Tag Archives: Pan Macmillan

HERE IT IS! My BIG, SPARKLY Reveal!

Posted on December 1, 2017 | 1 comment

I promised you an exclusive and it’s a big one…

Here, in all its sunny gorgeous glory is the cover for my ninth novel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, out on 14th June 2018!

SBTS final front cover

I’ve been so excited to share this cover with you because it completely captures the feel of the story. Seren MacArthur and her chocolate Labrador Molly on the front, heading down to the beach to hunt for seaglass. And the beach is actually Gwithian Beach, which plays a vital part in the novel, with Godrevy Lighthouse in the distance. The back cover is going to have a gorgeous surprise on it, too, so I’ll tell you about that very soon…

Somewhere Beyond the Sea features characters from the prequel, Christmas in St Ives and is by far and away the best book I’ve written so far. I loved every stage of writing this book, set in my favourite place in the world. It’s an unashamedly romantic love story, warm and uplifting, with a cast of characters I hope you’ll love as much as I have.

You can preorder Somewhere Beyond the Sea right now – and, for a sneak-peek of the characters and the first chapter of the novel, the prequel novella Christmas in St Ives is available now. Footpath to the beach

I’m absolutely thrilled with the cover – what do you think?

Come back tomorrow for another 24 DAYS OF SPARKLEMAS exclusive… Every day between now and Christmas Eve I’ll be sharing all kinds of sparkly goodies. Don’t miss a present this December!

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If Christmas in St Ives were a film…

Posted on November 22, 2017 | Leave a comment

…it would need a stonkingly good trailer! I’ll reveal my perfect cast for my Christmas e-novella Christmas in St Ives in a few weeks, along with lots of other goodies – news coming soon! – but for now, here’s my very own book trailer that I made myself…

What’s the story of Christmas in St Ives? In this short trailer I hope to give you a little taster of what’s in store in the book. It’s my most festive story yet and I’ve packed it with all the things I adore about Christmas and the wonderful town of St Ives. It’s also a prequel to my ninth novel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, (which is published on 14th June next year but is available for preorder now), so you’ll meet the characters from that book, plus get a sneaky-peek at the first chapter, a whole seven months early.

So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn or a cuppa and enjoy my Christmas in St Ives BOOK TRAILER! (Turn the sound up, too!) Enjoy! xx

 

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MirandaWrites 57 – Almost here!

Posted on October 13, 2017 | Leave a comment

It’s less than a week until my very first Christmas novella, Christmas in St Ives, is published – eek! So in this week’s vlog, I’m going to tell you what you can expect from the story…

I’m so proud of this novella and I had an absolute blast writing it. I like to think you can tell as a reader when the author has enjoyed writing a story, so I hope you get that sense with Christmas in St Ives. It was also lovely to write a prequel to my next full-length novel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, to be able to extend that world and really bring the characters alive. Both my novella and the novel are available for preorder now – Christmas in St Ives is published on 19th October, Somewhere Beyond the Sea will be published on 14th June 2018 (and we’ve included the first chapter of it in the back of the novella, so you’ll get a sneak-peek eight months early!)

Enjoy this week’s vlog – and ask me a question for next week by leaving a comment below!

M xx

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My BIG, SPARKLY Secret is out!

Posted on September 7, 2017 | 2 comments

I have been waiting to tell you this for ages – and it’s finally time! Here it is: my big, exciting sparkly secret…

Christmas in St Ives COVER.jpg

IT’S A CHRISTMAS NOVELLA! CHRISTMAS IN ST IVES is published as an ebook on 19th October but you can preorder right now. It’s my first ever published Christmas story and I had an absolute tinselly blast writing it!

But there’s more – CHRISTMAS IN ST IVES isn’t just a lovely Christmas story set in the most gorgeous place in Cornwall, it’s also a prequel to my next novel, Somewhere Beyond the Sea which publishes in June next year. This means you’ll get to meet the main characters from the novel in this festive treat – and as the first chapter of Somewhere Beyond the Sea is included at the end of the novella, you’ll be able to read it eight months early!

Everyone thinks I write Christmas books because my novels have often been published around that time, but this is the very first time I’ve published a Christmas story and I’m over the moon with it. I’ve packed my love of St Ives, Cornwall and Christmas into this story, with a huge dose of love, laughter and more than a touch of sparkle. I really hope you’ll fall in love with CHRISTMAS IN ST IVES as I have – and that you’ll want to find out what happens to Seren, Cerrie, Kieran and Aggie next… xx

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HERE IT IS! My Book 9 NEWS!

Posted on June 23, 2017 | 3 comments

I know it’s been a long wait, but I’m SO very excited to finally bring you the title and details for my ninth novel! The title will be…

SBTS Holding Cover

Ta-daaaaaa! And you can preorder Somewhere Beyond the Sea HERE…

As many of you know, I adore Cornwall and St Ives in particular. I’ve wanted to set a novel there for many years but I finally found the perfect story to tell. And I’m incredibly proud of the result. It’s a properly romantic story, told from two perspectives, and I think you’re going to fall in love with Seren and Jack.

Here’s the blurb:

Can you fall in love with someone before you’ve even met?

Seren MacArthur is living a life she never intended. Trying to save the Cornish seaside business her late father built – while grieving for his loss – she has put her own dreams on hold and is struggling. Until she discovers a half-finished seaglass star on her favourite beach during an early morning walk. When she completes the star, she sets into motion a chain of events that will steal her heart and challenge everything she believes.

Jack Dixon is trying to secure a better life for daughter Nessie and himself. Left a widower and homeless when his wife died, he’s just about keeping their heads above water. Finding seaglass stars completed on Gwithian beach is a bright spark that slowly rekindles his hope.

Seren and Jack are searching for their missing pieces. But when they meet in real life, it’s on the opposing sides of a battle. Jack is managing the redevelopment of a local landmark, and Seren is leading the community campaign to save it.

Both have reason to fight – Seren for the cause her father believed in, Jack for his livelihood. But only one can win. With so much at stake, will they ever find what they are really looking for?

Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a sparkling tale of love, life and finding magic where you least expect it.

I adored writing this story, and I can’t wait till you can read it. I know May 2018 is a while to wait, but don’t worry, there might be something else I’ll be revealing for you before then…

The cover of Somewhere Beyond the Sea is being designed at the moment – I’ve seen the first design and it’s my most gorgeous cover for years. I’ll be sharing that with you very soon!

Till then, watch my vlogs, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page for exclusive snippets, details, behind-the-scenes treats and competitions. It may be eleven months before the book publishes, but I’m going to be packing so many goodies into those months for you. Fancy joining me on the Somewhere Beyond the Sea journey? It’s going to be BRILLIANT fun!

WP_20160909_13_35_46_ProWP_20160907_14_09_38_ProWP_20170118_17_01_58_Pro

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Finished! Woo-hoo!

Posted on May 14, 2017 | 2 comments

Just a quick post to let you know that I’ve FINISHED writing the first draft of my new book! Woo-hoo!

First Draft DONE

(In case the word count is confusing, I have a scene after THE END in this document that I’ve now snuggled into the middle of the book where it belongs…)

It’s taken lots of late nights (including five all-nighters, which I don’t recommend!), countless cups of tea and coffee, at least three different notebooks on the go at once and not an awful lot of sleep, but my ninth novel is finally written and I’m chuffed to bits with it.

Of course, there are edits to come – a structural edit, line edit, copyedit and final proof edit – but for now my book is out of my head and onto the page. All the locations are there, the cast and supporting cast (always important in my books) and a central town setting that is as much a character as the protagonists themselves. I hope you’ll be able to not just imagine yourself there but also experience the sights, sounds, scents and tastes of this story.

It’s my most romantic story to date, I think, written from the dual perspectives of Seren MacArthur and Jack Dixon. I’ve adored writing both their worlds and their voices came to me really quickly, which isn’t always the case. I think you’re going to love them, along with their friends and families. And a dog. There might be a dog…

I’m doing a final read-through today and then sending it to my editor at PanMacmillan tomorrow. It feels like the end of a mammoth journey, which has included moving house, being without internet for a month, things breaking and scary bills (who said being a full-time author was glamorous?!). In reality it’s only the first stage in a journey, but I think this is the most important – not to mention the most fun – where I get to tell myself the story first, before anyone else sees it. From the moment I hit send on the email taking it to my editor tomorrow, this story stops being just mine. And that’s okay because it’s one of the beautiful things about writing novels – your first draft is a single splash in a pool that then sends ripples out further than you can ever see.

But I might just hug my manuscript a little tonight, while it’s still just me and the story…

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Book 9 – latest news from the coalface…

Posted on April 17, 2017 | 1 comment

It’s been quiet on here lately and that has been due to a couple of factors. Firstly, we finally moved house after lots of hard work, decorating, unpacking and late nights. But it’s fabulous to be in at last and my new office is wonderful to write in!

Wurdy New Office

The light in my lovely new office is so inspiring – I love writing here already!

We’ve built bookshelves so I’m now surrounded by lovely book friends, which always makes a house feel like a home to me. I even managed a small book rainbow on one shelf – something I’ve wanted to do for ages…

Book Rainbow

A book rainbow – I need more yellow and green books…

The second reason for my web silence has been that I’ve been frantically writing Book 9, which at last has a title. I’m just waiting for the official okay from PanMacmillan and I’ll let you know as soon as I can. What I will say is that the title is absolutely perfect for the story and will also plant a song in your head that you’ll be humming for weeks!

I don’t know why I thought moving house during writing a novel would be a good idea, but oh my life it’s been a challenge. Packing and house stress aside, we also have no internet until almost the end of April, which is the deadline for the book. Lack of internet is good for writing (because no temptation to check Twitter, or Instagram, or Facebook), but quite scarily bad for backing up files, so I have been enjoying the complimentary WiFi of coffee shops, friends and parents wherever I can. My office has been mostly on the road in my car, in cafes and grabbing bits of writing time whenever and wherever possible…

SBTS Car writing

My mini writing mentors LegoElvis and LegoDollyP have been on hand to help…

When I can tell you the title, I’ll tell you where I’ve set my novel and what the story is about. I’m so excited about this one! What I can tell you for now is that it’s a properly romantic story, told from two people’s perspectives: Seren MacArthur and Jack Dixon. Writing in their voices, in present tense (which I haven’t used since Welcome to My World, so a bit of a departure for me) has been wonderful and it’s safe to say that I’ve fallen in love with them as I’ve been writing. I haven’t felt so invested in a pair of characters for a while and I think you’re going to love their story.

SBTS Seren and Jack PostIts

As I’m writing the book, I have a stack of Post-Its with reminders to keep me on track.

For now, here’s a sneaky-peek at a line from the book, which I shared for #onelinewednesday last week (I think it sums up the feeling of the whole book):

SBTS One Line Weds

EEK! I have tingles!

It’s hard work and there’s a lot to write, but my family have been amazing. It’s true that they are a huge part of my writing career – without their support I simply couldn’t do this for a job. But it does mean writing as much as I can, every day. No Easter holidays for me! I’m writing early in the morning, bits throughout the day and through the night into the early hours of the next morning to get the book written. Yesterday (Easter Sunday), I was able to write for most of the day, thanks to my wonderful in-laws looking after Bob and Flo…

SBTS Easter writing

As always, I’ve created a playlist to give a sense of the atmosphere I want for the book.

As soon as I have internet, my vlogs will be back, too. I’ll post one each week to keep you updated on Book 9. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more sneaky-peeks and exclusives, too. There’ll also be news of an extra project I’ve just had the green-light on, so I’ll tell you all about that as soon as I can. All in all, it’s an exciting – if tiring and slightly nerve-wracking – time and I can’t wait to share all the juicy details with you very soon.

Right, kettle’s on. Anyone fancy a cuppa?

New Home cuppa

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HERE IT IS! The cover for Searching for a Silver Lining!

Posted on August 19, 2016 | Leave a comment

I have been impatiently waiting to share the cover of my new book, Searching for a Silver Lining, with you… And finally, I can reveal it!

Drumroll, please…

Ta-daaah!

SfaSL FINAL COVERI adore it – and I hope you do, too. All the silver grey you see in the picture above will be gorgeous, sparkly silver foil – including the tiny stars. I can’t wait to share my eighth novel with you! It will be published on 20th October 2016 and we’re planning all kinds of exciting things around the time of the launch, so keep watching my website, twitter and Facebook for all the details.

You can pre-order Searching for a Silver Lining NOW in both paperback and ebook editions. Woo-hoo! xx

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HERE IT IS! My Big Sparkly Book News!

Posted on May 20, 2016 | 4 comments

I have been waiting to share this with you for so long – and now the time has finally come!

….DRUMROLL PLEASE…

My eighth novel will be called SEARCHING FOR A SILVER LINING and will be published by PanMacmillan on 20th October 2016! You can now preorder it here…

SFASL Title Reveal

Here’s the blurb:

Searching for a Silver Lining

It began with a promise…

Matilda Bell is left heartbroken when she falls out with her beloved grandfather just before he dies. Haunted by regret, she makes a promise that will soon change everything…

When spirited former singing star Reenie Silver enters her life, Mattie seizes the opportunity to make amends. Together, Mattie and Reenie embark on an incredible journey that will find lost friends, uncover secrets from the glamorous 1950s and put right a sixty-year wrong.

Touchingly funny, warm and life-affirming, this is a sparkling story of second chances. Searching for a Silver Lining will take you on a trip you’ll never forget.

So, there it is! I am beyond excited for you all to read this book – I have had the best time writing it and I know you’re going to love vintage shop owner Mattie Bell and the wonderfully glamorous and outspoken Reenie Silver. The cover is being designed as we speak and I’ll tell you lots more about the book in the coming weeks, so watch out for my vlogs coming soon.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts! xx

 

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Reality check…

Posted on April 10, 2016 | 1 comment

Do you mind if I get a bit emotional for a minute?

This is just a short post but something happened to me today that I wanted to write down. To remind me that it happens.

As you know, I’m in the final stages of editing Book 8. It’s been hard. Really hard. After writing and editing eight novels you would think I’d expect this but somehow every year I forget once my book is handed in. This year has been brutal. I’m not going to apologise for saying it. Writing a book is hard work, editing it into some kind of coherent story is a long (but necessary) slog. And the final stages of an edit are the absolute worst bit. If you’ve ever written a book, you’ll understand.

Editing Book 8

My edit face – nope, it ain’t pretty…

But then today, right in the middle of it all, someone I’ve never met tweeted me to say they’d chosen my books to read during their week off.

I know how precious holiday reading time is. And how important it is to choose the right book to spend time with. So, hearing that a complete stranger has picked my book completely blows my mind.

As a published writer it’s too easy to get caught up in the tough bits – the hours nobody else sees you investing, the doubts, the heart-searching slog to find the best story – and forget why you wanted to write in the first place. Every now and again glimpses like this appear and they are wonderful.

There’s no great lesson from this, apart from the encouragement that as a writer what you do makes a difference to other people. I’m leaving this post here as a message to anyone slogging out a story – and as a message to a future, sleep-deprived, fed up, final-stage-edit me. Hang in for the good stuff. It happens.

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