Clare Dugmore: if I let you go

Showing posts with label if I let you go. Show all posts

You know what's awesome ... ?

Indie authors helping out other indie authors. Writers4Writers Group, set up to help indie authors spread the word about their books! Well, this month, they very kindly offered to add Kyra Lennon to the list of writers they want to help!

The mission is simple. If you want to give Kyra a hand and shout her out - all you have to do is share her work via your social media networks, and for those of you who are short on time, she's even set up some tweets and FB posts for you to copy and paste! She does have three books, so you can promote them all, or just one or two. She (and me too) will be grateful for any help you can give!

Game On
NA Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

After swapping her small town life to work for one of the top soccer teams in the U.S, Leah Walker thought she could finally leave the ghosts of her past behind. However, when she meets serial womanizer, Radleigh McCoy, the memories of her old life come swarming back, and she is forced to ask herself whether she has really changed at all.

FB Post: #W4WS supports indie authors! Come and see Kyra Lennon's NA Contemporary Romance, with hot soccer players and a feisty heroine! http://www.amazon.com/Game-On-ebook/dp/B008LVCKI0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1363600929&sr=8-7&keywords=game+on

Tweets: Game On by @KLennonWrites is a #NA contemp romance with hot soccer players & a feisty heroine! #W4WS http://www.amazon.com/Game-On-ebook/dp/B008LVCKI0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1363600929&sr=8-7&keywords=game+on

"OMG, Radleigh..WOW. He made my knees weak!" - Amazon reviewer of Game On by Kyra Lennon #W4WS http://www.amazon.com/Game-On-ebook/dp/B008LVCKI0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1363600929&sr=8-7&keywords=game+on

What happens when a feisty Brit chick meets an egotistical soccer player? Find out in Kyra Lennon's Game On! #w4ws http://www.amazon.com/Game-On-ebook/dp/B008LVCKI0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1363600929&sr=8-7&keywords=game+on

Game On by Kyra Lennon offers sun, soccer, and sexiness in this #NA Contemporary Romance set in L.A! #W4WS http://www.amazon.com/Game-On-ebook/dp/B008LVCKI0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1363600929&sr=8-7&keywords=game+on

Blindsided (Game On Book 2)

NA Contemporary Romance

Blurb: After a successful first soccer season in L.A, Jesse Shaw heads to London with his best buddy, Hunter, but his world is turned upside down when a dangerous prank threatens his career and his blossoming relationship with Hunter’s cousin, Isabelle.
Isabelle Mills lives in Notting Hill with her parents and her twin sister, Georgia. When she finds out her cousin is coming to stay, along with his famous soccer player friend, her first instinct is to hibernate until they’ve gone. However, once she meets Jesse, everything changes. He’s everything she ever wanted, but with so many obstacles in their path, can she really risk putting her heart on the line?

FB Post: #W4WS supports indie authors! Check out Kyra Lennon's sweet NA contemporary romance, Blindsided, the second book in the Game On series! http://www.amazon.com/Blindsided-Game-On-ebook/dp/B00A510VDU/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363601547&sr=1-5&keywords=blindsided

Tweets: Soccer star Jesse Shaw heads to London & finds romance, drama and danger in Kyra Lennon's NA novel, Blindsided! #W4WS http://www.amazon.com/Blindsided-Game-On-ebook/dp/B00A510VDU/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363601547&sr=1-5&keywords=blindsided

When a soccer star meets a sweet Brit chick, romance blossoms, and sparks fly in Kyra Lennon's Blindsided! #W4WS http://www.amazon.com/Blindsided-Game-On-ebook/dp/B00A510VDU/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363601547&sr=1-5&keywords=blindsided

Check out Blindsided, the sequel to Kyra Lennon's debut novel, Game On!#W4WS http://www.amazon.com/Blindsided-Game-On-ebook/dp/B00A510VDU/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363601547&sr=1-5&keywords=blindsided

"It's an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end" - Amazon review of Kyra Lennon's Blindsided! Check it! #W4WS http://www.amazon.com/Blindsided-Game-On-ebook/dp/B00A510VDU/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363601547&sr=1-5&keywords=blindsided

If I Let You Go (novella)

NA Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

FB Post: #W4WS supports indie authors! Check out Kyra Lennon's sexy NA contemporary romance novella, If I Let You Go! http://www.amazon.com/If-Let-You-Go-ebook/dp/B009MJ0M4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363602113&sr=1-1&keywords=if+i+let+you+go

Tweets: Looking for a sexy NA contemporary romance? Try If I Let You Go by Kyra Lennon!#W4WS http://www.amazon.com/If-Let-You-Go-ebook/dp/B009MJ0M4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363602113&sr=1-1&keywords=if+i+let+you+go

Kyra Lennon's novella, If I Let You Go, is full of sweet, sexy moments, and the leading man is a hottie! #W4WS http://www.amazon.com/If-Let-You-Go-ebook/dp/B009MJ0M4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363602113&sr=1-1&keywords=if+i+let+you+go

You never know what you've got until you're about to lose it. Check out Kyra Lennon's novella, If I Let You Go! #W4WS http://www.amazon.com/If-Let-You-Go-ebook/dp/B009MJ0M4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363602113&sr=1-1&keywords=if+i+let+you+go

Also, if you feel like helping out a little more - you are more than welcome to direct people to Kyra's blog OR... she has a brand new website! She would love to know what you all think of it, so take a look if you a have time! :D

Thanks to all the hard working organisers of W4WS for allowing me to be one of March's spotlighted authors!

You can help out Angela Brown - also spotlighted - here!

If I Let You Go "Letting Go" Bloghop

Even though I'm away on holiday right now, I still wanted to take part in Kyra Lennon's If I Let You Go "Letting Go" Bloghop, so I've scheduled this post.

Here's what Kyra has to say about the bloghop:

I invite you to share some stories about letting go. Was there a time when you had to let go of someone or something? How did it make you feel? How did you handle it? Or if that's too personal - which I completely understand - how about writing a piece of flash fiction?

The only rules are - obviously - it has to be related to letting go, and please keep it to a maximum of 500 words.

When the day arrives, I will hop around to all the entries, along with my independent judge (otherwise known as "Mum" LOL), and the story that touches us the most will win a $10 Amazon gift card!

For my story about letting go, I thought I do something a little different. While I have experienced personal loss, the stories are either too personal to share or I was too young to remember the impact it had on me.

Instead, I've chosen to write about the type of letting go I think all authors have experienced - letting go of a novel.

We've all got one (or two, or three) stories, which at the time we thought we great, they might have been 'the one' - the story that would see us through to publication - but then we came to realise they weren't and we have to let go of these stories.

I have two such stories, both of which were born during NaNoWriMo. My first NaNo novel, Destiny's Road - written in 2012 - was a swords and sorcery fantasy, set in a fictional world where the Fae existed, people had magical powers, and the King and his line had just been assassinated. At the time I was in love with the characters, and story and thought it was going to be something huge. Even after NaNo, I felt confident that though it needed some work, I could knock it into shape. Then I started seeing the depth of what was wrong with the story, how lacking in direction it was, and realised it would need a lot of work. I also realised I was being too ambitious for my first piece of original fiction. I was trying to be the next George RR Martin or Patrick Rothfuss, when really I should have been focusing on being the first - and only - Clare Dugmore. After almost 70k words, I realised it was time to 'let go' of Destiny's Road. I wasn't ready to write that story yet. I've since come to realise, I might not be ready to write that story every, but that perhaps, in the future, my Destiny's Road characters and ideas can come back in another form.

The second story I've had to let go is one long-time followers of my blog will know about - my contemporary fantasy, starring triplet protagonists - Sibylline Nights.

Sibylline Nights was born during NaNo '11, and was actually the second time I'd attempted to tell a version of this story about witch triplets - the first version never getting more than 5k. This time around, things were going to be different. I plotted and planned more. I had character sheets; I had elaborate backstory and world building. I even wrote 26 posts on Sibylline Nights for the A-Z blogging challenge. I felt like I was writing what I knew, while still pushing myself. I really, honestly, thought Sibylline Nights was 'the one'. I knew it needed work, and revisions and edits, but I thought I could stick at it, and make it perfect. I completed the story at almost 106k words, and revised almost 50k of that with help of critique partners. I was also entering contests with the characters from Sibylline Nights and receiving great feedback about the voice. But, by the time I'd revised chapters 1-30, my feet were getting itchy and Camp NaNo was rolling around. I decided to take a break from Sibylline Nights and start a new story. I had every intention of going back to

Sibylline Nights once I'd written a first rough draft of my Camp NaNo 2012 paranormal romance Cupid. But, somewhere along the lines of writing Cupid and getting feedback on the early chapters, I started to see all the flaws of Sibylline Nights. While it has some fantastic elements and amazing characters, the plot needs streamlining and I really need to tighten and focus the narrative. I also came to realise that though I adore fantasy, my real love - and where I'm stronger as a writer - is romance. Cupid has allowed me to blend the two. So now I've shelved Sibylline Nights - though I hope to, one day, when I've improved as a writer, go back to it, as write it as the story it deserves to be.

So there you have it, the two times in my writing life where I've let go. And you know what? I feel better for it. Even the experience of writing about letting go has been immensely cathartic. I know both Destiny's Road and Sibylline Nights won't be shelved forever, one day I can resurrect them and allow them to be the books they were meant to be. But for now, I trust my instincts, know my strengths and weaknesses, and have let go of my babies.

I'd love to hear about the times you've let go, be it when writing, or something else more personal. Let me know in the comments or link me to your Kyra Lennon's If I Let You Go "Letting Go" Bloghop post and I'll reply when I return from holiday.

If I Let You Go: Review

Today, I have the honour of reviewing Kyra Lennon's contemporary romance novella, If I Let You Go.

Madison Connor is about to lose it. Her job, that is. For three years, she’s taken care of Dominic Hartley’s five year old daughter, Tilly, but her world is flipped on its head when Dominic tells her his latest promotion is taking him to New York. With Tilly having a meltdown over the move, Madison and Dominic get into a fight that changes the entire nature of their relationship, causing Madison to ask herself a big question. Can she let him go?

If I Let You Go - Amazon UK | If I Let You Go - Amazon.com

Kyra Lennon once again does what she does best - creates real, believable characters you can relate to, that step off the page and into your circle of friends.

From the get-go you can relate to Madison, as she brings Tilly home from school (with brilliant lines like "Anyone would think she’d just done a twelve hour shift at McDonald’s, not a day at school. Five years old, going on thirty."), tries to get ready for her boss Dominic's return, and then deals with the fallout from his bombshell that he and Tilly are moving to New York.

Once again Lennon delivers a strong voice. Madison is an independent woman, with her own clear personality. Though that doesn't mean love interest Dominic is lost in the shuffle, he is equally as feisty, and the two go head-to-head.

Where Lennon's writing really shines is through the relationship between Madison and Tilly. Tilly is your typical five-year-old; cheeky, cute and charming. Where some child characters can come across as annoying, Lennon never crosses that line, and Tilly is a constant joy to read about. Her bond with Madison is mother-daughter-like, and utterly unbreakable. The love the two share is both heart-warming and very real to anyone who has a similar relationship with a child (be it as a parent, aunt or uncle, or something else.)

Dominic is the perfect love interest. And by that I don't mean he is gorgeous without flaws. In fact, Dominic is very human. He cannot see how his choices are negatively affecting his daughter, and why the move to New York might not be good for her. As an obvious workaholic, he's also, at times, out of his depth with Tilly when she has a tantrum. But all these flaws only serve to make Dominic that much more likeable. When you couple that with the fact that he's intelligent, ambitious, caring and good looking, it's a hard combination to resist.

As with her début release, Game On, Lennon peppers the story with wonderfully three-dimensional background characters, like Madison's tragically terminally single best friend Erica, to Dominic's warm and loving family.

Another aspect Lennon does expertly is the romance. Never once do any of the intimate scenes between Dominic and Madison feel gratuitous. In fact, Lennon gets through a whole sensual scene without using words more explicit than breasts, yet you still know exactly what's going on, and it leaves your pulse racing.

The plot is neither contrived nor drawn out. You're given enough that you know exactly what the characters' motivations are, even if you don't agree with them (Dominic I'm looking at you), without so much backstory that it bogs down the plot.

The ending is satisfying without being predictable or cliché, and I finished with a warm and fuzzy feeling of well-being.

If you're looking for a quick and easy read that still has depth, and relatable, realistic characters, If I Let You Go is the book for you. It's a contemporary romance that does everything right, and offers fantastic writing throughout.

Kyra Lennon has proven once again why she's one to watch in the genre, and why her Game On sequel, Blindsided†, is so hotly anticipated.

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Kyra Lennon was born on the South coast of England, and to this day, still lives by the sea. Fiction writing has always been her passion, but she also has numerous articles on a variety of topics published on prolific websites. She can be found in the following places:
Blog | Twitter | Facebook| Goodreads

†Blindsided, Kyra Lennon's second full-length novel and sequel to Game On, is scheduled for release November 19th 2012. For more details, please visit her books page.

If I Let You Go - OUT NOW!

Kyra Lennon has just surprised us all, and given everyone a great weekend treat, by releasing her contemporary romance novella - If I Let You Go - three weeks early!!

As she's doing the Kindle Direct Publishing Select deal, for a while it's only available on Kindle, so you can buy it for £1.02 in the UK, and $1.65 in the U.S!

If I Let You Go - Amazon UK | If I Let You Go - Amazon.com

But that's not all, there's still time to sign up for Kyra's If I Let You Go Bloghop.

On October 22nd, Kyra invites you to share some stories about letting go. Was there a time when you had to let go of someone or something? How did it make you feel? How did you handle it? Or if that's too personal - which I completely understand - how about writing a piece of flash fiction?

The only rules are - obviously - it has to be related to letting go, and please keep it to a maximum of 500 words.

When the day arrives, Kyra will hop around to all the entries, along with my independent judge (otherwise known as her mum LOL), and the story that touches us the most will win a $10 Amazon gift card!

If I Let You Go (Novella) by Kyra Lennon - Cover Reveal

Today I have the honour of being part of the cover reveal for one of my best friends. The fabulous Kyra Lennon has some how found time between editing the Game On sequel, Blindsided, to write a cute novella called If I Let You Go, which I'm currently reading and let me tell you, it's fab!

Check out the gorgeous cover!

Synopsis:

Details:

Title: If I Let You Go (Novella)

Category: New Adult (NA)
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 22^nd 2012

Bio:

Kyra’s debut novel, Game On, was released in July 2012 and the second book in the series, Blindsided, is due for release in November 2012.

Where to find Kyra:

Blog/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads