Tour Part I: My (Almost) UK-Wide Adventure

From Gardenstown to Gillingham – my first official author tour!

Well, honestly, I don’t know where to start with last week’s adventures — my first ever author tour! I almost travelled the length of the UK (well, almost), as you might have seen from my social posts.

My first stop was Gardenstown, where my lovely friend — and wonderful beta reader — Cat lives. She’s part of a local book group, and they kindly invited me along to talk about my writing journey. Of course, I was absolutely honoured to say yes.

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A warm welcome in Gardenstown

Cat opened the evening with a beautiful introduction (I was already a bit emotional!), and then I shared how my books came to be — from the early ideas and rewrites to finally pressing “publish.”

We played a few fun book-themed games (thank you to The Secret Book Swap for the inspiration!), and finished with questions, photos, and a little signing session. Everyone there made me feel so welcome from start to finish, and I can honestly say I loved every minute.

If any of you lovely book-club readers have since joined my newsletter — hello again! — thank you for a wonderful night and for being part of this journey.

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The question that stayed with me

Toward the end of the evening, someone asked a question that really stuck with me:

“Do you think this whole experience has changed you as a person?”

It made me pause for a moment — and the answer is a definite yes.

Publishing a book is exciting, but it’s also terrifying at times. There are plenty of wobbles along the way: Am I really doing this? Will people like it? What if they don’t? But I’ve learned that if you don’t try, you’ll never know.

And the truth is, I’m not doing it for anyone else — I’m doing it for me. For every reader who connects with the story or finds something meaningful in it, it’s all worth it.

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Next stop…

Gardenstown was just the beginning. My “UK-ish” tour continued south — more on that next week, when I’ll be sharing my Writer’s Retreat reflections too.

Until then, thank you again to everyone who’s supported me, cheered me on, or taken a chance on my books. You’re the reason I keep saying one more try. 💜