Hello everyone. I hope you're all well, all received your books and are enjoying it or already enjoyed it. As usual, my first request is if you could pop a review on Amazon, it would be much appreciated. Even if people don't buy from Amazon (local independent booksellers are always best!), reviews do hold a lot of sway. I don't know if it's an urban myth or it's true, but legend has it that when you hit the magical mark of 50 reviews on Amazon, some sort of alchemical algorithm kicks in and it starts getting recommended to more potential readers. Can't hurt!
The reviews that I have seen have been overwhelmingly good. My favourite was a chap in a WW1 Facebook group who told me he'd read my book, loved it, but it was only the second book in his whole life that he's read all the way through. He's 63. That's what it's all about. I wanted the book to reach people, and it would be great if it could reach more. So, I'm aiming to get to as many events as I can, big or small, to talk about the book and sign copies. I just did the Southam Book Festival, and November has the Moulton Literary Festival and Stoneleigh Christmas Fair. There's also a Lemaington Literary Festival in November, but they've been very quiet, so not sure what's happening there. And then 2022! 9th April will bring the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Arras, and of course there's Remembrance Day.
Word of mouth is the biggest weapon at our disposal, so if you have friends or relatives or have a way of telling anyone about the book around Remembrance Day, that would be wonderful. And, of course, if you're looking for a Christmas present, look no further! The book is now available everywhere - with your name in it, of course!
In the meantime, work begins on my next novel. I don't know yet how it will be published, whether it could be Unbound again, or whether I'll be able to parlay any success into a contract with another publisher, or whether we go a different route. Time will tell. I have a working title, which maybe I'll share with you next time...
