Ta-daaaaah! Finally, here it is, the cover of what will be - in March 2013 - my book about coming to live on the tiny, wild Greek island of Tilos, a funny (well, I do a lot of silly things) and romantic journey from heartbreak to happiness. The back cover blurb begins:
I came here looking for some kind of happiness. I think it might be the cleverest thing I've ever done.
What do you think of the cover design? It took me a while to get used to the swirliness, and maybe the subtitle is a swirl too far... But it's unusual, it invites you into a story, and shows the magic - that's what I love. I'd be delighted to get your feedback, as there is still time to make small changes. It's hard to please everybody but I hope this is a cover that will draw a lot of people in.
One rather special thing about the cover is the endorsement by Emma Woolf at the top. Emma is the author of An Apple a Day, a beautiful memoir of trying to recover from anorexia after falling in love and deciding she wanted a baby; you may have seen her in The Times or on TV; she and I met through books and have become friends. Imagine how it felt to receive these words from her:
'For anyone who's ever been unlucky - or lucky - in love, this book will make you laugh and cry and then laugh again. Against the backdrop of her idyllic Greek island, Falling in Honey is the story of one woman's odyssey to find happiness with or without the man of her dreams. I didn't want it to end...'
Gulp. How could anyone wish for better than that?
To cap all this good news, not only is the book being launched by Summersdale Publishers in March 2013, which is exciting enough already, but it's also going to be published in the U.S. by the fantastic Sourcebooks a year later thanks to my brilliant agent Caroline.
I'm hoping at some point to be able to give away a few review copies. In the meantime, Falling in Honey is available for pre-order on Amazon.co.uk, although the cover isn't up there yet and the title isn't quite right - I'm jumping the gun a little by announcing all this, but I couldn't wait any longer...
So, I'd like to thank all of you lot. Some read early drafts of the manuscript and gave me advice. Some are even part of the story. Some of you are the lovely people who came up to me over the summer and said, 'We read your blog - keep it up!' Without you to read the stuff, there wouldn't be any point in my writing it. Thanks, and keep up the good work, folks...
Bye for now from a sunny, windy, bright September day in Tilos at the Honey Factory.
