Eight days and Counting

I can't believe that in just eight days time, What She Saw - my debut thriller set in the Lake District - will be published! 

In my last post, I mentioned I was getting nervous. Little did I know that a week later something would happen to make it all the more real.

This happened...

Yes, (on my birthday no less) a large box arrived and it was filled with beautiful paperbacks. What a birthday present! I took them out. I sniffed them. I stroked them. In fact, I did everything an author is meant to do when her book baby is finally in her hands. How proud I felt. Bursting with it, in fact.

But yesterday, I was even prouder when I was finally able to give a copy of What She Saw to each of my children and step-children at a family BBQ (even though all of them have already pre-ordered their own copies). One of my daughters started to read it there and then and was so engrossed in it she didn't move from the swing chair. She finished the book this morning and messaged me to say how much she loved it (she's a Katerina Diamond fan, so I'm chuffed). This was swiftly followed by a message from my step-daughter, telling me her husband had taken the book to bed with him and had woken her up this morning with the words, 'This book is really good'.

I've had over sixty reviews on NetGalley to date, and am delighted with them, but most book reviewers are women. I love that a guy likes my novel too!

The other thing that happened is that I received a fifteen minute clip of my audiobook to listen to. I just love the narrator. The strange thing was, it was such a different medium that it felt as though I was listening to someone else's book. When I came to the end of the clip and wanted to hear more, it was a huge relief. Imagine if I'd fallen asleep!

Last year, I was at Horsham Library listening to a talk by Katerina Diamond and her audio narrator Antonia Beamish, as part of Love Audio week. You can read about it here. I was brave and had a go at narrating when they asked for volunteers, but never did I think that a year later, it would be my own thriller that would be narrated. 

My next post will be after publication day. Apologies in advance for any over excitement!

Nerves are Good... Right?

I'm trying not to panic. Why? Because in three week's time, my debut psychological thriller, What She Saw will be published.

I've been waiting for this for a long time but now that it's getting closer I'm starting to get nervous. What if people don't like my book? What if no one buys it? Silly thoughts, I know, as my editor is really pleased with how the pre-orders of the ebook are going and already I've had a favorable response to it on Goodreads, but I just can't help it.

The problem is, as an author, it doesn't matter how many lovely 4 and 5 star reviews you have, it will always be the others you focus on. That's human nature I suppose. I was given the advice not to look at my reviews... but it's hard not to. Also, if I hadn't looked, I'd have missed out on the reviewer who said my characters were 'meh' but also missed out on the one who said, 'I've read many thrillers but this one blew them all out of the water'.

The whole process is nerve-wracking but exciting too.

There have been three other exciting things that have happened this week. The first is that I've seen the paperback version of my novel is now available to pre-order. Yippee!

The second is I've spoken to the owner of my lovely local independent bookshop (Steyning Bookshop) and she's happy to stock my novel on publication (I'm hoping that anyone who lives locally and wants to buy a paperback copy will support this wonderful shop).

Finally, I've been told that the London studio has been booked for the audio of What She Saw. I've listened to a clip of the narrator on Audible and I'm delighted with my publisher's choice. I can't wait to hear it!

Everything's happening so fast that it's no wonder my stomach is doing somersaults.

What She Saw can be pre-ordered here for just 99p!