Title : - Just Add Spice
Author :- Carol E Wyer
Publisher :- Safkhet Publishing
Publication Date :- 25th July 2013
Format :- E-book
Purchase : -
Smashwords - Click here
Amazon UK - Click here
Amazon US - Click here
Amazon DE - Click here
Book Blurb -
Dawn Ellis
needs to escape from her painfully dull existence. Her unemployed husband
spends all day complaining about life, moping around, or fixing lawnmowers on
her kitchen table.
The local
writing class proves to be an adequate distraction with its eccentric
collection of wannabe authors and, of course, the enigmatic Jason, who soon
shows a romantic interest in her.
Dawn pours
her inner frustrations into her first novel about the extraordinary exploits of
Cinnamon Knight, an avenging angel -- a woman who doesn't believe in following
the rules. Cinnamon is ruthless and wanton, inflicting suffering on any man who
warrants it.
Little does
Dawn realise that soon the line between reality and fiction will blur. Her own
life will be transformed, and those close to her will pay the price.
An Extract
Cinnamon Knight ground the stub of her Benson and Hedges’
cigarette into the pavement with the heel of her Prada leather motorcycle boot,
where it now joined a small pile of tab ends. Strategically placed in a shop
doorway, she watched the top left window of a block of flats opposite. She had
been there almost two hours. Rain beat steadily on the pavement, drumming
against the gutter with constant thuds, but this did not deter her. Her
patience was rewarded as the light blazing from the window was finally extinguished.
She sauntered across the road to the BMW parked in front of the block of flats
along the kerbside, sandwiched between a Peugeot 205 and a C Class Mercedes.
Dressed completely in black, face partially obscured by her
North Face hooded jacket; she was almost invisible next to the dark car. It
took only a minute to fiddle with the lock, open the door, and slide into the
car. She lowered herself down in the driver’s seat, casting a cursory glance
out of the window. The streets were empty. The weather was on her side and no
one was braving the downpour, not even the old man at the end of the road who
rarely missed taking his dog out for an evening stroll.
She leant forward and pulled off the cover below the steering
wheel with one deft movement. Extracting the screwdriver from a neat case, she
stabbed it into the ignition lock. A quick fiddle, one sharp twist, and the car
burst into life; the persistent thudding of the rain against the pavement hid
the initial coughing of the engine. She pulled away from the kerb swiftly and
headed up the road at speed.
Pushing the hood away from her head, she checked her face in the
rear-view mirror. That’ll teach him to mess about with women, she thought. No
one, but no one, messes about with Cinnamon—the rat!
You can view the you tube trailer for this novel here ....
Author Guest Blog Post
Spicing up your imagination by Carol E Wyer
As a
writer, I always become fully immersed in my book when I am planning it out. I
try very hard to make my characters as real as possible and become them, as
much as is possible. In fact, it can become an obsession with me.
Some
time ago I wrote a piece about ‘method writing’. Here is the abridged version:
“I
don’t know about other writers but I seem to have become a bit of a ‘method
author’. Like an actor who develops any of a family of techniques to create in
themselves the thoughts and emotions of their characters, so as to develop
lifelike performances, I too have been slipping into the minds and the role of
my main characters.
That’s
been fine for two years. My last two novels have been about a woman facing
fifty who wants some excitement in her life. I can easily become that woman. I
am qualified in more ways than one to be Amanda Wilson. She is a lonely woman
who blogs almost daily and whose social life is all on-line – check. She has a
grumpy husband who is obsessed with share prices and ignores her most of the
time– check. She is struggling with a body that insists on ageing faster than
her outlook and brain – check. She has an irritating son who refuses to leave
the nest and causes endless work – okay, uncheck. Mine flew from the nest a
couple of years ago. Actually, it was more like hurled from the nest. Still
that’s another story.
It was
easy to become Amanda and the more I gave her a back story or ‘legend’ as those
people from ‘Spooks’ call it, the more she became alive or real. It went
further than my new ‘laugh at life’ attitude. I changed, physically and
mentally. I made bold changes to my appearance. I bought outrageous glasses to
wear. I had my hair dyed various colours. In brief I became more alive.
Amanda
was fun. Amanda was very funny. She had an almost child-like way of looking at
the world and never tiring of the joys it could bring. I loved creating her and
becoming her. I think, thanks to her I became even more appreciative of what
life has to offer us. My attitude towards life is more positive and I always
look on the bright side.
So, why
I am telling you all this? I thought I ought to warn you all now. Whilst
getting into character can result in very credible writing it can have a
definite downside. My next novel is about a psychotic woman who is prepared to
commit all sorts of crimes, even murder. If I find myself getting into
character again then no one will be safe so keep anything sharp away from me
for the next few months and don’t eat anything I prepare for you.”
Just
Add Spice indeed started life out as a light-hearted murder mystery but as I
planned it out in my mind and the more I researched various ways of committing
the perfect crime, I was increasingly drawn to the idea of what would happen if
I really got into character? During those early days, I was sitting in
McDonald’s deviously working out how I could murder my husband by feeding him a
Happy Meal, when I realised I shouldn’t write a conventional murder/mystery at
all. I should write about what happens to an author who gets too involved with
their characters. It had far more comedic appeal and so, Just Add Spice was born.
I
really enjoyed writing about Cinnamon. She is outrageous and it allowed me to
free my mind completely. It’s very refreshing being able to work out how to
torture people and murder them humorously.
However,
I got obsessed as I always do. I was on holiday and met a female doctor at a
drinks party laid on by the management. At that time I was trying to work out
the most credible way of disposing of a husband. After introductions, I bluntly
asked her: “This may seem a bit mad, but if I grind up glass finely and put it
in my husband’s food would I be able to kill him without it being detected in
his body?”
The
woman looked at me in astonishment, gulped, put on her professional head and
explained that glass wouldn’t work. It would take too long to murder someone. I
thanked her, took my glass of wine over to join Hubby who chatting to some
other guests. I turned around to smile at her but she was busy shaking her head
in bewilderment and checking her vol au vents to make sure I hadn’t dropped
poison in them. I don’t know why, but she avoided me after that. Every time she
saw me headed her way she dived off in the opposite direction!
Did
Cinnamon Knight take me over? Well, let’s just say that no one has seen my
husband in a month and we had a new patio laid last week.
About the Author:
After completing a degree in French and English, Carol E Wyer became a language teacher. She actually began her working life abroad, in Casablanca, Morocco, where she taught English as a Foreign Language in an American Language school. It was soon discovered that she could speak French rather well, and she became a translator and teacher to large organisations and companies such as ‘Regie de Tabac’, Morocco’s largest cigarette company, and the Mediterranean Shipping Company.
After a few years she was ‘head-hunted ‘to run the English as a Foreign Language department of a private school in the UK. (Imagine Hogwarts without the wizardry.)
Carol taught English up to, and including ‘A’ Level, along with English as a Foreign Language. She also qualified to teach pupils with Dyslexia and became Head of English for Special Needs.
In 1988, Carol set up her own language company called Language 2000 Ltd and worked in schools and for companies. She taught a variety of languages, including basic Japanese, to all ages and translated documents.
A recurrence of spinal difficulties that began when she was a teenager, forced her to give up teaching and choose a new direction. In order to deal with her health problems, Carol attended a fitness course (Premier), took the qualifications to become a fitness instructor and became a personal trainer. That led her to become a trainer for others, particularly for older people who, like herself, had undergone major surgery.
Thanks to older age, Carol now no longer trains people, but she is currently writing a series of novels, articles and books which takes a humorous look at getting older. It is her hope that they will educate through laughter and help others appreciate life.
Carol has written several short stories over the years, including humorous books for children which served to teach them French. She was not able to fulfil her desire to be a full-time author until two years ago when her son flew from the nest, leaving his bedroom which Carol turned into her office.
Since then, she has written two novels, Mini Skirts and Laughter Linesand Surfing in Stilettos, both of which have enjoyed media attention and success, becoming best sellers and winning awards.
Book Links
Computer links
Carols website :- www.carolewyer.co.uk
To enter Carol's competition to win lots of goodies - click here
