I’ve never felt time fly so fast than in the lead up to this launch.

I cross one thing off my to-do list, then five more pop up in its place. And everything takes so much longer than I think it does, because I’m learning as I go along.

A lot has happened, so here is a rundown:

1. New launch date is November 17th—my 46th birthday!

Traditionally-published books historically release on a Tuesday, and I like the idea of doing it the old-fashioned way. It just so happens that this year my birthday falls on a Tuesday, and it’s conveniently before the holiday frenzy. Plus, the book is dedicated to my mother, who likes to remind me how long she was in labor. So November 17th it is.

2. Ebook and paperback pre-orders are two different animals.

If you click this link, it should take you to the Amazon store for your country where you can pre-order the Kindle edition of Craving London at a special limited-time launch price.

And if you scroll down on that Amazon page, you can read a juicy excerpt from the book!

Amazon doesn’t technically do pre-orders for the print book, but there’s a workaround: I listed the print book through IngramSpark, which then shows up in Amazon, or at least it should. At present, I’m trying to figure out how to link the two product pages (are you confused yet?) Remember, I’m learning as I go. Anyway, once I get the paperback pre-order links working properly, I’ll send them your way—along with links to other retailers, if the ‘Zon is not your thing.

3. Audiobooks are a whole other story.

Speaking of learning, I posted for help in a Facebook group for audiobook production, and I was connected with a fabulous narration coach, who I am now calling my Audiobook Fairy Godmother. She told me exactly what equipment to get, hooked me up with a place to order it, connected me with a guy who is going to remote engineer it (super cool/scary enterprise I will surely report on), set me up with a distributor/publisher, AND gave me an incredibly valuable voice coaching Zoom session. Ask, and ye shall receive.

But…of course there are glitches, or perhaps, fortuitous occurrences: the microphone is on back order because so many narrators have been working at home this year. This wouldn’t be such a problem if the guideline is to record TWO MONTHS before book release date so there is time to edit the files and prepare them for distribution.

And in order to record in the first place, I need to set up my walk-in closet as a recording booth. To do that, I first need to install a WiFi extender, since my router is downstairs and the closet is upstairs…AGH!

Deep breaths and all that. Ideally, the ebook, print book, and audio book should be released simultaneously, but 2020 is anything but ideal. So I will deal.

Meanwhile, I need to plow through my marketing campaign, which has nicely started with a 5-star rating from a book blogger in Scotland!

I’ll share her review once she posts it. And if you’re on Goodreads, come find me here.

That’s all for now.

Oh! Food. Remember that? You really need to make this butternut squash soup. It is Fall, after all.