Hello,
I hope this blog finds you well. I know I've been a tad quiet of late on the blog front, but I've been incredibly busy with a few things. The biggest thing I'm doing at the moment (apart from starting book number four which is going very well and I'm loving it), is getting ready to release the sequel to This Thirtysomething Life. The book in question is called THIS FAMILY LIFE, and I'm working with my agent and hoping to get it out very soon.
As any writer will tell you, getting a book published is a long-winded and complicated business. It takes time, there's ups and downs, and eventually it happens, but even now, so close to publication, we don't have a definite date yet.
So let me explain what's happened. My first two books were published by Hodder and Stoughton, which was brilliant and a dream come true. They did make an offer for this book, but my agent and I didn't think it was quite enough and after some further negotiations, we decided to go it alone. This was obviously a difficult decision as I loved working with Hodder, but we felt that given the nature of the book and my success when I first released This Thirtysomething Life, we might be able to do a bit more by ourselves. It's a risk, obviously, but hopefully it works out.
We're releasing the book under the mysterious Amazon 'White Glove' program. I've been working with my agent, and also with my brilliant friend and proofreader/editor Aimee, to get the book in the best state it can be and I, for one, am extremely excited and proud of it. I designed the cover myself (as I did with This Thirtysomething life), and I think it looks absolutely stunning. The best thing about working with Amazon on this is that we have complete control over pricing, the cover, etc. The control you don't have when working with a publisher.
There's been quite a few blogs and discussions recently about traditional publishing v self-publishing, and personally I think that authors are currently in the best position possible. We can still publish traditionally with a publisher or we can self-publish, or do something in the middle like 'White Glove'. I'm excited that I can do this 'hybrid' of publishing both ways, and I hope to work with a publisher again on my next novel, but if that doesn't work out, I'm not afraid of going it alone with my agent. There's definitely pros and cons of both, but having the freedom to do it definitely keeps me on my toes!
I'm hoping to be able to reveal the cover, the blurb, and also a release date for the book very soon. As it's released under the 'White Glove' program, it will be available as an eBook and there will be the option to get the paperback too. I'm very excited for this book. I worked really hard to make sure that it was a sequel that I think is better than the original. Funnier, wiser, smarter, sadder, better written, and hopefully an all-round better book.
Until next time,
Hugs,
Jon x
Ps: Make sure you sign up for my exclusive email newsletter as I'll be releasing any information about the book, cover, interviews, etc., via email first!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
Jon meets...Haley Hill
Hello,
Happy Valentines Day! Being the day of love, I thought I'd get an expert in for today's blog. Someone who really knows a thing or two about the subject. So, if you're single, in a relationship, or married, you need to read this. And to celebrate Valentine's Day, Haley's novel, 'It's Got To Be Perfect: the memoirs of a modern day matchmaker', is free just for today! So, after you've read this, I suggest you pop to Amazon and grab yourself a copy. So let's get cracking shall we.
A big welcome to Haley Hill, author of It’s Got To Be Perfect: the memoirs of a modern-day matchmaker. Hello, how are you?
I’m good thanks Jon. I survived ‘Dry January’ although I can’t say I’m feeling particularly refreshed after a month of steaming fish and beets.
So you set-up and then sold the UK’s largest matchmaking agency, tell us a bit about that?
Ah yes, my random career change from Pharmacist to matchmaker. I was 27 at the time, single and wondering where on earth my ‘Happy Ever After’ was. Following a series of disastrous relationships and a wedding called-off the day before, I got fed up waiting and decided to take action. It seemed a noble cause and quite sensible to do the same for everyone else too.
And then you decided to become an author?
The day I sold my matchmaking business, I vowed to document all that I had learned. I wasn’t sure what format that would take but I began writing. I wrote three drafts and then discarded them all. The fourth draft was beginning to take the shape of a half-decent novel so I edited it (about twenty times) and then finally I was happy with it. Or, at least as happy as any author could be.
Tell us about the book. Obviously there’s elements of your own life and experiences in there, but how much of it is based on reality and how much is fiction?
The main character, Ellie, is a matchmaker and in many ways similar to me. Through her eyes we experience her (and her clients’) hopes, dreams, joy and pain. All those emotions are drawn from my experiences and observations but the characters and scenarios are entirely fictionalised.
After being involved in matchmaking, which I imagine is quite social, how did writing a novel, which can be quite lonely, compare?
Great question. After I’d had my twin girls, like many new mums, I felt quite isolated from the rest of the world. However, writing actually helped with that. I could escape into the world I had created and be with my characters. As with my clients, I had a real affection for my characters and loved spending time with them. Does that make me sound like a total nutjob?
Why should people read your book?
Many people who’ve read it say it was the honesty that made it so funny. I wanted to cover all the issues that make us uncomfortable and the things we don’t like to talk about or even admit. The stark contrast between the idealised happy-ever-after we’re conditioned to aspire to and the reality we all experience provides many hilarious scenarios.
What sort of books do you like to read and who are your favourite authors?
I’d love to come across all literary right now but I’d be a big fat liar. When I’m not reading celebrity magazines (shame on me), I’m devouring a cheesy self-help book or a gossipy autobiography.
Being the ‘Queen of matchmaking’, what’s the best piece of advice you can give all the singletons out there?
Never give up. Statistically most of us won’t experience a conventional married-for-life relationship so we need to accept that our hearts might be broken, and get on with it. Love is an intrinsic drive in all of us and we cannot fight it.
Tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I’m just starting my next novel which, I hope, will be a more grown-up version of It’s Got to Be Perfect, looking deeper into the characters and exploring the next stage of romantic love. I’m sure there will be some more sex-gone-wrong scenarios, injured male appendages and lap-dancer-centred anarchy too.
And lastly the most important question for any writer. What biscuits do you prefer with your tea?
Hah! Tea is for amateurs. Since my twins were born, I’ve progressed to more hardcore caffeinated beverages. Every time I sit down to write, I treat myself to a double-shot Latte and jam on toast. My keyboard is a sticky mess
Thanks so much to Haley for popping in today. Click on the covers below to grab your free copy of her book. And have a fabulous Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentines Day! Being the day of love, I thought I'd get an expert in for today's blog. Someone who really knows a thing or two about the subject. So, if you're single, in a relationship, or married, you need to read this. And to celebrate Valentine's Day, Haley's novel, 'It's Got To Be Perfect: the memoirs of a modern day matchmaker', is free just for today! So, after you've read this, I suggest you pop to Amazon and grab yourself a copy. So let's get cracking shall we.
 |
| The lovely Haley Hill |
A big welcome to Haley Hill, author of It’s Got To Be Perfect: the memoirs of a modern-day matchmaker. Hello, how are you?
I’m good thanks Jon. I survived ‘Dry January’ although I can’t say I’m feeling particularly refreshed after a month of steaming fish and beets.
So you set-up and then sold the UK’s largest matchmaking agency, tell us a bit about that?
Ah yes, my random career change from Pharmacist to matchmaker. I was 27 at the time, single and wondering where on earth my ‘Happy Ever After’ was. Following a series of disastrous relationships and a wedding called-off the day before, I got fed up waiting and decided to take action. It seemed a noble cause and quite sensible to do the same for everyone else too.
And then you decided to become an author?
The day I sold my matchmaking business, I vowed to document all that I had learned. I wasn’t sure what format that would take but I began writing. I wrote three drafts and then discarded them all. The fourth draft was beginning to take the shape of a half-decent novel so I edited it (about twenty times) and then finally I was happy with it. Or, at least as happy as any author could be.
Tell us about the book. Obviously there’s elements of your own life and experiences in there, but how much of it is based on reality and how much is fiction?
The main character, Ellie, is a matchmaker and in many ways similar to me. Through her eyes we experience her (and her clients’) hopes, dreams, joy and pain. All those emotions are drawn from my experiences and observations but the characters and scenarios are entirely fictionalised.
After being involved in matchmaking, which I imagine is quite social, how did writing a novel, which can be quite lonely, compare?
Great question. After I’d had my twin girls, like many new mums, I felt quite isolated from the rest of the world. However, writing actually helped with that. I could escape into the world I had created and be with my characters. As with my clients, I had a real affection for my characters and loved spending time with them. Does that make me sound like a total nutjob?
Why should people read your book?
Many people who’ve read it say it was the honesty that made it so funny. I wanted to cover all the issues that make us uncomfortable and the things we don’t like to talk about or even admit. The stark contrast between the idealised happy-ever-after we’re conditioned to aspire to and the reality we all experience provides many hilarious scenarios.
What sort of books do you like to read and who are your favourite authors?
I’d love to come across all literary right now but I’d be a big fat liar. When I’m not reading celebrity magazines (shame on me), I’m devouring a cheesy self-help book or a gossipy autobiography.
Being the ‘Queen of matchmaking’, what’s the best piece of advice you can give all the singletons out there?
Never give up. Statistically most of us won’t experience a conventional married-for-life relationship so we need to accept that our hearts might be broken, and get on with it. Love is an intrinsic drive in all of us and we cannot fight it.
Tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
I’m just starting my next novel which, I hope, will be a more grown-up version of It’s Got to Be Perfect, looking deeper into the characters and exploring the next stage of romantic love. I’m sure there will be some more sex-gone-wrong scenarios, injured male appendages and lap-dancer-centred anarchy too.
And lastly the most important question for any writer. What biscuits do you prefer with your tea?
Hah! Tea is for amateurs. Since my twins were born, I’ve progressed to more hardcore caffeinated beverages. Every time I sit down to write, I treat myself to a double-shot Latte and jam on toast. My keyboard is a sticky mess
Thanks so much to Haley for popping in today. Click on the covers below to grab your free copy of her book. And have a fabulous Valentine's Day!
 |
| THE UK VERSION |
 |
| THE US VERSION |
Until next time.
Hugs,
Jon X
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