The new book!
It’s my first book for grown-ups 😊 It’s funny, relatable and a complete step away from my children’s books!
I have so many ideas swirling around in my head and sometimes, they just come tumbling out, which is exactly what happened with Out of Date.
We meet the main character, Freya, three years after her third divorce. She is a 53-year-old single mum who, after a lot of self-reflection, feels ready to dip a toe back into the dating puddle.
It’s easy to make assumptions about Freya and her life statistics, but some things may just surprise you.
Like a lot of single parents, Freya doesn’t tend to go out much to meet anyone. So, with the help of her friends, she begins a journey into online dating with hilarious and unexpected results. She encounters the weird and wonderful on her dating journey, something we can all relate to I think, I mean….. who hasn’t had a bad date!
I laughed so much writing this book, it was an absolute joy to create but, just because I found it funny, didn’t mean you guys would. I shouldn’t have worried so much about that, your feedback has been amazing.
It seems that the book has given busy parents the perfect excuse to make time for themselves, to chill and to read – and I love that! If you haven’t read it, try taking some time out for yourself and give it a read.
Out of Date reflects how the character feels at times, out of date. Of course, it also reflects the new journey she takes as she heads into the weird [very weird] and wonderful world of online dating. Be warned, this book does contain adult humour, and some swear words!
Celebration event
I wanted to hold a little reading event for this book, like I’d done for the A Dog Called Bear series, but I knew I couldn’t hold it in a library. Swearing in a library would have felt like swearing in church 😂 so of course, I chose a pub as the setting for this reading. I figured that a glass of wine [or two] might be needed.
The venue of the Ring O’Bells, in Royston was perfect. The team are lovely and welcoming, and the room was the perfect size – oh, and they serve the most delicious food from Bella’s Kitchen, so it was a win-win for me.
As a little take-home treat, I’d ordered some vegan cheesecakes and cookies with the book cover toppers on from Kirsty at Snack and Dash. She worked so hard perfecting a vegan recipe and they were a HUGE hit.
With a glass of wine at my side and a pre-prepared set of extracts to read, I had a brilliant time sharing the book with my guests. A huge thank you to all of you who came to join me, I’m grateful for your time and company 😘
What’s next?
I’ve finished recording the audiobook version of Out of Date [do I really sound like that??] I’ve also realised that there is one word that I can’t say without sounding like I’ve been left in a wine cellar with a corkscrew and a glass….. I can’t say ‘statistics’, no matter how hard I tried, that went to about 16 takes before I got it right!
I’m excited about the possibility of an audiobook, it helps the book to be accessible to so many people who don’t want to and those who struggle to read a paper book …. and for those who just prefer listening of course. Hopefully the audiobook will be out soon, I’ll keep you posted!
I’ve started writing the next book. I want to explore and develop the characters in Out of Date, see where their relationships go…. Do they work out or do they crash and burn?
I mean, like Freya says, life isn’t a Disney movie…. Is it?