By Alice G. May, Author of The Resistance Girls

I recently signed a traditional publishing deal with Boldwood Books (www.boldwoodbooks.com) to write six WW2 historical/saga novels. Having always wanted to be a writer ever since I was a child, this was the culmination of all my writing dreams.

Luckily for me, there was a short transition between signing that contract and the first book being released, because it wasn’t until I held a copy of The Resistance Girls in my hands that I allowed myself to believe that this incredible development was true.

In the past, whenever I had a book published, whether through, self-publishing or partnership publishing routes, I opted for what is referred to as a ‘soft’ launch. A soft launch is an online launch, rather than an in-person event, and can involve, for example, a blog tour, a series of social media posts, or a gathering on Zoom.

The launch for The Resistance Girls was different.

For the first time ever, I arranged an in-person launch party to celebrate. I’ll admit, I was nervous that no-one would come. However, one of my lovely writer friends (and fellow Boldwood Books author) Alex Stone suggested holding the launch as part of the Author Events Author Marketplace (www.authorevents.co.uk) at The Bournemouth Writing Festival (www.bournemouthwritingfestival.co.uk).

The author marketplace was a whole day of local authors gathered together in Patch (the first floor of Bobby’s in the centre of Bournemouth) ready to sell books and share writing and publishing tips with anyone interested.

It was such a fantastically positive, enjoyable day, packed with inspiration. Having my launch party there was so much fun and took all the pressure off.

The writing community is an awesome thing to behold.

The official launch for The Resistance Girls took place at 2.30 in the afternoon and to my delight a wonderful crowd of both friends (some readers, some writers, some both) and new acquaintances turned up to cheer me on. I was interviewed by my lovely daughter Hannah Kingsley, Sunday Times Bestseller of Soul Hate (fantasy fiction), and signed loads of books. I finished the day exhausted but happy, having talked the hind legs of a whole herd of donkeys (figuratively speaking, of course – I’m not calling any of the lovely people I spoke to donkeys).

Photo: Gary Dalkin – To The Last Word

If you’d like to watch the full interview between Hannah and I, feel free to check out the video I have uploaded to my YouTube channel here: https://bit.ly/42Iav1y 

Now it is time to return to my writing cave and continue with the rest of The Resistance Girls series. The next manuscript is due to be submitted in six months. If you’d like to know how I plan to write a whole book in six months, you might like to check out my blog on my website (www.alicegmay.com). There’s a post on how landing this six-book deal has changed the way I approach my writing.

Love

Alice

The Resistance Girls by Alice G May 

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