Pippa Croft's Blog, page 2

WIN a paperback of Summer at the Cornish cafe + other goodies

Hurrah! It’s Publication Day for the paperback edition of Summer at the Cornish Cafe and you can enter a competition to win a copy on my Facebook page HERE.

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Paperback of Summer at the Cornish Cafe

Hi everyone,

Hope spring has sprung for you. Our daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops are all out together – love seeing them brightening up my garden. The past two months have flown by and I’ve been working on five different projects as Phillipa Ashley and Pippa Croft.

I also have some very happy news for fans of the Cornish Cafe series.

Summer at the Cornish Cafe is now available as a gorgeous paperback. It’s published next Thursday March 9th but you can order it now from Amazon and other online bookshops. It will also be available to order from your local bookshop and Waterstones Stafford will have signed copies.

Early in April it’s going to be featured in a large supermarket but I can’t say which one yet.

Enjoy spring.

What’s in store for 2017?

Hoppy New Year!

Morning! I hope you had plenty to to celebrate over the festive season. Although I had a great writing year, it goes without saying that 2016 was a very tough and turbulent one for many people. Like a lot of us, I felt passionately about some of the world events but I had to try and turn off the TV and avoid clicking on every news story.

We went on holiday to Australia in December and I realised, while being away from the media and out among the amazing wildlife, that whether I watched the news or not, nothing changed. So my resolution for 2017 is to do all I can to make a positive change on issues I care about where I can – by signing petitions, lobbying my MP, sharing stories on social media etc – and when I can’t do anything, to focus on my writing.

Will I keep it? You guess!

New books to look forward to

Hurrah! I’ve just finished the final book in the Cornish Cafe series and it’s going off to my editor this coming week. My ed has returned from maternity leave and I’m looking forward to working with her and the fantastic Avon team again. Confetti at the Cornish Cafe is out on May 29th…

I hope to bring you exciting news of new books early this spring and I’ll have some greatnews for fans of my Pippa Croft Oxford Blue series, over the next few weeks.

Thanks to you, my readers, Christmas at the Cornish Cafe peaked at #7 on the Christmas Kindle chart and was number 1 on Kobo for a week. It’s been a source of heartfelt pleasure to me that so many people have enjoyed the story of Demi and Cal so far – and thank you for your fabulous reviews on Amazon and Kobo.

Party time

Just before Christmas I was lucky enough to be invited to the Harper Digital Christmas party along with authors from Avon, Harper Impulse, HQ stories and many more. It was a truly happy occasion held at the top of the ‘Baby Shard’ with a glittering theme of silver and blue. Here are a few pictures including one of the Cafe series up in lights..

That’s it for now, I hope that 2017 brings you all you’re wishing and working for. I’ll be back very soon.

Phillipa xx

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Win a Christmas goody bag

Happy Christmas everyone,

I thought I’d better get the good wishes in early!

I’ve been away from the blog, finishing the third book in the Cornish Cafe series and also on holiday to Australia which was totally amazing. We saw kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, emus and giant lizards in the wild.

But I’m back in time for Christmas and want to say a *huge* and heartfelt thanks to everyone who has read or blogged about Christmas at the Cornish Cafe. You’ve made it an Amazon Top 10 and Number One Kobo best-seller – way beyond my wildest dreams.

As a thank you I’m running a Christmas competition for fans of the series. You can win a goody bag with a glittery green scarf, chocolates and a Santa notepad on my Facebook page.

Good luck and have a very happy holiday season.

Phillipa x

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Christmas at the Cornish Cafe now available in the USA

Morning

Whizzing by as usual to say I’m delighted to report that finally, Christmas at the Cornish Cafe is now available from Amazon USA here. This will be good news to all the people who bought and read the Summer book from Amazon.com and left some fabulous reviews – thank you.

The book’s available in the UK of course, and has been in the KoboTop 5 – and I know many of you love Kobo.

I’m busy writing the final chapters of the first draft of the third Penwith book, Confetti at the Cornish Cafe. It’s not out untl May 29th 2017 which may seem a long way off but I need time to let the first draft ‘cook’ while I go away for a break. Then I can read it with fresh eyes and make any changes before sending it off to my editor in the new year. Of course, there’s a small thing called Christmas happening in between.

Coming soon – competitions and *free* book talk

November is racing towards us and there will be some *fantastic* contests coming up next month. Can’t wait to share them. I’m also going to two book events, the RNA party and a book talk.

So, if you want to join me for coffee, cakes and to hear about the Cornish Cafe series and my writing, come along to Mim’s Cafe near Cannock, Staffs on Thursday November 16th from 7.30pm. Talk and company is free. You only pay for any cakes and drinks you consume.

Bye for now

Phillipa

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Cover reveal – Confetti at the Cornish Cafe

It’s been a fantastic weekend. I celebrated the 10th anniversary of my debut novel’s publication with a tea party at The Old Slaughterhouse cafe and arts centre in Stratford on Avon on Saturday. Family, friends and fellow authors joined me for a delicious high tea and afterwards at the pub.

Then on Sunday evening, Avon Books unveiled the cover of the third book in the Penwith series – Confetti at the Cornish Cafe. It’s probably my favourite cover *ever* – so pretty and the warm sunset colours leapt out at me when I first saw it. The book is out in June 2017 and I’m about half way through the first draft.

Win signed books

October 6th will be the 10th anniversary of me becoming a published author. It’s been a decade with many highs and some lows. Awards, a movie, book launches, best-sellers – and let’s be honest about a writer’s life: rejections, not-so-best-sellers, the odd unpleasant review or comment. There have been a few times that I’ve regretted ever starting the process and occasionally I told myself I was going to stop writing novels and get a proper job.

And yet… even when I tried to stop, I couldn’t because I loved creating my characters and worlds so much. Now, I’m delighted to say I’m a full-time author and having the best writing year of my life. I’ve finally accepted there will be cycles of success and that I can’t stop writing now: it has me in its grip. I am an author.

I’ve made peace with my writing self and I’m very lucky to be enjoying my work more than ever.

A tale of Cornwall, Christmas and Poldark

Bye, bye, summer… Christmas is on its way.

Actually, it is very much still summer here in Staffordshire. It’s so warm and sunny outside that I am taking these babies into the garden to work on: the lush page proofs of Christmas at the Cornish Cafe, Book 2 in the Penwith series. It’s out this autumn – not very long now! There have already been a huge amount of preorders for the book, which is so amazing – thank you. xx

I’ve just got back from a week in Cornwall and if you’d like to see some of the photos of places that inspired the Cornish Cafe series, head to my Facebook page here.

You can find out all the latest news there and by following me on Twitter @phillipaashley although I’ll continue to update this blog with any ‘big’ news.

One thing I missed telling you is that the series is now available on Amazon US and Canada.

I’ve had a fabulous summer, book wise, and am so thrilled that Summer at the Cornish Cafe was such a huge hit. It’s been fantastic to get so many messages and reviews. I hope you’ll enjoy Christmas Cafe just as much. Meanwhile, once I’ve sent back the proof read pages to my publisher, I need to get stuck into the third Penwith novel, Confetti at the Cornish Cafe.

Take care, enjoy what’s left of the summer – at least we have Poldark to enjoy now the darker nights are here. And on that note, I’ll leave you with a few photos of the preview night I went to at the BFI last month. I was lucky enough to get tickets to see the awesome first episode and only a few rows back from the cast. Happy days.

Phillipa x

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More Cornish Cafe goodies to win!

We all need a treat – and some of us need it more than most right now so check out this competition on my Facebook page HERE. You could win a lovely cherry ripe scarf, Cornish Sea Salt Caramel Chocolate, a pretty Ocean heart hanger and a Kindle voucher for Summer at the Cornish Cafe. Contest is open worldwide but if it’s an overseas winner, I’ll have to substitue the chocolate for something else.

Back very soon with some exciting news about two of my backlist books.

Enjoy your summer,

Phillipa xx

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Win this gorgeous Cornish Cafe goodie pack + free e book

Morning,

Summer has finally arrived in the UK (and packed its bags again but hey, it’ll be back sometime.)

To celebrate, Avon UK Books are offering a chance to win this gorgeous Summer at the Cornish Cafe goodie pack AND a free ebook copy.

All you have to do is post a picture of your favourite place to read on their Facebook page HERE.

I’d like to thank all my readers for buying the book – which is still only 99p on Amazon. It hit #37 in the Overall Amazon Top 100 chart over the weekend, beyond my wildest dreams and the reviews have been so lovely.

Here’s just one from Em via Shaz’s Book Blog:

Y’ou won’t be disappointed. I don’t mean to wish the beautiful summer months away but Christmas can’t come quick enough for part two.’

And this amazing quote from best selling Irish author, Claudia Carroll:

‘An utterly glorious, escapist read from one of the freshest voices to emerge in women’s fiction.’

I hope summer comes back quickly to your part of the world,

Phillipa x

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