I am delighted to welcome Samantha Tonge to Rachel's Random Reads today as part of my #CarinaChristmas event. Here is her Christmas countdown, and then she is also giving away a book!
The countdown to Christmas has begun and it is a bit like the countdown to a novel release. On 15th October my festive story My Big Fat Christmas Wedding was launched and for that to happen there was an awful lot of preparation.
The basics – ie getting the story written; rewritten; revised and then edited. I’d compare this to deciding on the fundamental aspects of your Christmas holiday... who will you invite? What will you eat? Where will you buy your presents?
The packaging – the cover for my book. This is similar to gift wrapping. Will it be bold, sparkly and in your face or more muted? Each year with my wrapping paper I tend to go for a different colour theme... a bit like my book covers and My Big Fat Christmas Weddings’ is white, silver, turquoise and twinkly!
The Advent calendar – I’d compare this to the month’s run up to my book release, where I tease potential readers with little snippets about my book. So for my festive story, will Pippa enjoy Christmas in Greece? Will she really leave the London rat-race behind to marry a fisherman? And will her ex-boyfriend Henrik reappear and cause trouble?
Santa’s present drop, I’d compare to my blog tour, which can start a few days before publication day. Unlike his one night of hard work, this can last two weeks. I don’t stop off at chimneys but visit bloggers and leave behind guest-posts, interviews and extracts that I hope they – and their readers – will enjoy.
The Big Day! Timing is crucial. The book must go onto the sales platforms on the right day, at the right price. Copies must appear effortlessly in Kindles that have preordered. There must be no formatting problems. A bit like the Christmas dinner – the turkey should be thawed in time to bake on the 25th and cooked early enough to rest before steaming the vegetables and roasting spuds.
Christmas arguments. Come on, let’s be honest – it’s the one time of the year most families get together under the same roof and disagree over the little things! And I’d compare those niggly differences we all have to the reviews that start coming in for a book. It always amazes me how one reader can adore a certain aspect of a story that another person hates. It’s a bit like a guest insisting that watching The Queen’s Speech is de rigueur, whilst another might roll their eyes and say a board game would be much more fun.
That after-dinner full feeling – when you've stuffed your face with turkey, done the washing up and collapse on the sofa. That’s just how I feel after my blogtour finishes and I've tweeted and facebooked my heart out for hours and hours. Phew. There is not much more I can do. Now I just sit back and see how people enjoy my book. A bit like the way guests act when they have to leave after the festivities. Will they thank you for a truly marvellous time, or, after all the chaos, be glad to get back to their own home!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The countdown to Christmas has begun and it is a bit like the countdown to a novel release. On 15th October my festive story My Big Fat Christmas Wedding was launched and for that to happen there was an awful lot of preparation.
The basics – ie getting the story written; rewritten; revised and then edited. I’d compare this to deciding on the fundamental aspects of your Christmas holiday... who will you invite? What will you eat? Where will you buy your presents?
The packaging – the cover for my book. This is similar to gift wrapping. Will it be bold, sparkly and in your face or more muted? Each year with my wrapping paper I tend to go for a different colour theme... a bit like my book covers and My Big Fat Christmas Weddings’ is white, silver, turquoise and twinkly!
The Advent calendar – I’d compare this to the month’s run up to my book release, where I tease potential readers with little snippets about my book. So for my festive story, will Pippa enjoy Christmas in Greece? Will she really leave the London rat-race behind to marry a fisherman? And will her ex-boyfriend Henrik reappear and cause trouble?
Santa’s present drop, I’d compare to my blog tour, which can start a few days before publication day. Unlike his one night of hard work, this can last two weeks. I don’t stop off at chimneys but visit bloggers and leave behind guest-posts, interviews and extracts that I hope they – and their readers – will enjoy.
The Big Day! Timing is crucial. The book must go onto the sales platforms on the right day, at the right price. Copies must appear effortlessly in Kindles that have preordered. There must be no formatting problems. A bit like the Christmas dinner – the turkey should be thawed in time to bake on the 25th and cooked early enough to rest before steaming the vegetables and roasting spuds.
Christmas arguments. Come on, let’s be honest – it’s the one time of the year most families get together under the same roof and disagree over the little things! And I’d compare those niggly differences we all have to the reviews that start coming in for a book. It always amazes me how one reader can adore a certain aspect of a story that another person hates. It’s a bit like a guest insisting that watching The Queen’s Speech is de rigueur, whilst another might roll their eyes and say a board game would be much more fun.
That after-dinner full feeling – when you've stuffed your face with turkey, done the washing up and collapse on the sofa. That’s just how I feel after my blogtour finishes and I've tweeted and facebooked my heart out for hours and hours. Phew. There is not much more I can do. Now I just sit back and see how people enjoy my book. A bit like the way guests act when they have to leave after the festivities. Will they thank you for a truly marvellous time, or, after all the chaos, be glad to get back to their own home!
Giveaway to win a signed copy of Mistletoe Mansion (UK Only)
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| Amazon UK |
Samantha Tonge has very kindly offered you a chance to win a signed copy of Mistletoe Mansion, which was her Christmas release from last year.
Giveaway open residents of the UK only, all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 4/12/2015. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner. Good luck everyone.
Author Bio
Blurb
Things don’t always run smoothly in the game of love…As her Christmas wedding approaches, a trip back to snowy England for her ex’s engagement party makes her wonder if those are wedding bells she’s hearing in her mind, or warning bells. She longs for the excitement of her old London life – the glamour, the regular pedicures. Can she really give that all up to be…a fishwife?
There’s nothing for it but to throw herself into bringing a little Christmas magic to the struggling village in the form of a Christmas fair. Somewhere in amidst the sparkly bauble cakes and stollen scones, she’s sure she’ll come to the right decision about where she belongs…hopefully in time for the wedding…
Perfect for fans of Lindsey Kelk and Debbie Johnson. Don’t miss the Christmas Wedding of the year!
Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTongeWriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaTongeAuthor
Website: http://samanthatonge.co.uk/
AmazonUK or Amazon US
Thank you so much Samantha for agreeing to take part in #CarinaChristmas. With only a month left to the big day, its great to see your countdown to Christmas. Also a pleasure to run a giveaway with you.
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| For more #CarinaChristmas click here |
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