A New Thriller! (Publication Day) Plus, On Being Approached By A Publisher

 So here's an interesting thing. Along with a few caveats and warnings.

During the 2020 pandemic, I was approached by an editor from Lume Books who wanted to know how I'd feel about writing a book with a particular sort of whodunnit angle. I was intrigued, and after a few in-depth conversations back and forth, said yes to the idea. I produced a synopsis, we thrashed out a few details that needed to be altered, and then I signed the contract.

KEEP ME CLOSE, my latest thriller, out 9th September, is the result.

It's always flattering to be approached by a publisher. But this isn't the first time it's happened to me. I've had several such approaches during my career. One was for this book, BERTIE'S GIFT. 

Again, the publisher gave me the general idea - even some key characters and a loose plotline - and I was left to fill in the blanks and write the novel as I saw fit. 

Although I had to write it in only 6 weeks to catch the Christmas market, it worked out very well and we sold translation rights too for BERTIE'S GIFT, for editions in German, Italian and Portuguese. Though writers should be aware, I didn't retain copyright in the actual idea ... only the writing. So that's one drawback if a publisher supplies a large amount of material to a writer upfront. (That's not been the case with my new thriller, however, which is entirely my own work.)

Some time before that, I'd been suggested as a writer for spin-off original novels from a popular historical TV show. I won't name names, but I worked on the project for some months, producing a number of solid synopses, before it finally got spiked. I didn't get paid as nothing had been signed beforehand. So that was a bad experience. Later, I realised why things had ground to a halt when the next season of the show came out and I saw that the plots of the first few episodes were almost verbatim what I'd suggested for my synopses! 

They'd already been shot at the stage I was writing the plots, of course. But because it was based on a real historical location/theme, I'd been using the same sources as the screenwriters, so there was naturally a lot of overlap ... Perhaps they'd decided either that I was clairvoyant or someone had leaked the storylines to me! So all that came to nothing. Not a great feeling.

But this time, with Lume Books, everything worked very well, and there was no time pressure involved. (The pandemic was underway and we were locked down while I was writing much of it, so there were fewer distractions than usual.) 

It was a highly enjoyable experience. I easily wrote the novel to schedule, it was edited in good time, and the publisher has produced some excellent ad assets to accompany the launch. They've also been very supportive re promotion, putting the book up on Netgalley and monitoring reviews for me (as some readers have a sad tendency to write spoilers in thriller reviews, alas). 

Basically, KEEP ME CLOSE has been a success story all round and this time I'm very glad to have been approached.

There's even a blog tour happening this week and next! 

 

Here's the cover copy:

Someone is hurting the most vulnerable person in your life, but they can’t tell you who it is. What would you do?

When shy publisher Kate Kinley finds mysterious bruises on her mother’s arms she assumes the worst. Suffering with early onset dementia, her mother insists that nothing is wrong; it was just a clumsy accident. But was it an accident, or has her mother’s illness made her forget what really happened?

In desperate need of someone she can trust, her isolation and paranoia grow as the closest people in her life become key suspects.

With each heart-stopping revelation, Kate begins to realise that the perpetrator is no longer interested in inflicting bruises; they want blood.

Keep Me Close is a compelling story of gross immorality, a cautionary tale of how easily wicked people can take advantage of the vulnerable elderly people in your life.

If you love dark, psychological revenge-thrillers like The Sister-in-Law, The Babysitter and The Girl on the Train, you will love this twisty, sinister read. Perfect for readers of Gillian Flynn, Karin Slaughter, and Paula Hawkins.

Buy it here on Amazon UK: KEEP ME CLOSE

 

Or Amazon US: KEEP ME CLOSE

Paperback Publication Day! (of a very special book)

Hooray, I’m thrilled to announce publication day for my debut historical saga WARTIME WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS in paperback! 

The ebook and audiobook have been out since April, but the book in its physical form is out in bookshops now, and also in Tesco and Morrison’s supermarkets for a short spell. 

 

Browse This Title On Amazon UK

 

WARTIME WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS was an idea that came to me back in 2019 and felt a bit mad at the time, frankly. I'd never written a saga before, and had never really read one either, except for a few classics back in my youth. But I bought a few current titles to see how the genre had moved on since then, dashed off an outline for myself, and started to write ... all in the hope I could make a creditable fist of the job and find someone to publish the result!

Thankfully, several publishers were interested, but in the end I chose Avon Books, a brilliant HarperCollins publisher I have long wanted to write for, and they offered me a two-book contract to kick off a potential series, which was music to my ears!

This first book in the series is set in Cornwall during World War II, and centers around a top-secret communications and military base in seaside Porthcurno, which is constantly under threat from German bombers trying to pinpoint its location along the coast. 

My three female characters – Violet, an Eastender looking after her orphaned nieces; Eva, a chorus girl injured in a bomb blast; and Hazel, a Cornish housewife desperate to stop her teenage son from joining up – all end up together in Porthcurno, forming a bond of friendship that must see them through the dark and dangerous times ahead. 

 

By the way, WARTIME WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS is written under my new saga name, Betty Walker, and should be on sale in all good bookshops, plus some branches of Tesco and Morrison's supermarkets.

Pre-order sales have been strong, with over 700 Amazon reviews posted so far, and Kitty Neale, Sunday Times bestseller, has praised the book, saying: ‘A fascinating story, beautifully written, with interesting characters I really liked. A most enjoyable read!’ 

The sequel is CHRISTMAS WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS.

So, have a peek at this first book on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wartime-Cornish-Girls-first-uplifting/dp/0008400288

Also, find me as Betty Walker on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CornishGirls and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CornishGirlsSagas

Unboxing My New Book! A Video ...

ANNOUNCEMENT: New Writing Name and New Genre!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick announcement that I am moving names and genres yet again!

I have a new writing name, Betty Walker.

 My debut World War II saga WARTIME WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS came out a few days ago, on Thursday, April 29th 2021, under this new name.

Isn't she a beauty?

This is the first in the Cornish Girls series, and is published by Avon Books.

It's been so much fun, writing in a brand-new genre. And I can't wait to see the cover for Book 2, due out later this year, CHRISTMAS WITH THE CORNISH GIRLS.

And now I'm Betty Walker as well as Jane ... a new name to add to my many writing names!!! But this is how writers manage to survive in a rapidly shifting, and often shrinking, marketplace - by reinventing ourselves and learning new skills. 

Have you had to change pen-names or genres to survive or thrive? Let me know below.

Jane xxx

1941. The Blitz rages over London.
And even in Cornwall, the war is being fought…

When Violet loses her sister in the Blitz, she must take her nieces to safety in Cornwall. On the coast, she meets carefree chorus girl Eva, who is also running from the dangers of London.

But Porthcurno hides a secret military base, and soon Violet and Eva realise there’s a battle to fight in Cornwall, too.

Together with local Hazel, who works on the base, they must come together to help the war effort. But will their friendship be enough to keep them safe?

The perfect uplifting wartime read for fans of Nancy Revell and Donna Douglas.

‘A fascinating story, beautifully written, with interesting characters I really liked. A most enjoyable read!’ Kitty Neale, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Daughter’s Ruin

‘A warm-hearted story – at times I laughed and at others I held my breath … I loved the characters and I’m delighted it is the first in a series’ Pam Weaver, Sunday Times bestselling author of Goodnight Sweetheart

Grab your ebook or audiobook copy here on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wartime-Cornish-Girls-first-uplifting-ebook/dp/B0875S29Y1

Week Forty-Nine: Harnessing The Power of YouTube to Promote Your Books

 So, the age of technology has finally caught up with me, or I've caught up with it, not sure which!

I spend a great deal of time promoting my books, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, I've seen many fellow authors turning to videos and live streams on Facebook.

Unfortunately, I live out in the sticks of rural Cornwall, and my wifi is too pathetic to allow live streaming even for only a few minutes. 

 But I did want to harness the power of visuals - watching an author, hearing an author - and after experimenting with my own digital radio station a couple of years ago for the same promotional reasons (sadly a bust; great fun, but wildly expensive and hardly anybody listened!) and podcasting (again, most people seem to prefer pictures to audio, though I freely admit I didn't make as much of an effort with my podcasts as I could have done) I felt I had some hard-won skills with audio editing and arranging that I could bring across to video editing.

I already had a Jane Holland Author Youtube channel with about 10 subscribers. Bit rubbish, but I'd only posted half a dozen videos in ten years! You get back what you put out, I guess. :)

So I recorded some new book promo videos and also some 'how to write' videos, which I felt might draw in some new punters. In my video 'blurb' or description, I put links to my Amazon Author page and my social media, hoping to pick up at least a few extra readers over a long period of time. This has been a slow process, but I have noticed a small uptick in sales soon after new videos are released, so that's a sign that it's working. But my viewing figures are still too small to really make a difference. If I start hitting 100's of views per video, at some point in the misty future, that may change. Fingers crossed!

There are two types of YouTube content, in general. The first is topical, relying on a 'moment' for views - a book launch, for instance, or news item. You may get a flurry of views when it first goes live, but not much further down the line. The second is 'evergreen content' and this - as the name suggests! - deals with a more longterm issue, such as 'how to write' topics, and may not be so sensational, but is useful for bringing in new views and subscribers long after the video is published. For instance, your channel 'trailer' is evergreen content, a slow burn perhaps, but should keep getting views over the years, while book promo videos barely get any new views after the first year or so. 

 In general, it's best to aim for a mixture of topical and evergreen videos. If reading an extract from your book, it's a good idea not to make this too long, though this may work for some authors with a big following. Try to be personable and informal, but give good content - everyone loves an insight into an author's lifestyle or working methods!

 

Now, I also happen to have a Certificate in Astrology from the Faculty of Astrological Studies (UK, London-based) that I passed back in the mid-90's. Ever since, I've been reading new astrology books, looking at astro charts and generally developing my skills there, and I even anonymously run an Etsy side-hustle as a horary astrologer (don't ask) which brings in a few extra quid most months.

So I decided to also launch an astrology channel, as these are quite popular and I follow a number of big name astrologers there myself. And in the video description, I put the SAME links to my author page and social media, trying for a double whammy effect. This is because my particular astro channel caters for creative or artistic people like myself - novelists, artists, actors, playwrights etc.

This new astrology channel - Jane Holland Creative Horoscopes - has been rather more successful than my straight author channel. It seems in these troubled times that people are hunting for answers wherever they can find them, and astrology does provide an interesting alternative view on our current situation, so fair play to them. 

 

 

My set-up is fairly simple. I use the webcam from my computer - because I can't afford a 'proper' vlogging camera, frankly - and a Blue Yeti mic. (I experimented with a wireless clip-on mic, but it kept cutting out and distorting my voice. Others may find them more useful.) 

For most of my videos, I have a prepared script and run it via a Teleprompter app on my iPad, which plays behind the camera on a tripod while I record, as I found reading it from the actual computer screen made me look shifty!

It's early days yet, but I expected that. It can take several years to grow an audience on YouTube, even with regular concerted effort. But I have committed to posting at least 12-14 videos every month for my astrology channel, and 2-3 for my regular author channel. It's fun at the moment, though hard work, but it's one way of keeping my name in the public eye during a time when few of us are able to get out and about. And it also keeps my brain active - never a bad thing!

Here's one of my specific book promo videos - this one for my spooky thriller THE HIVE. Look at the expression on my face! Gulp ...

The big thing with Youtube is getting more likes, views of videos and new subscribers. THOSE are the things that drive traffic to a channel. The more you get, the more likely YouTube is to show your content to new people browsing the site or searching for keywords. And that means the more people see your name or your content, and are more likely to ... yes, you've guessed it ... to buy your books!

So please visit one or both of my channels above, 'Like' some of my videos and Subscribe to my channels - you'll need a Google or YouTube account to do this - and hit the bell for notifications of new videos as they arrive.

Thank you!

Do YOU have a YouTube channel, maybe to help you sell your books or for some other purpose? Let me know in the comments below, feel free to link to it, and let me know how it's been going for you.