September 12, 2011

Rachel Brimble and Her Latest Novel "Paying the Piper"







Back to school, my darlings!!



Until these summer school holidays I always thought I was pretty good at time management…but how very wrong I was! Oh, lordy, lordy! Six long weeks of barely typing a word and when I did it wasn’t very good – not a great recipe for producing something polished enough to submit to a publisher come the Autumn.



I’m mum to two young daughters of twelve and ten – the age where I stupidly assumed they would be out with their friends playing in the sunshine. Remember when we did that? Yes? Well, as other writer mums out there reading this undoubtedly already know, such nonsense is laughable. I soon discovered kids don’t need to go out with friends when they have virtual ones all over the internet and TV, arrghh!!



Alas, the holidays are over and my little darlings are back to school so I am feverishly writing once more, hoping to finish a novella and another novel by the time they break up for Christmas…she says. The interruptions were mammoth, the moaning and fighting worse than ever or maybe it was just my own frustration and naïve expectations that caused me to drink far too much wine and break out in hives over the holidays.



But anyway, onwards and upwards, we are into September now and don’t have to think about the summer holidays again for another ten months, yay!



The novel I am here promoting today, Paying The Piper, is a darker, grittier story than I usually write – it focuses on the romantic union of two lost souls searching for escape from their fathers’ expectations and abuse.



Here’s the blurb:



Nightclub manager Grace Butler is on a mission to buy the pub where her mother's ashes are scattered but the owner wants to sell to anyone but her. And that owner happens to be her father...who has a secret she will do anything to discover.



Social worker and all around good guy Jimmy Betts needs funds to buy a house for three special kids before their care home closes. Time is running out and he's desperate for cash. He agrees to to a one-time 'job' for bad-man Karl Butler. But in a sudden turn of events, Jimmy finds himself employed by Karl's beautiful, funny and incredibly sexy daughter, Grace. Their lives couldn't be more different, yet one thread binds them: they're both trying to escape the bonds of their fathers. Maybe the only way they'll be free is by being together, instead of alone.



Buy Link:

http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=81&products_id=424



I love writing a TOTALLY different sub-genre with each book I write. It keeps things fresh for me and also, I hope, my readers. So far I have had two romantic suspense novels (the third is under consideration as we speak!), one romantic comedy, one Victorian historical (the second is with my agent) and two contemporary romances published. They are all entirely different – except for my voice which people say they always recognize, which is great.



So as gritty as Paying The Piper is, the book I am working on now is funny, sexy and bright. A complete contrast in every other way apart from the best bit – the romance.

My question I’d like to throw out to Clare’s visitors today is how you guys read? Do you often swap romance sub-genres or stick to the same one? Do you vary your genres completely from book to book?



I have recently acquired an agent and wonder how long I will be able to continue with my enjoyment of changing sub-genres with every new novel, or will my publisher want me to stick to one until I ‘make it’ so to speak?



Does it irritate readers rather than interest them? What do you think? I’d love to hear from you!



Bio



Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. Having always believed there’s someone for everyone, Rachel started writing her own tales of love once her children were at school. Since then, she’s had several books published with The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press and Lyrical Press. She has recently acquired a US agent with her second Victorian historical. A member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, Rachel cannot imagine her life without romance or writing!


When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. And in the evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused…







9 comments:

  1. I am happily a very unfaithful reader--though not to an author I love. I read across genres with relish, devouring anything that catches my eye. So, cross genres all you want. I certainly do. It's good to keep challenging yourself and your readers. :)

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  2. As a reader, I love to swap. Sometimes I'm in the mood for something funny, sometimes for something gritty or suspenseful, sometimes I want something completely out of this world. I match books according to my mood.

    Best of luck with your agent, Rachel. I hope whatever the verdict is, that you'll still love what you're writing.

    lbelow(at)lbelow.net

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  3. Hi Rachel! Waving from California.
    I love your freedom from genre style of writing, but I fear, for marketing purposes, your agent may suggest you settle on one and stick to it. Unfortunately, publishers love to put authors on shelves/boxes. Even Nora Roberts changed her name when she started writing Suspense novels as JD Robb. enjoy the freedom while you can!
    I'm following your blog tour because I adore you and want to be supportive, but I hope you'll find some new readers while blog hopping to give your lovely books to!

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  4. You ladies are fabulous! Thanks for keeping me company along this mammoth and fantastically exciting journey - I was feeling nervous for awhile but not anymore!
    With regard to changing genres I agree with what you have all said. As a reader I LOVE waiting to see what some of my favorite authors come up with next BUT also know it is inevitable, as writers we will have to choose one to link our names to like a trademark.
    I'll just enjoy the variety until that big NY publisher (hey, we have to reach for the stars, girls!) tells me otherwise, eh? ;)

    Rachel x

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  5. I posted this yesterday but it never appeared so i'm trying again - apologies if a variation of the same answer appears later, lol!

    First of all I want to thank you for keeping me company, ladies - i was so nervous when I started this tour that I would be on my lonesome, but the followers have been fantastic and I'm really enjoying myself!

    With regard to the post, i agree with all of your comments. As a reader, I love the variety and looking forward to what some of my favorite authors will come up with next. However, I do think when i hit the big time (hey, we all have to dream!), I maybe forced to choose a favorite sub-genre. Like Lynne said, I'll enjoy my freedom while i can!

    See you at Starla Kaye's later today!

    R x

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  6. I tend to stick to paranormal in some form in my writings. My last novella did deviate somewhat in that it was SciFi instead of pure paranormal. I hope you get to keep using your own voice as opposed to what your agent wants as I think it will keep your stories fresh. Interesting post, enjoyed reading!

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  7. Great post! The excerpt sounds really interesting. I don't mix up what I read all too much...at least not now, I guess when I get bored, I'll switch. LOL! And most of what I write is similar too...contemporary romances with a little humor, a little drama... Maybe someday I'll write something paranormal or historical. :)

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  8. I am SO torn between writing different and sticking to one sub-genre. Even since I wrote this post, I have seen a call out from The WIld Rose Press called 'Love Letters' that I am feeling drawn to...
    The premise - Historical, where yes, you guess it, a love letter is the catalyst. Interested? I am!!

    Your names are added to the list to win the grand prize of my first 5 books :)

    R x

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Thanks for commenting!