Something FREE for the Weekend?

Hi!

How is the weather where you are?  I think the summer has passed us by, we've got rain, rain and more rain!  All I want to do is curl up with a good book, a nice cup of tea and a big plate of chocolate biscuits.

So, for this weekend only I have decided to offer 'Heaven Knows This Time' for free!  Yes, you can download a full copy of the book and not have to pay a penny for it.


To get your free copy of the book go to:

Smashwords - Heaven Knows This Time

and use the coupon

JY27R

The book is available in various formats.  You don't need a Kindle to read it, you can download free software so you can read it on your PC, laptop, tablet PC or your smart phone.  

The coupon expires 23/7/2012 so hurry!

I hope you enjoy it!  If you do tell your friends, or even better write a review!  I'd love to know what you think.  Thanks!

Clair

Another Perfect Angel - Synopsis

Hi!

I'm so busy at the moment editting and proof reading Another Perfect Angel, the sequel to Heaven Knows This Time.  I've just written a brief synopsis and posted it on the microsite blog.

Another Perfect Angel - Synopsis

It's going very well, I've designed the cover and hopefully it will be ready for release in August :)

Clair

Coming soon: Another Perfect Angel

Hi!

I've capped my fountain pen, saved the Word document and I am very pleased to announce I have finished writing the sequel to Heaven Knows This Time.  Yay!

The novel is called 'Another Perfect Angel' and it continues the story of Miles and Angel as they embark on their relationship together.  Nothing ever goes smoothly for Angel, there are a few ups, downs and major events on the rollercoaster that is her life.  There are surprises, new characters and happy events too as you get to the know the characters more intimately.

Angel is pushed to her limits, her strength is tested as she tries to hold it all together but with Miles and her unconventional family by her side she finds a way to make it through.

If you just can't wait to read it I have posted a draft of the first chapter here:

Another Perfect Angel

I've still got a lot of work to do, editting, proof reading and designing a cover for the book, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait a few weeks for the finished book, but in the mean time I hope you enjoy chapter 1 and I'd love to know what you think.

Oh yeah, I have been asked if there will be a 3rd book in the series (what is it about trilogies?).  I didn't have any plans for one but an idea struck me the other day.  I'm still trying to figure out the details but I've been well and truly bitten by this writing bug and I can't seem to stop!  If I do ever write the 3rd book it will be much darker, quite challenging but hopefully it will be as gripping as ever.

Clair

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

Something for the weekend?

Hi!

Fancy a little light reading for the bank holiday weekend?  I'm offering a free copy of Heaven Knows This Time to the first 5 people to correctly answer the following question:

What is Simon's surname?

(Hint: read Chapter 1 to find out!)

Email your answer to clair@clairlouisecoult.com with the subject "Weekend Competition".

Winners will receive a eBook copy of Heaven Knows This Time in Kindle format (.mobi file) via email.  You don't need a Kindle to read it, you can download a free Kindle reader for your PC, tablet or android phone.

Competition closes  Friday 1st June 12 noon GMT.

Good luck!

Clair

The Story Behind The Story

Sometimes when you get hit by inspiration, you just have to run with it.

I've been a fan of the band Joy Division for more years than I care to mention.  I was too young to be into them at the time, but when I was about 15 years old I was introduced to their records and I fell in love.  There was something so unique about the music, it was so different, so deep, so edgy.  I loved the way it fitted together and the way it made me feel.  Over 20 years later it still has that same magic, but there was more to Joy Division than just the music, there was also the tragic story of Ian Curtis.

SPOILER ALERT!   SPOILER ALERT!  SPOILER ALERT! 

If you haven't read the book look away now!  Or better still go buy it ;)

Heaven Knows This Time

I wanted to write a story about a creative and passionate young man who was driven to suicide.  I didn't want it to be a depressing story and I didn't want him to be a copy cat of Ian, but I did want to draw some paralells, and luckily coincidence gave me more than I bargained for!

It was a very difficult subject to approach.  I wanted to make his life as worthwhile and fulfilling as possible but I had to give him a pretty big reason to end his life.  I didn't want to glamourise suicide so I made him suffer from a genetic and ultimately terminal health condition, Huntington's disease.  It wasn't until I started researching the Huntington's that I discovered it could cause seizures, similar to Ian Curtis's eplilepsy.  That was just another fluke but it fitted well with the story.

I involved Joy Division's music in the story by making the main characters Angela and Simon fans of the band, it's what brings them together in the first place and they find new friends following Unknown Pleasures, a Joy Division tribute band.

As I wrote the story I drew what I knew about Joy Division, adding little jokes about signing the contracts in blood and I also used a Joy Division song in the last chapter, when Miles sings 'Ceremony' for Angel.  The fact that the song 'Ceremony' was recorded and released by New Order and that the song in the book signified the characters moving on from the past just seemed to work so well.  I took the book title from the lyric 'Heaven knows it's got to be this time' because it just seemed to fit so perfectly.

You don't have to be a fan of Joy Division to enjoy the book, but I hope that knowing the songs and a little about the history of the band will help to enrich the story.  If you're not familiar with their music take a listen to the soundtrack.

Clair