Rebecca Emin: Ramblings of a Rusty Writer

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

Sunday Snaps: The Stories

Today, I've taken delivery of my copy of Sunday Snaps: The Stories which has been published by Chuffed Buffed Books and includes my story Downstream.

The book is packed full of a wide range of poetry, short stories, flash fiction and haiku. I'll warn you now, mine is not what you'd describe as cheerful, but luckily some of the others are.

The other good news is, when my Facebook page hits a 00 I always do a giveaway, and when I hit 800 likes I'll be giving away a copy of this book. It will be an international giveaway so if you would like to be in the hat for that, you know where to go. My Facebook Page, of course!

Always lovely to see my name in a book

Thank you, as always, for reading.

Monday, 13 May 2013

Kid Lit Giveaway Hop 13-19 May 2013

I am taking part in the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop, hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews.

The dates for this hop are May 13th - 19th 2013.

I am giving away a signed copy of my novel New Beginnings which is for 9-12 year olds.

Sam Hendry is not looking forward to starting at her new school. Things go from bad to worse as the day of truth arrives and all of her fears come true... and then some.

When Sam meets a different group of people who immediately accept her as a friend, she begins to feel more positive.

With her new friends and interests, will Sam finally feel able to face the bully who taunts her, and to summon up the courage to perform on stage?

You can find out more about the book on Goodreads by clicking here.

To enter, just fill in the rafflecopter form below.

This is an international giveaway.

Good luck and happy hopping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, 9 May 2013

#Fridayflash: He Knew, She Knew.

He Knew, She Knew

They knew, they both agreed, they weren’t ready. He, because he never would be; she, because her heart had been ripped out by another and fed to the ravens.

Yet somehow he took her hand for a fleeting second and the void in her began to fill, a trickle at first, then a gradual flow.

Molten heat coursed through her veins the day they climbed that hill and discovered the tumbledown shepherds hut. In its inner sanctuary they placed their tartan blanket on the floor and consumed each other in full view of their unopened picnic basket.

As they ground their bodies together in frantic desperation to feel something, anything, he whispered her name and the sun warmed her face and the tear on her cheek. For a few moments as their cries echoed around the lonely valley, they were alive once more.

As they left the hut and returned down the hillside, the fire within her cooled and turned to stone.

“I care about you, you know that, don’t you?” he said, gazing at her with clear eyes. “I didn’t expect to feel like this but I do.”

She turned away to hide the conflict within her.

A raven flew overhead, casting a shadow across her face. She climbed wearily into her car and drove away, knowing she must never see him again.

Monday, 22 April 2013

A New Blog Post, At Last! And a Special Feature.

Hi everyone

I can't believe I have left my blog untouched for three whole months - the amount of tumbleweed that's built up is horrendous. I seem to constantly be getting busier with work and my family and everything really... but I will be sure to not leave it so long between blogs again.

Throughout this month of April, I have been part of a "Special Feature" over on the wonderful b00kr3vi3ws blog. Being featured for this means there are five posts during one month and it's been very exciting to read the posts so far.

I've borrowed the banner below from b00kr3vi3ws as I think it looks gorgeous:

There is a giveaway of some copies of my books over on this blog, so please do pop over and say hello.

Thanks, as always, for reading.
x

Wednesday, 16 January 2013

#Fridayflash: Phoenix Rising

Phoenix Rising

It was the smell of wood smoke on a crisp winter morning that reminded her. The crunch of boots on snow ceased as she stood for a while, eyes squeezed tight, inhaling the scent of long ago.

Or was it so long ago, that day they'd walked together, and he’d brushed snowflakes from her fringe before he kissed her gently and the world around her had disappeared?

The log fire in his cottage had warmed their skin as they’d consumed each other, then relaxed on the sofa under red tartan blankets, fingers entwined.

As the fire died down, he’d reached beside the grate and she'd inhaled sharply as she'd seen the box.

"Forever?" He’d asked.

"Perhaps," was all she could manage.

She opened her eyes and walked on, away from the smell and the memories.

If you enjoyed this story, you may also like my collection A Knowing Look and Other Stories:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Amazon.de

Amazon.ca

Sunday, 23 December 2012

Theatre Review: The Bodyguard at the Adelphi Theatre, London

I was very excited about seeing The Bodyguard on stage in London; I went to a matinee performance of this show. Frank Farmer is played by Lloyd Owen who I had previously seen on TV and also in Closer at the Lyric back in the late 90s. It took me a while to get used to hearing him speak with an American accent but he played the reluctant, slightly awkward hero to perfection (and looked very gorgeous, especially in his dark blue suit!).

Gloria Onitiri, the alternate female lead was wonderful in the role of Rachel Marron, and the chemistry between the two leads was good.

Debbie Kurup who plays Nicki Marron, Rachels long-suffering sister sent shivers down my spine every time she sang. And Mark Letheren who plays the stalker in the show does so with such menace; there is one scene when he is alone on the stage and I was on the edge of my seat; I would go back to see this show for that scene alone.

Another highlight for me was hearing the sisters sing Saving All My Love For You.

The set was good with an interesting blend of video in the mix which allowed the action to take place in more locations. The costumes, especially for Rachel Marron, were very eye-catching, just as they should be for her character.

The show doesn't follow the movie to the letter, but it is well adapted and I would recommend it to anyone who likes songs with strong lyrics, gorgeous lead characters, sexy but very evil baddies, or simply a show you can sit and watch to escape from reality for a couple of hours.

Star rating: 4.5 out of 5. I want to see it again and I think it would be a 5 the second time.
(I saw a preview show in November and there were some minor sound glitches but I expect these have been ironed out by now.)

Currently booking to April 2013 (Click here to go to the website.)

Seating tip: I called about tickets a few days before I saw The Bodyguard as the website said the performance was sold out but to call for availability, and I got seat B5 in the Dress Circle which is supposedly restricted viewing but if you are 5 ft 9 or taller the safety rail doesn't get in the way anyway (I'm 5 ft 10 and I had a brilliant view). From talking to the person next to me, I discovered I got a bit of a bargain with this seat.

Saturday, 22 December 2012

Seasonal Greetings and a Small Gift From Me

It was around this time last year I did a review of my year but this year has been a bit different for personal reasons, so during the second part of 2012 I haven't written anything at all. I'm now looking forward to the New Year and keen to get on with writing my third novel for children which has been brewing for quite some time now. It will be great to escape into the world of adventure and mystery for a change.

If you celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful time, if not, enjoy the lights and the atmosphere anyway and have a wonderful new year. As a small gift, I have made my books When Dreams Come True and A Knowing Look and Other Stories free for Kindle until Christmas Eve.

Also, over on my Facebook page I am about to start a giveaway of a paperback copy of Deck The Halls (which contains my new sci fi story Twenty Five) to celebrate going over 700 likes (thank you to everyone who likes my page xx) so head over there if you want to be in the hat for that.

Best wishes to all of you for 2013 and thanks, as always, for reading.