Katey Lovell

I hadn't planned to blog today.  I'm not prepared for Christmas, we've got friends coming to stay tomorrow night and my writing?  Well, let's just say that December's been a quiet month on that front.  I'm suffering from a NaNoWriMo hangover and a crisis of confidence.  And the paperback of The Singalong Society for Singletons is released tomorrow.  I should probably be promoting that.  There are so many things that I could and should be doing right now that don't involve blogging, but I feel as though I need to write this post. Last night I went to the cinema to watch Get Better , a documentary about musician Frank Turner.  I've been a fan of his for six years or so now after my friend Pip gave me his Love, Ire and Song album.  When she handed it to me she described it as 'folky punk'.  I didn't think 'folky punk' would be my kind of thing, but Frank's blunt yet poetic lyrics really spoke to me and I've seen him live

I'm delighted to share that my new novella is now available to download - and what's more, it's free !  Harper Impulse have published  Three Men and a Maybe just in time for the festive season (the story itself is set on New Year's Eve), and I like to think of it as my Christmas present to you, the readers who've been so incredibly supportive throughout 2016. I'd love to hear what you think of Cerys, Ricky, Huw, Angelo and the rest of the gang, so please do let me know!   The Blurb It’s the age-old saying. You wait all day for a bus, and then three come along at once. But proposals? That’s just ridiculous. And yet, on New Year’s Eve, as the countdown finishes and the whole pub erupts in celebrations, Cerys finds herself staring at her ex-fiancé, Ricky. Who just so happens to be kneeling on the floor, ring in hand, asking her to marry him. Again. And if that weren’t enough, hot barman Angelo, and longtime friend Huw also decide to pop the question.

Despite the best of intentions I've not managed to keep up my weekly musical blog posts.  I'm sorry!  Life's become rather busy lately - the day job has been hectic and I've also had deadlines for editing and proofreading the novella I wrote over the summer (more news on that very soon.  I had a sneaky peek at the cover art for it this week and am totally in love.  It's the perfect sibling for the cover of 'Singalong').  The first draft of next summer's novel is also due with my editor at the start of December so I've been fervently tapping away on my laptop to try and get it ready to send. However, I'd have loved to have found time to write about Grease as it's one of my very favourite films and also Chicago , which my husband and I saw on Broadway during our honeymoon in 2005.  I wish I'd had chance to write about how West Side Story makes my heart hurt, and how when I watched  South Pacific  for the very first time during the rese

The third meeting of The Singalong Society for Singletons has the group gathering to watch one of my very favourite films.  The Sound of Music is a musical my mum and I watched together on the small screen many, many times throughout my childhood and teens.  She first saw it at the cinema with my dad, and as well as the film we also had the soundtrack (on vinyl, naturally) and the sheet music - these were songs I knew inside out from a young age.  It's probably why I still hold them close to my heart. Julie Andrews is absolutely spectacular as keen-but-hopeless nun Maria and I never fail to be moved by the blossoming romance between Maria and Captain von Trapp.  Add to that the humour, the heartbreak and the beautiful score, and it's plain to see why The Sound of Music has lasted the test of time. Treating my mum for her 70th birthday Whilst the film remains ever-popular, I've also been fortunate enough to see the stage show during its tour of the UK.  I boug

It's Friday 16th September, which means one thing - it's time for Monique, Issy, Hope and Connie to settle down to watch Disney's The Lion King ! From the moment I decided to write a book about musicals, I knew I had to include The Lion King .  It's one of my favourite musical films, with a winning combination of a nigh-on perfect score, angst and humour in equal measure and a plot that'll have you hooked from start to finish ('This one was based on Hamlet, you know,' [Mon] continue[s], gesturing towards the TV.  'And no one would dare to call Shakespeare piffle.  He's the greatest playwright that ever lived.')  I have fond memories of watching it at the cinema when it was first released and my DVD copy is rather well-worn. But although the film is incredible in its own right, nothing can compare to the glorious spectacle that is The Lion King on stage.  The costumes, the lighting, the puppetry...it's a full-on feast for any fan of

Today is September 9th.  It's the last day of the first week back at school.  Teachers, teaching assistants and parents are crying out for an evening with a glass (make that a bottle) of wine and something decent to watch on the tellybox.  That's certainly the case for Monique Brown and Issy Jackson.  They've found the first week back an exhausting struggle and can't wait to kick back, put their feet up and watch their favourite film.  Ah, yes...what is their movie of choice?  Well, it's actually Disney's modern classic Frozen, a pretty apt choice seeing as the terraced house they share in Sheffield's Cardigan Close is so cold that it could double as a fridge freezer.  I'm a parent of an eight year old. I've been subjected to Frozen more times than I care to remember, and as much as I love musicals I have to be honest and say it's not one of my favourites. I'm sorry!  Whether it's because 'Let It Go' has been playe

It's now just five weeks until The Singalong Society for Singletons starts winging its way onto ereaders everywhere, which is really, really exciting (but also a smidge terrifying too).  So I think the time has come for me to tell you a bit more about it! The Singalong Society for Singletons is the story of Mon, a twenty-something teaching assistant whose long-term boyfriend Justin has moved to Chicago for a year with his job in banking.  Mon shares a terraced house with her teacher workmate Issy who longs for a loving partner and child more than anything in the world.  They spend their evenings drinking wine and watching Frozen, their comfort-film of choice, until one night when Mon's sister Hope unexpectedly arrives on their doorstep with her own relationship woes... The young women find that when your heart is breaking, there's nothing better to do than sing it out and The Singalong Society for Singletons is born!  Mon, Issy, Hope and Mon's best friend Connie a

Here it is - the beautiful cover for my debut novel The Singalong Society for Singletons!     I am absolutely thrilled - the warm colours perfectly capture the feel of Autumn evenings, the subtle music notes and songbirds hinting of the music within and the hills representing my adopted (and leg-ache inducing) city of Sheffield, where the novel is set.  Books Covered have done an incredible job!  I'd love to know what you think of it too...   The Singalong Society for Singletons is published on October 7th by Harper Impulse, the digital-first romance imprint at Harper Collins who also published The Meet Cute Series, and is available to preorder now.   So what's it all about?     THE BLURB   Monique and Issy are teachers, housemates and lovers of musicals! Their Friday night routine consists of snacks, wine and the Frozen DVD. So when Monique’s boyfriend moves to America for a year and her sister Hope moves in because of her own relationship woes, Frida

Following on from a fabulous weekend watching Take That in Hyde Park with my best friend (you can read a bit about that here) , I spent my Tuesday morning waiting outside a local radio station to meet Olly Murs on his 'You Don't Know Love' radio tour.  I had fun talking to others in the queue (there were maybe 60-80 of us there in all) and the time passed pretty quickly.  Luckily the rain held off and it was neither too hot or too cold - pretty much perfect weather for waiting outside.  Olly arrived just before midday and the staff at the station invited fans in to watch his live stream being filmed, so we all crammed into the foyer to hear him share how proud he is of his forthcoming album and that there will be a tour next year.  Meeting Olly, 12.07.2016 When the interview was over we were all ushered outside and politely reformed the queue to each have our moment with Olly.  It really was nothing more than a moment - his schedule for the radio tour is incredibly

I'm a fangirl through and through.  If I love something, I love it hard and strong with a fierce loyalty that lasts, and my love for Take That has had quite a long time to grow.  Twenty Four years and counting, to be exact, which is kind of scary.  The band I fell in love with, 1992 Obviously my life's very different now to how it was as a thirteen year old.  Since then I've left home, got married, had a child.  I went to university.  I graduated (twice).  I've had numerous jobs.  I write books, not just fanfic where Howard falls madly in love with me that no one except my best friend reads.  People actually buy my books (that's something I'll never take for granted).  In 1992 my only concern was flicking through Smash Hits to see if there was a picture of them all in leather that I could cut out to stick in my Take That scrapbook.  The infamous outfits... But through all these changes, Take That have been a constant.  Yes, there was the long hiat

I'm absolutely terrible at keeping this blog updated, especially at the moment. I'm busy trying to finish the edits on The Singalong Society for Singletons (due to be published October 6th by Harper Impulse at Harper Collins), working on a secret project you'll find out about later in the year and also trying to crack on with my second novel (to be released next summer, if I ever finish writing it!)  It feels like I'm not blogging at all lately and I miss it. I don't want to only be around when I'm promoting new releases.  There's more to me than just writing (not much more, to be fair.  But there is more), and that's why I'm hoping to spend more time blogging about other things I enjoy - I'm not sure how regularly I'll get to do it, but it's a plan! Some of you may be aware of Books with Bunny , the blog I started in 2013 to talk about all things bookish.  There are hundreds of reviews, interviews and book related posts there in

Wedding season’s in full swing and not just in real life – this week sees the first Meet Cute wedding when The Boy and the Bridesmaid is released on Thursday 16th June.   But as well as one of the couples tying the knot (I won’t tell you which!) there is, naturally, another meeting...   I wrote The Boy and the Bridesmaid not long after my best friend’s wedding, when the excitement and promise of a couple committing to each other was fresh in my mind (they’ll be celebrating a year together on 20 th   – happy anniversary Jen and Chris!)   But of course, along with the romance that is an intrinsic part of any wedding day, there’s also an enormous amount of stress involved.   For the bride and groom (and possibly their families too) there’s the expense and the desire to provide a fun and memorable day for both themselves and their guests.   For the wedding party there’s the pressure of speeches or readings.   For guests there are issues around what to wear, or where to stay, an

  For someone who’s never so much as dipped her toe into the world of surfing, I’ve always had a quiet fascination with it.   Maybe that’s partly to do with my age – when I was growing up Baywatch was practically compulsory viewing.   Add to that holidays to Newquay in Cornwall where I’d marvel as surfers on Fistral Beach showed off their skills and that's probably where it all started.     Although I’ve never wanted to get on a board myself (I’m actually laughing at the thought – I’d be terrible!) there’s something incredibly soothing about watching people working in tandem with nature to explore movement.  It's dangerous, exciting and beautiful.  And though those who've mastered it make it look easy, I have no doubt that it's challenge enough staying upright, let alone doing tricks.  When I visited Venice Beach earlier this year I'd hoped to see some surfing but although there were hopefuls waiting to catch a wave, the Pacific wasn't cooperatin

I've been meaning to write this post for a year.  Yes, you did read that right - A YEAR.  March 31st 2015 was the day I got 'the call' from Charlotte at Harper Impulse offering me my very first contract.  To say it was a total shock is an understatement - I'd submitted  The Meet Cute  to so many publishers and agents without success that I'd all but given up hope of them getting published.  In fact, I wasn't even sure which submission Charlotte wanted to talk to me about because I'd subbed to Harper Impulse so many times over the previous year! It sounds like the biggest cliché, but as soon as Charlotte said she loved the Meet Cute collection and wanted to publish them as individual releases (I'd put them forward as an anthology) it was like a weight had been lifted.  Most writers get attached to their work - I think that's normal, actually - but I'd really felt like this series needed to be 'out there'.  It felt fresh and excitin

It's almost publication day for The Boy with the Boxes ! The Blurb Rosie's starting afresh.  Her best friend and former housemate is starting a new life in Australia leaving Rosie to move into a new flat on her own.  But when she meets her next door neighbour, Rosie realises she may not be quite so alone after all... This is a really special story to me as it's as much about friendship as romance. I dedicated this one to my best friend because not only has she shown me endless support , she genuinely believed in me and my writing, way back from when it was fan fiction in my teen bedroom.  I hope this Meet Cute makes her smile. The Boy with the Boxes is dedicated to Jen The Boy with the Boxes will be published by Harper Impulse on April 7th 2016 and is available to preorder now Amazon UK Kobo Sainsbury's  

Tirgearr Publishing ( who published my novella One Night in Los Angeles last month) are celebrating!  Founded on Leap Day 2012, they'll be four on Monday - although, of course, this is their first 'proper' birthday with February 29th only coming around once every four years.       Tirgearr have reduced the price of many of their titles (including One Night in Los Angeles !) as part of their celebrations, and to keep the party theme going, I asked some of my fellow Tirgearr authors to share their memorable birthday stories...  Mary T. Bradford  says her 50th birthday was the most memorable. "My hubby was treating me to a weekend away and the destination was a surprise. He kept me guessing right up until I boarded the plane. As the airport we were flying into wasn't the final destination, I had no clue. It turned out we were going to beautiful Barcelona. So when I was invited to write for the Hot City Nights series by Tirgearr Publishing, I chose Barc

As Aaron Halliday the leading man in One Night in Los Angeles is a Hollywood star, I thought it'd be fun to talk to fellow authors and book bloggers about their favourite actors and actresses.  One of the reasons I loved writing Aaron was because the perception of him generated by the media was quite different to the man Abbi gets to know.  Let's see what makes the following household names so popular...       One Night in Madrid and One Night in Pamplona author  JD Martins  admires Kate Winslet "because she's not only an amazing actor, but she's beautiful and unafraid of going places in her acting that others might not go and showing the raw emotions. It's a bit like those writers who are brave enough to write erotica, to expose the raw emotions of our stories that it takes us some years to build up the courage to write, for fear of what our friends and family might think. Kate does it in every film and has done it since her earliest film."