Book Promo, Excerpt & Character Interview: Spirits of Christmas by Nicky Wells

Today, I am excited and pleased to bring you an exciting new book by author Nicky Wells called Spirits of Christmas.  Please find all the details, and a special guest interview with one of the stars of the book, Jude Shaw, below - plus an excerpt to whet the appetite! Rock on!

Synopsis:

Spirits of Christmas: A Rock’n’Roll Christmas Carol

At one time, up-and-coming rock singer Jude had it all: a great band, a platinum record, a loving girlfriend. This Christmas, however, he is well down the road towards spontaneous self-destruction.

Unwitting at first, Jude has progressively alienated his band and driven away the love of his life. Tonight, the night before Christmas Eve, he has broken the final taboo during a disastrous gig. Yet Jude doesn’t see how badly his life has derailed, not until a ghostly procession of legends passes through his bedroom with a series of vivid and powerful wake-up calls.

Will the Spirits help Jude put the friendship, love, and rock music back into his Christmas?

Spirits of Christmas is a modern-day rock’n’roll adaption of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. This novella will enchant romance readers, rock lovers, fans of ghost stories, and everybody who adores the festive season.

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EXCERPT

‘Hiya, Jude!’

The voice emerged from the door, and Jude’s head whipped round as if drawn by a string.

‘Hiya, Jude,’ the voice repeated cheerfully. Unexpectedly, it launched into the first line of one of Jude’s most favourite songs. Jude once again sank onto the bed, his legs refusing to carry him with the shock of this second apparition.

‘Is this really you?’

For a moment, Jude’s second otherworldly visitor abandoned his song and remained silent, motionless, allowing Jude to take a good, long look. The sideburns, the nose, the defined chin, the round glasses were clearly visible despite the spirit’s transparent appearance. Everything about this figure was familiar, yet nothing was quite as it should have been. It was as though Jude was looking at a hologram, a distorted, stretched vision where nothing quite fitted together.

Nonetheless, Jude found his voice. ‘Oh my God, it is you!’

Excitement made his exclamation strong and clear. The figure flinched at the sudden burst of noise, but Jude ploughed on. ‘This is…this is totally unreal. I mean, imagine this—here’s me in my bedroom, and there’s you, come to visit me.’

‘I’m not who you think you see,’ the apparition interrupted. ‘I’m the Ghost of Christmas Past.’

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Special Guest Interview:

Lynn: Here today to talk about a Christmas experience with a difference is none other than Jude Shaw, lead singer of UK rock band, The Blood Roses. Jude… I hear you had a pretty tough time last Christmas. What happened?

Jude: *clears his throat and looks shifty* Well, Lynn… um. Let’s just say I went off the rails a bit. Okay, a lot. I lost the plot. Completely.

Lynn: How come?

Jude: Well, I kind of had this idea in my head that I knew all about being a rock star. That I was a genius. That everyone else had it in for me. That my girlfriend stopped loving me and was letting herself go a bit. You know, that kind of stuff. I was arrogant and conceited and completely misguided.

Lynn: And?

Jude: I was on the brink of losing everything. And I mean, everything.

Lynn: How did you figure that out?

Jude: I didn't, and that’s the really terrifying thing. I was so blinded, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Until…

Lynn: Yes?

Jude: Do you believe in ghosts? Guiding spirits? That kind of thing? No, don’t answer that. Most people don’t. I know I didn't. I’d have consigned myself to the loony bin if I’d started talking about ghosts. But that night…that night before Christmas Eve. Wow. I sure changed my mind. I still don’t quite know what happened, but it changed my life.

Lynn: *flicks through the pages of a book until she finds the right page.* It says here that you had a visit from the Ghost of Forewarning…

Jude: Indeed.

Lynn: Wow. That’s quite something else. What did you think when he turned up in your bedroom?

Jude: *laughs uncertainly* I thought I’d gone off my rocker. To start with, I thought I was dreaming. I kept thinking, you gotta be kidding me. Then I thought I was going mad. But I soon found out I wasn't. That…apparition, well, he could do stuff. You know, I couldn't touch him, but he could certainly touch me. And take me places, like, in my past. And he knew things about me that nobody could know. I was totally freaked out. I don’t want to give away anymore because I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone. But believe me, folks, it was surreal. Untrue. Inspiring. Amazing. Uplifting, in every sense of the word. And it changed my life.

Lynn: Speaking of life… what’s next for you?

Jude: Great question. Well, The Blood Roses are writing again. We got signed by Dan Hunter, and things are looking up, for sure. We've got a tour in the works just as soon as the next album is recorded. Oh and… well… I’m going to be a dad again, of course. That’s pretty scary.

Lynn: I know! Congratulations! Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?

Jude:  No idea. A little brother for Nate would be wonderful, but then again, so would a little sister.

Lynn: You’ll have to come back and tell us all about it. Now then… the quick fire round. You ready?

Jude: I’m ready.

Favorite Christmas rock song? Oooh Wizzard, Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday

Favorite Christmas tradition? Trimming the tree. Carrie and I, we make a special bauble each year now… it’s awesome.

Tea or coffee? Tea.

Fish’n’chips, or steak? Pizza. Sorry to be awkward.

Jeans or leathers? Leathers. There’s something about the feel of leather, it’s very… sensuous.

Iceland or Hawaii? Iceland.

Download or CD? Neither. Gimme vinyl any day!

Yesterday, today, or tomorrow. Today. You can fix yesterday’s mistakes and prevent future disasters, but you've got to do it now. Oops, that’s rather deep. You could say I learned my lesson well, right?

Lynn: *laughs* Yes, you could. But I love it. Thanks for visiting, Jude!

Jude: Thank for inviting me. Have a rocking Christmas season!

Lynn: My pleasure! Thanks, you too!

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Inspiration for Spirits of Christmas…

Writing this novella was a bit of an inevitability for me, all things considered. If you don’t already know me, you have to understand that I simply love rock music. Rock musicians are like Viagra for my soul. I’m also a sucker for romance and a good old-fashioned happy ending. Moreover, I love the Christmas season: the lights, the sweets, the laughter. Combining all those things ~ rock, romance, and Christmas ~ was one of the most delightful writing projects of my career so far!

The idea for this book came to me the very night after I launched my second book, Sophie’s Run, in February of this year. I was hyped up with excitement, I had finished writing my third book and was waiting for publisher edits, and I had already planned my fourth full-length novel. I was utterly and completely unable to sleep with everything that was going on, and quite unexpectedly, the whole story was in my head. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is one of my favourite Christmas stories both in the original and its many varied adaptations. I suddenly thought… why not bring it into the rock’n’roll domain?

My wonderful husband, Jon, was somewhat taken aback when I presented him with this plan the following morning.

‘I’m going to write a Christmas novella,’ I said.

‘But you've got another book launch in September, and you've planned your fourth book already—how’s this going to fit in?’ he responded enthusiastically, if pragmatic.

‘I’ll figure it out.’

And so I did. It took me just over a week to write the first draft in May 2013, and another few weeks here and there to tweak, fine-tune and polish it over the following months. But here it is. Spirits of Christmas. I hope you enjoy!

About Nicky Wells: Romance that Rocks Your World!

Hi! I’m Nicky Wells, your ultimate rock chick author. My books offer glitzy, glamorous contemporary romance with a rock theme ~ imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill! If you've ever had a crush on any kind of celebrity ~ rock, pop, movie or other ~ you’ll connect with my heroes and my leading ladies!

Like my first leading lady, Sophie, I love listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When I’m not writing, I’m a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and regular contributor to The Midweek Drive show on Lincoln’s Siren 107.3 FM. Rock on!

My books: Sophie’s Turn | Sophie’s Run | Sophie’s Encore | Spirits of Christmas

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