Publication day – book 10!!

It’s UK publication day for my 10^th book – TEN BOOKS! It feels like a very special milestone.

‘From Now On’ is the 3^rd book under my ‘Amelia Henley’ penname and it’s a real exploration of love, in all of its forms. I’d wanted to call it ‘Love Actually’, but – shrugs – you know…

I’m very grateful for all the a lovely things fellow authors have said about this story, you can read these at the bottom of this post. If you’ve read and enjoyed it I’d be so delighted if you could pop a star rating on Amazon – it really does make such a difference to the visibility of a book.

Charlie (33) isn’t close with his siblings Duke (11) and Nina (15) and when their parents die in an accident he has a difficult choice to make. With his girlfriend, Sasha adamant she doesn’t want children and a planned move to New York where a new apartment and jobs await them, what’s he going to do?

I adore this music loving family (and Billie the dog) so much. Writing from all three of the siblings’ points of view took me through the whole spectrum of emotions. I cried, laughed, rooted for them as all three must make difficult decisions about their futures. Although there’s sorrow and tragedy the story is ultimately uplifting with a scene that made me punch the air with joy once I’d written it.

Charlie, Nina and Duke have been brought up listening to jazz and are all musicians themselves. I made a playlist of the tracks in the book which you can find on Spotify here.

I’ll be sharing soon what I’ve learned writing and publishing 10 books about the process and the industry (A LOT) although I’ve still much to learn.

In the meantime you can find ‘From Now On’ on Amazon, Waterstones, Audible, Apple or any book shop or library will be able to order it in if they don’t already stock it.

Unfortunately as I’ve been unwell lately I haven’t had time to arrange any sort of launch (yet) but !I’m off for cake now to celebrate. Did I mention, 10 books. TEN!

Louise x

Thanks to all the authors who have said lovely things about the Johnson family: –

This book has it all – joyous, heartbreaking, uplifting with a perfect ending – an utterly gorgeous escapist read!’ Faith Hogan, bestselling author ofThe Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club

‘Beautiful, emotional and full of heart’ Alex Brown, bestselling author ofA Postcard from Italy

‘From Now On is a gorgeous, emotional story about love and second chances . . . Amelia’s writing has real heart, so you get completely swept along in the story of this unconventional family . . . Heart-breaking and uplifting all at the same time’ Clare Swatman, bestselling author ofBefore We Grow Old

‘Bittersweet, tender and uplifting. A wonderful exploration of love in all its forms and what family really means’ Nicola Gill,The Neighbours

‘Heartbreaking and uplifting. Love just pours from these pages’ Fay Keenan,New Beginnings at Roseford Hall

‘From Now On is a heartbreaking read with a sublime ending!’ Lisa Timoney,Her Daughter’s Secret

A very different Paperback Publication Day!

It seems an age since I stood on the beach in Lanzarote, shielding my eyes as I gazed into the sea, my mind playing out an intensely emotional scene, a scene which changes everything my characters Adam and Anna thought they knew about life and love. As I researched this stunning location before returning to the UK to meet with a leading Neuroscientist to discuss whether my unusual concept could credibly work, the day I might potentially see my story on a bookshelf seemed so far out of reach.

But now, that day is here! It’s paperback publication day for ‘The Life We Almost Had’!!

The eBook has already been a No. 1 bestseller and my reviews have been stunning.

‘A love story with a definite difference . . . intensely emotional’ Best Magazine

‘Beautifully written and plotted. Get ready for the final chapter – you have been warned’ Candis Magazine

‘Intriguing, unusual and intensely romantic’ Sunday Mirror

Gripping, heartbreaking & completely original. ‘The Life We Almost Had’ is like nothing I’ve ever read.’ Clare Empson – Author

You can watch me reading the opening here.

Launching a debut in a pandemic is challenging. All events were cancelled for this year. Today is the busiest day in the publishing calendar and with the bookshops and supermarkets trying to catch up with all the big books which had their publication date pushed back there is very little space for the smaller books and debuts. I’m so very grateful to my editor and the team at HQ Stories who have remained so passionate about launching Anna and Adam into the world. My publisher will be giving away paperbacks of ‘The Life We Almost Had’ all day today via their Twitter page so do pop over and check it out.

Last month, for my digital publication day I had a live FB/insta launch which was great fun. Tonight should have been my book launch at Waterstones, a chance to thank my family and friends for their support, and to eat cake of course.

One thing I am vocal about is marking ever single success in publishing, however small, because in this industry there are many unavoidable lows. Finishing that first draft, ironing out a synopsis, or in the case of today, publishing a book, and despite the current circumstances I’m going to do just that.

I’m having a lunchtime celebration via zoom with my editor, agent and the wonderful team at HQ who worked so hard on this book (and publishing a novel really does take a village). Afterward, I’m heading straight to Tesco, seeing my story on a shelf will be such a special moment. Between 2-4 there is a very special publication day party over on Radio Chiltern where I, and several other authors who are publishing today will be chatting to host Antonia Honeywell about our books and choosing a song relevant to our characters (you can listen here).  Tonight, my husband is taking me out to dinner. We’ve booked an outdoor table at a lovely pub with far reaching countryside views, this means we can take Granger who has never once covered his ears with his paws while I’ve unloaded any potential plot problems on him. Fingers (and paws) crossed it doesn’t rain!

BIG thanks to everyone who as supported my Amelia Henley journey and if you’re one of the readers who have left one of the moving reviews on Amazon I really am HUGELY grateful. Some of the reviews have been so emotional they’ve moved me to tears, but I’ll leave you with this one which made me smile.

‘Adam & Anna fall in love on holiday, as you do. That’s as normal as this novel gets…’

‘The Life We Almost Had‘ is available all digital platforms. Download it from Amazon, iBooks, Kobo or Google. It is also an audiobook.

As well as on Amazon, you can find the paperback in Tesco, or Waterstones or support your local bookstore. Book stores are always happy to order in a title they don’t have in stock.

Launch Party Invite & Giveaways!!

I am delighted to invite you to the online launch party for The Gift on Facebook Sunday evening, (18/12/16). You can view and join the event here.

This event is organised by the fabulous Emma the Little Bookworm and promises to be a great evening.  I’ll be giving away various things including copies of the book in all formats, including signed copies. there are also other authors popping in throughout the 90 minutes with giveaways of their own, starting with the fabulously talented Louise Ross.

The first competition is already running over on the event page and you can post entries at any time.

I do hope you can join me.

Louise x

Publication Day!!! 🍸🍾

 

I am so thrilled to announce today is the publication day of my second novel, The Gift which is now available from Amazon UK or Amazon US.

I will be blogging next week about why I chose to write a thriller centred around Cellular Memory, but for now, here’s the blurb.

 

The perfect daughter is dead. And a secret is eating her family alive…
Jenna is given another shot at life when she receives a donor heart from a girl called Callie. Eternally grateful to Callie and her family, Jenna gets closer to them, but she soon discovers that Callie’s perfect family is hiding some very dark secrets …

Callie’s parents are grieving, yet Jenna knows they’re only telling her half the story. Where is Callie’s sister Sophie? She’s been ‘abroad’ since her sister’s death but something about her absence doesn’t add up. And when Jenna meets Callie’s boyfriend Nathan, she makes a shocking discovery.

Jenna knows that Callie didn’t die in an accident. But how did she die? Jenna is determined to discover the truth but it could cost her everything; her loved ones, her sanity, even her life.

A compelling, gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist from the author of the Number One bestseller The Sister.

What everyone is saying about The Gift:

My God! It’s a bloody corker! An exquisite writer…Louise has completely knocked it out of the park and brought us all another amazing thriller! MY FIRST EVER GOLD STAR AWARD‘ Emma the Little Bookworm

‘Hells Bells! The Gift by Louise Jensen is an absolute cracker of a read it’s tense, gripping and thrilling. I literally devoured this book in one sitting, I love it when you read a book and the opening chapter grabs you by the throat …Louise Jensen has written a belter of a book that will keep even the most hardened psychological thriller lover glued to their kindle/book’ The Book Review Cafe

‘Louise Jensen has this great gift of being able to drag you directly into the story and carry you along kicking and screaming! Drop everything and curl up in a comfy chair because as soon as you start this book you won’t want to do anything else!’ Angelnet Reviews

‘I absolutely ADORE Louise Jensen’s writing … The Gift is full to the brim of twists and turns …superb!‘ Damp Pebbles

‘This book is a compulsive read – once you start it you’ll find it incredibly hard to put down again until you’ve finished it …I love the way that nearly every chapter ends on a mini cliff-hanger – it kept me turning the pages late into the night and eventually I decided I simply couldn’t go to bed until I knew the truth! ‘ Rather Too Fond of Books