2014 - Hurrah!

I am so looking forward to this year! 2013 was very good to me with a successful launch of A Stitch in Time. It has some lovely reviews (45 five-star!) and is at the time of writing, it is  #1 again in Time Travel!

My second novel with Choc Lit, Somewhere Beyond the Sea will be out in March and another ebook out around the same time. (Title to be decided) I am hoping for Cross-Stitch, the sequel to A Stitch in Time to be out at the end of the year if all goes well, fingers crossed. This will depend on a favorable report from Choc Lit's tasting panel  ;)

On a personal level, I have a beautiful granddaughter Esme who was born in July. She is so full of life and desperate to start crawling. She's really cute and bright as a button, just like her big brother, Ronan.

Esme

 I can't wait for spring so we can take full advantage of our recent move to this stunning part of the world.

Bedruthan Steps (20 mins from us!)

I wish you all a brilliant, happy, healthy and successful New Year. If it is anything like the last one I will be over the moon! :)

The First Three Chapters...

I am offering an assessment and advice service to writers for the first three chapters of their work. As any writer knows, the first three chapters need to make a big impact and grab the attention of publishers or agents if the work is to stand a chance. Over the last few years I have been helping people privately, but now have decided to open my advice to any writer who feels they might need a bit of help. I am a published writer and also have been a teacher for seventeen years. There will be a small charge. If you are interested, drop me an email  -  mandykjames@hotmail.co.uk and we'll go from there.

At Last I Have Moved to Cornwall!

Well, we only went and did it! After years of talking about moving to the wonderful county of Cornwall, we are here. Not just my husband and I, (gawd I sound like the queen), but our daughter and family and soon, my parents (both in their mid 80s ) will hopefully make the journey from Bristol too.

I first came here when I was four - about 40 years ago (okay and the rest) and we stayed in Looe. I have vivid memories of running down a very steep hill from our little chalet on the cliff to the beach with my brother every day. When it was time for breakfast, mum would hang a red towel out of the window and we would go back. I also remember walking along a quayside - not sure which one now, and seeing a row of sharks hanging on hooks. There was a big sign saying words to the effect of,  'Do Not Touch The Sharks -Skin Abrasive. So, what did I do? Yes, and I grazed my finger.

Over the years I have returned on numerous occasions. I just seemed to feel at home  in Cornwall and adored the Atlantic north coast in particular. It is more rugged, wild and  - breathtakingly beautiful of course. I do love Falmouth though, especially pootling around the shops there. I feel so lucky now as I never really thought that I would live near the ocean here, despite my endless dreaming.

Newquay

Falmouth High Street

We are about six miles in from Newquay and can just see the sea across the fields out of the bedroom window.

Okay, yes, I would have liked to have bought an old cottage overlooking the ocean, but wouldn't everyone? Our new house is exactly that - brand new. It is small, but perfectly formed and it is beginning to feel more like home with every passing week. There are a few drawbacks, like every time we want to go anywhere we get stuck behind a tractor or a tanker, and the shops we took for granted back in Bristol are at least twenty minutes away, but I think I can put up with that!

The internet took an age to set up , but that was the fault of BT not the signal! Four weeks without it nearly killed me (slight exaggeration), no Twitter or Facebook meant I felt totally out of it. But every cloud has a silver lining, because I used my enforced exile from the outside world to finish my sequel to A Stitch in Time. My next novel, Somewhere Beyond The Sea is out in April and set in the fictional Cornish town of Kellerston. It's weird to think that I was still dreaming of moving when I finished it back in April, and we managed to achieve it by August.

I am sure that this inspirational place will provide more ideas for future books. My next purchase will be a new notebook to take to my favourite beach (Mawgan Porth 15 mins away) just in case I get a new idea or two.

Mawgan Porth

I do realise I am so lucky to be living where I feel most at home, but my recent experience of trying to get published has taught me some valuable lessons. If you believe in yourself and really want something to happen - work bloody hard for it, be determined, never give up... and now and again, it does.

Somewhere Beyond The Sea

I am beyond thrilled with the beautiful new cover for my new book out next April. It encapsulates the dark mysterious nature of the plot and as many who have seen it have already said, very evocative, and extremely eye-catching!



































I was completely bowled over by my first cover with Choc Lit Publishing, but I have to say that this is another triumph! I have printed it out and put it on the fridge so I can drool over it every time I open the door. Because of the beautiful artwork I have opened the door more often than usual. So if I have over indulged on the chocolate or other goodies, then the cover is to blame. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)

So, next April I will be able to hold it in my hands and caress it's gorgeous surface. What do you mean I have a problem? lol. I am sure you will want to do the same.  But if you can't wait until then and haven't read my first novel with Choc Lit, here it is. Just click on the link. A Stitch in Time It is a romantic time travelling tale, full of adventure and heart-stopping trips back to the past.

Right, now I think it's time to visit the fridge again and have another loving look at my new cover...

A Great Month For A Stitch in Time

Regarding the summer weather, June has been a wash out up until the last few days. But for A Stitch in Time it has been amazing! It has been on the Amazon 99p Kindle promo since the beginning of the month and very quickly went to #1 in Time Travel and it is still there! It fluctuates between #2-#3 in Fantasy Futuristic and Ghost, and anywhere between the top 30 and top 50 in Contemporary Romance.

Also this month three people have kindly taken photos of the paperback in airports for me. I have yet to see it on the shelf there as I sadly don't frequent airports nowadays, but it was still a huge thrill to see photos! It's great to think that people buy my book on their way to sunny far flung destinations to read on the plane or the beach. It is something I had only dreamed about in the past.

So a huge thank you to anyone who has bought or helped promote my book on Twitter, Facebook, blogs etc. It is SO very much appreciated! Right....back to the sequel :)

Saturday Surgery with Dr Phil Hammond

I had such a great time at BBC Radio Bristol last Saturday. I was the 'dinner guest' and had an hour long chat with Dr Phil Hammond who made me feel very welcome and is such a lovely man too.

We talked about my book A Stitch in Time and the four guests who I would invite to dinner. If you would like to find out who came to our dinner party, click the link below! :)

My chat with Dr Phil. (I am on about 6 mins in)

Here is a photo - I had my eyes shut unfortunately!

A Stitch in Time Launch

Well, A Stitch in Time was launched at Foyles, Bristol last Wednesday (10th of April) and it was brilliant!

After rushing around like a mad woman all week and on the day, I am happy to say despite the nerves, I really enjoyed it. It was just brilliant to see friends old and new turning up to give their support and best wishes. I was overwhelmed that over thirty people came out on a rainy cold evening to listen to me give a talk and a reading.


The little guy in this picture is my grandson, Ronan. He won the hearts of a few I can tell you!

I couldn't believe that I was actually signing books in a real bookstore either! That was something I had only ever dreamed about before.


Some friends and family had travelled from as far as Trowbridge, Westbury, Tetbury and Southampton, Just brilliant. And the refreshments were brilliant too! My fab publishers Choc Lit had sent a case of fizz and the House Of Dorchester had provided the most gorgeous Champagne and Strawberry truffles.


A friend of ours, Yvonne made the cupcakes and they were just as delicious as they look in the photo!

So I want to say a huge thank you to all who came and/or wished me well,
and Robb Norton, the manager of Foyles was a real star and made the whole evening run smoothly, so an extra big thanks to him too.

Below, more pics of the launch :)