I have had a very busy few weeks because… my little girl has started school! So whilst she is looking super-cute in her school uniform and learning how to read and making new friends, I have been able to expand the hours of work I do, which has meant I’ve been working with lots of new clients and loving every minute!
Because I have been so busy editing, I have neglected this blog somewhat, so I thought it was time to update you all on some of the projects I’ve been working on.
At the beginning of the year, I was working with debut author Debbie Sullivan on her story The Gift of Watching you Grow, which was published in the spring. This is such a lovely, calming, beautiful story all about the special moments between a parent/carer and child. The illustrations complement the tone of the story perfectly. I have been working on some more stories with Debbie too… so watch this space to see what she creates next!
Later in the year, I was delighted to work with Minda Gomez again on her next chapter book featuring The Martinez Kids and their incredible adventures! This one was set at Christmastime, and although it was spring when I was editing it, I was so engrossed in the story I got that magical, festive feeling!
As the summer approached, author Rahni Davies and illustrator Barbara Owczarek came to me with a fabulous story which really appealed to me. Edgar Allan Know and his Big Busy Brain stars little boy with a busy brain. Having children who have ADHD myself, I really felt like this story ‘spoke’ to me. There are some mindfulness techniques as well as lots of fun facts, all centered around a little boy who just wants to learn to ride his bike! Barbara’s mysterious, quite gothic illustrations, were incredible, and just a few months after it was published it won a Mom’s Choice Award!
When the summer holidays arrived, there was a bit of a sadness in the air in my house as my middle child was leaving primary school, however, the perfect book was published just in time! My Very Special Friendship Book by Barbara Pinke is bursting with questions and spaces for children to pass around for their friends to fill in. My son enjoyed handing this out to his friends and seeing their answers, keeping this as a lovely keepsake to remember his primary school days. I loved working on this book, knowing that it is likely to be the kind of book children keep forever and refer to often.
The end of summer brought with it the publication day of Gill Paul’s latest novel A Beautiful Rival, which tells the story of the bitter rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein. Within days of being published, it gained a best seller’s flag on Amazon! I worked on the developmental and marketing side of this novel and it has been a joy to see so many book bloggers and reviewers sharing and raving about it. And, psssst, be quick, it’s currently £1.99 on Kindle!
And now we are well within autumn with the nights drawing in and I’m excited about what lays ahead. There are so many manuscripts I’ve been working on which will be publishing soon that I can’t wait to share with you – including some very special Christmassy stories! Hopefully I’ll be better organised and actually update this blog more often so I can share their progress with you.
In the meantime, I’m busy working on edits for authors and adjusting to having three children at school and none at home – it’s a very strange feeling! When I’m not editing, being Mum or trying to keep up with social media, I do like to have a scroll through Amazon…
I like to look on Amazon and see how some of the books I’ve worked on are being received. There is something very special about seeing people writing reviews about books you have helped shaped. I was delighted to see that The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson now has over 1,500 reviews and an overall ranking of 4.6 stars, Vicky Weber’s Rhythm Rescue has nearly 600 reviews and an overall ranking of 4.7 stars, Stacy Bauer’s Cami Kangaroo Has Too Much Stuff has over 800 reviews and an overall ranking of 4.6 stars, Another Woman’s Husband by Gill Paul has over 3,000 reviews and an overall ranking of 4.4 stars, and Anna Smithers Tree Full of Wonder has over 500 reviews and a 4.6 ranking. How incredible!
I am proud of every author I work with. Whether they have 1 review or 1,000 reviews, I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to work with them on such a wide range of books.
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