The Tom Jones Club
by Kathy Holmes
I just have to share my news here: I sold my romance novel, The Tom Jones Club, to the mainstream romance line of SirenBookstrand, to be released this November. Yes! Okay, so what's the Tom Jones Club? It's really the backdrop for a Vegas romance between Lucky and Eric, but I have to tell you a bit more about Tom Jones and the women of the Tom Jones Club (photo).
Tom Jones takes me back to high school (or was it junior high) when one of my best friends was really into him. Well, I wasn't sure what I thought - he didn't really seem like my type but there was something about him that fascinated me. "He walks like a horse," I remember my mother (more of an Elvis fan) saying about him when my friend and I were swooning over Tom Jones.
Fast forward to about twelve years ago when hubby and I flew to Las Vegas from San Francisco just to see Tom Jones perform onstage. I'd see so many of the big-name performers over the years - Elvis, Sinatra, Engelbert, Sammy, Liberace (lol) - so we took the opportunity to see one of the classics together. And Tom didn't disappoint.
Oh, sure, over the years, we'd heard the stories about the women throwing their underwear onstage and there was some of that, but what made an impression were the well-maintained "older" women in the first couple of rows who were obviously adoring fans. And those women made their way into my book. It was only later I became aware of a real "Tom Jones Club." In fact, they were in Vegas last January.
The other story about this book is that I started writing it three years ago. It started out more as a chick lit and had several titles. When that obviously wasn't selling, I fleshed it out a bit and turned it into a women's fiction novel. When there was no interest in that, I decided to try my hand at writing a romance and rewrote it in third person, something I swore I would never do. And that's when it sold. lol!
But it was one of those stories that stuck with me and I couldn't let it sit on my computer - I was determined to find a publisher for it. Actually, Lucky (the heroine) insisted and she wouldn't stop talking to me until I did.
So, now of course, no blog post from me would be complete without some sort of music, so I'll share a couple of Tom Jones videos with you:
Classic Tom Jones - Love the moves this guy made back then. Some say he and Engelbert Humperdink were the sexiest men of the 60s - fun to watch even now. This one is for girlfriends of any age anywhere.
Classic Tom Jones - Love the moves this guy made back then. Some say he and Engelbert Humperdink were the sexiest men of the 60s - fun to watch even now. This one is for girlfriends of any age anywhere.
Updated Classic Tom Jones: When I joked with a couple of friends on Facebook that Tom Jones was in my manuscript, one said, "It's not unusual you would have Tom Jones in your book" - lol! This one is for Sheri and Joan.
Contemporary Tom Jones - Sex Bomb - totally sexy even at his age!
It's great timing that I have tickets to see Tom Jones again in Vegas next month. I'll be on the lookout for the women of the Tom Jones Club.
For more information, check out my web site and/or my Flip Flops and FABs blog.
Tom Jones takes me back to high school (or was it junior high) when one of my best friends was really into him. Well, I wasn't sure what I thought - he didn't really seem like my type but there was something about him that fascinated me. "He walks like a horse," I remember my mother (more of an Elvis fan) saying about him when my friend and I were swooning over Tom Jones.
Fast forward to about twelve years ago when hubby and I flew to Las Vegas from San Francisco just to see Tom Jones perform onstage. I'd see so many of the big-name performers over the years - Elvis, Sinatra, Engelbert, Sammy, Liberace (lol) - so we took the opportunity to see one of the classics together. And Tom didn't disappoint.
Oh, sure, over the years, we'd heard the stories about the women throwing their underwear onstage and there was some of that, but what made an impression were the well-maintained "older" women in the first couple of rows who were obviously adoring fans. And those women made their way into my book. It was only later I became aware of a real "Tom Jones Club." In fact, they were in Vegas last January.
The other story about this book is that I started writing it three years ago. It started out more as a chick lit and had several titles. When that obviously wasn't selling, I fleshed it out a bit and turned it into a women's fiction novel. When there was no interest in that, I decided to try my hand at writing a romance and rewrote it in third person, something I swore I would never do. And that's when it sold. lol!
But it was one of those stories that stuck with me and I couldn't let it sit on my computer - I was determined to find a publisher for it. Actually, Lucky (the heroine) insisted and she wouldn't stop talking to me until I did.
So, now of course, no blog post from me would be complete without some sort of music, so I'll share a couple of Tom Jones videos with you:
Classic Tom Jones - Love the moves this guy made back then. Some say he and Engelbert Humperdink were the sexiest men of the 60s - fun to watch even now. This one is for girlfriends of any age anywhere.
Classic Tom Jones - Love the moves this guy made back then. Some say he and Engelbert Humperdink were the sexiest men of the 60s - fun to watch even now. This one is for girlfriends of any age anywhere.
Updated Classic Tom Jones: When I joked with a couple of friends on Facebook that Tom Jones was in my manuscript, one said, "It's not unusual you would have Tom Jones in your book" - lol! This one is for Sheri and Joan.
Contemporary Tom Jones - Sex Bomb - totally sexy even at his age!
It's great timing that I have tickets to see Tom Jones again in Vegas next month. I'll be on the lookout for the women of the Tom Jones Club.
For more information, check out my web site and/or my Flip Flops and FABs blog.
Great videos! By happy coincidence, I just rewatched another great Tom video last night. "Love Letters" with Jeff Beck on guitar. Fantastic! I love the idea of a Tom Jones club and look forward to reading your book!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kathy!
Oh, how fun, Chiron! I'm already having a lot of fun talking about this book - and the TJC is just one part of it - some real girlfriend-bonding moments. Thanks for stopping by. You're the best!
ReplyDeleteHeh. I'm only 35 and I've actually seen TJ twice in concert (in Vegas). And yes, I have my heroine listening to him in my book on her iPod. I got a lot of flak about the fact that she was too young to be listening to him, but I had reasons for it. (And it's getting pubbed with the scene in there, so I guess the editor didn't care. LOL)
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely be picking up your book! It sounds like fun!
Oh that's so awesome mynfel! Age is one of the things I worried about when choosing the title - afraid to turn off younger women. But there is some joking around in the book about it. And the main story is a romance between 30-something Lucky and Eric - set amidst the Tom Jones Club convention in Vegas.
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats on your book!
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! Congrats on your sale! And what a great premise. Also - I saw him in concert years ago - LOTS OF FUN. The women in the front were constantly throwing underwear on stage. ;) Cheers!
ReplyDelete'When that obviously wasn't selling, I fleshed it out a bit and turned it into a women's fiction novel. When there was no interest in that, I decided to try my hand at writing a romance and rewrote it in third person, something I swore I would never do. And that's when it sold.'
ReplyDelete*applause*
I LOVE Tom Jones. He's so sexy, it's criminal. But his voice alone is so filled with real emotion - 'I Who Have Nothing' is a big favorite for that reason.