It’s been a busy month for me – finishing the rewrite of After the Rain, adding Mrs Christmas to the index of Advent Stories, launching this year’s campaign for the Advent Stories, three new blog posts, and now this – a new edition of the collection of Christmas Stories for Children, so that it now includes all ten stories on the index. So if you fancy some heart-warming stories for Christmas but would prefer them in one easy-to-read whole rather than split into 24 small episodes, they are available here for the bargain price of £1.00 – that’s just 10p per story! All you have to do is click … https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Stories-Children-M-Schofield-ebook/dp/B071VSTXTX/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1495180230&sr=1-1
In preparing the extra stories for the new edition, I have been rereading all my stories. It has reminded me just how much I enjoyed writing them, and how pleased I have been with the finished results. I couldn’t pick a favourite because I love them all. I am always pleased for each one when I get the notification that it has been downloaded. Some seem to be more popular than others, but they have all been clicked on at some point, which makes me happy.
Having been so busy this month, I haven’t actually written a new story for my children this year – the first time in 12 years. But I have discussed it with them, and considering that they were very young when they heard the earliest stories, we have decided that it would be ok to repeat one this year. My eldest daughter was just seven when I wrote The Very Special Christmas Star, and all she can remember is that there was a dog in it. So it seemed a good time to revisit it. This made me think that ten stories is a good amount to get an average family through many Advents, but I don’t plan on stopping there. I am certain there will be a new story next year, and for many years to come.
One last thing to mention. You might have noticed that I referred to After the Rain and remember that earlier this month I was debating whether or not to change the name. Well, I did finally come to a decision, and was determined to make the change. However, I discovered that KDP doesn’t like alterations to titles and threatened to block the book unless I changed it back. To make such a big change, I would have to delete the original publication and republish with the new name. After all the work I put into the rewrite, I just wanted to get the new edition published with minimum fuss, so it is staying as After the Rain. That can be a decision for the future – maybe even one day with a publisher! But even though it might not have the title I wanted, it is now a piece of writing that I am pleased with, so I’ll give it a shameless plug. https://www.amazon.co.uk/After-Rain-M-J-Schofield-ebook/dp/B01M4QEXY8/ref=pd_sbs_351_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X9QQW09EA94BQDSMJCDX
Well, I think I have given you enough to read this month. I’ll leave you in peace for a little while, but I’ll be back before Christmas to let you know which story was the most popular this year. Have you picked your favourite yet?
M J Schofield 