"Proper" Books versus E-readers

I recently said to someone, “Oh, I’m not a gadget person, but I’m thinking of getting another Kindle”. They asked which gadgets I owned other than my older Kindle. I started to list them and I realised…err…oops!

Shortly thereafter, I came across a debate on “proper” books versus e-readers. To summarise, one person was adamant they would NEVER get an e-reader because it’s “just not the real thing”. I smiled to myself because I was in the exact position not too long ago, when the idea of reading on anything other than paper was anathema to me.

Fast-forward a mere two years and I’m now surrounding with so much choice, I’m like a kid in a candy store…and I want Santa to bring me more.

Specifically…(hope you’re listening, Santa!)…I want the Kindle Fire…

Or the new iPad Mini…(hmm, isn’t it pretty?)

But if Santa’s busy and sends his elf and they somehow get it wrong and get me a Kindle Paperwhite…

I’ll still say yes, please and thank you.

So what if it’ll bring my gadget total to….no, let’s not count them. In my defence, I still read my “proper” books, often and I don’t think I’ll ever stop.

What about you, where do you stand on E-readers versus “Proper” books”?

Author Spotlight - Liz Fielding

I've been a fan of Liz's since I first started reading Mills & Boon Romances (which wasn't as long ago as that might seem!) Her books consistently manage to move me both to tears and laughter. So I am especially delighted to host her here in our Spotlight today. Welcome. Liz.

1. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

My first romance, An Image of You, was published in December 1992, so this year marks the twentieth anniversary of my career as a published romance writer. The changes during that time have been extraordinary. Where I once sat in isolation, writing stories for people who would occasionally put pen to paper and tell me how much they appreciated them, I now chat daily with a supportive coterie of authors and readers in a worldwide community of romance lovers.

In my real world, I’ve been married for 40 years to the same man, have two fabulous grown-up children, two lovely granddaughters and I live in the mystical south-west of England within the triangle of Stonehenge, Glastonbury and my favourite city, the Regency playground of Bath.

2. What number book is this? First? 100th? 200th?(Nora only!)

The Last Woman He’d Ever Date is my sixty-first for Harlequin Mills and Boon – my sixty-fourth in all.

3. Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

It’s discipline. It’s my job. Shoe shopping is for the weekends.

4. What is your top promo tip for other authors?

That is just so hard. You create a website that showcases your work. If you’re happy blogging, then keep it short and interesting. Treat your followers on twitter and facebook like people, not just a sales opportunity. And remember that none of it works if you spend so much time on social network that you’re not producing the books.

5. How does writing fit into your day? Or does your day fit in around your writing?

I get up early – around six o’clock and work until lunchtime. The afternoon is for research, housework (aka thinking time) and gardening.

6. Is there a book you haven't written yet that you're dying to? What genre?

I get asked this so often and yes, I have a romcom/crime book — a cross between Katie Fforde and Jennifer Crusie on my back burner. It’s about time I stopped talking about it and got writing!

7. Any craft books you recommend?

Kate Walker’s 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance is brilliant. And I’d also recommend Save the Cat by Blake Snyder – it’s a screen writing book, but full of great stuff.

8. Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

No, and that has to change. My hips complain if I ask too much of them, but we have swimming pool quite near and my plan is to cut down on the carbs and take to the water.

9. In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

I’m sure most unpublished writers think that getting published is the end. That you have arrived and after that it’s going to be easy. It’s not, it’s just the beginning. I went to hear Ben Kane and Val McDermid talk at our local library a couple of weeks ago and they both said the same. Each book is like the first. You’re back to square one. The technique gets stronger, but your standard gets higher and achieving the vision of the story in your head is always at the end of the rainbow.

10. Just for fun: a year from the end of the book, where would your couple go on holiday?

Italy. Claire would want to see the fabulous gardens, Hal would want to indulge her. And after all that walking they’d spend some time in one of those steep little villages on the coast to relax in the sun, drink wonderful wine and eat the fabulous food.

11. Could you be friends with any of your heroines?

I hope I write characters that my readers would want as a best friend but if I had to choose I’d want Amy Jones in The Bachelor’s Baby (and a bit player in several other books) as a best friend. And Belle in Reunited: Marriage in a Million.

Tall, dark and brooding — and back for good!

Claire Thackery: Hardworking single mom, working for the local newspaper. Hoping for the inside scoop on sexy billionaire Hal North, aka her teenage crush, to get her career back on track.
Most wary of: Gorgeous men who set hr heart racing. (Been there — using the T-shirt as a duster — and has the baby to prove it.)

Hal North: Bad boy made good. Back in his hometown as new owner of the Cranbrook Park estate, with some scores to settle.
Most wary of: Journalists — especially pretty ones, like his new tenant, Claire Thackeray.


The Last Woman He'd Ever Date is available from Amazon, Amazon UK and direct from Mills & Boon / Harlequin.


You can follow Liz on her blog and on Twitter.

Going paperback with Createspace

I wasn't sure what to blog about today. I really wanted to blog about Skyfall, because I really love James Bond, and the prospect of a new one had me totally excited, but as it isn't out yet, I haven't much to say about it, so decided to save that for another post.
So instead, I decided to do a little post about getting a paperback out there, because I'm on the final stages of getting my third paperback out, Bound to Love. I reckon many writers are now totally up to speed with how to get a kindle version self published (if not, leave me a comment, and I'll cover the basics in another blog post) but may be wondering about paperback. So here it is!

The interior: The first thing you need to do is decide what size your book is going to be - I go 5 x 8, which is the same size that The Wild Rose Press and Samhain use. Next, you need to look at a book you like, choose a font for your book, and a style for the layout. Make sure you have a copyright page (including a couple of lines where your isbn will go), your dedication, and break pages with page breaks, not loads of returns! Print out a few sample pages to make sure that it looks right. Get a book with the same dimensions, and check to make sure it all looks as good as the pages in the printed book. Add in page numbers, and alternate headings, one with your name, and the facing page with your title. You'll be using facing pages, so you'll have inside and outside margins. Make the inside margins bigger than .75 and the outside margins bigger than .25. I've found that Createspace can be very fiddly about this, so don't make it exactly at this measurement, but add a little extra in there, just to make sure. When it's all hunky dory, save this file as a pdf, and make a note of the number of pages, because you'll need this later. I use Quark Xpress for page layout, but you can use anything.

The cover: The most important thing about the cover is that you need to know the page count first, so that the designer can make the spine the right width. Once you have the interior finished, talk to your cover designer, give her the details, and ask her to use the template that createspace provide. This will make it easier for him/her to get the cover perfect, incorporating bleeds etc.

Get a blurb ready. If you've published for Kindle, use that. Otherwise, write a fab blurb which will compell people to buy your book!

From there, you're ready to go!
In Amazon, scroll down to the bottom and choose 'independently publish with us'. This brings you to a page where you can create a createspace account. You can read more here, and when you're ready, choose 'get started'. You set up a createspace account, and then when you're in there, you choose my account, and start a new project.

 

 

 

Type in your name, choose paperback, and choose the guided option, which will talk you through it.

 

After choosing what type of paper, size, and black or white for your interior or colour, You'll be asked to upload your contents in pdf, and the program will grind away and check to make sure that the interior fits properly. If it doesn't you can keep going back and re-uploading the pdf file until it does.

Then it's on to the cover, upload the pdf, and once again the program grinds away, making sure that your book cover and contents are right. When it's finished, you have the opportunity to preview the entire thing in Createspace's digital proofer.

 

 

Down the right hand side, you can see all the pages in the document, and click on them to make sure that every single page looks good. One thing I always forget, is to check that pages after the end of the document (which in my case contain a list of my other books) don't have page numbers or headers on them...

The other elements that need to be done before you get a book in your hot little hand are setting up a bank account to send the money to, or if you're not in the US, an address to send the cheques. You also have the chance here to go for expanded distribution for $25 dollars. This is worth buying, because it means that your books will be distributed to places other than Amazon, such as Barnes and Noble etc.  Setting the price (Createspace won't allow you to set a price below what it costs them to print it up), and ordering a proof copy. It's always worth ordering a proof copy, because you want to see what the final version looks like printed up before you 'publish' which puts your book into Amazon, ready to sell.

This is just a quick peek at what is required to get your paperback out there on Amazon. Once it's done, you'll be able to order 'author copies' at a discount, which will be useful as giveaways etc. If you want a step by step how to - the best place to go is to Catherine Ryan Howard's website. Her book 'Self Printed' walks you through it, as well as walking through the process of getting a kindle version up there, and is well worth buying!



Author Spotlight - Aimee Duffy

I'm pleased to welcome the very lovely Aimee Duffy to our blog today.

1. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

Writing has always been my first love, but even as a teenager who thought I knew it all, I wasn’t naïve enough to believe I could have an instant career out of it. My love of Ally McBeal took me down a different road and I now have two jobs I love (although working as a private client/conveyancing paralegal is way less fun than being a civil court lawyer!).

2. What number book is this? First? 100th? 200th? (Nora only!)

This is my second completed full length category. I started many others and ditched them half-way through. I also played around with a few novellas (none of which will ever see the light of day!).

3. Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

Shoe shopping tends to win out over most things, but luckily my limited budget keeps me away from the shops—the weekend after payday is touch and go.

I tend to write more before I go to work, which means waking up ridiculously early, but after my first coffee the words seem to flow easier. At night I get far too distracted.

4. What is your top promo tip for other authors?

I have absolutely no idea what works yet! If anyone has any tips, let me know. My lovely publisher booked me on a blog tour this month and next, which I think is a good idea. It gets your name in front of people who wouldn’t have heard about you otherwise.

5. How does writing fit into your day? Or does your day fit in around your writing?

I have to write every day. If I don’t, I feel wrong. Even if what I’m putting down is gobbledygook, I’m addicted to making some progress. That said, some days it’s hard and the most I can do is go back to the beginning of the chapter and edit. I tell myself it’s better than nothing, which I suppose it is. I always try and put aside at least an hour for writing.

6. Which blog(s) do you read regularly?

The Minxes’ of course! I also follow a ton, but the ones I find extremely helpful are Jackie Ashenden’s, Maisey Yates’, Writer Beware and Incy Black’s. Also Suzanne Jones’ and her sock phobia gives me a good chuckle :)

7. Is there a book you haven't written yet that you're dying to? What genre?

For some inexplicable reason I really want to finish the Assassin’s Creed books. I read the first, and was hooked. Plus I’m a bit of a geek and like the games (I blame this on my teenage brother).

8. Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

I’m not a fan of the gym. I prefer the outdoors, love hillwalking, but in Scotland you have about three weeks of decent weather to do it. The last time I was up The Law, it was a mud bath and I fell on my backside a few times. Now the winter has settled in, I think exercise is out the window for another year.

9. Could you be friends with any of your heroines?

I could be friends with them all! Annabelle from The Monster of Fame was really easy to connect with. She’s good right to the core.

10. Have you ever written a hero you'd be happy to run off with?

Most of them ;) But if I had to choose, I’d pick Jake from Isle of Sensuality. He’s cheeky, charming and hot. Plenty going there to keep me occupied for a while.

Can the voice of an angel heal a tortured soul?

Annabelle MacIntosh enters a reality singing contest to save her family from their mounting debt. Miles Oliver, celebrity judge and the owner of the biggest record company in the UK, doesn’t think she has what it takes. She sings like an angel, but when she performs all he can focus on is the terror in her eyes. It’s a look he knows only too well. After the pressure of fame destroyed his wife, Miles swore he’d never let the same thing happen to anyone else. Driven by the guilt he’s carried for years, Miles tries everything in his power to make sure Annabelle doesn’t succeed, because he doesn’t believe she’ll survive it.

Annabelle needs that prize money, and she’s determined to win it. As she fights to make it through each round of the contest, an attraction begins to develop between the two adversaries. The longer Annabelle remains in the competition, the deeper her attraction grows to the man who’s trying to prevent her from reaching her goal. Can she convince Miles she’s strong enough to fight the fame monster and win?

You can buy The Monster Of Fame from the following:

Amazon UK Amazon US Barnes & Noble

And you can find Aimee on her blog, twitter and Facebook.

Balance...

It's been exactly four weeks since I received the call, (are you sick of me mentioning it yet) and it's been a whirlwind of activity, in mostly a good way. I'm working on book #2 which will be a work in progress for some time to come. There are also big changes on the home front with the hubster accepting a new job which means moving to a new city.
So with keeping the house tidy for prospective buyers, to day job and a deadline for book 2, and kids, something's going to give.

So, I'm throwing the question out there....

How do you find balance in your life? What are the things you're willing to let go and what can never slip?

Author Spotlight - Kathy Bosman

Woohoo - South African romance authors are on a roll! I am pleased to welcome yet another SA writer into the spotlight: Kathy Bosman.

1. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

I’m a home-schooling mom of three children and write while they work and any spare moment I can find when not cooking (and I cook almost everything from scratch – silly really,) and tackling piles of laundry and dishes. I think that I always wanted to write – even as a kid, I used to read ferociously and dream about being an author one day. I rediscovered my passion for writing when I was living up in Zambia where there wasn’t much technology or anything to do to occupy the mind. So, I started writing children’s books because I’ve always enjoyed working with children. They weren’t the best, but they were fun to write at the time. Years later, I decided to try an adult novel and it turned out to be a romance. That’s when I realised I wanted to write romance. After years of perfecting my craft, I’ve finally found a genre that works for me – sweet, contemporary.

2. What number book is this? First? 100th? 200th?(Nora only!)

First traditionally published!

3. Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I don’t know if I’m too good at that! I’m a terrible procrastinator. The best way for me is just to sit down and write whatever comes. I can’t analyse what comes out too deeply else it won’t get done. That’s for the editing stage later. Reading good romance books helps to inspire me to write, so sometimes I take a break and read a good book or do something totally mindless like knitting or washing curtains or something. Shoe shopping is not my favourite pastime as I have such small feet and I absolutely despise wearing high heel shoes. Maybe a new pair of running shoes or flip-flops could be a temptation when I earn some good royalties.

4. What is your top promo tip for other authors?

I’ve been doing some promotion with my book, but it would be very hard to say which of those things have caused sales or not. I think the best thing is to write good books and to connect with your readers through facebook, blog posts and word of mouth. I would say, a bit of everything works – you can’t go wrong, but don’t be too pushy. Just connect in a fun, interesting way. And make sure you’ve got a decent website – you don’t have to pay for one –there are lots of free blogging options available. Find the one that best fits your style. The hardest part is keeping it current.

5. How does writing fit into your day? Or does your day fit in around your writing?

Unfortunately, during the school term, writing has to fit into my day. There are moments when my kids have to read their literature books or science, and then I have some quiet minutes without their many questions, to work on my books. I also try to write in the evenings when I get a chance. The school holidays are usually my best times when I can get some decent word count done. I can’t wait for the long summer holiday! But, many times, writing takes precedence, i.e. I’d rather write than watch TV or do gardening, car-washing or anything to do with combatting dust.

6. Is there a book you haven't written yet that you're dying to? What genre?

One day, I want to write an Edgy Inspirational Novel – basically it’s inspirational that pushes all the boundaries and can be controversial in some circles. I want to write a book that changes someone’s life and touches them in a deep way.

7. Any craft books you recommend?

I would definitely recommend these grammar books – Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style and My Grammar and I (Or should that be ‘Me’?) by Caroline Taggart and J.A. Wines.

8. In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

I honestly thought a lot of the angst would go, but it’s still there. At times it’s been even worse, yet other times I can see my confidence level has risen significantly. I also didn’t realise how much extra work goes into editing and promotions, but I do enjoy that part too.

9. Do you write to music, or with the tv on in the background, or do you need complete silence?

I think if I had a silent home, I may be able to tolerate some music, but at the moment, silence is rare, so music just adds to the distractions. I can write while the family watches TV though, but I wouldn’t say at my best.

10. Do you have any tips, tricks or sacrificial rituals you do when you hit a story roadblock?

Take a break and do something else for a while – it should come to you while you’re doing something mundane. If not, the break alone should clear your mind so when you sit down, it will probably come to you. If it doesn’t, there’s something that needs to be changed earlier on – the conflict possibly or maybe your characters are acting out of character.
Another thing I do is go back and read the whole book from the beginning to get a feel for the story because with all the interruptions of life, I sometimes lose a feel for my characters.
There’s nothing like a deadline though to force you to finish.

BLURB:

Kienna loves dressing up her clients in beautiful gowns at the bridal shop where she works but she doesn't believe in fairy-tale weddings or happily ever afters. After all, her prince turned out to be a frog, and her divorce broke her heart. So when she realizes one of her brides doesn't love her groom, she tries to warn him. If only he would listen, she could help him avoid her same fate.

Blake is sure Rachelle loves him but she leaves him at the altar. He should have listened to the wedding gown girl's warning. He should have been hurt, but instead he's only relieved--and in pursuit of the woman who tried to save him from a broken heart. If only she'd trust him not to be like her ex. Doesn't she know that when he says he loves her, it means forever?


Wedding Gown Girl is available from Astraea Press, Amazon, Amazon UK and Smashwords.

The Romance of Fiction

Sometimes the line between fiction and reality can become blurred and for me that's always something to celebrate. I don't know how many of you are familiar with 'The Children of Greene Knowe'? It was one of my favourite books as a child - the stories of the past very much alive in the present. "I like this house," said Tolly. "It's like living in a book that keeps coming true". The stories captured my imagination and when I found out the house Lucy Boston based the books on was nearby I couldn't wait to visit it. However there was one snag, visits had to be booked in advance. I decided just to see the gardens and the house from outside but when approaching the house was stopped by Diana, Lucy Boston's daughter in law. This was when things began to get strange...

Diana: "Ah, there you are, I've been waiting for you."
Me: "Sorry, I haven't booked to see the house."
Diana (looking puzzled): "But you're Lorraine, right?"
Me: "Er, yes."
Diana: "And you've been looking forward to seeing the house for ages and love patchwork?"
Me: "Well yes that is actually all true, but..."
Diana: "Well I've been hanging on for you, come along."

I was hardly going to complain as I was swept into the guided tour of the house, feeling an affinity with Lucy Boston while viewing her famous quilts and touching the hundreds of years old toys featured in the books as the toys of the ghost children.
During the tour she suddenly turned to me and said "Strange how I knew you were going to come, isn't it? But then the house does do very strange things..."

This was the sentiment often repeated in the books and also in the film based on "The Chimneys of Greene Knowe" starring Maggie Smith, titled "From Time to Time". The house (Hemingford Grey Manor) is one of the oldest occupied houses in England and used to be known as the poltergeist house. Locals refused to walk along the tow path beside it at night. I felt no uneasiness but did feel a strong connection - to Lucy Boston and to her stories as I touched the objects featured in the books.

I should add there was no rational explanation for Diana knowing I was coming (and no other Lorraine turned up after me!). The visit touched me and made me think about how great a part of my life fiction is. I'd thought being mostly restricted to audiobooks after my brain injury would be limiting but didn't envisage how listening to fiction for most of the day (and often night too if it's a painful one) as I carry out other tasks would make fiction more a part of my life than ever.

In each story I feel connected to the mind of the writer and he/she has connected to me, albeit in a small way. I've probably read many of the same stories you've read or even written. We're all connected by this complex, ever-expanding venn diagram of words and ideas. We visit the same fictional worlds like literary tourists and are connected by them. Maybe this is a fanciful, romantic notion but what more can you expect from a romance minx ;-) ?

Author Spotlight - Rachel Brimble

Today's Spotlight is the first with our re-vamped, New Look questions, and the author who gets the honour of breaking them in is English novelist Rachel Brimble.

1. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

I’m a Brit living near the famous Georgian city of Bath, England. I’m married with two young daughters and my canine son, a black Lab called Max. When I’m not writing, you will find me reading, walking the countryside, socializing or watching too much TV.
Favourite drink is a glass of crisp, dry white wine. Favourite food, scallops!

2. What number book is this? First? 100th? 200th (Nora only!)?

This is book number 8 – I’ve had 6 novels and 2 novellas published so far.

3. Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

The only way I know how – I treat it like a job. It doesn’t matter that I work from home and lucky enough to be a full time mom. When my kids are at school or out with friends, I write. Simple. Housework, TV, shopping and everything else can be done with them there – writing can’t.

4. What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Lord, if only I knew! I have none except talk about your work as much as humanly possible. Blog, interview, visit book stores, tell friends and family, attend conferences and author signings. People are always happy to meet a ‘real’ writer!

5. How does writing fit into your day? Or does your day fit in around your writing?

Writing fits around my day, definitely – apart from my kids’ well-being, writing comes first! 

6. Do you write every day?

Yes – every SINGLE day apart from mine, my husband’s or kids’ birthdays and Christmas Day. Seriously. Sounds very sad but I make myself do it. Even 500 words is better than nothing. The trick I use is I write the first draft from start to finish without looking back. It’s amazing how much you can achieve when you shut off the ‘internal editor’.

7. Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

No, and it’s starting to show, lol! I’m very lucky that my mum and dad have blessed me with genes where I have always been naturally slim, but as I approach 40, I can see the ‘muffin top’ emerging. A gym membership may well be on the horizon…she says ;)

8. Just for fun: a year from the end of the book, where would your couple go on holiday?

Brighton, England – as far as I can tell from my research of the Victorian era, Brighton was the place to go. Some people say it still is!

9. Could you be friends with any of your heroines?

Yes! All of them. I don’t think a writer, especially a romance writer, could create a heroine she wouldn’t be willing spend a lot of time with if she was real. These characters become real people to us who we might spend six months to a year (sometimes longer!) with, so we have to like and understand them. Plus, there’s a little of me in all my heroines and I’m kind of a nice person to be around. I hope!

10. Have you ever written a hero you'd be happy to run off with?

Again, all of them! I create heroes that I genuinely fall in love with over the course of writing their story. I understand their issues, think they’re justified and take huge pleasure in watching them change and grow. My heroes tend to be Beta heroes, with big hearts and a love of family and the desire of a shared future with one woman. Who wouldn’t love a guy like that? 

Blurb for “Love’s Debt” available now from The Wild Rose Press:

To keep herself from the depths of poverty, Milly Shepherd needs to be appointed manager of the Red Lion Tavern. The elderly owner is in failing health and has promised her the job permanently if no one more suitable applies. Milly will fight with her entire being to make the job her own.

Joseph Jacobs needs to supplement his income to pay off his father’s creditors and save him from debtor’s prison. Though the job as manager of the local tavern looks promising, Milly is favored by both the owner and customers. Instead, Joseph swallows his pride and agrees to tend bar.

As they work together, their attraction grows, their goals cross, and both Millie and Joseph find they must face their fears …the question is whether they face them alone or together?

Love's debt is available direct from The Wild Rose Press, and also on Amazon and Amazon UK.

You can find Rachel on her website, her blog, Facebook and on Twitter.

Man of the Month - the French men!

This year my family and I were lucky enough to travel to France for our summer holidays. We spent an idyllic week and a bit in a beautiful hilly part of southern Brittany near a really picturesque village. It inspired me so much I couldn't wait to volunteer for a Man of the Month poll so I could feature all the men I wish had visited the area at the same time as we did!!



First up is the delectable Gilles Marini of Brothers & Sisters fame.

Next is an oldie but goody ;-) Footballer David Ginola who I spent many an afternoon staring at while I should've been spending more time watching the game! He also starred in an advert for a well known hair product!!



Kylie's ex, Olivier Martinez, who I must admit to using as inspiration for my Riva manuscript currently waiting its turn at Mills & Boon.





And back to the football (because I just can't help myself!). Next is goal scorer extraordinaire, ex Arsenal player, Thierry Henry.





Staying with football (why not when they are all soooo fine!!). On the left is Youann Gourcuff.






And finally, everyone who knows me knows I'd have to have a rugby player in the mix, I've hunted and scoured the internet for a worthy candidate. On the right is the very well dressed Alexis Palisson.







The poll is up on the right hand bar, I can't wait to see who you choose as your favourite!!

PS Unsurprisingly, the winner of our Aussie Man of the Month poll was Hugh Jackman.