PUBLICATION DAY - a guest post by Laura Huntley

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming a very special guest: the fabulous  Laura Huntley, whose astounding debut novel, Black Eyed Boy, is released today by Crooked Cat Publishing.  I know it's astounding because I'm in the privileged position of having already read it - I had the pleasure of working with Laura throughout the editorial process.

Welcome, Laura - and many congratulations!

Thank you, Sue.  I can barely believe that this day has finally arrived. At last: publication day! My first novel, Black Eyed Boy, is out today and it has felt like a long wait to get here. That’s the trouble when you’ve been more excited than a small child on Christmas Eve who’s been living on a diet of energy drinks and bags of Skittles. Time tends to pass somewhat s-l-o-w-l-y.

What a journey. My feet haven’t touched the ground since Crooked Cat Publishing sent the contract my way. I have found every part of the process both fun and fascinating. It has been a quick learning curve. My favourite part was being consulted about the front cover. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate that Crooked Cat allow their authors so much freedom and control when it comes to such decisions.

As giddy as I surely am, I have also been a bag of nerves. That idea I had… The characters who have been living in my head, they suddenly exist within pages for others to read. It’s quite surreal in a way. I hope that readers enjoy the story. I hope that they root for Emily, my main character, as much as I do. I wonder if anyone will fall in love with Dylan? How will people react to Billy? Will people want more as they reach the end? I sincerely hope so, seeing as I have just finished writing the first draft of the sequel and I am now in the process of planning out the plot of the third and final instalment. It will be interesting (and scary!) to see what people think.

Mostly, though, I continue to feel delighted. I have longed for this day since I was a little girl. Dreams can come true, what a fabulous message to pass on to my three young children. Go for it. You never know what might happen. You might just get everything that you ever wanted.

Black Eyed Boy is available from Amazon.