Dear All,
The summer holidays are in full swing and it’s been exciting to see Kiss, Marry, Murder sales on the increase as people head for a bit of R&R. Thank you to everyone who has bought and read it so far! If you haven’t yet left a star rating or review on Amazon, it would be really appreciated. In addition, please do share a recommendation on your own social media and tag me @writerfaye (Insta) or @fayebrannwriter (FaceBook). I can promise it makes a difference, and I am truly grateful for every single piece of support you can offer.
After a few months of intensive book marketing for KMM I’ve taken a bit of time to draw breath and decide what I’m doing next. As a hybrid author I need to carefully balance seeking traditional deals with self-publishing, but fortunately one goes a lot slower than the other! So, while my current manuscript is out on submission, the second book in the Jessica Sinclair series, Little Grey Cells, is starting to take shape. The luxury of publishing this series independently means I have complete control over the release date and everything in between – something I am enjoying immensely despite the admittedly tough sales environment without a ‘big five’ advertising budget. I’m aiming to have LGC out early next year, but will be posting a couple of teaser chapters to newsletter subscribers in the near future, to give fans a sneak peak of the next adventure. If you haven’t already subscribed and want to see what Jess, Della and Darcy are up to next, hit the SUBSCRIBE button at the bottom of this post!
In terms of other activities, July has been fairly quiet, however, I’m really excited for a number of brand new debut authors as the Comedy Women in Print Prize announced their unpublished longlisted manuscripts on 16th July! You can find a list of them, along with the published and self-published long-listers here. A huge congratulations to them all – as the 2020 winner, I know how thrilling and potentially game-changing this is for a new author. I wish you lots of luck over the coming months and hope to see some of you at the winners’ party in November!
It would be remiss of me not to remind you that Kiss, Marry, Murder is on sale via Amazon and also to order through most bookshops across the UK, North America and beyond. And, if you’ve never read my award-winning debut Tinker, Tailor, Schoolmum, Spy, why not check it out as well?
Happy summer! Fx
WHAT I’M READING THIS MONTH The summer holidays has given me chance to get through some of my TBRs at last. First up was an advance copy of Night Shift, a new novel by the talented CWIP long-lister Nancy Peach, out in September and available for pre-order. If you’re a die hard Gray’s Anatomy fan, this one’s for you!
Second in the pile was You Lied First, a thriller set in Oman, where a luxury holiday goes horribly wrong. I met Annabel when we both lived in Dubai, and love how she’s woven a story set in the region so sensitively and respectfully while still producing a dangerous and intense plot.
Talking of intense, I’ve also polished off How The Other Half Die by Rachel North. If you liked Succession, you’ll probably love this twisted tale of family ties, betrayals and love. Well worth a read, with characters you’ll love to hate (or hate to love) and a nice, twisty ending.
WHAT I’M WATCHING THIS MONTH While others may have differing opinions, I think the less said about And Just Like That, the better. See also: Too Much, which frankly should have been called ‘Not Enough’. A disappointing effort by Girls creator, Lena Dunham that I just didn’t warm to in any way. Perhaps I’m too old to appreciate Older Gen Z’s answer to Bridget Jones but I suspect it was the lack of good acting, predicable plot and zero chemistry between the actors that did it.
However, what I did really, really really enjoy was The Pitt. I watched it while I was in the USA and OMG I really hope it comes to the UK soon – I’m sure it will – because it was absolutely brilliant. For anyone who likes hospital drama, this one, for me, beat them all. While the acting, script and direction were all 10/10, I think it was the lack of
shagging in the on-call room (about as sexy as doing it in a plane toilet imo) that really won me over.
WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS MONTH
August is mainly focused on writing but I’m delighted to be heading back to The Kitabe Club, based in India, for a instagram live chat on the 10th and teaching my workshp, Writing Through Play to an online cohort with the Professional Writing Academy on 14th.
I’ve also picked up a side gig as a manuscript reviewer for the Professional Writing Academy. It’s a come-full-circle moment for me. Many moons ago I got my first manuscript reviewed by PWA, in order to ready myself for agent submissions. To be able to pay this forward with other writers is really gratifying and fun, too. If you have a MS you’d like me to review, check out the link!
UPCOMING EVENT!! Comedy Women in Print are hosting a second ‘Author Event’ on 2nd October which I’ve helped to put together along with founder Helen Lederer and co-CWIPster Kathleen Whyman, so if you are a witty woman writer and fancy meeting like-minded individuals to talk all things writing and publishing, grab yourself a ticket here before they sell out. There are also some incredible writerly raffle prizes on offer, tickets for this will be for sale on the night.
AND FINALLY … I’m now taking bookings for book club nights, blogs, podcast and workshop opportunities in autumn and winter. If you would like me to come along and talk about my books, writing mid-life female characters, writing through play, or generally about life, the menopause and everything, please get in touch at fayebrannwriter@gmail.com. If you’re part of a bookclub, visit my ‘books’ pages on the website and download a bookclub pack for either Kiss, Marry, Murder or Tinker, Tailor, Schoolmum, Spy. They contain some discussion questions about the book, a short essay from me and MOST importantly, a cocktail recipe!
Have a wonderful month!
Faye x
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