Victoria Walters's Blog, page 25

2019 books: October and November

So I forgot to post the books I read in October so here they are along with the ones I read in November too!

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I read seven books in total – all novels, and a real mix of genres which I always like. There were really fab books in this pile so it was hard to pick my favourites but I’ve gone with these two:

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The Vanished Bride reimagines the Brontes as detectives, and is wonderful literary mystery with a lots of nods to the Brontes and lots of twists to the story too.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely is a YA Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I love – full of action, romance, and magic, I can’t wait for book two!

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What have you enjoyed reading lately?
Victoria
xoxo

Start your Christmas reading at Glendale Hall!

It’s November, which means we can all start getting festive, doesn’t it?! And it definitely means we can start our Christmas reading …

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I’ve been really excited by the response so far to my new book Coming Home to Glendale Hall, which is set over Christmas in Scotland.

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This week, I got my first ever bestseller flag on Amazon! Look at the pretty orange. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, bestseller author Heidi Swain read the book and loved it!

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I’ve had lots of lovely messages asking me if there will be a sequel to Coming Home to Glendale Hall so I wanted to let you know on here that YES THERE WILL!! All the details including the cover and pre-order links are coming very soon I promise.

In the meantime, if you enjoyed book one please leave a review on Amazon and tell your friends so we can bring everyone into our cosy Christmas club and make them all look like this

Why there is a letter in all my books

I read a review recently of my new novel Coming Home to Glendale Hall and it mentioned the fact the main male character writes a letter explaining his feelings, and they pointed out that this happens in Jane Austen’s Persuasion and I wanted to hug the person who wrote it! Because there’s a reason why each of my three book has a letter in them and that reason is Jane Austen.

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I first read Jane Austen after I watched and loved the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (mainly because of Colin Firth and the lake!), and I then became hooked on all things Austen. I devoured her books, went to look around her Hampshire cottage, bought mugs and tote bags, and tried and failed to find my own Mr Darcy! And it’s a love that endures to this day.

What I particularly enjoy is that her books are written from a female perspective so we’re often never quite sure what the male leads are thinking or feeling until they write a letter! Take Mr Darcy – we, like Elizabeth, think he has acted wrongly – breaking up her sister and Mr Bingley, and ruining Mr Wickham, until he writes a letter explaining himself – and we all fall in love with him.

So far my three books have been from the point of view of the female characters in them and, as such, we feel what they feel, and like them, we may misunderstand the other characters. In The Second Love Of My Life, Robert the male lead has to send an email explaining himself, rather like Mr Darcy does. In Summer at the Kindness Cafe, a letter is integral to the plot. One of the three female leads Eszter comes to the UK because of a letter written by her husband who has passed away.

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And in my new book, Coming Home to Glendale Hall, Drew our male lead, uses a letter to explain how he feels. As in Persuasion, two characters have known each other when they are young, and then meet again. Neither is sure what the other is really thinking, and I love the moment that Beth, our heroine, finally finds out the truth. And I hope readers do too!

I think of these letters rather like Easter eggs so long-time readers can look out for them in my books, and a love letter in themselves to the art of writing, and also to the wonderful Jane Austen.

And if you’d like to read the letters yourself, you can find my books HERE.

Love,

Victoria

xoxo

Will there be a sequel?

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Coming Home to Glendale Hall came out last week and I’m so grateful for all the support it’s had so far. I can’t quite believe I now have a little stack of books written by me on my shelf!

By the far the most messages I receive from readers after they’ve read one of my books are ones asking if there will be a sequel. Finally, I can say YES – Coming Home to Glendale Hall is getting a sequel and you’ll be able to get your hands on it February. So excited to return to the story!

Do you like reading series?

Victoria

xoxo

2019 Books: September

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Books read in September …

I read three novels – Quartet in Autumn, Date with Death, and Small Island, and two non-fiction books about star signs to learn more about being a Pisces. I’ve realised I’m such a typical Pisces!

My favourite of the books was Small Island. An interesting look at immigration to England from Jamaica in the 1940’s and funnier than I expected albeit mixed with hard truths about perceptions of the time. The characters are vivid and the writing excellent. The last character we focus on was my least favourite but was needed to tell the full story. Worth picking up for sure!

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What have you enjoyed reading lately?
Love,
Victoria
xoxo

When your book is published

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So, this week my novel Coming Home to Glendale Hall was published! Publication week is always a haze of excitement, nerves, and checking your phone so much you end up RSI!  I’ve been thrilled though with the early positive reviews and the supportive messages I’ve had on social media, and I’m hoping it moves up the charts as we get closer to Christmas.

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Yesterday, I went into my local Waterstones, where I work two days a week, to sign the book they had ordered in and found this table and header they had made me. How great is this?!

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It honestly never gets old seeing your book in a bookshop and I’m so grateful I get to share this story. It’s a festive, feel-good novel about family, forgiveness, and first-love set over Christmas in the Scottish Highlands. It’s a story that I hope will make you smile, she’s a tear, and fill you with the festive spirit.

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If you do pick up a copy, please do pop up a review on Amazon when you’ve read it. And come and follow me on Instagram and Twitter too!

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I really hope you all enjoy it!

Love,

Victoria

xoxo

 

 

Coming Home to Glendale Hall is out now!!

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I’m so excited that my festive, feel-good novel about family, forgiveness and first-love set at Christmas in the Scottish Highlands, is published today! It’s a story that I hope will make you smile, shed a tear, and fill with you the festive spirit.

You can grab the eBook for 99p or the paperback for just £2 over on Amazon now. It’s also available through iBooks, Kobo, The Works, Waterstones, and independent booksellers.

If you do read it, please pop up a review on Amazon so I can see what you thought!

Love,

Victoria

xoxo 

No matter how far you go, home is where the heart is…

Beth Williams hasn’t been home for ten years. After falling pregnant at sixteen, she ran away from the imposing Scottish estate where she grew up rather than risk her family’s disapproval, working hard to build a life for herself and daughter Isabelle – but now she’s finally returning to Glendale Hall.

As Beth tries to mend her broken family ties, and fights to bring the community of Glendale back together, she realises that the story she has told herself for a decade might well be a very different one from the truth. Even though she ran from Glendale it has never left her heart. And, she soon realises, neither has Drew – Beth’s first love.

Will Beth be able to forgive her mother and grandmother (and herself) for what happened ten years ago? What will Drew say when he discovers the secret she’s been keeping from him for so long? Can a festive trail bring the village back together?

Will Christmas work its magic on Glendale – or will Beth be forced to run away from it all over again?

A charming, uplifting novel that will warm your heart – the perfect read to curl up with this autumn. Fans of Trisha Ashley, Debbie Johnson and Cathy Bramley

will love this gorgeously romantic read.

Readers can’t get enough of Coming Home to Glendale Hall:

‘What a sweet and heartfelt book this was. Cosy and touching with just the right amount of Christmas themes thrown in… a very satisfying and cosy read’ (5 stars) Goodreads reviewer

‘It’s a feel good, heart warming read bursting to the seams with family bonds, romance and hope and goodwill.’ By The Letter Reviews

‘WOW! From the first page I was absolutely hooked…Would

highly recommend this book to read during the festive season to get you in a feel good mood!’ (5 stars) Netgalley reviewer

‘really lovely to read and difficult to put down… This is a story which has left me smiling.’ (5 stars) Goodreads reviewer

‘all the ingredients of a magical Christmas story with strong interesting characters, snowy scenes and family values… a real page turner and a great read’ (5 stars) Netgalley reviewer

‘This is a perfect festive read…There’s romance, family tensions and challenges along the way and I just couldn’t put this down once I had started it.’ Netgalley reviewer

‘I just could not put this book down, it had me sad, happy and every other emotion you can think of. I loved every minute of it.’(5 stars) Netgalley reviewer

2019 Books: August

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This month I read three novels. The first was Bright Young Dead, which is the second in the cosy crime series based on the real life Mitford sisters by Jessica Fellowes. It’s lots of fun with excellent historical detail.

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Call It What You Want is a contemporary YA book by Brigid Kemmerer and her novels are always enjoyable and realistic teen romances. Perfect for summer reading.

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But my favourite book this month has to be City Of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert.

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This is a wonderful story, full of life and heart, starting in 1920s New York when our heroine arrives at a theatre to stay with her aunt. It’s full of great characters and you’ll root for Vivian from the first page. A Coming Of age story with loads of girl power that moved me and made me laugh too, and left me with tears in my eyes. Basically I loved it!!

What did you enjoy reading this month?

Victoria

xoxo

Foreword

One month today my next novel will be published. It’s my third one and yet the fear and excitement is just as strong. The worry about reviews and sales is already there even though there is absolutely nothing I can do about either. The book is written and all I can do is let it go.

Coming Home to Glendale Hall is fiction, of course, but it is also personal to me. I can’t help but write about the big things in life and try to fathom my own thoughts and feelings about them – love, family, friendship, grief, death and what comes next, how we treat each other, forgiveness, faith etc.

This book is set at Christmas, which has always been my favourite season. As such, you will find some of the things I love about it tucked inside. It’s also about family. A member of my family sadly passed away as while I was writing it, so the book is dedicated to him, and it’s so sad to know that this Christmas will be spent without him. Some of that feeling is in the book. My characters went on some of that journey with me too.

But alongside that loss, there is also hope and joy. A healing of the past. The possibility of the future. The magic of Christmas. So I hope that readers will feel that magic. That this book puts a smile on their faces at the end. That it makes them think about the big things in life but also encourages them to enjoy the little things too.

I always think of the advice ‘write the book you want to read’ and that’s what I always try to do. Not everyone is going to want to read this book but hopefully it will connect with someone out there, and that’s why writing books is so special for me. I know how wonderful it is to read a book and find it speaking to me so if mine does that for someone then that’s all I can hope for.

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Love,

Victoria

Xoxo

2019 Books: July

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In July, I read five books – all novels and a real mix of genres.

I continued my goal of reading all of Agatha Christie’s books with Death on the Nile, and another crime novel but this time YA with murder mystery Two Can Keep A Secret. After The End is about a couple faced with a devastating choice when their son becomes ill, and Geekerella is YA fan culture twist on Cinderella.

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My favourite book I read in July was Greatest Hits – a fictional memoir of a 70’s singer songwriter. It was a fascinating portrait of a woman who became a star and the characters felt like real people. If, like me, you enjoyed Daisy Jones and The Six then this is definitely worth a read. I couldn’t put it down!

What have you loved reading recently?

Victoria

xoxo