Invite to my online book launch party

Kate Allan

would like to invite you to an online party

to celebrate the book launch of Perfidy and Perfection

and new ebook issue of Fateful Deception

from 20^th to 22^nd April 2006

at http://perfidyandperfection.blogspot.com/

Back and Fateful Deception is out!

Back from Derbyshire... more about my travels there soon...

In the meantime Belgrave House have issued my first novel, the short novel Fateful Deception as an ebook. Huzzah!

Middlesex, England, at the beginning of 1810... Captain Robert Monceaux is lately back in Hounslow barracks after the retreat from Corunna. He's pleased to be of some assistance in rescuing a young lady from highway robbers on Hounslow Heath. But Lucinda Handscombe is determined to take control of her own destiny and is in no mood to bow to his high-handed behaviour.

What do you think of the cover? I love it. :)

Excerpt

Excerpt from Perfidy and Perfection up at UK Historical Romance blog.

I'm busy looking forward to the weekend, which will be spent in Derbyshire. Chatsworth, Haddon Hall, Lyme Park here I come...

A scoop!

Among my ordinary writing activities, journalism comes pretty low down the list. However, not this week. It would appear, within the small confines of the UK book trade / writing press anyway, that I scooped a story!

This is about a brand new independent publisher in the UK who will be publishing a general fiction list and are currently actively seeking submissions. First books are due to be out this autumn. A couple of telephone calls and it became apparent that the interview which I'd asked the founder of aforementioned publisher for for Solander magazine, which I am features editor for, hadn't been published elsewhere.

So, if you're a subscriber, you'll see it in the next issue of UK writing magazine, Writers News.

Or, if you're a member of the Historical Novels Society, there will be my interview (with luck) with Solander, especially in relation to this publisher's personal interest in historical fiction.

I can't reveal the publisher here yet, but if you are an aspiring author with a fiction manuscript ready to submit for publication, and you promise not to go public for a week or so, email me and I'll send you the details.

At the Napoleonic Fair

In the interests of variety, I've also posted some of the pics over at UK Historical Romance blog, so if you want to see one with me with a redcoat, head there.


Anyhow, this is me (left) at the Napoleonic Fair last Sunday in my sprig day dress and sporting my brand new felt bonnet. I had a long conversation with the lady next to me about lady soldiers. We had a mutual interest: I co-authored a novel with a lady soldier, she is in a group of re-enactors who play the part of Spanish ladies who fought alongside the men in the Napoleonic wars. She explained about the costume research which was really interesting. The group is quite newly formed and don't yet have website or I would like to them. But I can still say, Good luck, ladies!


With me at the fair where three other authors who write romantic historical fiction: Fenella-Jane Miller, and pictured here on the right (L-R) Louise Allen and Melinda Hammond.


(Picture left) Here's me looking hopefully out at the start of the fair that someone might buy a book or two.


Now it may appear that the there is an unhealthy obessession among authors with actually selling books. Now, part of me if just happy to think that there are people bothering to read the story I slaved over. However, if I want to stay published, let alone build a career as an author, I need to sell to a reasonable level.


I had a nice chat with one man who bought a copy of Perfidy and Perfection. It's a present to his wife in Australia where he was heading back home to the following day.

I hope she enjoys the story.

WIP, article and research

Ack! Busy writing an article this evening and doing some research for my impending trip (over Easter) to Derbyshire. I did manage a few hundred words on the wip though yesterday... Got inspired so had to write it.

Now, if I could do that every day I might actually make some decent progress on it. :(

Photos from Fair coming soon. Promise.

Napoleonic Fair...

Blog post and pics from Regency and Georgian author Melinda Hammond on the Napoleonic Fair.

Post coming from me, and pics, when I've recovered... Tiring weekend!

A book signing!

Fanfare of trumpets! It happened; the day when I was to do the first signing for Perfidy and Perfection - at Ottakars in St Albans. It was quite scary but the bookshop staff were all really nice. :) As well as being friendly they offered me a coffee and kept asking if there was anything I needed.

A table was laid out with twenty copies of the book on. I sold ten, which I was really pleased with. I didn't think I would sell that many, with being in hardback.

I felt a bit silly sitting on the chair the whole time so I wandered around a bit. I must have looked official as members of the public asked me various questions such as where they could find a book by such-and-such an author.

It was fun to do but I was pleased when it was over and I could proceed to the family lunch we had planned at a local restaurant.

The next bookshop signing is in two weeks at the Country Bookshop near Buxton in Derbyshire. Saturday 15th April (Easter Saturday) at 2pm.

However, tomorrow I'm signing books again at the International Napoleonic Fair...

Radio, newspapers and a launch party

This week started with a couple of interviews. On Monday I was on BBC Three Counties Radio briefly - talking about Perfidy and Perfection, Jane Austen and the International Napoleonic Fair. Then on Tuesday I was interviewed by the St Albans Observer and I spoke quite broadly about my writing. A nice piece came out in the paper on Thursday - although I turned from Kate into Karen half way through!

There was also a piece in the St Albans and Harpenden Review with my photo and book cover of Perfidy and Perfection in, although the article was largely about the upcoming Napoleonic Fair.

Then on Friday was the official launch day for Perfidy and Perfection, and a friend emailed me to complain that it was on a 4-6 week order at amazon.co.uk. Ack! I'm only the author. I can't do anything about amazon. If you want to order online, Tesco has 5% off.

Friday evening I was looking forward to as I was going to Julie Cohen's launch party in Reading. The venture of getting there involved racing out of work, heading home as swiftly as possible, a lighting clothes change, and then hitting the M25 by 7pm (the best laid plans and all that...).

The reality was that I left work, had a mad dash to rendezvous with the publicist at Hale to pick up my posters needed for the weekend, meaning we didn't leave St Albans until 7.30pm. Then we got lost around Reading, and once we'd located the Town Hall couldn't find out where to park. The end result meaning that we arrived at Julie's party at 10.15pm!!! Oh dear. I was actually pleased to get there at all and have the chance to celebrate briefly with Julie Cohen, who I've known since before we were both published, the release of her first two titles for Mills and Boon.

No pictures. Forgot the camera in the rush. :(

But should be some pics today... I'm doing a book signing at Ottakars, St Albans. Fingers crossed... I'm actually really nervous.