Hope it’s a cracker!
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Author Archives: Emily
Publication day is here!
The day I have been waiting for with great excitement (and nerves!) has finally arrived. Drum roll please, today is publication day of my debut romantic comedy “Who Does He Think He Is?”
So what have been the highlights of my day so far? First of all, I’ve had so many lovely messages from people wishing me a happy day, which has been wonderful.
And speaking of lovely things, I switched on my laptop to read two really positive reviews of my book by The Writing Garnet and Claire Huston.
It’s a little daunting imagining my book out in the big wide world, so it was really encouraging that it’s already garnered some great reviews.
“‘Who Does He Think He Is?’ is a laugh out loud, warming tale that highlights the importance of the word ‘believe’. Emily has written such a timid main character who, thanks to path she has to walk down, learns to believe in what has been under her nose the whole time. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel so hats off to Emily Kerr and her book full of giggles.” The Writing Garnet
“A feel-good story guaranteed to delight romance fans.” Claire Huston
Rather appropriately for book launch day, a copy of The Author magazine arrived. I definitely get a thrill being able to call myself an author!
My parents took me out for a lovely lunch and I’ve got the Romantic Novelists’ Association Yorkshire Christmas dinner to look forward to this evening. Yay for publication day!
And if you fancy buying “Who Does He Think He Is?” just click on the picture of the book below:
Lady Aurelia Osbourne-Lloyd has long wished her bank balance was as big as her name. But her home, Leydale Park, is more of a pile in a state than stately pile, and with her father off ‘finding himself’ in Thailand, it’s up to her to turn the family fortunes around by entertaining demanding tourists.
When – thanks to her father’s interference – a Hollywood production company chooses the estate as a location for a Regency movie, a whole new level of chaos enters Aurelia’s life. Her quiet days shattered and privacy non-existent, she has no choice but to go with the flow and let them take over.
Never mind the added distraction of dishy leading man, Xander Lord, who may have an ulterior motive for wanting to get close to her…
Can Aurelia keep her cool in light of all the upheaval?
Countdown to publication day
Oh my, it’s only 4 days, yes that’s right, just 4 days until my debut romantic comedy ‘Who Does He Think He Is?‘ is published. Now it’s got to this stage, I confess the excitement and the fear are about level pegging. The thought of my book, which I’ve worked so hard on, going out into the big wide world seems very real and dare I say it, rather nerve-racking. Will people buy it? Will people read it? What will people think of it? Gulp!
It’s one thing writing the book, but selling it is an introduction to a whole new world. As a bit of a shy creature at heart, it’s not really in my nature to stand up and go ‘Look at what I’ve written, buy my book, buy my book!’ Obviously, that’s what I’m hoping people will do, but I’m very aware that if readers don’t know it exists, they’re not going to go out and buy it. I’ve therefore engaged Full On Courage Mode and have been bravely getting in touch with folk to try and spread the word. I’m very grateful to all the lovely people out there who have been supporting my efforts by tweeting, Facebooking, blogging and generally chatting about my book. It means a great deal to me.
Now, moving on to some very exciting news. This week I was thrilled to find out that ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’ will be out in paperback at the same time as it’s published in e-book. I also got to hold the very first actual copy of it. (Check out my huge grin below!)
So yes, that’s me this week. And if you want to find out more about ‘Who Does He Think He Is?‘ here’s the blurb along with some nice things that people have said about it. If you’re looking for a Christmas present for yourself or others, the answer’s below!
“An enchanting story, guaranteed to leave you with the feel-good factor. Emily Kerr writes with a light but assured touch in this heart-warming read.”
Sue Fortin, bestselling author of The Girl Who Lied and Closing In“A classic Jane Austen love story with a twist. It feels like you’re sitting at the local coffee shop with Lady Aurelia herself telling you her story.”
Mariel GonzalezLady Aurelia Osbourne-Lloyd has long wished her bank balance was as big as her name. But her home, Leydale Park, is more of a pile in a state than stately pile, and with her father off ‘finding himself’ in Thailand, it’s up to her to turn the family fortunes around by entertaining demanding tourists.
When – thanks to her father’s interference – a Hollywood production company chooses the estate as a location for a Regency movie, a whole new level of chaos enters Aurelia’s life. Her quiet days shattered and privacy non-existent, she has no choice but to go with the flow and let them take over.
Never mind the added distraction of dishy leading man, Xander Lord, who may have an ulterior motive for wanting to get close to her…
Can Aurelia keep her cool in light of all the upheaval?
Hello December!
Oh my goodness, it’s December! How did that happen? I know the shops have been full of Christmassy stuff for ages, but now they seem to be playing the Christmas tunes and shoving the tinsel in people’s face with serious intent. I’ve got the advent calendar out (you’re never too old for an advent calendar, right?) 
It’s made me realise that actually there’s not all that much time before the big day to get in all the shopping, card writing and sorting of stuff that I need to do, gulp. I’m starting to have to make lists of my ‘to-do’ lists!
However, I don’t mind as I love this time of year. There’s always something magical in the air, and the glittering lights and sparkling decorations make even the most ordinary scene special. 
My own tree and decorations are somewhat on the modest side at the moment, but they’re work in progress, and at least I don’t have a huge sprawling mansion to decorate, unlike the main character in my book ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’ The lovely Aurelia lives in a manor house called Leydale Park. It’s a grand Regency home, but it’s more of a pile in a state than a stately pile. The poor girl is at the end of her tether trying to keep the place from falling apart, but I do like to imagine that at this time of the year she might get the chance to put her feet up for a little bit. After all, Christmas decorations can hide all kinds of cracks in the floors and damp patches on the walls. Alas, chaos has a habit of following Aurelia around…
Lights, camera, action – it’s movies time!
It may come as no surprise to you that I am a big fan of the movies. After all, my debut rom com ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’ is all about the chaos that ensues when a film crew descends on a sleepy Yorkshire dale to make a movie. 
But as well as writing about the glamorous world of Hollywood, did you know that I also broadcast about it? Yes, every other Sunday afternoon, I can be found in the hallowed studios of Tempo FM presenting my radio show ‘Music from the Movies’. It’s a mixture of music and chat about the movies, funny that. I’ve done the show for at least six or so years now (gulp, how time flies!) and during that time I’ve learnt so much, not just about films, but also about live radio broadcasting. There’s always lots going on behind the scenes in a radio studio. 
When I’m talking away on the microphone, I have to press all the buttons, move all the faders and generally make sure that everything is working from the technical point of view. It’s definitely a lesson in multi-tasking! And when something goes wrong, for example when a track won’t play, I have to be like the proverbial swan – remain calm on the surface while frantically paddling away to sort things out. Thankfully the gremlins don’t attack too often, but you always have to be on your toes with live radio! 
I really enjoy putting together my show, and with the wide range of tracks which have featured in films, I’m generally spoilt for choice for great tunes to play. Some weeks I like to do a bit of a theme, for example around the time of the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race I might do a show featuring tunes from movies which have starred actors who went to those universities. There’s usually a spooky theme at Halloween, and it’s now getting to the time of year when a few Christmas tracks might have to creep in. In fact, I can’t wait to play something from ‘Love Actually‘ which in my opinion is the ultimate Christmas movie. So there we go. My name is Emily, and I love the movies. How about you?
Party and pre-ordering time!
It’s a good thing I’m typing this post rather than having to say it out loud as I am rather hoarse after attending the Romantic Novelists’ Association Winter Party! I’m not sure what the collective term for a group of romantic novelists is, but it should definitely be a word which conveys both how welcoming everyone is, and how chatty they are. I would have illustrated this post with lots of pictures of the party, but I was too busy enjoying myself to take any!
I was delighted to attend the event, but it was made even more lovely because I had been invited by my reader on the New Writers’ Scheme.
For those who don’t know, the New Writers’ Scheme is a marvellous thing whereby established authors read manuscripts from new writers and provide a report with lots of useful help and guidance. My debut novel ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’ went through the New Writers’ Scheme, and I am hugely grateful to my wonderful reader for the advice she gave me. 
When she heard that my book was being published by Crooked Cat Books, she got in touch and sent me a ticket to the party to say ‘well done’. I was absolutely delighted to meet her, and chatting with her gave me a huge boost as I count down to publication day.
And the count down is definitely on, as ‘Who Does He Think He Is?’ is now officially available to pre-order on Amazon at the bargain introductory price of just 99p. Eek, exciting times! If you want to find out more about it, check out the blurb below.
Lady Aurelia Osbourne-Lloyd has long wished her bank balance was as big as her name. But her home, Leydale Park, is more of a pile in a state than stately pile, and with her father off ‘finding himself’ in Thailand, it’s up to her to turn the family fortunes around by entertaining demanding tourists.
When – thanks to her father’s interference – a Hollywood production company chooses the estate as a location for a Regency movie, a whole new level of chaos enters Aurelia’s life. Her quiet days shattered and privacy non-existent, she has no choice but to go with the flow and let them take over.
Never mind the added distraction of dishy leading man, Xander Lord, who may have an ulterior motive for wanting to get close to her…
Can Aurelia keep her cool in light of all the upheaval?
Welcoming winter…
What a difference a week makes! On Wednesday I woke to two startling things: 1. Donald Trump had been elected president of America, and 2. it had snowed. I know which of those two I was happier about! Thankfully I was in the fortunate position of not having to go anywhere until the evening, so I spent the day snuggled up and writing, what a treat!
I know it’s only November, but I’m afraid the snow started making me feel a little Christmassy. And I’m not the only one. The shops are definitely jumping on the winter bandwagon with windows full of Christmas trees, and of course the Christmas ads are on the TV. The big talking point nowadays always seems to be the John Lewis ad and this year’s has certainly divided opinion. It may not have a deeper meaning like last year’s Man on the Moon, but it did bring a smile to my face. After all, what’s not to love about a dog bouncing on a trampoline?! I think I’ll have to make sure my dog doesn’t see it, otherwise he’ll be getting ideas about his Christmas present…
