Last Saturday, I hosted a release party for my first book, "Death of a Victorian Gentleman". I'm so grateful to everyone who came. I loved the atmosphere of getting together with a cup of tea, some cake, talking about my book, answering questions, having a little giveaway, and even a small reading session. For some reason, it made me feel complete, like I can finally show everyone who I truly am. And what a fantastic feeling that is. I'll remember this party forever and can'

I'm counting days now, instead of weeks or months. It still hasn't sunk in fully. The strange mixed feelings persist: happiness, excitement, but also anxiety. But since there is so much to do in the coming days, I have to keep busy. There will be a small release party in my teashop on Saturday, 17th January from 2-4 pm. I'll bake cakes and scones, of course, and also offer teablends inspired by the novel. Leading up to release day on Thursday, I'm planning to run a giveaway o

I can't quite believe it's here. How odd to hold it, read it and smell it in printed version for the first time. It took me days to get over the strangeness of it all. But now I'm quietly proud and am filled with a feeling of belonging. Although surreal, it feels very natural to me at the same time; maybe because I've seen myself as an author / writer for decades now. I spent the weekend re-reading the entire book. I swear I probably read it for the 50th time! But I needed to

So it's finally done! I've sent off my finished print cover, along with my fully edited and set book manuscript, to be printed. I'll hopefully receive my proofread copy within the next few days. I can't wait! Though I've published books before as ebooks, I've never held a printed version of my book in my hands. Am I getting too excited? I think I am, but rightfully so. Because I've been working on this book series for over a decade now, and the world with its characters seems