The Write Club and a little bit of Witherstone

What an honour to have been invited to read an extract from Witherstone for the Write Club discussion this evening!

The podcast was, as ever, a wonderfully diverse discussion, including the writers' favourite books as younger readers, and although it's hard to choose just one from all the fabulous alternative universes I inhabited every day of my childhood (and still do, ha ha), my favourite was probably Tom's Midnight Garden - I loved it so much I read it into adulthood... and those who know me well know just how much I love the story of Tom and Hatty in that magical garden....

Write Club said some very kind things about Witherstone, and discussed the importance of not talking down to children when writing, discussed the wonderful Narnia books, and also discussed another inviting pile of new things to read over Christmas. It's a great group, easy-going and full of enthusiasm for writing and for reading, their podcasts are time delightfully well spent for readers and writers. 

Woo hoo! Two more 5* Reviews for Witherstone Trilogy :o)

Just coming up for air after spending a few weeks researching beneath the surface of the earth (plot-spoiler alert so I shall say no more ) and am emerging as a very Happy Bunny having found two brand new shiny 5* reviews

for Witherstone and The Hunt Begins! 
~

TerriAnn says Witherstone 'is a brilliant read' and in The Hunt Begins 'the pace and excitement grew' to such an extent that 'I won't be walking through the Wild Woods at night...' !

Wistman's Wood courtesy onlandscape.co.uk

Read the Reviews in full here!

 

postscript: Just shows you that hiding from Facebook isn't always a good plan - I just found another fab review on there from Teresa -

 

The "Witherstone" trilogy, by Jane Brunning (a friend of my brother's) - a brilliant read, set in 17th century England...as one Amazon reviewer puts it, you become "...immersed in superstition, magic and dark political forces...a story about real life struggle. The plot is gripping and the narrative carries the story with pace..." The characters, especially the heroine, Eppie, are very real and engaging, and you really feel for her as she battles to try and save her family...so brave, and yet so vulnerable...

I could go on...but read it yourself and see...available from Amazon, Waterstones (Preston)

Thank you Teresa :o)

Now, back down the tunnel...

~

eKlectic Writing - Official Live Launch of The Book of Shadows!

Following the grand tradition set by my friend and

award-winning poet Terry Quinn, I'm

launching the final Witherstone book, The Book of Shadows,

with friends!

 

 

It'll be a fabulously eKlectic night mixing prose and poetry - and it will be great to catch up with my fabulously-talented friends!

It's FREE too, and is forming part of the NEW monthly live literature nights LexiKal at the fabulous Korova Arts Café Bar just off Fishergate in Preston.

 

See you there!

~

Books, Tea, and Shortbread Biscuits

Had a really fab afternoon in Waterstones, Preston officially launching  The Book of Shadows into the world with a book signing.

Not only did the books meet with some enthusiastic readers - from brand new first-timers (some of whom bought all three!) through to those avidly waiting for the final part in the trilogy, I met lots of lovely people, caught up with a few friends, AND was supplied with tea and DELICIOUS home-made shortbread BISCUITS (*thank you Chelsie :oP *).

*AND Waterstones are adding Book 3 to their recommended Christmas Reads list too!* 

~

more giddy kippering

Getting as giddy as a kipper this week - not only do I have a book signing in Waterstones, Preston, to look forward to on Saturday, but a friend of mine has just received a pretty exciting Amazon recommended read...

Me? 

Nuff said. 

~

Book Signing in Waterstones...!

Really looking forward to the official launch of The Book of Shadows out into the world at a book signing in Waterstones, Preston 

this coming Saturday, 26th October... ! 

I'll be lurking amongst the bookshelves from about midday until late afternoon so it will be lovely to see people and have a chat, and, who knows, maybe sign a few books too! 

~
~

I am a Laydee, and I do Ladies Things.

Thrilled to have been invited to join the line-up at Korova Arts Cafe for this Friday's LadiesKlectic night in support of LadyFest Preston 

- supporting Preston Domestic Violence Services with loads of fab events 11th - 13th October - 

and I'll be joining Kiri Pritchard Mclean, Grace Ashworth, winner of the LimeLight Film Competition at Korova, Katie Ryan, Beth Norwood and Kerry Carrol, three fantastic emerging talents from the world of music, theatre and film, and the fantastic Avital Raz - 

"To call her magical is to miss the point. This is real and very potent self-expression."- Nick Burbridge.
- AND latest news just in: Guild competition winner Lorna Smithers.

F.A.B.

So all in all, a good night out then! See you there, where I will be a Laydee, and do Ladies Things. 

~

~

Giddy as a Kipper

Celebrating the publication of all three books in the Witherstone trilogy by making the Witherstone Kindle edition FREE for the last 5 days of September! 

- and I'm as giddy as a kipper at finding Witherstone launching itself into the top 500 in the Amazon Bestsellers free Kindle list, and in the top 20 Amazon Bestsellers Historical Fiction list within the first 24 hours!

courtesy thesaa.net

~

Woo hoo! Kindle edition of The Book of Shadows is published!

The Book of Shadows is now available on Kindle!

And to celebrate, the Kindle edition of Witherstone  

will be FREE for the last 5 days of September

- starting from tomorrow morning 26th September!

It's here!

The Book of Shadows has arrived, woo hoo!!!

It's on Amazon here - and will be in Waterstones, Preston in a couple of weeks - watch this space for more news there ;o) - and the Kindle edition will be hot-footing it onto Amazon in the next couple of days too...

...and it's getting closer...

~



Ta-da! The Book of Shadows front cover.

 

Master Nalgah flew past at just the right moment, his wing beats slow and languorous, as if he was flying underwater ...

~

 

~

Something wicked this way comes...

The passage was full of shadows...

~

Final throes...

After a couple of days in the editing suite...

... the manuscript was passed on to the Editor-in-Chief for final approval ...

... and she signed it off with a few typos and a couple of sentences needing a tweak.

Her verdict? "Brilliant." But then she did want something extra nice for tea...

Now the odd "i"s are dotted and "t"s crossed, so on to fiddling with gutters and margins and bleeds and all that layout stuff, then the final bits and bobs such as cover design etc ... so not long now.