IT'S ALMOST 2016 BABY!

It's the end if 2015! Whoop! Whoop! I love new year because it really does give us a chance to reflect on the year gone and look forward to the year ahead. 2015 wasn't the best year for me as a writer, but it's finishing on a high with all of my books doing well in the charts and having some lovely reviews. It's given me a fresh impetus for 2016 and the year that I'm really going to tackle the literary world and make my mark!

So for the year ahead my biggest goal is to get a new book deal. I had a book deal for my first two books, but I didn't manage to get one for my last two. I think in hindsight (such a lovely thing) my choice of books wasn't the best. Don't get me wrong, I love both 'This Family Life' and 'Sunday Dinners' but they weren't perhaps the best choices for getting a book deal. 'This Family Life' was a sequel and 'Sunday Dinners' didn't fit snugly enough into any genre and so neither was going to be easily published. A big part of being of author is learning from our mistakes and hopefully I've done that. 

For 2016 I'm already working on my new novel and I've 'sort of' changed genres - moved a bit to the left is probably more of an accurate description. When I started writing, I always wanted to write comedy and most of my books are comedies. But with 'Happy Endings' and 'Sunday Dinners' I veered away from pure comedy and into darker more dramatic areas. I love both of those books, but the trouble with that genre of book is that they don't really fit into a specific genre. They aren't really comedies, they aren't chick lit, or pure drama, or literary fiction or, well, let's just say they're books about love, life and all the bits in-between. What I've always wanted to write is a pure out and out romantic comedy. My next book is going to be just that. 

I think I've tackled love in all of my books, but I've never done new love. In 'This Thirtysomething Life' and 'This Family Life' they were about a married couple. 'Happy Endings' was about couples that were already together. 'Sunday Dinners' was about a family and a thirty-year-old marriage. I've never done 'The Rom-Com'. So when I started thinking about my new novel, I knew I wanted to write a romantic comedy in the purest sense of the word. I even did a lot of research about writing romantic comedies and watched, read and completely immersed myself in the genre - I know, tough work! I learnt a lot and now I'm writing my rom-com, I'm really, truly excited about it.

The genre of the rom-com has taken a bit of a bashing in recent years and I think a lot of that comes down to a bunch of poorly written, cliché laden, badly plotted books and films that forgot the two main concepts of romantic comedies. You have to have comedy and romance. If it isn't funny it isn't a rom-com. If it isn't romantic it isn't a rom-com. I've watched so many rom-com films that are just blah. You can re-invent the genre while sticking to the main rules, which is what I'm hoping to do. An original story, with real characters that's hilarious, heart-warming and feels fresh and new. It's about the voice, the characters and the story. I want to bring something new to the genre. Something different that I only I can do.

For me 2016 is a year to sort of re-group and start again. I feel like I've learnt so much as a writer the past three years and from all of my books. I want to gather all of that together and produce a book that's going to take me to the next level. I'm going to work harder than I've ever worked before to make sure that my next book is the very best thing I've ever written. So far it's going really well. The first draft is exactly what I wanted it to be. It feels fresh and exciting. The characters are wonderfully flawed and funny. The plot is really new and the story is one that I don't think's been done before. I'm really excited for the new year and to get another book out there - hopefully with a new publisher! 

Thanks so much to everyone's who helped me in 2015 and to everyone who's bought my books. I really love what I do, but without readers I couldn't do it. A happy new year to you all! 

Big love,

Jon X

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's that time of the year again. It's Christmas! It's also the time of year when we reflect on the year gone and look forward to a new one. 

2015 has been a very up and down year for me personally with lots of highs, but also some lows. From a writing perspective it's been difficult and although the year didn't start well, it's ending on a high - such is the life of an author! 

From a negative point of view I didn't find a publisher for Sunday Dinners and I lost my agent. I had a really hard time this year and started to question what I was doing and if I was good enough to be an author. It was definitely one of the lowest points of my writing career, but luckily I have enough people in my life who believe in me and I came through it. I got back on track and ended up re-writing Sunday Dinners exactly how I wanted it and then wrote my Christmas novella in record time. A Notting Hill Christmas is doing really well and has had some brilliant reviews - "The best novella I've ever read. The funniest read of 2015!" - This Chick Reads (thank you!).

In 2016 I'm focused entirely on my new novel. I'm super excited because it's my first real attempt at a proper romantic comedy. All of my previous novels have had elements of comedy and romance, but none have been what I would call a romantic comedy. For this book, I really wanted to embrace the genre and write a pure rom-com. I'm 30,000 words in at the moment and I have to say, it's my favourite book so far! I feel like I've gained so much experience writing my previous novels and working with some amazing people and this novel will be my best so far. I can't divulge any details yet except that it's a rom-com written in alternate chapters from male and female perspective. And it's set in London. That's it for now. I'm hoping to find a publisher for this novel in 2016.

So that's it. Thanks to everyone who's bought my books, supported me, helped me and encouraged me to keep following my dream. I love what I do. It's what I want to do for the rest of my life. I hope you all have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year!

Hugs,
Jon X

WRITING A CHRISTMAS NOVELLA

Hello,

So in August I decided to write a Christmas novella. I know - talk about a tight deadline. But somehow I did it. This blog is going to tell you how. So pop the kettle on, put on some Christmas music and enjoy.

I already had the title, A Notting Hill Christmas. I'd written it down ages ago in my folder of ideas. All I needed was a story, characters, a plot, a beginning, a middle and that all important end. 30,000 words in two months - no worries! 

I knew exactly what I wanted the book to be like. I had an idea in my head and it was based on a few things. I was lucky to grow up in the 80's. The 80's produced so many amazing Christmas songs - Band Aid, Last Christmas by Wham, Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade - to name just a few. That's not even mentioning Cliff Richards! The 80's was a great time for festive music. It was also a great time for classic British sitcoms and Christmas specials. I clearly remember watching the Only Fools and Horses specials as a child. It stuck in my mind and so when I came to write this, I sort of knew what I wanted. It had to festive, funny, and romantic, of course. 

I knew my story would have the music, the traditional food, presents, decorations and once I knew it was going to be about a family in a tiny flat, the drama and arguments that come when a family get together. So I started, as always, with the characters. The main character is Ben and I decided early on that he was going to be a bit of a loser. Once I had him, the older more successful brother, Jamie, came pretty quickly. I really wanted the family dynamic to remind readers of their own family. I know we're all different, but I knew if I wrote a really honest, down to earth family, people would be able to relate in some way. Maybe you relate to Ben or his brother, or the parents, the sister-in-law or the granddad. What I hope I've created is a really interesting, funny family that fight and argue, but love and care for each other dearly. I really love the Canterbury family and I think they could easily have their own novel! 

The next thing I tackled was the love story. This was always going to be a romantic comedy first and foremost. Having Ben as a bit of a loser, I had to make sure the love story worked. It took a bit of work, and I don't want to give too much away, but hopefully I've written a real, gritty, honest, and romantic love story between two people with more in common than they realise. The girl in question is called Mhairi, and from the start she was Scottish. I wanted someone new to Notting Hill with their own interesting back story and also a girl that was feisty, strong, and would stand up for herself. For some reason when I put all of that together, she was Scottish.

The main thing I wanted to achieve with this little story was to recreate the sort of Christmases I had growing up. When I think about Christmas there's a warmth of emotion. It conjures up so many feelings and I wanted to somehow capture that in the book. I hope I've managed to do that with the characters I've created. I also made a real effort to include lots of little details in the story that hopefully add to it's authenticity. 

The other little sub-plots just came along as I wrote the book. The angry dog, Mr Waggles, who actually plays a huge part in the book. The horny Welsh flatmate, Rufus, who can't get home for Christmas because there's too much snow on the tracks and ends up staying. The giant turkey, Grandad, and Ben's mum - all became integral to the whole story. It's only a short novella, but I managed to squeeze a lot in!

I think something that happened sort of organically was setting the whole story in the poky, little flat. There's something really engaging to me about stories set somewhere specific. Maybe it's the sitcom idea like, The Office, which is set primarily in the office. Only Fools and Horses had different sets, but the flat is what you remember the most. Even shows like Gavin & Stacey, they have lots of settings, but the two houses really make the show what it is. I like having this set only in the flat. It's like the whole thing is condensed and I think it adds to the Christmas spirit!

A Notting Hill Christmas is my first and hopefully not my last Christmas novella - who knows, maybe there will be 'Another Notting Hill Christmas' next year! I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it. A very merry Christmas from me to you! 

Buy A Notting Hill Christmas now - it's just 99p!

Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon x

LYNDA RENHAM

Hello,


I'm very excited to have guest blogger, Lynda Renham, on my website today. Like me, Lynda as a Christmas book out and it's called, 'A Christmas Romance'. It looks fabulous. So without further ado, here's Lynda...or should I say, Amy Perfect?

Thank you to Jon Rance for featuring me on his blog. I always enjoy coming here. I’m very excited to tell everyone about my new novel ‘A Christmas Romance’ I can’t believe how close Christmas is. It will soon be December so what better than a Christmas novel to get you into the festive mood. That, and a mince pie, of course.

I enjoyed writing this novel so much and am thrilled to see it climbing the holiday chart. ‘A Christmas Romance’ is set in a fictional village in Oxfordshire, named Little Perran.

I wrote this novel under the name of Amy Perfect. It’s full of romance and Christmas magic. It is the first in a series of stories to be set in Little Perran. I have had wonderful reviews and am so delighted.

My time spent in Little Perran was delightful and I’m sure yours will be too. I can’t wait to write the second in the series which will be out in the summer.

A CHRISTMAS ROMANCE

Lynda Renham

Writing as

Amy Perfect

‘Romance is the last thing on Frankie Bell’s mind as she gets ready for Christmas in the English village of Little Perran. It’s going to be a quiet affair once the annual Great Little Perran Christmas Bake Off cake competition is over, with Frankie, and her little dog Buster, tucked up warmly in Primrose Cottage. Fate, however, has other plans and Little Perran is thrown into turmoil when the film star, Roux Lockhart, comes to stay. 

The spirit of the season weaves its magic and a freak snow storm that blows in a surprise visitor. Frankie discovers love from an unexpected quarter, but can she trust it? And is someone cheating with their Christmas cake? 

A delightful Christmas love story to be enjoyed with a mug of hot chocolate and a roaring log fire. 

You can purchase your copy of ‘A Christmas Romance’ here.

You can find out more about Lynda and her books at her website here.

Until next time.

Hugs,

Jon X

A NOTTING HILL CHRISTMAS

Hello,


Sunday Dinners is out and doing very well (thank you so much!) and so now it's time to talk about my Christmas novella, A Notting Hill Christmas. Yay! I've been thinking and talking about writing a Christmas novella for the past three years and for various reasons it's never quite happened. This year it's happened! So strap yourself in, it's going to be quite a ride!

I had the title, A Notting Hill Christmas, in my ideas folder for a while. That was it. No story, characters, or idea what it was going to be about. I just liked the idea of it. So when I decided to write a novella this year, I was going through my notes when I found this title and started thinking about it. I love Notting Hill as a place. It's iconic and there's obviously the famous film starring Hugh Grant. I knew right away though that I wanted to show a different side to it. It wasn't going to be the chocolate box Notting Hill that Richard Curtis gave us, which I love and wished I lived in, but something else. Something more real. 

As always the characters came first and in this case it was the main character, Ben Canterbury - I've wanted to give a character the last name Canterbury since The Office when it was Tim's surname. I knew from the start that Ben had to be a bit of a loser. I had a rough idea of a story and it involved a large family coming to a small, cramped flat in Notting Hill for Christmas. Ben was going to be catalyst for this to happen. Actually his life failures and jealousy of his older and successful brother, Jamie, would be. Ben's tired of being the "deadwood in the Canterbury family tree" and insists he hosts Christmas, even though he has no chance of actually doing it properly in his little flat. There in lies the tension, drama and comedy of the book.

Once I had Ben, I needed a funny flatmate, and a crazy family (plus a very angry dog), which all came fairly easily. Then came the difficult part, I needed a romantic female lead - this is a rom-com after all!

It was tough working out the love story because here we have Ben, a 29 year old man, who's life hasn't gone to plan having Christmas Day with his family. How to fit a woman into this scenario in a real and plausible way without making it seem absolutely ridiculous was a challenge. When I started thinking about her the first thing that came to mind was that she was Scottish. I don't know why. I've always found the Scottish accent pretty sexy and I wanted someone who needed a reason to spend the day with Ben and his family on the big day. So she obviously had to be far from home. This is when things started to spark and the story and characters came alive.

The female lead, Mhairi, comes into the story and at first seems just about perfect, but obviously this is never the case. Also I think it would be hard to sell a love story with a loser main character falling in love with this amazing woman. She had to have her flaws and secrets too. And she does. 

The main thing with A Notting Hill Christmas, is that I wanted it to be funny and heart-warming, but also honest and real. Just because it's a Christmas story and a rom-com, it doesn't have to be this overly sweet, fluffy, sort of fairytale. It's a bit dark in places, the characters are deeply flawed, and it's probably not the Christmas day you'd want to go to (£1 shop Christmas tree and decorations stuck on with Blu-Tack), but amongst all the carnage and drama, there is a really sweet, funny love story that will hopefully make you laugh and cry.


A Notting Hill Christmas is out on December 7th and it's only 99p! You can pre-order it here or just click on the cover below! I'll be back with more blogs soon! 

Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X

SUNDAY DINNERS - THE REUNION SPECIAL

Hello,

if you watch any of those awful shows on television like The Annoying Housewives of Wherever, or Sixteen, In a Trailer Park and Pregnant, you'll know that they're awful and the people on them are equally as awful. You'll also know that at the end of the season they have a special show where they all get together and talk. Actually they just shout and cry. It's horrible, obviously. So why am I talking about this? Because I was in bed last night thinking about SUNDAY DINNERS and it occurred to me that publishing a book is a bit like the reunion episodes they have on those terrible reality shows. I'm losing you, aren't I? Let me explain.

When you publish a book the anxiety is awful. It's as bad as a teenage relationship. Do they like me? What if they don't like me? I bet they don't like me. After a week, SUNDAY DINNERS has 15 lovely, wonderful reviews, but I'm still worried, nervous, and fretting over it's success. I've likened it before to watching a child go off into the world. Every day I watch as my 6 year old daughter goes to school, we kiss, hug, wave goodbye and I watch her walk away and I'm thinking, please have a great day, I hope people are nice to her and like her. It's the same with watching my book make it's way in the world. I hope people are nice to it and like it. 

So back to the awful reality show reunion episodes. What's that got to do with publishing a book? Well, when you publish a book you go through the drama, the tears (the regular episodes of the show) and then eventually when it's all done, when the books out, all the marketing and interviews are done, you reach a point when you sit down and think about the whole process. Admittedly, there's much less shouting and crying at my reunion show, but the idea is the same. It's about a final goodbye. Because that's it now. SUNDAY DINNERS is done. There's nothing more I can do. It's time for the reunion show and then it's time to move on.

It's always bittersweet moving on. I'm super excited to start a new project, but sad to say goodbye to something I've spent the last year and a half working on. To the characters I've grown to love. It's why I need the reunion show. I need one last moment to really go over everything before I'm done. One last chance to get everything out in the open so we can all move on. Although from what I've seen of those reality shows, those characters never move on. They're happy to keep arguing and shouting and crying forever. Lucky writers aren't like that. 

SUNDAY DINNERS JUST 99P!

Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X

KATY REGAN

Hello,


If you've been following my SUNDAY DINNERS extravaganza all week on Bookaholic Confessions, you will have seen blogs by Matt Dunn, Christina Hopkinson, and Nick Spalding to name a few. If you missed any, pop on over to Bookaholic Confession and check them out. Today I have the last one and it's with wonderful bestselling author Katy Regan. Katy is the author of How We Met, The One Before the One, One Thing Led to Another, and The Story of Us. You can buy her books here. Today she talks about what the Sunday roast means to her. 

Sunday Dinners can never be eaten or held in summer. (That’s just an evening meal on a Sunday). It has to be autumn or winter. It has to be chilly outside, and preferably dark when you eat. This is because Sunday Dinners for me are about retreating from the world and any obligations - to the centre of the home and the family. They’re about closing the door and being with your nearest and dearest.

There will be a roast, naturally, and as many different vegetables as possible (this is very important). The main aim of a Sunday dinner, however, is to eat as much as humanly possible - together with a few glasses of red - so that you are then comatosed / numb to the looming pressures of Sunday and are capable of nothing else but watching mindless telly. Doc Martin is perfect.

Of course, Sunday Dinners aren't and weren't, always so cosy. When I was a child, there were fights over who had the chicken leg (come to think of it, my son - very much a leg man - and I, still fight over this), and vicious glares across the table at my little sister, for no reason other than she was my little sister. There would then possibly be fights over homework, but for that hour or two, it was just me and my Sunday Dinner. Oh, and there had to be crumble…

Thank you Katy for sharing your Sunday roast dinner with us. It's made me hungry!

If this has got you in the mood for something tasty, SUNDAY DINNERS is only 99p on the Kindle, so please pop on over and grab your copy today!

Until next time.

Hugs,

Jon X

SUNDAY DINNERS - HOW IT'S GOING SO FAR!

Hello,


So it happened. Sunday Dinners was released yesterday. I had an amazing publication day. So many writers, bloggers, friends, and fans wrote, tweeted, and helped support me. It was a really lovely day and it reminded me once again how wonderful the writing community is. It also reminded how much I love doing what I do. I'm truly lucky to write books for a living. 

There is, of course, the other side of things - the very real threat of post publishing day blues. No matter how many books you've written or had published, when those first reviews start coming in it's a terrifying time. The idea that the book you love, spent the last year working, is going out in the world for people to possibly bash is nothing short of horrible. I must have refreshed Amazon about fifty times yesterday and slowly the reviews came in. Luckily, they have all been wonderful. People seem to really love the book so far. The relief is like finishing work the last time before a two week holiday. The weight of pressure is temporarily lifted. 

Of course there will be bad reviews down the line. That's par for the course for writers. Some people will really hate what you've done, and that's OK, but at the moment I'm on cloud nine. I know cloud eight, seven, six, five, two and one aren't far away, but it's nice to enjoy these moments when they come along. Sunday Dinners is creeping up the charts (713 at the moment!) and hopefully like my first novel, This Thirtysomething Life, it will keep going and reach the top ten - that's always the dream. But whatever happens, this is all part of the ride. It's ups and downs, massive highs followed by awfully depressing lows. But I wouldn't do anything else. 

So if you haven't bought Sunday Dinners yet, please pop over to Amazon and give it a go. Maybe you can help keep this author on cloud nine for just a little bit longer.

Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X

PUBLICATION DAY!

Hello,

It's a very happy publication day to me! It feels like so long since I've had a publication day - and this is the first of two in the next couple of months. My Christmas novella will be out on December 7th! 

I could write a whole blog about this, but instead I'm going to keep this nice and simple. Please go out and buy SUNDAY DINNERS, it's only 99p and it's a book I'm really proud of.

Secondly, as an added treat, THIS FAMILY LIFE, is FREE for the next 3 days, so if you haven't read that please go and get it for nothing!

And lastly, my Christmas novella is available for pre-order for just 99p too! So pop on over to Amazon and get a hat-trick of my books!

That's it. A whopping thank you to everyone that's helped me, supported me, bought my books, and helped me make this possible. 

BUY NOW FOR 99p!

PRE-ORDER NOW FOR 99p!

FREE FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS!

Until next time.

Cheers,

Jon X

A NOTTING HILL CHRISTMAS

Hello,



I'm very proud to announce that my Christmas novella, A NOTTING HILL CHRISTMAS, is available for pre-order and will be released on December 7th! It's a really fun, funny, romantic comedy set in Notting Hill and like my new novel, Sunday Dinners, it's only going to be 99p! Anyway, without further waffle from me, here is the cover and synopsis. 

A laugh-out-loud, festive, romantic comedy novella from Jon Rance, the bestselling author of This Thirtysomething Life, Happy Endings, and Sunday Dinners.

One family. A tiny flat in Notting Hill. A beautiful new neighbour. A very angry dog. A horny Welshman. An enormous turkey. On the biggest day of the year. What could possibly go wrong?

It’s Christmas Day and twenty-nine year old Ben Canterbury is on a mission. He’s going to show his parents that he’s a proper grown-up just like his older and more successful brother, Jamie. The problem is, Ben doesn't really have the flat for so many people (and one very angry lapdog), the Christmas tree’s from the Pound Shop, the decorations are hung with blue-tack, and the turkey might not fit in the oven.

But when beautiful new neighbour, Mhairi McGregor, suddenly appears at his door, Ben’s Christmas worries go out of the window and he begins to wonder if it might not be the worst Christmas in history after all. A Notting Hill Christmas, is a laugh-out-loud, festive novella perfect for fans of romantic comedies like Love Actually and Notting Hill.

I'll be back soon with more info about this book and also my new novel Sunday Dinners, which you can pre-order for 99p right here!

Until next time.

Hugs,

Jon X

Introducing SUNDAY DINNERS

Hello,

With only a week until the release of my new novel Sunday Dinners, I thought I'd take this opportunity to introduce the book to the world (OK, fine, the handful of people who read my blog). So here we go....it's time to meet the Wilde family!

Sunday Dinners is more than just a novel. It's a celebration of the great British roast dinner. The novel was inspired in part by an article I read online about the death of the Sunday roast dinner. I couldn't believe it and to be honest, it makes me sad to think that something I've always held so dear and have such affection for is dying out. I don't know if it actually is or not, but it inspired the novel.

In the book we have six main characters. There's Greg Wilde, 54, a university lecturer, and the father of the family. Lizzy Wilde, 53, the mother and frustrated housewife. Lucy, 27, the eldest child and successful BBC script editor with a secret. Matt, 24, lazy, unambitious and broken hearted, and Holly, 18, sexually confused and about to head off to university. There's also Joan, Greg's mother, who lives in a home and is on her last legs. The book starts in 1999 when the children are small and the family is happy. It's fun, vibrant, and chaotic. It's what Sunday roasts are like with three young children. However, we jump forward thirteen years and the children are all about to move out or move on, and it's the end of an era. The Sunday roasts are coming to an end and Greg and Lizzy's marriage is facing a very uncertain future. 

The theme of things coming to an end and moving on, is used throughout the book, and the Sunday roast as the thing that's keeping them all together. Because to me the weekly (or monthly in the case of the book) roast dinner is the time when family comes together. During the rest of the week, our lives are so fragmented, but for a few hours everyone gets together over roast beef, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, and gravy, and it's as though you're a family again. It's like Christmas day every Sunday. A quote I found when I started writing the book was, "Life is a balance of holding on and letting go" and it's this theme that creates the tension and drama in the book. 

Writing the book was also a delicate balance of comedy and drama because when you get family together there's always laughter as well as tears. A lot of the comedy comes from the sibling rivalry between the children and also the reality of Joan realising that she's going to be dead soon. It's comedy grounded firmly in reality. I took a lot of influence from the TV show Outnumbered for this. I love that show because it shows family life exactly as it is and it's really funny and that's something I tried to do in the book. Most of the drama comes from Greg and Lizzy's marriage, which is in turmoil. Greg doesn't realise how unhappy Lizzy is until it's too late, and Lizzy is tired her life and needs something to change. It's the biggest storyline in the book and in a way it holds everything together - it's the backbone of the novel. 

The last theme of the book I want to talk about is the idea of appearance. In many ways the Wilde family are the archetypal middle class family. They seem from the outside to have this perfect life, but once we're on the inside we realise how many problems each character has. Throughout the book, Greg is desperately trying to cling onto the Sunday roasts, because he believes it will save his family and his marriage. But as in real life, things change and move on, and Greg comes to the realisation that the perfect family and marriage he always wanted doesn't really exist and accepting the imperfections in everything is what makes it work.

Set around the table at their monthly roast dinners and set over 16 years of a family life, the Wilde family will have you laughing, crying, and nodding in recognition because to me they're just like all of us. They're a real family with histories, secrets, rivalries, and problems. But they love each other and stand by each other and when it comes to Sundays, they want nothing more than to be sitting down with each other at the dinner table. This is a very British book that's equally as funny as it is dramatic and at it's core is parenthood, marriage, love, life and roast dinners.

You can pre-order your copy of Sunday Dinner for just 99p right here!

Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X

Why Sunday Dinners is 99p

Hello,


My new novel Sunday Dinners is out in just over a week and I'm very excited about it. A month or so ago I was thinking about the book and how much to charge for it and that's when I decided to go for 99p. There's a lot of debate about book prices and how much we should charge for our books. Obviously 99p is very cheap for something that's taken me over a year to write, but for me it's about getting the book read.

When I released my very first novel, This Thirtysomething Life, I only charged 99p because it was my first book and I just wanted someone to read it. Anyone (other than my family). I had no readers and so I was battling against thousands of other books all trying to get an audience. This Thirtysomething Life eventually sold about 55,000 copies and currently has 620 reviews on Amazon. One thing I realised during this period was how much I loved so many people reading and reviewing my work. 

My next novel, Happy Endings, published by Hodder and Stoughton, didn't do so well and it was a book I genuinely loved. There's nothing so frustrating as an author than having a book out that you've spent a long time writing and no-one's reading it. So when it came to Sunday Dinners, I decided that above everything else, I wanted this book to be read. It's a book I've worked really hard on and a book I love. So by making it so cheap I hope that people will give it a punt because I know it's worth it. Sunday Dinners is officially out on October 26th, but you can pre-order it now right here.


Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X

Self-pub to Trad-pub and back again

Hello,


As writer's we're often writing blogs about good news. I have a book deal, I just sold the film rights to my novel, I got an agent, etc. I've done a few of those posts myself (not the film rights unfortunately). The truth of matter is though, we often have more downs than ups as writers. The path to success is literally littered (or fly-tipped) with failure. 

My "journey" started in 2011. OK, it started long before that but it gets interesting in 2011 because my first novel, This Thirtysomething Life, does the impossible and gets into the Kindle top ten charts - number 7 actually. This is a miracle because A: it's self-published and to sell that many books on your own against the might of the professional publishing machine is a huge achievement. B: I literally had no idea what I was doing. C: Unlike a lot of other savvy authors, I didn't do much marketing, self-promotion and left it all down to chance. Basically I got bloody lucky.

However, on the back of this success, I got the call from a major publishing house in London, and was soon signing a two book deal. They had approached me. To put this in perspective, I had spent the previous five years sending out books to a chorus of resounding NO's. And yet here was a major player asking me. It was surreal. I soon had an agent and I honestly thought that was it - I'd made it! I was a published author with an agent, surely it was only a matter of time before I was rich and famous - the next J.K Rowling! Right. 

I think this is one of the biggest misconceptions about writing. I even thought it myself. Whenever I told people about my publishing deal, they seemed to assume that I was suddenly rich. Yes I made some money, but it was hardly a fortune. I definitely wasn't rich. The other assumption that I was destined for a successful career in writing, also lost it's spark fairly quickly. Again I believed it myself, but the truth is a publishing deal or an agent is no guarantee of success. In fact, in the current publishing climate, only a handful of writers (and celebrities) can guarantee anything like success - as I've been told many times.

My second novel, Happy Endings, came out and passed the world by if I'm honest. It's one of the difficult things about publishing. You imagine that when you get a book deal, the publisher will go all out, produce a huge marketing campaign, and you'll sell thousands of copies all over the world. The reality for me was that there was no marketing campaign. I did it all myself. I had some support, but it wasn't enough to stop the book from flopping quite badly. This was hard for me because I worked really hard on that book and I actually think it's a really good. It just didn't find an audience.

I'm not writing this to complain or whinge about the publishing world because I learnt so much, made some incredible contacts, and the people were all lovely. It was definitely an experience I loved from start to finish. What I'd like to tell young writers trying to make it, is that it isn't everything. You don't have to get an agent. You don't have to get a publishing deal. If you can, you should because you'll learn so much and gain so much experience, but it isn't everything the way it used to be. Now you can self-publish, market yourself on social media, and be whatever you want to be all on your own - as so many wonderful people are doing so brilliantly.

I'm back self-publishing again now and I'm very happy that I am - at least for the moment. The beauty of working on my own again is that I can work at my own pace. Traditional publishing is very slow. I have a new novel coming out in a few weeks and also a Christmas Novella in December. If these were being traditionally published, the novel wouldn't be out until the Spring and I would have had to have finished the novella about six months ago. Self-publishing gives writers the chance to get our work out faster and to create more. One thing I did learn from my time working with wonderful editors and professionals is the importance of quality, and I'm not letting that suffer. I still work with a brilliant editor and make sure everything I put out is top quality. Self-published or not, everything has to be perfect.

So what have I learnt over the last four years? There's so many ways to be a successful novelist. I know authors who are doing very well on their own and those with the backing of huge publishing houses. Having an agent helps, but it still doesn't mean you're guaranteed a book deal or even if you do get one, you might not do very well. The most important thing is the quality of the work you put out and also that the work you do is everything you want it to be. You have to write what you want to write to the very best of your ability because I know this - even the best agents and publishers don't have a clue what's going to be the next bestseller. It could be you.

I'll save the last paragraph for the thing that's really changed my outlook on writing the most. If you've written a novel and no matter who you are or how good you think it is, it will be better after a good editor has worked on it. My first experience of working with an editor completely changed me. She took the book in directions I hadn't even seen, found mistakes, repeated words, and helped me develop the characters and plot more than I could ever have done on my own. You need to have an editor you trust and work well with. I have one now and it's a relationship every author has to have. You can do well without a publisher, an agent, but you'll never be as good as you can be without a brilliant editor.

One last thing before I sign off. I love writing. It's in me and I can't help but do it. However, being an author is so much more than writing books. It's about promotion and becoming a social media expert and if you aren't prepared to put all the work in then you aren't going to make it. I don't enjoy the interviews and planning marketing campaigns as much as I do writing, but I know it's a huge part of what being a modern author is. With so many more authors out there than ever before, getting your book read (no matter how good it is) is the hardest part and if no-one knows who you are, it's even harder.

So that's it. It's been an incredible journey and I'm still writing and still loving it. So for all the aspiring authors out there, never give up, be creative, and get your work out there. It needs to be read because you'll never get better without criticism and experience. Best of British luck to you all. 

Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X


Ps: I want to add that without the kind support of so many wonderful authors, I definitely wouldn't still be doing what I'm doing. The author community is a wonderful thing and I love you all.


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Hello,


Sunday Dinners is out in a few weeks and so I'm going to carry on with my series of short blogs about the book. Today I'm going to talk about tone. Yeah, I know, it sounds boring, but trust me it isn't (hopefully).

Tone is one of the first things I think about when I start writing a book. Tone is everything. Tone literally sets the tone - see I told you it wasn't boring - jokes already! When you watch a television show or a film, great work has gone into the tone of it. How it looks, the set, the characters, the colours, the music - everything adds to the tone. You probably don't even realise what's happened behind the scenes to make things look the way they do, and perhaps we shouldn't see it, but it makes a HUGE difference to the final product. When writing a novel, it's obviously harder than a visual art like television because we're only working with words, but you can still create so much tone and for Sunday Dinners, I knew tone was going to be crucial.

The first inspiration for Sunday Dinners was the novel, The Pile Of Stuff At The Bottom Of The Stairs, by the brilliant Christina Hopkinson. It's a novel I really love. It's funny, serious, set firmly in London suburbia, and about a husband and wife having all sorts of trouble. It shows us family life in all it's hilarious ridiculousness. I took a lot of inspiration from this novel and especially the little details about marriage and parenthood. Another book that inspired me was the wonderful, Us, by David Nicholls. Us is the sort of book that is right on the line between humour and drama. I was also inspired by the television show, Outnumbered, because it shows all the mundane day-to-day realities of family life and this is exactly what I wanted to do with Sunday Dinners.

I wanted Sunday Dinners to have elements of all of these. I wanted it to have the tension and humour of The Pile Of Stuff At The Bottom Of The Stairs. I wanted it to be as funny and dramatic (and well written!) as Us, and have all the gritty day-to-day reality of Outnumbered. If this novel was going to be a success, it had to have exactly the right tone. It's taken me about a year and a half to finish Sunday Dinners and the main reason is tone. 

When I finished the first draft it was too mundane - not enough happened. It was more a series of ordinary suburban events and yes it was funny and I think the characters instantly jumped off the page, but as a novel it failed. I injected more drama, lost some jokes and it became too serious and so I started again - time after time. More jokes, less drama, more events, more emphasis on the marriage, more flashbacks etc. It became like a giant jigsaw puzzle and no matter how I put the pieces together, it never quite worked. The important thing was though, I knew it was there. I knew I could make it work and eventually the tone would find itself.

It took me a long time to get it just right. To balance humour and drama is by far the biggest challenge in writing - in my humble opinion. Whether I have got it right, I'll let you be the judge of that. I hope I have. It's been my biggest challenge yet as a writer, but hopefully the finished book will be worth the long wait and all the struggles to get it done.

SUNDAY DINNERS is out on October 26th. You can pre-order it here!


Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X

SUNDAY DINNERS

Hello,


It's October and that means SUNDAY DINNERS is getting closer. It's due to be released on October 26th and you can pre-order it now right here! So with the book edging ever closer, I thought now would be a good time to write a little blog about it. Here goes.

The book came about because I wanted to write a story about a family from a unique point of view. My initial idea was to tell it over a period of time from multiple points of view, but it still needed a focal point. It lacked something to bring it all together. The idea was put away in my huge 'To Do' folder with all my other novel ideas until I read an article in the newspaper about the death of the Sunday roast. It said that the traditional Sunday roast was dying out as families became too busy and suddenly it all came together. A story about a family told from each of their monthly Sunday roast dinners. It brought together the idea of family and also one of the great British traditions and something I did growing up every week without fail. I love Sunday roasts and they mean so much to me, and it was obvious what the story needed to be about. 

In the book, all the grown up children are on the verge of leaving home. Everything is changing in the Wilde family house, and it's that tension that makes the Sunday roast dinners so important. Greg, the father, is desperately trying to hold onto the past, while the rest of his family are trying to move forward and get away. It's old v new, tradition v evolution, and it's exactly what I thought about when I read the newspaper article. I love the traditions of Sunday roasts, but I also realise that as much as we want to hold onto the past, the world keeps moving forwards whether we like it or not - which is especially true when you have children who keep growing up!

The first character I really focused on was the father, Greg Wilde. Initially I thought about writing the book from his perspective because he really is the main character, but as I thought about it, I decided it would be better to have multiple viewpoints. I also wrote HAPPY ENDINGS from different character points of view and I really enjoyed it. I also think it gives us so much more as readers if done properly.

From the beginning Greg evolved quite quickly. Greg is fifty-four and married to Lizzy. They met at university and have pretty much the perfect middle-class life. They live in a nice house in Muswell Hill, north London. Greg is a university lecturer and Lizzy is a stay at home wife. They have three children: Lucy, Matt, and Holly. Greg is in some ways a great husband and father, but in many other ways he's completely useless. He has ideas about how life should be and doesn't understand why his family don't completely agree with him. He was happiest when his children were little, and his marriage was better, but as the children grow up and challenge him, and his marriage becomes more complicated and strained, Greg doesn't know how to handle it. And like a typical man, instead of talking about it he keeps it all in. 

One of the aspects of the book I really enjoyed writing was Greg's relationship with his wife, Lizzy. It's obvious from the start of the book that their marriage is in crisis. I wanted though to make sure we realise that it wasn't always like that. They were happy, and like so many of us, they had big dreams. They met at university in the 80's and were going to be different from their parents. They were going to change the world, but as so often happens, instead of changing the world, the world changed them. In many ways, Greg and Lizzy's marriage is the centre of the book and it drives everything else forward. I think the problems, and the arguments they have, a lot of people will be able to relate to and understand. There's also a lot of humour between them and I wanted to make sure the readers could empathise with both Greg and Lizzy because in every relationship, there's two sides to the same story.

Towards the end of the book, Greg and Lizzy's marriage comes to it's ultimate conclusion, but as Greg says at the beginning of the book.."That's the thing about life, it doesn't matter how happy you are, how happy you think you're going to be in the future, without warning it can all change in a second."

Greg and Lizzy's marriage is a wonderful love story and one that's so real and full of humour, drama, lies, arguments, and tenderness. I hope when you read the book you'll enjoy Greg's story and his evolution from the man he is at the beginning to the man he becomes at the end. It was a challenge writing him, but I grew to really like him, despite all of his flaws, because it's those flaws that make him human. 

I'll write more blogs about the other characters soon! Don't forget to pre-order your 99p copy of SUNDAY DINNERS today!

Until next time.

Hugs,
Jon X