So as of January 4 2024 I can proudly say The Floating Witch Mystery was officially published.
How do you launch a book?
Many people who write have a big dream about The Book Launch. It is a milestone, a way to mark a certain point - a wonderful moment when finally others can read what you have worked hard on for so long.
Writing is a long and slow business. You do it all inside your head and onto a computer. Publication day is a day when you hope everyone wants to support and shout about your book as it arrives in the wider world.
Unbelievably Jan 4 2024 was the day I could say not only that I welcomed The Floating Witch Mystery to the world, I have published six books!
It feels an incredible achievement. Not least because traditional publishing is a slow old business.
How many months to make a book?
How long it all takes is a question I get asked all the time when I give talks.
It is probably longer than most people might imagine!
I thought you might be interested to know that my last book The Poisoned Pie Mystery was published in spring 2022. I delivered the first draft of my new book in August 2022. There were a few staff changes at my publisher at this time, so there was a long delay. I was hoping to keep up my track record of a book a year, but it was not to be.
I received editing suggestions in January 2023, got these done and back Feb 2023. The next step in the process is copy edits, which arrived July 2023, followed by proofreading, then the book goes to print, awaiting publication date and delivery from warehouse to bookshops.
As you can probably see - a wise person once said writing is mostly waiting!
So Welcome The Floating Witch Mystery. It feels like this one has been a long time in the making.
But now there are six!
On publication day, after a long, long wait this flurry of activity happened:
Visited several local bookshops who had promised to stock the book to sign them. Thank you, lovely, lovely bookshops.
Did a lot of social media, which means updating my blog, my personal and author facebook pages, my instagram and X accounts. I have also just joined Threads.
I got to say a huge thank you to the whole team at my amazing publisher @chickenhousebooks for bringing this little beauty to bookshops today and for steering it through to launch. The Floating Witch Mystery jacket illustration is by @heloisemab who is such a talent
Invited friends and family and my best supporters to my house for a party to celebrate.
The great thing about having a party at home is it very relaxed, friends and family don’t have to travel too far (although the weather was truly horrendous), you can have nibbles and invite the dog.
The next day I rested!
Here is the mix of ingredients that I feel makes The Floating Witch Mystery a story that you’ll love.
Take one school reporter with a nose for trouble who hates not to be believed.
Pair her with an eccentric witch who travels the water dispensing magic from a barge.
Add in three children who will stop at nothing to save what they love.
Place on an island community under threat, and add in a pinch of treachery, stolen magic, an ancient river curse and of course the world’s best magical detective (who just happens to be a cat)
Now serve with witch gifts for a thrilling magical mystery adventure sure to keep you guessing until the very end…
It has felt like a long haul to get to this point.
And I have so many people to thank who have travelled with me, not least thanks to everyone who came to my book launch party, which was a story of heavy rain, flooding, delayed trains and burst tyres and people taking hours to get there and even longer to get home. After such a long road to publication, I managed to pick possibly the worst day to ask people to travel, and I am so grateful to everyone who struggled on through and also to those who didn't make it.
Strangely The Floating Witch Mystery is about a rising river and never ending rain . . . Spooky huh?
I am lucky to have so much to celebrate, and grateful for all the support I have, not least to you for supporting me here on Substack. It means the world xxx
Congratulations, the literal journey seemed as hard as the metaphorical one.