Today it's my pleasure to welcome blogger and author Annette Hannah to the blog to celebrate the publication of her latest book Poppy's Christmas Wishes which is published this Thursday.
Hi, I’m originally from Liverpool but moved to Hertfordshire in the eighties with my husband. We now have three grown up children and a cocker spaniel. I’d always wanted to write but didn’t really know where to start and I’ve always been an avid reader. One day I saw a message on Facebook asking for fans of Milly Johnson to be part of a promotional team called #TeamMilly. I put my name forward and was one of the lucky ones to be chosen. I can honestly say it changed my life. I’d not long lost my Mum and was feeling quite lost at the time but then I was being invited to afternoon tea at the Grosvenor House hotel in London with Milly and all the team. Then I was invited to a Spring Blogger evening as Simon and Schuster Head Office. I didn’t know what to expect but I saw five wonderful authors launching their books, including Milly Johnson and Heidi Swain who was promoting her debut at the time. I went home and told my daughter about the event and she said I can set a blog up for you and that’s when Sincerely Book Angels was born and I became a blogger. It wasn’t long before my quotes were appearing on my favourite authors’ books and I just couldn’t believe it. I loved blogging because it was so exciting reading books well in advance of them being published and being invited to launch parties and meeting some absolutely wonderful people. The other thing with blogging was that it helped me to find my voice and to be brave enough to share what I wrote with others.
Having been involved with #TeamBATC over at Simon and Schuster with the lovely Sara-Jade Virtue I became aware of their #ONEDAY #DigitalOriginals where un-agented authors can submit to them. I plucked up the courage to write three chapters to send in but then I panicked and thought what if they want more, so I panic wrote the rest of the book in three weeks. It got rejected but that didn’t matter because I’d fulfilled my lifelong ambition and written a book. It was an amazing feeling and that book was actually Poppy’s Christmas Wishes which has since been through several rounds of editing.
I wrote a book a year after that and when Simon and Schuster asked for a full of my third attempt, I knew I must be getting close. That one was rejected too but last year I submitted it to Dash Digital who are now Orion Dash and I was offered my first two book deal. That book was Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café and this year I’ve been offered another two book deal with Poppy’s Christmas Wishes being the first of those. It’s been an exciting journey and is a real dream come true.
