Guest post. Karen Louise Hollis

I’m thrilled to have Karen Louise Hollis on my blog today. Karen runs her own (very popular) blog, alongside writing lots of beautiful books. I asked her about both and she’s here to tell us more.

From Karen:

I started writing my blog because I have been reviewing books online since 2000, when I wrote reviews for sites like Ciao and Dooyoo. I also used to review books on Facebook, but realised they could only be seen by my Facebook friends, so I decided to start a book blog two years ago.

This led to me joining various blog tours and using my blog to review those, alongside the odd blog post about my own writing and some interview posts. Then more recently, I decided (after finishing writing my third novel), I should put more time into my blog and try to create content on a daily basis, instead of the usual three posts a week I had been doing.

So I started to contact authors I knew online, or those who had written books I had read and enjoyed, or those whose work I was interested in to see if they would like to be on my blog. I was amazed how many did and especially thrilled that some of my favourite authors like Milly Johnson and Lisa Jewell said yes! Wow! I tend to ask the same ten questions, though I vary it occasionally depending on who I am interviewing.

I have written many more non-fiction books than fiction and these include lots of gymnastics books where I have interviewed gymnasts who competed for their countries from the 1950s to the present day. As both my parents were journalists, this feels like my natural home. I am fascinated by people and truly believe everyone has a story. I ask the questions I want to know the answer to and I hope readers will find the answers interesting too. This is the same with my author questions. My first question I ask is about the books and authors they read as a child and wow, nearly everyone says Enid Blyton (me included), she was such a wonderful writer for getting kids reading and caught up in all the magical worlds we find between the pages.

BLURB

Becki is fifty and a single mum to eleven-year-old Jemima, after being widowed five years ago. Dan is forty-eight and a single dad to eleven-year-old Freddie, after his wife left him five years ago. They have both given up on love. But when they all go to Silver Sands Bay on the Lincolnshire coast for the summer, will they be able to put the past behind them and find love again?

Links

Twitter – https://twitter.com/KarenLNHollis

IG – https://www.instagram.com/karenlouisehollis/

Blog – iheartbooks.blog/blog

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Karen-Louise-Hollis/e/B00NSLQME6?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1691933322&sr=8-1

Bio – About Karen Louise Hollis

I was born in Lincoln, England in 1969. I loved writing from an early age, being the daughter of two journalists. I am a mum to five children and have three grandchildren. I have had over twenty books published and have written about a variety of topics including motherhood, poetry, Doctor Who and gymnastics. My first novel Welcome to Whitlock Close came out in 2022 and my second one Starting Again in Silver Sands Bay in 2023.

Daily smiles.

Hello everyone. How are you? I’ve finally sent book two back to my editor for the second round of edits and am starting book 3 in my most recent series, which is based in Cherry Blossom Lane. I’ve been trying to be more active on social media and have been making lots of Instagram, Facebook and TikTok posts, which has been a learning curve. It’s given me the chance to chat to some new readers and subscribers, so I’m really enjoying it too.

The next writing buddy session I’m hosting with fellow author, Chris Penhall, at Fete cafe in Chelmsford, Essex, will be on the 16th March. Details can be found here.

Here are some memes I’ve made to hopefully make you smile today. Feel free to drop me a message or comment to let me know what you’re working on, or reading, at the moment. Have a great week! From Lizzie. x

February word count.

Hello everyone. I haven’t posted here for a while. How are you all? I’ve been working on the second book in the Cherry Blossom Lane series and have just received the first edits back from my editor. The book is called, The One That He Wants and is the second book in the series to My Perfect Ex. It’s always exciting and nerve wracking to open that email to see what she says! Luckily she loves the story and is looking forward to book three. Phew! Here are some gorgeous reviews from book 1: ‘Loved it!’ ‘A wonderful read.’ ‘Beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyed.’

I’m trying to be more organised this year, so I bought myself two huge wall planners for my office and home and I’m using it as a visual prompt to get on with book promotion and stop procrastinating. I’ve held a couple of writing buddy sessions that I run with fellow romance author, Chris Penhall, recently and the daytime session was fully booked, which was exciting. It warms my heart to hear about the different ways people write, what they are working on and also that writing buddies might help them to get words onto paper in some way. We hire the top floor of a gorgeous coffee shop and encourage people to write with two 30 minute writing sprints, a coffee break to network and a chat at the end about how people are. There are no word count pressures and we don’t check anyone’s work, it is purely to write alongside other creatives for a couple of hours. We have people writing books, comedy, short stories, poetry, articles and more. The weather has been dreary, so it’s always a mad dash to keep our computers and manuscripts dry if we are going to the coffee shop. I tend to write by hand at first, so I always have pages and pages of paper with me.

I’ve been chatting to people on social media a lot recently and I’m enjoying hearing about what everyone is reading. I’ve just started reading a lovely book called Patches through time by Sian Turner, who is a member of my book group, Lizzie’s Book Group, on Facebook. I’ve also just finished a book by Sue Moorcroft, called An Italian Island Summer, which is a beautiful read.

Have a great week everyone! From Lizzie. x

 

That’s the Spirit!

Today we are celebrating the book launch of, That’s the Spirit! by Mallory Pierce which is a brilliant new paranormal cozy mystery.

BOOK BLURB:

He’s on a deadline; she’s just . . . dead.

Brought back from the other side by a séance, Gwendolyn Frink has been roaming the halls of her family’s Victorian house for more than a century. She can’t communicate with the living, she can’t leave the premises, and she can’t stand feeling useless.

Enter Nolan Drake, aka the Guru of Gore. Suffering from a wicked case of writer’s block, the best-selling horror author purchases the empty Victorian, thinking a change of scenery from Manhattan to upstate New York might get his creative juices flowing again.

Gwen is thrilled to have a new housemate even when he turns out to be an antisocial, coffee-guzzling grump—spectral beggars can’t be choosers, right?

Nolan is not thrilled when he discovers his real estate agent’s dead body in the attic of the Victorian along with its resident ghost—a very talkative, opinionated ghost who insists on him helping her solve the murder of Morgan Charles.

Can this unlikely investigative duo crack the case so that the streets of Woebrook will be safe for the town’s annual Festival of Frights? Or will they run afoul of the wrong person, dooming them both to haunt the Victorian, and drive each other batty, for eternity?

If you enjoy sassy sleuths and supernatural shenanigans, That’s the Spirit! is the book for you! It’s similar in tone and content to the works of Paranormal Cozy Mystery authors Angie Fox, Erin Huss, and Annabel Chase.

UNIVERSAL BUY LINK FOR AMAZON. BOOK IS AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK, KINDLE UNLIMITED, AND PAPERBACK: https://mybook.to/ThatstheSpirit

AUTHOR BIO: Mallory Pierce is a third-generation graveyard enthusiast (tombstones tell such interesting stories!), reader of Nancy Drew, player of Clue, devout dissectologist (look it up!), and the owner of several fetching trench coats. So, it makes perfect sense that she spends her days writing stories about a plucky, crime-solving ghost.

Despite having visited haunted houses from San Jose to Savannah, Mallory has yet to have a close encounter with anyone from the Great Beyond and that’s probably for the best because she’s sort of a wimp. Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone.

That’s the Spirit! is the first of what will hopefully be many Paranormal Cozy Mysteries penned by Mallory Pierce, which is a pseudonym of award-winning Romantic Comedy author Tracie Banister.

CONNECT WITH MALLORY:

Author Newsletter: https://paranormalcozyauthor.eo.page/zknn4

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MalloryPAuthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MalloryPierceAuthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mallorypierceauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22864022.Mallory_Pierce

The Mindful Writer.

My guest on today’s blog is Deborah Klée. Deborah is such a warm and friendly person and she offers great support to other writers. I’ve recently been a guest on her podcast. She asks really interesting questions and makes you feel right at home. I’ve also been a speaker at one of Deborah’s Friday Salon Zoom meetings where I met so many amazing writers. Deborah manages to bring together people from all over the world and is a very inspirational woman.

Thank you for inviting me to your website to talk about two resources I host for other writers: Friday Salon and The Mindful Writer Podcast.

Both of these projects have brought some amazing people into my life, including you, Lizzie. They have enabled me to network with writers from all over the world and to learn from them as we share resources, wisdom, and expertise.

Friday Salon

Friday Salon started as a bit of an experiment. I had heard of tweet-chats but had little experience of them. I was new to Twitter and the writing community. I started out inviting writers to join me on Friday using the hashtag #FriSalon. Three writer friends from my local writing group turned up to support me and I was delighted that several other writers did too. I chose the name Friday Salon as I described the tweet-chat as a place where creatives could meet just as the Victorians did in the Salons of old.

Friday Salon started in October 2020. Encouraged by the success of the first tweet-chat I hosted one the following Friday and planned to continue until Xmas 2020. We grew in number and the tweet-chats became a popular place for writers to meet on Twitter each Friday at 4 pm BST (GMT) 11 am EDT (EST). I continued hosting until October 2021. In that first year, I invited at least one expert guest each month. I transcribed all of the tweets and posted them in a document the following morning.

By October 2021 I was running out of ideas and had other projects I wanted to invest my time in. Rather than discontinue Friday Salon I invited regular participants to share the role of host. The shared hosting arrangement is wonderful. We all own Friday Salon. It has just grown and grown. Everyone is welcome to pop into the chat. It is a great way of making meaningful connections with other writers. Friday Salon participants have supported one another by beta-reading, buying one another’s books, reviewing, and helping to promote new publications.

Now that I no longer host every week, I have been able to invest time in facilitating a virtual writing retreat three times a year. This was something that came about following a tweet-chat on writing retreats. Several participants said they would love to have a writing retreat with Friday Salon friends. As we come from across the world the best way to achieve this was by meeting on Zoom. We have had two writing retreats now, each with a guest speaker. There is no cost to participate.

Everyone is welcome to join in the Friday Salon tweet-chat and the virtual writing retreats. If you are new to the writing community and/or want to make meaningful connections with other writers then this is a great way to find your tribe.

To find out more about Friday Salon see:

https://abrakdeborah.wordpress.com/friday-salon/

  Here is the link if you’d like to listen to our Mindful Writer chat.

The Mindful Writer Podcast

The Mindful Writer Podcast is a resource to help writers cope with the emotional highs and lows of being a writer. There are lots of resources to assist writers with the business of writing, publication, and marketing but not so much on managing the inner journey.

In 2019 I was struggling with the lack of control and uncertainty I was experiencing as a writer as I waited for agents and publishers to respond to submissions. At that time, I had an agent and my debut was out on submission. I knew that my emotional state was affecting my relationships and well-being. So, for Lent that year I decided to meditate each day. Forty days turned into a year, and then four. Daily meditation became part of my life. Today, I practice yoga and meditate every day. These practices alongside regular journaling have given me insight. I have developed a strong sense of self-belief, and compassion for myself. I have learnt to let go and trust the journey. As I went through this transformation, I shared my reflections and learning in a weekly blog.

 I loved writing my blog and from the feedback, I have received I know it has helped others. However, I wanted to talk to other writers to learn from their wisdom. The idea for the Mindful Writer Podcast came to me many months before I dared to give it a go. It was scary, but it is only when we step outside of our comfort zone that we learn new things and grow.

Each week I chat with a guest exploring the psychological, emotional, and spiritual journey they have experienced as a writer, the lessons they have learnt – and are continuing to learn.

As I talk to other writers and reflect on my own experience, I am discovering how we might find abundance in our creative pursuits, achieving our goals the mindful way.

All of my guests have been amazing. Their words of wisdom lifted my spirit first during the live interview and again on editing the interview. It’s wonderful because I get a high each time I listen. This is what I wanted for other writers. So many of us struggle with feelings of disappointment, wanting something so much it hurts, imposter syndrome, comparisonitis, fear of failure, elation and despair. I hope that by listening to these podcasts writers will feel that they are not alone, that they will be inspired, and find emotional courage.

I transcribe the interviews so that they can be read:

https://abrakdeborah.wordpress.com/category/the-mindful-writer/

or listened to as a podcast:

https://themindfulwriter.buzzsprout.com/

You can check out Deborah’s novels here:

 

Author Richard Dee. Book Launch.

We Are Saul. Book Launch.

by Richard Dee.

Blurb

When Saul is paralysed in an accident, he thinks it’s the end of his life. In fact, it’s just the beginning.

While trying to come to terms with his injuries, the mysterious Dr Tendral offers him a way to make a difference. All he has to do is join his project. There are no other details until he agrees, he’s either in or out.
What choice does he have?
Agreeing is just the beginning. Saul undergoes drastic surgery, only then is the full depth of the project revealed.
Or is it?
As time goes on and he learns more about Tendral’s scheme, Saul’s new life becomes increasingly difficult.
In the end, he has to abandon everything as he learns the truth.

All second chances come with a price.

 Grab your copy now! 

Purchase http://mybook.to/We_are_Saul

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60304988-we-are-saul

Chapter One Extract.

I’m Saul and I’m paralysed. Thanks to a drunk driver my life stopped when I was twenty-five. When I woke up, the last thing I remembered was walking along the pavement on a glorious spring day, following the metronomic motion of a young lady in front of me. One moment, my mind was fixed on speeding up and getting acquainted with the rest of her, next thing, there was a loud noise behind me coupled with a scream. Before I could turn, I felt an impact, a burst of pain and it all went dark.

I opened my eyes to see a man’s face, complete with thick glasses and stubble, staring at me, very close. I blinked, tried to turn my head, failed. It felt like something was holding my neck still. I could move my eyes, that was about it. Flat on my back, my field of vision was limited. There was a lot of noise, machines bleeped and clicked, there was the hiss of compressed air.

“Where am I?” I said, my voice sounded faint and weak, like it was coming from miles away.

“You’re in a hospital. Intensive Care, actually,” answered the man, moving back a little. “I’m Mr McGee, a consultant neurosurgeon on the staff. Do you know who you are?”

“I’m Saul,” I said. “Why can’t I move?”

His eyes narrowed. “Saul, I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news for you.”

I had sort of gathered that my situation wasn’t brilliant. “Go on then, tell me the worst.” I tried to sound brave, inside I was more than a little frightened. Beside his head, I could just make out a screen. It showed multicoloured flickering lines, a row of numbers. That was me, my life was reduced to mathematics.

“You’ve had emergency surgery to stabilise your injuries,” he said. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

“It’s all a bit hazy, I was walking down the road, there was a noise behind me.” I stopped, that was it. “How long ago was that?”

He looked at me. “This might be a shock: three weeks.”

“Three weeks!” My voice was definitely getting stronger.

“I’m afraid so. What you heard was a lorry mounting the pavement and taking out everything in its path. Six dead but not you, the good news is, you’ll live.”

His face was blank, what wasn’t he telling me? Perhaps I had broken bones, internal damage. I was being kept still while I healed. I tried to move my arms, legs. It felt like they worked but I couldn’t see the sheet moving, had no idea if anything was happening.

The bed suddenly moved, the motion felt strange, as if my head was being tugged by some dead weight attached to it, that I couldn’t see or sense. I felt nauseous. Somewhere below me, I heard a machine start up with a rattle.

“What’s going on? I think I’m going to be sick.” I must have sounded panicked.

“It’s what we call the Low Air Loss and Alternating Pressure Air Mattresses,” he said. “Technical name for a special bed. It stops you getting bed sores from lying in one position, as well as that, it helps takes moisture away from your body if you sweat.”

Although it all sounded interesting, I couldn’t concentrate on his words. I was too busy thinking about the time I had lost. There were things I needed to do. There was clearly more, it was time to find out. “I’ll take your word for it. Tell me the bad news then.”

“Sorry,” he said, “I got distracted. You were thrown thirty feet in the accident. As well as a broken leg and arm, the impact also broke your neck. I’m afraid that it’s damaged your spine.”

“Oh, OK.” It didn’t register. “How long till I’m up and about?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think you understand what I’m telling you.”

Then it hit me, bones mended, spines did not. Panic set in. “What do you mean?” I shouted. “That I’m paralysed? That I’ll always be like this?”

“I’m afraid so,” he said. “We can’t fix you with the medical technology we have at the moment. In time, who knows? Your breathing and bowel function appears to be unimpaired, but your arms and legs don’t work. It’s called quadriplegia. Worst case, we can keep you alive and with care and expert attention, your life can carry on.”

I realised that it was all just ‘doctor speak’ for aren’t we amazing, look at what we can do. McGee probably felt really clever that he was able to prolong my suddenly useless life. There could be a paper in it, recognition of his skill from other doctors. My attitude to medical miracles was different. I looked at the quality of the lives that had been saved, the cost to those who had to do the caring. Just because medicine had advanced enough to make it possible. And from my position of good health, I had often wondered about the benefits of so-called miracle surgery.

I always thought that just because you could, it didn’t mean that you should. Now I was on the receiving end of the same ability to play God and cheat nature. Despair washed over me, my life had been full of adventure, extremes. I wasn’t used to spending time inside, with nothing to do. Immobility might not kill me but boredom would. Why hadn’t the lorry done a proper job, wiped me out in an unknowing flash; it felt like an additional cruelty to leave me like this.

 

About Richard Dee

I’m Richard Dee and I’m from Brixham in Devon.

I write Science Fiction and Steampunk adventures, as well as chronicling the exploits of Andorra Pett, a reluctant amateur detective.

I spent forty years in shipping, firstly at sea, then in Port Control and as a Thames River Pilot, with adventures to match anything you could imagine. When I retired, I just moved them out into space, changed some of the names and wrote them down.

When I’m not writing, I bake bread and biscuits, cook delicious meals and walk the Devon coast.

My first novel, Freefall, was published in 2013, my eighteenth, We Are Saul, will be published in June 2022

I also contributed a story to the 1066 Turned Upside Down collection of alternative history stories. I’m currently working on more prequels, sequels, and a few new projects.

I’m an active member of Exeter Authors Association, attending events and giving talks on World-building for speculative fiction.

You can keep up with me at https://richarddeescifi.co.uk/ where you’ll find free short stories, regular features on writing, book reviews and guest appearances from other great authors.

There’s also an offer for a FREE novella, when you join my subscriber’s newsletter.

I can be found on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/RichardDeeAuthor and contacted by email at mailto:richarddeescifi@gmail.com

  

Anne Coates. Top Author Of The Week.

This week’s TOP AUTHOR POST welcomes brilliant writer, Anne Coates. Inspired by her mother who taught her to read before she went to school and by the Deputy Head at her secondary school in Harlow, Essex who encouraged her hunger for reading by granting her free access to the books not yet in the school library – she feels still grateful for this, in her eyes, amazing privilege.

During her career, she worked for publishers, as a journalist, writer, editor, and translator. The birth of her daughter, Olivia inspired her to write non-fiction books, such as ‘Your Only Child’ (Bloomsbury, 1996), books about applying to and surviving university (NeedtoKnow, 2013), but also short stories, tales with a twist, and stories exploring relationships, published in in various women’s magazines including Bella and Candis.

After working on Woman’s Weekly and Woman & Home, Anne went freelance and found herself interviewing all types of people from those working on gas rigs to prostitutes and some of their situations made her think “What if…” And so, investigative journalist Hannah Weybridge was born…

The Hannah Weybridge series is published by Urbane Publications. Anne lives with three demanding cats, enjoys reading, and is missing going to the theatre and cinema, wining and dining and time with her family and friends.

Meet Anne:

It only took one tap dancing class (and some coaching from my mother who had been a dancer) to realise that I would never be a Ginger Rogers but being a journalist and writing fiction has allowed  me to explore all manner of careers and situations with far less embarrassment. During lockdown I have found returning to the 90s when my Hannah Weybridge series is set has been a relief and once again much of the action my WIP takes place in Waterloo – where my mother was born and some of my expended family lived. I can’t wait to walk those streets again and absorb the personal as well as public history. For me writing has been a way to reconnect and rediscover something we’ll all hopefully be doing more of soon.

Where to find Anne’s social media pages:Author Website: www.annecoatesauthor.com
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AnneCoatesAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anne_Coates1

 

Dulwich library is the scene of a suspicious death, followed swiftly by another in Manchester, the victims linked by nothing other than their Australian nationality. Police dismiss the idea of a serial killer, but journalist Hannah Weybridge isn’t convinced. She is drawn into an investigation in which more Australian men are killed as they try to trace their British families. Her research reveals past horrors and present sadness, and loss linked to children who went missing after the Second World War. Have those children returned now?

Once again Hannah finds herself embroiled in a deadly mystery, a mystery complicated by the murder of Harry Peters; brother of Lucy, one of the residents of Cardboard City she had become friendly with. It soon becomes clear Lucy is protecting secrets of her own – what is Lucy’s link to the murders and can Hannah discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

Paperback: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/perdition-s-child/9781912666676

Ebook: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perditions-Child-Hannah-Weybridge-thriller-ebook/dp/B082VKNBL3

Val Penny. This week’s Top Author.

How are  you all today? I’ve finally sent the third round of edits back to my editor and have some time to work on book two of my new romance series. I can’t wait to show you all the cover designs when they are ready.

This week it’s my pleasure to showcase the work of another author and to offer them some support. Val penny is a brilliant writer who is the author of a page turning series of detective books. Once you start the first book in the series, you’ll find yourself drawn to the next book straight away.

Val Penny’s crime novels, Hunter’s Chase Hunter’s Revenge, Hunter’s Force Hunter’s Blood and Hunter’s Secret form the bestselling series The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries. They are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by darkstroke. Her first non-fiction book Let’s Get Published is also available now and she has most recently contributed her short story, Cats and Dogs to a charity anthology, Dark Scotland.

Val is an American author living in SW Scotland with her husband and two cats.

Some 5 star reviewer praise for Val’s work:

‘Gripping, Fast Paced Crime Thriller, with a sprinkling of Humour!’

‘I have a new hero: Detective Inspect Hunter – tough when needs be but with a soft centre.’

From, Val Penny:

2020 was a strange year all across the globe. I am, by nature a gregarious person and the restrictions placed on socialising because of the deadly coronavirus were as difficult for me as for everybody else. However, I was lucky. I am an author, and I spent the year writing two books, the non-fiction Let’s Get Published and the fifth book in The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries, Hunter’s Secret. I also made contact with a narrator to arrange for the first book in the series, Hunter’s Chase, to be made into an audio book. It will be out by the end of March 2021.

Hunter’s Secret book blurb:

Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is called to the scene of a murder. DCs Tim Myerscough and Bear Zewedu found a corpse, but when Hunter arrives it has disappeared, and all is not as it seems.

Hunter recalls the disappearance of a dead body thirty years earlier. The Major Incident Team is called in but sees no connection – it is too long ago. Hunter is determined to investigate the past and the present with the benefit of modern DNA testing.

Tim has other problems in his life. His father, Sir Peter Myerscough, is released from jail. He, too, remembers the earlier murder. There is no love lost between Hunter and Sir Peter. Will Hunter accept help from his nemesis to catch a killer?
Hunter’s own secret is exciting and crucial to his future. Will it change his life? And can he keep Edinburgh safe?

Author Contact Details And Buy Links:

www.valpenny.com
https://www.facebook.com/Authorvalpenny
https://twitter.com/valeriepenny
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/val-penny

Buy Links:
mybook.to/hunterschase
mybook.to/huntersrevenge
mybook.to/huntersforce
mybook.to/huntersblood
mybook.to/hunterssecret
bit.ly/LetsGetPublished
mybook.to/darkscotlan



M J Mallon. New book launch!

If you love poetry, then this is the book for you! I’m thrilled to be part of the launch of author M J Mallon‘s new poetry book, Lockdown Innit.  M J is a big supporter of other authors and it’s great to be able to give something back. Grab your copy of this interesting and thought provoking book here: Universal link for kindle: https://mybook.to/Lockdowninnit

BLURB

Lockdown Innit is a poetry collection of eighteen poems about life’s absurdities and frustrations during lockdown. Wherever you live in this world, this is for you. Expect humour, a dollop of banter and ridiculous rants here and there. Amongst other delights, witness the strange antics of a swan posing by a bin and two statuesque horses appearing like arc deco pieces in a field. Check out the violin player on a tightrope, or the cheeky unmentionables wafting in the lockdown breeze!

 Buying Links Lockdown Innit 

Kindle Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08VW81Q53/

Kindle Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VW81Q53/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56949934-lockdown-innit

Lockdown Innit is the second book that Marjorie has released during this time period

The first, This Is Lockdown released in kindle in July 2020. This Is Lockdown is a compilation and anthology of my diaries, poetry, flash fiction and 28 wonderful contributions from international authors, bloggers and creatives sharing their thoughts, poetry, and flash fiction during covid19. Many old friends contributed to the anthology and she discovered many new authors, and creatives via compiling this anthology.

This Is Lockdown is available in a shorter paperback version with poetry, flash fiction and contributions  (the diaries are only in the kindle version.)

Kindle: mybook.to/Thisislockdown

Paperback: mybook.to/Thisislockdownpb

 

 

 

Secrets from a book launch.

Happy new week everyone.  How are you? It’s been a hectic few days here, as my latest romance book, The little ice cream shop by the sea, launched. It’s been fun as I’ve been chatting online about ice cream, people’s favourite flavours and about how many of us wish we could be beside the sea and bathed in sunshine right now. The next best thing is a book full of laughter and romance by the sea!

Some of the interesting flavour combinations that have come up, are Pistachio, honeycomb, fig, lavender, coconut, peanut butter, banana caramel, or dark chocolate. Also some sorbets with alcohol, like Prosecco and cranberry or blackberry. You can join in that chat here on Twitter. My favourite combination is coffee and lemon!

 

It’s very strange  holding a book launch during lockdown. This is the second one I’ve done now, and I have been overwhelmed by the support of my network. This book has reached #1 in more than one category and is now an international bestseller, so I can’t thank you enough for reading, sharing social pages and telling your friends and family about it.  I’ve had people who have never seen my books before, share posts about it with friends too, which I’m very thankful for.  It’s wonderful to meet new readers.

A few things I did for my launch, in case it can help any other authors, are listed here:

  1. I planned my launch weeks ahead of time and scheduled in some social media posts and graphics, so that I had time to chat to readers all day.
  2. I posted photos of my genre and topic and engaged readers in chat about it. The topic I decided on was food, as my book is set in a beachside restaurant. This was a lot of fun as I’m almost as obsessed with food, as I am with books!
  3. I asked other authors and book bloggers if they would mind hosting my book on launch day. (Booking a tour with a professional service in advance is a great idea too. I didn’t do that this time, but often do).
  4. I posted similar book graphics to Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and ran a prize giveaway.
  5. I engaged in chat on launch day in book groups.
  6. I scheduled a newsletter to my subscriber list and ran a unique giveaway just for my subscribers.

I hope this helps and that if you have downloaded the book or bought a paperback, that the story fills your days with sunshine.  Genie, Ada and Cal were a lot of fun to write about and I’m now thinking about the possibility of writing a sequel.

Have an amazing week everyone.