News: 2024/04/17

17th April 2024 /

Celebrations

Last month I had the fortunate pleasure of celebrating a big birthday… 🤫 … We had a drinks reception and gathering on the Southbank in London that will not be forgotten. It was a lovely evening, and I felt humbled and truly loved by the amazing number of friends and family that travelled from far and near to help me celebrate. I was sad not everyone could make it, but I say, “next time!”… I have a feeling the celebrations might not be over yet, just punctuated by some good, solid, hard work.

Thank you 🙏🏼 also to all my fantastic readers—to those that sent me such warm wishes on all the various communication channels. It made the occasion even more special.

IHS “Finding ALICE” promo & giveaway

This week, I am very pleased to say, “Finding ALICE”, the Toni Mendez case about Alice, who went missing in Cape Town, South Africa, is included in the I Heart SappFic “Mistaken Identity” reading challenge.

TheChallenge:

http://samskyborne.com/News_240417_IHS_Alice_challenge

“Finding ALICE” page on IHS:

http://samskyborne.com/IHS_Alice

As part of this challenge, TB and her crew are publishing an interview with me about my writing and research adventures in South Africa. http://samskyborne.com/IHS_Alice_Interview

“Finding ALICE” is also currently on SALE, down from the usual $6.99 to $2.99 on all platforms, including directly from my shop:

* Please remember to leave a review if you’ve read it. Reviews are like gulps of oxygen to us humanoid authors. 🙏🏼

And, if you’d like to take part in the FREE Giveaway competition and stand a chance of winning some wonderful FREE books, including “Finding ALICE”, visit: http://samskyborne.com/News_240417_IHS_Alice_Giveaway

IHS “Sealed with a Kiss” promo next week.

Next week is the same procedure as this week, except “Sealed with a Kiss”, the bittersweet romance in my Lesvos Island Collection is being featured in the “Set in Europe” category of the IHS “80 Days Around the World” reading challenge.

Look out on my social media channels for details and information about the promotions or visit my book page. This is just a heads up, in case you have not read this novel yet and would like a bargain.
http://samskyborne.com/swak

Progress this month:

The best laid plans….

1) I was hoping to get stuck into the writing of my new WIP during these past four weeks, however, then there came life… Luckily this mostly comprised Cava, cake and celebratory chaos. So no complaints, really! 💃🏼  But my books do not get written by themselves (at least not yet). 

2) On the productive side… I have fixed up my website, which was a long(,) outstanding task—long outstanding and long task to accomplish. Nevertheless, I’m quite pleased with the progress and updates. You can take a look if you like. I’m always happy to hear what people think, especially if they have some handy tips or advice to share that will help me provide a better experience to visitors.
http://samskyborne.com

3) I am pleased to say that paperback signed copies of all the books in my Lesvos Island Collection and the Toni Mendez series are now available to buy directly from my shop. If you are interested, please email me with the name of the person to whom you would like me to dedicate the book. If you would like more than one copy, also get in touch as there might be discount postage options.
Visit my http://samskyborne.com/shop and select the “Signed Copies” category at the top to see the full list.

As for exercise, writing routine and reading more… I just need to find my Time-Turner.

Work in progress:

Finally, I get to the meat and bones of this dish. “Stars Align” (working title) is stewing nicely. I am quite happy with the plot outline so far and most of the dev notes are coming together nicely. Soon, it will be time to get busy with the research. This is sometimes the most fun part.

In a few days I will head over to Manchester, Crew and surrounds, specifically to

  1. visit Jodrell Bank and learn all about the Lovell telescope,
  2. find Monika a suitable place to live
  3. pop in to Manchester university to see where Monika works, and
  4. generally sightsee to get a feel for what it is like to live in that lovely part of the UK.


However, a visit to Manchester is merely the hors d’oeuvre.

In a couple of weeks, I’m off to wonderful Lesvos once again to stake out a few more exciting places for adventures in love on the island. I think, this time, I’ll be doing a bit of walking and exploring more off the beaten track locations for my unsuspecting lovers to experience.

And, to be sure, I will do a fair bit of stargazing from the clifftops and, no doubt, comparing the merits of astronomy versus astrology over a glass of something quenching in the local tavernas.    

Keep an eye out on social media for news, photos and snippets of my research adventures.

…Which brings me neatly on to…

What’s next…

Things have changed so much over the past few months, let alone couple of years, in the world of social media and online communication. It has become ever more likely that traditional communication methods, which have worked for years, now leave us authors stranded and alone in the deserted cyber wasteland watching virtual tumble weed roll by and howling into the electrostatic, rather than connecting with and giving our readers what they want. The last thing I want to do with my time and life is clog up inboxes or hang about in notification queues! Hence, I am in the process of rethinking my social communications strategy. So, watch this space for more exciting news on what that will look like SOON.

With that… till next time.

Happy reading. =)

Sam x

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