If you have been anywhere near your emails or social media this week, you will have been bombarded with Black Friday deals. Some are bargains, some not so much. But Boldwood and Audible UK have a definite bargain this week.
Four audiobooks by Boldwood authors are available this week for only £3 each. Two of my titles are included:
All You Need Is Love
Coming Home to Seashell Cottage (book 4 in the Welcome to Whitsborough Bay series)
And there are two other fabulous Boldwood titles:
Life’s a Beach by Portia MacIntosh
Prisoner by Ross Greenwood
The offer started on Monday and my two books immediately stormed the Top 100 which was amazing to see. I caught screen shots of Coming Home to Seashell Cottage at #77 and All You Need is Love at #90 although my sales history shows that they made it as high as #70 and #86 respectively on Monday.
I don’t know if the offer ends at midnight on Friday or whether it will continue over the weekend so best grab it before the end of Friday to be sure. Don’t forget, a whopping 6 of my titles are available for FREE as part of the Audible Plus programme. Portia and Ross also have audiobooks in the Audible Plus programmes, as do other Boldwood authors.
I’m the guest over on Karen King’s blog today on a ‘Meet the Characters’ slot. I’ve interviewed Angie Swinton, Assistant Manager at The Starfish Cafe. The interview takes place just before the story starts in Snowflakes Over The Starfish Cafe. I had such fun setting and answering the questions. A huge thank you to Karen for inviting me to her blog. Hope you enjoy Angie’s interview xx
I’m delighted to welcome romance author Jessica Redland to my blog today. Jessica is interviewing Angie Swinton from her latest release Snowflakes OverThe Starfish Café.
Blurb
Welcome to The Starfish Café – where you will find stunning views, delicious food and lifelong friendships.
Two broken hearts.
Since she inherited The Starfish Café, Hollie has poured her heart into the business, striving to keep her mother’s traditions and warm-hearted spirit alive. But behind closed doors Hollie is searching for true happiness as she grieves the tragic loss of her family who were once the beating heart of the café…
An unexpected meeting.
Jake lives by two rules: don’t let anyone get close and don’t talk about what happened. Little does he know that a chance meeting at The Starfish Café, facilitated by a fluffy lost dog, is about to turn his world upside down…
At the start of this month, I posted about the Children in Read auction – an amazing auction of books and book-related items in aid of BBC’s Children in Need. You can read the post here.
At the time, I explained that I’d donated my Christmas on Castle Street trilogy as a lot. It had 7 bids and had already raised £25. I’m thrilled to report that, with still 8 days to go until bidding closes, an 8th bid has raised it to a whopping £45. Eek! Delighted with that.
I have since donated a second lot, this time to win a single signed paperback book – my latest release of Snowflakes Over the Starfish Café.
This is lot 740 and I’m thrilled to say that it already has a £20 bid on it. Woo hoo! You can find it directly here.
There are 745 lots available and they keep getting added. So far, a whopping £16,122 has been raised. You can find the full auction here. All the money goes directly to Children in Need.
If you’re on Twitter, you can follow author videos and latest lots added @ChildrenInRead I recorded a video for Twitter after my last blog post which you can watch here.
A huge congratulations to Paddy Heron and the amazing team bringing all these lots to you and working tirelessly to raise as many book-related funds as they can for this brilliant cause.
I posted over the weekend to say that New Arrivals at Hedgehog Hollow – the second book in the Hedgehog Hollow series – had appeared online at The Works and also in stores but I hadn’t seen copies in my local branch.
The munchkin stays for drama club after school on a Monday so I need to pick her up and it’s on the other side of town. I arrived early today but she’d got out early which gave us just enough time to nip into town on the way home and scoot to The Works to see if my book was in. And it was!
The lovely manager Jamie was there and she’d been hoping I’d appear. The books were placed on the shelves on Saturday and half of them have already sold which was exciting so I only had a pile of five to sign but I’ve now done that.
Please excuse the state of me in these photos! This was an impromptu visit prompted by the munchkin being early so I have no make-up on, haven’t run a brush through my hair, and have my super-casual jogging pants on. But that didn’t detract from the excitement of signing copies of my paperbacks in a real shop. This is the fifth book of mine in there and the fourth time I’ve signed copies (never entered my head to ask the first time) and I don’t think it will ever get boring!
It was lovely to hear Jamie telling me that Starry Skies Over The Chocolate Pot had sold out really quickly and that they’ve had customers in really excited to get their hands on New Arrivals, hence half of them selling already. I also massively appreciate that they always place my books in the eye line buy line position in the middle of the shelves.
Thank you to Jamie and all the staff in The Works Scarborough who are always so welcoming and friendly.
In September, Audible offered New Arrivals at Hedgehog Hollow in their 2 for 1 credit sale. In October, they offered Family Secrets at Hedgehog Hollow. In November, they’re offering Finding Hope at Lighthouse Cove.
Finding Hope at Lighthouse Cove is the third book in the ‘Welcome to Whitsborough Bay’ series but book 1 – Making Wishes at Bay View – and book 2 – New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms – are already free to Audible UK subscribers as part of the Audible Plus programme so this is an opportunity to add the third book in the series to that at a big discount, just leaving book 4 – Coming Home to Seashell Cottage – at full price. So you can access the whole series extremely cheaply!
The ‘Welcome to Whitsborough Bay’ series is where it all started for me. New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms (book 2) was actually the first book I ever wrote and I’d never intended to write a series but, once I created the two best friends for protagonist Sarah – Elise and Clare – I realised they both had stories to tell and I had a trilogy on my hands. Book 1 was then a prequel which sets the scene in Whitsborough Bay and introduces a couple of the key characters.
Each book is a complete story and focuses on a different heroine each time. However, the story builds across the series and I would definitely urge readers/listeners to explore books 2-4 in order as they feature the same three women and reading/listening out of order gives massive spoilers. You can get away with exploring book 1 last, but there’s a richer experience from following the pure order.
The 2 for 1 credit sales last exactly a week so this will end at 23:59 on Saturday 13th November although there’s a handy countdown on Audible’s website showing when the deals change.
The two Hedgehog Hollow books rocketed into the Top 100, just outside the Top 50, when they were on offer so I’m wondering it Elise’s story will do the same. Fingers crossed!
Happy listening! Please spread the word.
Big hugs Jessica xx
The blurb:
When it feels like everything is against you, sometimes you just need a little bit of hope…
Married to her childhood sweetheart for over twelve years, Elise feels like starting a family is the next natural step. However her husband, Gary, has other ideas…
Suddenly single, Elise is completely heartbroken and struggling to start over on her own. But when she’s enlisted to be bridesmaid to her best friend, Sarah, she has to put on a brave face, put her own feelings aside and find a way to get over Gary. Fast.
So when she meets handsome, recently-divorced, Daniel, she thinks he could be just what she needs. But why can’t she shake the feeling that he must be too good to be true?
Will she ever be able to take that leap and trust again?
An uplifting read of love, loss and finding yourself from top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland.
This book was previously published as Getting Over Gary
I was delighted to get the news a couple of months ago that a fourth title of mine – Starry Skies Over the Chocolate Pot Café – was going into The Works so I absolutely wasn’t expecting to have another title in there but I have exciting news…
I have another book available on The Works right now – New Arrivals at Hedgehog Hollow.
I was planning to share this news as soon as the book appeared online but it hasn’t appeared on the website yet. However, my great friend and fellow author Jo Bartlett, spotted a copy in her local branch of The Works today in Broadstairs, Kent so it’s out there in some stores and will hopefully appear online really soon.
A Jessica sandwich of book my books with fellow Boldwood authors Lisa Hobman and Rosie Clarke in Broadstairs, Kent
New Arrivals at Hedgehog Hollow is the second book in the Hedgehog Hollow series.The first book – Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow – went in during the summer so it’s fabulous having book two following its lead.
New Arrivals at Hedgehog Hollow can be read as a standalone book and I know plenty of readers who’ve loved it and followed the story well without reading the first book, especially as I provide a handy ‘story so far’ at the beginning. But I personally think that readers will enjoy a much richer reading experience and get to know the characters so much better by starting with Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow and reading the series in order.
As I’m with a small (but rapidly growing) independent publisher, you won’t find my books in supermarkets or book shops so it’s a real thrill to see them on the shelves of The Works. I nipped into Scarborough’s branch on Thursday and the hedgehogs weren’t there and I was in the Beverley branch today and they weren’t there either so I’ll try Scarborough again next week and hopefully be able sign copies again.
If you spot either book in your local branch, please do share a photo with me on Facebook or Twitter. I love seeing them in the wild (no pun intended for the hedgehogs!)
Starry Skies Over the Chocolate Pot Café appears to have completely sold out online but there should still be copies in store. I think they’re also selling through quickly in store. There are none left in the Scarborough branch, there was one left in Beverley today and any other selfies I’ve seen only seem to have 1 or 2 copies on the photo which is exciting (I put the one copy below in front of someone else’s books for the photo opp!)
Go hedgehogs go!
Big hugs Jessica xx
One copy of Starry Skies left in Beverley The Works (East Yorkshire)
Children in Need is the BBC’s Corporate Charity whose “mission is to help ensure every child in the UK is safe, happy, secure and has the opportunities they need to reach their potential”. Every year in November, there’s an appeal show – 19th November this year – but there are various other activities which happen in the run-up such as the Countryfile Ramble.
For the past 7 years, the Children in Read campaign has run to raise valuable funds for this charity through an auction of lots provided by authors, illustrators and publishers.
At the time of writing this post, there are a whopping 740 lots available covering a huge variety of genres, and therefore catering to all tastes. £14,365 has already been raised but, with 18 days still to go, that will hopefully significantly increase.
There are books donated, limited editions, signed copies and a whole host more. Here’s a screen shot of the different filters you can search on…
I have donated lot 594 – a signed and dedicated set of the three ‘Christmas on Castle Street’ paperbacks – which you can access directly here. The series consists of:
Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop
Christmas at Carly’s Cupcakes
Starry Skies Over The Chocolate Pot Café
My lot currently has 7 bids on it and is at £25 which is fabulous … but, as each book retails at £8.99, that’s less than these could be bought for if purchased separately outside the auction! Hopefully it will rise a little higher for the charity.
Over on Twitter you can find the appeal on @ChildrenInRead Please do bob on over and share the links all over the socials to help boost the bids on all these amazing lots. Could be fabulous for a spot of special Christmas shopping!
This is the final part of my blog about our family week away in the Yorkshire Dales. Apologies it’s a day late – something urgent cropped up yesterday (work-wise).
Still staying with the James Herriot theme, I’ve selected another book title – All Things Bright and Beautiful – which is, of course, part of the hymn from which All Creatures Great and Small comes.
I’m focusing on an eclectic mix of beautiful things for this part, whether that’s beauty in nature, food, or simply things that make me happy.
Gayle Beck which runs off the River Ure passes through Hawes and we were staying in a holiday cottage just round the corner from it called The Old Surgery. It was a brilliant location, right at the edge of the town centre so very accessible for everything.
On Sunday morning, the day after we arrived, we went for a little wander and I took a photo of the waterfall – probably one of the most photographed sights in Hawes. As you can see, there was a gentle but steady flow of water. Very beautiful.
As the week progressed and the rain persisted, the flow strengthened…
And by the time we left, it was a raging torrent!
There used to be a mill across the beck from our holiday cottage on the other side of the bridge that that waterfall above flows under. There was an old enlarged photo in the cottage showing what it used to look like with the mill wheel. On the bottom photo, you can clearly see the wall around the wheel although the wheel itself is long gone. What’s particularly interesting is that there appears to have been a wall across the beck, presumably to keep the water higher for the wheel to turn. That’s gone too.
Hawes has a few lovely gifts shops and a particular favourite was one called The Mulberry Bush which stocked Jellycats (I love them) and some gorgeous Christmassy gifts.
A shop I always love to visit is Bear Cottage. It’s an interior designs business but it stocks some lovely gifts and I like to have a hug with the two bears outside although I was conscious this time of not putting my paws on them in this strange Covid world so I had to do a sort of hover thing!
There was a gorgeous bear inside too although it wasn’t so easy to get his photo. I wished I could have taken him home. He’s so gorgeous.
Mid-week, the rain was so torrential with no sign of let up so the munchkin and I left hubby back in the cottage with Ella (our sprocker spaniel) and took a walk to the other end of the town to visit the Wensleydale Creamery.
There’s a visitor centre there and a visit includes cheese-making demonstrations but we were on a mission for a cream scone! We were the only ones in the café at first. The scones were still warm – mmm. I’m not a massive fan of fruit scones, preferring a plain or cheese one. They had cheese but I wanted jam and cream so it had to be fruit. I will eat some of the fruit but then I hit the point where I have to remove it as it’s too much. If you’ve read Snowflakes Over The Starfish Café you’ll know what I mean when I said I did a Mrs Sultana.
Various pictures by my favourite artist, Lucy Pittaway, were displayed around the café and I was particularly pleased to see two of the images from ‘The Home Collection’ hanging right next to each other as, combined, they remind me so much of my Hedgehog Hollow series. I have the print of ‘Happiness is Homemade’ with the hedgehogs surrounded by wildflowers, just like in Thomas’s meadow. The three-storey house in ‘Dream Big’ reminds me of the farmhouse as shown on the cover of Finding Love at Hedgehog Hollow.
Lucy Pittaway’s art also inspires part of the storyline in Starry Skies Over The Chocolate Pot Café.
The gift shop at The Creamery is lovely and we had a good browse (and little purchase) before stepping back out into the torrential rain.
In the afternoon, we went over to the Dales Countryside Museum a few minutes’ walk from the cottage. It’s all about the people and activities in the Dales over the years and there are lots of activities to keep young children amused – or 14 year olds on a wet miserable day!
We managed to catch a break in the rain with a trip out to Richmond and Leyburn, including a visit to Richmond Castle. There are fabulous views from the castle and the changing colours of the trees looked lovely, but the photos on a gloomy day like that don’t quite do justice to them.
While we were away, we celebrated a special publication day with the release of my very first foreign rights translation – Starry Skies Over The Chocolate Pot Café being translated into Italian. It’s called Festa Sotto La Neve and I hope sales in Italy go well.
And how do you celebrate an Italian publication day? With a takeaway pizza of course! We’re so sophisticated!
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing the photos from another beautiful part of North Yorkshire, mainly caught during rare breaks in the rain. The ones I posted in Part 2 on our walk were the only day we saw blue sky across the whole week which was a shame and did somewhat hamper our plans for the week, although I’m just grateful for the opportunity to get out and about a bit after so long at home.
Jessica Redland Author 