A Doubt In My Storytelling

I went to Telford the other weekend for a company event with UW. 

UW is a FTSE250 company and as a partner I help people save money on their bills, and it helps me earn an additional income, so I have the time freedom to write. 

I was with my friend and mentor, Sue, who introduced me to the business just under four years ago. She is also an avid and prolific reader - in that she prefers a physical book, not an eBook. Her favourite books are the Outlander series. (She was reading them before the series.) She also likes prosecco so this could be why we get on so well. 

If we're not discussing UW, we are talking books whilst sharing a bottle of prosecco! 

Anyway, she'd read Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage, then Plus One is a Lucky Number - I had gifted her a copy of my paperback in the old cover. 

She said that she found Plus One easier to get into than Maeve Binchey's Circle of Friends! After finishing Plus One she asked me which one should she read next, so I said One Fine Day. 

On Sunday, before the event truly started, while we perused the stalls and grabbed a coffee, she told me she'd finished One Fine Day in four days on her trip to/from Brussels. She loved it and couldn't put it down. Incidentally, she loved the other two books too, and she admitted that the romance genre wouldn't be her usual go to, but she had thoroughly enjoyed my books. 

The reason I'm sharing this is because I have been doubting my storytelling. With rejections for my latest manuscript, where I was hoping it would find a home with a bigger publisher, I've been wondering if I need to rethink my stories, even the genre I write in. 

However, on Sunday, as we were empowered and inspired by brilliant stories from ordinary people, I made the decision that I will continue with romance. I write a damn good story! I just need to find the right publisher. 

I do worry I don't write a strong enough conflict, but if truth be told, when I'm reading a story and it just feels so unbelievable, I can find myself rolling my eyes. So, I write stories that my reader can get invested in, believe, and most importantly, the hero is someone they could meet and fall in love with.

If you've read any of my books, and enjoyed them, please ensure you leave a review where you purchased the book from. This really does help the author. 

Obviously, if you hated it - and you're within your rights to feel that way, I'm not everyone's cup of tea - I'd rather not know... 

Paperbacks Available in Local Waterstones

It really is a dream come true to see your paperbacks on a Waterstones table in the middle of the shop! 

And it happened today. 

Waterstones in Weston-super-Mare have been incredibly supportive to my writing career over the past 10 years. They've allowed me to hold a few book signings for Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage and One Fine Day. 

The other week, armed with the new book cover for Plus One is a Lucky Number, the manager at Weston-super-Mare Waterstones kindly agreed to order some copies in. 

I went in this afternoon and signed them, so lucky readers will be purchasing a signed copy! It'll make the perfect gift for a female friend or relative, or for yourself. 

Pop along to Waterstones in Weston-super-Mare as the copies will run out fast. (Or put an order in, I'll happily pop along and sign it for you!) 

And if you can't afford the book, don't panic too much. I've donated a copy to the library in Weston-super-Mare. (But I didn't sign that one.) 

I hope you enjoy this book! It was so much fun to write and I can't believe it's 10 years old. 

Blurb for Plus One is a Lucky Number 

A swoon-worthy, fake dating romance perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and The Proposal!

Sophie Trewyn is going to a wedding where the invite is strictly Plus One.

But with her single-girl status not quite complying with the dress code, and the best man being none other than the shady ex she would rather forget, Sophie needs a wedding favour and she needs it fast…

Enter dreamy co-worker, Adam Reid. But after the wedding weekend, on the sunny Cornish coast, Sophie must decide… is their relationship real or is it all for show?

Seventeen!

And here it is, ladies and gentleman, I am now the proud owner of another seventeen-year-old. 

It's incredibly scary how fast they grow! 

Happy 17th birthday, Kieran. 

He's probably too cool now for this blog post, so I just won't tell him I've posted it. 

He only allows his photo to be taken if I promise not to put it on Facebook ha ha! (This is the most recent one I have of him which is probably the least embarrassing.)

Kieran is growing up to be a fine young man. He's still into his football - sporting a broken big toe just before Christmas! (That was fun.) He had to have surgery, having a pin inserted. (He has had more A&E visits than his brother.) 

Having left school last summer, he's studying a T3 in sports science and still loves his food. In fact, he's eating me out of house and home! 

My cheeky little chappie has become a bit grumpy in his teenage years. He's always been keen on doing his hair - that certainly hasn't changed. Yet now, it's this floppy fashionable style that seems to be the trend. 

He's not so much Kamikaze Kieran anymore. Or Kieran the Destroyer (of toys). But he still tends to be fearless and prepared to give most things a go. 

He's actually working on his birthday, but has his first driving lesson booked for the 27th March. So, everyone, off the road! You've been warned! 

Carry on being you, my darling boy, just try not to be so grumpy and mean to your brother. You do love him really. 

My dad used to joke that having two boys I would be like the mum played by Wendy Craig in Butterflies. 

And with two boys owning cars, I can see this becoming more and more true. And I just don't have the driveway space! 

At least I don't place a tablecloth over the remnants of the meal before. 

Anyway, you'll always remain my cute, baby boy forever in my heart.

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I love you very much.

Mum Xxx 

Plus One is a Lucky Number - Cover Reveal

Last year, I celebrated 10 years as a published author and it's all thanks to this book - Plus One is a Lucky Number.

Anyway, this year, we have a new book cover! I'm soooo excited about it I could burst. What do you think? Do you like it? 

It's not gone live on Amazon or all the other good ebooks sellers where you can purchase this book but watch this space! 

I'm hoping it's going to get into some promotions and give the book the boost it deserves. 

Blurb: 

A swoon-worthy, fake dating romance perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and The Proposal!

Sophie Trewyn is going to a wedding where the invite is strictly Plus One. But with her single-girl status not quite complying with the dress code, and the best man being none other than the shady ex she would rather forget, Sophie needs a wedding favour and she needs it fast…

Enter dreamy co-worker, Adam Reid. But after the wedding weekend, on the sunny Cornish coast, Sophie must decide… is their relationship real or is it all for show?

Amazon UK buy link here. 

If you love films like Just Go With It and The Wedding Date, and any friends to lovers stories, you'll love this!