Tag Archives 2018

A Letter to my Characters…

 

 

 

 

Dreams can come true. You know, like a REAL British summer identical to the one we now have. As well as that THING you have always wanted to do. Whether it’s start a business, write a book or become a master baker!  Dreams have a way of resurfacing again and again, no matter how much we (or others) try to dampen them down or push them into a place we can’t access. As for me, I can’t live without mine and one of them was to get a book published. So here I  am enjoying my tenth year as a PUBLISHED author. Yes, I wrote that in caps because being published ten years ago, doesn’t mean it was only ten years ago that my journey as a writer began. I was striving long before that time; writing for free, filing those rejection letters (and then emails) praying, waiting, and believing that one day, my time would come.

And it did. 

(and here’s a video of me watching my first book being printed – and screaming about it!)

And I will never forget the day I received the call from my agent that SOMEONE WANTED TO PUBLISH MY LITTLE BOOK! I thanked God and then proceeded to go into semi shock… and then I may have shed a tear.

The book I had written in my PJ’s whilst watching a very special and inspirational episode of the Oprah Winfrey show was going to be shared with the world.

I had never set out to write a tearjerker. Simply the  story of a young girl (Lois) who loses her father and tries to connect with him through letters he has written to her. But  it was a story I HAD to tell.

Ironically, it wasn’t Lois’s story that was itching to be told- it was her father, Kevin  who begged me day and night to tell his story. This character I had never met, who didn’t actually exist, yet was to become a huge part of my life via my book; By The Time You Read this.  Kevin was a young man, taken down before his time. A man with hopes and dreams – the biggest one being, to see his little girl grow up.

Although Kevin is a fictional character, I know there are many human beings around the world who have been in  a similar position- gone before their time without having  the chance to write to their love ones; to tell them they are loved; to teach them their version of the meaning of life and love. 

I have met, loved and lost such beautiful people and you may have too.

So before, my tears wet this laptop, I’d like you to help me raise an invisible toast to Kevin and Lois- beloved characters of my first published novel By The Time You Read This published exactly ten years ago. And here’s MY letter to these amazing characters:

Dear Kevin & Lois; Thank you for sharing your story with me.  So many have read your story and I even got an email TODAY from the Philippines where you were mentioned. Your story has also appeared in the German, Korean and Serbian languages and according to the wonderful Harper Collins US team, your American cover was inspired by Barack and Sasha Obama.  Even ten years later, your story is still available in paperback and is currently 99p on Kindle! I will never forget you, Lois and Kevin for getting that publishing ball roiling. 

With Stars On,

LOLA

My latest book, Orphan Sisters (2017) is available to buy now.

 

Happy Bookiversary To Me!

Hello Lovely Readers!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend.

Is it me or is the year just flying by? I’m not just using this as an excuse for not writing my blog posts on time (OK maybe a bit) it just feels like it was only yesterday we were celebrating Christmas. 

It’s also six whole months since my fifth novel Orphan Sisters hit the shelves in paperback.  And if you enjoyed reading Orphan Sisters as much as I loved writing it, please leave a review HERE Reviews are mega helpful to authors and I also love hearing what readers think.

It is also TEN YEARS this year since my first novel By The Time You Read This was published. I can’t believe it’s been a whole decade since a book I wrote in my pyjamas was published and translated into several languages including German, Korean and Serbian. It’s still available in paperback and is currently 99p on Kindle! I still get tingles thinking about that book!

It’s been a while since my last post. Forgive me, I do have an excuse. I have been hard at work on my next novel which has the working title: Flower Girls and is due out this year. I’ve also been trying my hand at script writing and of course watching Netflix and catching up on my reading.  At the moment I’m reading the wonderfully compelling The Brighton Mermaid by Dorothy Koomson which will be out in May.

So, all in all- an action packed start to the bright and springy month of May.  But alas, like this week, my blog post is short.

Until next time…

Lola

Happy New Goals!

So this is my first blog of 2018, and I’m about 2 weeks too late in writing this post. So, A belated Happy New Year and I hope you have all started off on your goals for the coming days, weeks and months.

As for me, it was a crazy 2017 which saw me get my first book published in 5 years, have  major surgery, be diagnosed with a chronic illness, meet an amazing human being and have some of the best times of my life. My faith in God only got stronger and I learnt the art of facing my fears and coming out of it the other side! What a ride 2017!

Lola Jaye - Lola By Lola

 

So now we’re in the new year of 2018 and I’m pumped and ready to get on with my goals. First off, I have to finish editing my new book which has a working title of The flower Girls.  For those of you who bought and read my current novel Orphan Sisters, thank you sooo much and I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven’t read it yet- what are you waiting for? Go and get yourself (and the dog) a copy!

This year marks the tenth anniversary of my first ever published book; By The Time You Read This. What an amazing adventure life as an author has been and it all started with that book – written in my PJ’s after watching an Oprah segment.

I’m also busy motivating and trying to inspire other would be writers as a motivational coach. If one of your resolutions has always been to write a book then get in touch. Together we can;

  • Help you set weekly or monthly writing goals
  • Help you structure and fine tune your writing.
  • Hold you accountable to your writing goals
  • Keep you focused and motivated

 There is so much more to come in 2018 and I am ready to enjoy the ride. What are your goals for the coming weeks, months and year?