My Bad

I am willing to admit that I have been woefully neglectful of my blog this past year. This wasn't an intentional decision but with edits, rewrites and the business of completing first drafts coming at me from all sides something had to give and sadly it was this blog.

This year has definitely run away with me. It feels like only days ago that I had an exciting trip down to a very cold London in March to sign with my fabulous agent, Nelle Andrew, at Peters Fraser and Dunlop. Since signing I've been locked away editing the novel I'm working on for Nelle and also completing my fourth book for Aria, Best Friends, which will be released next May.

To be honest with you I am exhausted. There have been a lot of lovely, unexpected things going on in my personal life and at times it has been a struggle just to stay on top of my writing commitments. But I have managed to stay on top of them which means that next year I should have a shed load of exciting news to share. Until then I'm hoping to hibernate for the upcoming festive season and do nothing but eat my weight in turkey and drink all the hot chocolate. I think that come the end of the year we are all entitled to a well earned break. And I'll be making the most of mine!

In 2018 I cannot promise that I'll be anymore dedicated to my blog as things are set to only get busier for me both on a personal and professional level. But I can promise that I'll always remain active over on Twitter (which I'm addicted to) and also on top of my monthly newsletter which you can sign up for via my website.

Thank you for sticking with me on my writing journey. I'm sorry for the slight hiatus over these past few months but it will be worth it! There is a book coming (kind of secret at the moment) which I am so immensely proud of I could burst. But more about that next year.

In the mean time I can offer you a sneak peak at the synopsis for Best Friends by way of apology for abandoning my blog for so long. Also, if you're a fan of YA check out the three novels I've posted over on Swoon Reads.

So here it is, the synopsis for Best Friends and I'll see you on the flip side (in 2018 at least). However you're spending the holidays I hope it is both a magical and relaxing time for you!

Carys

xoxo

Four friends, a terrible secret, and one week to stay alive...

Grace doesn't have a family. That was taken away one dreadful day when she was just six, and her twin brother Peter was killed. Instead she has her best friends and flatmates – Jasper, Franklin and Aaron – and nothing can tear them apart.

Living in London, and trying desperately to make a living, the four friends are rapidly running out of money and hope. So, when they find a discarded suitcase in a skip, they can't believe their eyes when its contents seem to answer all their prayers.

But then there is a knock on their door, and a very disgruntled thug with revenge on his mind, gives them one week to return his belongings, or they will pay with their lives. Soon the fractures in their friendships begin to show, and when one of them ends up fighting for his life, the stakes are raised even higher.

Will any of them get to the end of the week alive, or will the best of friends become the deadliest of enemies...

Dead Girls Can't Lie

I haven't written anything on my blog in quite some time and you can definitely blame the mountain of edits I've been slowly being crushed by over the last few months. I've been working on my third Aria novel, Dead Girls Can't Lie, along with my fourth book for them and also the project I'm working on with my lovely agent, Nelle. It just means that things have been hectic, I've had a lot of cereal based meals and have rarely left my writing room.

But things are calming down a bit as edits get finished, along with books, and I get to claim back some free time (woohoo, Netflix binge here I come)!

The cover for my next book, Dead Girls Can't Lie, has recently been revealed and I love it. Aria have outdone themselves again with a stunning cover that totally captures the essence of the story. So what's DGCL all about? Here is the official synopsis;

Best friends tell each other the truth – don't they?

When North Stone's best friend Kelly Orton is found hanging lifeless in a tree, North knows for certain it wasn't suicide. Kelly had everything to live for – a loving boyfriend, a happy life, and most importantly of all, Kelly would never leave North all by herself.

The girls have been friends since childhood, devoted to each other, soul sisters, or at least that's what North has always believed. But did Kelly feel the same way, or was she keeping secrets from her 'best friend' – deadly secrets...

When the police refuse to take North's suspicions seriously, she sets out to investigate for herself. But her search soon takes her to a glamorous world with a seedy underbelly, and before long North is out of her depth and getting ever closer to danger. Determined to find the truth, she soon wishes that dead girls could lie, because the truth is too painful to believe...

Like the sound of it? Then make sure to add the book to the TBR pile over on Goodreads before it comes out on 1st September this year. It's also up for pre-order.

And let me know what you think of the cover! I reckon it might be my favourite yet!

xoxo

Last Witness Cover Reveal

I'm not the best at blogging. I do apologise for this. I don't post on my blog nearly as much as I like but I have good reason for neglecting it - I've been knee deep in edits for one book and busily writing another. I rarely emerge from my writing cave these days.

The sequel to Wrong Number, Last Witness, is being released in May and the cover for the new book was revealed yesterday in Aria's monthly newsletter and it's awesome. I love it! Just like my first cover with them it is eye catching, ominous and gorgeous with a flash of red! Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself -

For the book bloggers amongst you, Last Witness is available to request over on Netgalley. I'm so excited to hear what people think of this next instalment in Amanda's story. You can also pre-order the book ahead of it's May release. 

And if all that wasn't enough you can read a teaser from Last Witness over on the Aria blog. But proceed with caution - if you've not read Wrong Number there are spoilers ahead. You have been warned! 

I'm afraid that I can't promise that I'll be anymore committed to my blog over the coming months as yet again I'm in the midst of writing one book and editing another. A writer's life is a carousel of first drafts and edits which never ends but I wouldn't have it any other way! Make sure to follow me over on Twitter and Facebook where I'm much more active. Mainly because I can maintain those accounts via my phone during a Netflix binge of The Good Wife*

Hope you're all having a fabulous Friday!

See you in the funny papers! (Yes, I went to see The Space Between Us recently and yes, it was mega cute)

Carys

xoxo

*by Netflix binge I mean working. Night and day. Diligently : P

To Be Continued...

I hope that everyone is having a festively fabulous December! It's been a bit of a hectic month for me so far - what with the release date of Wrong Number being brought forward and having my birthday (don't ask how old I am). 

There have been some lovely reviews coming in for Wrong Number. It makes my day when I read how someone has engaged with the story. Most people seem to love Amanda and there has been support for both #TeamWill and #TeamShane. One thing reviewers have noted is the abrupt ending of the story. 

Well, the reason for that is because Amanda's story isn't over. Far from it. There's a sequel to Wrong Number which concludes the entire story and it picks up right where the first book left off. And it's called...

*Drum roll*

Last Witness. 

Sounds kind of ominous, right? As well it should as things get even darker and more perilous for Amanda in the next book. I hope that readers will continue with her on her journey in this the second (and final) book with these characters. 

You can pre-order Last Witness now and I promise that there is complete closure in this book. No cliff hangers! 

Here's the blurb for the next story (it's relatively spoiler free if you've not yet read the first book) - 

Amanda Thorne is on a mission to avenge those who took her husband away from her. Restoring his honour and protecting his legacy will be dangerous, but she will not rest until all those who have hurt her loved ones have been dealt with.

Her only option is to go undercover in the murky world of the gang kingpin McCallister so, with her loyal companion Shane by her side, she heads back to Scotland to finish what they started.

McCallister's world is one of seedy nightclubs, drug deals and beautiful women, but he is a hard man to get close to. As Amanda gets deeper and deeper into his dangerous world, what secrets from the past will come back to haunt her, and will she be able to protect the last witness to the truth?

A compelling, heart-stopping thriller which you won't be able to put down...

But enough about books! Is everyone super excited for Christmas? I know I am! December is my favourite month of the year. My tree is up, the halls are decked and I'm excited to spend a few weeks just basking in the festive spirit and watching all my favourite Christmas films!

What are your plans for the holiday season? I'd love to hear about them.

Happy Holidays everyone!

xoxo

Wrong Number

I'm so pleased to finally be able to reveal the awesome cover for my upcoming book, Wrong  Number. I've been waiting a while to be able to share it with everyone and it's nice that it's happened today when I've been submerged in my writing room for the past two months working hard on the book's sequel. So here is the cover;

And this is the official blurb for the story - 

A missing husband. Mysterious calls. And the biggest lie of them all.

Read with caution - you may never want to answer your phone again...

Will and Amanda Thorn are living the dream until, one day, their phone rings. Within 24 hours, Will is missing and Amanda’s world is shattered.
Who was on the phone? Where has Will gone?

Amanda is determined to find her husband and is drawn into a world of drug dealers, criminal masterminds and broken promises.

As the truth becomes clearer, she has to face the terrible possibility that she may never have known her husband at all...

You can add the book to your TBR list over on Goodreads and it's available for reviewers to request through Netgalley.  

I absolutely loved writing this story. Amanda Thorn is easily one of my favourite heroines that I've created and I can't wait for everyone to be able to meet her! 

So what do you think of the cover? Let me know!

And Happy Halloween! I hope you're all celebrating doing something suitably spooky! Me? I'll be watching American Horror Story Hotel later from behind a cushion as that show is creepy!!

xoxo

What Makes a Princess?

Today is Paper Princess' publication day. Yay! So in honour of the book being out in the wild I thought I'd write a post about princesses.

Like many young girls I grew up on Disney movies and therefore harboured a desire to be a princess. Belle was always my favourite (especially since she made reading cool) though Ariel was a close second! So this afternoon to celebrate publication day I'll be curling up with Beauty and the Beast and some cupcakes : )

Image sourced through Google

But what actually makes a princess? Disney definitely taught me that it's about more than a sparkly tiara and a pretty dress. It's about having a good heart and being strong.

In Paper Princess Tilly dreams of being trapped up in a tower, waiting to be saved. But she doesn't yet understand the true qualities that a princess must embody, and as her own world starts to change beyond recognition she'll be forced to search for these qualities within herself.

I'm so excited to hear what people think of Tilly's story. And I hope that in honour of the book's release you'll all unleash your inner princesses! I'm definitely a Belle but who is your favourite princess? Let me know xoxo

A New Book Deal

I'm so excited to announce that I recently signed a four book with Head of Zeus' imprint, Aria. The first book will be released at the start of January, with its sequel following in summer 2017. Then there will be two standalone books released in 2018.

All of the books released with Aria will be contemporary adult thrillers. I've already seen the cover for my first book and it's amazing. If any of my book blogging friends would like to be involved in it's cover reveal later this year just give the Aria team a shout over on their Twitter page.

Until the release of these new books I'm being kept busy with my Princess Trilogy. The first book, Paper Princess, is out next month and will be widely available in book shops as well as online. If you'd like to win a copy hot off the press Accent YA are currently holding a giveaway over on Goodreads.

So 2017 is shaping up to be really busy for me as it will see the release of Porcelain Princess, Plastic Princess and my two Aria books. I'd best go and chain myself to my desk!

xoxo