The One With The Soul-Zingy Cover Reveal
Well, if there's one way to cheer January the hell up, it's with a book cover reveal!
I say 'a' book cover reveal. But I think it would be more fitting to say 'the' book cover reveal.
Because it's only for the book I've been banging on about for the last God knows how many years. The book that stole every single Saturday of mine last year whilst I re-wrote the entire bloody thing. The book that has kept me up at night for fear of it being a pile of pants. The book that has been on the tip of my tongue even when I'm in a conversation about something entirely unrelated. The book that has driven me nearly to despair on account of the cultural and religious sensitivity I have had to exercise and the heartfelt hope people will love it.
My Little Ramadan.
Ok, ok, I know you're gagging to see it, so here it is . . . .
What do you think?
If you're not up-to-speed with my writing world, then allow me to give you a quick update:
My Little Ramadan is a sequel to a series of novels I already have out in the world called the 'Life Is Yours Trilogy'. The first three books are sassy and soulful, uplifting and relatable and tell the story of a woman called Jess, who unwittingly transforms the grief and torment of heartbreak into the most magical year of her life.
But I couldn't stop at a mere trilogy, could I? That would be what a normal person would do.
And who wants to be normal?
In My Little Ramadan, Jess is back with a whole month of shenanigans. This time she's writing a blog and it's all about fasting for Ramadan to support her Muslim husband, Mesut. Stranded in the Highlands of Scotland, living in a flat above a dodgy pub with an equally dodgy flatmate and a 'spirited' toddler in tow, Jess is eager to learn what fasting from sunrise to sunset will help her learn about life, motherhood and everything.
It would be understated of me to say I am well-chuffed with this latest cover. My cover designer, Bailey McGinn, is a miracle-worker. I mean, I know she has a wide repertoire but I doubt that she is very often asked to design covers for books about Islam written in a lighthearted way, by an agnostic white woman. That's a hell of a design brief, but she has truly risen to it.
Being a writer, I love words. Of course I love words, but I hope they won't get offended for a moment when I say I also love imagery. I'm a really visual person and my little soul zings in a special way when I see something I deem to be visually appealing. That's why I LOVE the process of collaborating with Bailey.
We've been through several drafts and all of them were good - but honing in on small details, playing with fonts, colours, patterns and placement, are all important things before you make your final choice. And let's not forget, the My Little Ramadan cover has to work with the covers of the last three books too, right? So, let's see them together. Let me show you why this is soul-zingy for me . . .
I also want to take a moment to say a massive THANK YOU to fellow author, Hazel Prior. Hazel is a fantastic author, with a series of incredible books behind her (not least one of them was picked for Richard & Judy's Book Club). I met Hazel last year, at an author's event in Ilminster and really loved talking books with her. Even though she is inundated with requests from authors, she still found time to let me know what she thought of her advance copy of My Little Ramadan. I even picked out part of her review to share on the front cover: "A bright and engaging novel packed with warmth and humour".
You can scroll to the bottom of this post to read the blurb for My Little Ramadan. If you fancy giving it a go, you can pre-order your Kindle copy now (it's only 99p), ready for release date on 23rd March (also the start of Ramadan).
If it's a paperback you prefer, that will be live on Amazon on the 23rd too but, alas, they don't allow us indie authors to create a pre-order function for that. OR you can keep an eye on the shop page of this very website where I will be selling signed copies with personal messages - such fun!
My Little Ramadan can certainly be read as a standalone book, but if you prefer to start at the very beginning, did you know you can get the first book, Life Is Yours for FREE? All you need to do is sign up to my reader's list (strictly not spammy) and a digital copy will be sent to you straight away. Or, you can get all of the books, digitally and in paperback, on Amazon.
The next job on my never-ending author's to-do list, is to get a paperback draft of My Little Ramadan printed so I can read through the whole thing for a final edit. Who am I kidding? It will chiefly be so I can take an embarrassing amount of selfies with the book and bask in the fact that squillions of hours of work, passion and self-belief have gone into creating something I can hold in my hands. Us authors have got to get our kicks where we can. So, watch this space . . .
In the meantime, have a little read of the blurb below and let me know what you think? You know I'm always up for a convo by email or on evil Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok.
Go well,
Abi
xxx
P.S. If you enjoyed this blog post then make sure you sign up to get ALL Abigail's bookish news as and when it happens. You'll also bag yourself a FREE copy of Life Is Yours - the first book in the Life Is Yours Trilogy. Sign up here
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MY LITTLE RAMADAN
Can an empty belly lead to a full heart?
One moody Turkish husband, one screaming toddler, thirty days to find true happiness . . . After marrying Mesut, the man of her dreams, having an adorable little boy and moving to a beautiful Scottish seaside town, Jess knows she should feel more grateful. But motherhood is so tough and the cultural gap between her and her husband is starting to show. As Mesut prepares for the Islamic month of Ramadan, Jess figures she should support him. She decides to go nil-by-mouth from sunrise to sunset for thirty days, hoping that some spirituality might rub off on her, especially if she records it all on her blog. When the blog becomes the talk of the town, Mesut objects to his faith being made public. But Jess is certain Ramadan will make her a better person as well as a better mum. With thirty belly-growling days to get through and thirty blog posts to write, could divine intervention be just around the corner? Or will it tear apart everything she loves?
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