Thank you to everyone who has shared the news of my Christmas book – Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe on blog posts, reviews, Facebook and Twitter – the support has been amazing!
Well the big news is that Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe is available as a paperback now and audio from 8 December! There is nothing like having a paperback of my work to add to those already on my bookshelves. I will admit to getting slightly embarrassed when I get carried away listening to the audio version of my own book! It’s a lovely adaptation of Justin’s story narrated by Karen Cass.
I won’t hide the fact that publication time for a new book is always an anxious time for me. You are never quite sure how the work will be received by readers. This was my fifth time of doing this, but it was no different to the other times. Publication day passed by in a complete blur of trying to say thank you every time someone mentioned Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe. After a while it becomes impossible to thank everyone individually, but I want you to know that I appreciate every single mention.
Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe is dedicated to a friend who died just as I was completing the outline of the novella and as I had already written a legal secretary into the story, I changed the name of this character to my late friend’s name, Sandra, in tribute to her, as she worked as a legal secretary for a while. We hadn’t seen each other for many years, but we always wrote at Christmas and on our birthdays.
Here is what the Dedication and Acknowledgements of Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe say:
Dedication
In memory of Sandra Hadley (neé Hanson) 1958 – 2019
RIP
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements and thanks are often more difficult to write than the actual book, as I am always worried about forgetting someone who has helped me with the story.
This Christmas novella is dedicated to one of my earliest friends, Sandra, who sadly lost her battle with cancer just as I was finishing the first draft of this book. We parted after junior school as we went to different secondary schools, but we always kept in touch for birthdays and Christmas. I still have some of her long letters on my bookshelves. As she worked as a legal secretary for some of her working life, it seemed fitting to change the legal secretary’s name in the book to Sandra in tribute.
Kate Field, author of one of my favourite books, The Magic of Ramblings, helped me to understand the training and characteristics of a solicitor, even right down to the type of books my hero, Justin, would have on his bookshelves, what legal information is now referenced online and the typical cases a small town solicitor would handle.
Champions for moral support are my Apricot Plots and local coffee group authors, together with many more from the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Thanks as always to my long-suffering family, who have to put up with the ups and downs of me being a writer! I’m happy when the words and ideas are flowing, grumpy when my plot won’t behave and I should be made to live in the shed when my publisher’s edits arrive.
Thanks to my editor for helping to mould this book, the Choc Lit team and the members of their Tasting Panel, without whom this book would not have been published: Alma Hough, Mel Appleyard, Melanie Russell, Jenny Mitchell, Julie Lilly, Cordy Swinton, Janice Butler, Deborah Warren, Luise Pirie, Gill Leivers and Sharon Walsh.
I do hope that many more of you will read and enjoy Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe. I’ve included the description of the story below in case it might tempt you to give the book a try. I’ve just finished writing the first draft of my 2021 Christmas book, again set in my fictional seaside town of Borteen, so I’ve been enjoying the Christmas traditions of the town all over again. I hope to share that story with you next year. Meanwhile, here is what Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe is all about…
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New Book for Christmas 2020 – Christmas at the Little Beach Cafe published as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and Choc Lit for other options.
Bestseller Sunny Days at the Beach is now available as an eBook, audio and paperback – Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Nook Books, Google Play and at Choc Lit for other options.
Christmas at Borteen Bay is available 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 from all eBook platforms – Choc Lit, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Apple iBooks and also 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.
Morton S. Gray - Author 