What a way to start a perfect summer day! A foamy cappuccino, a crisp croissant (or cornetto if you are in Italy), fresh fruit and a good book:
Am I plugging my latest book? Yes, shamelessly, ha ha! I just got it in the mail, brand new, fresh from Create Space's printing presses (you can see it here on Amazon - for some mysterious reason, the blue in reality is several shades darker than on the website, looks much better).
I confess that I love a printed book. It looks more real than the digital version, it's got pages you can turn, a shiny cover you can slide your fingers on, and you can write in the margin. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't feel I've published a book until I hold it in my hands...
And I'm not afraid to say it's a damn good book...Though I must also confess that I find it hard to self-promote, it goes against the grain. I've been brought up by old-fashioned parents who felt children should be seen and not heard.
...Well, not quite like that (though it pretty much sums up the influence of my mother and father, Mom was always the one who showed affection and Dad the one who discussed ideas). And it's hard to shake off a lifetime of acting reserved and demure.
So what is this book Forever Young about? A near-future thriller (yes, scary!), it is set 200 years from now. Last week it got a Nevil Award for climate fiction and has already garnered 5-star reviews on Amazon. Actually, last year, when I published the opening, it got a lot of attention on Goodreads (23 ratings) - and more recently on Wattpad (400 reads) and Readwave (1685 reads, 13 likes, my most successful short, a 3 minute read, see here).
Here are some excerpts, and I treasure them, there is nothing that makes a writer happier than a good review that shows the reader enjoyed the book:
Right now, if you live in the UK, the digital version is under promotion (at a 70% discount) - until 22 July, so hurry! If you don't live in the UK, don't despair, the digital price is low and the printed book can be had with a free digital version. I made sure to make the digital version free; in my opinion, this is something that should be standard: if you buy the printed book, you should always get a free digital version, it makes sense.
Now, as to why Amazon doesn't run "countdown deals" in markets other than the US and UK, I have no idea. Not fair. I can only presume that in the near future, they will do so.
Wondering about where I took the image with my book and cappuccino? On this terrace:
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I confess that I love a printed book. It looks more real than the digital version, it's got pages you can turn, a shiny cover you can slide your fingers on, and you can write in the margin. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't feel I've published a book until I hold it in my hands...
And I'm not afraid to say it's a damn good book...Though I must also confess that I find it hard to self-promote, it goes against the grain. I've been brought up by old-fashioned parents who felt children should be seen and not heard.
...Well, not quite like that (though it pretty much sums up the influence of my mother and father, Mom was always the one who showed affection and Dad the one who discussed ideas). And it's hard to shake off a lifetime of acting reserved and demure.
So what is this book Forever Young about? A near-future thriller (yes, scary!), it is set 200 years from now. Last week it got a Nevil Award for climate fiction and has already garnered 5-star reviews on Amazon. Actually, last year, when I published the opening, it got a lot of attention on Goodreads (23 ratings) - and more recently on Wattpad (400 reads) and Readwave (1685 reads, 13 likes, my most successful short, a 3 minute read, see here).
Here are some excerpts, and I treasure them, there is nothing that makes a writer happier than a good review that shows the reader enjoyed the book:
- "Futuristic and yet spot on" (Beate Boeker, here)
- "A highly plausible future. Scarily plausible" (Bob Rector, here)
- "A prophetic view of our future" (Lit Amri)
- "a roller coaster ride" (Marsha Roberts, here)
- "A growing tension among the main characters as the fatal end approaches" (C.E. Rodriguez)
- "A fascinating concept, Nougat provides beautifully-written science fiction, with enough reality to scare the hell out of us" (Vikki Patis, see article here)
Right now, if you live in the UK, the digital version is under promotion (at a 70% discount) - until 22 July, so hurry! If you don't live in the UK, don't despair, the digital price is low and the printed book can be had with a free digital version. I made sure to make the digital version free; in my opinion, this is something that should be standard: if you buy the printed book, you should always get a free digital version, it makes sense.
Now, as to why Amazon doesn't run "countdown deals" in markets other than the US and UK, I have no idea. Not fair. I can only presume that in the near future, they will do so.
Wondering about where I took the image with my book and cappuccino? On this terrace:
That's our house in Umbria, an old stone farm near Lake Trasimeno, one of the main settings of my previous book, Crimson Clouds. Yes, under that umbrella, a perfect place to read a book!
Cheers and have a happy summer!
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