Sunbathing by Knight by Valerie-Anne Baglietto

OK, OK. Forgive the pun in the title. I just couldn't resist, though. How else could I bring together two very different books, connected by one launch party? Anyway, before I get a barrage of comments, I'll drop in a photo of some cakes, to distract you all.

Did that work?


Well, Friday 5th was the official Novelistas' joint celebration for the launch of the Belinda Jones' Travel Club SUNLOUNGER anthology and THE TROUBLE WITH KNIGHTS IN SHINING ARMOUR. Louise Marley and I both have short stories in SUNLOUNGER ('An Indecent Proposal' and 'Genie of the Rock') and the KNIGHTS book is my latest release.

Cue, another pic:

You can see I brought suitable props. Stripey goody bags, great for the beach, and knight's helmet and sword, courtesy of my son's dressing up box. And, yes, I did have a fit of the giggles before I even had one sip of champagne! 

You might be forgiven for thinking my latest story is an historical, but both the KNIGHTS book and SUNLOUNGER are very much contemporary women's fiction. 

For Sunlounger (and KNIGHTS, too) Louise and I had to draw heavily on our imaginations and memories to craft our stories, as they're set during long, sultry, summer days, but were mostly written when snow and ice lay thick on the hills and valleys of North Wales.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DP3R99Y

My SUNLOUNGER story is set in Gibraltar, and possibly features a genie, but you would have to read it to find out for sure!

Louise's SUNLOUNGER tale takes place in dreamy Sorrento, for fans of hunky, rumpled rock stars, ice cream, and Limoncello. A fun and evocative read. Highly recommended!

In fact, the entire collection of SUNLOUNGER stories, over forty in total, offers a varied selection of fabulous stories, truly something for everyone. And each one is set in an exotic foreign location, so you really do get a world trip for the price of one book.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DNJCBSE

As for my my new release, THE TROUBLE WITH KNIGHTS IN SHINING ARMOUR, the action unfolds on a rambling old country estate in North Wales, where things are not quite what they seem; a modern day fairytale for fans of Once Upon a Time and Merlin. (Currently at the promotional price of 77p.)

All in all, the launch lunch went very well, although we were missing a few Novelistas, who were there in spirit. The only upside to this was more cakes and champagne for the rest of us, but I would have gladly swapped my share to have everyone there to join in the fun!

Novelistas Ink has now 'broken up' for the summer, although we'll still be posting on this blog and our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/pages/Novelistas-Ink, so keep in touch.

Let's enjoy the sunshine while we have it, and make the most of these gorgeous summer days and knights (sorry, sorry)! 

All best wishes,

Valerie-Anne x