Trobairitz the Storyteller Blog Tour

People told me a Blog Tour was a good way to go. As a #CRPS sufferer my energies are limited and I can’t always keep up with social media. But I want more people to find my books. I’ve had some fabulous reviews but not enough. I tried making my own ‘advert’ designs. Here’s one.

I posted this and other images with slightly different wording on several sites including local, regional, national and international social media.

I need to find the ‘right’ readers

You can’t expect to please everybody. There are some very highly rated books and authors that don’t appeal to me at all. That’s okay. It works the other way too. If you’re looking for a straightforward story with a beginning, a middle and an end, you probably won’t get into my books. I love reading multi-layered stories so it’s no surprise they’re the ones I enjoy writing.

Dual narrative? Yes, please. Complex relationships? Of course. Creative narrative scheme? You betcha.

I chose a highly respected Blog Tour organiser and I got lucky. She took me on.

Book Blog Tour Reviewers

Overall I was pleased with the results. Some book bloggers put in a huge amount of time and effort and it shows in the quality of their reviews. I don’t mean they throw 5 Star ratings at you. I mean they really read your book. Their comments demonstrate they’ve gone deeply into the themes of your work and can write about how certain aspects of the book affected them.

A minority of reviewers gave me the impression they hadn’t had time to read it properly. One paraphrased my own book description; one copied a short sample from the first chapter which was much less than you can read on the ‘Look inside’ feature on Amazon.

But, the majority of Book Bloggers do a fantastic job. There’s no payment involved. They do it for the love of books and reading. I take my hat off to them. Their input is invaluable in helping to promote books by indie authors like myself.

Going wide

I decided to take Weed out into different roads. Currently she’s on Kobo but nobody seems to notice. I’m considering Google Play and Apple Books as well as other online presences for the ebook versions. Time will tell.

A fantastic review

Here are some snippets from one of the latest reviews from a Blogger who regularly reviews top-selling books from traditional publishers. On Goodreads she said Trobairitz is ‘phenomenal’.

This book is a remarkable and resplendent read and you won’t be able to stop reading until you finish it…I couldn’t! I will offer no apologies that my review will be filled with superlatives about how stupendous this book is! The book details alone set my bookophile senses tingling and oh my goodness…what a treat you have instore!

Of my characters she says they are: all with captivating stories of their own but each of which intertwines with the others, stories within stories, within stories, it is mesmeric in structure.

She continues: Celia is the doyen of tangible description and I was (and still am) entranced. And just as you are completely spellbound by these tales…we are transported back to Weed’s life. And her life journey is equally as irresistible and intriguing as the stories she weaves. She is not merely a long haul trucker; Weed has a past and trials of her own; her flawed relationship with Fabien; her wonderful friendship with Irish ex-pats Quentin and Rose; her loving and vibrant adopted family…that span the magnificence of France, Spain and Italy. Weed’s own story is every bit as engaging! And yes, I am being purposefully vague about the specifics because you need to experience their discovery for yourselves!

In her summing up she says, Having only recently finished reading this book, I am besotted, beguiled and enamoured with the stories and charismatic characters this novel contains.

In the pipeline

So, what next? I’ve had more requests for the sequel to Trobairitz the Storyteller. Regular followers will know the circumstances which led to my having to leave my home abroad. For a long time I wasn’t able to think of the place I came to love without sadness. It would have been unbearable to write about it. I wrote other books instead.

But Weed and Jimi, Fabian, Quentin and Rose as well as Madame Catherine Joubert and her feud with the Noilly family live on in my thinking. Their continued story is next on my to-do list. They all still have so much to tell.

Here’s a link to book one of Trobairitz the Storyteller. I’d better get on with the sequel. Please add your details to the form for news about my books. Your email remains private. Thank you for reading.

Till next time.