- CONTEMPORARY FICTION -

So, there, are three pending novels/novellas going on in my brain:
AKA: "The Fame Game Trilogy" [working title].

Contemporary stories, my favourite "tropes", and characters that tend to be as flawed and neurotic as myself…

• Rumour In The Truth - Rachel's Story [enemies-to-lovers]

• Star Attraction - Lisa's Story [best friends-to lovers]

• Essence of Change [working title] - Essence's Story [meet-cute (celebrity)]6

I've also been working more on my FIVE REALMS/ Mortal Realm Of Faeh'rron world - for the VENGEANCE OF MAGES Series/Trilogy, to be honest. There, I've created a whole world - [The World Of] The Five Realms. Everything there is new, different. Created. It's Freedom - which is great... until you realise it's down to you TO create Everything...[!]

Soooo, then... It's slightly easier to write people in the more current times, where you don't really have to make anything up about the world around you! 

My three girls above are close to my heart.

I do love putting them through their paces a little, even though I try to keep it a little easier on them. At least they don't have to face down a World-Ending Prophesy... Which they would probably be eternally grateful for that fact, if they understood just how much their Higher Fantasy counterparts have to put up with!

A RUMOUR...

Superstar Music Icon Luke Heartlett is getting over the breakup with his last girlfriend, Catwalk Supermodel Tara Smith-Williams. It's the latest frenzy in the entertainment media and they make sure the world is plastered with it, because THIS is the stuff that SELLS.

One day, it's clear that he's found his rebound, with an unknown girl caught in a "lover's tiff" argument with him one night, outside a romantic restaurant. The Celebrity Superstar then jets off with said unknown girl to Paris, for a romantic week away. He's seen with her in the airport leaving for Paris and coming back, hand in hand both times, leaving the media's personnel excitedly tittering about it.

The Media Journalists then also love talking all about Luke Heartlett's New Girlfriend, Tara's behaviour, and talking about "his newfound happiness" to Tara, when interviewing the Supermodel at every opportunity, too.

...THE TRUTH

Superstar Music Icon Luke Heartlett is getting over the breakup with his last girlfriend, Tara— Actually, scratch that — he's trying to get over the media scrutiny and obsessive interest in the breakup.

Rachel Adams is twenty-five and working hard at trying to ignore her past and works almost as hard at a posh French Restaurant in a waitressing job that she hates. She's stuck renting a Studio Apartment that's smaller than some bathrooms, her dreams all beyond her, and nothing much else going on for her whatsoever. Stuck-in-a-Rut had become more like Tied-To-A-Rut-With-Zip-Lock-Ties.

One night, outside the Restaurant, they both literally run into each other and get into an argument about it, in the middle of the street. It's an argument that changes both their lives, with irrevocable consequences.

A Photojournalist captures Rachel yelling at Luke for running into her, and Luke vehemently denying it, both irate by the other's denial of culpability, and insistence of laying the blame on the opposite party. The Journalist immediately takes the photo-stills of this and runs with the story that she's his girlfriend and berating him for... something, in a "lover's quarrel" situation. The "breaking news" of Heartthrob Music Icon Luke Heartlett already being "caught" with another woman was an immediate sensation in the Entertainment "news", causing both to be entirely shocked the next morning to find out what article writers had been busy reporting through the night and morning.

The story had been written, re-written, blogged, posted, re-posted & Boosted, all over Social Media thousands of times already, immediately making this story "Entertainment Gospel" — thus giving Luke an "out" with the Media regarding Tara. All he needs to do is convince them this Rachel girl is his girlfriend for now, until they need to "break up". Foolproof!

Except, well, Rachel isn't easily impressed, or starstruck — and thinks he's a "Class-A Idiot who's so up himself, he can probably see through his own mouth". But he NEEDS this story to work, so he does everything he can to make it work. Even ignore the fact that she absolutely hates him and can't stand him… and the fact he's more than a little smitten with the first person to refuse to kiss his feet and tell him to stop being a Celebrity Moron... [ahem]... Musician.

STAR ATTRACTION

- Lisa's Story -

THE LITERARY TECH GEEK...

Lisa Ryan. She is 28 years old. She's studious, steady & steadfast. She's always loved writing, but decided she would rather do a BSc Computer Sciences than a degree in English literature; it would secure her future and allow her to make far more money than writing. She then left for London as soon as she could after graduating Willowfall University. With her skills and intelligence, Lisa most assuredly had no problems securing work, contracts, and a decent paycheque, and she had a good life in London, living in a small studio in Camden Town - easy to live in and take care of, as well as easy to work from home in.

She worked easily as a DBA Consultant Contractor – a Database Analyst and Migration Specialist, all over Central London and The City. She loved her job, but still she wished she could have done her English Degree, as well. After some consideration, she decides she's going to go and do it anyway - and saves up to pay for her tuition outright. She earns enough and her studio apartment hardly costs anything in comparison to what she's bringing in after a few years being a well-established and headhunted analyst.

She continued to live in her small studio apartment in London, and saved up her money to pay for uni, instead of on a better apartment that would cost more rent.

Returning to Willowfall wasn't going to be easy, but she really wanted that degree, another First Class diploma, like the other one, so that's what she was going to do. 

...THE MOVIE STAR

Superstar Music Icon Luke Heartlett is getting over the breakup with his last girlfriend, Tara— Actually, scratch that — he's trying to get over the media scrutiny and obsessive interest in the breakup.

Rachel Adams is twenty-five and working hard at trying to ignore her past and works almost as hard at a posh French Restaurant in a waitressing job that she hates. She's stuck renting a Studio Apartment that's smaller than some bathrooms, her dreams all beyond her, and nothing much else going on for her whatsoever. Stuck-in-a-Rut had become more like Tied-To-A-Rut-With-Zip-Lock-Ties.

One night, outside the Restaurant, they both literally run into each other and get into an argument about it, in the middle of the street. It's an argument that changes both their lives, with irrevocable consequences.

A Photojournalist captures Rachel yelling at Luke for running into her, and Luke vehemently denying it, both irate by the other's denial of culpability, and insistence of laying the blame on the opposite party. The Journalist immediately takes the photo-stills of this and runs with the story that she's his girlfriend and berating him for... something, in a "lover's quarrel" situation. The "breaking news" of Heartthrob Music Icon Luke Heartlett already being "caught" with another woman was an immediate sensation in the Entertainment "news", causing both to be entirely shocked the next morning to find out what article writers had been busy reporting through the night and morning.

The story had been written, re-written, blogged, posted, re-posted & Boosted, all over Social Media thousands of times already, immediately making this story "Entertainment Gospel" — thus giving Luke an "out" with the Media regarding Tara. All he needs to do is convince them this Rachel girl is his girlfriend for now, until they need to "break up". Foolproof!

Except, well, Rachel isn't easily impressed, or starstruck — and thinks he's a "Class-A Idiot who's so up himself, he can probably see through his own mouth". But he NEEDS this story to work, so he does everything he can to make it work. Even ignore the fact that she absolutely hates him and can't stand him… and the fact he's more than a little smitten with the first person to refuse to kiss his feet and tell him to stop being a Celebrity Moron... [ahem]... Musician.