Right Up My Street - AVAILABLE NOW!

Get the flags out!

Hang out the bunting, bring on the marching band and crack open a bottle of something fizzy because ……. today’s the day.  Well the day was actually Sunday 24^th November 2013 but I wasn’t QUITE ready to tell the world!

I have been working towards this moment for about a year and a half.

I’d be lying if I said I had been working on this full time because of course, life comes along and has a habit of getting in the way.

Our dog, HuffingtonBear arrived en route to the completion of the first draft of the story and needed some tlc and more than a modicum of training, the kids had various things going on in their lives like grown up birthdays and starting new jobs and college courses.  We attempted to move house, then decided to stay, then decided to build an extension.  Oh and I have read somewhere in the region of 90 books in the same amount of time it has taken me to write just one!  All very welcome interruptions of course, but they have all been things that distracted me from the end objective.

So here we are finally.  Wednesday 27^th November 2013 – Right Up My Street by Juliet Robbins is available to buy in paperback and on Kindle via Amazon.  If you buy it in glorious, glossy paperback it’s £6.00.  Thankfully I have also been able to publish it via Kindle and you can buy it for the fabulous, minuscule price of 77p.  Cheap as chips, which I am thrilled about because of course, this is my first go at writing a book …… so be gentle with me ;)

If you are kind enough to buy it then I do hope you enjoy it and if you don’t, well it’s 77p that you will never get back – gadzooks! ;)  Although it’s a light, weekend read and just a bit of fun I have honestly put a great deal into it and am now extremely proud to be able to say that I have written and published a book.

Thank you to all my brilliant friends and family who have been kind and supportive.  For those who know me well, the story is truly Holly’s and she’s a made up person and although I met the love of my life Internet dating it’s not about us or my friends and family ….. although I guess you could easily add two and two together and make five! In doing my research some years ago now, I really did meet some of the most absurd people along the way - that much is true, but each character has been dreamed up out of my imagination.  Tis amazing where one can draw inspiration from ….

So here we are, finally.  I hope you enjoy reading Right Up My Street in whichever format you choose.  It has been a journey, it has been an education and it has most certainly been emotional.  

Big love beautiful people, Julesy ;) xxx

Are we there yet? Adventures in book writing ….

Guess what?  I think we are almost there. Eeeeeeek!

So I have reviewed the book proof yet again and have just made my absolute final changes so if anyone finds anything from here on in then please, please just smile a little wry / smug smile and keep it to yourself … unless of course you want to see me carted off to the funny farm.  Your choice … on your head be it!!

Now this is the final bit of the process.  I send off my final, final, FINAL manuscript digital proof jobby, the lovely computer robot thing at Createspace runs it through a special programme and hey presto we are ready to rock and roll.

Holding my actual book in my little paws has been the most brilliant feeling.  However pressing the publish button is like sending your child off out into the big wide world and standing waving at the door, hoping for the best.  I’ll not be there to defend it if people are mean and I’ll just have to hope it is accepted and liked.

I keep reminding myself that this is chick lit and not a literary great although to me it’s a massive achievement.  When all is said and done, this is just me telling a story that I made up as I went along which is hopefully vaguely entertaining. Ta daaaa!

As I said in a recent post, an agent and publisher would have been mega fantastic but in the mean time I have done it ‘all by myself ‘(I feel a song coming on) and on that basis I’m pretty thrilled with it.

Right Up My Street will be published NEXT WEEK!  It will be available to buy as a paperback and to download on kindle.  As I explained previously, Createspace print on demand and therefore this drives up the price (which they set) of each copy so sorry folks if it’s not cheap as chips at this stage.

So here’s the back cover blurb…….

‘Holly fears a future living alone, eating pot noodles and rocking in a chair.  Will Internet dating be the source of true love?

Recently divorced Holly Matthews is about to make a decision.  It’s a decision she hopes will result in the discovery of Mr Lovely.

As she throws herself headlong back into the dating game, will the Internet be a help or a hindrance in finding her knight in shining armour?’

If you’re into science fiction fantasy, literary greatness, epic family drama or intelligent poetry, please step away from the computer and under no circumstances should you press ‘BUY’.

However, if you are looking for a light read, a bit of fun and a peep into the world of dating for single gals then step right up and have a nosey through.  I so hope you like it.

Julesy x

Book Review - Wish Upon A Star by Trisha Ashley

Hello and happy Sunday folks,

In between learning to bake the perfect brownie, proof reading my own book for the gzillionth time and taking Huffington Bear for walkies, I recently invested in and read the latest offering by author Trisha Ashley.  Here's my review:

Last week heralded the arrival at my house, of the long awaited Trisha Ashley festive novel, Wish Upon A Star.  As ever Trisha delivers a warm hug of a book that you just can’t put down.  From its sparkly glittery cover to the dedication to her readers, Wish Upon A Star is a book that keeps on giving!

Wish Upon A Star is set in the Lancashire village of Sticklepond.  Lots of the residents of Sticklepond and thereabouts form the basis of other Trisha Ashley novels so if you’ve read any of them you feel like you’re visiting with old friends.  If you haven’t read any of them then you’re in for a treat, as you will have plenty to read and keep you occupied this winter.  In fact Trisha has a list on her website (trishaashley.com) that tells you a little about each of them.

So Wish Upon A Star is the story of Cally and her daughter Stella, born with a heart condition that is steadily worsening.  Cally needs to take Stella to America for a life saving operation and enlists the help of the Sticklepond residents to help raise funds.  Central to the story is Cally’s developing relationship with speciality baker Jago.  Will her friendship with him develop into romance or will his ex fiancée, the dreaded Aimee, ruin any possibility of anything more than friendship?  And will Cally be won over by the return of Stella’s ‘penguin daddy’ Adam, who appears out of nowhere?

As always, Trisha’s characters are warm and likeable.  Characters you may have met in previous books are consistent which is a nice touch and as ever, there are baking tips and recipes at the end of the story.

So is there a happy ending?  I’ll let you find out for yourself.  Suffice to say this is a heart-warming and uplifting story that you should definitely invest in for the festive season.  Hoorah for Trisha!