Ready to launch

I am delighted to announce that after several false starts and some unexpected delays, I am finally ready to launch this Of Social Standing ship with my maiden voyage – Lady Dixon’s Niece. The completed manuscript is now with my designer for formatting before going to print. There has been so much happening that I feel like I’m hurtling towards this launch. Here are a few highlights:

I got offered a traditional publishing deal from a UK publishing house – Bing! Bing! Bing! I can’t describe the feeling… the excitement…the giddiness… the sense of achievement. So guess what? …I turned it down. Yes! I turned it down.

Always read the terms and conditions, folks! Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the level of representation and service they were offering matched the 90%+ royalties they wanted to keep. It’s lovely to get an offer, but it has to be the right offer.

Secondly, I handed over my manuscript to a true Jane Austen fan for the final proofread. I knew this would be the ULTIMATE test. Thankfully, I passed with flying colours. Phew! In fact, she really loved it. I think I was in shock when I heard all the praise and flattering remarks spill from her lips. I actually think I’m programmed after many years of knocking on the publishing house doors, to expect an underwhelming response…. the ‘it’s not you. You are lovely, but you’re just not lovely enough for us.’ Well, it turns out, Lady Dixon’s Niece is the right fit for my target audience. Honestly, it was so nice to be reminded that I’m writing for my readers and their opinion matters most. That’s the bottom line. There’s beauty in the simplicity of it. My target audience will like this, and I should always strive to do justice to my characters and stories as they belong to my readers. Nicest comment of them all: ‘Chele, I loved all your characters, even the most annoying, despicable ones.’

That feedback alone put such pep in my step. So to that end, I am thrilled to finally get these characters out of my head, off my laptop, and let them loose with you, my readers. I hope you adore them as much as I do. Hold onto your bonnets, folks, because you are in for slow-burning romance, sizzling tension, clever dialogue and one duplicitous scheme to catch a rich husband that is sure to derail – Lady Dixon’s Niece is going to be a tumultuous ride!