March 10, 2010 | Uncategorized

I’ve got a guest blog up today on romance site We Write Romance, about finding time NOT to write.

If you’ve got a little bit of time when you’re not writing, come visit…

March 9, 2010 | Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom

So did I mention my friend Ruth and I did a photoshoot in a graveyard to promote Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom?

I’ve posted some of the pictures up on the main website already, and I’ve been using them when touring blogs etc, but I thought I’d post a few here, too.

This is my new photo on my front page of my website. I’m holding Ruth’s umbrella. I really want a pink umbrella.

It was snowing and I thought she was getting wet.

I think this is lovely, gloomy and atmospheric.

March 8, 2010 | parenthood

I caught the Fecklet dancing around the house singing “WE BUY ANY CAR, DOT COM!”

Sigh.

I’m running my book giveaway till Friday, so you’ve got plenty of time…

March 5, 2010 | Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom, contests

Hooray hooray! Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom is officially out, and to celebrate I will be giving away a signed copy to a lucky person who sends me an email using the “contact” button on my website.

But first, I need to continue talking about shoes.

You see, the heroine of my novel, Nina Jones, is a woman who knows all about the power of a good pair of shoes. She has lots and lots of shoes, some of them very expensive and some of them very uncomfortable, and here is an excerpt from the book telling you why:

I’m a great believer in the power of high heeled shoes. They’re beautiful, they’re stylish, they can rescue a so-so outfit, and they make you appear to have legs up to your armpits, especially if you have passably long legs anyway. Also—and this may be obvious but it’s really vital—the taller you are, the more people will assume that you know what you’re doing. I read an article about it one time. I’m five foot ten in bare feet, so high heels make me taller than most women and quite a few men. Therefore I appear both more confident and more competent, merely by putting on my shoes.

Most importantly, they’re uncomfortable. When you wear heels for every minute of your professional and social life you’re instantly proclaiming yourself as a person who is able to withstand blisters, pinching, and calf ache, because looking good is more important than pain. Besides, blisters can provide a handy distraction from an aching heart.

I rub the toes of my left foot against the aching arch of my right, and touch the spot on my cheek where Edmund kissed me. Who am I kidding? Blisters are no distraction from an aching heart at all.

I made Nina love shoes because—well, because she’s a chick lit heroine, der! And chick lit heroines always love shoes. Even I love shoes, and I am NOT a chick lit heroine (too old, too cranky, too married). But as I wrote the story, shoes began to form a very important part of the plot and of Nina’s character arc.

She chooses her shoes specifically to impress Edmund, her boss, who is happily married and with whom she is unrequitedly in love. She meets sexy, romantic Spaniard Juan, who will change her life, while she’s stuck in a chair, caught by the buckle of her shoe. When she decides to change her life completely, she donates her shoes to charity.

And then when her life has changed completely, but not the way she thought it was going to, an encounter with some shoes makes her confront her long-buried feelings about her life. A pair of shoes (and some fake tan) is the key to her deceiving her entire family, and leads to her confrontation with her mysterious and angry upstairs neighbour. A pair of cheap secondhand shoes teaches her that feeling comfortable and rather ordinary isn’t quite such a bad thing after all. And one of the most emotionally significant scenes in the story takes place while she’s barefoot.

In short, Nina’s relationship with her shoes is as complicated and as difficult as every relationship. I loved writing that part of the novel.

Anyway, if you’d like to read the book and want a chance at a signed copy, please send me an email using the “contact” button, or alternatively leave a comment on this post with your email address in it, and I’ll choose an entry at random to win.* You don’t even have to say anything, but it’s always nice to hear from you, so I hope you will.

*Warning: you’ll be entered on my newsletter mailing list if you enter. This is pretty harmless and very occasional, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

March 4, 2010 | Uncategorized

Sorry guys, I know I said I’d post again today with a book giveaway, but I had an unexpectedly evil yoga teacher this morning and I’m coming down with a cold this afternoon, so I’m going to bed. (Yes, I know it’s 7.30 pm.)

I will post tomorrow to talk about Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom, including a bit of an excerpt and also a chance to win a signed copy of the book, and I’ll keep the contest open an extra couple of days. Promise.

Meanwhile, there’s an interview with me up on fab chick-lit web site Novelicious.

March 4, 2010 | about me, parenthood

My apologies to those of you who may visit this blog looking for thought-provoking posts about writing, the universe and cemeteries.

Because this morning I am going to write about shoes.

My Facebook friends may know that I faced a shopping dilemma this week: I needed a dress to wear to the fabulous glitzy Romantic Novelists’ Association’s 50th Anniversary Awards Lunch. I’m not up for an award this year, but several of my friends are (hooray!) and it’s a great occasion and opportunity to meet with fellow writers and many publishing professionals. So, y’know, it deserves a new frock.

I bought myself a scrummy little black dress, quite little and plain with just a tiny bit of lovely embroidery and beading, and so I needed some shoes. And hence the dilemma. There were these gorgeous purple ones which had flowers all over them and also a big ribbon bow at the back, and were comfortable, but slightly too low in the heel and also fairly expensive. Then there were these gorgeous grass-green ones which were high-heeled Mary Janes and cost half as much as the purple ones, but weren’t as comfortable or quite as OTT.

I posted this dilemma on my Facebook page and it is a testament to the excellentness of my friends that many of them actually commented, from the UK, the US and Canada, giving me their advice on which pair to buy. (Consensus was that I should buy both, but the bank account won’t bear up under that strain I’m afraid.) Two guys commented too, something along the lines of their heads exploding and sympathising with my husband, but I forgive them. Men just don’t understand the importance of these things.

Well I debated and debated and it really did distract me quite a bit from my writing yesterday (oh I am so sad) and I did make it a dinner table discussion between me, the Rock God and the Fecklet (I am trying to educate them both to care about shoes despite the Y chromosomes). Fecklet said “The green!” and then five minutes later, mid-bite of noodles, he said “The purple!” I tried to convince the Rock God that this was yet another vote to buy both pairs but he wasn’t having it.

In the end, I decided that the green ones would look better with my dress and also if I bought them for half the money, I would have more to spend on a handbag!

Me? Shallow? Surely not.

Anyway I’m sure you are now positively frothing at the mouth to see these shoes, which were in fact quite a spectacular bargain, and are a teensy bit tight but I am going to stuff them with socks etc to stretch them out. Here they are:

And of course, the Fecklet had to try them on. I think they go rather smashingly with his Lightning McQueen pyjamas:

Now, what does this have to do with Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom, which is published TODAY!? I’ll be posting later today and revealing all!

Stay tuned, dear readers, to learn all about the tantalising connection, and also have a chance to win a signed copy!

March 3, 2010 | Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom

Today I’m blogging about Highgate Cemetery at The Writing Playground, and giving away a copy of Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom.

See you there!

March 1, 2010 | Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom

Ohhh I do so love the exciting day when it’s BOOK RELEASE WEEK, especially when it coincides with me randomly clicking on Amazon and seeing that the book’s on their romance bestseller list.

It’s the first of March and Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom is out there, on the shelves, ready to be picked up and read!

Yippee!!

The official release date is Thursday the 4th, and I’ll be celebrating by having a giveaway here on this blog. Meanwhile, I’m blogging about it all over the place in the next couple of weeks. And I’ll talk about the book a little bit here, too.

February 27, 2010 | Uncategorized

Here’s a cool thing…my local Waterstone’s has got a shelf label for me.

Right beside the erotica.

Awesome.

(The focus isn’t great, but if you squint you can see the sign on the right says “Erotica A-Z by author”.)

February 26, 2010 | Uncategorized

Oh, dear.

I’m doing the last bit of revisions on my next book and, knowing my weaknesses and foibles, decided to do a quick search for use of the word “just” to make sure I hadn’t used it unnecessarily and repetitively.

Um. Well. I have.

I really have. Like, several times on a single page.

Yikes!

Thank God for the delete button.

What’s your bad word?

February 25, 2010 | Uncategorized

If you’re not signed up for my email newsletter, now is a good time to do it, because in the next couple of days I’ll be sending one out with a link to an exclusive, secret page on this website, which will include a never-before seen excerpt from Nina Jones and the Temple of Gloom.

I’ll also be holding a contest in the next month for newsletter subscribers only.

Just send me an email, using the contact button on my website, or to julie at julie-cohen dot com.

February 24, 2010 | Uncategorized

I’ll be on BBC Radio Berkshire talking with Anne Diamond this morning from about 10 to 11. You can listen here.

Edit: Anne Diamond was ill, so instead I talked with Sarah Walker about, of all things, Ashley and Cheryl Cole. And neglected to mention either that Nina Jones is out next week (yay!) or that I’m participating in the Local Author Day at Reading Central Library next weekend.

But at least I’ve told you.