Anna Rashbrook's Blog, page 2
January 9, 2024
Legacy made it to the second round!
I’m bouncing that Legacy has got to the second round! If I win, I’ll get some much needed marketing help!
If you voted before, pretty please VOTE AGAIN. It looks like you will be able to vote in each round, the next one is the Top 50 next week. Here’s the new link again, just log in with Facebook
January 3, 2024
Vote for my book!
This is soooo exciting! I would be thrilled if you’d vote for me.
The cover for Legacy has been selected for the allauthor cover of the month competition. There are four rounds, and this is the first, it ends on the 8th. So I might be back again if I get to the next round.
Clicking on this link should take you to the voting page. I can’t tell from here if the link works!
If you aren’t with allauthor, it looks like you just log in with Facebook, making sure you are logged in there.
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/17048/
or this one
December 27, 2023
My year in books
This year has been full of change with my books. I aimed to spend longer writing and editing my books, to make them more polished, well I tried.
The biggest thrill was joining a local writers’ circle, finding a fellow author just down the road, and going to meetings just to talk about books and the craft of writing. Something that I could never do in Austria, such a joy. I even took some the poetry I wrote in 1998, and they said it wasn’t the rubbish I thought it was.
I did my first book launch with Lamplight to Sunlight, and did a talk on it at the Cynon valley museum. I have two talks with groups in line early in the New Year.
I went to Brecon show with the books, and that was a learning curve, I’m not sure if it’s a good way to sell books, but certainly had some lovely chats with people.
Two book fairs, one of which I left feeling disgruntled. The people running it treated the main authors there as unimportant and but fell over themselves with the authors who did talks as if they were royalty. The upshot is that with my local writer friend, we’re running the first Pontypridd book fair next May. We’re funded by the great bookshop there, Storyville books, and I’m so looking forward t that.
I’ve helped a couple of authors with their books, and that’s been an honour.
This summer, I was going to take a break, so God sent me another book, and I spent the summer writing my first full on Christian, no horse book since Tom, see above, out on December 31st
I’ve ideas for new books and feel God leading me to another book, and I’ve got a sequel to my latest one and a children’s book. But Amazon sales this year are disappointing, I’ve yet to work out whether selling real books is profitable. The trouble is, I need to make a certain amount of money to keep the Rashbrook kitty happy. If it gets to low, I’ll have to find a part time job, and I’d rather write.
December 26, 2023
A year of books
This year has been full of change with my books. I tried to spend longer writing and editing my books, to make them more polished, well I tried.
The biggest thrill was joining a local writers’ circle, finding a fellow author just down the road, and going to meetings just to talk about books and the craft of writing. Something that I could never do in Austria, such a joy. I even took some the poetry I wrote in 1998, and they said it wasn’t the rubbish I thought it was.
I did my first book launch with Lamplight to Sunlight, and did a talk on it at the Cynon valley museum. I have two talks with groups in line early in the New Year.
I went to Brecon show with the books, and that was a learning curve, I’m not sure if it’s a good way to sell books, but certainly had some lovely chats with people.
Two book fairs, one of which I left feeling disgruntled. The people running it treated the main authors there as unimportant and but fell over themselves with the authors who did talks as if they were royalty. The upshot is that with my local writer friend, we’re running the first Pontypridd book fair next May. We’re funded by the great bookshop there, Storyville books, and I’m so looking forward t that.
I’ve helped a couple of authors with their books, and that’s been an honour.
This summer, I was going to take a break, so God sent me another book, and I spent the summer writing my first full on Christian, no horse book since Tom, see above!
I’ve ideas for new books and feel God leading me to another book, and I’ve got a sequel to my latest one and a children’s book. But Amazon sales this year are disappointing, I’ve yet to work out whether selling real books is profitable. The trouble is, I need to make a certain amount of money to keep the Rashbrook kitty happy. If it gets to low, I’ll have to find a part time job, and I’d rather write books.
In the mean time, Happy Christmas and I hope you enjoy my books.
December 25, 2023
Happy Christmas!
Photo by Jessica Lewis ud83eudd8b thepaintedsquare on Pexels.com
This time of year comes around so quickly, as I write Christmas is a few days off.
We began Advent with a market in the church and I took the books, but it wasn’t really the place for them, but we had so many people in, it was truly reaching out into our community.
The past couple of weeks have been an exhausting joy! Our church has also been blessing the community through the schools by giving Christmas parcels to needy families. It was quite a giggle going around Asda buying bulk items, next year, now I’ve got my head around it, I might be cheeky and order it online. The biggest buzz was giving the gifts over and knowing some families are blessed.
Then we had an all singing, all dancing Nativity play at church and I even found myself being an Angel on the stage, I’ve discovered that I have a complete inability to remember lines!
Christmas shopping done for the house. I’ve got the kids coming here in shifts, which will mean loads of cooking, but it’s the one time of year I actually enjoy it.
In between, we have a Carol concert, so looking forward to a good sing -um, well just maybe loud. My next book will be out over Christmas, a full on Christian one, NO horses.
Next year? Rebuilding the pond, running a book fair, George’s 40th, but most of all being in a growing church that is going to be a blessing in the community and bring people to Jesus!
November 18, 2023
Advent
OK, so Advent is a couple of weeks away, but the run up to Christmas is already beginning. This morning we had the first rehearsal for our church Nativity play. In Austria I did go a couple of times to plays done by the local Playschool, but it’s not the same when you’re not involved.
Next week is our first Church Christmas fair, we’ll be setting up this weekend in advance. Carol Concert on Christmas eve. I shall dig the advent crown out of the loft too, and as we have a huge windowsill on the street, do we get the Lungau Crib out or put Santa in the cart again?
Then I have one major book fair, a talk on pit ponies to a local group and the writers’ group Christmas event. Along with a major promo on my Facebook group.
Stress, no way, this is all plain fun!
November 11, 2023
Welsh autumn
When we were out in Austria, I would go nuts over the beauty of the larches on the hills at this time of year.
Well, the beeches here are pretty photogenic too!
November 4, 2023
Wet Wales!
Our little rain gauge read over 4 inches of rain last month, I’m just glad that didn’t fall as snow. I’m now adopting the attitude that I like rain and splashing in puddles, and a dry day is a blessing, to be enjoyed to the utmost. Swingle certainly enjoys the puddles.
People ask me if I miss Austria, and honestly I don’t. I’ve got such a great new life here, which just wasn’t possible there. But if pressed, I miss my best mate, Jenny and our friendship… nothing else. As we’re on the top of a hill, we’ve had snow here when the town hasn’t and I can enjoy watching it fall without having to think I’ve got to shovel all the flipping stuff. And it melts.
The medical system here IS rubbish, but you need to work the system. I would like to see a dentist to get my false teefs sorted, but that is easily put off as long as possible. But we get free bus passes and medicine here.
Ok, there is one thing I’d quite like, the pre-made custard in pots that we used to get in the Spar, the one here from Asda isn’t as creamy!
October 28, 2023
A New Book and an Update
I know I’ve not been around for a while, life seems to have taken over and what with writing and actually doing live events and selling books, blogging had taken a back seat. I’ve plans to get back to it in the New Year, as I’ve another book to publish before Christmas and lots of author meeting people events which I love doing.
Here’s my latest offering. So many people have said that I should do a children’s version of Lamplight to Sunlight, especially as Pit ponies are on the National Curriculum in the UK, that I have. Here it is!
OUT TODAY!
So many people have said that I should do a children’s version of Lamplight to Sunlight, especially as Pit ponies are on the National Curriculum in the UK, that I have. Here it is!
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