British Summer Time arrives!

I love it when the clocks go forward. And what a glorious day too. A walk on the South Downs was definitely what the doctor ordered. In just over an hour, I ticked off pretty much all the sights and sounds of spring. Lovely.

Except for the smell.

• Green woodpecker – tick
• Chiff chaff – tick
• Skylark – tick
• Sparrowhawk . Probably the same one that covered the patio in feathers last weekend – tick
• Warm sun – tick
• Bluebells in leaf if not in flower yet – tick
• Daffodils – tick
• Gorse in flower – tick
• Cooling breeze -tick
• Dog walkers – tick
• Cyclists – tick
• Farmer ploughing, followed by a horde of seagulls – tick
• Wind from the north, which is really unusual here. And that’s when I realised that not only was the farmer ploughing, he’d also been muck-spreading too. – TICK. Urgggggh.

South Downs. Brighton and the sea in the distance

Using Pinterest to generate interest in your writing

This is another post I did for Sheila, over at Cow Pasture Chronicles. And it was great to have the chance to connect with some different people

COW PASTURE CHRONICLES

Hello again! Thanks Sheila, for giving me at https://kimberleycooperblog.wordpress.com the chance to chat with the folks that visit your blog. Nice to meet you all. I’m based in the UK, so please excuse any spellings and expressions you might not be familiar with.

With a bit of writing under my belt now, I’m spending some time looking at different ideas to promote it. You’ve probably come across Pinterest. But you may not have thought of using it to promote your writing. There’s a lot of guidance out there on ideas to do this, so rather than re-invent the wheel, I’ve listed below a couple of sites you might find helpful.

But what I can offer is my experience of what went well, and what made me tear my hair out, in the hope that it helps you.

• Converting my private Pinterest account to a business one was easy. There are new…

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Free to enter – short story competition

Those of you who know me know that I love writing short fiction. Around 100-200 words for me is the sweet spot, short enough to keep my interest and move quickly onto the next idea. So it was great to see this free to enter competition for flash fiction of up to 150 words, with a generous Amazon voucher as a prize. The closing date is 31 July 2016, so there’s still plenty of time to enter. Have fun, and good luck! https://shortstops.info/2016/07/07/the-print-express-flash-fiction-competition/

Oh, and because I can’t resist a shameless plug at this late stage of my Kindle Scout campaign, please feel free to click on the link below and give my new paranormal romance novel Angels Above and Below, a vote. Again, it doesn’t cost you anything. Thank you. https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/250V6G6JNODAE

Happy 4th July weekend …

… to all my American friends. Hope you have a great time, whatever you intend to do. 

I’ll be furiously refreshing the page on my Kindle Scout campaign to see how it’s doing in the final week. If you fancy supporting me, please click on the link. Thank you!  https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/250V6G6JNODAE

  

It’s a weird feeling … But I like it

No, I haven’t washed my hair today. No, I don’t have quite as many chins as this photo might suggest. No, I don’t give two hoots that this photo is about as unflattering as it could be. Why?

Because I’m holding the first printed copy of my first full length novel. A real book. And it’s the strangest feeling. Like Christmas, my wedding day and graduation all rolled into one. 

But I like it. I think I’ll write another one.

  

100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups – week 178

Thanks Julia at http://www.juliasplace.org.uk for this prompt this week:

the crumpled paper and tinsel meant…

The crumpled paper and tinsel meant another Christmas achieved. Another 365 days lived. Every one a bonus. And most days that couldn’t be taken for granted.
I give my little girl a hug and a kiss. As long as I’ve got her I can cope wth anything.
My parents stand up, awkward, and take Lisa by the hand. She walks away, holding the teddy they bought, wrapped and brought in for me to give her.
No one looks back.
The prison officer’s voice is understanding. “Ok Stella, Time to go back to your cell. She can visit again next month.”

My novel Born in the USA has arrived!

*Sigh*. It’s been a long time coming. But my first full length novel Born in the USA is finally available at Amazon at http://viewbook.at/BornInTheUSA

A sci fi romance with murder, crime, life and death, Born in the USA is (I hope!) an exciting chase across the Multiverse. Here’s the blurb:

Take an infinite number of Earths. Take one man determined to keep women safe. Combine with a man trying to stop him. Mix in a woman they both want, who’s pregnant. Oh, and a cat.
Bob Trask doesn’t intend to fall in love when he visits Earth Nova. He certainly doesn’t intend to get Gracie May pregnant. And when a man with a grudge abducts her and takes her to another universe, Bob’ll go anywhere, do anything, to get her back safely.

A really big big ‘Thank you to’ all my friends and family who had to put up with a less-than-present Kimberley over the last few weeks while I finally got this ready.

Hope you like it.

 

 

100 Word Challenge for Grownups

Julia at http://www.juliasplace.org.uk gave us a gift this week with two possible prompts – Laughter and Staff Do.  I thought long and hard about trying to write light and fluffy in keeping with the Christmas season, and then thought … nah, I like writing dark. So here it is, my take on Laughter.

She shouldn’t have rented a house in the same street as a pub. But when she was desperate to get away and had no money apart from what she’d hidden from him, that’s all she could afford.

But the late night shouting, the laughter, the mess in the garden she had to cleanup every Sunday morning, was getting beyond a joke.

It was near closing time. Time to get the cat in.There could be anything in the dark.

She opened the door, just a little. Black fur appeared in the gap.

Followed by a boot.

“Missed me, Joanne?”

 

Another 5 star review for Bodyshifters

Looks like I’d better find some time to write more Bodyshifters stories. Paranormal romance that sizzles is pretty popular! – I was delighted to get another 5 star review, this time on amazon.com, at http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B00WZOIA0Q/ref=acr_search_hist_5?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addFiveStar&showViewpoints=0

which included ‘Could not put them down till the end. It is well written and flows easily from start till the end. Well written Kimberley.’

Thanks very much for taking the time to review, really appreciate it.

 

 

 

100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups – Week 174

Julia at http://www.juliasplace.org.uk gave us a lovely photo prompt this week. Here’s my 100 words based on it:

“I hate autumn. Bloody leaves get everywhere.”
“They’re very pretty, Fred. Make the garden colourful.”
“Bugger colourful.”
I remember Grandpa saying it, even now, twenty years later.
And I remember hearing Grandma too.
But what I remember most, when she lay in bed that last autumn after her stroke, unable to move, dependent on others for every need was when I saw him come from the garden with a dozen of the brightest leaves and take them to her bedside. He kissed her forehead, picked up her hand, oh so gently, and stroked her fingers over the beautiful, dying, leaves.