Special Guest.

We are very lucky today as we have a special guest here on our blog.

I am pleased to introduce to you our special guest, Mandy Baggot.
Mandy has a new book that is out and is here to talk about it. So without further ado, I will hand over to Mandy.

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Thank you so much for having me on your blog today – I’m really excited to be here.

My latest novel and my first with my new publisher, Harper Impulse, came out on 25 July. It’s a contemporary romance called Do You Remember? and the main man of the piece is hot French hunk, Guy Duval.

Guy Duval

As the story is told in two parts you get to meet Guy twice - once as a teenager and again eight years later. So, what’s he like?


Guy at eighteen
Guy works part-time at a French campsite as a football skills coach for the children holidaying there. He also works in the site bar in the evenings, clearing tables and collecting glasses and also at a nearby hotel.

He’s tall, athletic in build with dark hair that flops forward over his face. He’s typically Gallic with strong features, olive skin and that gorgeous accent. Outwardly he appears confident and comfortable in his own skin but we soon learn he’s quite good at keeping his vulnerabilities hidden.

He’s passionate and driven, even at such a young age, desperate to do well, succeed, make something of himself. He longs to be a professional footballer and is determined to make this happen.


Guy at twenty-six
Guy has made it! He’s a professional footballer newly signed to a top-flight UK team in the Premiership. He’s rich, he’s got company endorsements coming out of his ears, he’s living the high life.

Now he has the honed body of an athlete. His body’s widened and he’s muscular and taut with abs to die for. The only thing that hasn’t changed are those green eyes, the hair and the accent. He has excelled with his English though and speaks it like a native. He has been the face and body of some major brands and almost makes more modelling than playing football.

Now he’s at the top of his game the passion has died. Getting what he wanted as left him feeling lost. What has he got if there’s nothing left to strive for? Something’s been missing from his life for a long time, he knows what it is but is it too late to go back?

First Love. First Loss. Last chance?

2005 was the most traumatic year of Emma Barron’s life. It was the year her mother died and the year she met Guy Duval. Eight years on, she’s an English teacher with a doting boyfriend and a young son. Life’s been hard but now it’s comfortable. She’s settled and content…so why would she risk it all for another chance with the man that broke her heart?

Guy’s an international renowned footballer newly signed to a top UK team. But behind the confident facade is a man determined to drown the horrors from his childhood with fame, success and money.

Unable to confide in her best friend, Ally, Emma tries to hold her life together as her heart is pulled apart. Did she turn her back on love too soon?

Neither of them know what really happened on 5 September 2005 and as events are slowly revealed can anyone cope with the truth?

Buy Amazon UK http://ow.ly/n53hT

Buy Amazon US http://ow.ly/n53n9

Buy Kobo http://ow.ly/n53sN

Buy Nook http://ow.ly/n53Bi

Buy iTunes http://ow.ly/n53JD

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Thank you very much to Mandy for the insight to her latest book, for more about Mandy please head on over to our 'This week's Author' Page to find out more about Mandy.

What genre?

Are you a reader?

I am.

I read a lot of different genre's, although crime is my favourite.

When I was growing up, there was no genre called 'chic lit' (female literature). Chic lit, it all sounds very feminist or degrading (my opinion). This genre is aimed at women and therefore not to be classified within normal standard literature. Or is it? Why Chic lit? Is it only for the female population? And just what does Chic lit entail? Who knows?

Go into a library or book store. Will you find a genre heading 'chic lit', very doubtful. At least in my experience I am yet to find one. (If you do by the way I would love to see a photo), yet your store on Amazon has a classification for this genre, (among others).

So getting back to my original point, (was there one?) Ha ha, yes there was. Back in my day, (don't I sound old) which I'm not. The genre's that were available were limited, yet nowadays there is a whole world of different genre's.

And what has prompted this new genre? Is it self publishing?

Do we owe the expanse of new work out there to self publishing?

I, for one am a self advocate of the self publisher or indie author.
Why?
I feel that in this day and age, although the past is quite to blame as-well. Publishers are businesses, and businesses are in business to make money. To put it quite simply they will publish what they see as being able to sell to the mass market for a profit. That, is not rocket science. That is purely business not personal.

And let's think about that for just one moment. Business, not personal.

But what could be more personal than reading a book for pure enjoyment.

Like I said at the beginning, I like to read many different genre's and I do not limit myself to adult books or adult books with adult content, but I sometimes indulge in good quality children's books. Admittedly I like to read those of a bygone era, as I feel it has been hard to live up to the standards of such writers of classical children's literature, which is a shame. And why do you suppose good children's literature is so hard to find in a modern world, or am I being too old fashioned (oh jeez I hope not) do you have a suggestion for me?

So it comes back to what publisher's print and market, is what we as the general public read. Are we sheep?

I'm not.

There are some really good authors out there, who have taken the hard road, written a book and published it themselves. Some are really good, I often wonder why they were not picked up by a publisher, of course JK Rowling herself was rejected several times, and some of the great writers published their own books. This blog is here to honour and promote such authors.

I hope you join me on the journey.

B.

To read or not to read.

I have always been a reader.

And when reading wasn't cool, I was a closet reader.

But thanks to JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer and for the raunchy, EL James, reading has become cool again.

I find writer's to be amazing. To come up with stories that intrigue you, captivate you, make you laugh and even cry. Amazing.

I want to say thank you to all the writer's out there, thank you for continuing to take me on a journey that exists beyond reality, escaping me into bliss.

I hope that this blog continues to bring reader and writer together.

Thanks