Guest Visit from Talli Roland! Also IWSG, ROW80, NaNo, and Montreal Photos

Posting a day early because I've a special treat and I couldn't wait!

Talli Roland is visiting today!

Thank you, Deniz, for hosting me on your blog today!

One of my all-time favourite places in London is the South Bank, where the London Eye, the National Theatre, and the Royal Festival Hall are all located. It's where Mr TR and I met, where we had our first kiss, and where we got married. But apart from those wonderful memories, it's a beautiful spot -- like the London you see in movies. Standing on a walkway by the Thames, you can gaze out across the city, taking in the dome of St Paul's, the Millennium Bridge, and the Tate Modern.

Simply magical.

Mr TR and I re-enacting the proposal. 
Every Christmas we spend in London, a walk along the South Bank is part of the holiday ritual. London is quiet and peaceful; the air crisp and cool. When I decided to write a Christmas novella this year, I knew straightaway where I wanted to set it. Lucy, my main character, takes to the South Bank to mend a broken heart. Where else?

I love these lights - so romantic. 
St Paul's on Christmas Day, complete with Christmas tree. 
If this part of London can't heal your hurt, I don't know what will.

For Lucy, the best Christmas present is forgetting the past. Eager to banish the ghost of Christmas past – when her boyfriend dumped her on the streets of Paris – Lucy is determined to make this the best Christmas ever. She rallies friends and family for an epic celebration that just happens to fall on the same day as her ex’s festive wedding. Furious at how she’s been treated, Lucy can’t help relishing the party v wedding smackdown.  But when the wedding is threatened and only Lucy can help, can she find the spirit inside to save the day, or will this Christmas be even more disastrous than the last?

Available on Amazon UKAmazon US.




Thanks again Talli! It's always thrilling to have images to go with a book -- I can just picture Lucy standing where you are!

I read Last Christmas a week ago, and couldn't put it down once I'd started. I feel like I know Lucy so well, having followed just a few weeks of her life over her shoulder -- I know romance stories don't work that way, but I really hope there'll be a sequel featuring her and a certain other character. Or maybe they could make a cameo in another book?

The story weaves through Lucy's emotional changes so well that you feel like you're growing along with her, and there are lots of laugh-out-loud moments too. At one point I thought I'd correctly guessed at a reversal that was coming, but boy was I excited by what actually happened!

Just for fun, in honour of the band in the story, The Dirty Mondays, here's my Happy Mondays playlist (last two songs are missing):






Meanwhile, it's November! Which means many things, including Knitting Month, and NaNoWriMo!

Denise figured out how to get a neat word count comparison widget; there it is on the right -->;

And J A Bennett hosted a NaNo blog hop this past weekend, featuring the Spirit of Christmas anthology.

So pretty!

If you're not NaNoing but in the midst of editing or querying, Spencer Hill Press is hosting another Query Contest!

My main goal for this month is to finish my NaNo story, of course, but in honour of ROW80, and the fact that our goals should be manageable and measurable, I came up with a more detailed list for our Forum November Goals check in:
"I'll make a long list too. I like doing this because by the end of the month I've at gotten at least one item done, so I don't feel too badly:
1. angle for more overtime editing at work
2. knit one Christmas blanket and items for at least five upcoming babies
3. do NaNoWriMo!
4. post at least once for the November X
5. keep up with the blogging and book reviews
6. complete beta reads!
7. make some headway on Christmas gifts
8. find a costume for a masquerade party I just got invited to
9. organise something in the house (clothes to donate? toppling TBR pile? all those saved bits of paper?)
10. edit the vignette I wrote last month and submit it somewhere
11. read!
12. organise photos from the last couple of months for blogging and to share with family/friends
13. promote the Whisky Trench Riders concert on 23 November and their SongQuest entry!
14. transfer the newly typed Captive of the Sea to Scrivener and divide it into chapters and print it
15. write another article for Bizim Anadolu"

It's Insecure Writer's Support Group day today!


If my long list above doesn't make you feel better about completing your own projects, then I've got something sweeter: A rainbow!


I submitted the rainbow to the local news site and it appeared on their page!

A few other autumn Montreal images:

View from the first car of my commuter train


Our building lobby on the first day of the Assembly

Sunset!


Early morning...

If you haven't already participated in the blog hop, what's your NaNo wish?

Have you already started reading Christmas or other holiday-themed books? (I'd definitely recommend Talli's!)

Comments

Jack said…
November is always a busy month wish so much overload in it. But so much fun. I think it is because Thanksgiving is in it.

NEW BOOK! And just the kind I look for around Christmas. When the holiday gets closer I will have to see about picking it up.
Talli Roland said…
Yay! Thank you so much for hosting me, and for your kind words about Last Christmas! I'm so pleased you enjoyed it.
Deniz Bevan said…
Luckily we had our Canadian Thanksgiving already, Jack!

Thanks so much for coming by Talli :-)
Talli, I've been there, although long before the London Eye was present. It's a beautiful spot.
Unknown said…
Sounds like a great book--it's going on my list! I love London, and it's always fun to read books set there.

Lovely pictures, Deniz--thanks for posting! :)
Mark Koopmans said…
I swear you can't go wrong with a sunset or a rainbow picture (and I always try to capture both - because they really are a gift that we shouldn't take for granted:)

PS: Thanks so much for helping out with the 50 States of Pray - and I will lock in Istanbul, Turkey for you :)
Talli Roland said…
Thank you, Alex and Lara!
Nick Wilford said…
Lovely photos - yours and Talli's!

Congrats to her. My wife and I were there just after Xmas 3 years ago and went on the London Eye. It was indeed very romantic, especially all lit up at night!
Zan Marie said…
Gorgeous pics, Deniz! I love the rainbow and sunset.
Carrie-Anne said…
I love your pictures. Hopefully I'll get to do some more world travelling in future and can see some of these places in person. Talli's book sounds like something I'd want to read, even though I tend to prefer British-set books taking place in cities besides London. (My own British branch of my family tree came from Birmingham.)

Good luck with all your November goals.
Anonymous said…
Great pictures here from both you and Talli.

I'm bummed that I didn't get to see the London Eye during my last visit to London.
LR said…
Lovely photos! And such a pretty rainbow. No wonder they picked it :)
Always wanted to go to London. Much success on NanoWrimo and the knitting, which I wasn't aware of.
Denise Covey said…
Hi Deniz! Lovely post. Enjoyed all the pics, both from you and from Talli. It is lovely to catch up with Talli and see she's got another book ready for Christmas. Sounds lovely. I'll pick it up soon.

Like the NaNo widget, Deniz. Looks like you're going well. I'm a bit bogged down. Far too busy to be writing, but I'll persevere.

Denise
Anonymous said…
Go, Talli! I am in need of Christmas cheer this year and her book might be just what I'm looking for. :)

Deniz, after reading your post, I feel very lazy. You are the busiest lady in the blogosphere. Loved the pics!!
Hi Deniz and Talli - what a lovely story line and I can imagine the setting - as I get down to the South Bank occasionally ...

Good luck with your Last Christmas novella .. and what great photos of your memories ...

Good luck to you both - with your books, and goals! Cheers Hilary
William Kendall said…
That's a beautiful area of London, Talli! I have to see it for myself someday.

And it's been too long since I've been to Montreal, for that matter...
Anonymous said…
The pictures are lovely, Talli and Deniz!

I ran off to get Talli's book--lovely to read by a fire in the near future.

You've got quite the lists of ROW80 goals there, Deniz, but I have no doubts you'll strike several off the list by the end of November.

I didn't know November was Knitting month in Canada. I may have to borrow that--I'm only three hours away from Montreal! I don't have full use of my left arm quite yet, but my knitting is waiting near at hand.

Have a lovely rest of the week!
Laura S. said…
Hello, Deniz, from a fellow IWSG-er! Talli's pictures from the South Bank are beautiful. I bet it's one of the most gorgeous places to be at Christmas!

My NaNo wish is to finish my novel before Thanksgiving. I like to enjoy the holiday and then spend the weekend decorating for Christmas, so I don't want to have to worry about my word count. *fingers crossed!*

Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines
Gina Gao said…
Those are some really great pictures!

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com
Deniz Bevan said…
Thanks so much for your lovely comments everyone! Happy you enjoyed the photos :-)
Carol Riggs said…
Thanks for the interview, Talli and Deniz! Great photos too, pretty. Talli's new book sounds very interesting--and sweet. I'm intrigued!
Crystal Collier said…
Yay, Talli! I love her picture, and now my wanderlust is rearing its envious head.

I'm not doing NaNo. Yup. I'm a rebel. ;) Hey, we have to exist to make the rest of you look good, eh?
Trisha said…
I like the act of breaking down huge goals into smaller little tasks, or of having a longer list of smaller tasks. It gives a sense of satisfaction as various items are ticked off. :)

NaNo is funnnn, yayyyyy!
Deniz Bevan said…
Thanks all, so glad you enjoyed Talli's visit here.
Good luck with NaNo for those of you doing it!