An Autumnal Hello (and a little bit of news)
Hello my gorgeousVIP
Wow! I’ve missed you!
There we are, I’ll come straight out with it.
I’ve been thinking about all the different ways I could start this note - but nope… I can’t play it cool. How are you? How have your summer weeks been? Do the blue skies & beaches seem a million miles away - or are you too busy donning the sequins for Strictly to even remember? And what about this weather? I don’t know about you, but I love this time of year… sunny days, autumn leaves and a nip in the evening air so we can snuggle down - all with a feeling of the new beginnings September brings.
And speaking of new beginnings….
I can’t quite believe I’m typing this but after:
*14 years of writing
*10 years of rejections from agents
*A daily battle with the niggling voice in my head asking ‘are you sure you’re not completely ridiculous?’
*And an (ahem...) ‘enthusiastic’ chocolate consumption to help with all of the above…
I have signed a publishing deal for my books!!!!
It’s with a brand new publisher called Vinci Books. They’re doing something a little different - bringing the worlds of traditional and independent publishing together. They will now look after my Cherry Blossom Park and Strawberry Village series and introduce them to readers around the world. They’re bold, refreshing and they’re using all their experience to create a new life for authors and their books… In short, everything Next Chapter Living is about.
So, I just wanted to share this with you and say thank you, before I pop it up on my social media.
As I type this I have around 500 of you on this list. It’s been this number for a fairly long time now. I know I could have given away freebies to increase the number or paid to advertise these notes - but truthfully, deep down I’ve loved it just being us as I’ve been finding my way.
Most of you have been with me from the beginning and I will always be grateful for this. In a world where we’re flooded with emails and messages, I’ve always felt so honoured you chose these emails to open. I will never forget this support. When nobody in the publishing world was interested in my writing, you were.
So, if it’s okay with you - I’ll forever think of you as my 500 Club. I’ve got no idea what will happen next - maybe something, maybe nothing. All I know it’s a new step in my own Next Chapter which feels exciting, daunting & terrifying (exactly how it’s meant to feel).
But I do know I have you which means it’s going to be okay.
So, that’s the end of the mushy talk - I’ll be back soon with my Next Chapter podcast S13 (!), blogs, Our Week Aheads and news of Book 5 very soon.
And whether your weekend is full of sequins, snuggles or apple crumble (is it just me who can’t stop thinking about this?) I hope you know how special, supportive and wonderful you are. A click, a read, a review, or a reply to these notes - might seem something small to you, but in my book(s) - it’s been a gigantic act of kindness to me.
See you very soon my lovely VIP
Love
E
x
(I would say from Cookie too but she’s been over-indulging in the Woofins since she found out about our news.)