Happy new year to you all! Wishing you a 2023 full of small things and big things that make you think and feel and precious people to share the moments with.
I have a long list of things I need to be doing, but I’m going to quickly blog to start the year. I’m feeling very privileged to be writing and bringing out books and very thankful for every reader who has picked one up. Publishing is a complicated journey and I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned over the past couple of years and how far I still have to go.
Last year had a lot of highs, with two books coming out and my first ever paperback print run, for Italy Ever After, but it also saw my best book review-wise, fail to really sell, which was disappointing (We’ll Always Have Venice, if you’re interested – it has a really high ratings average, but somehow didn’t make a dint on Amazon). It’s not a failure, because the success of Italy Ever After and a Match Made in Venice had an element of luck and there is also a natural author life-cycle, featuring dips as well as highs. But I had certainly hoped to continue the trajectory of Italy Ever After, especially as the paperback briefly charted in the independent publishers sales charts. But, as I said, publishing is a complicated journey and I want to keep writing no matter what.
Which brings us to this year! It’s going to be a big one. Between the Leonie Mack and Lilo Moore pen names, I’m releasing four books! I’m really excited about all of them. My spring release for Boldwood, A Taste of Italian Sunshine, is a really special book to me and it was an absolute joy to write. Berlin Calling, Lilo’s debut, was a fun creative challenge and I’m so pleased with how it turned out. I had always thought that writing the ‘com’ part of a romcom was harder than the ‘rom’ part, but once I let that part of myself out to play on paper (or in Word), it came quite easily. I mean, I probably have a weird sense of humour, so you’ll have to see what you think.
The second Lilo book, Beerfest, is INCREDIBLY special. I’m currently in the editing struggle, that part where you have to kill your darlings, and I’m finding it really hard because I LOVE this couple so much. I’ve never written anything as incredibly full of emotion (but also funny) as this best-friends-to-lovers, beer-drinking extravaganza. I can’t wait to bring it out.
The fourth book is still in the works (I’m not panicking here), but will be my autumn/winter Boldwood release and it’s shaping up to be quite exciting, too.
Anyway, stuff to do, words to write!!
Leonie Mack 