… and by that I mean that, safely viewed some months away, there appears to be oodles of time to do all the things, like updating one’s website, organising events and posts, and making plans to avoid reviews***. And then time does some space-time warping Houdini act and suddenly the date is upon you, and yes there will be presents, but firstly all the things!

I have not yet done all the things, but I will. There will be some events (definitely a launch, and some wonderful bookshops)! There will be some posts! And fun (surely?)! I’ve even done the website update. But for now, I am sharing the very first social media post I saw of an ARC, and Maya (@MayaLinnellWrites) kindly said I could use the photo. Thank you!

***I’m sure by now most writers have experienced the hideousness of the unjustified Amazon one-star review. My special favourite is the reviewer of a short story of mine (which is clearly categorised as a short story), who gave it one star because “this is a short story, not a novel”. This, for a story that was FREE. You, sir, deserve some special comeuppance which I hope the universe will dispatch to you with the speed of Prime membership. So if you needed any reasons not to read reviews, I think that’s a fair one. In general, though, I find it easier not to consume them, good or bad.