'Love Always' by Harriet Evans - A great holiday read!

I have enjoyed all Harriet Evans' books, especially this one about how Natasha Kapoor discovers a diary written by her Aunt Cecily in 1963, the summer that she fell to her death down the cliff steps - or was she pushed?

In trying to unravel the fate of her aunt, Natasha also sorts her own life out - her unhappy marriage and her failing business.

This is a great story, set at Summercove, the family house by the sea in Cornwall and in Brick Lane, London.

I would definitely read it again.

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson- Paperback or Kindle?

I've just received one of those slim cardboard packages from Amazon with an easy-open tear-off strip which revealed The Lantern, the latest book by Deborah Lawrenson which she describes as a 'modern Gothic novel set in Provence'. I can't wait!

I love the smell of cardboard and new books as I rip them open, and the breeze on my face from the creamy pages as I thumb through them. Mm! You can't get that sensory heaven from a Kindle, although it is probably exciting when it arrives, but you only get that feeling once.

I met Deborah Lawrenson at a party a few years ago, and she was very kind and helpful with suggestions on how to get my novel published. It had taken her two and a half years to get The Art of Falling into the shops because it was a new direction for her after writing three other successful books. I was very impressed and bought it from Waterstones on my way home the next day!

It tells of Isabel's search for her father, Tom. Her story is in the present and his is set in Italy at the start of World War II. In fact I liked it so much, I must get it out again and read it.

I often like to do that: read the books by a particular author one after another, and really immerse myself in their world. And of course, although we all know about the convenience of owning a Kindle: instant downloads and easy to take your library on holiday, nothing beats displaying the works of your favourite author in a colour coordinated row on your bookshelf!

Short Story Success in Writers' News!

I had a lovely surprise this morning when I opened my Writing Magazine, and found that I had been shortlisted in the Members' Club Short Story competition in Writers' News.

Ok, I didn't actually win, but every little bit of success helps!

As you can see, the story was entered in the Great Expectations competition, and that had to be its title too. I got the idea last year when I was waiting for the finalists to be announced in the Brit Writers' Awards Unpublished 2010 competition. I had got through to the third round with my novel Gipsy Moth, and was really hoping to be chosen, but I wasn't. However, always eager to use experiences in my writing, I jotted down my feelings at the time and used them as the basis for my story when the theme was announced this year in Writers' News. That is as far as it goes, the rest of the story is, of course, fiction!

Balancing Self-Promotion with Writing and Reading

The Romantic Novelists are still talking about self-promotion. They had report of a teenage reader who said that she found most of the many books she read online in recommendations from other readers and writers, but did not like books being pushed at her all the time. Other members said that they didn't have time to keep up a blog, Facebook and Twitter, and really needed more time to spend on their writing. I think that I agree!

I started this blog in January, and I've spent the past few days adding some pages, as you can see above, about me and my novel. I've also uploaded a summery short story which I hope you'll like.

This blog is very much a work in progress, as I'm learning how to do it as I go along. However, Catherine Ryan Howard (Self-Printed) is passionate about blogging (five days a week), Tweeting and keeping up her Facebook pages, as well as preparing her second travel memoir for publication. I don't know how she does it. My blog is taking up all my time, and I really need to get my book ready. . .

The other thing I have less time for is reading. I started Harriet Evans' Love Always a few weeks ago, but got side tracked on Mousestrapped and you've guessed it, Self-Printed, plusWoman's Weekly which I try to keep up with to help me write a suitable story to get published in their magazine!

This week, I think, was indicative of the new sort of stories that they want. One, by Rachel Lovell, was about a couple that had moved to France because their foster child had told a 'squalid tale' about the husband which had ruined their lives, but they found a new meaning in life by helping a French family. The other story from Bernadette James was about a woman waiting for a reunion with her sister years after they had both loved the same man. I found these stories both quiet and thoughtful.

Anyway, I'm back with Harriet Evans now, and loving her new book.

Self-Printed, Self-Publishing, Self-Promotion and The Time Sculptor's Secret

I've finished reading Self-Printed by Catherine Ryan Howard. It's a thorough account of how to self-publish using Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Createspace and Smashwords and how to promote yourself using blogs, Facebook and Twitter. She has been successful with these methods in publishing Mousetrapped and, of course, Self-Printed, itself, and she has given me lots of food for thought.

Interestingly in September's Writers' Forum, Helen Hollick tells how she self-published some of her out of print novels using SilverWood Books. Whereas Catherine published hers for next to nothing, Helen went for a complete publishing service, and felt happier with it even though it cost £1400 on average per book, although they are helping her with her promotion.

The Romantic Novelists have been talking about self-promotion being annoying when authors are always trying to push their books on others, and today there was a link to Allison Brennan in America, Money Can't Buy Love. She'd been to two conferences, and self-promotion was discussed at length at both of them. She said that ultimately, it is the quality of the book that promotes it through Word of Mouth: the most unpredictable method of promotion, but the one which can bring in the best results.

So more food for thought there!

Lastly this week, I've got a new follower, Jane Gray. I've visited her blog and it is fantastic! She's writing a novel set in Tuscany called The Time Sculptor's Secret, and her current blog describes this area which I love so well, that I can't wait to read her book. She also gives a short quote from the text to showcase her writing and a lengthy one from Charles Dickens who visited the area in 1844. Together with some excellent pictures, it looks like the perfect blog for self-promotion!!

www.selfprinted.com

www.writersforum.com

www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk

http://www.murdershewrites.com/2011/07/21/money-cant-buy-

http://thetimesculptor.blogspot.com/

Self-Publishing- I've been reading Self-Printed by Catherine Ryan Howard.

This week I've been reading Self-Printed by Catherine Ryan Howard. She's given me a lot of food for thought, and I feel I must get on with building an 'online presence' and coming to grips with Facebook and Twitter, when I've hardly got time to write my blog!

Catherine says that an individual cover is essential to make your book look its best, so I've also got to look into getting mine designed. One quote was $1000! Just a little out of my league.

Other printers and publishers have also been recommended, including one in Hunstanton, Norfolk, where my parents met and we had many happy holidays.

Phew! At the moment, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed!

I'm getting Started with Self-Publishing

These nameless volumes represent how much I know about self-publishing, so I've been to work on the internet, helped by the adverts in my pile of writing magazines.
The companies vary and I think I will have to make a very careful decision as to which I choose.
Briefly, my first impressions are that Matador assess your book's possible success first: 25% don't get accepted. They seem to be quite pricey, but I've yet to draw up a spread sheet to compare the others.
I would like to have an individual cover, so I don't like the limited range of covers from GHP and Indepenpress.
Antony Rowe's site looks a bit like Matador, but doesn't seem to be linked to Amazon, you can have an individual cover though, and they do self-publishing workshops in Chippenham.
Spiderwize is a cheaper package, but you can provide your own picture for a glossy cover.
And Direct POD looks like a good printer to work with giving lots of information on their website, but I'm not sure whether they can help you with ebooks.
All a bit confusing, isn't it? None of the companies provide exactly what I'm looking for, so perhaps I'll have to make it on my own . . .

http://www.troubador.co.uk/matador.asp
http://www.grosvenorhousepublishing.co.uk/
http://www.indepenpress.co.uk/
http://uk.cpibooks.com/self-publishing/

http://www.spiderwize.co.uk/package/
http://www.direct-pod.com