Guernsey Sunshine!

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Guernsey, which for February is a welcome change!

The challenge will be to get as much writing done as possible before the summer months when 'Sea Spray' will be back in the water and competing for my attention.

Three chapters of the sequel to Rachel's Shoe are now complete and the story is developing as I would wish. I'm very conscious of the need to provide a story which strongly appeals to those who enjoyed Rachel's Shoe but at the same time to move on and introduce new characters. I also hope to strike the right balance between excitement and character depth in the story.

Without wishing to give too much away, there will be an intersting personal touch as I use Lihou island for part of my setting. Not too many authors have an island of the same name to include in their stories!

If you wish to keep track of the progress to find an agent or publisher for our collaborative novel 'Passage to Redemption', a website has been started but is still 'under construction'. Nevertheless you can see some of the deatils at http://www.passagetoredemption.com/ and don't forget to call in to http://www.rachelsshoe.com/ every so often will you?

Bye for now

Pete

Happy New Year from Guernsey!

2010 starts with a bang as the collaborative novel project concludes its creative phase and the sequel to Rachel's Shoe once more claims the lion's share of my writing time. I have been impatient to get back to the story and the many twists and turns I have in store.

However, there is still a great deal happening with the original as the award winning play writer Ron Blicq is working hard on the script at his home in Canada ready for submission as a TV serialisation. You can imagine, I'm sure, how I'm looking forward to reading the script.

I will, of course, keep you posted on the progress but in the meantime I thought you might like to know about one or two of the 'factional' threads in Rachel's Shoe. Did you know, for example, that the raid on the Casquets Lighthouse by British Commandos really did take place? Further, whilst authors often preface their story with a disclaimer about characters being fictional, Reiner was based upon a real person who worked in the kitchen of the Royal Hotel after the war and was believed to be ex-Gestapo.

Rachel's Shoe is full of accurate details but also includes a little artistic licence for the sake of the story - I'll leave you guessing what that might be!

Pete

Season's Greetings!

It's now just a few days over one year since Rachel's Shoe was published and copies have gone out over the months to the far corners of the World (not that the World has corners!).

It's been highly rewarding to receive the positive feedback I have been given and this has encouraged me to work on the sequel as well as investigate a screen version of the novel. I hope to bring you news on both of those initiatives in the New Year.

So to everyone who has read my debut novel, a huge thank you and may I wish you a very happy Christmas and New Year!

Pete

Surprise in Somerset!

Yesterday was an interesting one for me.

Firstly, I was approached by the organisers of Guernsey's Liberation Day celebrations for next year, the 65th anniversary, and asked if I would be a guest speaker at one of the events as well as do a reading from Rachel's Shoe in the marquee on the Albert Pier in St Peter Port.

I was, of course, delighted to accept the invitation and honoured to be asked.

Later in the day, I received an email from an old friend (and formally a boss of mine!) who suggested I make a surprise telephone call to his wife last night. Intrigued?

The reason was that her book club, based in the beautiful English County of Somerset, were all gathered at his home to discuss Rachel's Shoe having read it over the previous weeks. They hadn't anticipated a call from the author during their discussions and I'm both pleased and relieved to say it was a pleasant surprise!

But it is I who should be grateful as it was lovely to catch up with old friends and especially rewarding to know how much the club enjoyed my book.

Needless to say, the question of a sequel came up and I was happy to confirm that plans are in place!

Pete

Rachel's Shoe - USA!

It's now almost ten months since the release date of Rachel's Shoe. Amazing how the days go by!

The interest in Rachel's Shoe has been immense especially in the US and (of course) the local Channel Islands. Enquiries come in every day from all around the world and I've had the pleasure of posting hundreds of copies to many far away places - which is very satisfying.

Why so much interest ?

I guess an unknown author like me living on a small island in the English Channel would struggle to get noticed even if he possessed the literary skills of William Shakespeare! But fortunately the big guns of publishing were already telling the world about 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' and that has sparked international interest in the period and location of my 'little old' local story.

Appetite duly whetted and perhaps seeking a non-epistolary drama in the same period, Rachel's Shoe seems to have provided the perfect 'next read' for those many people who enjoyed the setting described by so eloquently by Mary Ann. But alas, despite the interest, it hasn't been easy to obtain a copy on Amazon since the release date.

Not until now, however! This weekend, my publishers are putting in place the arrangement to print and supply direct from Amazon.com. With 'in stock' availability the delivery lead time will be slashed along with postal charges for US customers.

Last week, the supply side through Amazon.co.uk was addressed so that UK, Channel Islands and worldwide customers could also buy for immediate delivery.

This blog is now also being posted directly onto my author's page on Amazon.com, but for those who have seen the earlier posts, the movie discussions about Rachel's Shoe have not yet been concluded but I will let you know if or as soon as there is news.

eBook, Audio book, Worldwide sales & more!

It's been a little while since my last post but plenty has been happening.

First of all, you may have noticed that an eBook version of Rachel's Shoe is now available for downloading. It's in PDF format which means although it can be read on almost anything, the file size is quite large at roughly 7 Megabytes.

In production at the moment is an Audio Book which will also be downloadable! Watch this space for news on when it will be available and details of the professional team behind it.

At long last, it has become possible to purchase Rachel's Shoe on Amazon for delivery anywhere in the world. This is currently through Amazon.co.uk but Amazon.com should follow soon which will mean more choice for customers and with lower postage costs, a little more profit for me!

On the subject of Amazon, would you like to help me promote Rachel's Shoe? Positive reviews on Amazon make a lot of difference to a book's success and are greatly appreciated but if you are tight for time, it also helps to just tick the 'Tags' on Amazon which tell other customers what Rachel's Shoe is about. The most relevant tags are 'Guernsey', 'Fiction' and 'Novel' but you can vote for any or all just by clicking on what is already there or add your own. Many thanks if you are able to help.

Last but not least, 'Passage to Redemption' to now nearing completion with just one more chapter to write. This is the collaborative novel I have been writing with twelve others who have never met each other and come from all around the world. Very soon we will be searching for a publisher and with that project completed, I can return to the long awaited sequel to Rachel's Shoe!

I wish you all well!
Pete

Rachel's Shoe interview on Channel TV

The TV interview was screened tonight and a link is enclosed below so you can see it.

Channel Report at 6:00pm


I hope to get permission to include the clip here so it will be easier but in the meantime this link should stay live for a few weeks I believe.

Can you spot my 'deliberate' mistake!

Pete