✨ Cover Reveal ✨

Guys! I'm so excited to show you the cover for my upcoming novel, Ten Mile Bottom! Jay Aheer from Simply Defined Art did an outstanding job, as usual, I love her work! I adore this cover, it captures the mood of the books so well! 

Book Description:

Hitting rock bottom is just the beginning...

I’m a son, a brother, a friend. 

A writer.

An addict.

Dead.

Cardiac arrest isn’t enough to keep me dead, though. The doctors brought me back, but for what?

At twenty four I’ve already achieved what most people do in a life time. I’m a successful author, own a flat in the heart of London and drive my dream sports car. 

Or at least that’s what people see.

Once the spotlight fades, I’m left alone with my overactive mind, alcohol and drugs the only way to quiet down the noise.

Until an overdose nearly kills me and drags everyone I love down with me. 

With the help of my best friend, I leave London and its toxic influence behind, moving to a small town in the outskirts of Cambridge to try and put my life back together again.

If only it were that easy.

Ten Mile Bottom is a stand alone contemporary romance novel. 

Release date: 22 February

Add it on Goodreads

Rio de Janeiro

Do not go to Rio de Janeiro. You'll fall in love and never want to leave!
Yep. That's exactly what happened to me. I researched house prices, nice neighbourhoods and average wages on day three.
The reason I went was the launch of my book In a Heartbeat (Num piscar de olhos in Portuguese) in Brazil. My wonderful publisher Ediora Charme organised a fabulous signing event for me and invited me to visit Rio. How could I resist?

Even the thought of an eleven hour flight with a seven-year-old didn't make me hesitate one bit.

Veronica Goes - one of the partners in Editora Charme - met us at the airport with her lovely daughter Julia holding a huge poster with my name on it. She's an amazing human being and I'm so lucky to have met her in person!. This is someone who's never before met me, has never even talked to me besides a few comments on my Facebook posts, and she treated me like a life-long friend. She introduced me to her family, took us all out to show us around, checked in every day to make sure we were fine and repeatedly asked us if we needed anything at all. Such a warm, kind person - I'm blown away!

Ju, me and Veronica

Just like her, most Brazilians are very warm, touchy-feely kind of people. They'll hug me without any reason at all, always be smiling and welcoming, and ready to help in any situation.

We spend most of our time at the beach. 

May is not Rio's peak season - it's actually their autumn/winter. But the weather was gorgeous - very hot and humid! The beaches were not overcrowded so I could ogle the hot men without any problems. 

It was our first time in Rio so we had to do all the touristy things like take the cable car to Sugar Loaf mountain (scary!!!)...

And feel at the top of the world once up there...

 Visit the statue of Christ the Redeemer...

Try Acai berry smoothie...

It looks gross but I promise you it's very delicious!

We also drank green coconut juice straight from the fruit, walked along the black and white waves pattern on Copacabana, drank our weight in caipirinhas, went to a football match at Maracana... OK, that last one is not exactly touristy but I'm a huge football fan so it was unthinkable that I'll go to Rio and not visit Maracana. 

I can honestly go on for ages! There's so much to do and see in Rio de Janeiro that 10 days were definitely not enough! I can't wait to go back next year.

Now, let's not forget I was there for work. It might seem like fun and games, but I had a very, very hard job to do - meet my readers, sign their books and be hugged to death by sweet, Brazilian women. Yep, it's a hard job but someone's gotta do it!

The day before the event I went to the bookshop where it would be held and couldn't resist taking a picture with the giant poster right at the front of the shop window.

How cool is that?? My very own gigantic poster! I must admit I was ecstatic, and yet nerves were starting to settle in. I've never had my own signing event. It's always been shared with other authors and being the sole focus of so many people's attention was frightening.

I forgot all about my nerves when we got to the event and everyone was so sweet! They were so happy to see me - some of the girls were literally shaking when they met me. I can't believe someone can get that excited about meeting me!

I also met the entire team working in Editora Charme and on my books. Brilliant, talented, smart women who inspired me to keep writing more books so that they can publish them all.

After everyone had their books signed, we sat down and had a chat. It was so much fun! We talked about everything, and laughed so much my cheeks hurt!

I had the best time and didn't feel nervous at all, all thanks to everyone who made me feel so at ease and so welcomed. I can't wait to go back for the launch of my next two books - Then, Now, Forever and Colour me Inside.

Till next time!! xx

All my books are now on Kindle Unlimited

You can now find all my books on Kindle unlimited and read them for free with your subscription.
I've been thinking about doing the move for a while since 90% of my sales are through Amazon anyway, and decided to take the plunge. I'll keep the KDP subscription for at least 3 months according to the contract, and decide if it's worth it after that. Until then, feel free to try any of my books for free.

Till next time!! xx

Rainbow Book Fair, NYC and a girls holiday

I know, I know... I'm super late writing this post! It's been over a month since I came back from NYC but life has been crazy and I'm so bad at regular blogging...
Anywhooo, they say better late then never, right? That's certainly true for a lot of things, including blogging, haha!
I've been desperate to go to New York for ages, but I never found the time, money or reason to make it happen. So when I stumbled upon Rainbow Book Fair, I knew that was my chance! I loved what I saw about the book fair and I really wanted to be a part of it, plus - it would give me a reason to visit one of the most iconic cities in the world. Win-win!
And it was! I went with my sister for about a week and we had an amazing time. It was a girls holiday and I loved it. My sister was even more excited than me about going to NYC, so I had someone to share my enthusiasm with.
Before I go into any more detail about the city and the trip itself, let me just say that I had a fabulous time at Rainbow Book Fair and I'm definitely planning on going again next year. I shared a table with my dear friend Rhys Ethan and we had so much fun!

We met with readers who were enthusiastic about the genre and who were happy to stop and chat; we met fellow authors who we've only chatted on Facebook with and who turned out to be so sweet and welcoming! I can't wait to see everyone again at the other book events I have planned for the rest of the year, mainly Euro Pride Con and UK Meet.

The organisers of the event - all of them volunteers who did not get paid - were simply flawless. The event was very well organised and we all know how hard that is to do for an event of that size. Everyone was really helpful and really friendly, and it'd be a pleasure to attend the event again.

As for NYC itself, it's a city that needs to be experienced. We've all seen countless movies set in New York and somehow I felt like I knew the city before I even got there. I was wrong. I might have known some of the sights by name, but that was about it. New York is a vibrant place, a place where contradictions hit you harder than expected and where you can be swallowed and eaten alive. But it's also a fun place, somewhere where you can be yourself and if you show it who's boss, it'll treat you right.

I don't know if any of that will make any sense to anyone who's never been there, but I'm not going to bore you with an account of our sightseeing, daily manicures, way too many cocktails and late nights. New York is something different for everyone, it really depends on what you're looking to find there.

If I had to sum up my trip in a few pictures, it would be these:

Oh, and when you do visit NYC, go see a musical on Broadway! Book it well in advance though - we went to see Aladdin (it was brilliant!!!) and booked our tickets in December! The theatre was packed, I couldn't see a single available space.

Till next time!! xx 

Piece by Piece news, teasers and excerpts

I posted a couple of excerpts from my upcoming book Piece by Piece on my Facebook author page and people went crazy with excitement. I can't even begin to explain how much that means to me. It pushes me to write and follow my schedule even when that's the last thing I feel like doing.

Writing is going well, although a nasty cold I acquired last week set me back a few thousand words, but I'm trying to catch up. It's not easy to write this book, mainly because it's very emotional. It'll be the most emotional book I've ever written and it's taking its toll on me. I need a break after certain scenes, and pushing through them is not always easy.

But, having said that, I'm enjoying writing it way too much. The story is very impatient to get out and I'm doing everything I can to follow its lead.

Click on the cover to add it on Goodreads. I'll post the pre-order Amazon links as soon as I have them. As for the release date - I haven't set an exact date yet, but I'm aiming for early April.

For anyone who's missed the excerpts on my Facebook page, here's a little taste of the mood of the book:

Excerpt #1

Sonnie traced the rough lines on Riley's wrist, feeling the 

disfigured skin.

“How many times?” he asked softly.

Riley didn’t reply for a long time. He kept caressing Sonnie's 

shoulder.

“Two.”

Sonnie closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down. He 

wanted to scream, and hit, and kick until all the rage inside 

him leaked out. But he remained still, focused on his 

breathing and counted to twenty. 

His eyes filled with tears he hated. He hated feeling this 

impotent, this helpless to do anything about Riley's pain.

“Promise me you’ll never do it again,” he finally managed to 

say.

Riley didn't. He kept holding Sonnie but no words came out 

of his mouth.

Lifting his head off Riley's chest, Sonnie looked into his blue 

eyes. They were shining with unshed tears, gleaming like 

drops of rain in the soft light.

“Promise me.”

“I can’t.”

Excerpt #2

Slowly, the sobs lost their power, the tears dried, and the 

terrifying grief inside Riley subsided. He could take a breath 

without feeling like his lungs were on fire.

“I’m sorry,” he rasped as he pulled away. 

“Don’t be,” Sonnie said, stroking Riley's upper arm.

“It’s just so stupid!” Riley stood from the sofa, grabbing a 

tissue from the box on the coffee table and wiping his face. 

“He’s been gone for ten years, Sonnie. Ten fucking years and 

it still feels like it was yesterday.”

“Oh, honey,” Sonnie walked over to him, turning him around 

to look into his eyes. “It’s not stupid...”

“It’s your fault,” Riley interrupted without any heat in his 

voice. Sonnie closed his mouth, frowning, as he waited for 

Riley to continue. “You make me feel, Sonnie. Do you know 

how long it’s been since I felt?” Sonnie shook his head, his 

eyes misting over. “Six years. And I know that because it’s 

been six years since I opened this shop, and it saved me. I 

threw myself into it, into doing something I love, and grew 

numb. And it felt good. I hadn’t had a breakdown like that in 

six years, and then you come along with your sexy smile and 

your confidence and your honesty, and you make me want to 

feel again. You make me want to have a life, to dream about 

the future, to have friends again, and I don't know how to do 

that without him.”

Sonnie's frown softened, but it didn't disappear completely. 

Riley waited to see the imminent pity appear in his eyes, but 

instead, all he saw was steely resolve. 

“I’m not going to apologise for that, Riley, even though I 

didn't do it on purpose, but I’m glad it happened. I’m here for 

you, OK?” Sonnie reached out and cupped Riley's cheek, 

brushing a thumb over his cheekbone. Riley couldn't resist 

leaning into the touch, rubbing his cheek against Sonnie's 

palm. “As a friend,” Sonnie continued, and Riley couldn't 

help but feel disappointed. What did he expect? That Sonnie 

would throw himself at him, kiss him and declare eternal 

love? He was a mess, a huge fucking mess, and nobody in his 

right mind would want to get involved in that. “As someone 

you can count on. I’m not going to judge you, but I’m also not 

going to let you continue like this.” Sonnie took a step back, 

spreading his arms wide. “This life you’re leading is an 

existence, Riley. It’s like you’re already dead, just waiting to 

make it official.”

He couldn't have said it better himself. 

“And you’ve got too much soul to live like that.”

Riley said nothing. What could he say? That he knew his soul 

died ten years ago on that cold road, alone, in a pool of 

blood? That what he was left with was a mere fraction of a 

soul, the bare necessity to go on living?

Riley nodded. He couldn't voice any of that, not when Sonnie 

was looking at him with so much hope.

Events and appearances

In 2015 I'll try to go to as many book events as possible. Here's a list with the events I've already booked and planned for:

• Rainbow Book Fair in NYC, 18 April, Saturday, noon till 6pm. 
• Dublin Author Signing in Dublin, Ireland, 11 July, Saturday.
• UK Meet in Bristol, UK, 11-13 September

If you're somewhere around these events, drop by to say hello. I'd love to meet you!

I'm also planning on going to GRL in San Diego, 14-18 October, but I haven't confirmed it yet. It's a huge decision since it's the furthest away and travel expenses will be way out of budget, but I'll do everything possible to attend this event.

Also, there's the fabulous event my friend Marc is organising in Munich, Germany, which coincides with the Dublin signing - 10-12 July. I'd already accepted the invitation to do the Dublin signing so I can't go to Munich, but it'll be fantastic and I'm urging everyone to go. Here's the website for more info on attending authors, speakers and entertainment all through the weekend: Euro Pride Con.

Plans for 2015

I like making plans.
But at the same time, I realise they're PLANS. Which means, anything can happen and the plan may fall through.
Still, I need that reassurance that I'm not just drifting aimlessly through time, but I have some kind of a goal.
So, my plans for 2015 are:

• Write 6 books. (Ambitions, right? LOL I agree! But I'm dead set on making this happen!)
• Publish 4 books. (See previous bracketed comment)
• Blog 2-3 times a week. Every week.
• Go to as many book cons / author signings / book fairs as I can.
• Read less, write more. (*sigh* I hate this! But, alas, I love reading so much that if I don't limit the time I'm spending reading, my writing time suffers)
• Produce at least 2 more audio books. (Dance is such a success as an audio book that I decided to go ahead and make some more :D Mask is already in production)
• I'll also try to sell foreign rights to some of my other books. In a Heartbeat is about to be released in Brazil any time now, and if I'm happy with sales figures, I'll try to get some of my other books translated and published in other countries.

That's pretty much it on a professional level. On a more personal level, I'm planning on being a YES person. You know, like the YES Man with Jim Carrey? I like spending time alone, and I don't really need anybody else, and that scares me sometimes. I spend way too much time in my own head and I need to get out of there once in a while before I go crazy.

So, I've decided to do stuff, go out even without a reason, meet people, TALK to people, and take every opportunity to widen my horizons - watch movies, read a wide variety of books, see art exhibitions, and so on. 

I'm planning to reinvent myself this year, stretching my comfort zone as much as I can and taking chances.

It's scary but it's also exciting, and I can't wait to see where 2015 will take me.

New book announcement

Cue the drum roll!

***drum roll****

My new book is called Piece by Piece and is about Sonnie and Riley who had a little cameo in Mask. It's a stand-alone novel - you don't have to read Dance or Mask to enjoy this book.
I'm aiming for late March 2015 release, but I'll announce more details as I have them.
For now, here's the beautiful cover, and a little snippet that inspired the title:

"You do realise he's broken, right?" Penn said as he folded his arms across his chest. "Damaged beyond repair." 

"I can put him back together," Sonnie replied. 

"Yeah? And how the hell are you going to do that when nobody succeeded in the past 10 years?" 

"Piece by piece."

Click on the cover to add it on Goodreads!

I *heart* audio books

Last year I discovered audio books and fell in love with them. I had tried to listen to audio books a few years ago, but back then all that was available were badly produced classics and the latest bestsellers. Not my cup of tea, I'm afraid. So, after a few unsuccessful attempts to get into listening something I'd probably never read, I gave up, and promptly forgot about audio books as an option.
In February last year I saw a post in one of the Facebook groups I follow about one of my favourite series Cut&Run. The post claimed the audio books of the series were amazing and they'd listened to them countless times. I was intrigued, and after listening to the samples I loved the narration and bought all the books in the series.
And that moment changed my reading habits. Or rather, added to them.
I can only read when I have free time, and during the day that's not a lot. So I usually read only at night, and by bedtime my eyes are so tired from staring at the computer screen all day that I can only manage half an hour of reading at best.
But with audio books, I can listen while driving, cleaning, cooking, working out or browsing Facebook. I was actually looking forward to cleaning the house when I had an audio book on stand-by.
Looking at my Goodreads log for last year, I can see that I've listened to 77 audio books in 10 months. Wow. I can't believe the number is so huge. Didn't feel that way at all.
Audio books are becoming more and more popular, and, in my opinion, better quality. Now anyone can find something to pique their interest at Audible. There's a huge variety of genres and books on offer, and people can actually listen to the books they would read if they had the time.
That's wonderful news, not just for busy people, but for visually impaired people as well. Soon, everyone will be able to have their favourite book come to life as an audio book.
My love for audio books prompted me to produce my very own audio book for Dance. Listening to the words I've written read out loud by someone else was an excruciating experience. I never even read my books once I'm done with them. But I managed to get through the whole book somehow, and I loved the narrator's performance. I feel so lucky to have met the perfect narrator for my book on the very first try.

I truly believe that the right narrator can breathe new life into the words written on age and make the book so much better. Listening to an audio book is a completely different experience than reading, and I can understand it's not for everyone, but at least now there's a huge choice of audio books available and I'm pretty sure anyone can find something they like.
So, come on, give it a try!
Here's a list with some of the books I loved and can highly recommend: