Press 1 for #Film Extras, Press 2 for #Cycle Adventures, Press 3 for The #Brass Section Press 4 For The Very Inspiring #Blogger #Awards


I would like to thank Caleb Pirtle for nominating me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award, which is the subject of my post today, as lifted from my post on Venture Galleries Authors Collection Blog.

Its purpose is both simple and important…
It was designed to introduce authors and particularly readers to other authors who are producing some of the finest blogs on the Web today.  In fact, you should first check out the work of Caleb Pirtle at http://venturegalleries.com/author/calebpirtle/


Here are the rules for the contest:

  • Thank and link back to the amazing person who nominated you.
  • List the rules and display the award.
  • Share seven facts about yourself.
  • Nominate fifteen other amazing blogs and remember to comment on their blogs to let them know you have nominated them. Also, follow the blogger who nominated you.

So, here are my Seven Facts:

  • My right thumb is double jointed and allows me to do some freaky reverse moves that totally gross people out. I discovered this skill when my paternal grandfather showed me his – genes will out!
  • I love the sea and could never imagine living too far from the coast. I always feel rejuvenated after breathing in the salty air. As a child I used to get terrible hay fever and our annual family week at the seaside was often the only respite from sneezing and itchy eyes for the whole summer.

    The prevailing winds on British south coast resorts are from the southwest – very little pollen makes it over from the Americas, so I always associate the sea with feeling healthy. I’m very lucky that both in France and the UK I can reach a number of beautiful beaches in under an hour.

  • Something that I rarely admit to….. in a previous life I helped introduce the UK’s first telephone switchboard with an “automated attendant”. You know and love these things: “Press 1 for this, Press 2 for that” etc. etc. We put hundreds of switchboard staff out of work and speared the way for frustrating “voice mail jail” where you just can’t get through to a live human being. The technology was so exciting and it seemed such a great idea at the time – although the voice-editing skills I learned whilst programming these systems are coming in handy now I’m producing audiobooks! It’s rumoured there is still a hospital in Birmingham, England, where I answer the phone…
  • My family loves cycling.

    But, there is a problem, one needs the right machine for the job. Between mountain bikes, road bikes and tandems we have 18 working bicycles, plus a static exercise bike for the bad-weather days. That’s a lot of lube and tube! My eldest son is cycling the Etape du Tour (the stage of the Tour de France that’s open to the public) in the Pyrenées

    on the 20th July. Bon Courage mon brave. Allez. Allez!

  • I learned to speak french listening to Edith Piaf songs and singing along, imitating her accent – she rolls her rrrrrs like no one else!
  • I play the trombone and appear regularly at local bandstands: I love live music – indoors or outdoors and particularly enjoy opera. As a noisy brass player, my goal is to get tickets to see Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle performed at Bayreuth – I’ve had my name down for 8 years but still no news…
  • I was a film extra in a British who-dunnit series: The Midsomer Murders, in an episode called “The Glitch”. They needed a specialist to play the part of the murder victim – a female prepared to ride on the back of a tandem – well hey now that’s my kinda acting! Unfortunately they said I was too young…. but I could still be an extra as part of a charity bike ride featured in the story. I whizz past a couple of times in the woods – in a yellow fluoro t-shirt. Don’t blink or you’ll miss me!

THE IMPORTANT BIT….


This is where I am listing my own fifteen nominations for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award.  You need to find them and read their blog posts as well as their novels. You’ll be glad you did. It’s the most important discovery you will make this year.



Giving away #Love in a Hopeless Place for #Christmas and the #holidays

Pucker up…..I’m blowing my own trumpet trombone again (I can hear the groans!), my anthology of tough love stories is now out in paperback and available on Amazon for the bargain price of  USA: $8.99  UK: £5.99 and in Europe:6.99



Good news for anyone hoping to find a FREE gift book for the holidays – there are 3 copies up for grabs on Goodreads – click HERE to go in the hat for the draw on the 18th of December – just in time for Christmas.

Here’s what some of the reviewers have said about the e-book version that came out in July:

Five Stars
“Emma Calin writes with perfection and is a master of the short story. You will want to keep this collection in your bookshelf forever.” Adina Luca, October 2013

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories, and have recommended it to male and female friends.”  Michael Todaro, September 2013


All five titles explore social issues and these are cleverly interwoven into the narrative” T. Fly August 2013



If you’d prefer a digital version for your e-reader, the Kindle edition is available too, although not on a Goodreads giveaway I’m afraid, as they do not allow giveaways of e-books.



For those of you missing my brassy side or wondering about the length of my glissando …. here’s a repeat performance… oh for those warm balmy days of summer!



Emma Thinx: Leaf through a real book in the Fall



#Romance novelist filmed performing BL%W JOB in the park to launch her new #book.

Trombone-icon

I am ashamed to admit, my embouchure was rather slack, having not had it out for nearly a year.   My lips were swollen and buzzing by the end… my poor instrument is rusting away from lack of use. I would never have believed my glissando would get exposed to such a wide audience!

Well the 31st was the final stop on my world tour – blowing my own trumpet trombone to announce the launch of my new book – 


Last blast was at The Venture Galleries Authors Collection and this is an excerpt from that post:

Drum roll please ~~~ I give you~~~

The Romsey Community Wind Band – featuring Emma Calin on the slide trombone,  recorded 2 weeks ago from the bandstand in the park…

Emma Calin’s

‘Blowing My Own Trombone’ Finale Concert

In aid of
PROGRAM
  1. Cabaret
    An apt description of the life of a modern author. We do not shiver in isolation in our bare garrets writing away in anonymity. We are out there in the spotlight, baring it all and putting on a show. We perform avariety act for our readers – social media, blogs, interviews, appearances. As the song says, ‘What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play?’
  2. Edelweiss
    A love song for all you romance writers and readers out there – pure love in the form of a small and perfect mountain bloom.
  1. Rock-a-my-Sex (Sax/Soul)
    Well – this is an adaptation of an old song – the title brought up to date for a modern romance writer. Eroticism has come of age as the effects of the “50 Shades…” permeate through the romance genre.
  2. The Muppets
    A nod to the madness of the circus. A jibe at the desperation of the modern day novelist. I am the worst – prone to jumping on every band-wagon. Trying to ride the latest wave; to identify and mimic the traits of the successful who have raised their books above the parapet and made a few sales.
    … and sometimes you just need those two old guys on the balcony to put their heads up, blow a few raspberries of ridicule and point their fingers to bring you back down to earth.
    At the end of the day it’s all about putting your soul into your writing. This is what matters. One has to avoid becoming a Muppet jumping to the call of the puppeteers of the ‘system’ – whatever it may be!
Thank you for coming!
And the purpose of all this horn blowing? A fanfare for the arrival of my new book –
My series of five short stories are now available under one cover. A bargain way for you to get your hands on my gritty tales-with-a-twist.
The five titles in the collection stand alone in their own right but are linked by a common theme: the universal quest for survival, love, passion and respect against the gritty backdrop of working class life.
Sub-Prime– a gritty short story
The Chosen– a short story with a twist
Escape To Love – a novelette, a suspense romance with a twist
Angela– a short story
Love in a Hopeless Place– a novelette, a romance.
During July and August ‘ANGELA‘ a short story from the collection is FREE – so you can even try one before you buy the set!

The ‘Blowing my own Trombone Book Launch Blog Tour’ is now over – many thanks to these kind folk who have hosted my blasting over the last two weeks!

Tonight I am greasing up my old trusty instrument and packing it away until December’s street carols… watch this space!

17th July AnneliPurchase
20th July Sheryl Browne
21st July Nicky Wells
22nd July Melanie Robertson-King
25th July Bonnie Trachtenberg
26th July Patricia Sands
Emma Calin Links
For more books by Emma Calin:
EmmaCalin Website: http://www.emmacalin.com
Twitter:@Emma Calin

A Fanfare for the launch of The Love In A Hopeless Place Collection

Why blow your own trumpet if you can blow your own trombone? On Sunday I had the very chance to get up there and show the world my glissando. The clip shows me performing the Muppet Theme.

The trombone fanfare announces the launch of my 


There are five stories included in this ‘boxed set’. The theme is that of life and love among folk at the poorer end of society. My impression has often been that working class life is less examined by fiction than higher income groups. The more beautiful and educated are more appealing. Suave heroes and elegant heroines tread the world in pursuit of high ambitions. All the while there’s a guy pushing a broom and a woman packing boxes in a warehouse. Sadly these days the term “working class” often means those with no work or those clinging to marginal insecure jobs. There are the illegal immigrants who pick fruit, prepare meat, prop up the sex industry and rinse the rice for our gourmet restaurant dinners.

In my life I have been drawn to these situations. Seeking to be a writer I have chosen not to have a career path but to work in food processing plants, warehouses and as a bus driver. There is passion, colour and humour in these places. These stories represent what I feel has been the best of my experience. 

Here are just a couple of words about each title.

Sub Prime – This has been a successful prize winning piece for me. A guy down on his luck gets some casual work and encounters those far less fortunate. He has to examine his strength of character and is never the same again.

The Chosen – Two guys at the margins of society have very different ambitions. One is a cynical survivor. The other is a believer in the dream of wealth and success. They unite in a desperate throw of the dice. It’s about luck, winners and losers.

Escape To Love – A woman faces a future bringing up her handicapped child alone. In her past lies an abusive relationship from which she has escaped. When her child is rescued by a man on the run, she has the chance of a new life and love. Can she trust her own judgement? Could a new lover entirely trust her?

Angela – This is a true short story. What we believe in often affects what we see or how we interpret what we have experienced. A chauffeur encounters an enigmatic client at a point of indecision in his life.

Love In A Hopeless Place – A working class woman has settled into a resigned acceptance of the second half of her life. Suddenly she learns something about herself and of her true possibilities. Change can often engender passion and violenceA chance moment brings everything down around her and brings even further surprises.


The Love in a Hopeless Place Collection is available on Amazon Worldwide.


And of course, there is a competition. All you have to do is spot the differences…

1)How many differences are there between the first and second pictures?
2) Who is the elegant sophisticated glamour model posing in the third picture?

Enter your answers here to win your own copy of the collection and a customised iphone 5 case.



Hear some more tunes from the band as the  ‘Blowing My Own Trombone Blog Tour Continues’….

20th July Sheryl Browne
21st July Nicky Wells
23rd July Miriam Wakerly
26th July Patricia Sands