Compliments of the Season!

An Apology

December has been a weird, weird month for me, and with so much going on, I've sort of had to abandon Christmas. 

I was already super busy with writing, and enjoying working on The Accidental Mistress... but I still hoped to source some presents, and send out some cards - albeit probably ecards - and generally enjoy the festive spirit and try and spread some of it around to those I love and care about. I don't do a big Christmas thing, but I was planning to do some stuff, because I do love Christmas and I always hope that everyone will have a good one... 

But then Alice got ill. And when that happened, I couldn't think about Christmas at all. All I could think about was her, and the professional commitments I had. Writing helped, because I had to throw myself into it, and for a brief while, I was in the world of my story, and my mind was distracted from worrying about her. 

Sadly, the recovery I hoped for her wasn't possible, and on Wednesday, we had to have her put to sleep... and now, there's no time, and I have no heart for Christmas. Plus, I have revisions to do for another book, as well as the main book I'm on a deadline for...

So, there's no Christmas to speak of here. I feel bad for not sending cards and presents. I feel mean and like Scrooge... but it's not really that way. I do wish everyone well, and I would love to have spread happy Christmas spirit around, either in tangible terms, or just the emotion of it... but for Christmas 2012, that's just not to be. 

But hopefully, next year things will be different. With any luck, we'll have new cats to love by then, even if we still remember and honour Alice. And I hope that also, things might not be so crazy on the writing front, so I've time to embrace and enjoy the pleasures of Christmas and to spread them around. Hopefully, I'll be able to reach out and connect with the people who think I've forgotten about them, and that I don't care about them... and share the fun and joy of this special time.

So please, dear friends, do have a wonderful Merry Christmas and accept my good wishes for the festive season and for the year of 2013.

Love

Portia

ps. I'll probably still be around on Twitter, and possibly on Facebook, so if I see you there, I'll say hello.

The Next Big Thing

I was tagged in a blog meme, entitled THE NEXT BIG THING, by the fabulous Kristina Lloyd. It involves the answers to some questions about... well... the next big thing in my publishing life. Here goes:

What is the working title of your book?

The Accidental Call Girl. It's the official title and it's part of an even bigger thing, my 2013 Accidental Trilogy.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was originally inspired to write it after reading Belle De Jour's Diary of a London Call Girl and watching The Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

What genre does your book fall under?

It's an erotic romance with an emotional journey that spans the three books in the trilogy.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

There's no doubt that the hero, John Smith, must be played by Simon Baker if the story was ever to be filmed. For me, John and the character of Patrick Jane are physically identical, even though they have very different personalities.

Lizzie, the heroine, has a lot of fun with her passing resemblance to 50's glamour icon Bettie Page, so I think a good actress to play her would be Gretchen Mol, as she appeared in the Bettie biopic, The Notorious Bettie Page. She has a softer more modern look than Bettie herself, so she'd be perfect for Lizzie.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

"The Secret Diary of a Call Girl... by mistake."

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It's published by Black Lace and I represent myself.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Four or five months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I'm not sure it's quite like anything else. At least, I hope not!

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Well, that's pretty much the same question as the one about where did the idea come from, isn't it? So the answer is much the same... Belle de Jour's memoir. Although when I first had the idea, I'd never seen The Mentalist, so you could say that the gorgeous Simon Baker inspired me too, in the actual writing of the book, as he's provided a visual that wasn't there in the original concept.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Instead of this being a book about a precocious young stud in his twenties, my hero, John Smith is a beautifully mature and seasoned forty-six. This makes The Accidental Call Girl something of an age gap romance, because John's lover Lizzie is only twenty-four.

The Accidental Call Girl and the entire trilogy is set in the same world as quite a few of my other books, the universe that began with Entertaining Mr Stone. Some of the action takes place at the infamous Waverley Grange Hotel, of Suite Seventeen fame and Lizzie lives in the same Northern 'borough' as the heroines of all my 'Stoneworld' novels ie. Entertaining Mr Stone, Suite Seventeen, In Too Deep and Kiss It Better.


I won't tag anyone else in this meme... but if you feel so inclined to carry it on, please do go ahead! :)

RIP Alice

It is with enormous sadness that I announce the death of our beloved cat, Alice. Within the last two weeks we discovered she was suffering from an aggressive liver cancer, so the only kind thing we could do for her was to have her put to sleep.

She slipped gently from this world this morning and will be sorely missed


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Trying something out

My blog has been a bit of a dead zone for a while but I'm just trying something out that might help me to be a bit better blogger.

I'm not making any great promises though... ;)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

New edition of IN THE FLESH out today!

Fifty Shades 1890 style.

A Victorian spin on the classic story of an innocent heroine discovering the truth depth of her desires

Victorian high society already believes she's a scarlet woman... so why not become one?

Beatrice Weatherly's reputation is in tatters. With scandalous pictures of her being scrutinised eagerly by connoisseurs and condemned by respectable society, and her brother rapidly running them into debt, Beatrice's hope of ever making a respectable marriage is dashed.

Then powerful, wealthy Edmund Ellsworth Ritchie offers an indecent proposal that might save the day... at a cost. His terms are, one month of hedonistic servitude as his sensual plaything, and he'll pay off her brother's debts and settle a fortune on her and her sibling.

But nothing can prepare Beatrice for the reality of Ritchie's scandalous arrangement, and for discovering that she thoroughly enjoys her notorious demimonde status and what's more, she delights in the pleasures and daring games she shares with the handsome, inventive Ritchie. 

Very soon, she's addicted to a man who can never wholly be hers... and deeply in love with the master who's bought her body.

More information, an introductory excerpt and buying links HERE

Patrick Moore's Astronomy - mini review

Patrick Moore's Astronomy by Patrick Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an extremely readable basic primer on astronomy. It doesn't overwhelm, but it's sufficiently detailed to leave you feeling that you've acquired a wealth of fascinating scientific knowledge.

The big plus is the writing style. Patrick Moore's familiar voice and wry wit shine through, enhancing the experience and making you feel as if you're with him, inside an extended edition of The Sky at Night!

The Stranger - Black Lace Classic reprint

Today's the day for THE STRANGER, a Black Lace Classic reprint of my mid 90s erotic romance novel, and unofficial homage to the Eighth Doctor Who. When I originally wrote The Stranger, I was completely dotty about the gorgeous Paul McGann, especially as he appeared in the Doctor Who television movie. I was distraught when this film wasn't developed into a series, so I set about pretty much writing my own adventure for the beautiful, amnesiac Doctor.

My Paul *isn't* Doctor Who, of course. He's a different delicious young hunk, a highly intelligent man who's suffered a trauma and lost his memory. Confused and alone, he stumbles into the orbit of Claudia, a vibrant and sensual widow who's just been waiting for the right moment to accept sex and affection... and love... back into her life. 

More information and an excerpt from The Stranger here

Another gorgeous new cover!

Here's the lovely new UK cover for my Victorian 'Indecent Proposal' style romp IN THE FLESH!

Isn't it a cracker? Not sure that Edmund Ellsworth Ritchie is quite a Mr Darcy, but he's certainly a confident, somewhat arrogant man and just as in Pride and Prejudice, he and Beatrice, my heroine, first set eyes on each other across a dance floor.

This super new edition is due out in the UK in October!

More about IN THE FLESH here.

Sunday Times Bestsellers List 19 Aug '12

This is my moment in the sun. I doubt it will ever happen again. Still feels completely surreal.

Click image or here to see all the lists for that day. 

Guest blogging today at Scorching Book Reviews!

I'm blogging over at Scorching Book Reviews today, and talking about power exchange, specifically the interaction between boss lady Miranda and her fabulously efficient P.A. Patrick Dove, in A VERY PERSONAL ASSISTANT.

Why not check it out... there's a prize for one lucky commenter! :)

Twelve Shades of Surrender - in print!

The fabulous 12 Shades of Surrender series of short BDSM erotica has now been released in print! This delicious dozen has been split into two fab volumes, each with a super stylish monochrome cover.

My story CHANCE OF A LIFETIME is in the UNDONE volume, along with stories from Lisa Renee Jones, Alegra Verde, Adelaide Cole, Elisa Adams and Tiffany Reisz.

The BOUND volume features my fabulous buddy Saskia Walker, along with the great Alison Tyler, Anne Calhoun, Eden Bradley, Emelia Elmwood and Megan Hart.

Also out today, for those of you who read Italian is Un Assistente Personale, the Italian translation of A VERY PERSONAL ASSISTANT.

It's available from eHarmony.it and from Amazon.co.uk