The Highlands are calling!

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

And now for something completely different! Next Friday we will spend back in France but today we have a surprise return visit from the talented Nicky Wells. Like the rock stars in her novel, she’s on tour herself celebrating the launch of the second volume, Sophie’s Run, in her hilarious and sweet Rock Star Romance Trilogy. 

Come on Tour with Sophie and Dan… Explore the Scottish Highlands with Sophie and Steve

Sophie’s Run

 

Her famous star remains her rock while life takes her on a little detour…

Who says that the road towards true love is straight and even?  Sophie is certainly discovering that it is anything but.

So she has finally found the man of her dreams! Well… she knows who he is, even though she hasn’t actually quite met him yet.  But she misses her opportunity, and then her life goes crazy.  Rock star and ex-fiancé, Dan, keeps getting in the way of her new romance—even if he is just trying to be helpful.  A fire, an impromptu mini-trip with Dan, and a dreaded wedding later, Sophie is still struggling to meet the love of her life. Then, just as she is getting it together with her perfect man, best friend Rachel commits an act of unspeakable betrayal.

Sophie has had enough. Confused and distraught, she decides that it is time for radical change.  Surprising herself and shocking her friends, she embarks on a secret journey and eventually gets her life back on track.

Hi! *Sophie waves energetically* I’m so excited that you’ve visited Patricia’s fab blog today. I’m Sophie Penhalligan, heroine in the Rock Star Romance Trilogy by Nicky Wells. We’re celebrating the launch of part 2, Sophie’s Run, and as part of the blog tour we’d like to take you on tour. Uh-huh, you read that right. Let me show you some of the delights of the Scottish highlands, which is where my new boyfriend Steve whisks me away for a romantic weekend give-away. And the fact that it all went disastrously wrong really wasn’t his fault at all. I know that now!

Anyway, I digress. Here’s how he sold me the holiday:

“Look,” he said. “I got us a surprise getaway.”

He opened up the glossy leaflet and showed me pictures of a grand old castle with big stately rooms plushly furnished. One featured an enormous four-poster bed with a roaring log fire in the background. There was an indoor swimming pool, a sauna and a spa room, as well as a fancy restaurant.

“There’s a beautiful nature reserve round the loch, and we can go for long walks by the water, have pub lunches, come back, rest, sleep, have dinner. It will be wonderful.”

(Excerpt from Sophie’s Run).

So therefore, this is what I expected:

A beautiful loch…

By Rchillyard (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

…staggering mountain views…

By Stefan Krude (Stefan_Krude) (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

…and a stunning castle!

By Nilfanion (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

And this is where it all started to go wrong.

“It’s quite Rocky Horror Picture Show, isn’t it?” he offered. I had only ever seen that film once, in the arty cinema off Leicester Square on a Friday night. I had been ill-prepared for it and got absolutely soaked. Nonetheless, I knew exactly what scene he was referring to.

“We’re the couple arriving at the castle,” I whispered. “Oh God, I hope not.”

“And so it seemed that fortune had smiled on Steve and Sophie…” Steve intoned in his best narrator voice. He continued, “…and that they had found the assistance that their plight required…” He gave a little audio ta-ta-ta for the ellipsis before the dramatic rhetorical question, “…or had they?”

“Stop it, you’re frightening me,” I protested. He had a point, though. All we needed was the riff raff to appear and the set would be perfect.

“I’m sorry,” Steve apologized dutifully. “I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s one of my favorite films, and this is kinda great.”

I wanted to thump him on the arm to make him stop, but I never got the chance.

“Can I help you?” a brittle and tremulous voice inquired from somewhere in the dark. “Only I have to inform you that you are trespassing.”

(Excerpt from Sophie’s Run).

You’ll have to read the book to find out the exact nature of this disaster, and everything else that happened afterwards. It’s a rollercoaster, I promise you! But nonetheless, the Scottish Highlands are imposing, breathtaking and beautiful. I fully intend to experience them properly for myself someday very soon!

Meanwhile, thank you for joining me here today! J *waves goodbye* See you soon!!

Sophie’s Run is now available in Kindle edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and in Paperback edition from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. You can also get the paperback at Barnes & Noble, or download Sophie’s Run onto your Nook (coming soon).

Wait, wait, wait, there’s more: Introducing the Sophie’s Run Give Away!

Sophie’s Run GIVEAWAYS

1) Standard Giveaway

Nicky Wells is giving away one delicious chocolate gift to a lucky winner in the UK or North America!

The small print: This Gift prize is a product of Unique Chocolate. The Gift prize is subject to availability in your country. If the Gift prize is not available in your country, Nicky Wells reserves the right to offer a substitute gift prize of a similar nature at her discretion. Nicky Wells will require the winner’s postal address for shipping purposes.

Rafflecopter Links:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/OTI2ZmY2ZjlkMzQ0YzMxZGFhOTJkMzFjZjBhY2Q2OjE=/

2. Bonus Giveaway

Nicky Wells offers a giveaway of one Amazon gift voucher worth $20/£15 for one lucky winner. To enter, simply share your thoughts on Sophie’s Run with Nicky. Email your comment to nickywells@sapphirestarpublishing.com and your name will be entered into the draw. Competition closes 1 May 2013.

About Nicky Wells: Romance that Rocks Your World!

 

Rock On! Nicky Wells writes fun and glamorous contemporary romance featuring a rock star and the girl next door.  A signed author with U.S. publisher, Sapphire Star Publishing, Nicky is in the throes of publishing her Rock Star Romance Trilogy. Nicky loves rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters.  When she’s not writing, Nicky is a wife, mother, and occasional teaching assistant.

Originally born in Germany, Nicky moved to the United Kingdom in 1993, and currently lives in Lincoln with her husband and their two boys. In a previous professional life, Nicky worked as a researcher and project manager for an international Human Resources research firm based in London and Washington, D.C.

Visit Nicky on her blog where you can find articles, interviews, radio interviews and, of course, an ongoing update on her work in progress. You can also follow Nicky on Twitter and find her on Facebook. Nicky is a featured author on the innovative reader/author project, loveahappyending.com and has joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Nicky also has author pages at Sapphire Star Publishing, Amazon and, of course, Goodreads.

Nicky, thanks so much for visiting today and taking us on tour with your characters. Now we are all going to rush to read Sophie’s Run and discover just exactly where Sophie and Dan did end up in those dramatically wild and beautiful Highlands. 

I visited northern Scotland many years ago … hmm, make that many, many years ago … and these photos are tempting me to return. How many of you, dear readers, have been there, apart from our tour today?