Well, It’s officially the publication day for ‘The Courtesan’s Lover’ - my second book is now on sale, and my naughty courtesan has finally gone public!  I keep having a nice warm feeling about it all, as I sit here at my desk!   I had a lovely launch party last Friday at the Waterstones store in Chichester.  It was such a happy occasion;  friends and family and my lovely publishers were all there, sharing the moment with me, and it was all just exactly what I wanted it to be. 

Today, however - the official launch day – is much more prosaic!  I took the car to be MOTd (It passed!  Hurrah!), I walked the dog, and I’m now back at my desk, editing the Work In Progress. 

Publication feels very different this time round – mainly because I now have a wonderful network of writerly friends, met through Twitter and Facebook, and through author events;  they’ve all been so lovely and supportive in the lead-up to today.  It makes such a difference to feel part of a community – we all look out for each other, and publicise each other’s work, and commiserate when things don’t go according to plan etc etc.  It’s great -  I wouldn’t be without any of you and you all know who you are!!

One of this community of writers is my lovely friend DJ Kirkby – author of ‘Without Alice’ and the new Writer in Residence for the Portsmouth Libraries. She has a brilliant project on the go at the moment – she’s offering a Kindle as a giveaway!   Here’s how you can try to win it – check out DJ’s website for details.  http://djkirkby.co.uk/2011/11/kindle-giveaway-mini-competition-number-8/

Good luck with that – and for any aspiring writers reading this … hold on to your belief in your work, and keep at it, because it DOES happen, and it’s so very well worth waiting and fighting for.  I’m going back to the Work In Progress now, because, sure as eggs is eggs, there won’t be another publication day if I don’t finish writing another book!