Claire Merchant's Blog, page 7

Hello, Hope

Hello, lovelies!

Finding Hope is officially available today!

It is my ninth novel to be published by Pegasus Publishers – Vanguard Press, and joins my eight other paperbacks and one self-published ebook, all apart of my South Coast Collection.

You can purchase Finding Hope from Amazon, pegasuspublishers.com, and any online bookstore. I will also add a link to my “BOOKS” page as soon as possible.

C xox

Find Hope in December

Hello, lovelies!

Just a quick little note to let you know that my next novel, Finding Hope, is due for release on Thursday the 1st of December 2016.

Here is the blurb for a little preview on what you can expect:

What do you do when you lose the person dearest to you? How do you dare to live – let alone love, again?

Hope Hadley’s answer to these questions is: you don’t. She returns reluctantly to her home town after five years of studying in another part of the country. Jensen, her uncle and only family, is relieved that she’s back but Hope has only one thing on her mind: to get through life one day at a time, with as little emotion as possible. Little does she take into account that life has a way of happening regardless of whether one is an active participant or not. Her strategy to keep all emotional attachments at an arm’s length works for a while. That is, until she meets Damon.

Finding Hope picks up a couple of decades after Knowing Nora finished. So expect to find some familiar faces from Nora’s story in Hope’s story!

C xox

 

Christian and Layla in Fremantle Gazette

Hello, lovelies!

This past Tuesday, I was honoured to have the Fremantle Gazette feature an article on my new novel, Christian and Layla.

You can check out Tuesday’s edition here. You will find the article on page 22.

C xox

 

Mistry by Moonlight now available on Amazon Kindle

Hello, lovelies!

Just a small note to let you know that Mistry by Moonlight, my first novel (and the first novel of The Mistry Trilogy), is now available on Amazon Kindle.



It’s accessible here. Happy reading!

C xox

From Knowing Nora to Finding Hope

Hello, lovelies!

The 27th of August marks the one-year anniversary of the release of Knowing Nora. So, as a kind of anniversary gift, I’m here to tell you that the sort-of sequel Finding Hope will be (hopefully) available to buy by the end of the year—I expect around the end of November 2016, if all goes to plan.

Despite the fact that Knowing Nora takes place years before Finding Hope, in reality, I actually wrote Finding Hope years before I even considered writing Nora’s story.

For those who haven’t had the chance to read Knowing Nora yet, I won’t spoil it for you. However, having written Finding Hope, I felt that there was a lot more to tell of Nora’s pure and hopeful character, and to explore what motivated her to be so secretive, even with those she loved more than anything. I also thought that, given there wasn’t much said about Hope’s upbringing, it was a little difficult to appreciate the extent to which she had strayed from who she was, and wandered into the self-destructive path we find her on.

Even though Nora and Hope react very differently to adversity, and are almost complete opposites in the way they live, they are still very similar as they are both deep thinkers and are tormented by the depth in which they love (even if they won’t admit it). These two characters were the two most difficult for me to write because their stories are so raw and emotional. For that reason, they have both stayed with me long after I had finished writing them.

I will keep you updated when I receive an official release date of Finding Hope. In the meantime, you can find out how the story begins with Knowing Nora, which is available now from Amazon, pegasuspublishers.com, and to order from all good online bookstores.

Hope ends when you stop believing. So if all else fails, make sure you always have hope.

C xox

Together at Last!

Hello, lovelies!

Christian and Layla is officially available! A super South Coast welcome to the Almanbury couple who join my collection today. All together at last!

You can purchase your copy of Christian and Layla, or any of my books from Amazon, pegasuspublishers.com, and any good online bookstore.

C xox

Fall in Love this Thursday

Hello, lovelies!

Get ready to fall in love this Thursday, the 25th of August, when Christian and Layla is officially released!

Christian and Layla is fundamentally about love – about falling in love, about first love, about following what you love, and about being in love.

The thing is, lovelies, it’s easy to love. It’s one of the most natural things on earth. The difficult part comes when you start listening to those who might tell you that you’re wrong in that love. When other people tell you that you shouldn’t love something, and it starts to chip away at you.

Don’t let it.

You know what is best for you, only you. You are the only one that needs to live with your decisions so follow your heart and live a life that you love.

If this novel teaches you anything, I hope it’s that you’re never too young to listen to your heart and follow it. Believe in love and don’t let anyone tell you that what you love isn’t good enough. If it is enough for you, that is well and truly enough.

Christian and Layla is available for pre-order on Amazon, pegasuspublishers.com, and to order from all good online bookstores right now! Whatcha waiting for?

C xox

Christian and Layla available 25th August 2016

Hello, lovelies!

In the spirit of sharing and caring, I just wanted to let everyone know that my next book, Christian and Layla, will be available to buy at the end of next month – 25th August 2016!

Christian and Layla follows the story of Christian Turner and Layla Thomas as they fall in love as fourteen-year-olds, and plan to spend their lives together. However, after years of a perfect relationship, Layla disappears from Christian’s life without a goodbye. Devastated, Christian refuses to accept that she left and struggles to move on, wanting to understand why, and hoping she will come home.

What makes this novel a special one of mine is that this narrative, unlike any of my others, is told from two perspectives, and in two parts. Christian’s part is the first, written as a short story, and then it flows into Layla’s part, written as a chaptered novel. Back in 2010 when I finished writing Layla’s story (Prior Engagement, as it was known then), I felt like I had missed a lot of Christian and Layla as a couple by skipping over their happy years as a couple before she left. Therefore, in 2013, I started writing the story of how they met and became “Christian and Layla” from Christian’s perspective (Post Encounter). I felt that Christian’s story strengthened Layla’s, and also helped to explain why Christian was so adamant about believing that Layla would return, and why she would even consider leaving, given their perfect relationship.

Christian and Layla will be available to buy on Amazon, pegasuspublishers.com, and to order from all good online bookstores. Stay tuned for more updates as to when you can pre-order your copy!

C xox

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Mistry by Moonlight!

Hello, lovelies!

It has been three years today that my very first book, Mistry by Moonlight, came out. Fast forward to today, and I’m waiting for book eight and nine to be released. It’s been an absolute whirlwind, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

Thank you to everyone who has been there for me from the beginning, and those who have joined along the way. You’re aces.

C xox

Welcome to clairemerchant.com

Hello, lovelies!

Welcome to clairemerchant.com, my official website for all things South Coast, books, and author-Claire related.

This website will be a safe place, a South Coast if you will, where you are welcome any time you like. I will keep you updated my blog here, and you will also have access to links where you can buy my books, along with other information about me and my South Coast friends.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to Ryan and Adam from Word of Mouth for all of your incredible help in getting my site up and running. In addition, I offer my sincerest gratitude to all of my readers for your continual support of my writing. You all mean the world to me.

Be yourself. Be happy. Be kind.

Claire Merchant xox