Stephanie Dagg

I'm an English ex-pat living in France with my family and a lot of animals, including llamas and carp. I was a bestselling author in Ireland, where we lived for 15 years before we moved to our new home here. I've recently relaunched my writing career, but this time as an indie ebook author and publisher. It's the twenty-first century after all!

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Website: http://www.booksarecool.com
Twitter: @llamamum
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://www.bloginfrance.com

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• The First Ten Steps on Sep. 04, 2011
  
  This is a very helpful book. As other reviewers remark, there's no padding and fluff. Just salient facts about how to go about promoting your book. The author doesn't pull punches. He makes it clear that you have to put in a lot of effort. Well worth reading. I got a lot out of it, and am sure you will too.
  
• The Wake-Up Call on Nov. 04, 2011
  
  This is a fast, exciting read. Jack Reynolds, a self-absorbed high-flying, high-stress executive and serial womaniser, is all about image. He has designer-label this, top-of-the-range that, and thinks he’s living the ultimate enviable lifestyle. However, it’s not sustainable. Jack’s shallow world comes crashing down around him when he gets the first of his wake-up calls. Calls plural? The title refers to just one, but in my opinion Jack gets several which accumulate to finally make him turn his life around. You can make your own mind up when you read this story. What is this book? It’s not quite romantic comedy, although it has both those elements in it. It’s certainly contemporary, and there’s a strong picaresque element to it in that it’s the story of a lovable rogue going on a journey of self-discovery. But you don’t need to pigeon-hole it. It’s a unique book, it’s gritty, it’s realistic, it’s a damn good read. The characters are interesting and complex, the various settings are well portrayed, and the plot is exciting and original. On the technical side, there are a few minor typos, but I’m an editor so I tend to notice that stuff! On the whole this book is extremely well-written and constructed. And it’s precisely why this era of self-published books is so great - books like this get to find an audience. Looking forward to your next book, Jonas.
  
• Affections: Collection of Poetry (Vol.1) on Dec. 05, 2012
  
  Warren’s collection, Affections, consists of twenty-five romantic poems that play with language and emotion. Some are triumphant, some are sad, but all celebrate love, whatever its outcome. They all also celebrate language. De Mills revels in words. It comes as no surprise to learn that he is a songwriter too as there is real musicality to his verse. The rhythms and wordplay sweep you along. Opening poem ‘You Are’ explodes with alliteration and a prediction – ‘You are a poem perfectly penned’. In my opinion this whole book of poetry is perfectly penned. Throughout there is the mastery of words and meter in many different forms. We have free verse and rhyming verse, long flowing lines as in ’14 Year Old Valentine’ and ‘Thoughts of You’ and the short punchy lines of ‘Lass of Love Lost’, and sometimes both together as in ‘Dark Love’. There are superb images in every poem, some of my favorites being the endless maze and numerous corridors that embody unrequited love in the poem of that name, and the moon that floats in the sky like a leaf in ‘The Ailing Love’. The poems are joyous like ‘Bria’, or regretful, as is ‘Au Revoir’, but even if love brings sadness sometimes, it never makes this poet bitter. He sees the best in everyone and the value of every situation and celebrates the good and bad with his exuberant, energetic poetry. Upbeat, good natured optimism colors all his verse and makes it so enjoyable and positive. This is a fabulous collection of love poems by a versatile poet. Some make you smile, some make you think, and they’re all enjoyable. You’ll read them again and again because they’re that good.
  
• Paulyanna: International Rent-boy on Oct. 04, 2013
  
  It couldn’t be better timed that Paulyanna: International Rent-boy by Paul Douglas Lovell has been published exactly 100 years after Pollyanna (by Eleanor H Porter) first hit the literary scene. And yes, Paulyanna, coined by one of Paul’s friends, is a clever adaptation of Pollyanna. Paul is Pollyannaish through and through. And that’s a real word – Pollyannaish. It’s in the dictionary. (Check if you don’t believe me!) It means someone who’s incorrigibly optimistic and upbeat. And that’s what Paul is. Paulyanna follows Paul through early adulthood as he begins to make his way in the world. Emerging from an underprivileged childhood in the Midlands, Paul heads to London to take up his first job as a kitchen porter. He’s delighted to be in the city, where he’s free to be himself – to be independent and to express his sexuality. From portering he moves on to barwork and later a responsible job in the music TV industry, but increasingly he comes to rely on his alternative career as a rent boy to support him. A character himself, with his strength of personality, slightly unconventional interpretation of the Catholic faith and strong belief in karma, Paul encounters some equally fascinating people along the way. Some are good, generous and sympathetic, others less so. Others, such as his friend Richard whom he calls his ‘partner in crime’, are a bit of both. He travels to Spain, Holland and America and his amazing eye for detail really comes into play here in his depictions of the appearance and atmosphere of the places he visits. Drugs, streetlife, friends succumbing to Aids, loneliness – there’s a tough, gritty element to the book but the overall impression is of hope and cheerfulness. The Pollyanna in Paul won’t be beaten. As you read the book you’re rooting for things to turn out well for Paul who doesn’t ask for much – a settled loving life with a husband and a dog – so when the dark, handsome Michael turns up, you’re holding your breath. Will he be the one to cement Paul’s happiness? The book is so well written. Paul’s style is easy to read, ranging from the poetic to the pithy. He’s a great companion through the pages of the book. This is a thoroughly modern, entertaining memoir that I recommend to everyone.
  
• Switzerland Inspired: Haiku and Senryu Poetry on March 25, 2024
  
  I’ve read this book three times now and each time I enjoy it more. Paul Douglas Lovell, author of three fascinating memoirs, has chosen to reflect his experiences of life in Switzerland as a collection of short form poems, principally haiku, but we’re also introduced to senryu, monoku, tanka, renga, renku and haibun. The poems are interspersed with explanations and background in prose. His enthusiasm for haiku is contagious. I guarantee that by the time you’re halfway through the book, you’ll be writing your own! Paul lays down the basic ‘guidelines’ for such poetry – he prefers that term to ‘rules’ - but emphasises that the most important thing is to express yourself as you see fit within a flexible framework. After a welcoming, informative introduction to both himself and his chosen poetry form, Paul takes us on his through his decade-long poetic journey covering many themes such as the seasons, animals, plants and politics, to name but a few. Whatever you think of, Paul is bound to have written a poem about it! As well as ranging across topics, they vary in tone from witty to gritty with everything in-between but I think Paul’s love and sharp observation of nature and his eternal optimism are what shine through the most. This book is unique, charming and inspiring. I can’t recommend it highly enough.