Cookout Carnage
What happens when you put a wild American romcom writer together with a bonkers British one? You get Chaos, Calamity and Carnage in the form of six interconnected love stories spanning a year of holidays.
Overused Words
As a writer, I’m more concerned with telling a story and taking characters and readers on a journey than I am with monitoring how many times I use certain words. However, once the first draft is set down and the editing process begins, then the spectre of ‘overused words’ rears it’s spectrely head like a spectre from another world entirely habited by spectres…
‘She Needed His Wood’ – Excerpt from Highland Games
One of the staples of a romantic comedy story is the ‘meet cute’, the moment when our hero and heroine meet for the first time. The more this can go wrong, the better. The ‘meet cute’ in Highland Games goes wrong on many levels for Zoe. She’s been sent to the back entrance of Kinloch castle, to ask the estate manager for some wood to feed her Rayburn stove. However, she isn’t expecting to find a shirtless god, splitting logs, and switching her hormones up to eleven.
Cows Come a Calling – Excerpt from Highland Games
Zoe, our heroine from Highland Games, has always lived her life safely. She’s done what she’s been told, never rebelled, and never taken risks. She’s the ‘Queen of Spreadsheets, the Empress of Organisation.’ That is, until her great uncle dies and gives her the wooden cabin he’s lived in all his life. Highland Games opens with Zoe moving up to Scotland, hopelessly unprepared for what she finds, and without having thought anything through. In this excerpt we see her come face to face with some highland cattle.
What is a Sex Index?
There have been many great contributions to the world of literature. Gutenberg invented the printing press, Shakespeare invented romantic comedy, and J K Rowling invented Harry Potter. However, all of these achievements pale into insignificance compared to my contribution - the sex index. Seeing a hole, I filled it. Finding a gap, I plugged it. My invention of a sex index at the back of a romance novel is hands down the most exciting new development since the Kindle. So join me, readers and fellow authors, to drill down into what a sex index is, and what it can do for you…
Zoe’s Essentials for Highland Living
Hi everyone, I’m Zoe and I’ve decided to do a takeover blog, because, well, quite frankly, Highland Games is about ME and I feel I need to explain myself a bit.
Favourite Quotes from Highland Games
Highland Games is full of wonderful one liners and fabulous quotes. There isn’t enough room to have all of them here, but I’ve picked out some of my favourites for you to enjoy!
On how to write sex scenes
So how do you write a sex scene? Where do you start? I’ve put a lot of thought into this having written countless scenes as well as having helped other authors when they are struggling to write theirs. So buckle up, and let’s dive into the world of writing sex.
Meet Zoe
Zoe Maxwell is our heroine in both Highland Games and Hollywood Games, and appears in almost every other book in the Kinloch series. We meet her at the start of Highland Games with her life in crisis.
Highland Games Cover Reveal and Design Process
Having a cover designed for your books is one of the most exciting parts of the whole publishing journey and this blog takes you through every step, from initial ideas and inspiration to the finished product. Step behind the scenes and check out the cover design process for Highland Games!
