Important - Please read!!

Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.


Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/hNBkJk

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/hX2ieD

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Coming soon in paperback. Keep up with the latest at http://www.talliroland.com/.


About THE HATING GAME:
When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £2000,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

Back again and birthdays

I have 2 birthdays to acknowledge today. Firstly today is my brother’s 31st birthday. Joel – happy birthday if you're reading this


Also, and I can't believe I forgot but it was my blog's 3rd birthday which was in September. Happy belated birthday blog.

So, I have finally moved…yay. I have to wait for internet…boooo

On Saturday my Open University course started. I have missed out on some of the intros and welcome messages but luckily I have internet at work (thank heavens for the office job – I knew there was a reason I did this!!) I am catching up slowly but the writing has been put on hold due to the packing, lifting, back ache, searching for coffee cups, tripping over boxes and rogue coat hangers, bed building, mattress ordering, sofa sleeping and more back ache. Lolly and I are getting there and the new place is just wonderful. I love my new desk (thanks landlord) and the epic built-in wardobes. I just need to finish unpacking and find more hangers.

Despite the back ache I will venture into the depths of the unknown and work out in the gym tonight. I haven’t been there in over 2 weeks due to the delay in the move which meant logistically it was unrealistic to travel from parents house to my not-so-local-anymore gym. It will be quite nice to get back to it and I am determined to get fit. After lugging sofas and other bulky and awkward furniture up a flight of stairs I’ve realised my body needs oiling for want of a better word (sounds like a euphemism for something but its not – im just a bit stiff – oh forget it!)

Taking a blog holiday

Seeings as the move isn't quite going to plan (landlords are being total PITA's - that's Pains in the Arses) the well deserved time off is being put on the back burner.  So until the move is over I'm going to take a break from blogging instead.  I love blogging but aside from not having anything writing relating to post, I really don't have much going on but work, sleep, work, sleep, work and a little bit of writing when I can.  My OU writing course starts at the end of October so I'll be back to share everything with you but until then I shall see you over at your places...

Have a good October

Lily

x

I want some time off!!

Not quite sure where that weekend went but it wasn't my most productive one.  I helped Lolly move her belongings into storage ready for her to leave her flat on Saturday.  Only one more move left (this month) and then hopefully the heart palpatations will stop and I can take some well earnt time off.

Friday was good, I got my reading anthology from the OU for my 'Start Writing Fiction Course' which starts at the end of the month.  It's been a while since I paid for it and as a result I'd kind of forgotten about it so it was good to receive something to get me feeling a bit more animated. 

No rejections to report (thank you editors) this week although all bar one are with Jill Finlay at The Weekly News.  One of which I posted nearly two months ago now.  I usually get a rejection response after a month so not sure if it's a good thing or she's just very busy.  I posted my crime story to Cecilia at You, South Africa.  I don't know how that will go as I've never read the magazine but I had a look on their website http://www.you.co.za/.  Cecilia is on holiday until 22 October so my story won't be picked up by anyone until then.  I shall just forget out that one for now. 

On a final note I went into Boots for my lunch and was surprised at the things I saw.  With that in mind I shall leave you with this final thought:

81 sleeps, 11 hours, 8 minutes & 57 seconds till Crimbo!!!!

Tis very exciting as by then I shall be cool aunt Lily :-)

Catching Up

Not quite sure where the weekend went but the getting ready for work rituals are fast approaching and I'm getting that familiar feeling of dread which comes with having to prematurely drag my arse out of my warm and cosy bed on a Monday morning.  It's OK - only 5 days until the weekend. 

I've been productive this weekend.  I finished reading my book and started a new (well more like quite old) one on my side bar.  I really like it so far but then you can't go wrong with Judy Astley.
Pops got me Twenties Girl and Mini Shopaholic (both Sophie Kinsella) so am looking forward to reading them.

I wrote another short story to add to my growing supply (which sadly still unpublished but I'm still optimistic).

I got 2 rejections - one from People's Friend who would have received it Tuesday and got it back to me Thursday (fastest rejection EVER!!) and the other from Take a Break.  I have other markets in mind so I'm not beaten just yet.  And of course there's always the competitions.  Something I haven't done in a long while and which I mustn't forget provided me with my first published (albeit unpaid) short story.  I have 4 stories out there - all with The Weekly News so I am keeping everything crossed.

Good news is Lolly and I have found a flat.  It's lovely and if references all go well (hopefuly BFF didnt really say I'd just been released from prison - I haven't btw - its just her wicked SOH) we shall be moving once again in a matter of weeks.... hopefully that will be the last time I move... until I buy somewhere...but where... as if location is my only obstacle!

Branching Out

In a bid to keep myself busy (as if I'm not already being a little over-ambitious) I've started a new blog.  So far it's just an amalgamation of posts from this blog but I thought they deserved a home of their own.  So, if you've enjoyed my film reviews please go here for old and new.  I won't post them here anymore so I'd love it if you could bookmark the new site and take a look.

It's still a little hectic in my world what with writing and editing short stories - I will get one accepted before the year is out I will!  I'm finding it a little easier to rework rejected stories and with the comments from W2W I feel more confident to get them out there.

I'm still looking for somewhere to live and I only have a few weeks left eek!  If anyone has a furnished 2 bed flat in Sunbury they would like to let, please let me know!

Film Review: The Runaways

Stars: Kristin Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon
Running time: 106 minutes


This film is a biopic of the first teenage all-girl rock band who made it big back it the late 70's with hits such as 'Cherry Bomb' and 'Queens of Noise'. The film charts the first few years from the formation of the band right through to the trials involving drug addiction and fights within the band.

What I liked about The Runaways: the style, the music and Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart in roles a million miles off what I have seen before. As far as music biopics go it seemed quite short or perhaps not as in depth as I would have liked. I had read a little bit about the band when I had heard the film was being released last year which made me want to see more however it ended a little abruptly for me. I'd not heard any of the band's music before nor did I know anything about the band themselves - thankfully they didnt scrimp on the music or the costumes.

The film focuses mainly on band members Cherie Currie (Fanning) and Joan Jett (Stewart) from when the band was formed, to them getting signed by Mercury Records right through to Currie parting ways with the group and Jett releasing her first solo album.

Fanning makes the transition from child star to adult actor well and looks great as the lead singer of The Runaways. Stewart shows there is more to her than the Twilight films (and general all round powtiness - hey it works for Team Edward/Jacob so don't knock it).

In the film there is only one family back story which was for Cherie Currie, whose autobiography the film was based. This made for a more intimate insight into the character.

I would have like to have had one for Joan Jett also as there is an interesting character tale there, and one there was definitely room for.

My favourite quote from the film was from the band's Manager Kim Fowley played by Michael Shannon:

'The Runaways were... a conceptual rock project that failed.... Do I regret that they turned on me? No, I'm glad they turned on me. It shows spirit. If I'm training a wild dog, and the dog bites my hand, I know I've trained him well... '

A great film despite its scantiness, and a great soundtrack to boot!

7 out of 10