Book Review - I Don't Have Time to Write by Nadine Hill

I'm not usually one for self-help or improvement books, but my sister-in-law, Lizzie, gave me this one for Christmas. It looked good and it was relevant, so why not?

SYNOPSIS: 

Turbo Boost Your Writing Productivity Whether you write for a living or whether you have a writing project that's absorbing your time, it's very likely that you're over-worked, over-stretched and under a deadline. No matter what you have to get written - from a book, a blog or a press release to an article, an advertisement or anything in between - it always pays to get it written quickly and efficiently. If time is pressing but the desire to get your non-fiction work written is pressing just as hard, or if you catch yourself saying "I don't have time..." this book is for you! Author, mum and time-management guru, Nadine Hill shares a wealth of tried-and-tested tips, tactics and techniques to help you complete your next writing project in less time. Nadine Hill is a busy working mum ("Is there any other kind?!") who has a fascination with time management which borders on the obsessive! She loves to find more effective ways of doing the daily juggle whilst enjoying the journey and has lots of practise through raising her two children, managing her small business, being a best-selling author, running her home, public speaking and finding time to get to the gym! Nadine lives in Yorkshire, UK with her husband, two young children and two mischievous cats! (Waterstone’s)

Music Mondays - Translation of Pretin by Flora Matos

It has been awhile since I've posted a Brazilian song so... I thought it was time I introduced you guys to the Brazilian take on R&B and some great footage of my favourite city: Sao Paulo.

Flora Matos is currently one of the most promising MCs in Brazil. Not surprising if you bear in mind she has been around the music business since she was four as her father was a songwriter. I love her vibe and I see her as the Brazilian version of Missy Elliott. A huge thanks to my wildcat cousin Babi for introducing me to her sound.

If you are not into R&B and rap, then check the video for the amazing footage, cool dance moves and curvy women. ^_^ 

A little taste of Brazil for you. Enjoy.

CURIOSITY: I must explain the whistle thing. You see, in Brazil most people live in apartment blocks. When someone is downstairs at the gate they can call your flat through the intercom and the answer is usually 'come up' or 'I'm coming down'. Also, groups of boys (and even gangs) usually have a set of whistles, like a code, to pass small amounts of information along. They are usually callings or warnings. When I was in my teens and living at home, we used to live on the sixth floor of an apartment block and my boyfriend used to whistle a particular tune at the front of my building to let me know he was downstairs if I wanted to sneak out to see him. That's the whistling Flora is talking about.

TRANSLATED LYRICS...

Blogoversary Bonanza {3} - Winner

And the ARC copy of Mortal Chaos by Matt Dickinson goes to...

*Drums*

YTO!!! 

Congratulations! I'll be in touch via email soon.

Thank you to everyone who took part. I wish I could send each of one of you a book!

Blogoversary Bonanza {4} - Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

To finish the month of our blogoversary with a golden key, I'm giving away a collector's edition copy of the latest book by one of my favourite authors: Cassandra Clare.

Clockwork Prince is the second book in The Infernal Devices series and it introduced me to steampunk novels. Read my review of it here and my review of the first book in the series, Clockwork Angel, over at Goodreads.


SYNOPSIS:

Still reeling from her terrifying confrontation with the Magister and her brother's betrayal, Tessa Gray is drawn ever deeper into the Shadowhunter's dark underworld of demons and danger. In a desperate attempt to help her friends, Tessa tries to uncover the truth about the Magister and learns that he blames the Shadowhunters for the murder of his parents nearly a half century ago. Determined to unravel the secrets of his past, Tessa, Will and Jem journey to mist-shrouded Yorkshire, only to encounter corrupt Shadowhunters more intent on burying the past than finding the Magister - a past that holds the key not only to the enemy's motivations and weakness, but to the secret of what Tessa really is and what she was born to do. Meanwhile, Tessa's feelings for Jem and Will are growing more complicated, and soon she is forced to acknowledge that any choice she makes will either save the Shadowhunters of London or end them forever. As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.  

For a chance to win, all you need to do is to pop your name and email on the form below and hit the SUBMIT button. This giveaway is international and the deadline is Saturday 4th February at midnight (London GMT). The winner will be announced on Sunday. 

Cover Revealed - Fury by Melissa Lim

The British cover for Rebecca Lim's fourth book on the Mercy series, Fury, is out!


Muse, the third book, has been sitting on my shelve winking at me and my hands are itching. In Fury, Mercy will finally face the demons of her past and I can't wait to find out if she chooses Ryan or Luc! Read my review of Mercy over a Goodreads here and my review of Exile here. Fury is due for release on March 29th. 


What do you think of the new cover in comparison with the other ones?


SYNOPSIS: 
'Hell hath no fury like an angel scorned… 
Heartbreak. Vengeance. Truth. Betrayal. 
Everything that has happened to Mercy over millennia has made her who she is. Now she and The Eight wage open war with Luc and his demons, and the earth is their battlefield. 
Ryan’s love for Mercy is more powerful than ever, her guiding light in the hour of darkness. But the very love that sustains her, now places Ryan in mortal danger. 
Two worlds collide as Mercy approaches her ultimate breathtaking choice. 
Hell hath no fury like Mercy.' (Goodreads) 

SERIES BRITISH BOOK COVERS:

Music Monday - No Light No Light by Florence and The Machine

You might remember when Florence and The Machine featured on Music Monday with their Twilight soundtrack song Heavy in Your Arms; either way I don't think this woman, or her voice, needs any introduction.

I love this song and it makes me think of Magnus and Alec from Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series. Especially since the original video has a blue man doing black magic (warlock) and a church! What do you guys think?

LYRICS...

Blogoversary Bonanza {2} - Winner

Blackpool Tower Circus

And the family ticket to Blackpool Tower goes to...


*DRUMS*


Lucy Hatherell!!! 


Well done Lucy! I will be in touch via email soon.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part. And don't miss the new giveaway that went live earlier: an ARC copy of Mortal Chaos by Matt Dickinson. I will also have another amazing book lined up to be given away next week so stay tuned!

Blogoversary Bonanza {3} - ARC copy of Mortal Chaos by Matt Dickinson

It was our blogoversary on Thursday and to celebrate during the whole of January I am giving all sorts of treats away.

This week is a ARC (advenced reader's copy) of Mortal Chaos by Matt Dickinson (read my review here). This book is not out for sale until February 2nd but you could get to read it before anyone else does!

If you like action and adventure, this one is for you. And here is a little taster:

'Butterfly effect: The scientific theory that a single occurrence, no matter how small, can change the course of the universe forever. Jamie and Will, bunking off school to go hunting. Kuni, trapped in an icy crevasse. Shelton, on a deadly mission for revenge. Bakili, under attack from bloodthirsty baboons. Tina, piloting flight 492 to Moscow. For them, and many others, things will never be the same again. Some will live. Many will die. All are connected. A heart-stopping adventure that will leave readers breathless.' (Waterstones)

All you have to do is to pop your name and email on the form below and hit the SUBMIT button. This giveaway is international and the deadline is Saturday 28th January at midnight (London GMT). The winner will be announced on Sunday.

New Post at Lancashire Life {9}: New On My Kindle

I finally entered the 21st century when at Christmas Santa (husband) got me a Kindle. 


Click here to read more about the books I have just downloaded!


* Dead of Winter by D. V. Berkom
* You Fly Like a Woman by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
* Patrick Patterson and The World of Others by James Fryar
* Calling for Angels by Alex Smith
* The Hunger But Mainly Death Games: A Parody
* Red Deception by J. C. Murtagh
* No One Knows You’re Here by Rachel Howzell

It's Our Blogoversary!!!!

We have reached the big 1!

You know... I started blogging as an exercise to write a little every day. I had gone to a Creative Writing course in London and my course tutor had said: “You brain is like a muscle. To keep it in top condition you must exercise it every day.” Back then I never thought anyone would want to read what I wrote, but one year down the line - 63 blog followers, 400 Tweeps and over 33000 pageviewings later - I have not only enjoyed it tremendously, but also met a whole bunch of new folk that share the same passion for books and reading. 

Ok, I know the stats above are hardly earth shattering and that my blog is quite petit compared to other blogs, but I can promise you this year we will be getting bigger and better. It has been a learning curve, but I have enjoyed every moment of it and I've cheered every single one of the highlights with a petit (and tasty) glass of sherry.

Here are my favourite moments: every time my stats beat the month before, every time I have a new follower or a new comment, receiving the Liebster Award, meeting other amazing bloggers, blogging for the lovely Babi Dewet and Lancashire Life Magazine, writing a couple of articles for The GrandStand, meeting some seriously cool authors, working with some fab publishers, and more importantly of all - being really inspired to pursuit my writing career. 

So I want to say a huge thank you to everyone that pops in and reads this blog. Your pageviewings and comments are very, very, appreciated. Please don’t ever forget that you taking the time to read what I write is very special to me. So… Thank you for making PaulaSHx's first year as successful as it has been.

Hip Hip Herray! ^_^

Don't miss out on our Blogoversary Bonanza Giveaway this month! Ebooks, tickets, books... It's all up for grabs! 

Chosen as a Reader for The Melissa Nathan Award

It's my great pleasure to announce that I have been chosen as one of the readers for The Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance!!!!

Melissa Nathan was a British journalist and accomplished romantic comedy writer who died of cancer in 2006 at only 37. The award honours her memory and accomplishments as a writer and the Melissa Nathan Foundation helps families in crisis in memory of her previous charitable work. Please spare a minute to have a look at the amazing work the Foundation does by clicking through the link.

I didn't know Melissa, but reading about her makes me wish I did. Her son was only three when she died and she spent her last days writing letters and stories for his memory box so he would know her even when she wasn't physically there. It takes a seriously calm mind to think about dying this way. She sounds like an amazing woman.

Going back to the award... Once all the readers have finished their feedback and the novels are short listed, it is up to the fine panel of judges to vote the winners. Judges are no other than comedian Jo Brand; author Joanna Trollope OBE; author Sophie Kinsella; comedy actress, writer and producer Morwenna Banks, actress and presenter Liza Tarbuck; MD of National Express Andrew Cleaves; Waitrose book buyer Freya Wright; and Andrew Saffron - Melissa's husband and founder of the award and foundation. Great company to say the least!

It will be a pleasure and I'm looking forward to my reads. :-)

Blogoversary Bonanza {1} - Winner

It's my pleasure to announce that the winner of the first Blogoversary giveaway treat - an eBook copy of Solid by Shelley Workinger is...

Tadada Da...

Zoe Mills!!!! 

Well done you! I will be in touch via email soon.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part. And don't miss the new giveaway that went live yesterday: family ticket to the Blackpool Tower attraction of your choice I will also have another two amazing books lined up to be given away in the next two weeks so stay tuned!

Blogoversary Bonanza {2} - Tickets to the Blackpool Tower Attraction of Your Choice

Yeay!!! On the 19th is our BLOGOVERSARY! And to thank all my amazing readers (especially those who keep on coming back for a little more torture), I will be giving away an array of tickets and books this month. How good is that?! It's our birthday, but you get the presies!


You might remember my review of The Blackpool Tower Dungeons (read it here)? Well... The second gift in the goodie bag is a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) to the Blackpool Tower attraction of your choice. Yeah, that is right. You can pick ANY of the attractions!


There is lots going on over at Blackpool Tower so there is a lot to choose from. For a list of all the attractions click here. My recommendations would be The Dungeon, The Circus and the Carnival Ball. As a matter of fact, I fancy going the ball myself! There is also the Ballroom - not only physically stunning, way worth a nosy, but you can also attend any of the events there too. So if you like putting your dancing shoes on, click here for more information. 


These tickets are also valid for awhile so if you are not local to Blackpool but are coming for a visit soon, you can put your name down too.


All you have to do is to pop your name and email on the form below and hit the SUBMIT button. This giveaway is international and the deadline is Saturday 21st January at midnight (London GMT). The winner will be announced on Sunday. 

Under Construction!

Hi folks!

I'm sorry I have been missing in action recently. For those who follow me on Twitter, you might know that I have moved house recently and it has been anything but plain sailing. I am still without any real internet or time to write! *sobs*

I'm hoping to be back on the saddle by the weekend, so please bear with me and keep on popping back!

Meanwhile, don't miss the Blogoversary giveaway! I have some lovely treats lined up for you this month! (Click here to read more)

Music Mondays - No Regrets by Dappy

Dappy was originally part of the British hip hop band N-Dubz. No Regrets is his first solo single and I love it, even though I was never a fan of the original band.

 There is a lot of truth in his lyrics. All the members of N-Dubz had a rough upbringing living in some tough housing states in London and they are a true success story. No wonder this song sounds quite close to the bone. What do you think?

LYRICS...

The Hunger Games Complete Guide

If, like me, you're one of the few YA lovers who have not read Hunger Games yet, you might want a quick catch up before you watch the movie in March and Total Films has just the right thing for you. Check out this complete guide of facts and info about the famous book series and its author Suzanne Collins. And while you're at it, have a peep on some cool stills from the film. Really interesting! (Click here to view it)

PaulaSHx listed as an Indie Book Reviewer

You might have notice the little logo under the Fantastic Awards bar on the left of the blog or caught me saying on Twitter that I have just received a lot of books for review. Well... That's all thanks to my new listing over a Indie Book Reviewer. So I wanted to say a huge thank you to A. M. Harte for listing me!

If you are a self-published writer and have had your book reviewed by me recently, please visit the page (click here to view it) and leave your feedback on what you think of me as a reviewer. It's only fair for you to have your say as I have already had mine! ^_^

Blogoversary Bonanza {1} - Solid by Shelley Workinger

Yeay!!! On the 19th is our BLOGOVERSARY! One Year of tears, teething problems, tantrums, blogger's block, discoveries, new partnerships, new challenges, great books, great authors, great films, great music, new and more exciting things to come!

To thank all my amazing readers (especially those who keep on coming back for a little more torture), I will be giving away an array of tickets and books this month. Starting today! How good is that?! It's our birthday, but you get the presies!

First up for graps is an eBook copy of Solid by Shelley Workinger (read my review here). All you have to do is to pop your name and email on the form below and hit the SUBMIT button. This giveaway is international and the book is in English. The deadline is Saturday 14th January at midnight (London GMT). The winner will be announced on Sunday. 


Here is a little teaser for you, but you can also read Solid's prologue here. 

Clio Kaid may be 17 and just beginning the last summer before her senior year, but her life is anything but typical. She's just discovered she was genetically altered before birth and is now headed to a top-secret Army campus to explore the surprising results of the experiment. Follow Clio and the other teens as they develop fantastic super-abilities, forge new friendships, find love, and uncover a  conspiracy along the way.

Cover Revealed - City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

For those of us who ever wondered what Jace and Clary may look like together... Here is your answer: for they are the cover of City of Lost Souls, the fifth book on Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instrument series due for release on May 8th!

Me likey. A lot!!!

Book Review - Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Although Cassandra Clare is one of my favourite writers, I wasn't as keen on her steampunk series Infernal Devices as I was of her The Mortal Instrument saga. So did Cassie work her magic on me the second time around?

SYNOPSIS
Still reeling from her terrifying confrontation with the Magister and her brother's betrayal, Tessa Gray is drawn ever deeper into the Shadowhunter's dark underworld of demons and danger. In a desperate attempt to help her friends, Tessa tries to uncover the truth about the Magister and learns that he blames the Shadowhunters for the murder of his parents nearly a half century ago. Determined to unravel the secrets of his past, Tessa, Will and Jem journey to mist-shrouded Yorkshire, only to encounter corrupt Shadowhunters more intent on burying the past than finding the Magister - a past that holds the key not only to the enemy's motivations and weakness, but to the secret of what Tessa really is and what she was born to do. Meanwhile, Tessa's feelings for Jem and Will are growing more complicated, and soon she is forced to acknowledge that any choice she makes will either save the Shadowhunters of London or end them forever. As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart. 

Music Mondays - Skyscraper by Demi Lovato

For the first Music Monday of 2012 I thought we could do with a powerful, but positive message. And here it is.

Demi Lovato has recently overcome some personal demons of her own and the lyrics for this song are not only about being human and getting hurt, but also about being able to recover and rebuild - a message that is powerful and full of strength. The kind of attitude I want to keep this year.

Enjoy!

LYRICS...

January & The Movies I Am Looking Forward To {3}

HAPPY NEW YEAR PEEPS! 

If you started January full of fitness and health plans like me, why not check what is going on in the cinema? You should be able to keep to your no-smoking, no-drinking, eating healthy, and detox plans and therefore keep your new year's resolution intact.