Andrea Montgomery's Blog: Andrea Montgomery's Blog, page 10

Say It With Flowers

Hmm, guilty conscience, thought Hilary as she wrapped the six red carnations and gypsophila in the lime green wrapping paper and held it fast with a Bloomin Lovely gold sticker. Guilty as Hell, her thoughts continued. My money’s on the wife getting these. It’s not the lover, he’s not paying enough for the lover; she’d get roses, not carnations. Carnations say comf...

The Sellout, Paul Beatty – Winner of the Man Booker Prize

“This may be hard to believe, coming from a black man, but I’ve never stolen anything. Never cheated on my taxes or at cards. Never snuck into the movies or failed to give back the extra change to a drugstore cashier indifferent to the ways of mercantilism and minimum-wage expectations. I’ve never burgled a house. Held up a liquor store. Never boarded a crowded bus or subway car, sat in a seat reserved for the elderly, pul...

Going Back To Move Forward

(Above) The gorgeous Airbnb in Somerset – our first UK base in 18yrs

“Don’t do it! It’s horrible!”
“Why on earth are you going back there?!”
“The weather’s shit; the system’s broken and the people are not pleasant. Why go back?”
These are just some of the comments we received from friends, family and casual acquaintances when we shared our inte...

Choco Frito and Weeping Plants, Saying Adeus to Portugal

It’s been a while…

Looking back on my last post is like looking at an old, sepia photo of bygone days; it might only be a little over two months on the calendar since we were leaving Portugal but it feels like a lifetime ago.

Dona Catarina stands at the big, green, iron gates to the quinta as we drive out for the last time; her eyes and cheeks are wet; her smile is caught i...

Hosting A Virtual Book Launch

H aving a book published during a pandemic presents a multitude of challenges, not least of which is  hosting a virtual book launch.

If you’re a celebrity, a best selling author, or Carrie Bradshaw, your book launch is a glittering affair featuring copious bottle of champagne and a guest list that reads like an Oscars nomination. If however, like me, you’re just someone who has written a book ...

My Partnership Publishing Experience So Far

As my book’s launch day draws near, it’s time to reflect on my partnership publishing experience to date. The last time I wrote about my progress, I had just had my book cover accepted and it felt like I had leapfrogged the publishing queue by not adding the additional weeks it presumably takes to have a cover designed by the publisher, sent to the author for appr...

A Free Tenerife Guide with Every Pre-Order of The Banana Road

Due out on May 4, The Banana Road is now available to pre-order

When Andy and Jack walk away from their successful careers, leaving family, friends and Manchester to move to the Canary Islands, they hope to find a new adventure and quality time together in the sun. What they do not expect to encounter is the intr...

The Midnight Library, Matt Haig

‘Between life and death there is a library,’ she said. ‘And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices … Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’

Matt Haig, The Midnight Library, Canongate...

The Banana Road Book Cover Design

It feels like an awfully long time ago that I wrote about the excitement of having my book cover design accepted by the publisher and now, at last, I can finally share that book cover design with you.
Drum roll please…

This beautiful book cover design belongs to our very talented niece Emily Flanagan. Having visite...

What’s in a Name – Creating a Book Title & Tagline

The very last thing I did when tidying the final draft of my forthcoming memoir, was to think about creating the book title and tagline. I had allocated a working title when I began but I always had doubts about its appropriateness; I knew it might attract the wrong sort of reader but initially I didn’t think there was any harm in that after all, readers are readers aren’t they? Happily, it dawned on me that if I titled the book in such a way that it set certain expectatio...