bags there and we’ll take a few quick pics”.

“But what about my make-up?” I asked, in a helpless little voice.
“You’re grand!”

So he had me leaning against walls, jumping over puddles and doing all sorts of poses *without my full slap on*.  This is incredible as normally I don’t even make it to the corner shop without the full face painted! And there, in full glory to all and sundry of Belfast, a humongous photo was sprawled across the page.

However, I am not blaming the photographer – the camera never lies and all that malarkey, and he could only work with what was presented to him, so no, I am not blaming him at all.

Also their choice of photo blended in quite well with the lovely optimistic inspirational article that Eavan kindly wrote.

So I AM GOING TO BE BRAVE AND POST THE PHOTO TO SHOW YOU ALL.

Because, let’s face it, it’s not every day you get your bake in the Sunday newspaper.

Oh, and because of the article, all the lovely Northern Irish people went online and bought the book, pushing the ratings back up into the Top 100  :o)

Oh my goodness! I forgot to tell you the BIGGEST news of all!

My SECOND novel has now also been approved for publication!

Crooked Cat will release "How To Look Like You" on 5th July 2012.

Here's the blurb!

How To Look Like You

Have you ever had a frenemy? Someone you smile at sweetly but secretly you are filled with jealousy? Meet Chloe and Ella.

While Chloe sees herself as dowdy, quiet and going nowhere, Ella is brimming with talents: acting, singing, and outward-sitting, bronzed boobs.

Yet, Ella envies Chloe’s steady relationship with Aidan, her stick-thin figure and her perfectly poised style. As a result, Ella feels overweight, over-single and over-the-hill.

As Ella begins to work alongside Aidan, she develops feelings she shouldn’t have. When he invites her to join his band, it’s no surprise Chloe reacts by slamming the door off the handle.

Then Chloe begins a strategy of her own: Operation Simon. If she starts to go out more often with the bloke from work, surely Aidan would take notice?

Will Aidan smell Simon’s advances? Will Chloe and Aidan’s shared plans go ahead?

Will Ella become a friend or an enemy?

Find out How To Look Like YOU.