I’m very excited today because it’s not just publication day, it’s DOUBLE PUBLICATION DAY!!! Woo hoo!!!!!
The second and third books in my ‘Welcome to Whitsborough Bay’ series are both released today following on from book 1’s January release: Making Wishes at Bay View.
This is NOT a new series but, instead, a refresh/re-edit/re-package of an existing series. As I explained with Making Wishes at Bay View, this could mean:
- Some superfluous detail has been removed to tighten a scene
- Some additional detail has been added to extend a scene
- Tweaks to the flow of a conversation
- Slight adjustments to the way a character reacts to something
- A couple of removed scenes
- A couple of new scenes
But let me look at this in relation to each book.
New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms, book 2 in the series, replaces Searching for Steven. 
Out of the four books, this one has been given the biggest refresh. The story is still exactly the same, as are the characters, but this was the very first book I wrote and my writing has developed since then. I wrote it between 2003 and 2013 and it was first published in 2015 but, when I came to read it again, I could tell it was my debut by the way some of my sentences were structured, for example, so those parts have been tweaked.
The main adjustments are:
Updating of technology – It’s amazing how much can change in a short space of time, quickly dating technology in a book. References to internet dating have changed to online dating and talking about Apps. Conversations on email have become conversations via Messenger or WhatsApp and I had to massively re-think a couple of issues caused by my main character, Sarah, using an old mobile phone and why. Curses on you, rapidly-advancing technology, for ruining perfectly good plot points!
Sarah’s relationship with her mum – It’s clear that Sarah has an amazing relationship with her Auntie Kay yet her mum (with whom she also has a brilliant relationship) was barely mentioned near the start but became quite important later on in the story. There are therefore a couple more scenes involving Sarah and her mum which give clarity to that relationship
Andy – I don’t want to say too much about this and give spoilers away but for anyone familiar with the original version, I’ve cut down the detail about when Sarah and Andy first met as it wasn’t moving the story forward. There’s also a plot point regarding an old university friend, Matt, which has been dropped completely as the reason it was in there was already covered by something else and my editor and I agreed that I didn’t need that double-emphasis. Cryptic or what?
There are loads of subtle tweaks and changes throughout the whole book but these are the changes of substance.
Finding Hope at Lighthouse Cove, book 3, replaces Getting Over Gary. This was my easiest edit of the four books as very little has changed. I can’t pinpoint anything in particular that has been added in or has been removed. The main focus was more insight into how my main character, Elise, feels in certain situations and tightening up a few scenes here and there.
So what does this mean for the reader?
As with Making Wishes at Bay View, it’s completely up to you whether you read these new versions. If you’ve read and loved the series and would love to immerse yourself in the lives of Sarah, Elise and Clare and play ‘spot the difference’, be my guest. The characters and stories are the same, though.
If you’re partway through the series, your understanding won’t be affected at all by switching to the new versions.
And if you’re new, why not start at the beginning and hopefully fall in love with the setting and all the characters?
New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms and Finding Hope at Lighthouse Cove are out on eBook on all platforms now, on paperback, and on audio format from your library if they subscribe to the uLibrary system.
They will be released as audio versions on 17th March when book 4, Coming Home to Seashell Cottage will also be released on that day in all formats.
Thank you so much to the brilliant Boldwood Books for my gorgeous covers and all the editing guidance and support in bringing these two books to re-publication.
Jessica xx
Want to know more?
Here’s the buying links and I’ve pasted the blurbs to the whole series below them:
Making Wishes at Bay View
Also on Apple
New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms
Also on Apple
Finding Hope at Lighthouse Cove
Also on Apple
Coming Home to Seashell Cottage
Also on Apple
Making Wishes at Bay View (Welcome to Whitsborough Bay Book 1)
Never give up on a wish for a happy ever after…
Callie Derbyshire has it all: her dream job as a carer at Bay View, finally she has found the love of her life. Everything is perfect.
Well, almost.
Ex-partners are insistent on stirring up trouble, and Callie’s favourite resident, Ruby, hasn’t been her usual self.
But after discovering the truth about Ruby’s lost love, Callie is determined to give Ruby’s romantic story the happy ending it deserves. After all, it’s never too late to let love in again. Or is it?
New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms (Welcome to Whitsborough Bay Book 2)
Sometimes love can bloom where you least expect it…
For Sarah Peterson, it’s time for change. Coming out of a dead end relationship and having had enough of city life, she just needs to escape and have a fresh start – a new job, a new home and a new lifestyle.
So when her Auntie Kay unexpectedly offers her the opportunity to take over her flower shop, Seaside Blooms, the timing could not be more perfect. She could escape to the beautiful seaside town of Whitsborough Bay, start a new chapter in her life – and learn how to run a business!
But, as she packs up her life in London, she isn’t prepared for the discovery of a clairvoyant reading that’s been missing for twelve years. All of the predictions have come true, except one: she’s about to meet the man of her dreams. Oh, and his name is Steven…
As she prepares for the biggest move of her life, Sarah can’t help but wonder if Seaside Blooms could a new beginning for love too?
A warm, uplifting novel of love, friendship and destiny from top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland.
New Beginnings at Seaside Blooms is a new, revised and updated edition of a novel previously published as Searching For Steven.
Finding Hope at Lighthouse Cove (Welcome to Whitsborough Bay Book 3)
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
What readers are saying about Finding Hope at Lighthouse Cove:
‘This book is a thoroughly entertaining rollercoaster ride full of emotion. One moment I would be laughing, the next reading through eyes blurred with tears, this story really has it all!’
‘For anyone who has or is facing difficulties in life, reading this may give you a strength you never knew you had and that little thing called hope. A truly captivating, highly enjoyable read’
‘Jessica Redland clearly has a knack for writing and is able to successfully hook readers into her story’ Elle’s Book Blog
Coming Home to Seashell Cottage (Welcome to Whitsborough Bay Book 4)
For Clare O’Connell, home is where the heart aches…
Since the age of sixteen, Clare O’Connell has lived her life by four strict rules:
1. Don’t talk about Ireland
2. Don’t think about Ireland
3. Don’t go to Ireland
4. Don’t let anyone in
And so far, it’s worked well. She’s got a great career, amazing friends, and she’s really happy. The future is all that counts, isn’t it?
However Clare is about to realise that you can run from the past, but you can’t always hide from it…
When her boss insists she travels to Ireland for work, Clare finds herself drawn back to the village of Ballykielty – the home of her family, and the home of her secrets. The one place where vowed never to return to again…
With the door to her past now wide open, the first three rules have gone out of the window. Will Clare stick to rule number four?
Can she be brave and face up to her family and the demons of her past?
An emotional novel of family, friendship and dealing with your past from top 10 bestseller Jessica Redland.
I had some amazing news today. The final book in my ‘Welcome to Whitsborough Bay’ series, Dreaming About Daran, won the Chill With A Book Awards ‘Book of the Year’ for 2019. These Awards recognise the best reads from indie authors and independent publishers.
Here’s the blurb:
Although Raving About Rhys was a complete story in novella format, Ruby stayed with me over the next couple of years so, last year, I decided to write a follow-up. Callie’s Christmas Wish picked up a few months after Raving About Rhys ended and, as well as letting the reader find out whether Callie’s happy ending stayed happy, it revealed the secrets to Ruby’s past. But Rhys was about to get his fourth identity and, this time, it would be more than a change of cover…
As for the story, what’s changed? Very little. When I wrote Callie’s Christmas Wish, I needed to incorporate some backstory from Raving About Rhys for the benefit of anyone who hadn’t read Rhys first. Combining the two books meant all of that needed removing because it wasn’t needed anymore. The story itself hasn’t changed at all and we still have the same fabulous cast of characters, including a real treat of a couple more scenes between Ruby and Iris which I loved writing. There’s a bit more detail around the friendship between Callie and her colleague, Maria, and a couple of tweaks to Maria’s storyline but it’s otherwise the same two stories and characters brought together under one book.
It’s currently available on pre-order on Amazon 
Age has caught up with me and, for the first time ever, I now need glasses. Always one for bright colours (as you can see from the striped t-shirt), I opted for red frames and I love them. They’re only for close-up reading but it makes such a difference, especially when reading something on my phone. I hadn’t realised that my phone was actually blurred until I’ve looked at it through my new glasses and realised how sharp the words should be. I struggle to remember to put them on all the time, though, so I think that might take some adjusting to. Speaking of ageing, I found a white hair in my eyebrow. What’s that all about? Seriously unimpressed!
May was another award-winning month with Dreaming About Daran, the final book in my Welcome to Whitsborough Bay trilogy, also receiving a Chill With A Book Readers’ Award. However, Daran just edged it over Searching for Steven and Getting Over Gary by receiving a Chill With A Book PREMIER Readers’ Award. This is given to books which receive “exceptional high evaluations from Chill readers.” It’s my favourite of the trilogy and one of my favourites of all my books so I was really thrilled by this.
My fellow Yorkshire Rose Writer and good friend, Sharon Booth, and I attended the 2nd part of a social media workshop for authors in York run by the lovely Anita Chapman from NeetsMarketing. It was good to catch up with some of the authors from the part 1 in May last year and really great to have another of our Write Romantic friends, Rachael Thomas, join us on the course. Unfortunately I’d booked set train tickets before I knew Rachael was going or I could have stayed behind for a drink and a chat with her.
Sharon and I had another catch-up a couple of weeks later and, as usual, were the last ones in the café we frequent. They’re always really polite and we never stay beyond the official closing time, but we do feel a bit guilty for being there so late so we’re trying a pub next time where this won’t be an issue.
I’ve done very little in the way of writing this month. I’ve done some final editing on my next book and have penned a couple of chapters on the one after but nothing significant. That’s mainly because I needed to get on top of the day job before I went away for holiday over half-term. We went to a resort called Albufeira onThe Algarve. 
cream factor I use so I’ve returned sporting a slightly darker shade of ‘pale and pasty’.
My favourite day out was a jet boat trip along the coast, visiting various caves and then an hour dolphin-searching. Sadly we didn’t see dolphins but it was still a fabulous trip and the marina was gorgeous with colourful apartments overlooking it.
use the downtime to read instead. Although this boat could have given inspiration for a thriller. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a black boat before. Talk about looking like an evil villain’s boat! Mwah ha ha ha!
When Sarah Peterson accepts her Auntie Kay’s unexpected offer to take over her florist’s shop, she’s prepared for a change of job, home and lifestyle. What she isn’t prepared for is the discovery of a scarily accurate clairvoyant reading that’s been missing for twelve years. All her predictions have come true, except one: she’s about to meet the man of her dreams. Oh, and his name is Steven.
Elise married her childhood sweetheart, Gary, straight out of college, and they’ve been happy together for over twelve years. Elise is now desperate to start a family, but Gary doesn’t seem to share her enthusiasm anymore. Arriving home early from a party, she discovers why: Gary’s been keeping a secret from her. A very big secret.
Sometimes, you can run from the past, but you can’t hide. Since the age of sixteen, Clare O’Connell has lived her life by four strict rules:
April was an award-winning month. Getting Over Gary won a Chill With A Book Readers’ Award and also a Cover of the Month Award which was a bit exciting. The final book in the trilogy, Dreaming About Daran, is under consideration at the moment so I’ve got everything crossed that May brings exciting award news for Daran.
Outside of my writing cave, I took my 12-year-old daughter to see Dumbo at the cinema over the Easter break. Visually, it was spectacular, but it was bit dark and a bit sad for me. I suppose that was to be expected with it being a Tim Burton piece. Sadly, my daughter sobbed all the way through it so it was actually quite a traumatic experience. I think I’d have probably enjoyed it a bit more if she hadn’t been so distraught. Bless her. She needed mummy cuddles throughout!
We’ve had a couple of family events this month too. My in-laws celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary so there was a family party for that and my nephew on hubby’s side of the family became a dad for the first time too. I haven’t had a chance to meet baby Winnie as she is on the special care baby unit after being born at 32 weeks but hopefully I’ll get a chance to welcome her to the family really soon. Her arrival got my daughter all broody and the ‘can I have a brother or sister’ question arose again. Absolutely not!
nishing our first book was the more immediate goal and we hadn’t thought much beyond that. Five years later with about 80 books released between us as a combination of indie releases and traditional publishing deals. We share our writing experiences – highs and lows – with each other and one of the things we’ve noticed recently is that we keep shifting the goalposts for ourselves. For example, that book we wanted to write became a book we wanted to have published by a small publisher which became a book that we wanted published by a big publisher. And cracking the top 100k in the Amazon charts became cracking the top 50k, then the top 10k, then … well, I think you get the picture. It can be so easy to keep chasing after the new goals that you forget how far you’ve come.
All I want is one idea
All I want is an eBook publisher
All I want is to climb the charts
All I want is to be top ten
All I want is to write full time
All I want is a top five publisher
All I want is an Oscar win
It’s easy to feel so overwhelmed
When I sat at my keyboard and laughed and cried
Jessica Redland Author 