Today on the blog I’ve got – you guessed it – lots of news! Some exciting, some interesting, and some not-so-great. But first of all an apology: I haven’t posted anything for over a week due to a really bad chest and throat infection and generally being forced to rest (hubby can be very forceful at times). But I’m back now, ready for the big day on Thursday, and here are some of the things I have to tell you about before it all kicks off for Flora Lively …
My great friend and author Martina Munzittu is launching her new website today, and you can take a look here. Martina has a new and exclusive free ebook called Incompatible Twins – all you have to do is sign up to her newsletter. And here’s a good reason to sign up to it – you’ll get news of her upcoming series, The Broken Heart Refuge, and as someone who is lucky enough to have already read an early draft of the first in the series I can tell you it’s worth a look.
Back to matters closer to home – my new summerhouse/writing room finally arrived last Thursday. Remember Thursday? Sunny, warm, ideal weather for sitting around in a … summerhouse! And then on Friday, autumn arrived. Ah well, I plan to insulate the garden room and make it snug and cosy for year-round writing. Here are the before and after photos:
I am really chuffed to bits with it and I have BIG plans … The biggest of which is my intention to wire it up myself (!) and then insulate and clad the inside myself (double!!). Painting and fitting it out with fab furniture won’t be too hard, but that will have to wait a while too. Photos of the inside coming when it’s all done.
Now to Flora Lively and the launch of Murder at the Maples. I’ve got some fun competitions planned for Thursday’s launch, which I’ll be running simultaneously here and on Facebook – here is the FB event page if you’d like to join in over there. If my throat recovers in time I’ll be reading out the first chapter on video, but if not there’ll still be lots of excerpts and previews, plus the chance to win a Flora Lively mug and notebooks, and lots of other giveaways.
If you’d like to WIN a signed paperback copy of Murder at the Maples, there’s plenty of time to enter my Goodreads Giveaway. I’m offering 2 copies, and the winners will be picked at random by Goodreads – click here to enter.
Well, I promised some not-so-great news. On Sunday I had tickets to go and see the Morrissey25Live film in Shrewsbury. This was recorded during his recent tour, at an intimate gig at Hollywood High School. We saw him in Manchester during this tour, so I knew it would be an amazing film to watch. I couldn’t go because I was too ill. Here is a clip (just made myself cry watching this – I wish, wish, wish I’d gone anyway, no matter how rough I felt).
So, there’s a note to end on. Please, please, please let me get what I want this time. And what is that? Good health, and peace of mind. Millions of readers for my new cozy mystery series – and fantastic reviews. And maybe, just maybe, next year a publishing contract. Because as much as I love being indie, it’s starting to take it out of me, doing all this work myself.
See you on Thursday – and I promise to be a hell of a lot more cheerful then!
Joanne Phillips 
September 10, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Awww, bless you, so sorry you missed Morrissey! I so look forward to your launch, I’m sure you’ll do well, my dear. And that on a day when you are feeling more upbeat and healthy, you will enjoy being an indie author more!
September 11, 2013 at 10:29 am
Thanks Marina. I didn’t mind not going at the time, I felt so rough, but now I’m starting to feel better I keep thinking I could have made more of an effort. Ah well, hopefully it will come out on DVD at some point. xx
September 10, 2013 at 6:31 pm
Oh Jo I can sympathise. I was laid low last week with a nasty sickness bug which really took it out of me. But good for you that you’re soldiering on and things are looking up. I hope you can get a publishing contract too – you obviously deserve it what with all those hours you put in writing and promoting your books. All the best. x
September 11, 2013 at 10:30 am
You poor thing – sickness bugs are the worst! Hope you’re all better now and ready for your launch – see you Monday! x
September 10, 2013 at 7:00 pm
I hope that you feel better soon Jo, and I am loving the look of the garden room. I wish you every success with getting it wired up, insulated and painted! 🙂
September 11, 2013 at 10:33 am
Thanks Jade 🙂 Yes, I think I’m going to need a lot of luck! I can wire a plug, but that’s about it
x
September 10, 2013 at 7:45 pm
Jo, your garden room is beautiful!! Even just looking at your posted picture of it, it has the feel of a place where magical things could happen.
I am also both surprised and elated to hear you say that you are worn out with all of the things that an indie writer must do. Surprised, because I thought that someone like you, who has the complete skills and knowledge base needed to be a successful indie author and publisher, would find it rather easy, unlike myself who finds every step overwhelming. Elated, because, hearing that, I don’t feel quite so incompetent and alone in my thoughts that the indie process is so tiring. I wish you bushels of success and am looking forward to sending you a note of congrats when I read about you securing a publishing deal! ( And it will come, I’ve no doubt!) 🙂 Best wishes for recovered health.
September 11, 2013 at 10:38 am
Hi Dianne,
That’s lovely of you to admit you feel that way too. Sometimes my situation reminds me of one of my favourite ‘catch-all’ sayings: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. This can apply to anything, from wearing certain types of clothes at certain ages to food choices (!) but to me right now it means that just because I am technically capable of doing literally everything myself, it doesn’t mean my writing aspirations are necessarily best served by doing so.
All I really want to do is write and reach readers. And to make a living doing this because it frees me up from doing other paid work so I can write some more and reach more readers 😉 If I could clone myself and have four of me doing all this stuff I’d happily choose to stay indie forever. But right now (and I feel this way at the launch of every book) I’d take a publishing contract simply to hand over some of the time-consuming technical tasks. But, saying that, I’m such a perfectionist I’m probably better doing it all myself anyway!
Jo x
September 10, 2013 at 7:58 pm
I hope you feel better soon. I’m green with envy with your writing shed. Why should men have all the sheds. Will we see more pictures when it’s finished? Good luck with your launch.
September 11, 2013 at 10:40 am
Hi Rachel, you can come over and have a cuppa in it when it’s all sorted x
September 10, 2013 at 8:04 pm
Hope you feel better soon Joanne, me and hubby have had that chest and throat virus it’s awful, and I have a telephone job as well. Thank goodness for herbal sweets I say. The shed is fab, off to have a go at your giveaway now.
September 11, 2013 at 10:41 am
Thanks Susan – you poor things, I know how much pain you’ve been in then! Hope you get lucky in the giveaway, don’t forget to come back on Thursday for more prizes x
September 11, 2013 at 3:53 pm
will do Joanne, thanks.x
September 10, 2013 at 8:30 pm
Your writing room looks beautiful! I hope you get lots of inspiration and amazing ideas in there! 😀
xxxxxx
September 11, 2013 at 10:41 am
Thanks Megan, can’t wait to get it all ‘electrified’ because at least I can plug in a heater then 😉 xxx
September 10, 2013 at 10:42 pm
Get well soon, Jo – but don’t try to rush back to your normal hectic routine till you’re properly better. Your body is telling you it needs to rest! Actually, I always find I write so much better after I’ve been poorly and completely switched off for a few days – hope that works for you too!
September 11, 2013 at 10:43 am
Thanks Debbie. You’re right about my body telling me to rest. Sometimes, especially when I’m well, I forget I have this pesky thyroid condition that makes my immune system rubbish! And then I get knocked out by something and it’s like: Ahh, yes. Of course. Plus I think stress – even positive stress – can have an effect. xxx
September 11, 2013 at 8:58 am
Wow that was a lot of news for one post!
Well done you for everything you’ve achieved this year, not only getting to the top of the Kindle charts but helping so many others on their self-publishing journey too. I must admit, I do sometimes read your blog and wonder how you manage to do it all. It’s no wonder you’re tired. I wish you every success for your launch tomorrow and hope you’ll take a little time out for yourself, perhaps treat yourself to a session at harmony centre!
xx
September 11, 2013 at 1:04 pm
Love your summerhouse, but I don’t think I’d be able to get much writing done in it – I’d be too tempted to ‘just pop out into the garden for 10 minutes …’ Hope you’re feeling better now, and good luck with the launch!