Since coronavirus has got the UK in full lockdown mode, but it’s also World Poetry Day, what better way to celebrate during social distancing than by doing some book shopping online! Books are going to become the friends of many over the coming months as we isolate ourselves. So, here are a few links to our poetry books that you might enjoy:
Brexit Brokeshit by Joseph Robert
A Model Archaeologist by Leilanie Stewart
Realms of Man/Metamorphosis of Woman by Joseph Robert and Leilanie Stewart
Good and bad news this week. Bad first: I have spent my half term week off with three sequential illnesses. I had norovirus on Valentine’s Day night after tidying up behind a student who had vomited in class at the secondary school where I work on the last day of term. Just as I recovered from a bout of the vomiting bug myself, I developed strep throat. I had barely begun to convalesce from this when I was unlucky enough to catch conjunctivitis from my toddler after cleaning his eye myself. But hey, bad luck comes in threes, right? So, hopefully I’ll be on the mend soon.
Gods of Avalon Road among a library display for mature reads
News to cheer me up came at the perfect time: my novel Gods of Avalon Road is in the process of being acquired for loan by Libraries Northern Ireland. This is such great news; it’s always lovely to find oneself placed among the stock in a library. Hopefully this will bring my book to a wider range of readers, always the ultimate goal for any writer.
Sick with the vomiting bug on Friday night and now strep throat this morning! But as much as sickness breeds germs, it also breeds creativity. I didn’t get any writing done, but I made a faux leather bookmark with one of the babe’s ringlets from his first haircut last September. Finally getting round to reading my birthday prezzie from my hubby, Joseph Robert too – Jurassic Park, so it’ll be put to good use!
I guess it’s been a good sign that I’ve been so busy writing my novel work in progress and keeping the promo going for Gods of Avalon Road that I’ve forgotten to do a blog post for a while. Anyway, here’s a behind the scenes of what I’ve been up to with spreading the word about my debut novel.
I’ve sent a couple of copies out for review by post, so that could take a while. Sending books snail mail is always a bit nerve-wracking as you never know whether they’ll safely reach their destination or not, but if you send by recorded mail, that will only irk a busy recipient. I was happy to find out that the copies of my book in stock at the local Waterstones had sold out; always news to make an author happy! I’m also waiting to hear back from various outlets too regarding a promotional spotlight – more on that as it happens. As much as I’d love instant replies, much like sending unsolicited manuscripts on submission to publishers in the first place, I’m finding ongoing promotion for a novel is a journey that requires much patience!
In commiseration at leaving the EU yesterday, I’m taking an opportunity to promote my wonderful hubby’s poetry collection, Brexit Brokeshit.
It’s only £3.99 on Amazon, so about the price a loaf of bread will soon be in the UK after inflation. If I didn’t laugh, I’d cry!
If my fortune cookie message is anything to go by, when winter comes, heaven is going to rain success on me. Since winter is well and truly underway, all I need to do now is wait for the downpour.
Fortune cookie messages
Fortune aside, the past few months have been kind to me at any rate. My novel Gods of Avalon Road, sold all the copies in stock at the local Waterstones, which is awesome. I’m in the process of sending review copies out and busy writing my next novel WIP. It’s a literary life, for sure.
One of my goals for 2020 is to read more. Towards the end of last year, I subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, which has doubled the amount of reading I’m able to do. This is mainly because I have no excuse not to read: I have the Kindle app on my phone so I can pretty much read anywhere. Nothing beats a physical book though. I love book shopping, but borrowing is the best way to get more reading in and is far more practical in economic terms: I couldn’t afford to buy all the books I’d like to read anyway! On the other hand, I do find that if I really love a library book I’ve read, I tend to buy it.
At the moment, I’m reading two books: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King and The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I decided on Doctor Sleep as I saw the film a couple of months ago and enjoyed it, so I was curious to see if the book is any different. I’m not far enough along to say; it seems pretty close to the movie from what I’ve read so far, although fans of both book and film have said the ending is different in the movie. I will have to wait and see. The reason I’m reading The Thirteenth Tale is that it was recommended to me through a library book club I’m part of. I had never read the author before and found it to be a slow start, to the point where I honestly feel the first 40 pages could easily be cut without losing anything from the story. However, I’m enjoying it now that the main story is underway and I’m about a third of the way through.
Will I get through both books in January? Not sure. At the moment I’m snatching moments to read in between working on my next novel draft, reading through the Bindweed Magazine submission backlog, full time work and of course family time. But it’s certainly a start!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Gods of Avalon Road is a perfect read for anyone wanting action of both kinds: characters in battle and in love! It’s an urban fantasy with historical fiction and paranormal romance. 
Leilanie Stewart 