Marsha Moore's Blog

Thanks to everybody who came by here while Blogger fixed my blog! I'm back at my usual place now, thank goodness.

Second last day of the A to Z! And it's a big day here in London. To celebrate, I'll be giving away two copies of the wonderful novel, The Golden Prince.
First, though, a big thanks to everyone who commented yesterday and offered their help for my blog situation. You can see I'm still here, and I've no idea how long -- if ever -- my 'rightful' blog will be returned back to me. I'll keep everyone posted. I realise losing a blog isn't the end of the world, but I must admit I had a few tearful moments yesterday along with several bouts of rage! I've worked so hard to connect with people and maintain those connections, and then to have it all pulled away without any warning... or chance to direct people elsewhere... well, you can only imagine how I'm feeling. I'll write another post on the whole thing at a later date, but for now, can you please just keep your fingers crossed that Blogger/ Google give me back my blog?
Anyway! On to better things: The Golden Prince .
Edward VIII became notorious for abandoning the throne for Mrs Simpson, but in the summer of 1911 he was a prince straight from the pages of a fairy-tale. Raised by the harsh disciplinarian King George V and his unfeeling Queen Mary, the prince longed for the warmth that had been deprived of him.The high society Houghton girls' lives however, were full of fun, both at their magnificent family seat Snowberry, and at the whirlwind of glamorous parties which punctuated their lives. When a moment of serendipity brings Edward and Lily Houghton together, the pressures of a stuffy court are replaced with the lightness that Edward has dreamt of.

But a future monarch could not choose his own Queen, and even an enduring love might falter under the furious gaze of a King. Could the devotion of Edward and Lily triumph against him and the impending doom of World War I? Or would they bow to the inevitable and set in train events that could bring down the Crown, and change the course of history forever?

I'm not usually one for historical romances and such, but I really enjoyed this insight into the restrictive life of the monarchy and the oh-so-romantic love story. Mixing fact with fiction, the novel weaves history into the different characters' lives, and the effect is a cracking good tale.

Thanks to Harper, I have two copies to give away, anywhere in the world! Just leave a comment below.

And over at Chick Lit Love, my Top Tip Number Three is up. Pop over if you get a chance.

I'll see you tomorrow -- probably still here, sigh -- for the end of the A to Z!

Oh, hello. It's me, Talli! Why the different blog, you ask? Well, it's because sometime around six a.m., Blogger decided to remove my shiny lovely Talli blog, thinking it was SPAM. How insulting! Sure, I talk about wine (a lot). And coffee (a lot). But those are the finer things in life, not spam!
Anyway, I'm here until a) Blogger Support (who replied quite swiftly, so kudos) decide to give it back again; or b) Blogger Support decide not to give it back again, in which case... I don't even want to think about that right now. I've put hours and hours of hard work into that blog, and I can't face thinking otherwise at the moment!
This is an old blog I used to have before starting up my Talli one -- thank goodness I didn't delete it so it's around for emergencies like this one! And once I start a bl**dy challenge, I'm damned well going to finish it. So, X. XXXXXXXXXX! *insert swear word of choice there* Because that's exactly the frame of mind I'm in at the moment!
It's not too early for wine. It's NOT!

You may have noticed I've been posting here with decreasing frequency. The truth is, it's very hard to keep two blogs going on what are essentially the same topics: writing, life and London!

Can I urge you all to come join me at my Talli Roland blog, where I also talk about London and the foibles of an expat life? I'll also be providing news of everything related to my travel writing, along with my fiction. Also - added bonus - I actually return all comments on my Talli blog as opposed to here, where I'm too darn lazy.

I hope to see you there, and I'll still pop in here every once in awhile to say hello!

What an amazing day Wednesday was for me -- and all down to the help and support of people on Twitter, blogs and Facebook. An enormous thanks to all who spread the word about my debut novel and what I was trying to accomplish. As a fellow blogger, I know posting something like yesterday's post often receives low comments -- and as a reader, I realise it can get quite tiresome seeing the same thing again and again. So... thank you!

I'm thrilled to tell you that I made the Amazon Kindle Bestseller Top 100! More than that, actually -- I made it into the top 25! My best rank was number 24. Amazon.com (which I reckon has many more books and therefore more competition) came in at number 460 on the Kindle list, a number I'm ecstatic about, too.



One of the craziest moments of the day was when my publisher sent me an email with a link to the Amazon Movers and Shakers -- I was at number 1, ahead of Dickens (!) and Sophie Kinsella!

I'm not ashamed to admit at several points, I actually welled up at how many people were supporting me. If you followed the hashtag #TheHatingGame, you could see friends and complete strangers buying, retweeting, tweeting --- even one amazing tweeter @PamReader live tweeting as she read my novel!

And then when I hit the blogs! I was so chuffed to read all the wonderful comments and posts about my novel. I tried to make it around to everyone (and I'm still trying; please bear with me!), but by the end of the day, I felt like I'd run a marathon trying to keep up with everything and around midnight I collapsed, stuffed full of celebratory cake (courtesy of my husband) and pizza (courtesy of the local takeaway). Big thanks also to my parents who organised a wonderful bouquet of flowers to be delivered!

A few people have asked me if my Web Splash met my expectations. The answer? No. It didn't. It was so much better than I'd anticipated. Without a doubt, it was one of the most exciting days ever, and quite honestly I couldn't think of a better way -- or better people -- to spend my novel's birthday with.

Thank You.

Hard to believe the day has finally come! I am so excited -- and so grateful for everyone's support. Please drop by Twitter (hash tag #TheHatingGame) to keep an eye on the Amazon stats and to get your virtual champers and assorted munchies!

UPDATE - As of 1 p.m., The Hating Game was number 32 on Amazon UK Kindle and number 25 in Fiction! I'm into the Top 100! Starting to move on Amazon.com, too. I can't say thank you enough!

15:35 GMT - Now number 25 on Amazon UK and in the 1700s on Amazon.com! Wooo!

Thank you a trillion and one times for helping me with this! It sounds cheesy but I really feel like you're all behind me, and it's a fantastic feeling.So without further ado, I bring you THE SPLASH!Help my 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

No Kindle?

Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more.

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 £200,000 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?

It's almost December, and the weather is certainly obliging -- as I type this, my fingers are freezing, thanks the chilly air drifting in through our ancient sash windows. I've been rather neglectful of this blog recently, mostly down to exciting events with my alter ago, Talli Roland.

My first novel, The Hating Game, is due out this Wednesday, December 1, as an ebook ahead of its paperback launch next year! I've organised a Take On Amazon Web Splash, with almost 450 bloggers, Facebookers and Tweeters helping to spread the word about my quest to get as high as I can in the Amazon sales rank.

I often take for granted people know what sales rank is and why it's important. If you look on any book listing on Amazon, you'll see the book has a number beside the words 'sales rank'. The more copies people buy, the higher (or lower, depending on how you look at it) the bestseller list the book climbs. If you manage to get into the top 100, it can make a massive difference to your sales. The book is more visible and being labelled a bestseller gives it validation. Not only that, good sales figures for an ebook can also generate pre-orders for the paperback and hopefully make it easier for the hard copy to get into bookstores.

A number of sales over a short period of time (say, one day) has the power to get the book even higher up, since the sales rank algorithm takes into account not just the sales but the period over which the sales were made.

So! All this to say, fingers crossed for December 1! If you'd like to take part in the Web Splash, all the information you need to post (just copy and paste onto your blog on Dec 1) is here! And if you'd like to buy a copy of the book on that day, that would be fantastic, too! Just click the link for Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. If you don't have a Kindle, you can download the app for PC, Android, Mac, iPad and more. And if you're using Amazon.com, you can even buy Kindle ebooks for others as gifts now.

Sales pitch over! I'll be back on Wednesday with the Splash! Until then, have a great week.

Every time November rolls around, I always shake my head in disbelief that the year's almost finished. This time more than ever -- it's been one year since 24 Hours London was published! You can read about my year in review over on my Talli Roland blog.

With everything that's been happening, time has certainly flown. Electronic proof copies for The Hating Game are ready, and things are gearing up for the Dec 1 e-book release! I've now got over 400 people signed up for my Web Splash; big thank you to those participating!

And now, I leave you with this little gem. Ah, The Daily Mail...

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.I see no reason why gunpowder, treasonShould ever be forgot...
While it's not quite yet the fifth of November and time to 'celebrate' the infamous Guy Fawkes' attempt to overthrow Parliament, a balmy Saturday night before Hallowe'en provided a great excuse to head over to Notting Hill for a bonfire with friends -- and a few hundred of their closest neighbours.

Me in red, standing by the hottest bonfire ever! My face was burning (or maybe that was from the mulled wine...).

A fireworks show went on for a good ten minutes or more.

Happy early Bonfire Night!

As the nights draw in and the days get colder, I confess I find it harder and harder to budge from the cozy confines of my flat. But yesterday, the chapter meeting of the Romantic Novelists' Association motivated me to move from my sofa and head down the Central Line to Bloomsbury -- to The Lamb pub on Lamb's Conduit, to be precise.

Although I've been to Russell Square countless times, I'd never been down this small stretch. Partly pedestrianized and lined with independent shops and galleries, it's a feast for retail-hungry eyes. The street is named after William Lambe to recognize the donation he gave to rebuild a nearby conduit in 1564 (source: Wikipedia).

At the end of the street, The Lamb (photo: Wikipedia) is chock full of charm. Built in the 1720s, Charles Dickens is said to have been a frequent punter. What better place, then, to hold a literary lunch?

Take a stroll through the street with Monocle.