Book Review: My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott

When Ella married the handsome, celebrated artist Sebastian Montclair at just nineteen she was madly in love. Now, those blissful years of marriage have turned into the very definition of an unconventional set-up. Separated in every way but distance, Sebastian resides in an outhouse across the lawn from Ella's ramshackle farmhouse.

With an ex-husband living under her nose and a home crowded by hostile teenaged children, gender-confused chickens - not to mention her hyper critical mother whose own marriage slips spectacularly off the rails - Ella finds comfort in the company of the very charming gardener, Ludo.

Then out of the blue Sebastian decides to move on, catching Ella horribly unawares. How much longer can she hide from what really destroyed her marriage . . . and the secret she continues to keep?

Copy of book received from publisher - Thank you.

I am ashamed to admit this is the first Catherine Alliott book that I have read. I have heard many great things about her books and was very excited to read it but unfortunately I found this one quite disappointing.

Ella plays the main character in the book, a middle aged mother of two who fell in love at 19 to her handsome Sebastian. After years of marriage Ella and Sebastian are now separated and live apart...but on the same farm - intriguing hey? That’s exactly what I thought!

The book is very much centered on Ella and how she is dealing with this peculiar situation. One of the main reasons I think I struggled to get into the book was because I didn't feel I could connect to Ella and this was a little off putting. I thought she was very self-absorbed and feeling sorry for herself all the time, I got a little bored of her if I'm honest.

The storyline was very family orientated  I did like the way that it explored relationships between husband and wife, Mother and Father, parent and child and siblings rather than just sticking to the more common sex and shopping story lines (which I have to say are my usual fave!)

I did also really like the humour Alliott included in her book. Many parts had me laughing out loud which is always a good sign and I did like the way that you really feel like you get to know the characters very well, even if you are not fond of them! 

Overall I rate this book as a 4/10 in the Novel Cafe. It was a warm, light, easy read which was amusing at times but to me it did seem a bit on the long slow side. I found I was always waiting for something 'big' to happen or a twist but one never came along. I’m sure many of you would enjoy, especially if you are a fan of Alliott's, it was just not for me.

Meet....Sue Moorcroft

THE NOVEL CAFÉ WELCOMES….SUE MOORCROFT

This evening I have the pleasure in welcoming Sue Moorcroft to the Novel Cafe. I would like to thank Sue for letting us into her world and being part of the blog, so BIG thank you Sue! 

(Interview conducted end of October)

1. Sue, can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to be an author?

I was late learning to read and write, owing to slightly interrupted education. But once I learned, I was hooked. I couldn’t believe that I could get good marks at school by making things up!

After a half-hearted attempt to get into journalism, I went to work in a bank. After that, when my children were small, I used to find pockets of time where I could fit in a couple of hours of writing and it became my passion. As the children grew, the pockets of time became bigger.

I wrote two novels but they were not good, so I did a course, during which I began to write magazine fiction. I’d read that if you could sell 20 short stories to national newsstand magazines, you might get interest from publishers of novels – I’d sold 87 and a serial by the time I got ‘the call’, but, loosely, the strategy worked.

2. How long did it take you to write your first Novel?

My first published novel was Uphill All the Way, but books that were written before it were published after it (Starting Over and All That Mullarkey). And then there were those early attempts that publishers didn’t care for … whichever you mean, the answer’s the same: I don’t really know. I write about a book a year, now, and it was probably about the same, then, but when you don’t have a deadline or a contract there’s no real reason to keep tabs on how long it’s all taking.

3. If you could pick just one of your books to turn into film which would it be and why?

Instantly, I want to choose two … OK, I’ll settle on Dream a Little Dream because I think the dream sequences and the overlap between dreaming and waking could be fabulous and fascinating. And could we please have Ryan Gosling (without the beard!) to play Dominic Christy? He has the right eyes but he’d have to let his hair grow longer and less tidy. (Good question. I had to really think about that.)

4. Your new book 'Is this love?' is out in paperback on 7th Nov, can you tell us a little about it?

Is This Love? is a book about the different qualities of love. Tamara Rix’s sister, Lyddie, needs more care than most adults, and it’s love for her that keeps Tamara in the village where they grew up.

Jed Cassius was Lyddie’s teenage heartthrob and Tamara had a crush on him, too. He returns to the village to tell the Rixes who was driving the car when Lyddie suffered her hit-and-run accident all those years ago.

Jed’s an interesting character. He dropped out of society for a while yet has a great job. It’s through him that Tamara gets mixed up with millionaires, non-disclosure agreements and alpacas. She’s not at all sure that Jed’s one of the good guys, but she really wants him to be.

Is this Love? is available now:

5. The book has been shortlisted for the Readers Best Romantic Read Award at the Festival of Romance - congratulations and good luck! How did you feel when you found out?

Thank you! I felt euphoric and texted all my family to spread the glad news. Then I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a strong shortlist. Oh, well, I’ve won this award once …’

6. If you could give any award to any book ... which award would you give to which book and why?

Another question to which I’d like to give two answers, really. I’ll go with Suzanne Brockmann’s Gone too Far for its sizzling affair played out against a global setting of conflict and terrorism. I think you have to know your subject and have a lot of guts to contemplate such a sweeping canvas. And the relationship is mega.

What to know more about Sue?

Sue Moorcroft writes romantic novels of dauntless heroines and irresistible heroes. Love & Freedom won the Best Romantic Read Award 2011 at the Festival of Romance and Dream a Little Dream was nominated for a RoNA in 2013. She received three nominations at the Festival of Romance 2012, and is a Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner. She’s vice chair of the RNA and editor of its two anthologies.

Sue also writes short stories, serials, articles, writing ‘how to’ and is a competition judge and creative writing tutor.

Website www.suemoorcroft.com. 

Blog http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com/ 

Facebook sue.moorcroft.3

Twitter @suemoorcroft

Meet....Alexandra Potter

THE NOVEL CAFE WELCOMES.....

ALEXANDRA POTTER

Today I say hello (and a huge thank you) to the one and only Alexandra Potter. Alexandra's new book 'The Love Detective' is due to hit shelves early in the new year. I received my copy yesterday and cannot wait to start it!  

1. Tell us about yourself in 10 words.

Loyal, tenacious, funny, skinny, catastrophist, traveller, homebody, animal-lover, creative

2. What would you say are the three key ingredients to writing a book? 

Hmm, that's a tricky one, as it's hard to choose just three. But if I had to, here goes:

1. You have to be able to be a good storyteller, or 'spin a good yarn' as my granny used to say. 

2. Tenacity. Writing is hard. Especially a novel which is usually at least 100,000 words. Some days you will feel inspired and that's great. But there will be lots and LOTS of days when you've only written a few words and they are all pretty rubbish, you can't think of anything funny or exciting, and you are only half way through your book. The desire to do anything BUT writing will be huge. Your laundry, walking the dog, sorting out your sock drawer, anything but sitting at your desk, trying to write. But that's where tenacity comes you. You can't give up. You have to keep going. And that's what separates those writers that start a book and never finish it, and those that start a book, finish it, and get it published. 

3. Organisation. A book takes me around 15 months to write, from the moment I get the idea, to handing in the first draft. Most people think you just sit down at the computer and start writing, that it all flows out. And maybe that's the way for some writers, but not for me, and a lot of my author friends. Instead it requires intense organisation - from plotting out the story, scene by scene - making sure you write so many words a day - and working a regular working week.   

3. What would be the one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?

Believe in yourself. When I first had the idea to write a book I was the only person that could make it happen. Friends and family can be encouraging, but you are the person that has to sit down and write this story that you believe in. No-one else can. Also, trying to find an agent can be tough, and you can receive lots of rejection letters before you find an agent that will represent you. 

4. You have written some amazing books, have you got a favourite?

My first book, 'What's New, Pussycat?' will always have a special place in my heart because it was my very first book and I had such a blast writing that one. I had no idea what to expect and just sat down and wrote a story that was very autobiographical in many ways. Since then, I've loved all my books, but I think Calling Romeo really touched me (I actually cried writing some of those break-up scenes) and Be Careful What You Wish For, was the first book I wrote in the first person and with a magical element and that was a lot of fun. 

5. As you have written so many books do you struggle to think of new plots and characters when its time to write the next one?

I have lots of ideas for books and so I don't struggle with that, however it's turning that initial idea into a 380 page novel that can be difficult. I've written ten books and I've written a lot of different characters, so thinking of new, unique ones can be difficult. But then I'm always meeting new people and travelling to new places, to that helps a lot!

6. Have any authors especially inspired you?

I was inspired by Helen Fielding's, Bridget Jones. I read that book in 1996 and just thought it was so hysterically funny, and just so real! 

However, I think my main inspiration has been film - I adore romantic comedies - and When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and Four Weddings and a Funeral, were movies that really inspired me to sit down and write a romantic comedy. 

7. What are you reading now?

I find it hard to read fiction when I'm writing, so I've just finished Rod Stewart's autobiography. 

8. Your new book 'The Love Detective' is due out in January. Give us a little insight into it. 

I have been wanting to write a series for a long time, but I just couldn't think of a good enough idea, that would combine all the elements that I love in storytelling - romance, comedy, and that touch of magic. Then I had the idea for THE LOVE DETECTIVE, which combines all of these. Here's a little taster from the back of the book...

“People always ask me what kind of books I write and I guess you’d call them love stories, but I also think of them as mysteries. After all, what makes two people fall in love? I’ve written three novels and I’m still looking for the answers. In a way, I’m a bit of a love detective. Because what’s a greater mystery than love?”

Romance novelist, Ruby Miller has lost her faith in love. In an effort to forget her cheating ex and clear her writer’s block, she joins her sister for a week’s beach holiday in Goa . . . and embarks on an extraordinary adventure. A runaway sister, stolen bags and a handsome American stranger sweep Ruby into a magical mystery tour across India. Admist fortresses and fortune tellers, and a whirlwind of weddings, her search to find her sister uncovers fascinating stories of love, lost and found. But as the mysteries deepen, secrets are revealed that turn Ruby's life upside down. And what started as a journey to find her sister, becomes a journey to find herself - and love - again.

9. Much of the book is set in India. Did you travel there for research purposes?

Yes. I spent a month there, travelling from Kerala in the south, to Rajasthan in the north. It was a completely magical experience and really inspired me so I was determined to set my new book there. I wanted my readers to just get a taste of what I experienced. 

10. If the book made the big screen who would you like to play the part of Ruby?

Gosh that's so hard! But I'm a huge fan of Blake Lively, Emily Blunt or Keira Knightly, so any of those three please!

11. Whats next for Alexandra?

The Love Detective goes to Paris! I'm currently plotting out the new book and will start writing any minute… it's the second in the series and it sees Ruby travelling to Paris, the most romantic city in the world, only nothing turns out quite how she plans.. it will involve lots of romance, a mysterious love affair, and of course, some wonderfully dashing french men :) 

Pre-Order The Love Detective now on Amazon....

GIVEAWAY!!!

Thanks to Pan Macmillan I have two copies of international multi million best selling author Lucinda Rose' new book THE MIDNIGHT ROSE up for grabs. The book is due for release mid January so get your copy now...

A lifelong passion. An endless search.

The latest novel from international multi-million-copy bestselling author Lucinda Riley is a stunning, epic saga. Filled with unforgettable characters, The Midnight Rose is a multi-layered, heart-breaking tale, and marks Lucinda Riley’s most ambitious novel to date.

Spanning four generations and two very different cultures, it sweeps from the glittering palaces of the great maharajas of India to the majestic stately homes of England, following the extraordinary life of a girl, Anahita Chaval, from 1911 to the present day . . .

In the heyday of the British Raj, eleven-year-old Anahita, from a noble but impoverished family, forms a lifelong friendship with the headstrong Princess Indira, the privileged daughter of rich Indian royalty. Becoming the princess’s official companion, Anahita accompanies her friend to England just before the outbreak of the Great War. There, she meets the young Donald Astbury – reluctant heir to the magnificent, remote Astbury Estate – and his scheming mother.

Eighty years later, Rebecca Bradley, a young American film star, has the world at her feet. But when her turbulent relationship with her equally famous boyfriend takes an unexpected turn, she’s relieved that her latest role, playing a 1920s debutante, will take her away from the glare of publicity to the wilds of Dartmoor in England. Shortly after filming begins at the now-crumbling Astbury Hall, Ari Malik, Anahita’s great-grandson, arrives unexpectedly, on a quest for his family’s past. What he and Rebecca discover begins to unravel the dark secrets that haunt the Astbury dynasty . . .

For your chance to win get into the festive spirit and answer the following:

 If you could have any book left in your Christmas stocking what would it be and why?

Leave your answer along with your email address as a comment under this post before Midnight Tuesday 19th November and 2 winners will be picked at random. UK only.

Good luck!

Author Special....Christine Stovell

I am delighted to welcome Christine to the Novel Café today. Christine has taken the time to write about what influences her as an author, her two fantastic novels published by Choc Lit and her new book due for release next summer. Thank you Christine!

Christine Stovell: Three by the Sea

Hi Nic, thank you so much for inviting me to join you at the Novel Café!

I’m Christine Stovell and I live and write on the coast of west Wales.  I’ve always loved the sea, but it really influenced my writing when I met a keen sailor and thought how romantic the thought of sleeping under starry skies in a quiet anchorage sounded.  We married and bought our vintage wooden boat that same month... and then I discovered how dreadfully prone to seasickness I am!  Nevertheless, we did manage to sail half way round Britain.  The sleepy backwaters, picturesque harbours and fascinating characters we met along the way all worked their way into my imagination and into my writing, but one day I suddenly ‘saw’ an image of a troubled young woman sitting by the water’s edge.  Her story became my first novel, Turning the Tide, which is published by Choc Lit.

Turning the Tide

Harry (Harriet) Watling has spent five years trying to keep her father’s boatyard afloat.  Now all she wants to do is enjoy the peace and quiet of her sleepy backwater.  Property developer, Matthew Corrigan, has other ideas; he wants to turn the boat yard into an upmarket housing complex for his exotic new restaurant. And the odds seem to be stacked in Matthew’s favour. He’s got the colourful locals on board, his hard-to-please girlfriend is warming to the idea and he has the means to force Harry’s hand. Meanwhile, Harry has to fight not just his plans but also her feelings for the man himself.  When a family secret from the past creates heartbreak for Harry, and neither of them is prepared for what happens next...

Move Over Darling, my second contemporary novel, also published by Choc Lit, is influenced by the Welsh coast where I live.  The population here is small, with comparatively few people spread out over a large area.  I started to wonder how couples ever found each other!  It’s an exquisitely beautiful part of Wales, attractive to tourists and second-homers, but some of the lowest wages too mean that employment prospects are often brighter elsewhere.  A trip to New York suggested the book’s premise:  She’s escaped to the country.  He’s escaped from the country.  Who’s going to admit that home is where the heart is?  From there, I met Coralie Casey and Gethin Lewis.  Coralie doesn’t like the hand fate has dealt her so she’s taken charge of her own destiny.  Gethin’s an artist living in New York who thinks he’s escaped his home village for good – until I came up with other plans for him.  I also had fun with a cast of supporting characters to reflect the book’s theme which is about separation and reunion.

For Follow a Star, which will be published by Choc Lit next summer, I couldn’t resist returning to the fictional seaside town of Little Spitmarsh, the location of Turning the Tide.  I also drew on some of the sailing adventures we had in our wooden boat.  I have to say I had an absolute ball writing this one; I loved meeting May Starling, my heroine, and discovering what her secret was, but I fell for Bill Blythe, my red-haired hero in a big way.  Choc Lit authors are very lucky to have a say in our fabulous covers, designed by the talented Berni Stevens, but I was especially thrilled with this one because the girl on the cover is exactly how I saw my girl, May.  Here’s a bit about Follow a Star…

Sometimes your heart’s the only navigator you need…

May Starling’s had enough of her demanding career and even more demanding ex.  Responding to a ‘crew-wanted’ ad, she follows her dreams of escape only to find herself at sea with red-haired Bill Blythe.

Bill warns May that close-quartered living can create a boiling pot of emotions, but even May is surprised by the heat building up inside the vintage wooden boat.  And when May and Bill tie up at Watling’s Boatyard in Little Spitmarsh, May’s determined to test her new-found feelings on dry land.  

But May’s dream of escaping her former life is in danger of being swept away when several unwelcome blasts from the past follow her ashore, all seemingly hell-bent on reminding her that it’s never that easy to clear the decks.

I’m moving inland for the setting of a novella I’m currently writing, but it’s back to the coast for Book 4. Looking across Cardigan Bay from my study, the sea continues to draw and inspire me… and I’m looking forwards to seeing where it takes me next.

Website: christinestovell.com

Blog:  homethoughtsweekly.blogspot.com

Christine's books are available on Amazon now.

Meet...Milly Johnson!

The Novel Cafe welcomes.....Milly Johnson

Today I am thrilled to have Milly Johnson join me at The Novel Café to answer a few questions. Milly has taken the time to tell us about her life as an author and her latest book, so thank you to Milly and I hope you all enjoy!

1. If you could sum up all your books in 5 words what would they be? 

Uplifting, warm, down-to-earth, emotional, tales of real women

2. Have you got a personal favourite of all your novels?

They’re like my children – it would be very hard of me to choose, BUT I SO enjoyed writing ‘Here Come The Girls’

3. You have written an outstanding 9 books! Does it get harder every time to think of new characters and story lines?

Not really, I never have shortage of ideas or characters.  The difficulty is trying to make each book different from the others whilst keeping the same ‘flavour’

4. What/where is your perfect setting/situation/place to do your writing?

My office, complete silence and lots of strong coffee on tap.

5. Do you read as much as you write?

 It’s important that writers read.  I can’t see how you can write and NOT read.  I am an avid reader and have a couple of books on the go at the same time depending on which mood I’m in. I have just finished the new Bridget Jones and am bereft, the way you should be after a great book.

6. Tell us a little about your latest book, 'It’s raining men'

It’s about 3 over-worked career women who go on a luxurious spa holiday only to end up in a cottage in a back-of-beyond village instead.  There they are forced to stop and smell the roses and find out, given some perspective, that their lives back home aren’t as perfect as they think they are.  Their lives change forever in the little seaside village of Ren Dullem.  It’s a little different from my other books, more touched with the fairy-tale pen, and I’ve wanted to write it for years.

7. If it was 'raining men' which 3 men would you like to fall out the sky?

Joe Manganiello (True Blood) Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe.  Or just Hugh Jackman three times.

8. When shall we expect book 10?

June 2014 – if I get my finger out.

A few random questions...

If you could be one Disney Character who would it be and why?

Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  She’s a big reader and I love her swishy hair.

Strictly come dancing or X Factor?

Must confess I do love the first few weeks of X factor for the comedy value but I want to be ON Strictly.

If you could travel one place in the world where would it be?

I’d like to go to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.

Gary Barlow or Robbie Williams?

Gary – all the way.

Buy Milly's latest book on Amazon today:

Meet....Ali Mcnamara

THE NOVEL CAFE WELCOMES....ALI MCNAMARA

As a huge fan I was delighted when Ali agreed to take part in a small interview for the Novel Cafe. Ali's new book 'Step back in Time' was published yesterday. Interview conducted October 2013.

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for my new blog....welcome to the Novel Cafe!

Tell us a little about yourself Ali?

I live in Cambridgeshire UK with my family and our two Labrador dogs.

But I would love to live by the sea one day, with an apartment overlooking Central Park in NYC for the occasional break!

When did you first start to write? Is being an author something you have always wanted to be?

I actually started writing stories by accident on an Internet message board; they became so popular that they were sold to raise money for a cancer awareness charity. I decided if people were enjoying my stories so much on the Internet, maybe I should have a go at writing a real book! It was my third attempt that was to become my first published novel – From Notting Hill with Love…Actually.

I for one loved the From Notting Hill to...Books. Movies played such a large part in these, are you a big film fan like Scarlett?

I love a good, witty rom-com! But I can’t be doing with horror and unnecessary violence in the cinema at all. I’d walk out!

If you could be in one film which would it be and which Character would you play?

Silver Linings Playbook: Mostly because it’s a fab script, but I’d also love Jennifer Lawrence’s figure, and I’d love to play opposite the rather lovely Bradley Cooper!

Are your own experiences and people you know and meet always the main inspiration for your books?

Yes, I think it has to be. Then your writing comes over as realistic and your stories genuine.

Very exciting...your fourth novel 'Step Back in Time' is due for release early next month, can you tell us a little about it?

I think the book blurb sums it up better than me!

When single career girl Jo-Jo steps onto a zebra crossing and gets hit by a car, she awakes to find herself in 1963. The fashion, the music, her job, even her romantic life: everything is different. And then it happens three more times, and Jo-Jo finds herself living a completely new life in the 1970's, 80's and 90's. The only people she can rely on are Harry and Ellie, two companions from 2013, and George, the owner of a second-hand record store. If she's ever to return from her travels, Jo-Jo must work out why she's jumping through time like this. And if she does make it back, will her old life ever be the same again?

What’s next for Ali?

A third in the series of Notting Hill books due to be published in 2014!

Christmas is Coming!

It’s that time of year again! Santa and his Elves are getting ready to spoil us all with gifts. To help us get into the spirit it’s definitely time to pick up a good Christmas read. Here's a few of the newbies that jumped out at me, click the link and treat yourself!

And some old favourites….