Good afternoon, Everyone and welcome. Today author Victoria Holmes is here to share. Her new book, Poptastic, is now available.
Hello everyone, my name is Victoria Holmes, and I released my debut novel, Poptastic in May. It’s been a busy few months trying to build contacts and work out how to publicize a book, but I’m very lucky to have had so much support from the Lesfic community.
Poptastic follows a group of bridesmaids as they get ready for their friend’s wedding. The bridesmaids are a reluctant, mismatched group, who have been friends since university, but who are increasingly separating from each other. The main character Julia used to date one of the brides and feels a bit awkward about the whole bridesmaid thing. She’s not exactly thriving in London where she hates her job and lives in a box room and is feeling left behind as the rest of her friends start to settle down and progress in their careers. Cue Krisha.
Krisha is a pop star who now judges a television talent show named Poptastic. As chaotic as she is glamorous, dating Krisha rips Julia away from her mundane existence, and she soon finds herself completely under Krisha’s thumb.
In many ways the story is one of personal growth, following a young woman making a lot of mistakes before finally working out for herself what is important and worth fighting for in life.
The book took me about three years to write, although I was working full time as a teacher at the time, and so only writing evenings and weekends. I feel that the process of writing and publishing a book has taught me a lot, and I’m really glad that I’ve done it and my book is now out there. It’s really humbling that it’s being read by people around the world, and it’s so great to hear from readers who have enjoyed Poptastic. Below is a short excerpt from Poptastic.
“The evening was turning out very strangely indeed. Julia was just thinking how nice it would be to go away for her next birthday when she noticed a petite Asian woman in a figure-hugging red dress entertaining a group of friends with a lively story. ‘And then she turned around, and it was only Taylor Swift!’ the woman said as the people around her erupted with laughter, ‘so, I said how about it anyway, and we shared them,’ at which point her audience positively roared. Julia caught a glimpse of the funny lady’s face as she turned to take a sip from her wine glass. It was Krisha Mistry, the singer who was now a judge on Poptastic. Julia’s breath caught in her throat. Krisha was devastatingly attractive and notoriously bisexual, having gone through a very public breakup with a stunning American actor the year before. The bartender sounded irritated as he asked for the second time what Julia wanted, and she ripped her gaze away for just long enough to give her order before resuming ogling. She was still staring when suddenly Krisha’s eyes fixed on hers. Julia dropped her gaze immediately – cultured and sophisticated Londoners didn’t gawk every time they saw a celebrity in a bar. However, it took her less than five seconds to decide that sophistication was overrated and sneak another look. When she saw that Krisha was still looking back, she completely bottled it. Don’t panic and don’t do anything weird, she instructed herself under her breath, which probably did look a bit off. By the time Julia’s nerve had returned, Krisha had resumed talking with her friends. She feared she’d lost her forever, but before the last drink was poured, Krisha’s eyes found hers again. The beginnings of huge ambition stirred in Julia – the hope that if she played her cards just right – if she was witty and charming and cunning – then maybe she might just manage to hook up with Krisha Mistry. Adrenaline forced her alcohol-addled brain into action. She had only the smallest of openings before this magnificent opportunity slipped away forever but was still paralysed by indecision when she saw a shapely red bust gliding towards her.”
Poptastic is available to buy on Amazon and is free with Kindle Unlimited.
I’m toying with what to write next. I’ve considered a sequel, or another stand-alone book. The idea of writing a young adult appeals to me, as I still feel connected to my teenage self, and would like to explore the teenage experience in my writing, but for now I’m enjoying some quality time with my girlfriend and our cats. For years, I spent all my spare time writing, so it’s quite nice to give myself a bit of a break and have some space to think about what I’d like to do next.
I want to thank Victoria for her share. You can see my last blog post for my review of Poptastic.
Until Next Time,
Lynn
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Lynn Lawler's Creative Artists' Blog 