Extract #1

Here's a little extract from my novel :)

Emily Miller loved Liam Crombie.

It was an irrevocable fact. She loved everything about him- his soft brown eyes, his lazy smile, the way his ash brown hair swept across his eyes. In her mind, he was perfect. She believed their souls were intertwined; that they were destined to be together. They’d always been close, even when they were children. She could still vaguely recall hazy afternoons in the thick heat of summer where they’d played on the Meadows together while their mothers had sipped Pimms and traded gossip about their neighbours. Then, as they’d grown up, their childhood friendship had blossomed into romance- not that anyone had really been surprised, of course. After all, they could see how well-suited they were; her with her sparkling green eyes and sweet smile and he with the slight swagger in his step and love in his eyes whenever she was around.

“He’s totally different when you’re with him dear,” his mother would say whenever she came round for tea. Emily would simply blush and laugh it off, saying it was just because they were close. Then one day, when they were fifteen, they went for a walk across the Meadows, the large park that lay just across from his house. It had been a warm night with just a gentle breeze playing in amongst her golden blonde curls. She remembered him even then, clear as day. He’d been wearing a red Ed Hardy T-shirt that she’d helped him pick out from House of Fraser and a pair of black Chuck Taylors. He’d looked wonderful. As they’d been sitting on a park bench, watching the world amble slowly by them, he’d turned to her and looked right into her eyes.

“You know I love you don’t you?” he’d said in a soft voice. It had been quiet, with only the gentle hush of a few stray leaves blowing along the ground breaking the silence.

“You know I love you too?” she’d replied. He’d nodded and their lips had met in a tender embrace. Emily liked to remember it happening with a sort of finality; like it had been a culmination of years of feelings and that nothing would ever be the same again. Which, of course, it wouldn’t be.

Hungry Hungry (and Judgmental!) Hippos

 This is me and the OH in a park in Glenrothes. Isn't he cute?! It's amazing how much fun you can have doing the simplest things :). There's another photo which I'm sure he wouldn't want being made public, of him showing off his superior swinging skills! After these were taken, I was treated to some lovely Chinese food. Gotta love him!

                      These are the "hungry hungry hippos" or as the OH calls them "the judgmental hippos"!

And finally the OH! Love how casual he looks while sitting on top of a stone hippo like he does this on a daily basis. He's really quite lovely :).

Rule the World (Girls)

Heard this song for the first time last night in the nightclub we were at for my two friends' joint birthday night out. I noticed something quite odd too. All my friends seem to have formed, for want of a better word, a clique. I've never understood cliques- the squealing, the incessant need to know every single detail about each other's lives and the obsession for rose wine! In my life, I've been perfectly happy with just one or two close friends and have never, ever been part of a "girl group". One of my friends, Heather, has this group of girl friends she does everything with and who she's been friends with since she was small. I've got to admit, I'm kind of envious of it. But, I suppose with the camaraderie of a girl group comes the bitchiness as well. I've been unlucky enough to have been stabbed in the back by someone I considered to be my best friend, so I'm speaking from experience.

I've got currently three best friends- Sammi, Lauren and Hayley- who I love to pieces and I decided last night, after allowing myself to sober up a bit, that they are more than enough for me. Sure, I may not be in the exclusive sorority that is "the girl group" but who's to say I can't create my own :)?

Hangover + Writing = BAD IDEA

Was out for a "night on the tiles" last night and believe me when I say, hangovers and writing DO NOT go together. OH is coming over at half six, so better get a move on and do something productive before then. Time with the OH consists of eating my body weight in peanut M&Ms, watching good movies (OH is "allergic to chick flicks" :P) and laughing a lot :). Got to say, he really is one of the best things in my life. When I met him, I'd planned to focus on my "career", such as it is. I work in a large DIY shop who seem to be good at promising things then not delivering them. Was told I could go on a management program but that never materialised and now I'm stuck telling ridiculously ignorant customers where the gloss paint is. Not really what I had in mind when I left school aged 17. I imagined I'd conquer the world or something, not be wearing a horrid orange apron and pretending to care about paint brushes or white spirit.

Going to try and clear the fog of my hangover and write a very important part of Ultraviolet today. This might require some chocolate/fried food/anything classified as "junk food" though.....

Where It All Began....

Since this blog is about me, my lovely novel Ultraviolet and my generally crazy life, thought I'd better start off by telling y'all what it's about!

I started Ultraviolet in 2009 when I was 17 after a REALLY bad break-up. I'd played around with some ideas before but had never really developed any of them. Surprisingly though, writing was my therapy through the break-up and stopped me from reaching for the Ben & Jerry's every five minutes! Anyway, before I start waffling (think I already have!), here's what it's about.....

Emily Miller has it all- great friends, gorgeous boyfriend and the most enchanting city in the world to call home. However, a cruel twist of fate causes her world to crumble beneath her and leaves her questioning everything she ever believed in. Until she meets Sam. Sam Callaghan is a sexy musician from Manchester with more than a few skeletons in his closet. His reasons for rocking up in Edinburgh are shrouded in secrecy but when he and Emily's worlds collide it's love at first sight. In the thick heat of summer, romance blossoms but will a second twist of fate tear them apart?

And that's it, in a nutshell basically! Been working on it for the best part of two years and, three drafts later, here I am! 107 pages, eight chapters and 23,660 words :). I'm my own worst critic but I have a good feeling about this one. Writing's all I've ever wanted to do really. Have tried to coax myself into other careers- HR, make-up artistry- but my mind always comes back to writing. Got two other follow-on books planned after Ultraviolet then....who knows? The not knowing is kind of exciting :).