On December 5th, I hosted a party at my local Barnes & Noble—a big party. And me, an introvert. It was a party to celebrate the second book in my On Devonshire Shores series and my nineteenth novel overall.
We ate refreshments. We wore crowns. We talked. We hugged. We laughed. All my favorite things. And I sincerely appreciated everyone who came out to celebrate with me.
I gave a talk, describing the inspiration behind A Winter by the Sea, the research, cover design, and more. Then I took a few questions before signing books.
Why did we wear crowns? If you’ve read many of my books, you know I don’t usually include royalty, but in this book, I have several royal characters for the first time, and probably the last, so I wanted to mark the occasion. In fact, I have more historical characters in the first two books of this series than in any of my other novels. Plus, it gave me great pleasure to look into the audience and see old friends, new friends, and family wearing crowns. Readers are definitely royalty to me!
ROYAL INSPIRATION
When I learned that the Duke and Duchess of Kent and their baby daughter (the future Queen Victoria) visited Sidmouth—the town where the series is set and in the same year I set the first book, I knew I wanted to include them. The royal couple and their entourage rented Woolbrook Cottage (on the same lane as fictional Sea View) for the winter of 1819-1820. They arrived with too many attendants to accommodate in the house they’d rented, so some of their staff had to be lodged elsewhere. That part is true, and I thought it would be fun to send a few of the duke’s staff to stay at Sea View. Much of what I’ve depicted about the royal couple’s stay is historically-based, although I did take liberties with a few details and of course fictionalized their interactions with the Summers family.
After taking a few days to rest up and recover after the big event, I am back to working on Book three, The Seaside Homecoming.
Have you hosted or attended a book release party? Does it sound like fun to you? (P.S. If you were there and don’t see your photo, I’m sorry! My friend David took too many great photos for me to share here. I’ll post some on Facebook as well.) Thanks for reading!
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Your event looked like so much fun! I loved the crowns everyone was wearing. And what a turnout! Wish I could have been there.
What a fun and creative way to celebrate the launch of this new book! I have my copy, and I’m looking forward to reading it as soon as the Christmas – New Years week arrives. Thanks for sharing it with us on Facebook. I enjoyed watching that way.
Wish I didn’t live so far away. It looks like so much fun. I have this book and look forward to diving into it after the holidays!
Great pictures!
I’m with Betty – wish I lived much closer. Looks like a wonderful party!
Looks like a fantastic event, Julie. I especially love how many MEN are in your audience! Yay!
I love that you celebrate your releases this way, Julie! I loved all the photos. Congrats!!
Looks like you had a blast for the book launch!
I got a library copy of “A Winter by the Sea” on my reading pile and look forward to reading it.
I enjoyed the first book and received the second book last week. I look forward to reading it after I have finished my TBR Christmas stack.😂
No, I have never attended a book release party but your’s looks like a really good time.