First of all it was going to be...

 Woot look at this...

and then we were going to say...

Soon we can do this...

But as ever there's a spoke in the works...

A certain site where you can buy our books decided we could have this Cassie and Raven Christmas anthology out in paperback early.

So our oohh cover reveal is up and running on Amazon...

and Goodreads

so now here it is on here 

The eBook will follow ASAP.

Meanwhile if you prefer paperbacks now's your chance to read it before it's out electronically.

https://amzn.to/40nZShB (UK)

https://tinyurl.com/mv6ve9nr (.com)

Happy Reading,

love,

Raven and Cassie xxx

It's that time of the year again...

 The one where we start wondering where we put the wrapping paper we bought in the January sales, where all the excess Chriatmas cards are...

(Istock via pinterest)

and

Eagerly await all the Christmas stories due out—or already out.

 (couldn't find a non specific Christmas book thingy...)

Over the last three years the lovely Cassie O'brien and I have brought out three Christmas books—so far.

You can find them all in ebook and paperback on Amazon                            https://amzn.to/405tb8BNow it's time for us to sayWhat's next...?

and then say...Watch this space...

On rediscovering somewhere

 Not a very inspiring title is it?

Sorry. 

Blame lack of sleep... The rain.. That it's almost November...The...

Okay, I blame me. The culprit. I just couldn't come up with anything better.

Sorry...

(I was trying to find a suitable icon or something here, but nothing grabbed me...in any way)

However, I digress (I love that word no idea why)

I've spent this last week in Rutland, in the English Midlands. The smallest county, in England, with the largest reservoir, Rutland Water. That's the church they had to raise to save it when the valley was flooded. Normanton.

It also has the longest brick built viaduct in the UK. Harringworth Viaduct. You can just see some of it in the background of the picture.

(source pinterest)

I went with a friend, just us two, no partners and lots of books. Which ws just as well when we got hit with the storm.

But before that we visited all over the county—and to bits outwith it. 

It took me back several decades. To places I visited to visit as a child, and then revisited twenty years later with my husband.

And things I've never seen before

(monument at Rutland Water)

And oh boy did the memories flood back. Where I'd paddled, where I'd fallen off a horse and sprained my ankle. Where my dad and I used to cycle to, go for a walk and watch the birds flying around. (And hide our jam sandwiches from them)

Stately homes and thatched cottages. 

Chocolate box charm and industrial terraces.

Such a lot to see. And rediscover.

It gave me ideas. 

Best off all,  I spent a week with a friend and chilled.

Now some of those ideas and memories are about to help with my next book.

I wonder if anyone can guess what it's about?

Happy Reading,

love Raven xxx

Covers, and clever cover artists. Plus, catch ups, choclate biscuits and clever clogs who are 'always' correct'

 Or some such thing...

I admit this blog is late because I am not a clever clogs, anything but. 

Why do you (or do you not) ask?

Well, it's like this.

Last Sunday I was away with a mate. girls only, no husbands lets put the world to right few (ie each chocolate biscuits and grumble) days. So I sorted out a blog—or so I thought—scheduled it.

You've got it...I didn't.

So here we are

This was the beginning of the blog. Which now as it is late very very late...I've amended.

Over the years I've been lucky enough to have been published, I've been very fortunate to have been given some amazing covers. Every cover artist has gone the extra mile to try and make sure the cover is suitable for the story. 

Not easy when I do tend at times to only give a vague description of how my characters look. After being told once, very firmly, that the man on the cover looked nothing like a reader envisaged him from my description in the book, I tend to stick to things like basic physique (ie NO man boobs) hair colour, curvy etc etc. Nothing too definite (apart from the lack of man boobs) 

This cover by Emmy Ellis is one of those covers where all I said was a red distinctive dress, not of the norm, and she came up with this! Absolutely perfect. Emmy had created me ( and others) some brilliant covers over the years.)

https://www.totallybound.com/book/the-earl-and-the-courtesan-print (and Ebook)

Apart from my Totally Bound covers, Emmy has also created the covers for and edited the Christmas anthologies Cassie O'Brien and I bring out each year. Look out for the next one, A Wonderful Christmastime, very soon. I haven't got that cover yet of course but...

My first cover artist was also fabulous. Victoria Miller created most of the covers for the books I wrote for the now sadly defunct and much missed Breathless Press

As the books are mainly out of print (though some have now been rereleased elsewhere) I can't show you them easily but I thought Victoria wouldn't mind if I showed you one of them...

We both loved this cover because it was at the time very different from the normal Regency cover.

Then there's Jay Aheer who did most of my Evernight Publishing covers and like Victoria and Emmy always managed to work out exactly what's needed

This is a Dark Isle book written by me as Kera Faire and she's captured the mystique perfectly.

Amy Coveney did the covers for the Katy Lilley, Devon trilogy that is not available at the moment—until I work out how to put them on Amazon myself (I'm not the most tech savvy person in the world) I need to learn, not only because I'd like more people to be able to read them, but also becasue the covers are amazing and yes capture the spirit of the books.

There has been more artists of course. Kelly Martin for the covers for The Romansa Castle series

Erin Dameron-Hill for the Scots and the Sassenachs

I could go one and on, but I'd be sure to miss someone so i'll just say that cover artists are as essential os editors. In different ways of course, but just as bad editing can put a reader off so can an indifferent or irrelevant cover.

So than you cover artists. Like I said the other week, my books would be nowhere as appealing without then and editors.

I must add as well, for me, publishers. I've still to dip my toes in alone as a self publisher writer. Thanks to Cassie sorting out joint books out, I've not needed to but I must try...

(All my books that are still published you can find on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00694RHJI

and publishers websites)

Oh and in case you wonder where the always correct Clever Clogs bit comes in...

ask anyone about my bugbear...Whisky and whiskey

Scotch had no E 

(courtesy of Pinterest, our bottle is mainly empty)

and on that note,

Happy Reading,

love Raven xxx

Not Food for the mouth but...

 Food for thought...

This was going to be once more a post about amazing gluten free fish and chips. This time from Deep Blue in Brandesburton, East Yorkshire. 

(source, pinterest.)

 ~I ate mine~

Best I've ever had, and that includes those from the fish and chip shop voted best in Britain. (Sorry to them)

But then I noticed one  of my old (not in age) editors celebrating how many years she'd been doing the job and it brought me up short.

 How often does anyone who is not an author realise just how important those people are?

Our editors are our extra eyes and ears. They are an extension of how our minds work. They can see what we mean and more importantly what we do not mean. Save our sanity, (or story)

I might not speak for everyone, but I wouldn't feel happy putting a book out without it being edited. Properly edited. I'm not bad at grammar, but not always au fait on what's needed. And when I've written something, and I read it over, I 'read' what I know should be there and not necessarily is.

That's when my editors come in.

(source pinterest)

Now, in general, I've been incredibly lucky with each and every editor I've had. There's only been one who I didn't get on with. The one who told me if I wanted E in Scottish  whisky it would be seen as a typo. Anyone whose read any of my blogs know why that is a big no no for Scotch.  She then told me if I insisted to use the UK spelling (er what???) then I shouldn't write for a non-UK publisher!

(rant over)

Luckily My publisher didn't agree.

And I changed editors. 

Of course, over the years there has been quite a few and I'm not going to name names. In case I miss anyone.

But to each and every person, whose name is in in one of my books, as 'editor', thank you.

You are one of the reasons I keep on writing.

(Source, pinterest)

You, my readers are the other.

Happy Reading,

love Raven xxx