A self-confessed reading addict, Ella Allbright writes commercial women’s fiction set in her beautiful home county of Dorset. Her first novel in this genre, The Last Charm published in August 2020 by One More Chapter, an imprint of HarperCollins, and she’s currently hard at work on her next book. Ella is represented by agent Hattie Grünewald at The Blair Partnership, who represent J.K. Rowling.
Ella also writes as Nikki Moore, the author of the popular #LoveLondon romance series. A number of the novellas featured in the Top 100 short story charts on Kobo and the Top 20 in the Amazon UK bestsellers Holiday chart, and in 2018 the collection was released in Italy. Her first published work was the short story A Night to Remember in the best selling Mills & Boon / RNA anthology Truly, Madly, Deeply. Her debut romance Crazy, Undercover, Love was shortlisted for the RNA Joan Hessayon Award 2015.
When not writing or reading, she can be found working in her HR day job, walking the family’s cute beagle puppy or watching a Netflix series!
You can connect with Ella/Nikki online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram
She also vlogs about how to get published as ‘Author By The Sea’ on her YouTube channel.
Leila’s charm bracelet tells a story of love, a story of loss, a story of hope.
This is the story of her … and the story of Jake.
When Leila Jones loses her precious charm bracelet and a stranger finds it, she has to tell the story of how she got the charms to prove she’s the owner. Each and every one is a precious memory of her life with Jake.
So Leila starts at the beginning, recounting the charms and experiences that have led her to the present. A present she never could have expected when she met Jake nearly twenty years ago…
Purchase Links:
Amazon US * Amazon UK * Google Play
Dear Nikki,
It’s summer 2020, and The Last Charm – a commercial women’s fiction novel set in your beautiful home county of Dorset – has just been published. Following the popularity of the Love London series in 2015 – 2016 (published in Italy in 2018) I’m writing in a slightly different genre and with a new pen name of Ella Allbright. People have messaged directly to thank me for writing the book, and to tell me how much it’s touched them and how they’re planning to re-read it, or how they’ve ordered it for someone else. Reviews are great, and high sales figures even better, but it’s those messages that mean the most to me, and which give me the energy to write even when I feel too tired and day-to-day life tries to get in the way.
You’ve only been writing seriously for about twelve months, following a chronic illness you recovered from in 2008. I still remember sitting on that hospital bed, gazing at the horizon and promising myself that if I got any quality of life back I’d finally write a book. So you’re writing now, and I’m pleased to say I kept going. Giving up watching TV soaps so you can write after the kids go to bed is the best decision you ever made!
In the last few months, you’ve been a finalist in a Writer’s Handbook competition for an article: ‘How to Write a Bestseller.’ In July, you were also thrilled to receive an Honourable Mention in the Romantic Novelists’ Association Elizabeth Goudge Trophy for a short story. It was open to both published and unpublished authors, and was judged by the amazing bestselling Katie Fforde (!) on the basis of anonymised entries. She called you from the RNA Conference in Greenwich when you were on your way home from the daytime seminar, to tell you the result. She also said, ‘I love your voice, you must keep writing.’ You listened to her advice, and it’s stayed with you all these years.
You think joining the Romantic Novelists’ Association is going to do wonderful things for your writing career, but you really have no idea… You’ll submit manuscripts to the New Writers’ Scheme for three years, and are going to work hard on rewriting those books to make them even better. At the RNA conference 2013 you’ll meet Charlotte Ledger, the (then) editor for HarperImpulse - a brand new digital-first imprint of HarperCollins - and she’s going to offer you a four-work contract in the October. But in August 2013, you’ll accept your first publication offer for the short story A Night to Remember in the RNA Mills & Boon Truly, Madly, Deeply anthology. Excitingly, it includes stories by some of your favourite authors such as Sue Moorcroft, Adele Parks, Carole Matthews and Katie Fforde. You’ll also be a RNA Joan Hessayon Award (for new writers) finalist with your debut novel Crazy, Undercover, Love. You’ll pay the kindness forward by being a judge for the RNA awards, a reader for the NWS and by encouraging new RNA members.
Over ten years from 2010, you’ll publish three short stories, five novellas and three novels… with another novel completed, plus the next planned out and ready to write. You’ll also find a wonderful agent who believes in you and your career; Hattie Grunewald of The Blair Partnership, the agency representing the Harry Potter franchise. You’ll have the opportunity to build relationships with readers and authors over social media, and have your smartphone handy to share happy writing news with them instantly – something that barely seems possible to you now.
Life won’t always go according to plan - you’ll go through a divorce, suffer bereavements, move house, move jobs, meet someone new who is much younger than you (and very supportive of your writing) - but if there’s some advice I can give you, it’s this: Keep writing because you’re passionate about telling stories and because you want to share them with other people.
Above all - keep writing, be resilient, be brave, have faith, and don’t give up. If you do that, you’ll get your happy ending and have many more years of writing ahead of you.
Love, Ella xx
Thanks to Ella for visiting with us and to Rachel's Random Resources for coordinating this post.
Giveaway to Win Dorset and Reading themed goodies to celebrate The Last Charm by Ella Allbright (UK Only)
Books Make Me Happy/TLC Branded Mug
Keepsake Bracelet for Readers
Lulworth Chocolate Bar
Mermaid metal bookmark
TLC Postcards
PLUS mystery prize
Lulworth Chocolate Bar
I love Durdle Door chocolate lollipop
Sunshine metal bookmark
TLC Postcards
PLUS mystery prize
Lulworth Chocolate Bar
I love Lulworth chocolate lollipop
Starry Sky metal bookmark
TLC Postcards
PLUS mystery prize
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within seven days, then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfillment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. We are not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Visit all the stops on the blog tour:
1 comment:
Thanks so much for featuring me on the blog today and taking part in the blog tour for The Last Charm. I had great fun writing this letter to myself. Take care & stay safe, Ella / Nikki x
Post a Comment