Category Archives: Lizzie’s Scribbles
Join Tuesday Talk as we chat to Lizzie Lamb about celebrity dinner guests…and hot men in kilts
Many thanks to Jo Lambert for following up her excellent review of Scotch on the Rocks by publishing this interview blog between us.
Good morning Lizzie and welcome. Can I start, as always, by asking you a little about yourself?
Good Morning Jo, thanks for inviting me onto your blog.
I live in Leicester with my husband (aka Bongo Man) and a mad parrot called Jasper. I was born in Scotland and lived there until I was eleven years old and my father moved south to find work – a familiar story, yes? I return to Scotland regularly to see friends and family and it helps to keep me on top of how things have changed and what’s stayed the same. I thought I’d write one Scottish-themed novel as a homage to my roots but it appears that readers can’t get enough of men in kilts, especially readers in the US, so I’m about to embark on my third. (I love writing about Scotland, incidentally). In the interests of authenticity, I have to…
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Review of Scotch on the Rocks by Barb Taub
Many thanks to Barb Taub for this fabulous Review of Scotch on the Rocks. I adore it and she totally got the essence of my novel. Here’s the link . . .
Review of Scotch on the Rocks by Lizzie Lamb
Many thanks to Jo Lambert for this fabulous review of Scotch on the Rocks. I think I’ve almost converted her to the pleasures of an auburn haired hero. Shades of Jamie on Outlander, definitely.
When I first started reading Scotch on the Rocks and was introduced to Brodie, I thought six foot three – yes; green eyes – yes; auburn hair….aah. You see I’ve never been a great fan of men with any red in their hair. My favourite heroes are dark, brown or blond but never flame haired. However…I have to say as I continued to read, I became quite smitten with Brodie McIntosh. In fact by the end of the book this hot American marine biologist had got right under my skin!
Scotch on the Rocks is a story packed full of characters plus an outrageously verbally abusive parrot called Pershing. Ishabel Stuart returnsto Cormorant Island where she grew up, bringing back her father’s ashes for a commemoration service. She has left behind a well-paid job and at the same time broken her engagement to the feckless Jack Innes-Kerr, her boss’s son…
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Wanna Know Why I became a Writer?
Many thanks to Kim the Bookworm for featuring me on her blog. So many of my writing heroes are there, I feel a very privileged to appear alongside them.
Book Review – Kim the Bookworm
Many thanks to Kim the Bookworm for reviewing Scotch on the Rocks. Full review here:
http://www.kimthebookworm.co.uk/review-scotch-on-the-rocks-by-lizzie-lamb/
Here is the promo I made using Canva.com
If you’d like to buy a copy of Scotch on the Rocks, here’s the link – SOTR
Thank you,
Lizzie
2015 – My Year in photos #2
With three novels under my belt we headed to Bonnie Scotland in July to research number four. No rest for the wicked, eh? Having just watched the Outlander Series (based on the novels by Diane Gabaldon), I was interested to visit some of the locations where filming had taken place.
Then it was on to Ballachulish and a tour of Castle Stalker by the owner. The castle in my next novel, Castle Tèarmannair, is loosely based on Castle Stalker (see below). Check out the fabulous tour buses designed by Gary Walker.
In September Bongo Man was 65 and we celebrated in style.
We are real nerds and the highlight of that summer was having a pair of Jays take up residence in our garden. They disappeared from September until November but have now returned to delight us every morning with their antics and are becoming much tamer.
In October managed a week away in the Cotswolds and I was able to give a copy of Scotch on the Rocks to Maggie. We’ve been friends since 1978 when we met at an Open University summer school and the book is dedicated to her. Her only complaint about my writing is that there aren’t enough murders in my books. No wonder the Kelpie is laughing.
In October I became a member of Carole Matthew’s Chocolate Lovers’ Club team and hosted an evening with my girlfriends to celebrate the launch of her latest book – the Chocolate Lovers’ Christmas. I received free copies which I distributed to my book club, a tiara, chocs and an advent calendar. I also received an advance copy of The Chocolate Lover’s Wedding – Carole knows how to do things in style. #myguru
Tall Dark and Kilted received its 100th review in December and I felt that was worthy of celebration. And, out of the blue, I had a wonderful shout out in the Scottish Daily Record – the icing on the cake this year. I’ll be writing a blog post about that in 2016.
Looking back over the second half of the year I realise that I’ve been promoting more than I’ve been writing and I’ll have to rectify that. But it hasn’t all been about books and writing . . . I’ve also spent time with my family, have welcomed a great nephew – Leonidas Daniel Alexander – into the world and had a wonderful Christmas with Bongo Man and Jasper.
In between doing all of the above I have managed to find time to create a newsletter! Do subscribe to it while you’re on this page . . . I hope to host giveaways, sneak previews of my new novel – including cover reveals – and the odd chapter or two. I’d love you to be part of it.
So, what does 2016 hold for me?
I’ve been asked to give a talk on self-publishing to third year creative writing students at De Montfort University and I’m very thrilled about that.
I’m also co-hosting two charity events with Adrienne Vaughan: one in February and another in June And, of course, I have a novel to write – I’m currently on 12k words; only another 90k to go. Simples.
Do let me know how 2015 panned out for you and what 2016 holds in store. Be Healthy and Happy and – as they say in Scotland – LANG MAY YER LUM REEK.
Scotch On The Rocks by @lizzie_lamb #Contemporary #Romance #Scotland #Bookreview
Many thanks to Rosie Amber for this fabulous review of Scotch on the Rocks, If you don;t already follow her blog, give it serious consideration. She’ll be your gateway to many new authors.
My 2015 – photo album -part one
In January we took the train to Huddersfield and drove home with our new campervan – let the adventure begin !
Jasper was 19 years old in February and as cheeky as ever.
In March saw me getting down to business – visiting the Birmingham Chapter of the RNA, holding a meeting at the Belmont Hotel for New Romantics Press and our RNA chapter The Belmont Belles.
It was my birthday in March and here I am celebrating with Bongo Man, Joan and Maisie at The Case, Leicester. Later in March I attended the RONA awards in London, met two of my favourite authors (Carole Matthews and Jill Mansell).
We attended our niece’s wedding at Bickleigh Castle in Devon. Cue silly hat moment. Oh, we also saw Richard III interred – an historic moment for Leicester, and in its own way quite romantic, in a historical sense.
After the wedding we took the caravan into Cornwall and visited old haunts, including the ‘gin balcony’ in Polperro. Oh, and I finished the final draft of SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS. With Jasper’s help, naturally.
In May I sent Scotch on the Rocks to be formatted. After a few glitches I was able to order my proof copy to check for typos etc.
I’d forgotten how long this last bit up the publishing process takes, but eventually, in June I pressed the ‘go’ button and my first box of books arrived.
Scotch on the Rocks was launched in July and within two weeks it achieved BEST SELLER status in its genre – historical >Scottish. I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of my lovely husband – Bongo Man. The only hero a girl needs.
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We’re halfway through the year. If you’ve enjoyed reading my blog, catch part two next week when I canter through the remaining months of 2015. Happy New Year to everyone, Lizzie xx
PS.
Today is the last day when you can download Scotch on the Rocks for 99p/$1.47. From Monday 4th January it reverts to full price . . .
2015 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,000 times in 2015. If it were a cable car, it would take about 50 trips to carry that many people.
My Festive Kindle Countdown
Friday 25th December to Friday 31st December my novels will be on Kindle Countdown promotion at 99p/99c
After that, they will revert back to full price
HERE ARE THE BLURBS
Fliss Bagshawe longs for a passport out of Pimlico where she works as a holistic therapist. After attending a party in Notting Hill she loses her job and with it the dream of being her own boss. She’s offered the chance to take over a failing therapy centre, but there’s a catch. The centre lies five hundred miles north in Wester Ross, Scotland. Fliss’s romantic view of the highlands populated by Men in Kilts is shattered when she has an upclose and personal encounter with the Laird of Kinloch Mara, Ruairi Urquhart. He’s determined to pull the plug on the business, bring his eccentric family to heel and eject undesirables from his estate – starting with Fliss. Facing the dole queue once more Fliss resolves to make sexy, infuriating Ruairi revise his unflattering opinion of her, turn the therapy centre around and sort out his dysfunctional family. Can Fliss tame the Monarch of the Glen and find the happiness she deserves?
BOOT CAMP BRIDE
Take an up-for-anything rookie reporter. Add a world-weary photo-journalist. Put them together . . . light the blue touch paper and stand well back! Posing as a bride-to-be, Charlee Montague goes undercover at a bootcamp for brides in Norfolk to photograph supermodel Anastasia Markova looking less than perfect. At Charlee’s side and posing as her fiancé, is Rafael Ffinch award winning photographer and survivor of a kidnap attempt in Colombia. He’s in no mood to cut inexperienced Charlee any slack and has made it plain that once the investigation is over, their partnership – and fake engagement – will be terminated, too. Soon Charlee has more questions than answers. What’s the real reason behind Ffinch’s interest in the boot camp? How is it connected to his kidnap in Colombia? In setting out to uncover the truth, Charlee puts herself in danger … As the investigation draws to a close, she wonders if she’ll be able to hand back the engagement ring and walk away from Rafa without a backward glance.
http://viewbook.at/bootcampbride
SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS
Where the men are men and the women are glad of it!
ISHABEL STUART is at the crossroads of her life. Her wealthy industrialist father has died unexpectedly, leaving her a half-share in a ruined whisky distillery and the task of scattering his ashes on a Munro. After discovering her fiancé playing away from home, she cancels their lavish Christmas wedding at St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh and heads for the only place she feels safe – Eilean na Sgairbh, a windswept island on Scotland’s west coast -where the cormorants outnumber the inhabitants, ten to one.
When she arrives at her family home – now a bed and breakfast managed by her left-wing, firebrand Aunt Esme, she finds a guest in situ – BRODIE. Issy longs for peace and the chance to lick her wounds, but gorgeous, sexy American, Brodie, turns her world upside down. In spite of her vow to steer clear of men, she grows to rely on Brodie. However, she suspects him of having an ulterior motive for staying at her aunt’s B&B on remote Cormorant Island. Having been let down twice by the men in her life, will it be third time lucky for Issy? Is it wise to trust a man she knows nothing about – a man who presents her with more questions than answers?
As for Aunt Esme, she has secrets of her own . viewBook.at/scotchontherocks
IT ONLY REMAINS FOR ME TO WISH YOU A HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HEALTHY 2016
LIZZIE
Lizzie Lamb - author 