Updates and Social Engagements

I think it's time for a run down of what's happening in the run up to Publication Day for Out of Sight Out of Mind - and beyond.

First off, my website has had an update www.evonnewareham.com if you'd like to take a look.

There will be contests and competitions over at Choc Lit on the way to publication day, to win books and, of course, chocolate. Check that out at Facebook and on Twitter.

I'll be appearing on various blogs and review sites, talking about the book - updates on those nearer the time.

And as for personal appearances this year - I will be at the RT Booklovers' Convention in Kansas City in May. I first attended the convention in Pittsburgh, as a finalist in the American Title contest, and promised myself that I would be back when I was a published author. Well, that time has come - I will be one of a team of authors from Choc Lit who will be at the convention in May.

Also in May I will be at Crimefest, in Bristol, appearing on a panel entitled - Crime & Crossover: Different Genres, Different Audience? It's an international mix of authors who all combine Something Else with their crime - in my case, of course, romance. It sounds like it will be fun.

In September I will be giving a talk at the Tenby Festival - as Out of Sight Out of Mind is set partially in Tenby, it will be lovely to be there to be part of the celebrations.

I'll be posting more details of all these events, as they loom on the horizon.

In the meantime, please remember just one date
Paperback publication of Out of Sight Out of Mind - 7th March 2013.

Crimefest - Fairy wings, Seagulls and George Clooney

It's always a sign of a good conference when I come home and sleep for ten hours. This year's Crimefest, in Bristol, was no exception. What began as an overseas excursion for the American crime convention, West Coast Crime, has matured into an event with it's own international personality, thanks to the organising of Adrian, Myles and Donna and the hard work of their team of helpers.






This year was special for me - my first as a published author. I got quite emotional, seeing copies of Never Coming Home on the book stall, alongside novels from the likes of Leigh Russell and Andrew Taylor.
And there I was too, in the programme, with my own speaking slot - twenty minutes as one of the 'Author Spotlights'  That particular strand is one of my favourites - authors giving their party pieces - which this year included Caro Ramsay on forensics, Meg Gardiner on getting into trouble while researching thrillers and Matt Hilton demonstrating unarmed combat.
And me. Talking about mixing crime and romance. I'm unusual in being a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and  the Crime Writers Association, writing romantic suspense. I had a lively audience, and we enjoyed trying to decide why it is not as prevalent a genre in the UK as it is in the US. No definitive conclusions, but some interesting discussion. And yes, the story of my trip to a romance convention in Pittsburgh was part of it, which involved me transporting a set of fairy wings across the Atlantic, and the fun I had wearing them.

The 'weekend' (Thursday to Sunday) was packed with panels, receptions, quizzes, the gala dinner - the only meal in sight. Most days you don't even get an official lunch break. Awards were given out and prizes won. I met and talked to a lot of interesting people, which is part of what makes the conference so enjoyable. In the sunshine, the bar terrace was packed. Several of the delegates had a close and messy encounter with a seagull, including Lee Child, who was very funny when talking about it afterwards, and about his brushes with Hollywood - taking telephone calls with George Clooney while on his local commuter train. Will there ever be a chance of me talking to Johnny Depp on the train from Barry Island to Caerphilly? P D James spoke about her excursion into Jane Austen territory with Death Comes to Pemberly. An all female panel, meant to be exploring psychological thrillers, descended into laughter and a discussion on bed linen, and still managed to delve into a lot of creepy stuff.
I had a really good time.

Crimefest in Bristol

Today (Friday) I'm speaking at Crimefest, talking about mixing romance and crime. Looking forward to mingling with all those lovely men and women who murder people for a living, and get away with it.

And in the diary for today ...

Things are getting hectic around here.

For a crowded couple of weeks my diary is overflowing:

On Tuesday 15 May Never Coming Home is released in bookshops in Australia and New Zealand. To celebrate, I will be blogging with the Australian Romance Readers Association.

Wednesday 16 May I will be the spotlight debut author on the RT Book Reviews website. Morgan, my interviewer, came up with some great questions, delving into some of the most emotional parts of the book.

Thursday 17 May is the night of the RNA Summer Party and the Awards Ceremony for both the Joan Hessayon Award for new writer of 2011/12 and also the announcement of the Romantic Novel of the Year. It will be a great night, if a nail biting one, for Choc-Lit. Linda and I will be lining up for the Joan Hessayon, and Christina and Jane for the Romance of the Year. We are made of strong stuff, and will party on, regardless.

The full list of nominees for the Joan Hessayon includes some fabulous and varied debut books.

Scarlet Wilson    It Started With A Pregnancy                 

Tanith Davenport  The Hand He Dealt                            

Liz Fenwick  The Cornish House                               

Evonne Wareham   Never Coming Home                            

Lynda Dunwell   Marrying The Admiral’s Daughter         

Rhoda Baxter  Patently In Love                                  

Linda Mitchelmore  To Turn Full Circle                               

Gina Rossi  The Wild Heart             

And the week after? That's the week of Crimefest in Bristol, where I have a twenty minute spotlight to talk about mixing crime with romance. And guess what? I'm on stage immediately after Meg Gardiner.  Scary, or what? Will I hear a word she says?                     

How I Got That Quote

"A dark mystery with a fiery romance at its heart." 

Last summer, when Choc-Lit asked if I had any ideas on who might be approached to provide that all important quote for the cover of Never Coming Home, I knew exactly who I wanted. An author whose work I love, a winner of both an Edgar and RT Book Review Reviewers' Choice Award and numbered amongst Stephen King's favourite thriller writers, it could only be Meg Gardiner.  A judge in a competition once compared my work to hers. I was over the moon. That kind of comparison is one of the greatest confidence boosters a wanna-be can ever receive.

Meg at a previous Crimefest

So - I knew who I wanted, but how to approach her? I was all set to e-mail a request, when I came across publicity for an event at Goldsboro Books in London, called Crime in the Court. It looked interesting, and I was wondering about treating myself to a trip to the wicked city, when I noticed that Meg would be amongst the authors attending. That was it. I had to go.

It was a lovely evening. The gods were kind. On a rare, warm summer night, a very large number of crime writers and their fans spilled out of the shop into Cecil Court; wine was drunk, books were bought and signed, there was a lot of conversation and a good time was had by all. In amongst all this, I managed to track down Meg. She coped admirably with a complete and possibly slightly incoherent stranger (I'd only had one glass of wine, honest!) accosting her and asking, not for her autograph, but for her endorsement of a book. She agreed that my publishers could send the manuscript to her and the quote came back a few weeks later. It's now on the back of the book. And it looks so good there. Thanks Meg.

In conversation with Zoe Sharp

Her most recent book -The Nightmare Thief - is out in paperback in the US this month. She's appearing at Crimefest in Bristol this year, and I will be there, so I'm looking forward to saying thanks again, in person. Crime in the Court will be taking place again this year, on 3rd July. I'd recommend it. I had a great time last year. And I got my quote.