Catherine Isaac's Blog, page 2

My new cover is revealed (in an otherwise crazy month!)

Whether a book cover appeals to a reader is a very subjective thing. It’s the same for authors - it isn’t always the case that we love the jackets publishers produce for our novels. I’ve always felt quite lucky on this front; I’ve never had one I’ve hated and I’ve always worked with fairly collaborative editors so if I’v...

Holidays, book news and some nice freebies for five subscribers!

Anyone who’s self-employed knows how difficult it can be to tear yourself away from work at times. You feel as though, if you turn on your out-of-office you might miss something CRUCIAL (though I’m sure in reality I’m not that important!).

Also, if you love your work like I do, it’s easy to convince yourself that it’s no b...

A few disasters at home ... but good news on the book front!

First, an apology for my failure to send out a newsletter last month - I had a good excuse! If you follow me on social media, you’ll already will know that I‘ve had a whirlwind few weeks after our house was flooded in a huge storm. We only moved in last December and have been working flat out since then to renovate the p...

Richard & Judy's 16 favourite lockdown reads... including 'You Me Everything'

Lockdown has affected us all differently. I know not all of us are reading more, but for me, losing myself in a good book has been my saviour during these strange and anxious times. I think the key to finding something really absorbing is choosing the right book. I’ve got a few of my own recommendations (below), but Richa...

Join me live on Facebook with some of my favourite authors

They say you should hold onto the positives at times like this, so here are a few of mine: A beloved family member who was very sick with Covid-19 but is now on the road to recovery. A garden where my kids can run around in sunshine. Reading more. Running every day. Zoom quiz nights. Getting hold of a tin of emulsion paint to finally spruce up our bathroom

Some of these are small, some bigger, but one of the things Ive genuinely loved doing since we went into lockdown is being able to...

How to make Mother's Day special when times are tough

The world has changed since I last wrote one of these newsletters. And yet it still turns, the sun still rises and its still Mothers Day this weekend. I have been wracking my brains about how to make this Sunday special for my mum, who is in her seventies and therefore following the advice to take social distancing measures. This means our usual noisy family lunch with tonnes of food, kids running around and the odd glass of prosecco just isnt going to happen.

Somehow, though, its never...

Why the setting for 'Messy, Wonderful Us' just had to be Italy

I’ve been waiting for years to set a book in Italy. I’m not the first person to say that it’s my favourite place and I won’t be the last. But I wrote no less than ten novels, before I finally got there with MESSY, WONDERFUL US and I hope when you read it that you’ll agree it was worth the wait.

The book – which is out in less than THREE WEEKS - opens with the discovery of a letter, dated 1983 and containing secrets so unthinkable that it has been hidden away, apparently forever. More than...

Happy New Year! (Yes, I'm late, but have a good excuse)

My new writing room. Like most of the house, it hasn’t been painted yet, but you get the idea.

Yes, I realise I’m a very late in wishing you all a terrific 2020, but I really do have a good excuse, which I’ll come to in a minute. I must confess I’ve never found January as offensive as some people do. Yes, it’s cold here in the UK and no longer socially acceptable to eat chocolate for breakfast, but after my own abject lack of restraint over Christmas I tend to be ready for a bit of...

Take a peek inside my new (very old) house...

As if preparing for a big family Christmas wasn’t enough, someone somewhere decided I just wasn’t juggling enough balls right now - and made my house sale and purchase finally go through this month. The idea of moving home this close to Christmas is most people’s definition of madness, but I’ve been trying to buy this place since June, when I first fell in love with it - leaky roof and crumbling walls and all. Since then, we’ve been gazumped once, our house sale fell through twice and...

'MESSY WONDERFUL US' is out today in hardback, e-book and audio

The day has finally arrived! My follow up to ‘You Me Everything’ is today published in the UK in hardback, ebook and audio. Read what it’s about . . .

What if loving someone means keeping a secret that will break your heart?

In late 1983, a letter arrives from Italy, containing secrets so unthinkable that it is hidden away, apparently forever. More than three decades later, it is found . . . by the last person who was ever supposed to see it.

Watch the trailer . . .Read what other authors are...