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| Toni Kenyon |
For my sins, when I contacted Cath I suggested something "Smart, Sassy and Pithy" for her blog she agreed.
I'm not sure that I've been smart, sassy and pithy all in one article in my life!
So, I thought about the reasons Cath and I connected in the first place - aside from me being a writer and Cath being a reader.
1. We both live in New Zealand - Aotearoa - the land of the long white cloud;
2. We're both imports. We were transplanted to New Zealand as youngsters from England.
I
consider myself an Antipodean gal now, even though due to some inbred
kind of patriotism that I don't understand, I can still be found glued
to the television bawling in front of a Royal Wedding. There's something
inherent about the pomp, ceremony and tradition that pulls at my
heartstrings.
So then I took a moment to think
about how my background (displaced youngster, struggling to come to
terms with a new life, new rituals and a new country) may have
influenced the way I approach writing romance novels. If you've read
PRIVATE LOVE IN A PUBLIC PLACE, you'll have come to see that my take on
romance is little outside the 'usual'. I realize that's a massive
generalization, but my writing has been described as 'gritty' and I
think that's appropriate and a fair observation.
I
love the romance genre and I adore happy endings, but there's some
deep-rooted, intrinsic part of me that rebels at the thought of writing a
'traditional' romance. When I look at my own personal history, the way I
grew up and the effect being transplanted from my motherland had on me,
it makes sense that I would rebel. One of the things I'm enjoying about
indie publishing is that I no longer have to 'fit' inside the strict
boundaries of a 'line' and the internet gives my work the chance to find
its readership over time. As I was explaining to a friend recently as
we walked the beach with my dogs, "My stories don't have to come out of
the starting gate with a hiss and a roar." They can build to a slow boil
- just the way I like my sex scenes... :-)
The
lack of restrictions involved in shelf-life as well, means that the
stories will be available on-line ad infinitum. I don't know about you,
but that kinda blows my mind.
So, what is it
that I've mined from the story-telling well to take it's place for
eternity in the internet library? PRIVATE LOVE IN A PUBLIC PLACE is the
story of Mags and Julian and essentially focuses on Mag's experience
with Julian the man and Julian the mega super star. I have always been
surrounded by musicians, unfortunately not of the mega super star
status, but we're working on that :-) My dad was a bass player and I
grew up with a double bass and Vox amplifier in my bedroom. I could
often be found as a youngster gaffa taping cables down at the gigs Dad
played that evening. Strangely, my husband-to-be is a musician, I sing
in a band and my son is currently studying for a degree in rock music.
It's not surprising that music plays a large part in my life and that
experience (with a lot of help from my imagination) has translated
nicely onto the page.
Here's the blurb:
Mags
O'Brien lives on the alcohol-soaked, drug-enhanced concert circuit,
managing out-of-control rocker Julian MacAvoy. She helps him spread his
musical gospel to his adoring followers, despite the fast-spinning
turnstile on his bedroom door, and the broken hearts he leaves in his
wake.
Mags believes she’s immune to Julian’s magnetic personality
but when controversy hits the tour, she finds herself in danger of
falling at his feet, slave to his appetites and her own desire and
need.
Julian refuses to be tamed, but the pressure of the ravenous
crowds clamps tighter and tighter around him. His chaotic world starts
to crumble when he realizes his motivation to continue touring comes
from an unobtainable woman. Can he force her to make the agonizing
choice between himself and her estranged husband?
An erotic and candid look at life on the road.
I
hope you enjoy PRIVATE LOVE IN A PUBLIC PLACE. Book two in the series
is scheduled for release in April 2013 and also keep an eye out for my
short novella, THE FAN which follows the journey of one of Julian's
groupies.
In the meantime, I have another couple of novels due for release. If you want to stay informed, sign up for my newsletter at http://www.tonikenyon.com
I've
been blessed to have music touch my life in various ways. Why don't you
tell me how music, or a musician has touched your life.
Cath will be
making a random draw from those who have commented and I'll send you a
$15.00 gift voucher from your preferred ebook retail store.
Thanks for having me, Cath. It's been a pleasure.
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Thank you so much for the great guest post Toni, and WOW, what an awesome giveaway :)
So come on friends, leave a comment (and include your email address), answering Toni's question for your chance to win that $15 gift voucher!
Giveaway will be open until next Wednesday (NZ time) and 1 winner will be drawn at Random :)
You can read my review of Private Love in a Public Place here
