The Day That Changed My Life by Victoria Cornwall

I’m pleased to welcome my friend and fellow Choc Lit author, Victoria Cornwall to my blog as on the eve of the publication of her sixth novel, Daniel’s Daughter. She talks about the day that changed her life …

As I look back on my life I realise that there are many incidences/days that have changed the course of my life, however, for this post I am going to stick to writing and what happened which had the biggest influence on my writing career.

It was 2014. As a result of my first manuscript receiving numerous rejections from agents, I had taken the self-published route. Despite positive feedback, I still wanted to secure a traditional publishing contract for my second book. At that point I had lost confidence in the submission process so when I was notified my second manuscript had been shortlisted for the Festival of Romance’s New Talent Award, I set out to the event in Leighton Buzzard in the hope of meeting an agent or two.

Now you have to remember that at the time I was very naïve about the publishing world. I was under the impression that writers were insular characters, represented by agents but largely out on their own. I had spent most of my adult life as a nurse at that point which was very different from the creative industry.

I travelled to the event and entered the auditorium, which was full of writers (some unknown to me, some quite famous) chatting like old friends with each other, publishers, agents and fans of romantic fiction. It felt like everyone knew everyone and although I felt welcome, I did feel like a fish out of water. Sadly, I did not win, however it was there I learnt three things.

• Writers are not insular people, they have access to an amazing network of friendship and support if they choose to tap into it. I had not been aware it existed until that day and I knew I needed to be part of it to gain experience, advice and support.
• I discovered the Romantic Novelists’ Association and their New Writers’ Scheme, where manuscripts are assessed, feedback given and members have access to the RNA network, events and meetings. I had not heard of the RNA before that date, and when enrolment time came around, I ensured I was one of the first in the queue.
• I learnt about the award winning publisher, Choc Lit, who uses readers, rather than agents, to help decide what is published. As I was receiving positive feedback from readers who had read my self-published book, this method of submitting sounded perfect for me.

I went on to submit my third novel (The Thief’s Daughter) to the NWS. The feedback was excellent and I was encouraged to submit to a publisher. By then, thanks to the RNA, I knew who (and how) to submit successfully. On 24^th March, Daniel’s Daughter, my sixth historical romance will be published. That day in 2014, was a major turning point in my writing career. I did not win the New Talent Award, but I came away from the event with so much more…

How interesting, Vicki, especially since I was shortlisted for the New Talent Award in 2013 with the novel that went on to be published by Choc Lit as The Truth Lies Buried!

About Daniel’s Daughter

Sometimes the truth is not easy to say and even harder to hear …

Cornwall, 1895

Grace Kellow is a young woman with a strong sense of who she is and where she comes from. As the daughter of a well-respected Cornish dairy owner Daniel Kellow, her existence in the village of Trehale is comfortable and peaceful.

But then handsome Talek Danning comes striding over Hel Tor, and soon after his arrival Grace is hit with a revelation that leaves her questioning her identity and her place in the Trehale community.

In her hour of need, Talek and his sister Amelia offer Grace sanctuary – but wherever Grace runs, her secret will follow …

To buy links:-

Amazon UK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daniels-Daughter-Victoria-Cornwall-ebook/dp/B084MJRB1T/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Amazon US

https://www.amazon.com/Daniels-Daughter-Victoria-Cornwall-ebook/dp/B084MJRB1T/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

ibooks

https://books.apple.com/gb/book/daniels-daughter/id1498439679

Nook

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/daniels-daughter-victoria-cornwall/1136400758?ean=2940162742005

Kobo Still waiting!

About Victoria Cornwall

Victoria Cornwall grew up on a farm in Cornwall. She can trace her Cornish roots as far back as the 18th century and it is this background and heritage which is the inspiration for her Cornish based novels. Following a fulfilling twenty-five year career as a nurse, a change in profession finally allowed her the time to write.

Victoria’s writing has been shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romantic Fiction and twice nominated for the RONÉ “Best Indie or Small Published book” Award. In 2017, her debut novel, The Thief’s Daughter, was published by award winning independent publisher, Choc Lit, and was a finalist for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award.

Victoria is married and has two grown up children. She likes to read and write historical fiction with a strong background story, but at its heart is the unmistakable emotion, even pain, of loving someone.

To keep in touch with Victoria, you can use the following links:-

Website: www.victoriacornwall.com

Twitter: @VickieCornwall

Facebook: www.facebook.com/victoriacornwall.author

Instagram: www.instagram.com/victoria_cornwallx

Pinterest: uk.pinterest.com/vickiecornwall

 

Thank you, Vicki! Watch out next week for Nell Dixon…

 

Thank you for visiting my blog – Morton S. Gray – Author. I hope you enjoyed this post. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Christmas at Borteen Bay is available now as both an eBook and audio download – Amazon Kindle, Audio, Apple iBooks, Kobo and Choc Lit for other buying options.

The Truth Lies Buried is available now from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks. This will be available as a paperback and audiobook.

The Girl on the Beach published by Choc Lit is available as a paperback and from all eBook platforms – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Barnes and Noble and Google Play.