Shameless Self Promotion

If I thought writing a novel was challenging, it's nothing compared to promoting one!  I'm sure all my friends and family are fed up with me spamming Facebook and Twitter with links to where they can buy my book from (and many thanks to all of you who did!) but it's very difficult trying to reach the wider audience.  People have to know about a book before they can buy it and with thousands to choose from it's difficult to get your book noticed. 

Why should you buy an ebook from an unknown author?  It's a risk, the book could be awful, unreadable, the self righteous rantings of a lunatic who has nothing better than to put every thought onto paper, or worse!!!  But in reality it's not a very big risk, I mean, you spend a couple of quid on a cup of coffee without thinking about it, so why not give an indie author a go?  You never know it might just discover the next big thing.  I've been pleasantly surprised at the high quality of work produced by indie authors and with books for under £1 buy an ebook is cheaper than your bus fare to the library!  It's certainly worth a go.

I don't have a budget for advertising so I've had to be clever with my tactics when it comes to book promotion.  I've used Pinterest to good effect and I've just made my own ecard which I hope you enjoy and will share with your friends.

Reviews are always helpful in selling books so if have a blog and you'd like to review my novel please email me at clair@clairlouisecoult.com with a link to your blog and I'll send you a free electronic copy of Heaven Knows This Time.

...and the story continues...

When I started writing Heaven Knows This Time I didn't really expect to write a novel, but the experience was exhilerating and I just couldn't stop writing.  I found myself living in  two worlds, my real life and the story.  I'd laze in the bath thinking about what the characters would do next, I'd lay in bed at night wondering how they'd deal with the situations I put them in.  The scary part is they became so real in my head that they almost wrote the story themselves!

I left the novel opened ended, it kind of started at the end anyway but the feedback I got from early reviewers was they all wanted to know what happened next.  It's just the beginning for Angel and Miles and they wanted to know what do they do?  Where do they go?  What course does their relationship take?  I started to wonder myself, so one quiet afternoon I found myself starting the sequel to Heaven Knows This Time.

The story picks up from where it left off, Miles and Angel at the beginning of their relationship, that wonderful honeymoon period where all you can think about is the other person, but I couldn't make it too easy for them.  They discover secrets about their past, hit a few stumbling blocks along the way and of course there is an event which could change everything, but I won't spoil it for you.

I've written 3/4 of the book already, not quite got the ending sussed but it's going to be every bit as gripping as Heaven Knows This Time.  I wrote most of it by hand in notebooks, which meant I didn't spend too much time deliberating and editting which kept the story flowing pretty well.  I was unwell and spent a few days in hospital which gave me the peace and quiet to get a lot of writing done, although some of the stuff I wrote on strong painkillers was probably not my most coherent work!

Writing with my new fountain pen was a joy.  I always loved using a fountain pen at school but after leaving I never did enough regular writing to warrant using one.  I just love the way the ink flows effortlessly from the nib and how quickly I can write.  There are some little frustrations, the ink drying up if I pause for too long and always having to keep a supply of cartiridges with me for when I run out, but it's worth it.

I hope to have the writing finished in the next month and the proof reading done the month after, all being well.  I haven't set myself a deadline (I'll only miss it if I do) but I aim to release the book before the year is out so watch this space!

Clair