Good morning, Peeps! I am shattered, today. I was very busy, yesterday, doing a lot of physical moving stuff about (Which I will reveal next week!) But at least it is the holidays!
Time for a lovely cuppa and a catch up!
If we were having chai, I would probably sigh and tell you I think I am burnt out. This week I couldn’t get myself out of bed early enough to do anything with my manuscript. And even though I was awake, m brain wasn’t ready to compute new words, and stories, so I ended up reading plenty, instead, and napping, when I was free.
If we were having chai, I would mention that I had a couple of appointments, with Lil Princess, for threading and henna, as we had a wedding to attend. One of my dear colleagues, someone who is like a little sister to me, was getting married and not only were we going to the reception, but she invited me to her civil ceremony and asked me to make a short speech too! It was manic, but a beautiful day and I am so happy for her.
If we were having chai, I would say that Straight As a Jalebi went with us to the wedding, too, as my friend had a fresh jalebi stand there, so I joked with her about bringing the book to do some promo videos, and she told me to 100% do it! Well, here you are!
If we were having chai, I’d jump back to my week, and say that I am trying to be philosophical about everything, and even though I wrote minimal words this week, I have a plan, and that is just as important.
If we were having chai, I’d share that I was moving furniture around the house, all day on Sunday, s well as building bits, too, so I had. a great soak in the bath after I finished. When I checked my Fitbit I had climbed 83 flights of stairs!!! No one can say I was lazy this Sunday! And, as I mentioned above, I will tel you what I was up to, next week!
If we were having chai, I would bring it back to Sonu Singh. He’s a good kitty, sensing when I am a bit down. We just chilled and he had a great scritch with me, before laying down and going to sleep.
I fear it may be another one of those weeks… I am up early today to take my Mother -in-law to an appointment, and I have a trial YouTube interview in the evening. I have to be taxi Mum for Lil Man on Tuesday, and I am also hoping my best friend will be coming over, too. Then, on Friday, I am hoping to meet with some friends, if they are free, as I taxi mum Lil Man around for his social life! Words? Maybe. I hope so!
And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!
This speaks volumes, Spidey. Thank you for this quote.
I listed all the things that I need to do over the summer, last Sunday, and after the first few days of my summer holidays, I felt quite positive, but this week has been a bit different.
Maybe I am coming down with something, or maybe my body is really screaming at me to just shut off for a while.
So, this past week, I did that. I had intentions of writing every day. Even if I could hit 1k words every day, that would be me, happy.
But aside from scheduling a few posts, and around 1.5k words since Monday, I realised I was trying to pour from a very empty jug.
I gave myself permission to switch off from my writing, which gives me so much pleasure, but equally, can stress me out, especially if I am writing substandard words because I am too tired.
I had a couple of appointments to attend, as well as a wedding for a very special couple, plus a shopping trip planned with the in-laws. None of these could be rescheduled.
But I could choose when to write my words.
I cannot hit burnout because I have a deadline. My words and stories are important to me, and they need to come as and when they are ready.
Life has been so busy/hard recently, I have to give myself a break.
We managed to book a short break away, too, because I think the whole family needs it.
The words will flow, soon enough, I am sure. But I am not going to dim my glow just to write when I am not in the right place. I cannot go back to school in September already burnt out.
So, Peeps, do you remember to give yourself permission to switch off? 😊
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “pick a number.” Choose a number—any number—and write about it any way you’d like. Have fun!
Three.
There, that is my chosen one, and I shall give you three reasons why.
I was born on the 3rd of the month.
It’s always 3rd time lucky.
What I speak is a mixture of three languages! Punglihili! Punjabi, English and Swahili!
Today, Kiltie Jackson has returned to my blog to talk all about her latest release, The Prosecco Pact.
Hello, and welcome back to But I Smile Anyway, Kiltie! I’m sure you know the drill, but we need to get some drinks first!
Good day, thank you for having me back a second time to visit – you are very kind.
Now, we could start with the usual brews, but if you prefer, in honour of the book we could always pop open a bottle of Prosecco!
I think a couple of glasses of bubbles would go down very well.
A few weeks ago, I had prosecco catch up with another author, and was reliably informed that savoury goes well, so would you like pakoras, or samosas? If not, I can always heat up a pie, like the ladies in The Prosecco Pact!
While I love both pakora and samosas, they’re less fond of me and can make me feel a bit ick afterwards so, if it’s not too much trouble, a wee steak pie would be perfect.
I am sure I can rustle something up!
Since this is your second visit, I don’t want to be sending you the same old questions, so can you give us a glimpse of your life since we last met. How did the release for The Bay of Lost Souls fare?
Life has been busy with editing for the last few months and the release for The Bay of Lost Souls went very well, thank you. People have been enjoying their visits to the seaside without leaving the comfort of their armchairs.
Did you do any special events for the release?
Unfortunately, Bay of Lost Souls was released on a Thursday when I am busy with my day job so it was a bit low-key. It did enjoy a great blog tour the following week, however, which made up for that.
I also know you have had a new addition to the family, too. (Kiltie does love her cats. That’s why Sonu Singh is more than happy for her to be here. Kiltie, he’s not always this welcoming!) How is Rocky settling in with the rest of the Moggy Crew? And how did you come to have him join your family?
Hang on a minute… (Kiltie moves Sonu Singh into a more comfortable position on her lap) Claws! Right, that’s better. Rocky is settling in very well with most of the Moggy Posse. Unfortunately, Charlie, the Ginger Whinger, is still being a grump but as he’s like this with Henry after two years, we all just ignore him. Including Rocky! How he came to join our household is a mystery, even to us. One day, he appeared outside our kitchen door and more or less refused to leave. We’d never seen him before, we don’t know where he came from, if he had been abandoned or was lost. I put him on a website for lost pets in our area but no one claimed him. Finally, after a few months of mind games, he won, we took him to the vet and began the process of bringing him into the fold. He now has his paws firmly in the door and has taken ownership of my favourite footstool. He kindly allows me a small corner for my toes to rest upon. You are a true Kitty Lover, Kiltie!
Now, The Prosecco Pact is a bit different to The Bay of Lost Souls. Where did the inspiration for that come?
I genuinely do not know! I was lying awake in bed at silly o’clock in the morning, weird stuff going around my head as it’s inclined to do in the wee small hours and somehow the title ‘The Prosecco Pact’ popped up. I thought it sounded like a great title and proceeded to try and come up with a story line worthy of it.
Having been a member of your Facebook group, Kiltie Jackson – Books, Bits & Bobs, I know you lovingly referred to this one as The Screaming Banshee for a while! Care to elaborate??
Happy to! (lol) When I had the initial idea, it was November and I’d already written two books that year so the plan was to make notes and go back to write the book at a later date. Unfortunately, my brain / the story had other ideas and kept going around and around my head, coming up with more and more things to add. Now, normally, this kind of thing happens until I make my initial notes, consign them into the notebook and my brain will then rest until I return to it. In this case, however, it was having none of that and would not be quiet until eventually, I caved and began writing the story. It took four weeks to write, from beginning to end, and I have never written a book so quickly either before or since! This was a story screaming to come out hence it became fondly known as ‘The Screaming Banshee’!
Have you ever made a pact, like the ladies do in The Prosecco Pact?
Not that I can recall.
You tackle quite a few issues within this book, from domestic abuse and misogyny in relationships, to work-life balance, and even look at sizeism. That is a lot to cover, but it was done so well. Each of the characters has something they need to overcome. Do you identify with any of these women?
At different times in my life, I have but I think that can be said for most women. These are not unique situations and we’re all having to cope with at least one of them on a daily basis.
That is so true, Kiltie…
I’ve noticed that London appears in most of your books, in some way or another, are you fond of this city?
I’ll be honest, I LOVE London! I had my first proper visit there in 1984 and when I stepped off the coach, the vibe hit me immediately and I fell in love. I adore the long history of the city and it does appear in most of my books. I did have the pleasure of living there for thirteen years and only moved because I was growing out of my one-bed flat and couldn’t afford to move up the property ladder due to the expense. This is something I refer to in ‘The Prosecco Pact.’
This time you had a canine in the mix, Perfectly Frank. (Love the name!) Were the cats jealous at all, that they weren’t centre stage?
Not in the slightest. They’re happy with the ratio of more cats in my books than dogs so were happy to take a back seat on this occasion. 🙂
That is two releases in one year so far! Any more you are planning on popping out before year’s end? If not, what is there in store for Kiltie Jackson in the near future?
I am planning on re-releasing my novel from last year – Radio Ha Ha. It’s had a bit of a tidy-up, errors rectified and will hit the cyber bookshelves around October with a new title and cover. My next new release after that will be in January 2024 and is the second book in my ‘Since Forever…’ series.
I read Radio Ha Ha before and it was a great read, so excited for your re-release, too, and you still have so much more to come!
Thank you so much for popping over to chat books again, Kiltie! It was a pleasure to pop a cork with you to celebrate your newest release!
Thank you for having me, Ritu! 🙂
The Blurb
Three Women, Three Promises, One Pact!
Lydia Beaumont married the boy of her dreams but he has since become the man of her nightmares. She needs to find a new life.
Grace Mitchell has dedicated her life to her career, losing friends along the way to her ambition. She needs to get a life.
Debbie Stanford has been engaged for a year but is no closer to setting her wedding date. She just wants to start married life.
On a cold, blustery January night, they each promise to change their lives and seal the deal over their glasses of Prosecco.
However, the best made pacts of mice and women have been known to go awry…
Just finished this, and I LOVED it! I have to say that I love Kiltie Jackson’s versatility as an author, and having read three pretty different books, now, from her, I can say with conviction, that she is a fantastic storyteller, no matter what the story! So, The Prosecco Pact. Loved the title from the off. Who doesn’t love those bubbles? Now, this story revolves around three women who met at a course and kept in touch, meeting for Prosecco and Pie nights weekly, or as close to weekly as possible. Each woman is fighting her own battles. Lydia is a respected hairdresser with her own business, carrying on her grandmother’s salon as her own. But her home life leaves much to be desired, with a husband and adult son with views stuck in the past, filled with misogyny. Debbie is a curvaceous woman, running a relatively successful vintage clothing business and eagerly waiting for her fiance to set a date for their wedding. And Grace, the final of the three, a solicitor, is working hard to make a partner at her firm, often forfeiting her life to edge closer to a promotion. All three are at a crossroads in their lives, and after a pretty disappointing Christmas, they make a vow, a Prosecco Pact, at their next gathering to make some serious changes in their lives. Though they aren’t necessarily conventional, each woman alters their life paths in different ways, and their friendships flourish. I loved the way these three women stuck up for one another in ways that meant something. They may have been friends at the beginning, but they became life-long soul sisters after the goings on in this book. And what of romance? Oh, it is there, but slow-burning, and the build-up is worth it! There are layers to this story, three stories tied together, that you keep on peeling to find more and more depth to the characters and their lives. I read this in an afternoon, so engrossed was I in the story!
Author Bio
Kiltie Jackson spent her childhood years growing up in Scotland. Most of these early years were spent in and around Glasgow although for a short period of time, she wreaked havoc at a boarding school in the Highlands. By the age of seventeen, she had her own flat which she shared with a couple of cats for a few years while working as a waitress in a cocktail bar (she’s sure there’s a song in there somewhere!) and serving customers in a fashionable clothing outlet before moving down to London to chalk up a plethora of experience which is now finding its way into her writing. Once she’d wrung the last bit of fun out of the smoky capital, she moved up to the Midlands and now lives in Staffordshire with one grumpy husband and another six feisty felines. Her little home is known as Moggy Towers even though, despite having plenty of moggies, there are no towers! The cats kindly allow her and Mr Mogs to share their home as long as the mortgage continues to be paid. Since the age of three, Kiltie has been an avid reader although it was many years later before she decided to put pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard – to begin giving life to the stories in her head. Her debut novel was released in September 2017 and her fourth book was a US Amazon bestseller in Time Travel Romance. Kiltie loves to write fiery and feisty female characters and puts the blame for this firmly on the doorsteps of Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables and George Kirrin from The Famous Five. When asked what her best memories are, Kiltie will tell you:
Queuing up overnight outside the Glasgow Apollo to buy her Live-Aid ticket.
Being at Live-Aid.
Winning an MTV competition to meet Bon Jovi in Sweden. (Although, if Mr Mogs is in earshot, the latter is changed to her wedding day.) Her main motto in life used to be “Old enough to know better, young enough not to care!” but that has since been replaced with “Too many stories, not a fast enough typist!”
But I Smile Anyway... 