Final blog for 2012!

Hello,

So it's almost here...Christmas! My lovely family and I are going to Las Vegas for Christmas this year and then it will be New Year and then it's 2013! Can you believe it? Anyway, with so much going on during the next few weeks, I thought I'd do a quick end of year blog. If you want to pop the kettle on or get a biscuit, now's the time. OK, ready? Here goes.

2012 has been an incredible year for me personally. I went from struggling self-published writer, working part-time in a job I loathed and doing a college course in Web Design because I figured I should start trying to get a 'proper job', to getting a publishing deal with one of the largest publishers in the UK. I quit my crap job, stopped the college course and now I'm a writer - that's it. Before when people asked what I did for a living, I would never say author because it sounded a bit shit considering I wasn't earning any money from it. But now if you ask me what I do for a living, I can say with pride, I'm an author. I write books for a living. In the words of one funny bastard (Alan Partridge)...back of the net!

This Thirtysomething Life is all wrapped up now. Hodder has the final copy and its in production. That will be their eBook from the end of January and a splendid paperback from April 25th! I saw the design layout today for the paperback and it's stunning. The designer at Hodder did an amazing job. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the printed book! I've also been given a publicist who I'll start working with in January. I'm super excited to start talking about advertising campaigns and so on. Two months ago it was just me and now I have an editor and a publicist! Blimey!

Now Thirtysomething is done, I've started work on the edit for Happy Endings. I've had a few meetings with my editor and we've talked about it a lot and agreed on the direction we're going to take the book. It's incredible how much more scope she has given me. It feels like I was working with blinkers on and now working with my editor, I've been set free to really make this book amazing!

So what's happening in 2013? Well, I have two books coming out next year in eBook and paperback with Hodder. This is my dream come true. Actually I only dreamt about having one book published so to be having two in one year is something special. I'll be over in London during the last week of March, hopefully doing some promotional stuff for the book. I pitched an idea about doing book signings in pubs rather than book shops, but I think it's a non-starter due to me probably getting drunk too early in the day. Still, you never know!

2012 has been a wonderful year for me. I've realised a life-long dream, but I'm hoping that 2013 will be an even better year. I'm very excited about it and all it will bring.

Thanks to everyone who bought my book, gave me such lovely reviews, sent me wonderful emails and chatted with me on Twitter. I hope I can keep writing books and I hope you keep enjoying them.


All I have to say now is merry Christmas to you all and all the best for the new year.

Hugs,

Jon X

The publication journey...

Hello,


I thought I'd write a wee blog about the adventure of publication. Since November when I signed with Hodder and Stoughton, things have been moving and grooving behind the scenes and so here's what's been happening.

My first novel, This Thirtysomething Life, was sent off to one of Hodder's lovely proofreaders a few weeks ago and I got the copy edit back last week. Basically it's the proofreaders job to find every mistake in the book and blimey, did she find a few. I would feel bad about it but it's impossible to write 80,000 words or so and not make mistakes. Most mistakes were just silly ones and a few I wasn't even aware of, but it was  a humbling but rewarding experience.

I made the required changes and that is now back with Hodder. Hopefully everything is now perfect with that and it's ready for publication - we'll see. Hodder is also working on a new cover for Thirtysomething which I'm due to see any day now. Thanks to my lovely editor, they're keeping the cover I designed but just making a few tweaks to make it even better. Hopefully once that is approved, I'll be able to share it on here!

Hodder is going to re-release the eBook of Thirtysomething in January, so if for some crazy reason you haven't already bought it you can! It will then be released as a paperback in all good bookshops across the UK on APRIL 25TH! Yes that is the official publication date. Unfortunately, I won't be in England for it so I expect dear friends that if you see it in a shop you take a photo and send it to me!

Next up I'm working on the re-write for Happy Endings. My editor has spent the last few weeks editing it completely and we had a lengthy chat on the phone about it yesterday. Let me tell you, as good as I think Happy Endings is (and I think it's pretty bloody good), my editor found absolutely tonnes of ways to improve it. It was eye-opening and again humbling, but one of the best experiences I've had as a writer because it was insightful and I know it's going to make the book a hundred times better. This is the advantage of having a huge publishers like Hodder behind me. They want the books to be as amazing as they can and want to put in the effort to make it work.

I'm expecting the edited version back today or tomorrow and so I'll spend the next month or so working like an eager beaver on making Happy Endings even better. Then it will go back to the editor who will no doubt have further changes. This is why it isn't being released until the second half of next year. It's a long process but it will make the book the best book it can possibly be. I am very excited!

That's it for now. Any questions, please let me know. You can keep up to date with what's happening if you follow me on Twitter @JRance75.

Until next time,

Hugs

Jon X

November...what a month!

Hello,


Blimey! This is how I feel about November. Actually, it's probably more like double blimey!!

At the beginning of this month I was just another struggling author trying to get noticed. Admittedly, I'd had some success with my free promotion and sales of This Thirtysomething Life were going well. However, I could never have imagined what November would bring. 

I signed a two book deal with a major UK Publisher. This has been my dream for simply, and in the words of a much younger version of myself, yonks. I could be a total failure from now on. Both books could be utter and miserable failures and I could be ushered away from mainstream publishing with a slight grimace and a, 'Oh well, at least you gave it a shot, now bugger off,' and I'd still have that. Two books published. It's what millions of people are trying to achieve and I'm in the lucky few that get to make that dream a reality. I also get to work with Hodder and my lovely editor.

Today is November 30th and counting today's sales, I have sold almost 14,000 books in November alone. That is incredible. 14,000 people I don't know decided to buy my book and read it. When I put the book online, I thought I'd be happy, deliriously happy actually, if 100 people bought it. I'm currently at number 11 in the overall paid Kindle charts, when two months ago I was somewhere like 12,011. It's been an incredible few months.

I quit my job. I hated my job. It was only 20 hours a week, but it was awful. Customer support for an online driving school. It was literally soul destroying, but I quit. I didn't even give notice. I just said, 'I'm done, thank you, goodbye.' Brilliant!

I did two author interviews which was really fun.

Probably the best thing about all of this (except the book deal, of course because that has changed my life), is the amount of lovely people who have contacted me on Facebook, Twitter and via email just to say how much they loved the book. I think sometimes we get a bit bleak about things and people, but I can tell you that total strangers have done and said such lovely things to me for no other reason except that they wanted to. It really is quite humbling.

So that's my November. It's been a mind-blowing month. December is shaping up quite nicely too. I'm working with Hodder on editing my new novel Happy Endings, which I'm very excited about. We're also working on the new cover for This Thirtysomething Life and getting that ready for publication. I'm also starting work on my third novel which is going to be a follow-up to This Thirtysomething Life - which I am also bloody excited about. I'm excited to take Harry on another adventure!

That's it for now. I hope you're all well. I'll write again soon and so until then...

Hugs,

Jon X



ps: I'm listening to James at the moment and I just wanted to say what a great song 'Laid' is. I love James, great band.

Five Reasons to Pre-order This Thirtysomething Life...

Hello,


As I'm sure you're aware my novel, This Thirtysomething Life, will be available as a paperback on APRIL 25TH from Hodder and Stoughton!!! 

This is terribly exciting and the best bit is you can get excited about it now. Yes, you lucky people (he says with a Del Boy accent), can pre-order the book on Amazon right now! 

But why should you pre-order it now instead of waiting April? Here are the top five reasons, in reverse order for dramatic effect.

5. Just because you can. People do all sorts of things just because they can. They jump out of planes, go into space, dive hundreds of feet below the ocean and why? Just because they can and it's cool.

4. If you pre-order now you'll save 25%! That's 1.75! I guess what I'm saying is that in these difficult financial times, can you afford not to pre-order it?

3. You're going to get it anyway, you might as well get it now and then when it comes in April, it will feel like you got it for free because it's been such a long time since you paid for it. It just makes sense.

2. If you order it now, you'll get it as soon as it comes out. You don't have to worry about it, think about it and then when you've probably forgotten all about it, it will come in the mail and you'll be all excited.

Drum roll please. And the number one reason for pre-ordering my book now is...

1. Think of it as a Christmas present to yourself, but in April. Let me explain. April is boring and unless it's your birthday, you won't get any presents. This book will come in the mail, all wrapped up like a Christmas present and April will feel just like Christmas. Basically it's double Christmas and who doesn't love that?


So there you go. All you have to do now is go to Amazon, click on the paperback copy of my book and order it. You'll feel good about yourself, I'll feel good about you and everyone's a winner!



Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X

Joo's Book Reviews and Interviews: Interrogating Jon Rance

Joo's Book Reviews and Interviews: Interrogating Jon Rance: Interrogating Jon Rance, the man who's taken ebook-land by storm and is branching out into the real world How do you strike the ...

Two book deal with Hodder and Stoughton!!!

Hello,


This is the blog I've always wanted to write. It's my dream blog. The blog I thought would probably in all actuality never see the light of day. I have signed a two book publishing deal with UK publishers, Hodder and Stoughton - my dream publishers as they publish Mike Gayle who is without doubt, one of my literary heroes. Let me start at the beginning.

I was contacted a while ago by a lovely girl at Hodder who had read This Thirtysomething Life and loved it. We had a few meetings over the phone and then eventually, after a few very tense days when I couldn't sit down and began sweating for no reason, she came back and said they would like to buy the rights to This Thirtysomething Life and also my next novel, Happy Endings.

For those of you who don't know me that well, being a published writer has been my dream for a very long time. I've given up a lot to make it happen, but I hope this is just the start of a long and successful career.

So what does this all mean? you're probably thinking.

Well, firstly, Hodder will be re-packaging and  re-issuing This Thirtysomething Life at the beginning of next year. It will get a slightly different cover, some better blurb and someone called a publicist who will make sure people buy it. It will also get released in the UK as a paperback sometime in Spring next year. Yes, you'll be able to walk into your local book shop and buy it! How exciting.

There is some bad news in all of this. Unfortunately, the publication date for Happy Endings has been put back. I'm going to work on that with my lovely editor at Hodder and make it the best book we can. It will be released some time around the end of next year. This just means you'll be able to buy and read the paperback for This Thirtysomething Life and also that Happy Endings will be an even better book.

I don't want to get all mushy, but thank you so much to everyone that has helped with the terrific success of Thirtysomething and helped inspire me along the way. A special thank you to my wonderful and beautiful wife Kristin, who has never once said anything like, get a proper job, and instead has always given me her full support and encouragement. She even helped edit Thirtysomething too. She is my everything.

I'll blog soon when I have more news. Exciting times ahead!

Hugs

Jon X

Why I write what I write...

Hello,


I thought I'd write a blog about why I write what I write. Why romantic comedy? Well, to answer that question, we have to go all the way back to the heady days of the late 1980's.

Hair was large, glasses were larger and jumpers were perhaps even larger. I was a boy in my early teens and just discovering the joys of comedy. For those of you who don't know, the 80's and early 90's were a hotbed of comedy in England. We had wonderful comedy shows on television like Blackadder, Only Fools and Horses, Bottom, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Reeves and Mortimer, Men Behaving Badly, The Mary Whitehouse Experience and many more. It was at this time I started thinking about comedy a lot and I sort of knew I wanted to do something with it. I had absolutely no idea what, just something. Anything.

I knew I would never have the balls to do stand-up and to be honest, I don't write very good jokes, let alone deliver them on stage to a bunch of pissed-up, potential hecklers. I did, however, quite enjoy writing character based comedy. I started drawing cartoons at first, which was fun, but a tad limiting and so I started writing short stories and then longer novellas and then eventually the holy grail..a novel.

I have to back-up a touch though. I think it was 2001 or maybe 2002. I had graduated university in 1999 and was working in an office somewhere doing something very trivial and dull. I was also going through a bit of a dry spell with regard doing anything remotely creative - work will do that to you. However, that was about to change when I picked up a book by the author Mike Gayle, called Turning Thirty. It was funny, light-hearted, written simply and above all, it was about someone like me, someone I could relate to. As soon as I finished this book, I read his other books and I knew I had found what I wanted to do. 

I used that moment as a starting point and then I read similar books in the genre starting with the brilliant Nick Hornby. I also watched films and TV shows because to me it's all the same. It's about the writing. Whether it's a sit-com like The Office, a novel like About a Boy or a film like Four Weddings and a Funeral, it's all about the quality of the characters and the quality of the writing. The important thing though, is I was inspired to write meaningful romantic comedies with great characters people could relate to.

My first attempt at a novel was called, The Trouble with Love, and was only read by a handful of close friends. It probably/definitely wasn't very good, but it inspired me to keep writing and get better. 

I like to think my work is funny, entertaining and makes people happy, like any good comedy should, but it also has great characters people can relate to and sympathise with. My favourite sitcom is The Office (UK version, obviously), not because it's the funniest, but because of the characters. The characters in The Office are wonderful and the writing is perfect. I love the work of Richard Curtis (Four Weddings, Love Actually), because again the writing is sharp, funny and the stories compelling.

I write what I write because it's me. It's in me. I think as writers we're merely the accumulation of our existence. My life has been shaped by comedy and comedians. Without wishing to sound like David Brent, my heroes aren't scientists, philosophers or sports stars, they're comedians. Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Ben Elton, Ricky Gervais, Any of the Monty Python team, Pegg & Frost, Mitchell & Webb etc. I aspire to write the best comedy fiction I can. If I tried to be serious or write a sci-fi, I'd probably get about two paragraphs in before thinking of a way to make it funny. I can't help myself.  

My newest novel, Happy Endings, isn't the balls out laugh-fest that Thirtysomething is, but it's still in my mind a romantic comedy. It's straighter and leaner than Thirtysomething, but it's coming from the same place. I'll always write books like this because I don't know and don't want to write anything else. I love writing about relationships and love because it's the essence of life. Whether it's about growing up, starting, maintaining or losing a relationship, it's what life is about and it inspires me.

When I was a kid I read the Adrian Mole diaries a hundred times over. I loved them and devoured them and in many ways, This Thirtysomething Life, is a sort-of homage to them. It's a simple story about someone trying to get through life and perhaps that's why it's so easy to relate to. It's about people like me, people like you and people like us.

Hugs

Jon X

Salutations and multiple pats on the back

Hello,


Good morning. Are you sitting comfortably?

It's a Tuesday and life on the whole is bounding along at a delightfully fun pace. This blog is going to be a short and to the point. Basically, I want to share with you lovely people some of the fantastic reviews I've had for my book, This Thirtysomething Life. It honestly blows me away that the book is doing so well in the Amazon charts at the moment (number 24 as I write this), but what I really love is the reviews. People I don't know, living in places I have never visited, in houses I will probably never go in, read my book, love it and decide to write me a nice review on Amazon. It's heartwarming and makes me smile big unruly smiles. So, if you've written me a review or are thinking about it, thank you so much a million times over. Enjoy these. I know I did.


'A book to make you smile

I turned on my kindle and started to read and I must admit my first thoughts were that this was going to be boring, soppy and sugary. How wrong I was. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and every step of the way I was relating and laughing along with the tale unfolding. As it says, it is laugh out loud and I certainly did my fair share of this. An excellent first book and I will be looking out for the next one! This is a must read for any 30+ who wishes to find out that all his thoughts and concerns in his life are shared by other men! read and learn from the characters troubles and you will be all the better for it.'


'Pure genius and utter brilliance

I bought this on recommendation from a friend and I'm glad I did. I read it from start to finish in one night, I hadn't planned on doing so but I was glued to it! Such a great book. I laughed all the way through it and cried tears of laughed, sadness and joy in the space of a few hours. Jon Rance is one to watch and I hope his next book is just as good.'


'Felt a bit naughty

I would never dream of picking up and reading someones diary so this felt a bit naughty. I really found this an enjoyable read. I had tears running down my face in parts. I read a few pages and sent a text to a friend in hospital urging her to get this book to cheer herself up. I sent her a 2nd text to tell her to wait until her stitches were removed otherwise they might burst..... This really was a joy to read. There were sad bits and hysterical bits. You could really feel for Harry in parts and other parts you felt like slapping him for being silly. Whom amongst us has never been silly? The ending was as happy as we would all wish for. I've never read a romantic comedy before so this was a first. I will be looking for another Jon Rance I'm sure. One of the many joys of owning a Kindle so many great books.'



These are just a small sample of the lovely reviews I've had recently. If you want to read more, pop along to Amazon and have a gander. Of course, there are a couple of not so great reviews - you know who you are Mrs Alison. J. Boler - but that's OK, not everyone will love it.

That's it for today. I'll write again soon. Any requests for themes for my next blog, please let me know. If you want to know anything about me, my writing or just something about the book, I'll be happy to oblige.

Until then,

Hugs,

Jon X

Happy Endings...what to expect

Hello,

Unless you've been living in a cave in outer or indeed inner Mongolia for the past month, you'll know my new new book, Happy Endings, is due to be released in 2013. So, as a pre-season friendly, I thought I'd give you a tinkling of a warm-up about the book. I'm not sure that last sentence makes sense. Basically, I thought I'd give you an idea what to expect when you're expecting...my new novel. Why can't I just say what I mean in simple English without all the verbal diarrhea, is probably what you're thinking about now. Stay with me.

Happy Endings is a book about people like us. I use the word us in the sense of everyone who goes through that point in their lives when they're trying to find out what will make them happy. I imagine everyone, at some point, has that moment when they realise they aren't happy. That life hasn't turned out exactly as they had imagined. We also have that moment when we know what we're doing is exactly what we should be doing. Happy Endings is about those moments. A friend who read it, and did a rather lovely edit for me, suggested it should be called moment because that's what it's really about...moments. Moments that make us and moments that break us.

If you've read my first novel, This Thirtysomething Life, you'll know it's a laugh-out-loud comedy, but Happy Endings, has a lot more pathos and emotion. It's still funny in places, but whereas I approached Thirtysomething like a sit-com, I approached this as a novel. It still has realistic and I hope warm and endearing characters, but don't expect the same amount of gags. However, what you're going to get, I hope, is a page-turning story that will grip you from the first page to the last. It will take you on a journey and when you get to the end you're going to wish it wasn't over -  at least that's the plan.

My goal when writing any book is to make you (the reader) not want to put it down. One review of Thirtysomething said it was 'unputdownable' and I hope this is true of Happy Endings too. I love Happy Endings. I think it will speak to both men and women, to young and old and everyone in-between because it's about something we've all been through and moments we've all had.

Hugs

Jon X

Q&A for THIS THIRTYSOMETHING LIFE

(warning: spoiler alert)

Where did the inspiration for This Thirtysomething Life come from?

I was mulling over a few ideas at the time, trying to figure out what to write next. I'd just finished my first attempt at a novel and started a few other books, but none of them worked out. At the time I was a new dad and suddenly the idea of writing a book about fatherhood came to me. Not particularly inspirational, but I thought I could write something new, fresh and funny about what men go through when their wives are pregnant. Once I knew I wanted to write a book about being married and having children, it quickly took shape as a diary and the rest is history.

How much of it is based on your own life?

Definitely some. I had been through the experience myself just a year or so before I wrote the book, so it was quite fresh in my mind. Some of the things Harry goes through, I went through too. Obviously a lot of the more surreal things that happen to Harry didn't happen to me. I'm not a teacher like Harry and I didn't have a Facebook affair with an ex-girlfriend, eat my weight in snack food or get drunk in the shed - I don't even have a shed. These evolved with the story, but a lot of the fears about having children and growing up were definitely straight from my mind.

What's This Thirtysomething Life really about in 50 words or less?

It's essentially a love story. I hope that what people get out of the book is that despite all of his flaws and idiosyncrasies, Harry genuinely loves Emily and he'd be lost without her.

Is Harry based on you?

Not really. Some of the ideas and thoughts he has are thoughts I've had, obviously, but I see Harry more as a typical modern man. He's trying to do his best, live life properly, not make a mess of things and he's genuinely a good person, but he's also a bit lost. To be honest, I think men are at a bit of an identity crossroads at the moment. The days of men being 'real men', being in-charge and all the stereotypes that go along with that are gone. Women have most of the power these days, whether it's at home or at work. Harry is the modern confused man trying to figure out where he fits in. You'll notice that most of the female characters in the book are strong figures, probably with the exception of Jamie.

Who is Emily based on?

Emily is based on women I've known, know, have seen on TV and films. I wanted Emily to be a strong, decisive person, but she also had to have a soft, loving core. I think the thing about Harry and Emily as characters is that they both have flaws, but I wanted the reader to like them and sympathise with them. I think most women can sympathise with Emily when she shouts at Harry because he isn't paying attention to her or when he's trying to buy a VW camper-van they don't need.

How about Granddad? Where did he come from?

Granddad just sort of happened. I wanted him to be a funny, typical slightly out of touch old man with obliviously bigoted views. However, once I had that in my head the character just sort of leapt off the page. It was one of those beautiful moments as a writer because he wrote himself. I really didn't want to kill him off, it was the hardest decision I had to make in the book, but I think and hope it works.

Lastly, is there going to be a sequel?

Yes. I don't know when, but definitely yes. It's going to be called, This Family Life, and it will follow Harry and Emily through the first year of having baby William. I'm also...in the very far away distance, thinking of This Fortysomething Life, but that is years away. Maybe when I'm a forty something myself!

In the words of David Bowie...Ch Ch Ch Changes.

Hello,


Just a quick but important note about my blog. It has changed! I redesigned it completely and you can now buy my book from the site. Well, technically, you still need to go to Amazon, but it's all super lovely and linked up and stuff.

My new book, Happy Endings, is getting closer with each day and I'll hopefully have the new cover done soon. Until then, have a look at my new, super spiffy page and if you haven't already, buy the book. It's only 75p. You can't get half a lager for 75p these days. This will last much longer and you won't be left with that inevitable feeling of worthlessness that drinking half a pint gives you.

Until next time,

Hugs

Jon X

Exciting times!

Hello,


Yes, another exciting entry into the Jon Rance Blog archive on the way.

It has been a very exciting few weeks for me. Mainly because my novel, THIS THIRTYSOMETHING LIFE, has really taken off and even after the free promotion it's stuck around on the Amazon charts and at a pretty decent number. It hasn't blown any records, but it's been steady and lovely, a bit squishy, but generally quite firm. I've also had some lovely reviews which have warmed the cockles of my heart (American friends, you'll need to look up that expression on Google).

My new book, HAPPY ENDINGS, is in the final editing process and I think (hope) it's going to be well received. I really like it and there's another blog coming straight after this one with a short excerpt and my thoughts on the book.

Lastly, before I add a full-stop and and push publish, I have a lovely new cover for THIRTYSOMETHING that I really like. I did it myself and without wishing to blow my own trumpet, I think it looks quite professional and stylish. Please let me know what you think.

OK dear friends, until next time.

Hugs

Jon X

Blimey! What a week!

Hello,



Well, well, well, what an eventful past week. As many of you will know, I did a five day free promotion on Amazon for my novel, This Thirtysomething Life. It was the first time I'd done it and typical me, I did no research and went into it like a ravenous American inside a KFC. However, and much to my complete surprise, it did marvelously well.

It did start slowly. On the first day I only had a few hundred downloads and so I assumed that would be it. However, day two it started to pick up and by day three I was flying. I sat all day and watched as the downloads kept going up. Every five minutes another twenty or thirty were going. It was incredible. By day five, I was closing in on 8000 downloads for the UK and 1000 for the US with a spattering across Europe. I was also at number 1 on the free charts for Literary Fiction and Humour and number 2 for overall free bestsellers. I was literally speechless - which is an uncommon state for me.

The best was still to come though. Although it had been a huge success, I was still yearning for that number 1 spot overall, but with only a few hours left I didn't think it possible. But then. Then it happened. I was number 1 on all the charts I was involved in. It was a Christmas miracle (in October).

The reason I'm blogging about this isn't to blow my own trumpet, it has been blown enough. No, the reason is because I wanted to thank everyone who helped me. President Obama was recently criticised by the mental right or the Republican party as they're otherwise known, for saying 'You didn't build that' when he was talking about small business. He was, of course, referring to the fact that no-one builds anything alone. We don't live in a bubble, but rely on others for their help. I may have written the book, but so many lovely, wonderful people have gone out of their way to help me promote it and so thank you all so much.


Since then I've been doing pretty well in sales, certainly much better than before the promotion. It's going well and I have my new book, HAPPY ENDINGS, coming out on 12.12.12 (nice, huh) and I hope that will get a bit of a bounce too.

I will blog again soon. I'm going to have a whole blog about HAPPY ENDINGS, and maybe a small excerpt - I'm far too nice to you.

Until then it's goodnight from me and goodnight from him (A Two Ronnies joke for the Americans and anyone under the age of twenty in the UK).

Cheers,

Jon X

Hello again.

Good morning or indeed afternoon or evening,


It's been a while. OK, fine, it's been more than a while. A while hints at just a tad longer than expected. It's been forever, an absolute age, too long. But I have my reasons. Here they are in no order of excuse:

1. I've been writing my new novel.

2. I work twenty hours a week, stay home with the kids the rest of the time and I've started a college course in web design and development.

3. I am perpetually forgetful and slovenly. Not an excuse, just a fact.

The truth, however, is that like most people with busy lives, time just gets away from me. One minute Spring is gently tapping me on the shoulder with the promise of sunshine and fluffy new bunnies and the next moment it's winter and chilly winds are punching me in the face. Then before I know it, I haven't written a blog in a year. You see where I'm coming from.

There is light at the end of the tunnel though. Oh, yes.

Firstly, my new novel, HAPPY ENDINGS, isn't that far away. I'm hoping to have it out at the beginning of 2013. Can you believe it's 2013 already?

Secondly, I'm working on having THIS THIRTYSOMETHING LIFE, made into a paperback and available on Amazon very soon. This will give all of you the chance to have your very own copy of wonderful book. You can read it again, or for the first time, you can hold it and look at the photo of me longingly, you can use it as a doorstop or something to kill flies with. The important thing is that you buy it. I will update when I have a definite date for that. Hopefully before Christmas because it will be a lovely stocking stuffer!

Thirdly, I'm working on some snazzy (and I don't use that word lightly) cover designs for both HAPPY ENDINGS and THIS THIRTYSOMETHING LIFE. I hope this will make them look and seem as gorgeous and lovely as they are and more appealing to people like you.

Lastly, I am going to start blogging again and perhaps even join Twitter. Let me explain. I'm creating a delicious new website for my writing (as part of my web design course - two birds, one stone) and so I want to have links to my Facebook, Twitter and Blog. I'm basically doing the full social media assault. So be afraid.

Lastly, here is the brief synopsis for HAPPY ENDINGS. I hope you enjoy it and it wets the juices (not in a sexual way obviously) for it's forthcoming release (again nothing sexual applied with the term release). 

HAPPY ENDINGS SYNOPSIS

Kate needs to go travelling before she reaches the big Three-O, while her long-term boyfriend Ed just wants to settle down.

Harry is desperate to be a published writer for many reasons, but mainly to save his relationship with fiancee Emily.

Emily wants to be an actress more than anything in the world, or at least that's what she always thought until she suddenly finds out she's pregnant.

Four people, two couples and six months that will change their lives forever. Told uniquely from all of their perspectives, this is a story about love, growing up and, of course, Happy Endings.

Hugs,

Jon X