The day has finally arrived! Baverstock’s Allsorts Volume 1 is now published on Amazon (and will be appearing on other online stores soon)!

If you’d like to see more details about the book, including the blurb, click here to see the release post on my author blog.

Speaking of which, take a look at the new layout of my Jessica Baverstock website. It’s guaranteed to make you start craving liquorice.

Seeing as this is my first release, there are a few things I need to cover in this post.

The Part Where I Get a Little Mushy

Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to all of my readers who have been so supportive over the years, especially this month as I’ve prepared for this launch. I truly appreciate your beautiful e-mails, your encouragement, and the wonderful reviews some of you have already put up.

While reaching my childhood dream to publish my writing has been an amazing experience, an even more amazing experience has been witnessing the enthusiasm with which this book has been greeted by you all.

The Part Where I Explain the Cover

Now some of you will remember a few weeks back when I asked for your opinion on which cover I should use. Many of you offered very helpful suggestions via blog comments, the poll, e-mail, and Twitter. Thank you all for taking the time to do that! Your input was very valuable.

There were many persuasive comments for both covers, and Cover B (the cover without ‘Baverstock’s’) made the most logical sense. However, those who opted for Cover A described it as ‘unique’ and ‘intriguing.’ They saw the reasoning behind Cover B, but they were drawn to Cover A.

So in the end I decided to go with Cover A, because I’m interested in drawing readers who are curious, who are looking for something unique and intriguing.

Is that the right decision? I have no idea. But it’s a decision.

Over the years I’ve learned that there are very few right or wrong decisions in writing. There are often valid arguments and reasonings behind the different options you face. In the end the most important things are:

• To actually make a decision, not allowing yourself to stall because you’re worried about making a mistake.
• To make the decision based on a reason you can stand by.

As a self-publisher, decisions on cover art and blurbs are never permanent. Experimentation is a wonderful thing. You can try one cover, and then in a couple of years try something different. There will be plenty of time down the track to tweak and fiddle. The most important thing is to maintain momentum and learn as you go.

So is Cover A or Cover B the best one to go with? Ask me in a couple of years. I might have changed it by then.

The Part Where I Tell You What’s Coming Next

This release is just the beginning. After several years of setting up the infrastructure for my publishing plans and patiently working on my health problems, I’m finally at the point where I can start sharing my stories with you. The floodgates have opened!

Next on the agenda is the release of my next short story, The Red Umbrella. You’ll see more details about that on the Jessica Baverstock website. All going to plan, that should be available next month.

I’m also collaborating with another writer on a top secret writing project due to appear later on this year. I can’t tell you too many details about that yet, but we’re really excited at how it’s all coming together. It’ll be whacky, humorous and lots of fun. I’m really looking forward to letting you see what we’re doing in a few months’ time.

Of course, I have plenty of my own writing projects in the pipeline. They will continue to appear as they reach completion.

The Part Where You Make a Decision

There’s going to be lots of interesting news snippets and blog posts involved in my fiction releases, but they don’t really align with the goals of Creativity’s Workshop. This blog is for creative writers who want to read posts about writing and creativity. You may not be interested in the fiction titles I’m releasing.

Therefore, I will be running a blog over on my author website where I will post about my fiction stories, book releases and other things I think readers of my fiction will be interested in. I will probably only post there fortnightly, or as I have relevant news.

I may link from posts on Creativity’s Workshop to a few of the posts on my other blog from time to time, but if you’re interested in reading all of those posts then please follow the blog over on my author website so you don’t miss out on anything.

I’m also starting up a separate mailing list for those readers who would like to be kept informed of my fiction releases. That means I’ll have two mailing lists:

• The Creativity’s Workshop Mailing List (No Longer Available), which is specifically for creative writers are interested in receiving weekly e-mails to help them maintain a creative and prolific writing life.
• The Jessica Baverstock Mailing List, for readers of my fiction who would like to be kept up to date with my latest releases and special deals.

So if you’re interested on getting one of those newsletters, then click on the relevant list and sign yourself up. (Please note: If you’re following the Creativity’s Workshop blog or receiving the Creativity’s Workshop Newsletter, you won’t get all of the fiction updates.)

Phew! Okay, I think that’s everything you need to know at the moment. If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments below and I’ll answer them for you.

Oh, and don’t forget to pop over to Amazon and get yourself a copy of Baverstock’s Allsorts Volume 1!