Novel Two Is Out There

Her Sisters Secret has been published and available to download for ten days. After wondering how it would be received by readers, I'm very pleased - and relieved - to say that I've received some lovely messages and have been thrilled by the early reviews. Whereas during the height of COVID19 in April when many reviews for novel one mentioned the setting and escapism, these readers comment more on the characters and the pace of this novel. In some ways, this sets it apart as a very different novel in spite of some similar themes of mother/daughter bonds, identity, and forbidden love. 

Here are a few of the comments:

The pace never drags. You keep wanting to know what happens next.

A thoroughly enjoyable read with great characters and a well-developed plot, full of twists and turns.

From the beginning, this book draws you in as you are pulled in by the characters, especially Rose.

We went out for an al fresco lunch on publication day itself and enjoyed sitting outside, socially distanced from the other tables of diners, under both the Welsh and Italian flags. The owner and chef of Caffé Fragolino is Francesco, originally from Messina. He and his staff made us very welcome. When my husband explained why we were celebrating and showed him the cover of Her Sister's Secret, he replied, 'Ah, the Vespa. Mine, it is outside the gate in the lane.'

We tried to choose some of the dishes that were mentioned in the book and the arancini were amazing.

'That evening, Signora insisted on cooking us a traditional Sicilian meal starting with some delicious rice balls, arancini...We were the only ones in there as she normally only offered breakfast to her guests.'

We ended our meal with some sweet cannoli as Jen did when she visited the trattoria in Villaggio sul Mare. Francesco gave us some mini versions of the ricotta-filled pastries to take home with us, too.

The writing community has been so generous in its support again on Facebook and Twitter and I have enjoyed featuring on a number of blogs answering questions or talking about the inspiration behind my book, with more to come. A big, big thank you to you all. 

https://csheldonblog.wordpress.com/2020/09/14/jan-baynham/

http://www.booksandme.co.uk/2020/09/guestpost-her-sisters-secret-by-jan.html

https://portobellobookblog.com/2020/09/18/authorinthespotlight-jan-baynham-her-sisters-secret-rubyfiction-choclituk-janbaynham/

If you are a writer whose book has been published during COVID, how did you celebrate and mark the occasion?

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