http://local.harrietevans.com/index.php/site/index/ en harriet@harriet-evans.com Copyright 2012 2012-01-12T09:34:45+00:00 http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/happy_belated_new_year/ http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/happy_belated_new_year/#When:09:34:45Z Hello everyone and HNY - not sure when the statute of limitations on wishing people a happy new year runs out, but I’m going for it anyway because I’m lovely like that. Hope you all had good Christmases and that you have a fab 2012. I’ve got a good feeling about 2012; what did those Mayans know anyway? They let themselves be *pauses to google what happened to the Mayans then discovers that no-one’s quite sure* er wiped out in some murky way, so I’m not listening to them *screams as ghost of centuries-dead Mayan appears at foot of bed*. Anyway this is what I’m excited about for 2012: 1. My beautiful baby girl Cora (have to start with her don’t I?) She is three months old now and she is GORGEOUS. She’s interested in things now and she opens her mouth and makes huffing noises when she sees something she likes (like a blank wall, never a brightly coloured toy or something). She is awfully good and sweet and when she isn’t - we don’t mind so much. Being a writer at home all day is lonely, so I’m loving my maternity leave, there’s someone here with me all day. Yay! And it’s Cora! 2. Holidays. We have three hols booked, one to La Gomera (small island next to Tenerife) which will be our summer hols, just in Feb so we get a bit of winter sun, Paris to see my friend Vicky who’s just had TWINS! and Dorset in June which I can’t wait for, my friend is getting married and some of us have hired a house (near the sea and a pub, genius). Very glad to have things in the diary as I love being at home but it’s good to get out and about as I’m sure everyone who’s had a baby knows. My feet are all stiff from constant sitting on sofa / lying in bed not doing very much. 3. The David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy, I’m obsessed with David Hockney and I can’t wait to go. 4. Fitting into my new possibly over optimistically purchased Paul + Joe Sister playsuit which I bought in a moment of madness in a sale and which I WILL WEAR AT SOME POINT. It is beauts. 5. New series of 30 Rock! Although when it gets shown in the UK - different matter all together. 6. Finally, my new book HAPPILY EVER AFTER is published in the UK next Thursday, 19th January. Wha!?! Exciting. What with the baby I’ve hardly noticed the time go by and I’m all ‘what’s that? new book? Crazy!’ And now I’m getting quite jazzed about it coming out. It’s my version of the age-old ‘Girl comes to big city and makes her way in the world’ theme, and it’s set in the world of publishing, where I worked very happily (ever after) for thirteen years and which I miss hugely still. So if you get the chance, I really hope you enjoy it. Here’s the Amazon link, now spoiler free (someone posted a review basically detailing every plot point - why do people do that?! Mental). http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happily-Ever-After-Harriet-Evans/dp/0007350260/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322504426&sr=1-1 Here’s the Waterstones link too (note no apostrophe) http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/harriet+evans/happily+ever+after/8601757/ And here’s a photo of Cora looking excited about something. Love to you all, Harrie PS Once again, if you’ve emailed me, you must be wondering why you bothered - ARGH I’m so useless for not having replied for so long. Forgive me, it’s the baby and trying to get my next book finished. I’ve read every one of them and it’s amazing to hear from people, and so so lovely to read your emails, which is partly why I never get round to replying - do you have that thing where you email a friend at work 15 times a day but never get round to sending an email to the friend who’s moved abroad because you think you’d better take some time out to do it properly? It’s a bit like that. Rubbish excuse but true. Thanks again, I will get round to it SOON! X X 2012-01-12T09:34:45+00:00 http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/hello_baby_is_here_win_my_new_book_read_some_extracts_its_all_go/ http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/hello_baby_is_here_win_my_new_book_read_some_extracts_its_all_go/#When:19:55:18Z Hello everyone, I am writing this with a very small baby on my lap in a rare moment of calm. I am reaching over her sleeping head to the laptop so forgive a) brevity B) typos, as it’s blimming hard to type this way! Our gorgeous daughter Cora Francesca Handley was born a month ago, 2nd October, and she is totally beautiful and wonderful even if she doesn’t understand the difference between day and night and thinks 12am - 5am is the ideal time for yelling, waving fists, wanting feeding, etc. Hey ho. We are all very happy. The photo is of her yesterday asleep…. so rare. In other news, HAPPILY EVER AFTER is out on 19th January 2012 (here’s the amazon link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happily-Ever-After-Harriet-Evans/dp/0007350260/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320350932&sr=1-1 ) HarperCollins have done a great job of kindly putting up extracts for y’all to read so hope you’ve enjoyed them. Please do let me know what you think of them on the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/harrietevansbooks There’s also a competition to win proofs of the book (See the competition page), where you have to email your worst work moment to harrietevans@harpercollins.co.uk I had many many awful moments when I was starting out as a secretary in the world of work. I was terrible, very disorganised, and though I loved working in publishing, and loved talking to authors and discussing books, I also made many mistakes. One of which is in the book, the others are too embarrassing to include! Finally, I’m really sorry if you’ve emailed and I haven’t replied to you. It’s just been a bit crazy. SO I hope to use my maternity leave to get round to replying to them all! Because it’s so incredibly lovely to hear from you, and I’ve enjoyed it so much, getting an email from someone is the best so I feel even more rubbish not to have replied. Anyway the little boss is hungry again so I’d better go. Love and happy autumnal times to you all, Harrie x x 2011-11-03T19:55:18+00:00 http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/happily_ever_after_-_third_extract/ http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/happily_ever_after_-_third_extract/#When:11:20:44Z As I almost have 50 new Facebook followers, I’m going to treat my fans to the third extract of my new book, HAPPILY EVER AFTER. Please post your comments on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/harrietevansbooks Look out for a competition to win an early reading copy of HAPPILY EVER AFTER this week. You could be the first to read the whole book! Harrie x Read the extract: Happily_Ever_After_Part_3.pdf 2011-11-01T11:20:44+00:00 http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/happily_ever_after_-_second_extract/ http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/happily_ever_after_-_second_extract/#When:12:38:10Z As I have over 50 new Facebook followers, I’m thrilled to be able to publish the second extract of my new book, HAPPILY EVER AFTER. Please post your comments on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/harrietevansbooks My publishers will post the third instalment as soon as another 50 people ‘like’ my Facebook page. So, get spreading the word! Harrie x Read the extract: http://www.harriet-evans.com/images/uploads/Happily_Ever_After_Harriet_Evans_part_2.pdf 2011-10-14T12:38:10+00:00 http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/happily_ever_after_-_first_extract/ http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/happily_ever_after_-_first_extract/#When:12:35:22Z Be the first to read an extract from my new book, HAPPILY EVER AFTER. I’d love to know what you think so please post your comments on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/harrietevansbooks My publishers have said that they’ll post the second instalment as soon as another 50 people sign up to my FB page. So if you want to read more spread the word to all your friends! Harrie x Read the extract: http://www.harriet-evans.com/images/uploads/HappilyEverAfterHarrietEvanspart1a.pdf 2011-10-05T12:35:22+00:00 http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/exciting_compeition_times/ http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/exciting_compeition_times/#When:15:08:33Z Happily Ever After, my new book, isn’t out till January 2012 in the UK - don’t know about US yet. Here’s the amazon.co.uk link anyway. I am so excited about it. It’s about loving books, believing in fairytales or not, and growing up in your twenties, a sort of coming of age tale. (I hope…) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Happily-Ever-After-Harriet-Evans/dp/0007350260/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316099341&sr=1-4 In the meantime, HarperCollins are running some comps on my facebook page throughout the autumn while I am on a sort of maternity leave (not sure how maternity leave works when you’re a writer, but we’ll see. Not sure how to look after a baby either, so we’ll see about that, too.) Check out the first, totes amaze, exciting one. To win the Downton Abbey book and DVD boxset you have to email us saying what you think happens after A Hopeless Romantic ends. Nick and Laura and what happens to them afterwards are always what people ask me about. Do they stay together and make things work at Chartley? Do they get married? Does Laura move to the big house, like Downton Abbey? Scary when you think about it. Anyway, do have a go. Cheers HC, you rockers. http://www.facebook.com/harrietevansbooks And love, Harrie xx 2011-09-15T15:08:33+00:00 http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/september_offerings/ http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/september_offerings/#When:09:02:57Z Three things for autumn that are pleasing to me: 1. For two weeks only, there’s a special offer on my ebook backlist (Going Home, A Hopeless Romantic, The Love of Her Life, & I Remember You) at £2.99, on the ibookstore, or on amazon.co.uk http://www.amazon.co.uk/s?_encoding=UTF8&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Harriet%20Evans Think it ends 16th September, so get it while you can. 2. October’s issue of Red magazine is out now, and it’s got a free copy of Going Home with it (or a Suzannah Dunn book, which I haven’t read, but I read her first novel and really liked it.). So you get Red mag = ie vg mag which you would buy anyway, AND you get a free book. What? I know, it’s crazy. 3. We have some amazingly great competitions lined up for the autumn and winter. When I say ‘we’, I mean HarperCollins, so check back, because they’ll be up soon. And don’t forget to ‘like’ my Facebook page below as that’ll keep you up to date with everything too. That’s all folks, Hope you’ve had a good summer, Love and other indoor sports, Abyssinia Harrie x x 2011-09-08T09:02:57+00:00 http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/reasons_to_be_cheerful_in_august/ http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/reasons_to_be_cheerful_in_august/#When:14:25:00Z I actually don’t like August that much. It’s dry and dusty and the trees look tired and like they want to lie down in a pond. Everyone is bored of being in the city and walking around town (especially when you’re extremely preg like me) is no fun when you have to dodge Italian tourists with backpacks every 4 seconds (Benvenuto, amici!), roadworks and flying ants. Also, I had my holiday way back in May, and now I am angry about that. Everyone else is by the sea and I am typing away at home with only the roar of the police helicopter and the psycho squirrels eating our sunflowers to keep me company. (Please see attached pic, or ‘Before’, as I like to call it.) So here are some August things to cheer you up; they have cheered me up. 1. J Crew is launching online in the UK at the end of the month! Rejoice people! http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/olivia-bergin/TMG8450722/J.-Crew-to-launch-in-the-UK.html 2. Cherries. I am currently eating a huge bag of cherries every other day. The man at the excellent Market Garden fruit and veg stall on the Essex Road says US cherries are the best. Go figure. I thought you got shot for saying that, especially in ‘nothing that wasn’t grown 3 metres from here please’ N1. 3. The funniest film ever is out on DVD. The Castle! It is totally brilliant, and for years was only available as a US import or dubbed so Americans could understand the jokes (crazy, it’s Australian). Please watch it if you need cheering up. It’s so brill. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Castle-DVD-Eric-Bana/dp/B004OBZLPU/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_2 4. Elizabeth Taylor season starting at the BFI this month: http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_southbank/film_programme/august_seasons/elizabeth_taylor_screen_goddess 5. We came 3rd in the pub quiz last night and guessed correctly that the collective noun for a group of baboons is… flange. If that doesn’t cheer you up nothing will. Thanks to all of you who have been in touch to say they enjoyed LOVE ALWAYS; I’m really, really thrilled. Been rubbish at getting back to my emails, so I’ll be in touch as soon as I can, but in the meantime have a great rest of summer and love Harrie x x x 2011-08-03T14:25:00+00:00 http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/thanks_pw/ http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/thanks_pw/#When:15:35:10Z Some great reviews coming in for LOVE ALWAYS from the States, may I direct you to my facebook page? No? Ok then. http://www.facebook.com/harrietevansbooks 2011-06-26T15:35:10+00:00 http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/all_books_now_available_as_e-books/ http://www.harriet-evans.com/index.php/site/all_books_now_available_as_e-books/#When:13:51:39Z Today is the paperback publication of LOVE ALWAYS in the UK. Also a great day (er for me) because all my books are finally available as e-books. Here’s the link to the Kindle store. Hurrah! Go crazy! H x x http://www.amazon.co.uk/Harriet-Evans/e/B001JRZOR2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 2011-06-23T13:51:39+00:00