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Fleur Blüm

~ writer, performer, musician

Fleur Blüm

Tag Archives: Romance

New Release Announcement

18 Friday Dec 2020

Posted by toearlyretirement in My Journey, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

book baby, Christmas, Family, new book, New Year, norse mythology, Romance, urban fantasy, Writing

Well. 2020 has been a hectic year in a lot of ways (I refuse to say unprecendented because, far out, that word gets used a lot). With all the time stuck inside I’m excited to announce I’m ready to release my new book baby, an urban fantasy/romance, Singular Focus.

A book cover, a white woman with short hair and an eye patch stands in front of a moon and city scape, in purple hues, with a raven and storm visible. Text reads: Singular Focus, Fleur Blüm.

“When Freya loses her right eye on her 28th birthday, her life has to change. Little does she know the whole world had changed too – there is magic in Melbourne. 

Visions of an oncoming storm, victims of a mystery coma-like illness are dropping around the city, and Jacob, the occupational therapist she can’t keep out of her mind.   

Time is running out, Freya and Jacob must save the world before magic tears everything apart.” 

The ebook is available for pre-order now on Amazon and other good sellers, releasing on 1 February 2021. A paperback version will be available closer to the release date.

This book is a bit of a departure from my previous work. I was influenced by a lot of great Norse mythology and stories involving a real world with added elements, like magic. I’m sure fans of my work, and fans of the genre alike will enjoy it.

I’m taking some time off from the day job and not doing work for the LMS over the Christmas period. The plan is to lounge around, catch up with friends and family, that sort of thing. I also have a small list of projects around the house to do, cleaning the car, and other boring stuff. I hope you’re all able to have a break, or change of scenery.

See you for my annual new year goal post in a couple of weeks.

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My Mother’s Secret – available now!

01 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by toearlyretirement in Writing

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Tags

book launch, book release, Romance, Romance Writing, virtual book launch, Writing

Hi Everyone

You should know (given I keep telling you) I’m releasing my third novel, My Mother’s Secret today! I just had a launch party on my Facebook author page. If you want to, you can watch it here.

My Mothers Secret eCover

I’m also giving away a copy of my book to the best ‘terrible meet cute’ until 7:30pm tomorrow (Melbourne time), so make sure you comment on the video to win a copy.

Thank you for everyone who attended, and who has/will buy the book.

It’s available now in print and ebook format on Amazon and other reputable online book sellers.

Happy reading!

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Das ist verboten

25 Monday May 2020

Posted by toearlyretirement in My Journey, Writing

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Tags

accident, bill bailey, Blogging, book launch, broken leg, corona, COVID-19, Inspiration, Romance, Romance Writing, Stress, Surgery, time, virtual book launch

It’s been nearly four months since I was hit by a car. Some of you may be surprised to know that I’m still hobbling around on crutches, although I am rid of the moon boot as of last week. I need one further surgery to get all the metal taken out, it was supposed to be last week but then I had a bit of a sore throat and the hospital told me I couldn’t go in until after I’d had a test for COVID-19.

The test was unpleasant but tolerable, much in the same way as a pap smear test is unpleasant but tolerable. I don’t have it, thankfully, just some other unrelated sore throat issue. The whole saga reminded me of how weird the world has become. Things which would have been totally normal this time last year just don’t happen anymore, and things that would never have happened last year are common place – like having nothing scheduled every night this week. Lots of people are out of jobs, though thankfully in Australia we haven’t had huge numbers of deaths.

The whole world reminds me of a sketch I saw once, I’m pretty sure it was Bill Bailey but of course I can’t find the clip anymore. He described an East-German sitcom he’d made up entitled ‘Das ist verboten’ (translated it can mean variously: it’s illegal, it’s forbidden or it’s not allowed).

person holding covid sign

Everything I used to do feels like it’s illegal, forbidden, not allowed. Going to see a band, modelling for an art class, catching up with more than five people. I went to the supermarket on Saturday to get supplies for my isobaking and isocooking and there were so many people there. It was stressful. I didn’t feel as though I could get far enough away from people and I was wearing a big jacket because it was cold outside, but it was not cold inside so I was overheating which made everything worse.

Time is moving both extremely slowly and dizzyingly fast. I was released from hospital exactly a month before lock down started, but I wasn’t very mobile then. Now I’m more mobile, I have more energy, I’m even back up to my regular hours at the day job, but there is no where to go. Since being in partial isolation I’ve forgotten how to socialise. People exhaust me. Life exhausts me. I guess that’s kind of par for the course – everyone is exhausted or stir crazy or both.

I announced a while ago that I would publish my third novel on 1 June 2020, that’s only a week away. I blame the weird action of time for this. I’ll be hosting a virtual book launch on Facebook next Monday evening (Melbourne time) and I’d love you all to come. I haven’t entirely worked out what I’m going to do but it should be fun none the less.

If you don’t fancy the book launch or you live in a time zone where it will be awkward, you can always purchase your copy of My Mother’s Secret on Amazon and all good online book retailers. There might be a recording of the launch too.

One day we might look back at this time and think of all the things we learned, all the bread we baked, and all the government deficits we accumulated and smile, but it will be a long time from now. Until then, just try to be excellent to each other I guess.

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Cover Reveal and Pre-Orders

04 Saturday Apr 2020

Posted by toearlyretirement in My Journey, Writing

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Tags

book launch, Contemporary fiction, ebook, new release, Romance, Women's Fiction

In addition to taking isolation selfies, I have been preparing my third novel for release on 1 June 2020.

I can now reveal the gorgeous e-book cover, made for me by Charmaine Ross.

My Mothers Secret eCover

‘Cassandra Morton’s life is a mess; her mother just died, her ex is a nightmare and her sister’s in trouble.

Jason Harding is the lawyer handling Cassie’s mother’s estate. His father’s new family is falling apart and he hates his job.

It’s not a good idea for either of them to get into a relationship but they can’t stay away…’

You can pre-order the e-book on Amazon here with other platforms to come. I am also setting up print books, which will be available to pre-order shortly, and for general purchase on 1 June 2020.

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I’m gonna be over here…

20 Friday Mar 2020

Posted by toearlyretirement in My Journey, Writing

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Tags

books, COVID-19, Pandemic, Romance, Romance Writing, Self-publishing, Writing

…doing my own thing, 1.5m away from any other people.

So we’re all totally over-loaded with COVID-19 pandemic content, so I’m going to try not to talk about that too much, but it’s changed everything for everyone for the foreseeable future.

One of the things that has changed for me is what I want to do with my next manuscript. I had planned to wait for responses from traditional publishers but I suspect taking new authors from the slush pile is not going to be high on their radars for the next [indeterminate period of time]. In light of the whole situation I’m planning to release my third novel independently on 1 June 2020.

The novel is called My Mother’s Secret, it’s a full length contemporary romance novel. I haven’t written a blurb or done a cover but I’ll publish those here and on my FaceBook author page when they’re done.

I’ve made the decision on a whim, I’m still on some of the opioid medication so maybe that has contributed to this slightly impulsive announcement.

hospital ducks

I hope you all have enough to eat, somewhere to hide away from the world, and enough to read. Hit me up if you want e-copies of my previous novels for free, I’ll do a promo code for isolation.

PS: I’m using the rubber duckies wearing scrubs again because it’s still relevant…

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It’s launched!

19 Tuesday Feb 2019

Posted by toearlyretirement in My Journey, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

book launch, Contemporary fiction, discovering the franklins, Melbourne Romance Writers Guild, Romance, Romance Writing, Savannah Blaize, Writing, Writing Group

On Sunday I released my second novel. I decided to throw a small launch party for it.

Here are a couple of photos from the day courtesy of Stuart.

Black and white. A sign points to a book launch.
Black and white. An older woman with black hair sits reading from a book to a group of people.
Blakc and white. A woman with long brown hair speaks to a group of people looking at her. Another woman stands beside her.
Black and white. A woman with long blond dreadloacks, wearing a white t-shirt plays the guitar and sings.
Black and white. A woman with long brown hair signs a book for a woman with blond hair. They are seated.
Black and white. A woman with long brown hair throws her head back laughing. A non-binary person next to her is also laughing. They are seated and the woman hands her companion a book.
Black and white photo of a woman signing a copy of her book. Close up of hands and book only.

I would like to thank everyone who came along, and everyone who bought a copy of the book. I was very nervous about it, but I think it went smoothly and I hope everyone had a nice time.

Special thanks to Savannah Blaize for being the MC, to Alison for doing the lion’s share of catering, and to Lu for providing the tunes.

Discovering the Franklins is available in e-book on Amazon and other good retailers, and in hard copy from me directly.

Happy reading and thanks for the support.

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Pre-order ‘Discovering the Franklins’

18 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by toearlyretirement in My Journey, Writing

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Tags

Annie Seaton, book launch, book release, Charmaine Ross, cover reveal, discovering the franklins, Inspiration, novel, persistence, pre-order, Romance, Sophie's Path, Writing

I’m super excited to announce that my second novel, Discovering the Franklins, is now available to pre-order on Amazon and all other relevant sales channels!

Over the Christmas break away from my day job I finished the very last edits and I’m ready to show my new baby to the world.

thumbnail_discovering the franklins

I am also having a book launch event in Melbourne for fans who are interested in purchasing a signed, hard copy version of the book. It will be February 17, 2019, from 5:00-7:00pm. If you’re interested to attend please email me for address details.

For international hard-copy readers, I can mail you a signed copy, or you can order through Amazon.

I will have copies of my first novel, Sophie’s Path, available to purchase at the launch and copies of my poetry zine.

Thank you to Charmaine Ross for the gorgeous cover, to Annie Seaton for editing, and my mum, Jenny for the beta-reading and proof reading. Thank you also to all my supportive writing buddies, my friends and by family for helping keep me on track to get this done. I couldn’t have done it without you (please buy my book!).

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Show Review and Other News

21 Sunday Oct 2018

Posted by toearlyretirement in My Journey, Writing

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Tags

Annie Seaton, Characters, Editing, Fleur and Alexandra are Out of This World, Inspiration, Lauren Clarke, Melbourne Fringe Festival, Melbourne Romance Writers Guild, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, review, Romance, Romance Writing, Writing

Dear readers

I’m not sure why I started with that, but there you go. Since I last updated you, Alex found that Milk Bar Mag have put up a review of our little show here. It’s always very gratifying for people  you don’t know to say they enjoyed your work!Nanowrimo

I’m busily preparing to go overseas for a few weeks on holiday AND do NaNoWriMo at the same time. Past Fleur thought this was a good idea, but Present Fleur is starting to doubt her judgement. I will press on though, and even if I don’t get much done, I’ll have nearly two weeks after I get back to catch up.

I attended my monthly Romance Writers’ group today, and we had a presentation from Lauren Clarke on Creating Compelling Characters. She had a great balance of information and activities, although there was a lot to take in. I took notes so I’ll be able to go back and look at it later if I forget.

It was a great opportunity to come up with some new characters, and from that I developed about half a plot for the new novel. It’s a relief to know I can still come up with stuff after taking a while off writing new fiction for the show, and to edit previous work.

I have a fresh new notebook to use for drafting, I bought myself fancy new fine-liner pens, in multiple colours, and I have the bones of a story. I might even make it through this NaNoWriMo with a novel that’s worth editing!

While I’m travelling and drafting, I’ve also arranged for the editor of my first book, Annie Seaton, to have a look at a new 45k manuscript. I’ll look at her feedback in December and aim to have something ready to publish in February. So keep your eyes peeled and on this blog for further announcements.

Lots of things are bubbling along, as is always the way, here at Fleur HQ. Thank you all for your continued support and love. I couldn’t do it without you.

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‘Sophie’s Path’ e-book now available

03 Sunday Jun 2018

Posted by toearlyretirement in Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Author, books, Choose Your Own Adventure, Inspiration, Release, Romance, Romance Writing, Sophie's Path, Writing

I’m equal parts excited and nervous to announce I’ve released my first self-published novel, Sophie’s Path: A Choose Your Own Romance Adventure.

It’s available at all good e-book stores, including Amazon and iTunes, use this link to access your preferred: https://www.books2read.com/Sophies-Path

“Sophie Faithful works as a Sales Rep in a big company. She lives in inner Melbourne and she likes her life, but there’s something missing.

You need to help her choose what to do. Whether to go on a date with her colleague Jude, or to get back in touch with her ex, James, or whether to strike up a conversation with that guy in the cafe, Freddie.

This Choose Your Own Romance Adventure has 14 endings. Some are sexy and fun, others have serious consequences.”

Sophie's Path Cover Image

This is my first release. I’m proud to say that my novel is now ready for you!

Please feel free to leave five-star reviews, tell all of your friends, and let me know what you think.

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Choose Your Own Adventure!

05 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by toearlyretirement in My Journey, Writing

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Adventure, Choose Your Own Adventure, Inspiration, Motivation, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, nostalgia, Procrastination, Romance, Writing

It’s November and that means it’s NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) time again. I got off to a slow start but I’m cracking along now. I have a very dull/not busy/not hard job at the moment and I’m able to do quite a lot of writing while I’m there. It makes the time go faster too. Double bonus!

On some sort of nostalgic whim I decided to write a Choose Your Own Adventure Novel. Remember those? All written in the second person, mostly targeted to tweens and teens, massively popular in the 80s and 90s. Well, I wanted to write one of those, and since I seem to write romance type novels, it’s a Choose Your Own Romance Adventure.

It's true, I have planned 20 failure endings and only 5 successful ones!

It’s true, I’ve planned 20 failure endings and only 5 successful ones!

It’s going great, once I got my head around keeping track of my loose ends. So far I have about nine thousand words and two failure endings. The biggest thing I had to get used to was that I now have to write sex scenes in the second person.

E.g. You run your hand along his jaw. He turns to you and kisses you deeply.

That sort of thing. At first it was very weird to write in second person, but I’m getting used to it. Every time I have to use you as plural, though, I tend to expand it to ‘you and Joe Bloggs do this’ because part of me thinks that You is the main character and therefore shouldn’t be confused with you plural.

Additionally one of my characters is called Felicity, which is apparently very hard to spell. There are going to be so many different misspellings of her name through the manuscript, but as is the motto of NaNoWriMo, write now, edit later. I’m also doing some of my writing on an iPad, which has a very strange and frustrating auto-correct system, so hopefully Future Me won’t be looking at a sentence and think what the hell? That’s not even English.

Anyway, just keeping you all updated. I might not be posting here much coz all of my words will be going to the novel, but you never know. Maybe I’ll be procrastinating.

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fleurblum@hotmail.com

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