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Sunday, February 23, 2014

Please welcome Raine Norman! (And a giveaway!)

Please welcome the delightful Raine Norman, who once spent a wonderful day showing me and my daughter the delights of Cambridge, England!

 

Hello, Raine Norman here with my first ever guest blog spot! Many thanks to the lovely Kim Fielding for kindly allowing me to invade her blog. I am here to celebrate the release of my novella, Broken, and also to have a little chat to let you all get to know me. A giveaway will be up for grabs too – more details about that later.

 

Broken is the story of how a physical injury has emotional repercussions not only for Oliver, whose leg was broken in a skiing accident, but also for his partner of four years, Joel.

 

Summary:

More than Oliver’s leg is broken after a skiing accident. The months spent in hospital and enduring physical therapy leaves him bitter and insecure. His lover of four years, Joel, represents all Oliver fears his weak and disfigured leg has stolen – the ability to live an active and carefree life.

 

Joel endlessly tries to lift Oliver from his despair, but after being rebuffed one too many times, he suggests they take a break and moves out.

 

After a long and lonely week, Oliver is both delighted and terrified when Joel suggests they meet to talk things through. He discovers that Joel plans to make amends by helping Oliver realize he can still enjoy the snow.

 

From Joel’s old apartment to the snowy peaks of a Canadian ski resort, Oliver and Joel will face their greatest fears together and with a little luck and a lot of trust, rekindle their love.

 

*~*~*~*

Oliver’s self-esteem takes a plunge in the face of his ‘surfer-dude’ partner, Joel’s, physical fitness and outgoing personality after sustaining a serious leg injury. These very traits are what attracted Oliver to Joel initially, but now Oliver misreads all the signs. Joel, too, fails to realise how his normal behaviour is now causing Oliver to have doubts about Joel’s commitment to their relationship until it is almost too late.

 

I think the old adage ‘you need to love yourself before someone else can love you’ has some truth in it. Negativity can cause many problems not just in relationships, but in the workplace too.

 

Giveaway time!

 

My self-confidence can be boosted when I wear a favourite article of clothing. It is almost like putting on a coat of armour – nothing can touch me when I wear it. In my wardrobe I have a long black velvet dress I call my Morticia Addam dress, which makes me feel great whenever I wear it, even though it is seldom appropriate or conventional attire for the occasion. I recently bought a gorgeous embroidered coat which makes me feel like a million dollars. Do you have a favourite item of clothing that makes you feel great? Have any of you had a loss of confidence in yourself lead to relationship troubles? Or conversely, have you found your confidence and gone onto amazing things?

 

I’d love to hear your stories in comments and I will randomly select a winner of a free copy of Broken (e-book). If I have fifteen or more responses I will give away a second copy of Broken!

 

The winner (or winners) will be announced on my blog on 1st March! Why not go and follow it now, and read how my loss of confidence affected my own relationship.

 

http://rainenorman.blogspot.co.uk/ http

 

About me:

 

Writing apart, the other things to fill my free time are my two horses, Mabel and her 2013 foal, Florence, and my ever faithful terrier, The Norm, who is generally anything but normal! The Norm has recently had major surgery due to a blocked duct in his liver, but he seems to be making a good recovery so far. I live in a beautiful part of the English countryside and enjoy being out and about with my animals. My day job is working in the office of a busy veterinary hospital, and I have plans to write a series of novels based around a fictional veterinary practice. I am also working on a fantasy novel and a contemporary novel which I hope you will see on Dreamspinner Press in the future.

 

The links to Broken are:

 


 


 

16 comments:

  1. I used to have a pair of boots that were an instant confidence-booster, but they've been gone for a while now. (Hmmm. I really should replace them. I could use that boost of confidence some days!)

    I'd love to see some novels that are set in a veterinary clinic! Until then, I'll read Broken and look forward to the in-progress fantasy and contemporary novels. : )

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    1. My 'Morticia Addams dress is rather goth, yet I have worn it to so many occasions and usually have been completely over-dressed/inappropriately dressed! But I didn't care. Recently, a new three quarter length coat seems to have the same effect! :) I hope you enjoy Broken and I better crack on and get my WIPs finished. The veterinary series is occupying my mind at the moment especially since it could prove to be popular!

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  2. I had a gorgeous suit that was always a confidence booster for me, important for me when I worked in a male-dominated field. Now I work from home and suits are history.

    I too would really enjoy a series set in a vet clinic, as I am a huge animal lover and frequent visitor to my local vet clinic.

    skadlec1@yahoo.com

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    1. It's funny how certain clothes boost our confidence, isn't it? I have made lots of notes for characters in the veterinary-series-to-be. It is great to know that it would be of interest. :)

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  3. I have a blouse that I almost didn't even try on originally. A green paisley print with 3/4 sleeve that on the hanger looked rather bland and frumpy. But on...well, it was magical. It's my shirt to wear whenever I feel like I need a boost of confidence. It makes me feel both pretty and powerful. Isn't it funny how a piece of clothing that do that for us? :)

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    1. I know, Moira. It never fails to astonish me how much what I wear changes how I feel. And sometimes the items aren't even the most flattering, but somehow just feel great! LOL! I was a punk rocker in my youth and loved dressing the part for gigs, though I had to be 'normal' at school!

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  4. Ironically I'm wearing it right now, my moonstone triple moon pendant and my military-styled jacket (that looks nothing like Captain Jack Harkness's jacket, that's my story and I'm sticking too it)

    I can relate to Olivier's injury. This sounds like a very interesting read. Good luck with it.

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    1. Jane, I love military style jackets :) I love that a pendant can have that effect on you. Post divorce I saw a pendant I liked that was very unusual in design. It was made of pewter and my friend bought it for me when she discovered the symbol meant bravery/valor and she figured I'd been brave by getting through my divorce relatively unscathed! LOL!

      Pop over to my blog and you can read an excerpt of the story.

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    2. Jana-denardo congrats you have won a copy of Broken. Please contact me with an email address - ideally one connected to Dreamspinner Press so I can arrange for one to be put on your bookcase. x

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  5. Hello,

    Great news about your new novella.

    Coat of Armour: For several years I had a black dress, which was my life saver over and over. I felt amazingly sexy wearing it and, to a certain extent, even a bit dangerous (this in particular when combined with lots of Mojitos.)

    Then I turned 40 some years ago and things began to change. I have since then been struggling with finding my new armour because the little black dress doesn't work for me anymore. I'm in the forced process of redefining myself. I do find women above 40 both desirable and interesting, but in a very different way, than the easy "Hey, I'm young, thus scrumptious"-way, that I was used to. Being young certainly made some things easier (and other things certainly not.) Anyway, getting older is a difficult process and smarts a bit once in while. I hope, I reach the point some lovely day, where my coat of armour will be my personality alone. That would be a personal Nirvana, for sure.

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    1. I agree with your comments on aging. :) I don't think I'd ever achieve 'personality armour' I think I need props! LOL!

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  6. For me I find it takes time to 'find' my confidence. I need time to do, to practice, to work at. Even then, I feel like I'm not up to standards for a long time. Fortunately, I don't let it stop me from trying. Even if I suck at whatever I want to do or try, I'm willing to do it. I guess I have no fear of being made a fool, because I consider myself a full time fool anyway. Amazing what you can do if you don't really care what others think of you. :P

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    1. HI Andrew, I love your reasoning. I think my trouble is how I perceive myself, rather than how others perceive me. :)

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  7. I've got a black skirt that makes me feel very confident when I wear it. I had a pair of boots that were even more effective in boosting my confidence. I literaly wore them until they fell to bits and I am still sad that I don't have them any more. I am still looking for a replacement ...

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    1. Hi, it is s tragic when a favourite item finally 'dies'. My confidence giving clothes all tend to 'swish' when I walk! I am not very tall, but when I swish I feel taller! LOL!

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  8. Please head over to my blog for the announcement of the winner - chosen at random by a name being drawn out of a hat by my mum! :)

    http://rainenorman.blogspot.co.uk/

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