Release day is imminent and everything I need to do as the author is done so now it's just a waiting game...
Today also sees me kick off my blog tour, taking me right up to New Year's Eve. I hope you'll join me as we travel the globe spreading the word about Christmas is Cancelled.
In the meantime, please pop over and add it to your virtual bookshelf if you are a Goodreads user. It is so exciting to see my book there, will all the other ones, and looking like it belongs. A proud moment indeed!
ETA: Christmas is Cancelled is now available to pre-order!!
If you saw my blog post a couple of weeks ago introducing the 'Insecure Writer's Support Group' (see here), then you'll know that today is the day...
I actually have a little confession.
I joined the IWSG a year ago, if not longer, but um... I didn't read 'the rules' properly and got kicked out when I failed to post the required blog posts. Whoops! I'd better get it right this time then.
So, with it being the first Wednesday of the month, I now have to share some of my more neurotic ramblings--or insightful advice (ha!)--with you all.
As it so happens, I am getting more neurotic by the day...
Each new day brings me closer to 'release day' and by then, I dread to think what loop-the-loops my nerves will be engaging in. My work... my little story... is going to be out there for all to see.
Everyone!
Not just family and friends, who will hopefully say nice things or at least try to pull their punches a little, but the general public too. I'm just a faceless stranger to them, a stranger that just so happened to type a few (if 40,000+ equates to a few) words into the computer and then hit send.
Will they like it? Will they hate it? Will they write reviews full of vitriol and tear my little story to shreds? Will they write a review at all? Will they even finish the story or will my book make it onto the dreaded 'could-not-finish' shelf on Goodreads?
See... I told you I was getting a bit neurotic.
I'm being realistic as well though.
It's my first book and I know it won't please everyone; nobody knows what to expect from me for a start. Some readers will like it, some will not, and I can only hope there are very few haters.
I know there were little things I was thinking of doing with the story if I hadn't run out of time, but I imagine that is the same for most authors, regardless of how long they have been published. I can hand on heart say I'd be happy if my book averaged 3 stars, although more would be nice of course, but I really hope it doesn't scrape just one or barely reach two.
And as I scan over what I've already written, one word keeps jumping out at me... hope. Even if it does receive more bad reviews than good, I mustn't give up. I mustn't lose hope. I have already achieved far more than I could have imagined this time a year ago, back when I was still dusting off my notepad and searching for a pen.
My New Year's resolution for this year was to finish a manuscript, that's all, yet here I am having turned down a book deal with one publisher and accepted two contracts from another. In a little over two weeks, I will be a 'published author' and that is something I can be proud of regardless of how many stars my book receives.
There is always going to be room for improvement, I am still learning my craft after all. I can't even write 'seriously' until my littlest starts school next September but I have so many projects and plans that I cannot wait to get stuck into and share with you. I just hope you'll all stick around and give me a chance...
Christmas is Cancelled will be available from December 21st, from Breathless Press and all major ebook retailers. Keep your eyes peeled for details of my blog tour, kicking off on December 9th and running right through until New Year's Eve. And in the meantime, here is my book trailer again...
I am absolutely delighted to welcome Téa Cooper, author of Tree Change published by Breathless Press onto my blog today. I have been following Téa's progress for over a year now after meeting her 'virtually' during the New Voices competition in October 2011, and I can't wait to hear all about her debut novel.
We've all heard of twenty questions and seeing as I like to write following the three act structure, it seemed like a good idea to treat my interviews in the same manner. It will all become clear as you read on.
So, without further ado, let me formally introduce you to Téa Cooper...
Err... yeah... okay, that's enough with the formality; it doesn't suit me. Let's get started...
ACT ONE – all about you…
1) Have you always been a writer or is it something you fell into?
I’ve always been a writer. Apparently even before I went to school, when I had everyone’s name written on pieces of paper and stuck around my bedroom. I’ve got shelves of journals and diaries too. Some years they are full of busy, busy, busy and other years snippets of stories and poems. Being an author is something I always knew would happen one day – it just took me rather a while to get around to it!
2) Do you have a particular writing style or ritual?
Now I have the luxury of choosing I am definitely a morning writer – in winter I’ll stay in bed with a cup of tea, in summer I’m more likely to be outside watching the sun rise.
3) Is there a book or an author that has influenced you in your writing?
No! Not one book especially and not one specific author. I read everything from Shakespeare to billboards and I’m a bit like a sponge. I soak it all up.
4) Can you tell us three things about yourself that we probably don’t already know?
I hate telephones – mobile or otherwise…scary! I lived in India for twelve months. I have a scar through my right eyebrow – I fell through a shop window!
5) What five luxury items or gadgets would you hate to be without?
Does my Mac Book Pro count as a luxury item or a necessity? I couldn’t be without it. Kindle is getting close, coffee machine and probably not much else!
6) The festive season is looming large, do you have a particular Christmas tradition that you like to indulge in? And what about New Year’s resolutions, will you be joining in the madness for 2013?
My birthday is on Christmas Eve so Christmas is on hold until midnight then there’s always a mad rush. Christmas in Australia usually means seafood and beaches – it’s a tradition I have willingly adopted! Tough huh?!
Forced to choose between the world she wants and the man she loves, Cassia opts for fame and fortune. But it's not enough—one taste and she's hooked again...
Despite her success in the Sydney art world, Cassia yearns for the idyllic life she once lead with Jake in their shack over looking the Pacific Ocean. Seeking closure she falls, like an addict, straight back into his arms, and out again equally quickly. Not only has he taken up with his brother's wife, but it seems they have a child.
Truth is, Jake's living a lie, sworn to secrecy, and hamstrung by the debt he owes his estranged family. But one glimpse of Cassia and he knows he cannot live without her. Her fey, artistic character and magical body possess his imagination and his heart. Can he convince her to trust him long enough to save the crumbling remains of their relationship?
7) Congratulations on your recent release of Tree Change, what was your inspiration for writing Cassia and Jake’s story?
Tree Change was originally called The Shack. The Shack actually existed many years ago. It overlooked one of my favourite NSW beaches – Pearl Beach (check out my Pinterest). Unfortunately the old houses have all been knocked down and the area has become a bit of a millionaire’s paradise but the view is still great. Cassia and Jake took over … I didn’t have much to do with the rest of the story!
8) Did the story flow from your finger tips or did some scenes take a bit of cajoling?
The story flowed pretty easily – the sequence was more of a problem.
9) With Tree Change being your debut novel, how long did it take for the initial spark of the story to make it onto the page and then onto the publisher’s desk?
It seems like forever but in actual fact not long. Tree Change was my 2011 New Voices entry and I wrote it specifically for that purpose in around October, sitting at Pearl Beach. After NV I decided to finish it. I sent it to M&B and got a R&R and truthfully I was disgustingly impatient so I sent it to a few e-publishers and signed with Breathless Press in April 2012. (M&B = Mills & Boon and R&R = revise and resubmit)
10) Do you have a favourite paragraph or sentence that you would like to tantalise us with?
Her finger traced the text message. "2moro fwm. cu < 3" Tomorrow. Fine with me or...fine with Madeleine? Good question. Love you too.
11) Over to you, what can you tell us about Tree Change, to make us rush out and buy it?
If you like a tear jerker, and who doesn’t – Cassia and Jake are the perfect torn asunder couple. And if you’ve ever fancied a trip Downunder it’s a lot cheaper than a plane ticket – there’s a bit of suspense thrown in as well. There are some great images on Pinterest to get you ‘in the mood’, and most of them are originals.
12) What can we expect from you next? Is there something you are working on right now?
I have just finished my second Australian historical romance called Matilda’s Madness (Thanks to NaNoWriMo). It is a sequel to Lily’s Leap which will be published by Lyrical Press in May 2013. Both are set in Wollombi, the time-warp village I call home. I also have a couple of contemporary rural romances – The Protea Boys and Passionfruit & Poetry which I’ll have some exciting news about very soon….And I am waiting, and waiting, to hear about a novella I wrote called A Winning Streak. It’s a romance set in Ancient Greece.
QUICK FIRE ROUND – it’s pop quiz time…
13) Plotter or pantser?
Panster turned plotter
14) Secret Seven or Famous Five?(please tell me you know them!?)
Famous Five
15) Digital books or print books?
Print first – digital for the convenience
16) Tea or coffee?
Tea when I wake up – coffee after that
17) Cats or dogs?
Dogs – everyone knows Poppy!
18) Extrovert or introvert?
Depends on my mood!
19) Save or spend?
Depends on my mood!
20) Facebook or Twitter?
Facebook – I talk too much to cram it into however many characters it is!
And there we have it!
Thank you ever so much, Téa, for answering my questions. It's been lovely getting to know both you, and Tree Change better.
I am SO with you on the hatred of telephones - can't stand them and avoid talking into them at all costs. Try to separate me from my smartphone, however, and the scenes wouldn't be pretty - just because I don't "talk" into it, doesn't mean I don't use it for everything else. And you know I'm going to have to ask you about the shop window incident some day, right?
Hey – thanks for having me over! Hope Christmas is Cancelled is a raging success!
Oh yes, not long now! EEK! I'm looking forward to coming over to your blog and telling you all about it on December 15th. In fact, this seems like a good time to share the ways to keep in touch with you:
