Category: Lady Rascal

Christina Hollis author, Ebook, historical romance, Lady Rascal

Writing The Next Big Thing…

Christina Hollis

Gwen Kirkwood, who you can meet at http://www.gwenkirkwood.blogspot.co.uk is the author of Another Home, Another Love and has kindly invited me to take part in a blog event entitled THE NEXT BIG THING – a series of questions and answers about what is happening in my writing life.

What is the title of your book? 
My current release is called Lady Rascal, because my starving heroine Madeleine makes the most of being mistaken for someone – and something!- she’s not.

How did you come by the idea? 
At the time I was studying The Age of Enlightenment with the Open University, and to be honest I was finding the work a bit dry. I wrote Lady Rascal as a welcome escape from philosophy, and into romance. 

What genre does your book fall under? 
It’s an historical romance, set in France and England just before the Regency period. 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Madeleine’s new happiness is threatened by a terrible secret that torments her dashing rescuer, Philip.

Is your book self-published or traditional? Lady Rascal originally appeared in both hardback and paperback versions for the Harlequin Mills and Boon Masquerade line. I’m releasing it now as an ebook on all platforms, so it’s available everywhere – from Amazon, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, and Waterstones, etc.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About five months on and off, as I was working full-time in journalism at the time.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? 
I wanted to invent opportunities for my poverty-stricken heroine Madeleine in a period when anything seemed possible, before the Reign of Terror took hold in her native country.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
You can watch a book trailer for Lady Rascal here: http://bit.ly/STCfUy which gives a glimpse of the images behind the story. Hero Phillip thinks he is whisking Madeleine off to the safety of the English countryside, but soon discovers first impressions can be deceptive.

I hope you enjoy Lady Rascal, and my thanks go to Gwen Kirkwood for giving me the chance to take part in “The Next Big Thing”. There’s a signed book from my backlist on offer to a comment here picked at random.

Margaret Mayo has kindly agreed to pick up THE NEXT BIG THING baton at http://www.margaret-mayo.com/blog/ next Tuesday, 4th December. Thank you, Margaret!
Christina Hollis, Ebook, historical romance, Lady Rascal, Spirit

A Touch of Historical Romance…

Christina Hollis
The extract from my current Work In Progress, Spirit, provoked such a lot of interest I thought I’d follow it up with a snippet from my most recent ebook, Lady Rascal. This book originally appeared as a hardback and paperback, but it was sold only in the UK. Now it’s available worldwide, downloadable from Amazon (Kindle), iTunes, Barnes and Noble (Nook) and loads of other ebook suppliers, too.
Lady Rascal is set in the summer of 1789, at the beginning of the French Revolution. As Paris descends into chaos, poverty-stricken Madeleine finds herself in a deserted Parisian dressmaker’s shop. She grabs the chance to dress up in the glamorous accessories and impractical shoes she has only been able to dream about until now…

 Madeleine suddenly saw something she couldn’t live without a moment longer. Picking up one of the candles, she took three wobbling steps out from behind the safety of the counter. Balancing precariously in front of a long mirror, she took down the wisp of gossamer that hung beside it.

It was a shift of some description, needing only the hem to be finished. But what a shift! Almost transparent, the fine fabric rippled through Madeleine’s gloved fingers like water. It was all she needed to complete her outfit.
In a moment her work dress of coarse brown stuff had been cast aside. It took her a few minutes to work out how to get into the shift, which had no fastenings but pulled on over her head. At last she managed, arranging the folds of fabric about her painfully thin body.
It clung to her like pale mist, flowing with every movement and making graceful her stumbling steps in the borrowed shoes. She was entranced, and so beguiled that the running footsteps outside went unnoticed. Only when a foreign voice called out very close at hand did she jump out of her dream.
Then panic turned her to water. To be found here, dressed like this would be certain death. Like an idiot she had not thought to douse the candles, and now it was too late.
The door flew and a large shadow rippled through the shop towards her.
With a scream Madeleine dropped the candle she held…

Spirit and Lady Rascal are very different in both content and style. If you’ve read both, I’d love to know what you think of the contrast!
Christina Hollis author, ebookpartnership, ebooks, Epublishing, John Seely, Lady Rascal

Epublishing: DIY or Bespoke…

Christina Hollis
White Mask with feather by Mark J Sebastian
This week I went to a session on ebooks and epublishing, organised by my local branch of the Society of Authors. The talk was given by author John Seely, and it was well worth my cross-county drive. You can find more details of John and his work at http://www.epublish10.com and his book ePublish! comes out on 31st October. John’s background in educational publishing means it’s an easy read, packed with information and all writers – whether working in non-fiction or fiction – will find it invaluable. 
As a total technophobe, I used a turnkey epublishing package from eBookpartnership  to produce and distribute my first ebook release, Lady Rascal. It was easy and trouble-free, but John Seely’s step-by-step approach made me consider producing some of my non-fiction work straight to ebook myself. The only problem is something that plagues all writers. I would have to buy and accustom myself to using some new software packages. That would take time and money, while distracting me from my main task of writing. 
It’s a decision everyone has to make for themselves. If you love learning new computer skills, DIY publishing is an exciting way forward. On the other hand, if you’re happier typing than typesetting, it’s a relief to know there are people who will do everything for you – although at a price.
What’s your own experience of epublishing?

Christina Hollis author, ebooks, Harlequin Mills and Boon Limited, Historical Fiction, Lady Rascal, self-publishing

Self Publishing – The Story So Far…

Christina Hollis
Back on 4th August, I wrote a blog called “Smashwords – the future of Ebook Publishing at RWA 2012”. This created such a lot of comment both here on my blog and via my mailbox (christinahollis@hotmail.co.uk), I did some more research. Much as I love browsing in bookshops and handling real books, I couldn’t resist trying it out myself. The process was really easy, and led to the release of Lady Rascal, an historical romance set in Paris and the English countryside during the French Revolution. Over the next few months I’ll be reporting regularly on what happens. If there’s interest in a conventional version, I’ll release it as a paperback title, too. Lady Rascal was originally published as part of the Harlequin Mills and Boon “Masquerade” line, so I’ve already had a lot of feedback from readers of the original hardback and paperback versions.
The new ebook version is now widely available on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo and elsewhere. And remember – if you like Lady Rascal, please don’t keep it to yourself! Word of mouth recommendations and on-line reviews are great ways to let other people in on the secret.  They give a writer a real boost, and I’ll be delighted to hear what you think.
Christina Hollis author, Georgian England, Historical Fiction, Lady Rascal

So Here She Is At Last!

Christina Hollis

The Finished Article

The waiting is over – here’s my new release, the historical romance Lady Rascal. The ebook is already up on Amazon (see the panel on right) and as it’s available in both Mobi and ePub forms whatever device you have, there’s a version for you! 

This release is by way of testing the water -I had so many comments and emails after my recent blogs on the epublishing explosion, I decided to try the system for myself. If the response to Lady Rascal as an ebook is good, I’ll bring out a paperback version and my other historical novels will be issued in both ‘real’ and virtual formats. I’d love to know what you think, and if you’ve had any experience of epublishing. You can add your comment below, or mail me direct at christinahollis@hotmail.co.uk
To celebrate the release of Lady Rascal, I’m giving away new edition bookmarks and pens to the first ten new subscribers to my newsletter. Visit http://www.christinahollis.com and click on the link to subscribe. Don’t worry, I’ll never pass your details on to any third party.