philippahawleywriter

Friday’s book launch went well and Lawn House Blues is now freely available for you to purchase, read and enjoy.

The Nottage Institute was a great venue and we had lots of space in which our lovely guests could have a glass of wine, mingle, and look at the displays while I signed a few books. They patiently listened to my little talk and a short reading after which they were graciously generous with their appreciation.

From my point of view it was lovely to see old friends and new and I’m only sorry I wasn’t able to circulate and chat more – the book signing table remained busy throughout the evening. It was an exciting and enjoyable event and I enjoyed talking about the Lawn House story and the characters I’d created over the last 2 or 3 years.

I’ve just realised I forgot to ask the audience if they had any questions after my talk. During the evening a number of people said how much they loved the ‘spiffing’ cover but, although I thought they might,  no-one asked where the ‘blues’ in the book title came from. Perhaps you will be able to answer that yourself when you read the book.

For now I’ll just share a few pictures with you. Thanks to the photographers amongst you – there might well be more to come.

1 – GETTING READY   2 – READING    3 – SIGNING

Today’s the day!

The door to Lawn House has been opened today and you can now buy the book and find out more about what’s been going on inside. That’s because Lawn House Blues is really a story about a house – a once grand English country mansion in rural Suffolk, now struggling in modern times. The families of the owners, the staff, and the visitors to the house all play a part in a developing saga and they each experience happy times and sad times, mixed with a smattering of intrigue.

Now down to business:-

If you want to buy the book it will be on sale at the book launch event this evening, between 6 and 8 pm at Wivenhoe’s Nottage Institute on the quay. If the weather is good we can have the balcony windows open for a fine view of the river. The paperback will be sold for £7.99.

It is also available at Wivenhoe bookshop, Red Lion Books in Colchester, and all otherindependent bookshops can get hold of it for you from their trade wholesalers on a print-on-demand basis.

Lawn House Blues has also been released on Amazon as both a paper-back and Kindle edition. Other ebook platforms can also access it. The ebook price is £1.99.

If you have any trouble getting hold of a copy please do contact me through this site’s contact page and I’ll do my best to get a copy to you. I’d also be thrilled to hear any comments you have about the book and will always be grateful for any published reviews.

Happy reading.

Boxes full of ‘Lawn House Blues’ are waiting to be unpacked and I’m busy finalising arrangements for our launch on Friday. It’s a privilege to be able to use the lovely and interesting space upstairs at the Nottage for this event and hopefully you’ll have time to look at some of the displays as well as hear more about my book.

    The Nottage on Wivenhoe Quay.

I can’t wait to release Lawn House Blues to the public at the book launch on Friday 21st September, at the Nottage, between 6 and 8 pm.  Soon the book can fly away from my  desk and off to the wider world, to be handled, read, discussed, talked about, placed on a bookshelf, or given and received as a gift.

After perusing the lovely front cover, courtesy of Spiffing Covers, the next thing people will see is the back page blurb, so here is a preview …

“Lawn House seems to be the perfect English country mansion, with conscientious custodians, beautiful parkland and magnificent trees; however, running a large estate in the modern world can bring its challenges.

Oliver, the present owner, tries hard to be business-like, but ends up treating the place more like a commune than the grand estate it once was. It doesn’t take much for a manipulative nanny to upset the fragile equilibrium of the household and Oliver’s close friends … and when things start to go wrong they go very wrong.

A destructive storm rips the roof off the house, and secrets from the past are revealed, which threaten the future. Can the owners, staff and friends of Lawn House find some acceptance, process these past mistakes, and move forward with their lives?”

If you want to know more about the book, please join me on Friday 21st September. The book will be for sale on the night and thereafter at Wivenhoe Bookshop. For those who cannot travel to Wivenhoe it will be on Amazon as a paperback and in Kindle format. It will also be available on other ebook platforms and is soon to be in more, independent book stores. I’ll try to keep you informed.

It’s just 2 weeks to go until the book launch so time to put my glasses on, remind myself about the details in the book, and think about what I’m going to say about Lawn House Blues at the launch event on 21st September 2018 .

I don’t want to give too much away about the plot until the launch but you’ve already seen the front cover which gives lot’s of hints. A writing friend, Sylvia has commented that the cover suggests ‘intrigue,romance and sorrow’ and I think she’s summed it up perfectly for now, in those three words.

I have decided to tell you more about the time it has taken to write this book, and mention the processes involved, realising it has been 2 years and 8 months since the beginning. I’ve noted the ups and downs along the way and this has  developed into an article which is posted on the blog – Wivenhoe Writers . I’ll be talking about some of this on 21st September, but if you can’t wait until then just click on the link shown.

As always any comments will be gratefully received.

Just enjoying the garden while I mull over plans for the Lawn House Blues book launch on 21st September. Who will come? All welcome.

Will people be able to find the Nottage? Park in the town car park and walk down to the Quay.

How much wine do we buy? This is Wivenhoe on a Friday evening after all!

What shall I say ? I’ll keep it brief.

Which chapter will I choose to read ? Now that’s the question. Come along between 6 and 8 and maybe around 7 pm you’ll find out.

I love this book cover – it reveals so much about the story and is perfect to entice you in. You’ll be able to buy the real thing from 21st September onwards, from me, from Wivenhoe Bookshop, or from Amazon ( as paperback or ebook). I do hope more outlets will follow.