What People Are Saying About “Alice”…
8th May 2017
It’s always a little nerve-wracking when a new book baby is born, particularly one with a completely new cast of characters. My only previous experience of this has been with short stories so I have to admit to a little trepidation alongside the excitement of Alice in Theatreland being released on Kindle on 27th April. I’m pleased to say my fears were unfounded if the feedback and reviews I have received so far are anything to go by. Here is a taster of some of the ten reviews already posted on Amazon:
The era is re-created with authenticity; the characters wholly believable; and the ending… astonishingly cleverly crafted!
…fabulously wicked people who are easy to loathe, an endearing heroine and friends we’d all love to have. You just have to read this book.
The characters in this book are so real, it’s like you know them and feel for them… the ending of the book took my breathe away, I had to re-read it to believe it.
If you want to read the full reviews, they are on Amazon where you can also use the Look Inside feature which takes you six chapters in to the book and introduces you to all the main characters.
It’s hard to believe that this time three weeks ago I was still very much in the planning stages of the Facebook Live launch party. We had only decided to do it a few days previously and if it hadn’t been for my daughter, Sophie, it would never have happened. She arrived at our house on the day before launch to a dining-room table full of slips of hand-written paper covered in ideas for the party, a vague time-line and two hand-written quizzes. Three hours later she had typed everything up ready to post on Facebook periodically throughout the party. If you missed it, you can still view the videos and all the activities and comments by going to my JuliaRobertsTV Facebook page and clicking on the events tab, then opening up Alice in Theatreland launch party.
Once I had got past the nerves of preparing to talk to camera for fifteen minutes (yes, even QVC presenters get nervous talking to camera!) I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction and the fifteen minutes stretched to twenty-two without me realising. Sophie had to wave her arms around frantically to shut me up or we wouldn’t have squeezed everything in. I particularly liked the responses to the caption competition which had me laughing out loud – mind you I had indulged in a glass or two of pink champagne by that that point and I am a bit of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol!! The champers was provided by Sophie and these beautiful flowers were from all the family – I really am lucky that they are so supportive of my writing. Thanks to everyone who participated in the evening and made it my favourite book launch so far.
It’s not yet two years since my first novel, Life’s a Beach and Then…, was released but during that time I have met some really kind and helpful people in the ‘book world.’ While I was at the writing retreat hosted by Julie Cohen and Rowan Coleman in March, I met fellow writer Anne Woodward. She told me she liked the sound of “Alice” and said she was going to buy it when it came out. As she seemed so interested, I offered her an advance copy to read and give me feedback on. Wow! I couldn’t have been more thrilled. She was only the second person to read it, after my daughter, and her reaction made all the hours of sitting writing at my computer, worthwhile.
Someone who had a similar reaction to the second book in my Liberty Sands trilogy, If He Really Loved Me…, is Kim Nash.
Kim works for the very successful publishing company, Bookouture, and I remember having a lengthy telephone conversation with her after I had sent her an advance copy to read. We have only met once, at the RNA Christmas party last year, but when she posted on Facebook that she was in London last Thursday evening, and at a bit of a loose end, I offered to show her around QVC if she was interested. It was lovely to spend a little time chatting with someone who has such knowledge of the world I am starting to inhabit and Kim assured me she enjoyed herself. She looks completely at home in this picture on the studio floor, doesn’t she but I must apologise once again for the cup of tea I made her. As a non tea-drinker I am a little clueless in the art of tea-making but she very graciously said it tasted good… somehow I doubt it!
Well, back to making the finishing touches to the cover for the paperback of Alice. If you do read the kindle version, as my ninety-year-old mum is at the moment, and enjoy it, an Amazon review would be much appreciated,
much love
Julia xx
