Imogen Clark's Blog, page 18

My Book Reading

I’m breaking my own rule here by posting more than once a week but I’m just so excited that I have a video of me reading from my book that I’ve had to do it. Please indulge me!

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Lift off!

Hi

Well this is all very exciting! My book Postcards From a Stranger appears to be taking off and I’m delighted. Readers are being very complimentary and whilst I’m sure that there will be some bad reviews before too long, there aren’t any just yet. I even have people who have marked it to read on Goodreads.

Please indulge me if I share some of the comments that readers are leaving.

“The mysteries and puzzles are set against a clear backdrop so that the reader’s energies are focused on the central theme. This skillful construction made it a book that was hard to put down. I was riveted.”

“Thoroughly enjoyed this! Great mix of characters and a storyline that kept me guessing throughout. Both laughter and tears involved in the book, with a story that had me gripped and kept me turning the pages.”

“A great novel – twists in the plot, believable characters with poignant stories and back-stories and the dysfunctional family relationships that we all have to some degree, or at least recognise.”

“It’s a cracking read, delving into family dynamics and the devastating effects that secrets and lies can have, rippling outwards and onwards.. It flows easily and keeps you engrossed and always wanting to know what happens next. I would highly recommend it and I can’t wait to see what comes next.”

I’ll stop now but there are plenty more like that so I am delighted. And if you haven’t read it yet then WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

In other news, today the first draft of my next book has sailed its way down to my editor for her comments and feedback so I’m nervously awaiting that but that is giving me the perfect time to get on with plotting the one after that.  I’m also aiming to write another Lucinda book in the autumn so if you have any young teenagers who enjoy kicking around with Kitty and Lydia then tell them it won’t be too long to wait.

There’s a new Review HERE. This week’s book is 720 pages long so it’s been a bit of a marathon but it was well worth all the hours.

Next week I shall be announcing our next Book Group Read so that you have something to get your teeth stuck into over the summer. We can then talk about it when we get to September. I did think about suggesting my own book but I wasn’t quite brave enough for that!

Don’t forget that if you don’t want to miss a post and for details of my new books then sign up for my mailing list. I promise not to bombard you.

Happy reading.

Imogen.

 

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Feeling a little braver . . .

Hi

Well this has been quite a big week. My new book Postcards From a Stranger started to sell both here and in the States. Not only that but as I write this I have six ★★★★★ reviews. All of them share one theme – “I couldn’t put it down”.

Obviously I’m delighted that I seem to be having such a good start although I’m sure there will be some less encouraging reviews in due course. That’s part of the journey of being a writer and why it was important that I read the book that I have reviewed this week! Check it out HERE.

Also, have you noticed my new, cute little hippo badge? That’s because I was featured last week on Book Hippo, a book recommendation site. You can check that out HERE if you’re interested although the offers may now have expired. I can thoroughly recommend BookHippo if you have difficulty trying to decide what to read next ( when you’ve finished my book that is!)

So now I’m working like a demon to get my next book ready to go to my Editor‘s next month but it’s all great fun and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

If you’ve finished any of the Book Group Books then it’s never too late to pop over to the FORUM and add your comments to the discussion. I’m considering making Postcards the summer read! What do you reckon?!

Happy reading.

Imogen x

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Postcards has gone LIVE!

Hi

You join me at a very exciting point in my career as an author. My first book has gone live! (I know Lucinda has three books and a box set but they don’t count around here!) It’s exciting and terrifying in equal measure as I wait for my friends and family to read it and report back. This could be a very short-lived career!

The book is currently at its introductory price so if you fancy getting hold of a bargain then now’s the time to do it. Just hop over to Amazon and get it downloaded! As ever, if you do read it please could you leave an honest review because without social proof it will be very hard for me to convince people that don’t know me to read it. It’s also been featured on BookHippo which is a site which recommends books in the UK so that’s really exciting!

The marketing side of my new career is just half of the story though. I also need books to sell so this week I was delighted to write THE END on the last page of the next book The Thing About Clare which I now need to start editing prior to sending it to my editor for her comments next month.

Lucinda has been busy too. The Mum Swap will be on a promotion later this week so if you want to bag a free copy for someone who might like it then point them HERE from Wednesday onwards.

My review was a bit tricky this week as the book I started turned out to be not quite what I expected and so I had to abandon it. However, that allowed me to finish one that I’ve been reading for a while so every cloud. You can read my review HERE.

Anyway, now I have to get back to Author School. So much to learn! If it’s sunny where you are as it is here then enjoy it. Here’s where I’m writing from today.[image error]

Happy reading

Imogen x

 

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No Time to Write!!

Who knew that being an author entrepreneur could possibly take so much time!?! The last three months have seen me tackle a learning curve like no other but I’m starting to feel slightly more in control. My first book Postcards From a Stranger is in the traps and waiting to be released. If you’d like to be part of my Advance Team and read the book at a reduced price in return for leaving an honest review then please email me on imogen@imogenclark.com or you can download a free Preview HERE and see if it’s the kind of thing you might like to read.

Lucinda Fox (my alter ego) has also been busy changing the covers to all her books which will be appearing in a store near you very soon. The books are aimed at girls form 11-15 and so if you know anyone that they might suit then go and have a look HERE

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I’ve also appeared on the Self Publishing Formula Podcast and website talking about Mark Dawson‘s much publicised course. You can watch/listen to me HERE from about 24 minutes in.

But with all this going on, it’s hard to make time for writing which I need to do as I have to get manuscript #2 to my editor by 24th July! No pressure!

There’s a new review HERE if you want to see what I’ve been reading this week. Also, if you’ve read any of our Book Group books then don’t forget to post your thoughts HERE. The joy of an online group is that there are no deadlines. The chat is always open for you to join, no matter when.

Happy reading.

Imogen.

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It’s the quiet ones you have to watch . . .

Hi

I’ve been reading a fascinating book this week – Quiet by Susan Cain. If ever you meet me at a party I’ll be the one on the edges, wishing I could sit and just watch and not speak. Small talk seems like such a waste of words to me and I can never hear or make myself heard over the loud laughter from the other side of the room. But no one would ever call me shy. Public speaking doesn’t phase me, new situations are no problem and I’m usually the one to take the lead in a group of strangers on a course.

Well, now I have discovered that my type of personality has a name under the Briggs Myers Personality Indicators – I am INFJ! Who knew?! Well, clearly loads of people knew but not me. And I learned that it was OK not to look forward to the things that others seem to relish because there are plenty of other ways in which I can relax and have fun. And it doesn’t make me weird. It just makes me INFJ!

In other news, I have decided that the pace may be too fast for the Book Forum so I’m going to slow down and do a book every quarter. That way people might not be put off by having to read so quickly and be able to join in the discussions. So watch this space for the announcement of Summer’s read. I shall still keep posting my Reviews as regularly though and there’s a new one this week as usual..

Pace is building towards the launch of my book Postcards From a Stranger. You can now download a Preview which is very exciting and I have a lunch party on Thursday 6th July, 7 pm in Friends of Ham, Ilkley so if you happen to be in the neighbourhood pop down and listen to me read a bit. I might even sign your copy!

Until next week, happy reading.

Imogen x

 

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New York and other adventures

Hi there.

I’m back! Did you miss me? Don’t say that out loud – you’ll hurt my virtual feelings! Well, I had a very interesting few days in New York pretending that I lived there whilst staying with some English friends who have adopted the city as their second home. I ate where New Yorkers eat and I met so many fascinating Creatives that my head span all the way back to the airport.

I forget sometimes when I’m sitting at my little desk, in my little town, on my little island how big the world truly is and it is so exciting to be exposed to somewhere fresh once in a while. I felt like a little girl in a department store as I met interesting people and then raced back home to google them and see their many creative achievements.

And now that I am back at my little desk I am inspired to keep writing because if there’s one thing that I learned it’s that creating stuff is just what you are driven to do. If success comes then that might be nice but the most important issue is to get your stuff out there and let it breathe.

And so speaking of which, it is now only around a month until my novel is published and it’s getting very exciting. If you can’t wait and want to get your paws on the first few chapters or if you just want a taste of what I get up to at this little desk to see if it’s any good then mosey over to HERE where you can sign up to get the Preview downloaded to a device of your choosing.

In other news, as I have been away I have had lots of time to read and so there is a new REVIEW for you to peruse although I’m not sure it’s a book that I’m recommending this time.

Also, if you dip into our Book Group or are interested in what people say then my thoughts on May’s book Fates and Furies are HERE. I’m currently perusing the bestseller lists for a book for us to read in June so I’ll announce that next Monday. In the meantime, don’t forget to sign up for the PREVIEW of my new book and happy reading.

Imogen x

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Postcards Preview

Hi there.

So this week I’ve been busy pulling together a preview of the first few chapters of my debut adult novel Postcards From a Stranger.

Obviously being thus far untested as an author, it’s important that readers can try my writing out for size to see if it’s going to suit them. After all, no one wants to spend money on a book and then discover that they hate it two chapters in.

Of course, you ardent followers have been able to read my short story here but now everyone else can  download a preview HERE which I’m hoping will whets appetite for when I release the book in July.

I also went to see The Sense of an Ending at the cinema this week. I enjoyed it so much that it prompted me to re-read the book and you can see my review HERE. I have to admit to getting far more out of the book the second time when I had lovely Jim Broadbent in my mind’s eye as I read.

I’ve also started reading this month’s Book Group Book, Fates and Furies. I have a lovely long flight coming up at the end of the week so hopefully I’ll get quite a lot read then. But more of that next week…

Don’t forget to check out the PREVIEW for Postcards From a Stranger and if you enjoy it please point your friends in this direction. Word of mouth is the best advert I have at the moment.

Have a great week and happy reading.

Imogen.

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The Big Reveal!

Hi everyone

Blimey! These Mondays come round quick. I must be getting old!

It’s been another busy week. I went to the book launch of Paula Hawkins ( she of The Girl on the Train) new book Into the Water in Harrogate and have finished the book. Want to know what I thought? Then head over to the REVIEWS section. I was also frustrated to discover that I can’t get May’s BOOK GROUP book Fates and Furies as an audiobook on Audible. Given that this is the fastest growing area of book consumption, it seems strange that so many books still aren’t available this way. I love to listen to a book as it means I can be reading whenever I’m not writing so that suits me just fine. I shall just have to set aside more sitting and reading time!

The biggest news this week is that I signed off on my book cover. (Below is the ebook version.) I’m really pleased with it and can’t wait to share more information about the launch so keep checking in here each Monday to find out more. Until then, you’ll just have to read something else!

Happy reading.

Imogen x

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Judging Books by Covers

Hi everyone.

I’ve been channelling my inner designer this week. That’s a laugh. I might be good with words but I’m afraid images aren’t really my thing. That’s why I’ve recruited the help of a very talented cover designer to do the book jacket for my novel Postcards From A Stranger. 

It’s quite a difficult process for a non-artist such as myself but I’m pleased with the results and you can expect the BIG REVEAL very soon. I’ll then be making the first few chapters of the book available for free for a limited period so you can try before you buy. I’m hoping that the people who enjoy what I’m doing on here will feel confident to share so that I can get the word out about my new book as widely as possible.

This week’s REVIEW might be interesting if you’ve been watching the new series of Big Little Lies on the telly. See what I thought of the book here.

Finally, as May has begun it’s time to reveal the BOOK GROUP book for this month. It’s Fates and Furies by Lauren Goff. This book hit the headlines when Barack Obama named it as his favourite book of 2015. It also won Amazon.com’s Best Book of the Year. I gather that it’s a portrait of a dishonest marriage seen from both sides so that sounds intriguing. If you want to read along with me and then post what you thought of it in the Forum then I’d be delighted.

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Right, that’s enough from me. I hope you’ve had a great Bank Holiday. Happy reading.

Imogen x

 

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