The process of preparing my socio-political thriller, Deadly Secrets, for publication is almost finished and the release date (31 March 2020) is looming. I am very new at this and am still finding my way through the options for distribution and printing.
My first foray into promotion and marketing was the opportunity to post an author promotion on a Facebook writing group I belong to and I thought I would share the post here. I hope you enjoy reading it and keep an eye out for my novel.
Hi everyone.
My debut socio-political thriller, Deadly Secrets, will be released on 31 March.
Marketing and promoting a novel is a very new experience for me so here goes.
The Novel - the blurb:
Deadly Secrets – What unspeakable truths lurk beneath the lies?
Can ordinary people thwart a powerful conspiracy?
Shelley Ormond’s life is about to change forever. Her friend, a young refugee, dies suddenly and the federal police have shrouded her case in secrecy. Shelley has never been bold, but she will have to break the rules and jeopardise her safe, public service career to learn the truth.
Her new friend Adrian, a medical researcher, is studying a mystery illness in outback communities. Young children are falling fatally ill. There’s no obvious cause although suspicious mining activity in the area is worth investigating.
Shelley delves deeper and is drawn into a sinister world of police cover-ups, organised crime and corporate greed. If she obeys the law, the powerful can go on breaking it.
The stakes are high, and the treacherous schemers will do anything to keep their deadly secrets. Lives don’t matter, not even hers.
Can she and Adrian expose the plot before more lives are lost?
Will the formidable and ruthless forces behind the conspiracy stop them?
Writing the novel:
Deadly Secrets is my debut novel. I’m a slow writer and this novel has taken many years of writing and rewriting. The corporate and political world often inspires me with ‘what if’ questions that generate plot ideas. As an idea took hold, I began writing and at the same time, learning about the craft of novel-writing, plot and character development. It has been fun and challenging, so much so that I’m currently editing the first draft of a second thriller and the beginnings of a third sits in the bottom drawer awaiting my attention.
My novel is plot-driven but also has a strong focus on the central characters. I like the idea of heroines and heroes who are ordinary people being stretched by extraordinary issues. My main characters are not government agents, spies or professional advocates nor are they gun-toting police officers. They’re ordinary people, in ordinary jobs, who become embroiled in a powerful conspiracy and need to make choices. I’ve recently had three short stories published. Their focus is exclusively on the human dilemma and relationships and while Deadly Secrets is a political/conspiracy thriller, it also incorporates the emotional and relationship dimensions in the story-line.
ABOUT ME:
I live in Adelaide, Australia, although I grew up just outside of Melbourne.
After seeking out feedback through specific courses and groups, I placed Deadly Secrets on a sharing website, Inkitt, where it attracted great reviews and 23, 5-star, and 6, 4-star ratings. That response, and my writing group, inspired me to publish. The manuscript has been professionally edited, a cover designed and it's being formatted, all with the wonderful help of Amanda Ní Odhràin from Let’s Get Booked. It's almost ready for release on 31 March 2020 (fingers crossed it all goes to plan).
I’ve also been encouraged by having three short stories published recently. I was thrilled to have ‘A Present of Presence’ included in the auspicious anthology ‘When Stars Will Shine’ (9 Dec 2019) and two other short stories: ‘Reunited’ (Jan 2020) and ‘Unforgivable’ (Oct 2019), published in the Writers’ and Readers’ Magazine.
Although I have been scribbling story snippets and scenes all my life, in 2011 I got serious and successfully completed a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing, at Adelaide University. I’d taken a variety of writing courses at Writers SA and WEA before that (and I still do). My original degree is a Bachelor of Science (majoring in Chemistry), and my career in the public service spanned roles as diverse as Management trainer, Team Facilitator, Statistician and Laboratory assistant. Writing had to wait until I had time, energy and brain-space, but perhaps it’s also helped me to gather a wealth of ideas.
One of my other passions is travelling, which includes writing a travel journal and taking copious photos. I have a selection of photos on my website that link images with some of the scenes in my novel. Even though much of the action is in Adelaide, Sydney and the outback, the beginning chapters are in Paris, Normandy, Nice and Barcelona.
I also enjoy live theatre, art and of course, reading. Most years you’ll find me hanging around the Adelaide Writers’ Week event in March, listening to authors speak and adding to my overflowing to-be-read pile of books. If you're there, I'm always ready for a chat.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hrkemp01
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hr.kemp.31
Website: https://hrkemp13.wixsite.com/hrkempwriter