World Book Day

There'll be lots of book giveaways on World Book Day, which is on 3 March 2011.

So I'm joining in and will give away a copy of my novel The Silver Locket to the first person whose name comes out of my virtual hat when I do my own personal draw on 10 March 2011.


If you'd like to win, please email me at mail@margaretjames.com, heading up your email with the subject TSL Draw, any time between now and 9 March 2011.



Good luck!

Wannabe A Writer We've Heard Of?

Yes, I do! So how do I go about it?

Jane Wenham-Jones is a columnist on Booktime magazine, which is free in all independent bookshops. On Tuesday 1 March at 3 o'clock Jane will be giving a talk in Paignton Library on how to make it in this most challenging of professions. She's a brilliant speaker, and I'm sure her listeners will learn a lot. I'm going along, anyway.

Tickets for this talk cost £3 and are available from the Torbay Bookshop, Paignton Library, or at the door on the day of the talk. If you can't get into Paignton to buy a ticket in advance, it might be wise to ring either the bookshop or the library to check there are tickets still available, and/or to reserve yours.

Jane is a published novelist herself, her how-to books are bestsellers, and she has a hot-shot agent AKA The Fearsome One, so she's definitely in the loop. Anyone who wants to be in the loop with Jane needs to go along and listen to what she has to say.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wannabe-Writer-Weve-Heard-Wenham-Jones/dp/1906373973/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298207736&sr=1-1

Valentine's Day Award

Perfect Valentine's Day gift for me - message from Single Titles to say:

"CataNetwork reviewers have chosen your book The Silver Locket as one of the best books that they have reviewed for Single Titles this year. Thank you for sharing your talent with all the readers as you entertain us with your stories."

http://singletitles.com/?page_id=5479

Jane signs books...

My fellow romantic novelist Jane Lovering had a great time on Saturday, signing books in a Yorkshire branch of Waterstones - you can read all about it at www.janelovering.co.uk. I hope she managed to keep a few green triangles for herself.

Yesterday, I was very happy to see that my own local Waterstones in Roman Gate was promoting my novel The Silver Locket for Valentine's Day. Anyone who bought TSL on Saturday got a pretty Emma Bridgewater bag to put it in! Or, to put it another way, if they bought an Emma Bridgewater bag, they got a free copy of TSL.

Too good to miss, eh?

So, right now, Jane and I heart Waterstones.

Library event yesterday

I had a great time at Paignton Library yesterday, doing a talk on relationship and romantic fiction with Sophie King and Linda Mitchelmore. We had a capacity crowd and we sold lots of books. The photographs are courtesy of lovely Matthew and Sarah, of the Torbay Bookshop, Paignton. I take my glasses off when I have to address a crowd that size...

Library Event

Sophie King, Linda Mitchelmore and I will be doing a library event in Paignton on Tuesday 8th February at 3 pm. Paignton Library is next to Paignton Railway Station, so it's easy to get there by train, and I believe there is plenty of parking, too.

We'll be talking about romantic and relationship fiction and answering questions about all aspects of writing for publication. Between us, we write - deep breath:

Novels, short stories, how-to books, serials, articles for magazines and articles for newspapers. So if we don't know the answer to a question, we will probably have a friend who does!

Charity Anthology

There's a lovely new anthology of short stories published this month in aid of breast cancer charities. The stories are contributed by the authors who receive no payment, so lots of money goes to the charities.

If you enjoy warm-hearted, feel-good fiction which will make you laugh and might also make you cry (but in a good way) this anthology is for you!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diamonds-Pearls-Sparkling-Collection-Short/dp/1907726586/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1296750828&sr=1-4

Book of the Month - February 2011

I've said it before and I'll say it again - ebooks are the future for us all. I don't know about the time scale, but I'm sure the paper book will one day go the way of the spinning wheel and the hand-knitted pullover, still in existence but a rare commodity.

My February Book of the Month is a deliciously terrifying thriller by Steve Emmett, published on 4th February 2011 by Etopia Press

Steve says:

"The chance to build a dream home on a private island in Italy’s most beautiful lake offers architect Tom Lupton the fresh start he’s been yearning for. But when he arrives with his family on Diavolino, he finds the terrified locals dead set against his arrival. The island, whose very existence has been shrouded in secrecy for half a millennium, has a dark history that no one cares to remember, and as their opposition to Tom grows, so grows a brooding evil that will lead them to the very doors of hell…"

This is definitely one for all the lights on and someone else being in the house as you read!