24th June 2009
Ah, flaming June... Less than twenty four hours remain until what would have been the publication date of Never Say Die, and - durr - I finally get around to updating my website with the news that for various complex logistical reasons outside our control, it's not now going to hit the shops until November. So, apologies to all of you who've been telling me how much they were looking forward to it being one of their holiday reads. Fear not; it's all done, dusted, put to bed and ready - it will just have to be one for the Christmas Stockings instead!
Seriously, however, this does happen from time to time. Indeed, it happened with my third novel - Baby I Can Drive Your Car - which was shunted a full eight months along the publishing calendar for a whole bunch of similar reasons. On that occasion it fetched up with a whole new jacket (which I liked a whole lot better, as it happened) and even a new title - One Day Someday. No prizes for guessing how I came up with that one...
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In the meantime, however, here's all the blurb...
Never Say Die
by Melanie Davies and Lynne Barrett-Lee
'I don’t know how long it was before I fully woke up, but when I did, everything felt different. My eyes opened and for a moment it seemed that I must have been hit on the head. There was no pain at all, but a new face above me. A manly face. Rugged. Unfamiliar. Concerned. I wanted him to save me, but straight away I noticed that there was worry in his expression and sadness in his eyes. He asked me a question, but I didn’t really hear it. I felt terrified. Why was he looking at me that way? Then he asked me again, and this time I did hear. “Can you,” he asked, “move your feet for me, sweetheart?” I had no choice but to answer with a question of my own, because I didn’t understand what was happening. Where were they? Where were my feet and my legs? Where was the rest of my body?’
Exciting stuff, huh? Well, I think so, anyway. And I'm allowed to say that because this book isn't a work of fiction. It is, rather, a real life story about an extraordinary lady and between us I like to think we've done it justice. In fact, and I think I'm allowed to say this as well, it's not only the perfect holiday read, but the perfect anytime read in these dispiriting times. So why not pre-order on Amazon by clicking here?
Now, as always, back to the home page i.e. the bit regular visitors will have already read...
I always start with a list. No, those aren't my words but those of my very first full-length fictional heroine, Julia Potter, who begins her journey by having a damn good spring clean.
The reference to Julia isn't random, however, because this being my homepage, and therefore the first one you come to, it behoves me (in the interests of both book sales and lexical diversity) to let you know that she's had a bit of a make-over too, in the form of having got herself a lovely new jacket. you can get her - indeed, any of my published titles - via Amazon by simply clicking on the shop link to your left.