The first spring lamb is here & meet Regency romance writer Audrey Harrison
The most popular book club reads, author talk, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival & calls for more court access for journalists
My dear wordsmiths,
It’s been a week. Such a week that, due to acquiring what can only be described as the plague, speaking/hosting at three events and a university, travelling around the north of England by train, launching a big campaign across our UK news titles called Project Peter Pan (Read all about here via In Publishing) and my car breaking down - I’ve now lost my voice.
This, as I’m sure you can imagine, is not helpful during the week of a podcast launch - my intro voice needs to match the rest of it. So BOOKY (link to audio promo via pod follow) must - I’m afraid - be delayed until after the Easter weekend. I shall update. I already made the mistake of agreeing to talk on Times Radio about something - I sound like I swallowed a bucketful of wasps while discussing politics (not my specialist subject but once a radio station has your number, that’s it).
But it’s not all doom and gloom - spring has sprung in the shire and - in breaking news - we have a first adorable lamb born at the bottom of the garden. He or she is a little black Hebridean - so cute. When I say spring has sprung, the poor mite is only few days old and already weathered two hailstorms. England, eh. Mr PheasantMcPheasantFace also lives (hoorah, the roadkill count for pheasants is particularly high at the moment) and regularly appears for food but his children seem to have flown the nest. I’m going with that theory.
Hot on the Tok
I would tell you what I’m reading this week (or what I’ve written) but honestly the nearest I’ve got is scrolling through BookTok. The hottest news thing on there is a hugely successful fantasy author (or Romantasy as the cool kids call it) called Sarah J. Maas who not only started writing at 16 but now, at age 38, is now eight books into her Throne of Glass series, looks like a model, and is the latest Tik Tok sensation turned New York Times best-seller. She’s an overnight success who actually spent years working at her overnight success. Now she’s unavoidable on Book Tok and made for life. It can happen. This is your sign to get on Tik Tok.
This week I have a guest - the fabulous Audrey Harrison who is proof if needed, that indie publishing can lead to success.
‘I have never regretted a day of taking the risk and indie publishing’ Audrey Harrison
Meet… Audrey Harrison
Audrey Harrison was once told there was no market for Regency romance and she had proved them wrong long before the ‘Bridgerton’ effect. She has nearly 40 novels under her belt in the genre, is an Amazon best-selling author, an Amazon Storyteller award finalist and a Romantic Novelists Association Finalist. She also has paranormal romance mysteries written under a pen name - Amelia Hopegood. Over to Audrey..
“I have still got a manuscript that I typed when I was sixteen, it is full of teenage angst and will never see the light of day!”
Audrey Harrison
Who?
Hello, thank you for having me. I am an English writer of Regency romance from the North West of England.
Where?
I live halfway between Liverpool and Manchester, in a very working class town called Wigan. I’ve been indie publishing since 2011, it started because traditional publishers told me that there was no market for Regency romance. I am married with two grown-up children and two gorgeous grandchildren, plus a mad springer spaniel and three granddogs. Life is usually chaotic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Why?
I’ve always wanted to write, but people from a working class background don’t become authors. I worked in the public sector and then a hospital stay and the chance at voluntary redundancy was the prod that I needed. It took a few more years before I published because I had no idea about ebooks but I have never regretted a day of taking the risk and indie publishing. I would love to achieve more, write more and build my readership. I love what I do but I never take it for granted and am always humbled that readers enjoy my stories.
What & when
As I’ve said before, it was a health scare which gave me the opportunity. Until then I had only written for work. I have still got a manuscript that I typed when I was sixteen, it is full of teenage angst and will never see the light of day! A shy child, I lost myself in books. They gave me the friends and adventures I needed and I have never stopped reading. I would write stories as a child, resulting in my first novel when I was sixteen, but life, family, and mortgages meant that I had no opportunity to follow that path. I think I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much if I had been younger, whereas now I feel very privileged to be able to follow my dream.
I have nearly forty Regency romances out, under my name, Audrey Harrison. They are available on ebook or paperback. During COVID I worked on a pen name, Amelia Hopegood, writing Paranormal romantic mysteries. It helped to keep me sane whilst I was shielding.
How?
To anyone who wishes to write or publish I would say – do it! Sometimes it is as simple as that, but also be prepared to the hard work that is involved. Whether you go the indie or traditional route, you will need to publicise, promote, market your books. We all wish we could just sit and write, but there is a lot more to the publishing process than you think. It is still a brilliant experience though, holding your books in your hand is something I don’t think I’ll ever tire of.
What are you reading now?
When I am in the middle of writing, I purposely read in genres that I am not writing in. I’ve currently just finished a Helen Harper Urban Fantasy book and a non-fiction book on people who kept diaries throughout lockdown. Both were great for different reasons!
Thanks for your time, it has been lovely to be with you.
Thanks Audrey!
News, Opportunities and events for writers and journalists
NEWS: The most popular book club reads, according to Goodreads, have been revealed. The data, analysed by QRFY, looked at more than 300 books featured on lists tagged under ‘book club’ on the site to see which novels readers are most interested in discussing with others.
The Book Thief was crowned number one, followed by Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games then Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half in third place. The fourth most anticipated book club read is Harper Lee’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird followed by Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine comes in fifth place.
EVENT: The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. One not to be missed! Held between 18-21 July 2024 in sunny Yorkshire (Harrogate), it’s not to be missed. International bestselling novelist Ruth Ware takes the reins as Festival Programming Chair in 2024, following in the footsteps of such giants of the genre as Ian Rankin, Elly Griffiths, Denise Mina, Lee Child, Val McDermid and Vaseem Khan.
EVENT: Author talk with Kerry Irving: Kerry and his spaniels will be at Fylde Rugby Club, Lytham, Lancashire, on Wednesday April 10 talking about Forever Max, the heart-warming, inspiring final chapter in the life of Max the Miracle dog. Starts 12,30pm, tickets are £37 which includes a welcome drink, lunch, author talk and signed hardback
NEWS: Society of editors back calls for journalistic access: The Society has this week backed calls by the Magistrates’ Association for reform of the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) saying that it is vital that accredited journalists are allowed to observe sittings if public confidence is to be restored in the system. The Society’s intervention comes as the Magistrates’ Association, representing Justices of the Peace across England and Wales, urged the Ministry of Justice to adopt a 12-point plan including provisions to open up the SJP to accredited journalists.
Thanks so much for reading - have a fab time over the Easter holidays. Please get everyone to subscribe, I’ll be most grateful. To take part in the Q&A (writers of all persuasions) please just reply to this email! N x