Eight Weeks On

It is eight weeks since my debut novel, 'Her Mother's Secret', was published and I've been reflecting on what has happened since. I wasn't expecting the book to have been received the way it has and I'm very grateful for all the wonderful messages and reviews. If it has helped people escape the awful situation in which we find ourselves, I'm more than happy. It's brought back memories of holidays spent on Greek islands for many. There are now forty two reviews on Amazon. Some are duplicated on Goodreads but many on there are different ones, too. A big thank you to those of you who have taken the time to write them. 

Appearing on a large number of blogs has been amazing, every one having been offered by generous members of the writing community. They were all so different. Some asked my to write a piece on a particular topic, for example, the inspiration for my novel -

'At the time, I'd been reading a novel where the rustling in the trees sounded like whispers and inanimate statues took the form of the ghosts of people they represented. combining both ideas, I asked myself what if the whispering could show the presence of a past family member. Always fascinated by family secrets and the bond between mothers and daughters, I knew I had the basis for a story.'

Others wanted to know about the setting - 

'Having visited many times and being struck by the wonderful palette of colours seen in every landscape, Greece was my choice of background. The island is not based on one particular place but is an amalgam of areas I've visited. Every holiday has contributed to the whole backdrop where I've tried to show the climate, the vivid colours of the sea and the flowers as well as the warmth of its people.'

Another asked me to reflect on my writing journey and how it felt to get published in the end -
 ...becoming a published author ... was both exciting and nerve wracking, but I did it! My advice to anyone reading this is never give up. It's never too late!

Some were question and answer interviews where I loved the variety of the questions. Another blog post was in the form of sharing opening lines and others reviewed the book. Thank you all for getting my name out there. 

In the same way, I hope that welcoming a number of authors onto my blog in my series of 'Firsts' in May and June has had a similar effect for them. Two writers, Juliette Lawson and Kirsten Hesketh, were debut authors and Juliet Greenwood talked about her first novel with a new publisher. The comments on my blog tend to be from just a few loyal followers but stats show that the posts are read world wide. I look forward to sharing more guest posts with you in July.

Virtual meetings have become the norm. As co-organiser of the newly named Cariad Chapter of the RNA, we now meet via Zoom and it's been good to include our members from Norway, Cornwall and Bristol, too. Our June meeting was a virtual mini-writing workshop with author, Jenny Kane. Great fun, it made up for having to cancel the writing day we'd booked with her due to lockdown.


Since publication day, I have also taken part in my publisher's Choc Lit and Ruby Virtual Book Festival. It ran over two weeks and I shared a day with the lovely writer, Marie Laval. A wide variety of events took place with readings, videos and give-aways.I ran two competitions - one was to choose an actor to play Stelios from 'Her Mother's Secret' and the other was to tell me the name of the underground lake in Kefalonia that inspired my short story, 'The Phantom Boatman' last year.


Last week, 'Her Mother's Secret' came out in audio. At first, it felt strange to hear the voices of my characters who had lived in my head for so long. Read for Isis Audio Soundings by Deryn Edwards, I am delighted with it. What has made it particularly worthwhile for me was to receive an email from a partially sighted reader who had been frustrated that she couldn't read the e-book but had just finished listening to it and wanted me to know how much she'd enjoyed the story. 

I've joined an on-line writing course that meets fortnightly. Taught by the amazing Jenny Kane, it already seems to be just what I need. Above all, it will give me the opportunity to write outside my comfort zone and experiment with different genres. I hadn't written a short story for a while apart from some Flash Fiction pieces and it felt good to submit one for a critique from Jenny yesterday. I have also booked a workshop on Conflict with Alison May at the end of the month.

So that's it. Eight weeks of being a published author. I'm a bit sad as I'm regularly checking the Amazon rankings to see how my 'baby' is doing. For two whole days in May, it was #1 Amazon Hot Release in Greek Travel. Because this will not happen again, I had to screen shot it! I told you I was sad. It has now settled at #7 - #8 in the Greek Travel Best Sellers. Do you do this?

Thank you for reading. How did you feel in the weeks after your first ever novel was published? I'd love to read your comments. Thanks.

You may also follow me on Twitter @JanBaynham and on my Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page.