Book Launch: Sophie's Run by Nicky Wells PLUS Giveaway

Today marks the launch of SOPHIE'S RUN by author Nicky Wells, released by Sapphire Star Publishing. Let's catch up with Nicky and find out about her new book.

Welcome back, Nicky! Tell us about what's been going on with your series since we last spoke.

Ah, Dorothy, the series is positively blooming! Sophie's Turn has been out since last September, when we last connected, and has received some fabulous reviews, some of which completely bowled me over. I get quite tearful when I get a fabulous review! Since then, I have been busy editing and polishing the second book, Sophie's Run, whose launch we're celebrating today. And I am also eighty percent through writing the final and concluding part of the Rock Star Romance Trilogy. Titled Sophie's Encore, the third book will be with you in September 2013.

As if that weren't enough, I have also been germinating ideas for book four, which will be a new start but still involve plenty of rock and roll, as you would expect from a 'rock lit' author.

Wow, sounds like an amazing series. How have the stakes been raised in the new book?

Sophie's Run has everything you want from a rocking romance, and I mean everything. Glamour, glitz, intrigue, romance, rock music, a couple of weddings, betrayal, travel, a fire, an exploding cake, a gorgeous rock star and a dashing male nurse. Have I captured your imagination yet? Brilliant! :-)

So, then. Sophie's Run continues the story of the romance between girl-next-door Sophie and rock star Dan. However, the path towards true love is never straight and even, as Sophie is about to discover. Luckily, Dan remains her rock while life takes her on... shall we say, a little detour?

Here's the blurb:

So she has finally found the man of her dreams! Well… she knows who he is, even though she hasn’t actually quite met him yet. But she misses her opportunity, and then her life goes crazy. Rock star and ex-fiancé, Dan, keeps getting in the way of her new romance—even if he is just trying to be helpful. A fire, an impromptu mini-trip with Dan, and a dreaded wedding later, Sophie is still struggling to meet the love of her life. Then, just as she is getting it together with her perfect man, best friend Rachel commits an act of unspeakable betrayal.

Sophie has had enough. Confused and distraught, she decides that it is time for radical change. Surprising herself and shocking her friends, she embarks on a secret journey and eventually gets her life back on track.

Do you read the same genre you write, or do you read other genres?

I'm a voracios reader, and always have been. I read almost everything, apart from Horror and Sci-Fi. Romance and chick lit are firm favourites, but I also read contemporary fiction, crime and historical fiction.

Right now, I'm also rediscovering the un-guilty pleasure of reading The Famous Five with my children. I love watching their faces when the story develops and the gold/treasure/papers/secret passageway is about to be discovered. Speaking also from an adult's and an author's perspective, I have a totally new-found respect for how Enid Blyton manages to develop plots so quickly with foreshadowing and a fair bit of dramatic irony at a level that is accessible to children and still interesting to adults. I'm fairly certain a modern editor would accuse her of head-hopping (Insights into Timmy-the-dog's head ~ yes, they happen!) but I am loving every minute of it. I am thrilled and grateful how these books are introducing my boys to the real, intense pleasure of reading. Writing a children's book with the same impact continues to be on my bucket list!

Remind our readers where we can find you and your books.

Visit me on my blog where you can find articles, interviews, radio interviews and, of course, an ongoing update on my work in progress. You can also follow me on Twitter and find me on Facebook. I am a featured author on the innovative reader/author project, loveahappyending.com and have joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association. I also have author pages at Sapphire Star Publishing, Amazon and, of course, Goodreads.

Sophie’s Run is now available in Kindle edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and in Paperbackedition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. You can also get the paperback at Barnes & Noble, or downloadSophie’s Run onto your Nook (coming soon).

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us, Nicky. Best of luck with your awesome series!

Nicky Wells is giving away one delicious chocolate gift to a lucky winner in the UK or North America!

The small print: This Gift prize is a product of Unique Chocolate. The Gift prize is subject to availability in your country. If the Gift prize is not available in your country, Nicky Wells reserves the right to offer a substitute gift prize of a similar nature at her discretion. Nicky Wells will require the winner’s postal address for shipping purposes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/OTI2ZmY2ZjlkMzQ0YzMxZGFhOTJkMzFjZjBhY2Q2OjA=/

Bonus Giveaway

Nicky Wells offers a giveaway of one Amazon gift voucher worth $20/£15 for one lucky winner. To enter, simply share your thoughts on Sophie’s Run with Nicky. Email your comment to nickywells@sapphirestarpublishing.com and your name will be entered into the draw. Competition closes 1 May 2013.

Interview with Nicky Wells

Today we're chatting with author Nicky Wells about her new book, SOPHIE'S TURN, published by Sapphire Star Publishing.

Welcome, Nicky! Tell us a bit about yourself.

(Nicky laughs uncertainly: where to start?) I’m a writer, as well as a mother and wife. I love rock music, as you probably guessed, and have been known, in a previous life, to carry a torch for the odd rock singer or three. Luckily, none of these crushes ever came to anything or I wouldn’t have met my lovely husband! That said, he does sing and he does play the guitar… so the music theme is there. People say I am funny with a wicked sense of humour. I wouldn’t know about that, of course. I’m German by birth and not supposed to have a sense of humour, wicked or otherwise.

How long have you been writing?

That’s not an easy question to answer. In some capacity, I have been writing all my life. Yes, I know, everybody says that, but it’s true! I wrote Sophie’s Turn when I was pregnant with my first child almost eight years ago. That was my first serious incident of novel writing, and it took about four months. Then, baby boy came along and turned my world upside down, so writing took a backseat (to put it mildly). I picked the thread up again last year after I decided to launch Sophie’s Turn upon the world and realised that the story was far from over.

Tell us about SOPHIE'S TURN. What's the story about?

Sophie’s Turn is the story of one young woman’s inadvertent entanglement with a rock star. Sophie’s dream of marrying lead singer Dan could be within reach… if she could just figure out what to do about her engagement to boyfriend Tim. Glamorous, funny, charming and honest, this contemporary fairy tale traces how Sophie gets into her predicament and how she turns it around.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

I blame my husband. He knows I have this weak spot for rock stars, and he can never resist a little dig. One night, when we were watching telly, a clip came on featuring either a rock star or one of my favourite movie stars, I can’t recall now who. It doesn’t matter, anyway; what matters is that I said something along the lines of, “wow, how could a girl ever resist if he proposed?” And my husband replied drily, “well, good job you’re already married to me.” We both laughed but that night, when I couldn’t sleep (remember, I was quite highly pregnant), the idea ricocheted round my head: what if…? I started planning the very next day!

Are you a planner or a pantser?

A planner, definitely. My first ever secret and deeply embarrassing attempt at writing was an off-the-cuff, barely planned, rushed and frantic affair produced over ten days. It was… alright, but it made me cringe when I read it again. The plot was inconsistent, full of holes, and occasionally even contradicted itself. I buried that attempt in the attic (I might have burned it since… the manuscript, not the attic) and learnt my lesson. Now, I plan.

I plan in several stages. First comes the concept or main idea. I develop a flowchart of key events around that, the kind of ‘red thread.’ From there, I develop outlines for scenes and character profiles. The last stage of planning for me is producing a one-page outline of each chapter or major part of the plot, and it’s from those ‘crib’ sheets (usually about 20) that I eventually write.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

Now, the hardest part is remembering to use American spellings!! Ok, seriously, the hardest part of writing is the editing and polishing. It’s fun, but it’s stretching. When you’ve read and dissected your manuscript for the 15th time, you eventually reach the point when words lose their meaning, sentences don’t make sense, and the whole story seems to disintegrate in front of you. Incidentally, that’s usually the point at which you’ve done enough!

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

A cup of tea. And chocolate!

Oh yes, amen to the chocolate! If you could have any super power, what would it be?

If I could have any super power, I would get by without any sleep. My goodness, my life would be transformed. Think of all the novels I could write in the dead of night while everyone else was sleeping?

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

The weirdest thing I’ve googled… well, let me tell you about the thing with the weirdest and most unexpected results. It flagged me up on the company firewall, no doubt (I was working for a research consultancy at that point) and it made me cringe.

You see, my then manager was leaving the company to go to law school. I was in charge of finding a jokey leaving present to lighten the mood at her official departure ceremony. I thought it would be a great idea to give her a huge, inflatable plastic gavel. So I googled… large, inflatable plastic gavel.

I leave it to your imagination what kind of results I got. I’d had no idea I’d stumbled into kinky-land!

LOL, that's hysterical! Okay, quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: envelope, tree tops, and marmalade.

A confused and disconcerted Tarzan sitting high amongst the tree tops turned the brown enveloped marked ‘final demand’ over and over in his hands, his sticky marmalade fingers making a pretty pattern on the recycled paper.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

YAY! A huge big Thank You shout out goes to the following people:
~My husband, of course, for his unfaltering belief and unwavering support. Thank you for cooking dinner yet again while I work!
~everyone at Sapphire Star Publishing, especially Amy and Katie: you guys rock
~Linn B. Halton, for all her support and advice
~All the amazing authors and associate readers over at Loveahappyending.com: you are my writing family, and your good humour and never ending cheer keep me going!
~Shaz Goodwin, for showing me the ropes on the blogging front
~Sue Fortin for being the best writing buddy one could ever imagine

And finally, where can people find you and your book online?

You can find me on my blog where I post articles, interviews, radio interviews and, of course, an ongoing update on my work in progress, the second and third parts of the Rock Star Romance Trilogy. You can also follow me on Twitter and find me on Facebook. I’m a featured author with the innovative reader/author project, loveahappyending.com and have joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Oh, and I have author pages with Sapphire Star Publishing and on Goodreads, of course! ☺

Sophie’s Turn is available in Kindle edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and many other Amazon sites. The paperback edition is also available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. In addition, you can obtainSophie’s Turn from Barnes & Noble.