If you read my blog, you’ll know I’m all about inspiring and following your dreams. I wanted to share how this week has been amazing for me and how I hope you guys never give up and keep following your dreams.
This week was the launch of my book, Holding Myself, which has been published by Bombshell Books.
It’s been an amazing week with fab reviews, plus meeting the Bombshell team in Harrogate Crime Writing Festival at the weekend was awesome. Bombshell Books is relatively new and is a recent expansion of their sister company, Bloodhound Books. I feel blessed to have joined this awesome company with the amazing team and amazing authors.
After this week, it has amazed me the support I’ve received. Especially from book bloggers. They have been amazing and I can’t thank them enough. I’ve been overwhelmed with the response I’ve received. So I felt the need to send a special thank you to:
Joanne Robertson of My Chestnut Reading Tree, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the weekend, it was so lovely to meet Joanne. A huge thank you to Joanne, for starting my blog tour last week, with her awesome review:
I actually read this book back in 2013 when it was published under its previous title How My Life Became Chaos and really loved it and the two other titles that came after it in the Chaos series. So I was absolutely thrilled when I learned that Bombshell Books had signed Victoria J Brown and were publishing her books. It means I can rave about this book once again and hopefully bring some new fans to this brilliant series!
And a huge thank you to Chandra Claypool from Where the Reader Grows, who joined Joanne on Sunday 16th to kick-off the blog tour. Thank you for your lovely review:
The author gives us a glimpse of what normal life is and how quickly it can change. Paranoia, insecurities, love, forgiveness, grief – we get a taste of it all in this book.
A huge thank you to Sarah Hardy, who has been an amazing support. I also had the pleasure of meeting Sarah at the weekend, it was so lovely to put names to faces. Another lovely lady who has really helped me this week 🙂 You can have a read Sarah’s wonderful review here on her blog, By The Letter Book Reviews
Holding Myself is the first book in a series featuring Kat. To start with the book feels like it’s going to be some sort of light hearted chick lit read but it is actually much deeper than that.
The Harrogate weekend also gave me the pleasure of meeting Alexina Golding, who is the Commissioning Advisor for Bloodhound Books, blogger and #bloghound. Alex was so supportive and I can’t thank her enough for her encouragement. Thank you so much Alex. Although, she wasn’t part of the blog tour, she was kind enough to leave me an awesome review on her blog BookStormer.
A wonderfully captivating story of life and struggles, with some extremely heart rendering moments.
Julie Ryan has been a great support with my writing and I can’t thank her enough. Julie, an author herself, supported me back when, ‘Holding Myself’ was released as part of the Chaos Series. She kindly reviewed and supported me again when Bombshell Books published Holding Myself. You can see Julie’s review here on her blog, All Things Bookie
Having really enjoyed this book I find it hard to believe that this is Victoria J Brown’s first novel as the writing just flows and the style is very accomplished. It’s an easy to read novel and although I’ve seen it described as chick-lit, the topics it deals with are very serious and sympathetically treated.
My next thank you has to go to Laura Turner from pageturnersnook for her amazing review. I’m hoping Laura has embarked on a women’s fiction-athon and is hopefully enjoying the reads …
Whilst reading Holding Myself, it was almost like Kat and I were best friends and we were sat,her relaying her tale to me.
And another huge thank you to Laura Bambrey from Bambrey Books …
Holding Myself deals with some harrowing and incredibly difficult issues- but far from being a difficult read, the tone and craft of the writing turns this into a gripping, unputdownable drama laced with moments of humour and warmth that seem to hug the reader to them.
A massive thank you to Rachel Broughton from Rae Reads for her emotionally warm review of Holding Me,
I was surprised by how involved I became in both the story and the characters lives and it was a deeper read than I was expecting to find.
Gemma Garskarth from Between the Pages, gave a fab review on the 19th July, a few days after Holding Me was released. Thank you so much to Gemma for your support and encouragement:
A well deserved five stars from me and I will be looking out for future books by Victoria Brown.A very 21st century book!
A massive thank Lena Baker from The P.Turners Book Blog for her awesome review:
There are lots of twists and turns along the way and things don’t work out quite how you would expect, however it still leaves you with that satisfied, happy feeling when you come to the end. A great page turner that you can’t put down.
Thank you, Alison Daughtry Drew from The Dragon Slayer for your lovely review:
Victoria has a knack of writing in such a way that little by little the story unfolds and the reader finds themselves engrossed in amongst the characters and part of the ongoing situation.
Another fantastic review from Emma-Louise Smith from Read, Write, Inspire. Thank you lots Emma-Louise.
The book while touching on sensitive subjects such as pregnancy, abortion, death, miscarriage and physical/mental abuse managed to stay quite light and not too heavy.
Kate Olsen from The Loud Library Lady made my week when she likened me to Sophie Kinsella and Jenny Oliver. A massive thank you Kate, I’m so pleased you enjoyed Holding Myself:
I found myself falling into Kat’s story immediately upon beginning to read this book, and finished it in one evening. Brown writes in an intensely readable fashion, one that I liken to many of my very favourite chick lit writers such as Sophie Kinsella and Jenny Oliver – conversational and very relatable.
And thank you to Emma Mitchell from the Little Bookworm for featuring my guest post.
Thank you to Lauren Anderson from As The Page Turns for featuring an extract of Holding Myself
I’m truly grateful to everyone who supported me on my blog tour and launch of ‘Holding Myself’.
A huge thank you to everyone who shared, retweeted and spread the word. I’m so proud to be published by Bombshell Books. It’s such an honour to be part of the team headed by Betsy and Fred, their support and encouragement for writers is instrumental to people like me fulfilling their dreams. However, the support from book bloggers and readers is also essential.
Time is so precious and I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to support me.
I want to thank everyone who took the time to read my book, review my book and supported me this week. I can’t be more than grateful than I am right now.
Sending you all lots of love
Victoria
xxx
You are so welcome!! Can’t wait to read your future books as well!
Thanks lots Kate, I’m still buzzing over your review xx
It was such a pleasure to spend time with you at the weekend. You are welcome it is definitely a book worth shouting about!
Wishing you much success with future books and I’m looking forward to reading them.
Thank you Alex, it was great to spend time with you too. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. Fab to be surrounded by awesome people like yourself xx
It was a pleasure and you can be sure I will be reading your next books. I’m so pleased the tour was such a success and you have enjoyed it so much. Thanks for a brilliant book xx
Aw thanks Alison, the support from you guys has made it all the more successful. Thank you lots xx