The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence

Although my debut novel Never Coming Home now has a new sibling, it hasn't retired to the background. I'm excited to announce that it is a finalist in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence contest 2013 - organised by the Southern Magic Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. A thrill and an honour.

Inheritance Tracks

Today I'm on Rhoda Baxter's blog - talking about books I've inherited and those I'd chose to pass on.


Drop in, if you can.


http://rhodabaxter.com/hom/

Still celebrating.

Today I'm on the Romantic Novelists' Association blog - talking about writing romantic suspense and, of course, about Out of Sight Out of Mind.

http://romanticnovelistsassociationblog.blogspot.co.uk/

And look what I got yesterday from my publisher, Choc Lit.

Celebration

It seems to have been a long time coming, but it's finally here. Today is publication day for the paperback edition of  Out of Sight Out of Mind. 

I'm celebrating with the Romaniacs - see you there. 

http://theromaniacgroup.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/the-perils-of-paranormal-evonne-wareham/

This is dedicated to ...

I'm always interested in the dedications at the front of a book.  A few lines, on the first page, when the author has the chance to offer the book to person or persons who are usually unknown to the reader, but who are significant in the author's life.  Occasionally these dedications are cryptic, sometimes they are poignant, now and then they clearly contain some sort of in-joke.  But in the overwhelming number of cases, they are written with love and gratitude. 

When I wrote the dedications for Never Coming Home, it was easy to decide who the book was for -- my mother, and the close friends and family who have supported me throughout my attempts to become a published author. People who believed in me, and encouraged me, and picked me up and dusted me down, when the rejection letters came winging through the letterbox. (On a good day, with a prevailing wind, my postman can get a letter half way up the hall.)

In dedicating the second book, the choice was also easy --To my father who would have been  .... 

Would have been, what?

The choice was easy.  The wording was much more difficult.  In the end I decided on 'To my father, who would have been astonished.'  And that's what appears on the title page of Out of Sight Out of Mind.  I'm pretty sure that what I've written is correct -- although I did have other 'a' words to choose from, 'astounded' and 'amazed' being two of them.  I don't think that it would ever have occurred to my Dad that anyone in his family might write and publish a book, and certainly not his daughter.  I hope he would have been proud of me, although it's difficult to know.  My Dad was one of the generation who, having come through the Second World War, kept their feelings pretty much to themselves.  Since he died I've been told, by several people, how proud he was of things I'd achieved in other parts of my life.  He never said a word to me.

I hope he'd like the idea that I've written a story that was an award winner.  And now followed it with a second book.  Whether I would have wanted him to read them?  Hah!  That is entirely another issue.  Out of Sight Out of Mind  is a thriller -- it has its share of skulduggery and dead bodies, but it is also a romance, and I  think it is a bit more romantic than Never Coming Home,  as many of the scenes take place just between Jay and Madison, and their growing relationship is an essential part of the plot.  And it's not just the romance...  There are love scenes  ... Definitely a no-go area as far as your father is concerned.  So no, I don't think I would have been comfortable with the idea of him reading it, although his capacity to surprise me was one of the things I most remember about him.  Maybe we would have astonished each other.  I like to think that.
 

He wasn't much of a reader, unless it was an angling magazine.  There is very little fishing in Out of Sight Out of Mind -- although a fisherman does have a very tiny cameo part -- literally a walk on. 

That bit is especially for you, Dad.

The First Day of March

It's Saint David's day. The patron saint of Wales.

Greetings from Wales. Have a great day!

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.