I’m one of those people who don’t enjoy having their photo taken. You won’t find me snapping away for Instagram, although it does hold a fascination for me … I love the idea of moments captured and shared. But I prefer to see other people – not myself!

When I suggested to my husband we take a day trip to one of our favourite places to get some snaps, he was a little surprised. But the lure of the absolutely breathtaking scenery at Caswell Bay, on the south east of the Gower Peninsula in Wales, meant we were soon heading off. We have often walked the coastal path east to Langland Bay, approx one and half miles, and which has truly spectacular views across the Bristol Channel to North Devon.

If you are interested in visiting the area you can find more information here:
http://www.enjoygower.com/beaches/beaches06.cfm.

When I worked on the edits for my first traditionally published book, we were staying in one of the apartments that over-look the bay. The edits arrived literally as we were leaving for a week’s holiday. So I worked in the mornings, and we spent the afternoons and evenings walking, talking, eating and just immersing ourselves in such a wonderfully calming environment. Since then (2010) we’ve been back many times on day trips and it’s a place we can thoroughly recommend for families, couples and avid walkers!

When we arrived that day and I explained that I wanted to do a cover shoot – Lawrence was actually lost for words. Fortunately, it was one of those rather unexpectedly sunny days that are a bonus. There were only a handful of people around at any one time and we didn’t have to wait long to find ourselves alone. Lawrence snapped away and I tried to ‘pose’ with varying – and I might add, often hilariously funny – results. All I wanted was one photo to portray a woman who is suffering a series of terrifying psychic experiences that make her feel isolated, while realising, for the first time, that she is ‘never alone’…

Most of my novels have covers chosen for me by my wonderful publishers, but I have several books that I self-published when I first began writing. In those days – it’s six and a half years since I wrote the first word of my debut novel, and four since I became published – I had a steep learning curve still to climb. 2015 was the year in which I wanted to update those ebook and paperback covers to reflect the heart of the stories.

For Never Alone, a psychic romance with a twist aimed at making the readers wonder ‘What if?’, I was never able to find a graphic that captured that sense of isolation/loneliness/uncertainty that Holly Atherton felt. Caught up in pleasing friends and family she loved without reservation, her rather privileged life is suddenly turned upside down.  What if your wildest dream was actually your life?

Lawrence took some amazing shots of a model who spent more time laughing, and awkwardly trying to ensure arms and legs were working in coordination, than being photogenic. For me, the shot we eventually chose seems to conjure up that mix of the surreal, the loneliness of something that can’t easily be shared, and the emotional turmoil. After applying a few very clever techniques, it still feels rather strange to be on the cover of one of my own novels – and it’s not something I’d necessarily want to do again – but it’s right for Never Alone. I just hope the readers agree!

It was a day of laughter, filling our lungs with that wonderful sea air, enjoying the coastal walk and spending some quality time together. We had a wonderful lunch at Langland Bay before heading home.  Quite simply, life is about days like that and it’s why this is one cover that will always be very special to me. And with the photo ‘treatment’ no one would really know it was me …  unless they read this, of course …

Grateful thanks to my ‘rock’, Lawrence, for a day I will truly never forget!

From 1 January, 2015 I knew it was going to be a year in which I had to get my head down and just work, work, work … nothing new there, then! Par for the course for this Gemini workaholic and I’m not complaining – busy is good! But more importantly, it was the year of taking my dream to the next level. I knew it was an ambitious plan, but maybe even I didn’t realise quite HOW ambitious!

It’s nearly November and I’m thrilled to report that I can look back with a real sense of satisfaction. But the real message I want to convey is that if you have a dream, just keep going. No matter how buried you feel under deadlines and how much you have to give up to stick to the plan. And age is irrelevant – writing is my third career and to me now it’s more important than anything else I’ve ever achieved before.

• May 2015 Endeavour Press published romcom Under The Stars eformat
  
• July 2015 Harper Impulse published A Cottage in the Country eformat
• August 2015 Endeavour Press published romcom Quintessentially Yours eformat
  
• September 2015 A Cottage in the Country paperback launch
• October 2015 Under The Stars paperback launch
  
• October 2015 final edits completed for my first Choc Lit book to be published in Jan 2016
• Oct/Nov stunning new covers for the eformat & paperback versions of Touched by The Light, Never Alone and The Restaurant @ The Mill
• November 2015 Quintessentially Yours paperback launch
• November 2015 Harper Impulse Falling: Angels Among Us the complete series – on the shelves in selected WHSmith outlets

So what’s next? Competition time!!!! There are two Goodreads competitions you can enter NOW – both close on 26th Dec 2015 – links below and join me on 4 Nov 2015, here for the Rafflecopter competition to celebrate a very important milestone for me – Falling: Angels Among Us the complete series will be in some of the WHSmiths outlets. To celebrate, the lead character, Ceri, is giving one lucky winner the chance to choose a present (or received cash to shop locally) to the value of £100!  

It’s also available to download from Amazon for only 99p/$1.99 for a select period!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

A Cottage in the Country

by Linn B. Halton

Giveaway ends December 26, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

 

 

Under The Stars

 

by Linn B. Halton

 

Giveaway ends December 26, 2015. See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

 

Enter Giveaway

 

On reflection, I think the perfect word to describe a year of taking my dream to the next level is ‘madness‘ – so why not join in and have some fun? Mega thank you to all my readers, reviewers and bloggers who have helped me spread the word this year. You have inspired me along the way and kept me going!  

It wasn’t quite a repeat of that fabulous moment in ‘Love Actually‘ when Karl gives Sarah a lift home. If you don’t know the movie, it’s the moment when, at long last, two of the characters find themselves alone together.  It’s a pivotal – and exciting – moment. He stands at the door:

Karl: Goodnight.
Sarah: Goodnight.
[he gives her a quick peck on the cheek, then they begin to kiss passionately]
Karl: Actually, I don’t *have* to go.
Sarah: Right. Good.
Karl: I mean…
Sarah: No-no that’s good. Just, um, would you excuse me for one second? Just…
Karl: Sure.
[she moves round the corner, out of sight of Karl, dances a little jig for joy, then returns]
Sarah: Um, okay, that’s done. Um, why don’t you come upstairs in about ten seconds.

There were no tasty guys involved in my little happy jig, well, unless you count a hero named Adam. I had just said goodbye to the awesome Lyn Vernham, the director of Choc Lit and been offered a contract for Sweet Occasions!

Did I have to think about it? I think the words were out of Lyn’s mouth for all of three seconds before we sealed the deal with a hug! I tried to remain cool, despite my nerves literally making my legs wobble all over the place. As Lyn left Starbucks, I walked purposefully to the ladies cloakroom. Once inside, and with my hand clasped firmly over my mouth, I literally jumped up and down. Then I calmly washed my hands and went to the car to call my husband, Lawrence.

When watching X Factor, one repetitive phrase keeps coming up whenever contestants are asked what it means to them to be on the show: ‘It means everything to me, it’s my dream’. Well, when I began writing I didn’t have a ‘dream’, I just began and kept going – not really thinking too far ahead. I CAN say that ‘I’m over the moon’, ‘I’m so excited, I’m still on a high’ AND

I’m feeling truly blessed,  extremely proud and honoured!

And, of course, aside from the prospect of sharing ‘Adam’ with you very soon (who is a heart-melting hero with a heart of gold), I have a virtual chocolate-fest to share, too !

Seriously, though, I don’t believe in ‘wishing’ for things unless it’s connected with good health, release from pain, relief from terrible situations etc. All families/friendships have their fair share of situations where a wish, or a prayer is a very meaningful, and special, act.

When it comes to my guilty pleasure – writing – just being able to have the luxury of giving up work to write, IS ‘the dream’. I simply believe in working hard, being eternally thankful for every single review anyone has ever done for me, and being grateful for all the new friends and colleagues I’ve met  since I began writing in 2009.

So what’s next? Well, I keep on working hard and trying to up that bar, so that I can be a worthy member of my new writing family:

the Choc Lit team

But I would not be at this point in my writing career if it wasn’t for the awesomely professional book bloggers, readers who have been kind enough to post reviews, and lovely people who have purchased one of my novels. It’s humbling. My wonderful husband, Lawrence, has put up with me burning the candle at both ends for nearly six years now. He doesn’t complain and is always the first person to read the polished version of each new story. He knows I’m a hopeless case, I’m afraid, as the truth is that I’m never going to stop. When I die I want to be buried with my iPad and a fully-charged keyboard …

Thanks for coming to visit and allowing me to share my news with you – the fact that you are here means a lot to me! Without the support I’ve received I would not be celebrating this moment.

On that note, I’d better get back to work – there are some characters waiting to tell me what to write next … have a fab day!