|
Launch of No Cure for Love at Eastside Books |
|
Launch of No Cure for Love 8th January 2009
|
After seven years of working at my craft the day that every un-published
author dreams of arrived, the launch of my first book, No Cure for Love.
If that weren’t special enough, I was able to share the wonderful
evening with my long suffering family and so many good friends.
|
 Book Launch: No Cure for Love |
 Launch at Eastside Books |
Eastside books in Brick Lane,
deep in Jack the Ripper country, hosted the event and just before 7pm people
started arriving. The wine flowed and pretty soon the shop was packed.
|
| I was particularly pleased that
my good friend Janet Gover, who launched her own book, The Farmer Needs a Wife,
only the day before, was there. We joined the Romantic Novelist Association within a month of each other and have
supported each other along the long road to publication. |
 Me and Janet Glover |
 my agent, Laura Longrigg |
This is my lovely agent, Laura
Longrigg, looking almost as pleased as I am. |
| This is Gail, one of my editors,
at Orion. Sara O’Keefe, my main editor, managed to dodge my camera. |
 Gail, one of my editors, at Orion. |
 my friend, Fenella |
My dear friend Fenella braved the
ice and fog and travelled down to support me from Colchester.
|
| I was very apprehensive about doing
a reading it as the thought of it made me feel like a 10 year old school girl
again. In the event it was fine. |
 Jean reading from No Cure for Love |
 Author and RNA organiser, Jan Jones |
Jan Jones, the RNA’s and event’s organiser,
celebrating with me. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
2006 Harry Bowling Prize The late Harry Bowling who wrote Saga’s set in East London and I have two thing in common. Firstly we were both born within the sound of Mary-e-Bow church in the City of London which makes us genuine cockneys and secondly we both love the history of the East End of London. Added to this our names will be forever linked on the 13th September I was awarded the 2006 Harry Bowling Prize for a novel set on London. My novel No Cure for Love is set in East London, 1832 and tells the story of Ellen O’Casey, a respectable but poor Irish widow and Robert Munroe, an earnest doctor with a brilliant career in medicine before him. Ellen sings in local public houses to support her family and Robert is in East London to study the effects of disease and poverty.I was thrilled enough to be short-listed and when I heard Laura Longrigg, of MBA Literary Agents, read out my name as the winner I was uncharacteristically, lost for words. What was already a wonderful evening suddenly became the best. What was so good was I was able to share it with so many RNA friends, who looked almost as excited I did. Along with Laura, Penny, Sophie from MBA, Jane Morpeth, Harry’s editor from Hodder Headlines and Harry’s children, a number of previous winners were there, all of who were enthusiastic about No Cure for Love. As one of them said, ‘they could almost see the rats scurrying along in the gutters’. Although it is a cliché the whole evening was a dream come true. |
|
|
2007.
Orion Publishing
After I was absolute delighted to win the 2006 Harry Bowling Prize for my debut novel No Cure for Love, set in the dark underworld of early Victorian East London things just kept getting better. In June 2007 signed with my wonderful literary agent Laura Longrigg at MBA Literary Agents and then in September after a wonderful meeting with the editorial staff at Orion Publishing I was offered a two book contract for No Cure for Love and a sequel. No Cure for Love will be released as a paperback in December 2008 so when it cold and miserable outside readers can curl up in front of the fire and loosed themselves in Ellen and Robert’s story.
|
|
|
