The busy life of a writer...

The last few weeks have brought plenty of excitement…  

Firstly, the RNA’s Joan Hessayon Awards. What a lovely evening that was! In front of a room full of romantic novelists, enjoying wine and nibbles, my fellow nominees and I had our photos taken, our books praised, and then, having waited in line like a group of naughty schoolgirls outside the Head’s office, we all received a certificate and cheque as we were loudly cheered and made to feel very special. No, I didn’t win, but huge congratulations to Kate Field, who did. And it was great to meet so many writers, and to see my editors there enjoying the moment too.

 

Joan Hessayon Award contenders with me 4th at the back

 

And then, a week later, after an early meal with friends in Shaftesbury Avenue, it was on to Romance in The Court, a very warm, relaxed and enjoyable evening at (and outside) Goldsboro Books near Leicester Square, mixing with authors, editors and readers. Another event involving free wine (what a shame I don’t drink the stuff!), with the added bonus of being able to buy newly published books and have them signed there and then by their authors. I couldn’t resist coming home with the new Jean Fullerton novel, which even she was surprised to see on the shelves so far ahead of its official publication day!

 

Next stop: The SWWJ’s Summer Gathering. After the annual general meeting, at which I hope to be re-elected to the Council, we will all be enjoying afternoon tea and an interesting speech from the ALCS, that wonderful organisation that hands out money to grateful writers without any of us really understanding exactly where it comes from! Maybe after this event we will know a little more.

 

And so it’s now back to the proper work of a novelist: writing and promoting, in roughly equal measure. With How To Win Back Your Husband’s five minutes of fame at the awards evening now behind me, it’s all systems go for Lily Alone, due to be e-published in just eleven days’ time. I have been busy designing some eye-catching ads and promoting the book on facebook and twitter, and it is already available to reviewers and book bloggers, so I am hoping to see some early reviews for it very soon. I also had an unexpected email from The People’s Friend magazine who are planning to feature the book, and me, in their October ‘Special’ issue alongside a specially commissioned short story. As My Weekly are already planning something similar, I will be getting lots of much-needed coverage just as the paperback edition hits the shops.

 

By the time of my next post, Lily will be out there in the world and being read by thousands… I hope!

 

 

 

 

Spring has sprung!

Spring is here at last, and May seems to be all about celebrations!

 

 

First of all, the publication of my friend Elaine Everest’s new novel The Butlins Girls, and the wonderful ‘launch day’ afternoon tea party I attended with other writer friends on Thursday 4^th, at The Twig and Spoon restaurant, a hidden gem, tucked away behind the Woodlands Garden Centre, in Ash, Kent. A great time was had by all, with food, chat, a bubbly prosecco toast, bunting and gifts for all. I wish Elaine every success with this book, which I am confident will do just as well as her previous bestseller, The Woolworths Girls.  

 

Here are two lovely pictures showing some of the fantastic goodies on offer...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... and Elaine Everest (right) celebrating with friends and fellow RNA and SWWJ members, Francesca Capaldi Burgess and Elaine Roberts.

 

 

 

 

 

Next week, SWWJ members should be receiving the Spring issue of The Woman Writer magazine, and tucked inside it a lovely souvenir supplement celebrating all the competition winners and runners up from the Society’s 2016 and early 2017 competitions. I have really enjoyed overseeing the administration of these competitions, especially notifying the winners of their success and then meeting them at the awards ceremony and hearing them read their entries a few weeks ago. We have lots more competitions coming up over the coming year, and I can’t wait to do it all again!

 

 

 

Next up will be the Romantic Novelists Association’s annual Joan Hessayon Awards, where all those aspiring novelists (including me!) who took the journey through the RNA’s New Writers Scheme and made it to publication over the last year or so are going to be celebrated, with one of us receiving the coveted award, along with the generous cheque and all the kudos that goes with it. The ceremony is in London on 18^th May, when we will all be in our best dresses and new shoes, and having our photos taken for the RNA’s Romance Matters magazine. Here's my baby... sorry, I mean book.

May the best woman (yes, we are all female) win! 


Enjoy the sunny weather - if it ever arrives!

Viv

MY NEW BOOK IS ANNOUNCED

Well, my split personality is now complete!

While I continue to write romantic comedies and magazine short stories as Vivien Hampshire, the brand new ‘other me’ is now writing too… and as Vivien Brown my books will tackle more serious themes and in a much more tense and gripping way.

 

 
First of all, an update on ‘How To Win Back Your Husband’ by Vivien Hampshire. My first rom-com novel was published as an ebook in January and I held a great online launch party on Facebook. Friends, readers and complete strangers dropped by and joined in the fun, helping me to celebrate and taking part in some light-hearted games and competitions. I had pens specially made, with the book’s cover printed along the side, and these made lovely prizes, as well as promotional tools. The book sold well in the first few days, but sales are dropping off now, so while it’s still only 99pence, a few more buyers, and reviews, would be very much appreciated. You can view it, and buy it, from Amazon by clicking right  here.

On the short story front, my output has dropped quite considerably while I have been concentrating on novels, but ‘The Sky Blanket’ was published in The Peoples Friend Special in January. This one was inspired by a fantastic knitting project that my friend Sally told me about last summer while we were both enjoying our Writers Holiday in Fishguard, Wales. You simply knit one or two rows every day, matching your wool to the colour of the sky. Result: a unique striped blanket in all manner of blues, whites, greys, pinks, etc. No two ever the same!
 

My story ‘Star’, giving a young girl’s view of the loss of her dad and her mum’s remarriage appeared in Woman’s Weekly on 10^th January, and I then sold them a twist-ending story about an old lady enjoying the tennis at Wimbledon, fully expecting them not to use it until June, but no… it appeared in the March issue of their Fiction Special. They have since bought another of my stories, all about the importance and meaning of names, but I am still waiting to find out when it will be published.

 
A fun story about all the superstitions tied up with weddings was my first sale to My Weekly in a long while, and that one will appear in the magazine on 20^th May.


In other news... On 15th March I put on my 'competitions co-ordinator' hat and attended the SWWJ Spring tea, where all the Society's prize winners received their trophies and cheques from the fantastic judges. Here's me with Sylvia Kent who took all the lovely photos on the day. Find out more on the SWWJ facebook page or take a look at their website here.

So, moving on to the biggest news of all…

 
I am now very proud to announce that ‘Lily Alone’ by Vivien Brown will be published, first as an ebook on 15^th June, and then as a paperback on 5^th October. You can read all about it and pre-order a copy by clicking here.

 

I am absolutely thrilled with the wonderful cover that Harper Collins have commissioned for this book. To me, it captures perfectly all the poignancy and heartbreak of a tiny child who finds herself left alone with only her teddy for company. If that cover doesn’t draw readers in I don’t know what will!

Re-connecting with the fiction editor at My Weekly has turned out to be a very timely and rewarding experience as she has booked me to write a short story for the magazine to tie in with the publication of the paperback in October. It will be my first ever short story written as Vivien Brown, and in that one I intend to use a couple of the characters from the book and reveal a little of their past as a taster of the main event. I’m not sure what will happen in that story yet, but I can’t wait to find out!

 

 

 

PUBLISHED AT LAST!

 
 

It’s been a long old journey from first short story sale twenty years ago to first commercially published novel, but I’ve finally done it!

 

How to Win Back Your Husband hits the Amazon kindle store on Wednesday, and I will be celebrating with a little online launch party on my Vivien Hampshire Author facebook page for most of the day. Updates on its progress through the rankings, reviews and reader comments, some virtual cake and bubbles, and a few prizes along the way.

And, as soon as the fun dies down, I will be head-down working on the edits for my next book, due out in the Summer under my ‘other’ name of Vivien Brown. Details of the title and a sneak peek at the cover coming soon!