Guest Post - Ideas and Inspiration by Kelly Florentia - Blog Tour

When my cousin read a very brief sex scene from my novel recently, she was mortified, even told me she went red! “Why?” I exclaimed, “It isn’t me! I just wrote it about someone else.”

I think her reaction is quite common when the reader knows the author, especially when you write in the first person, as I do. They automatically place you as the protagonist. But to be honest, apart from expressing myself through my characters at times and writing the odd scenario (mostly funny things that happen to me or someone I know), I’m not a bit fan of the truism when it comes to writing. I’m not sure if this is because my life is just too dull, or simply because I love the escapism of my craft. I thrive on getting lost in a fictional world, making things up, creating characters, scenes, conflicts, using my imagination.

And this brings me on to the most frequent question that I’m asked, ‘So, where do you get your ideas from?’ I wish I could say that I’ve got an ideas guru on speed dial feeding me storylines, or an App that’s updated regularly with decent plots. But the truth is, inspiration comes quite naturally. An idea will just ping into my head, followed in quick succession by ‘Oooh, imagine what would happen if…’ It could manifest from a comment, a conversation, something I hear or read, or even from something I’ve worked on before. Ideas are simply everywhere. No Way Back started as a short story of about a thousand words. When I reached the end, I didn’t seem to want to stop. The questions were flowing and badgering me for answers. I knew it had potential, that there was so much more to be told. So I created new characters, threw in a love-triangle, a heroine with a bit of a shoe obsession, and No Way Back was written.

I like to write about things that readers can resonate with - everyday dilemmas, things that life throw at us either directly or indirectly. No Way Back is a story about love, heartbreak, and friendship. Although I injected some humour into the story, the characters do go through quite a lot of difficulties and upheavals. I won’t give too much away because I don’t want to spoil it for you, but one of the characters has a near death experience and as a result, goes on to have OBEs (out-of-body experiences). I must admit, it was a fascinating subject to research and to write about (I love my job!) and I hope that my readers will find it spellbinding, too!

Thank you so much Kelly for this great post. 

Bio:

Kelly Florentia was born and bred in north London, where she continues to live with her husband Joe. No Way Back, released 21^st September, is her second novel. 

Kelly has always enjoyed writing and was a bit of a poet when she was younger. Before penning her debut The Magic Touch (2016), she wrote short stories for women’s magazines. To Tell a Tale or Two… is a collection of her short tales.

Kelly has a keen interest in health and fitness and has written many articles on this subject. Smooth Operator (published in January 2017) is a collection of twenty of her favourite smoothie recipes.

As well as writing, Kelly enjoys reading, running, yoga, drinking coffee, and scoffing cakes. She is currently working on the sequel to NO WAY BACK.

When two eligible and attractive men are vying for your heart, it should be the perfect dilemma...

Audrey Fox has been dumped by her unreliable fiancé Nick Byrne just days before the wedding. Heartbroken and confused, the last thing she expects when she jumps on a plane to convalesce in Cyprus is romance. But a chance meeting with handsome entrepreneur and father-of-one Daniel Taylor weaves her into a dating game she's not sure she's ready for. Audrey's life is thrown into further turmoil when she discovers on her return to London that Nick has been involved in a serious motorcycle accident that's left him in intensive care. Distraught yet determined to look to the future, Audrey must make a decision - follow her heart or listen to well-meaning advice from family and friends? Because sometimes, no matter what, it's the people that we love who can hurt us the most...

Book Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Way-Back-Kelly-Florentia-ebook/dp/B0745DM4GR/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1504194781&sr=8-1&keywords=no+way+back+kelly+florentia&linkCode=ll1&tag=wwwkellyfloco-21&linkId=64a33eb9f1b8291e4a580ddee7002668

Website: http://www.kellyflorentia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KellyFlorentiaAuthor

Twitter: @kellyflorentia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyflorentia/

No Way Back Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/11135145039/playlist/0IbxzB3L6ZPdbrFiUY5fAI

Book Review - No Way Back by Kelly Florentia

Amazon UK

Title: No Way Back

Author: Kelly Florentia

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Publisher supplied copy

Publisher: Urbane Publications

Publication Date: 21st September 2017

Rating: 4 Stars

When two eligible and attractive men are vying for your heart, it should be the perfect dilemma...

Audrey Fox has been dumped by her unreliable fiancé Nick Byrne just days before the wedding. Heartbroken and confused, the last thing she expects when she jumps on a plane to convalesce in Cyprus is romance. But a chance meeting with handsome entrepreneur and father-of-one Daniel Taylor weaves her into a dating game she's not sure she's ready for. Audrey's life is thrown into further turmoil when she discovers on her return to London that Nick has been involved in a serious motorcycle accident that's left him in intensive care. Distraught yet determined to look to the future, Audrey must make a decision - follow her heart or listen to well-meaning advice from family and friends? Because sometimes, no matter what, it's the people that we love who can hurt us the most...

I really had no idea what to expect from No Way Back, I did read the blurb but having seen the cover too,  I wasn't completely sure what this book was going to have in store for me....

...well what I found was a story that first and foremost was very readable, written in a style that I enjoyed. It's a story that starts in Cyprus after Audrey's wedding has been called off very last minute, and then continues in London, with the support of her friends and family. 

It's a book that contains a fairly large number of characters who all had their own sub plots going on, and at times I found it slightly confusing as to who knew what about which incident, but on the whole all the various goings on added to the attraction of the book, and meant there was never a boring moment. 

And yet by the end of the book I was completely hooked and couldn't bare to part with my kindle as the story reached its conclusion. I had been completely drawn into the lives of Audrey and her friends, and romantic dilemmas that I needed to know just how it would all turn out. 

There is plenty of action during No Way Back, and quite a few secrets and surprises to capture your imagination too. I always find it make a nice change to be surprised by a book, and No Way Back certainly did that, and it makes you think about relationships in general too. 

Thank you to Matthew Smith at Urbane Publications for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Guest Post & Giveaway - Greek family lifestyle in the UK by Kelly Florentia - Greek Week

When most people hear the words Greek family they immediately conjure up a world bursting with well-meaning aunties sticking their oar in, parents demanding that their offspring bring home a nice Greek girl or boy, and the entire clan sitting around a table every Sunday eating Souvlaki or Moussaka, maybe even breaking a plate or two once they’ve necked enough Retsina to do the Zorba on the kitchen tiles. In fact, the Greek stereotypical family sounds as if they’re having one big fat party, 365 days of the year. But is this what it’s really like?

In my debut novel, The Magic Touch, I had to explore what it’s like to be in a relationship with an Anglo-Greek Cypriot partner from the viewpoint of Emma King, a 39-year-old English divorcee. Having first-hand knowledge of Greek family life in the UK, writing about Emma’s partner Harry Georgiades and his clan was a fun and pleasurable experience. Here’s my insight into Greek family life in the UK:

Food: Let’s start with food. Food is the equivalent of a cup of tea. Bad day at the office? A nice plate of dolmades will sort that out. A family crisis? Chuck a couple of red mullets into the frying pan. A celebration? Let’s get the barbecue going. If you’re ever invited into a Greek home you will undoubtedly be accosted with a plate of something savoury or sweet. ‘Have you eaten?’ ‘Are you hungry?’ ‘Oh, have something small, then.’ And don’t dare refuse it. It’s the essence of their lives, a comfort, a blanket, it brings family and friends together, and Greek food is incredibly delicious.
Family: While family values are still very strong within the Greek community in the UK, things have changed, moved on, particularly where marriage is concerned. Although some Greek parents would still prefer their children to marry a Greek, it’s very common and acceptable to marry outside of the Greek spectrum. 

Marriage: So, will a Greek family welcome a non-Greek with open arms? Well, yes, of course, why not? However, because of their strong sense of family ethics and morals, marrying a Greek comes with a set of conditions. In The Magic Touch, Harry’s parents, an older Greek couple, have welcomed their sons’ partners with open arms. But because Harry and Mas have been instilled with the Greek culture, an ethos that spans generations, Emma and Caroline are expected to accommodate some of the Greek traditions, which, fortunately, they quite like.  

Religion: Religion is a very significant part of family living, and you will find that if you want to marry a Greek, the family will expect you to marry in a Greek Orthodox Church, and children to be christened likewise. Of course, this isn’t compulsory but you’ll have very disgruntled in-laws if you refuse.  

Children: Traditionally, children are named after their grandparents, which does make picking names a bit easier, I suppose. But then they could end up with a very old-fashioned, dowdy name. So, while many British Greeks still hold onto this tradition, they may alter the name slightly; Mas instead of Marios, Harry instead of Haritos, Demi instead of Demetria etc., but increasingly couples are choosing names of their preference, so you will often hear English first names with Greek surnames, such as Kelly Florentia.

About Kelly Florentia

Kelly Florentia was born and bred in north London, where she continues to live with her husband. Her debut novel THE MAGIC TOUCH was released on 24th March 2016. Her second novel BROKEN will be published on 20th August 2016.

Kelly has always enjoyed writing and was a bit of a poet when she was younger. Before writing her first novel, she wrote short stories for women's magazines. To Tell A Tale Or Two... is a collection of her short tales. Kelly is currently working on her third novel

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1TEoHKJ

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-magic-touch-6

Website: www.kellyfloentia.co.uk

Twitter: @kellyflorentia

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kelly-Florentia-1682213928702931/

Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/kell9f/

Giveaway - Win an eBook of The Magic Touch  (Open Internationally)

An eBook of The Magic Touch is up for grabs!

Giveaway open Internationally, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 4/6/2016. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner.  Good luck everyone.

Win an eBook of The Magic Touch (Open Internationally)