Wow, I can't believe that 2023 is nearly over. It's been such a great year for me with publishing Bell Time and Wedding Bell Time, and I'm so thankful for the amazing support I've received with both books. "Just like the first book, this was a clean romcom with seriously funny moments and plenty ofContinue reading "It’s Christmas!"
My La La Land Lightbulb Moment
Every writer needs an origin story. It just so happens that mine includes La La Land.
Solving the Rubik’s Cube
I've been thinking about the way that the process of writing often feels to me like trying to solve a Rubik's cube. Side note: my daughter is a bit obsessed with them. She has the normal one and then five other varieties, including the stainless steel one which has cubes of different sizes. Maddening! IContinue reading "Solving the Rubik’s Cube"
Write Mentor
I can't believe it was nearly a year ago I was applying for the Write Mentor summer programme. With lockdown and everything else, it was a pretty crazy time, so where I totally meant to write all about it... Life got in the way. Time to put that right! If you're an unagented writer, thenContinue reading "Write Mentor"
Comps – the Highs and the Lows
If you're preparing a query, you've probably read a thousand times that you need comps: other books to compare your own with and set it alongside. And there's varying conflicting advice on this too. Many people say it's best to go with titles published in the last two years, to ensure you're current and yourContinue reading "Comps – the Highs and the Lows"
Why reading helps me write
How can reading help you write?
First Draft tools
I'm chuffed that I recently finished my first draft of 'Bell Time', a contemporary rom-com set in a school. My main goal was to make sure it was much more tightly structured than my first novel, 'The Day of the Dice', where my first draft was 120k words. Waaaaaay too long! So I succeeded inContinue reading "First Draft tools"
#PitMad
On Thursday I took part in #PitMad, my second foray into Twitter pitching! Unlike #KissPitch, #PitMad is a broader pitching event, open to a wide range of genres. Quite a few of my Twitter friends were participating, and it was great to share our pitches, comment on them to help them gain traction, and retweetContinue reading "#PitMad"
#KissPitch 2020
On 14th February, I took part in a Twitter pitch aimed at Romance writers. This is where you post up to four tweets over a set time period (9am - 9pm EST), using the hashtag #KissPitch, and literary agents who are interested in finding new romance writers will 'like' your tweet if they would likeContinue reading "#KissPitch 2020"
Fake dating closed door hockey romance new release
He needs a girlfriend for his sister’s over-the-top wedding week. She needs a miracle for her struggling cafe. Now they’re pretending to date—and neither is ready for what comes next. Scarlett never planned to fake date her brother’s best friend, Brendan Marco. But when the grumpy hockey coach needs a girlfriend for a week ofContinue reading "Fake dating closed door hockey romance new release"
Fake Dating Opposites Attract Romcom
I come to this island to keep honeymooners safe—not to become one. Especially not with the sunshine wedding planner everyone thinks is my wife. I don’t do chaos. Becca Withers is freckles and optimism with no volume control. And somehow, I keep stepping closer. One booking error later, we’re stuck sharing a honeymoon villa andContinue reading "Fake Dating Opposites Attract Romcom"
Fish out of water romcom
Rule one of writing romance: don't fall for your own characters. Oops. Charlotte Branson is a romance novelist with a problem. Her manuscript is a mess, her deadline is looming, and her female lead is, frankly, insufferable. The solution? Rewrite everything from scratch. The complication? She falls asleep at her laptop and wakes up insideContinue reading "Fish out of water romcom"
Small Town Holiday Romance
She inherited a bookshop with a garden in need of a miracle. He came to judge the Spring Garden Show, but he couldn't ignore the beauty hidden in the weeds—or the widow with the tired eyes. Shelly Brennan hasn't written a word since losing her husband. When she inherits a bookshop in the mountain town ofContinue reading "Small Town Holiday Romance"
Fake Dating Small Town Romcom
Romance and I broke up.Forever.Irreconcilable differences.Yet somehow, I’m fake-dating a hermit like an iPhone upgrade I didn’t ask for.The Sweetpines’ matchmaking festival is legendary.I didn’t sign up.Instead, my traitorous besties entered me.Then Beau Callahan, my BFF’s brother, gets picked as my match.He’s a broody handyman, allergic to conversation and hiding a guitar pick necklace likeContinue reading "Fake Dating Small Town Romcom"
Why I Write Clean Romance
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Matthew 10:16 As a Christian, I know how frustrating it is to pick up a book and then discover the content makes it unreadable... Swearing, explicit love scenes, or morality that leaves you uneasy. ButContinue reading "Why I Write Clean Romance"
Small Town Marriage of convenience
She’s hiding from the world. He needs a wife fast. When a fake marriage solves both their problems, will they discover true love?Alaska. Vivian Locke knows the pain of betrayal. Still gun-shy seven years after her two-timing ex stole their New York restaurant, the talented pastry chef bunkers down while helping her folks run theirContinue reading "Small Town Marriage of convenience"
Small Town Inspirational Romantic Suspense
A forged signature. A splintering romance. And a stalker who won’t quit until death do they part. Rising designer Anabelle Dewhurst is stunned at the Queen’s Garden Party when Her Majesty congratulates her on an upcoming wedding—and requests an invitation. There’s only one problem: Anabelle’s charming, enigmatic boss and boyfriend, Brodie Maxwell, hasn’t proposed. BackContinue reading "Small Town Inspirational Romantic Suspense"
Sweet Small Town Opposites Attract Romance
I inherited a fortune… and ended up living with the man least likely to fall in love with me. How did that happen?The day I traded city chaos for small-town quiet, I didn’t expect to share a roof with Austin Adams—an ex–Navy SEAL turned accountant who folds his T-shirts like he’s still in basic training.He’sContinue reading "Sweet Small Town Opposites Attract Romance"
Swoony clean romance recs
Some romances make you laugh. Some make you cry. And then there are the ones that make you swoon — the soft smiles, the lingering glances, the quiet gestures that say everything without a single word spoken. Swoony romance is the heart of clean fiction. These are the stories that give you butterflies without everContinue reading "Swoony clean romance recs"
Sophie Toovey 