Festive fun – The Cosy Christmas Tea Shop is here!

My third novel, The Cosy Christmas Tea Shop, is now released both in paperback and e-books. It’s been a hectic summer writing this book in four months flat, but I’ve had such a lovely response to it so far, with many reviewers saying it’s even better than The Cosy Teashop in the Castle – so that’s just wonderful. Thank you.

And yesterday, the Kindle book actually got to No1 in the Amazon UK Contemporary Fiction Charts. How amazing is that! Really quite incredible if you look back to my posts on the Submission Rollercoaster and Riding the Rejections from just a few years ago. So, it really does go to show, you should never give up on your dreams. Work hard, learn along the way, enjoy what you do (I’ve always loved the actual writing, that’s what kept me going!) and persevere. Like Ellie in the Cosy Teashop stories, keep striving for your dreams – you never quite know where they will lead you.

The Cosy Christmas Tea Shop stays with Claverham Castle. It’s a gorgeous Christmassy love story, with some great new characters for you to meet as well as the old favourites. There are festive cakes and bakes, a Christmas Craft Fayre, a beautiful Christmas Wedding, and lots more happening. It’s the sort of book to curl up with on a cold winter’s night with a hot chocolate and the fire on. And it will certainly put you in the mood for Christmas.

The good news is that there will be more novels from me next year as I’m about to sign a further two book deal with HarperCollins. So you can look forward to a poignant, heart-warming love story set in the stunning village of Bamburgh on the Northumberland coast, with its beautiful golden-sand beach and castle backdrop, and there’s also going to be a further “Cosy” book for the autumn. I have a feeling chocolate will be featuring in this one - I’m really looking forward to doing the research on this book!!

Thanks for reading this blog, enjoying my books, and for all the wonderful support I have received on my writing journey so far!

Best wishes,

Caroline x

Writing Life, Summer '16

Well, that was a busy summer!

Drum roll and applause - I have managed to write a book from scratch in four months, as well as just about keeping up with the day job and the family! So, The Cosy Christmas Teashop is now at the final editing stages and is about to be born in October (e-book) and early November (paperback). It’s a festive sequel to The Cosy Teashop in the Castle, so we get to see lots more of Ellie, Joe, the Claverham Castle cast, and the beautiful countryside of my home county of Northumberland.

Other exciting news is that The Cosy Teashop has been available across the UK in Sainsbury’s – my mother knew I had really made it then!! It was weird and rather amazing seeing it there in my local supermarket, I must say. I felt like grabbing a trolley-pushing passer-by, saying “It’s mine, that’s my book!” but feared they might just think I was the local loony. I couldn’t resist telling the lad on the checkout mind. Still feels very surreal.

And, I am now about to hit Germany with The Cosy Teashop (in translation) newly titled as “Rosen, Tee und Kandiszucher” which means “Roses, Tea and Candied Sugar”. The cover is of the most pretty flower-topped cupcakes. I’ll post an image when I get my copy of the book. So I’m going all European too.

What’s next? Last edits on the Christmas novel. Take a little breather, I hope. And then, I have already written a poignant, love story set at two side-by-side cottages on beautiful Bamburgh Beach, so I’ll be working on making that as good as it can be and hope that will be published for 2017. Watch this space…

And a little advice, if you are writing and as yet unpublished, keep going! Remember that I was where you are now, just a couple of years ago – it took me ten years of writing and then submitting to find a publisher (don’t panic, it can happen sooner than that too!). So don’t give up hope - keep writing and enjoy what you write, be inspired, find some writing friends for support, allow yourself to be disheartened if you get knock-backs, that is only natural, but pick yourself up, learn from it, and persevere. Good luck!

Best wishes,

Caroline x

Life Just Got busier! The Wonders of Writing and Winging It!

Hello!

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted here. My feet haven't touched the ground lately. 

The Cosy Teashop in the Castle is now published, and has been doing wonderfully well especially in the e-book market. At one point I got to No 6 in the whole of Kindle paid - wow! And No. 1 briefly in Romantic Comedy. I have also just learned that my book will be appearing in paperback in Sainsbury's this summer, from the middle of June - how marvellous.

As well as all this, I have been busy finishing Book 3 - a poignant love story set on beautiful Bamburgh beach here in Northumberland, and whilst I'm trying to settle a book deal on that (via my lovely agent, Hannah Ferguson), I'm busy writing Book 4 as loads of ideas keep filling my head for a Christmas follow up to The Cosy Teashop!

 

As well as the writing and the day job, I'm doing lots of library events around the North of England, my next being at Stockton library on 6th May, 4pm. I am also appearing in Wakefield, Gateshead, Jarrow, Doncaster and Manchester. The full programme is on the Read Regional website (there are lots of other fab writers involved too) and I've written a Blog there to let you know all about the scheme, my first events and how it feels to be in front of an audience - definitely a bit of winging it! http://www.readregional.com/category/blogs/

I've also been appearing as on several guest blogs. I was very proud to feature on Novelicous recently - the wonderful Women's Fiction Blog for Readers and Writers. 
So take a peek at my writing room: 
http://www.novelicious.com/2016/03/my-writing-room-by-caroline-roberts.html
And, my top tips for new writers: http://www.novelicious.com/2016/03/caroline-roberts-top-5-writing-tips.html

Well then, I'd better get on and back to the writing once more!
Take care all,

Caroline x

Read Regional 2016 Selection and a Wonderful Week!

I am thrilled and very proud to announce that I have been selected as one of the ten writers who will be taking part in the Read Regional Campaign for 2016, with my debut novel The Torn Up Marriage. New Writing North organises this campaign which takes poets, novelists, short story writers and memoirists into libraries and other events such as the Durham Literary Festival across the Northern area, primarily in the North East but now also in the Yorkshire and North West/Manchester areas too.

Read Regional hosts an exciting series of events, mostly between March and July, including library talks, readings, discussion groups, workshops. I have a tour of talks organised where I’ll be travelling as far as Doncaster, Darlington, Wakefield, more locally in Gateshead, Hexham, across to Cumbria and more, with a (no doubt nerve-wracking) finale appearance at the main central Manchester Library.

Please take a look at the Read Regional website for full details of this wonderful campaign and the list of events for myself and the other writers: http://www.readregional.com/

I am going to have an exciting and very busy few months ahead. I’m really looking forward to chatting with readers and getting involved in these events – and I’m going to have to take a deep breath and brush up on my public speaking skills asap! So, my writing journey takes another leap into the wonderful unknown.

In the meanwhile, I’m also happy and to announce that my second novel The Cosy Teashop in the Castle is due for publication on 25^th February 2016! This is a romantic comedy about striving for your dreams which is set in a gorgeous Northumbrian castle. And, its only gone and got itself to the No. 1 slot on Amazon Hot New Releases for Romantic Comedy today – how amazing is that!

Thanks for all your support for my writing. It's been quite a journey so far, and I'm still pinching myself with what has happened in the past year. If you have any questions or comments feel free to jot them down below, it would be lovely to hear from you!

Very best wishes,

Caroline x