All About Elodie Parkes
- Where are you from? I live in Canterbury, United Kingdom. It’s famous for the Cathedral, Chaucer, and there is a UNESCO world heritage site, which includes the ancient ruins of St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church. There is also a ruined castle. It’s a pretty place too and the coast nearby is great.
I work in an antiques shop and write. I have two dogs that keep me fit with their need for walks.
I write romance, contemporary and erotic with a twist of mystery now and then. I like to make the story unusual in some way, by a quirk in the tale.
- What is your favorite quality about yourself? Kindness, I am unfailingly kind, it just happens.
- What is your least favorite quality about yourself? I’m a bit of a perfectionist and hard on myself.
- What is your favorite quote, by whom, and why? I saw one on a facebook page the other day and I have to say it replaced everything I thought I liked before, “I don’t think that anything happens by coincidence… No one is here by accident… Everyone who crosses our path has a message for us. Otherwise they would have taken another path, or left earlier or later. The fact that these people are here means that they are here for some reason…” -James Redfield
- What is your favorite color? Green, all greens, like emerald, lime, viridian, apple, grass, sea-green
- What is your favorite food? Pancakes and maple syrup
- What’s your favorite place in the entire world? I can’t choose, because there are places in the world I would like to see ad who knows they might take that accolade when I see them.
Elodie’s Journey into Writing
- When and why did you begin writing? I started writing when I was seventeen. I never did anything like submitting to publishers etc. until I was about twenty five and then queried to no avail. I started writing again seriously a couple of years ago because I had so many stories in my head.
- How long have you been writing? Seriously? Maybe three years.
- What inspires you to write and why? People and emotions inspires me. The complexity of life spurs me to write.
- What genre are you most comfortable writing? Romance, contemporary and erotic.
- What do you consider most challenging about writing a novel, or about writing in general? I honestly think its marketing the book.
- Did writing this book teach you anything and what was it? ‘The Horoscope Writer’ taught me to go with my heart in my writing, and stop being so academic.
- Do you intend to make writing a career? If it will let me
- What is your greatest strength as a writer? I think it’s the joy I get from writing and so I put it back into the work.
- Have you ever had writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it? I haven’t had writers block but I have chosen to stop writing a couple of projects and deleted them, I just stopped liking their concepts.
The Horoscope Writer
‘The Horoscope Writer’ is about a man, Dominic, who is a writer and has lots of different writing jobs for magazines amongst which is that of horoscope writing. He is a lonely soul, living in the country on a funny country lane where a few artisan’s workshops are. Fortunately he has a friend there too, Jeremy, who has a workshop, design studio there on the lane.
Dominic is lonely. His last relationship broke up a couple of years prior to the opening of the story and he really wants love.
There is a workshop to let on the lane and Cassie comes along to rent it.
Dominic is instantly attracted to her when he sees her in Jeremy’s office and she finds Dominic irresistible.
There is a mild paranormal streak running through what is an erotic romance because Dominic has been influenced by his great uncle who was also a horoscope writer.
This is a love story, erotic and enticing.
- How did you come up with the title? The character Dominic gave it to me. (smiles)
- Can you tell us about your main character? Cassie needs to be loved. She’s kind, generous, and affectionate. She is talented and works hard.
Dominic is a darling who lives with a strange secret, and he needs love too, but doesn’t think he will ever have it until he meets Cassie.
They both have a sensual streak and ignite it within each other.
- What was the hardest part about writing this book? Marketing
The Horoscope Writer can be purchased through Amazon:
Amazon US – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0094JIIVQ
Amazon UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Horoscope-Writer-ebook/dp/B0094JIIVQ
Elodie’s Writing Life
- Can we expect any more books from you in the future? This is my third book. I have a book in the pipeline right now, called ‘The Last Time’, it’s due to be published mid-December
- How do you deal with bad reviews? I don’t read reviews.
- What are some of the best tools available today for writers, especially those just starting out? Computers, editing suites, the WWW.
- What contributes to making a writer successful? Believing in books and reading.
- Do you have any advice for writers? Just believe in yourself and give it all you’ve got.
- Do you have any specific last thoughts that you want to say to your readers? Thank you for reading my books. I write from my heart and hope you feel the love in the books.
The Silly Question
- Karaoke Night, what are you singing and are you any good? ‘Strong Enough’ from Sheryl Crow and yes I can sing.
Find Elodie online: http://elodieparkes.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/ElodieParkes
https://plus.google.com/u/0/100127291306930462635/posts
https://twitter.com/ElodieParkes
Excerpt from The Horoscope Writer
(Copyright Elodie Parkes 2012 all rights reserved.)
“Do you like to be called Cassandra or Cassie?” he asked her, and his lovely eyes had Cassie staring at him almost unable to speak. She truly had not seen a man quite as attractive as Dominic in a long time, not in real life, not in the flesh. His looks belonged in the pages of movie magazines or on romance novel covers.
Why was he single she asked herself?
She finally answered him when she saw that he was waiting patiently for her.
“I don’t mind either. If you want to call me Cassie you can”.
Dominic smiled again; he was thinking ‘I’d like to call you darling as I kiss you all over’.
He said, “Okay I’ll call you Cassie for the time being”.
Cassie wondered what that meant but decided against asking. Dominic was pouring coffee and offered her milk and sugar. Cassie took her coffee black and Dominic saluted her for it. “I can’t take it black I have to dilute it with milk”, he told her.
They were standing quite close to each other as he handed her the cup and Dominic took the opportunity to gaze into her eyes. Cassie was immediately intimidated and he felt it.
“Cassie you have beautiful eyes, such an unusual color”, Dominic said, and then quickly followed with, “I hope you don’t mind me saying so?”
Cassie saw the sincerity in his expression and responded.
“No it’s nice”, she said softly.
Dominic’s gaze softened as he looked at her. He wanted to trace his finger down her cheek and over her bottom lip. He wanted to hold her face in his hands and lick her lips until she opened them to his tongue. His eyes darkened at Cassie and she could feel the air of desire that Dominic exuded. She didn’t move back from him, but she drank some coffee, and the mug seemed to shield her from him.
Dominic really wanted her. He had not felt desire like this in a long time, and then he realized he had never felt desire like this. Not even for Jenny. He registered surprise in his eyes when that thought came to mind and Cassie saw it.
She had no idea what to say next and so she simply stood there, and sipped at her coffee.
Dominic drank some of his coffee and then tried to talk about ordinary things to Cassie.
“What will you be doing in the workshop or studio as Jeremy calls it?”
Cassie felt on familiar ground and answered happily. “Pottery, ceramics, sculpture and stuff. I’m an artist; well I like to think so”.
Dominic moved very slightly closer to her and then leaned over a little to put his cup on the table. As he stood up it brought their faces close together.
Cassie at first froze. She was caught in the delicious gaze of Dominic’s sexy blue eyes, and he was wondering how he could possibly kiss her without scaring her, when Cassie astounding herself, moved to him closing her eyes and offering her mouth to be kissed.
Dominic held her head gently and kissed her slowly. He made the kiss last as long as he could. It was hard to stop kissing her because she moved towards his lips wanting more when he did ease back. Dominic was enchanted. He moved his hands from her face to hold her close with one arm and pick up a handful of her hair with the other. He savored the feel of her hair in his hand and kissed her more.
Cassie felt melted from the inside out. She felt as if her body craved the touch of this gorgeous man. She felt sleepy with desire.
She had not been with a man for more than two years, and even then it had not been very satisfactory. It was a quick encounter with an old university friend, when in a mood of despair she had gone to his hotel with him after meeting him in town.
They had known each other the whole four years as they studied the same course. He had girlfriends the whole time. Two years after graduation he had left the county but was back for work, and they had met at an art exhibition. Cassie pushed herself to have sex with him out of sheer annoyance at her own continued single status. It had been okay and she had needed what little comfort it gave her. He had left the next day and she had not heard from him again.
Now Cassie was clinging to Dominic and in some part of her heart a seed of hope sprang up. Dominic was kissing her and holding her with care. He wanted her, she could tell. His lips worked magic on her shyness and she put her arms around his waist to press him close to her.
Dominic sighed with pleasure, stopped kissing her lips, and held her against his body. He molded her to him and sighed with his face in her hair, as he made sure she felt the shape of his desire through their clothes.
Cassie savored his embrace. It felt good to be held against this man. It felt safe, even though she didn’t know him, and this behavior was unprecedented in her opinion and experience. She was a grown woman, an independent woman, and anyway she had been to self-defense classes and knew that if he did anything she did not want she could immobilize him in seconds. Cassie was quite proud of that fact and that she had been the star pupil in the class. Her instructors had said she was a natural, and attempted to recruit her to their academy, but she had resisted. She stilled in his arms.
Dominic was breathing her in. Her hair had a vague herbal fragrance, something sweet and familiar like rosemary he thought. He held her gently but with possession as if he couldn’t let her go. He was surprised by her kiss and the way she stayed within the circle of his arms.
“I hope you are not afraid of me. I wouldn’t normally be so affectionate so soon, but I find you so very lovely”, he said softly, as he moved his lips in a delicate caress across her face to her lips. The barely there kisses made Cassie shiver and move her mouth to his with a need to kiss his lips, touch her tongue to his, and she pressed her hips against him.
Dominic ran his hands over her shoulders and down her back wanting to take the thick sweater she wore off her.
It was right then that the doorbell rang. Dominic smiled at Cassie and with an apologetic murmur went to answer it.
Find samples of other works by Elodie including ‘Millie Reinvented’, ‘Two of Them’ and ‘The Horoscope Writer’ on the blog: http://elodieparkes.blogspot.com
Also available from:
http://www.amazon.com/Millie-Reinvented-ebook/dp/B008H5IF7U
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Millie-Reinvented-ebook/dp/B008H5IF7U
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RBJXOI
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-of-Them-ebook/dp/B008RBJXOI
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