BOOK NOW FOR CHRISTMAS

 

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON NOW

Pebbles on a Beach 69 AVAILABLE ON AMAZON NOW

Well, here we go again, herded along willy nilly, in the crazy stampede towards Christmas. Or are we? IT IS NOT COMPULSORY. This year I am standing still, while remaining calm. Christmas is, after all, just a long weekend – with a few more people to cater for. I have already ordered the food – to be delivered in due course. My cards are designed and printed. Writing them is a long process, as I choose to send lots, but  each name I write brings a horde of memories and so what might seem a tedious, arduous task becomes an enjoyable, nostalgic experience. Right now I am concentrating on presents, compiling lists – what to buy for the various members of the family and friends. Each year I try to buy less. No one I know needs anything and as most of us have reached an age when we actually don’t want anymore ‘things’, I prefer to invest in a new memory.Visits to the theatre, train trips, meals out are wonderful gifts – but they do not come cheap.
Books, however make perfect presents.

As a writer I feel compelled to encourage the giving of books as the ideal gift. All ages can be accommodated, they look beautiful, they are not expensive – in fact many are remarkably cheap – and they are a doddle to wrap. I can still remember books I read as a child, so many characters remain vivid, etched in my imagination, and I still treasure the adventures they took me on. How many presents can you recall from last year, let alone decades ago? In short Books are Bargains.

Have you ever really thought how much effort actually goes into writing a book? (90,000 words, more or less, arranged into near perfect order, to make sense, convey ideas and give pleasure.) Most novels take at least a year to write. A further 6 months to edit and proof read. An appropriate, appealing cover has to be designed, the blurb must be composed for the back cover (a horribly difficult task) -only then is the book ready to publish and print.
And that, my friends, is just the beginning. Marketing is a dark art, requiring devious talents and hard nosed determination. I am rubbish at marketing! So … this is my Christmas plea. Help me and my fellow writers. Buy books as gifts this Christmas. Ask for books from Santa. And why not plump for my latest book – PEBBLES ON A BEACH? It will bring hours of pleasure, thoughtful reflection, plus the warm glow of shared, sometimes long forgotten, emotions. Simply click onto Amazon and you have it – £8.85 paperback or 83p Kindle! – what’s more you’ll make an author a very happy Christmas bunny – or should that be elf?

Remember – A GOOD BOOK IS A GREAT FRIEND Pebbles on a Beach 69

GIVE A FRIEND A BOOK THIS CHRISTMAS.