December Girl Book Launch – The photos and the gossip

Lads, I don’t know which end of me is up. I’ve been trying to write this blog post for over a week now. Trying is the wrong word. Thinking about writing it is what I mean. There are so many thoughts flying round my head, so many mental to do lists, so many boxes I want to tick. I took two weeks off from my job to allow myself some space to to launch the novel properly. I’ve now headed back to work and I feel I barely achieved half of what I wanted to do.

Of course I did launch the novel. I mean that happened, so it’s not like I’ve been doing nothing. I’m just learning that this whole book publicity whirlwhind racetrack hamster wheel has many facets to it. And I’m probably only beginning.

So… how did it all go? What’s it really like to launch your debut novel?

Nerve wracking. That’s what. I can honestly say, hands down, it is the single most scary thing I’ve ever done. And that kind of includes that time we camped out in Australia with the dingoes.

For two days beforehand I could barely eat. I was tetchy as hell. And on the night itself, as I stood in the venue, nervously shunting tables, watching the door, waiting for guests to arrive, there was a a definite moment where I wished that I could turn back the clock and never put pen to paper in the first place.

The whole event had the same amount of nervous energy built into it as a 21st party, a wedding, an impending birth and a strange product launch. The product was the book. And I was the CEO.

Even when guests did start to arrive, the nerves didn’t dissipate. The pressure was on to meet, greet, sign and get the photos with everyone who had made the effort to come. I wanted to capture it all.

A book launch represents a random gathering of the many different people you have met and befriended in your life. I had childhood friends and secondary school friends, college friends and newer friends, old work colleagues and blogging friends, family friends and writing friends. It was a whole collection of the wonderful, kind and supportive people who have woven their path into my life and some, I had not met in years. No wonder I felt overwhelmed.

Hiring a photographer was one of the best things I could have done for the night. We’d put a lot of effort into having things just right, from the venue, to the drinks, to the branding and of course the dress. My signing pen even matched the cover of the book. That’s how I roll people – I’m just into this stuff!

It’s fabulous to look back and see everyone enjoying it. The photographs themselves tell the story, so I’ve let them take over the post. I’ve captioned them so that when you click in, you can make your way through them and see who is who. Many thanks to the very talented Shannon Clarke who provided the pics. If you’d like to book her for an event you can find her Facebook page here.

Thank you so much to everyone who came on the night, or who sent messages of support or shared out some of the social media posts. I’m still getting round to responding to people and tidying up all the little jobs I’d like to do. December Girl is now stocked locally in some shops such as The Forge Field in Termonfeckin, JoJo’s Newsagents at West Street Drogheda and Stockwell Artisan Foods, Stockwell Street. You can also order paperbacks from Amazon and of course download on to your Kindle here or by clicking on the book below.

December Girl is now available on Audio. Visit Amazon or Audible or click on the cover below to download.