Tag: Womens’_Fiction

And We Have Lift-Off! Follow Me, Follow You is Launched.

And We Have Lift-Off! Follow Me, Follow You is Launched.

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Click on the photo to visit the Amazon link

My second novel for Choc Lit, Follow Me Follow You, today released as a paperback, had a wonderful launch on Saturday.

The Dorset Wildlife Trust Chesil Beach Centre was the setting, the weather was gorgeous and the afternoon went without a hitch.

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Thank you to my fab publisher, Choc Lit, the Chesil Beach Centre, friends, family, writers and readers in real life and online, who supported the event . I am touched and humbled by how much you put yourselves out to get behind the day. I am one lucky and very grateful writer.

The loom bands giveaways.
The loom bands giveaways.

Follow Me, Follow You is on tour for the next week, and I’ll be Tweeting and putting the links on Facebook for those who would like to #follow, and there is a free giveaway through the Brook Cottage Books tour.

Thank you to all the reviewers and bloggers who have invited me to their site, including my Romaniac chums, two of whom paid a visit to Dorset on Saturday.

Sue, Laura and Catherine
Sue, Laura and Catherine

I hope you enjoy the variety of posts and the extracts from the book.

One last thing before I go … My debut novel, Truth or Dare? is available as a free download today and tomorrow in celebration of the release of FMFY.

Have a great week.

Laura x

Follow Me, Follow You Teasers: Day 9. The Book Launch and Littoralis.

Follow Me, Follow You Teasers: Day 9. The Book Launch and Littoralis.

Follow Me, Follow You is my first paperback, so I thought I would celebrate with a book launch and an author afternoon.

Meet Littoralis, four local authors inspired by or writing about the Jurassic coastline, in particular, Weymouth and Portland.

Littoralis Invitation

I first met Kathy Sharp at my local writing group, Off The Cuff, a mutual friend introduced me to Kate Kelly, who then introduced Kathy and me to Carol Hunt. We all write within different genres. Between us we cover fantasy, young adult, contemporary romance and children’s books, and we will all be at the book launch and author afternoon, for chat, readings and signings.

FMFY Seth Invitation

And we would love to see you there.

Laura x

Follow Me, Follow You Teasers: Day 7. Tout Quarry.

Follow Me, Follow You Teasers: Day 7. Tout Quarry.

Another wonderful place to visit on Portland is Tout Quarry.

In Follow Me, Follow You, a quarry is situated not far from Victoria’s cottage. It provides neutral ground – somewhere Victoria and Chris can go to talk, having never been there together.

In the real Tout Quarry, there are incredible sculptures, carved from the pale grey Portland stone.

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There are plenty of British landmark properties built from Portland stone, notably Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral.

And Chris Frampton’s castle.

Laura x

Follow Me, Follow You Teasers: Day 6. The Best View in Portland

Follow Me, Follow You Teasers: Day 6. The Best View in Portland.

Both Victoria Noble and Chris Frampton return home after years of living away. And why wouldn’t they, when just up the road from them is this incredible view of Chesil?

This recent photo is taken from a glorious viewing point on Portland. I’ve been here many times, even before I lived in Dorset as an adult.

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Like the hero and heroine, I came back.

Laura x

Follow Me Follow You: The Arrival of The Box

Follow Me Follow You: The Arrival of The Box

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It was one of those Red Letter Days over the weekend. Having very kindly sent me an advance copy of my first-ever paperback, my lovely publisher, Choc Lit, then sent The Box to my house.

This is what was inside.

IMG_7457What an incredible moment. I took out the first copy and passed it to Gajitman, with the next two copies going to our children – not that they’re old enough to read Follow Me Follow You yet – it is an adult contemporary romance after all. Their copies will remain on the bookshelf for a while. They are not too young to ask for signed copies, however, and so their wish was my command.

‘How shall I sign it?’ I asked. ‘I’m your mum. I can’t sign it L E James …’

‘Put Mum and L E James,’ my daughter said.

So I did. My first-ever paperback, with my first-ever signature: Mum. L E James. I’m not intending on doing that in all of them … 🙂

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped make my dream come true. I consider myself very lucky to be doing what I love, surrounded by the people I love, in a place that I love.

I look forward to meeting you at the book launch and author afternoon in September.

Have a great week.

Take care.

Laura x

 

 

Follow Me, Follow You on the Virtual Shelves

Follow Me, Follow You on the Virtual Shelves.

FM_hirespackshot copyHuge excitement in the James household as my second novel for Choc Lit, Follow Me, Follow You hits the virtual shelves. It’s available on all major digital platforms, with the paperback to #follow early September.

There is a dedicated page here for the book.

I spent three days last week preparing for the release, including writing blogs in celebration. In the Choc Lit Corner I asked: what defines a first love?ChocLit-logo transparent background

 

Along with first loves, Follow Me, Follow You is about healing and recovery – not just for the characters, but for me as the writer.

I was 60,000 words into the first draft when I lost my mum two years ago, and with the wind very much knocked out of my sails, progressing the journey of Victoria Noble and Chris Frampton became a struggle. But I never gave up on them. I set them ashore and kept them safe until the storm had passed.

When the seas grew calmer, Victoria and Chris continued on their way and in September 2013, they reached their final destination.

Typing ‘Ends’ was a significant and emotional moment. I’d done it. I’d finished the story I was compelled to complete, connecting together two ends of an intricate, complicated and personal circle – one tied to my mother, the other to the last book we ever discussed.

And a piece of me healed.

As a result, I’m very attached to Victoria and Chris, little Seth and Rick, lovely Frank and direct Olivia, and I wish them a long and healthy life on the virtual shelves, in the real world.

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Chesil Beach

 

Then come September, I’ll be standing on Chesil Beach, saluting the clear, blue skies with the paperback in my hand, acknowledging the journey we’ve all taken.

Laura x

 

 

Follow Me, Follow You: Preparing to Launch

Follow Me, Follow You: Preparing to Launch

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It’s been an exciting few days as I’m now in a position to start putting together the invitation for the book launch of my first paperback, Follow Me, Follow You, published by Choc Lit , out September 2014.

Together with three local Weymouth writers, Kathy Sharp, Kate Kelly and Carol Hunt, I am hosting an author afternoon and launch at the Chesil Beach Centre, run by the fabulous Dorset Wildlife Trust. It is the perfect location, as Chesil Beach plays a major role in Follow Me, Follow You, and it also features in my debut novel, Truth or Dare?. My current work-in-progress also uses Chesil, Portland, Abbotsbury and surrounding areas as the backdrop, so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to show friends and family why I love writing with Dorset as the setting. Perhaps I should call the books The Chesil Series.

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I’m in the process of creating the invitations, but here are the details as they stand:

Saturday September 6th

14:00 – 16:00

Chesil Beach Centre, Ferrybridge.

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There is a plenty of parking (pay and display) and a café attached to the centre. With the pebbly beach and sea either side, it is a beautiful spot. I would like to thank Dorset Wildlife Trust for the wonderful support.

We would love to see you there – there will be giveaways and the opportunity to chat with the local authors, buy the books, and if you would like, have them signed.

And so you know, I’ve been diligently practising my signature … 🙂

I look forward to seeing you there.

Take care.

Laura x

 

A Day to Remember. Meeting Jill Mansell.

A Day to Remember. Meeting Jill Mansell.

The 1st of July 2014.

It was what my mum would have called a Red Letter Day, and one we’d have loved to have spent together.

It was an emotional, poignant and exciting day which completed a circle in my writing life.

IMG_6973At Exeter Central Library, I met three intelligent, witty, talented authors – Sheila O’Flanagan, Veronica Henry and Jill Mansell.

My mum, who was an avid reader and booklover, introduced me to Jill Mansell’s and Sheila O’Flanagan’s books a number of years ago. It was in Jill’s Good At Games, which I read first and enjoyed so much I devoured from cover-to-cover, where I first came across the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Jill wrote so enthusiastically about the organisation, I was compelled to investigate its website. I was thrilled to discover some of my favourite authors were members, and there was a scheme for new writers. As someone who believes there’s a novel in everyone, and as a person who’s penned poems, songs, comics and plays from a young age, I’d hit gold.

Jill Mansell showing an example of her novel planning.
Jill Mansell showing an example of her novel planning.

I was inspired and motivated to take action.

Four months later I joined the RNA on the New Writers’ Scheme.

In 2013, my debut novel, Truth or Dare? was released and published as an eBook by Choc Lit.

In September this year, my second novel, Follow Me, Follow You will be released digitally and as a paperback. A dream come true.

Exeter Library
Exeter Library

The evening of chat at the library was entertaining, informative and engaging, with the three ladies sharing their experiences and knowledge about novel writing. For me as a writer, their advice was invaluable, and as a reader I cannot wait to get started on their new books.

This truly was a RLD.

I am so pleased I was finally able to thank Jill in person for the inspiration she provided and for shining the light in the right direction.

And I’m so glad my mum had an excellent taste in authors.

Take care.

Laura x

 

Jill Mansell – The Unpredictable Consequences of Love

Sheila O’Flanagan – If You Were Me

Veronica Henry – The Beach Hut Next Door

 

 

Meeting My Main Character

Thank you so much to friend and fellow Romaniac, Celia J Anderson, for inviting me to take part in the Meeting My Main Character blog hop.

Celia introduced us to Mab, from her debut novel, Sweet Proposal, and you can meet both ladies here.

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What is the name of the main character? Is she real or fictitious?

Victoria Noble is a fictitious thirty-five-year-old. Known as Vicky Paveley in her youth, the divorced mother is the director of the highly successful EweSpeak.

 

When and where is the story set?

The story begins in London, but swiftly moves to Weymouth and Portland, in Dorset, my beautiful home county. Chesil Beach plays a major role in my character’s life, as it does in mine.

 

What should we know about her?

Having been let down and betrayed twice by the male of the species, Victoria has pulled the plug on romance. She wrestles with the work-life balance, throwing most of her energy into maintaining her business, and her relationship with her four-year-old son, Seth, is at breaking point.

 

What is the main conflict? What messes up her life?

Left to raise a child with whom she has little connection, everyday life is a struggle for Victoria. There is huge conflict between her and Seth, and simple tasks such as giving him a bath and putting him to bed create anxiety and tension. He is resistant, belligerent, and on occasion, violent. Victoria believes she provides well for him, but realises it’s not enough when the draw of her EweSpeak office is greater than his cry for love.

If the men in her life had kept their promises, she wouldn’t be caught in the vicious circle of daily battles with her son. She holds one man in particular responsible ‒ Chris Frampton, Victoria’s first love.

 

What is Victoria’s goal?

To let go of the past, stop blaming others for her mistakes, and heal the damaged bond between her and Seth.

 

What is the book’s title?

Follow Me, Follow You.

Paperback due out September 2014, published by Choc Lit. 

 

Thanks so much for tagging me, Celia – I’m now passing the baton to my friend and fellow ChocLiteer, Alison May – find out about her main character here – http://alison-may.co.uk/blog/ and also the lovely Christine Stovell, whose new release, Follow A Star, is available for pre-order http://homethoughtsweekly.blogspot.co.uk/

I’m looking forward to reading about their main characters.

Enjoy.

Laura x