The one with the cover reveal for Sunshine After the Rain
My last blog post was not a happy one but I've always said that it's important that I show the highs and lows of being an author and that particular low was (and still is) a biggie. Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments and positive support for the writing community.
I had an official cover reveal at the weekend for Sunshine After the Rain – the fourth book in my Escape to the Lakes series – but the piracy/AI situation somewhat overshadowed that. While that situation hasn't gone away and doesn't hurt any less, I do need to crack on with business as usual. So, ta-dah!!!!
Isn't it stunning? That's Mel on the front and something awful happened which resulted in her leaving her beloved home in Willowdale, away from the people she loved, thinking that a complete change of scenery would help her heal. Seven years down the line, she's concerned she hasn't moved on at all and that perhaps leaving the Lake District might not have been the best plan after all.
I love this story. It's an emotional one but it's also extremely hopeful – hence the title and the image on the cover. I don't give my books titles anymore as Boldwood are the experts and know what works best in the market, but my input is always sought. For the Escape to the Lakes series, I was keen to try a different format of title. Most of my other books follow the same structure – xxxx at [insert name of place] – and I was keen to explore something different for this series, although I didn't know what. My editor at the time, Nia, came up with The Start of Something Wonderful for book 1 and it ticked all the boxes for me – something different, perfect for the story, and a brilliant title for the start of a new series. She also came up with A Breath of Fresh Air for book 2 and The Best is Yet to Come for book 3, both of which I love too.
Nia went on maternity leave and Emily became my editor. When she asked me if I had any thoughts on titles for the fourth book, I was only partway through writing the book but I'd already made a number of references to the weather in relation to what Mel was going through – dark clouds, rain, storms. I particularly liked the idea of rain featuring in the title and a Belinda Carlisle song called 'Summer Rain' kept coming to mind and, as the book's timeline would run into the summer, I wondered if I could somehow weave summer rain into it so I mentioned that.
Emily came up with a list of fantastic titles but the one which really resonated for me was Sunshine After the Rain. Not only was it perfect for Mel's story but I also realised that it was perfect for describing the books that I write. As it happens, my original plan to include something to do with summer rain didn't quite pan out so it's just as well we moved away from that slightly!
Many authors have a short tagline which describes their books and I started off with one too: Uplifting stories of love and friendship set on the North Yorkshire Coast.
Then it struck me that, while my books are uplifting, they can often draw tears so I tweaked it slightly: Emotional but uplifting stories of love and friendship set on the North Yorkshire Coast.
But they're not just stories of love and friendship - they're about family and community too, so it was time for another tweak. I'd also expanded my setting into the Yorkshire Wolds which is predominantly East rather than North Yorkshire so I also needed to tweak the location as well: Emotional but uplifting stories of love, friendship, family and community set in stunning Yorkshire.
Hmm. This was starting to look more like an essay than a tagline. And then, of course, I added in the Lake District as a setting so Yorkshire no longer worked and no way could I expand it further. I knew I needed to change it, but to what?
After Emily and I agreed on book four's title, it struck me that 'sunshine after the rain' summarises perfectly what my books are all about. I explore what happens when ordinary people face the tough things that life occasionally throws at us – the rain – and I write about them facing those troubles and coming out the other side in a better place – finding the sunshine. So our lovely Head of Marketing, Claire, designed me some simple assets for me with my new shorter tagline: Stories that bring sunshine after the rain. I can't decide if I like the pink or blue background best. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Back to the cover reveal, how beautiful do the four books look together? A quick reminder that the series isn't ending. I have this planned as a 12–15 book series, providing there is still reader interest in it, so there's lots more to come from Willowdale Hall.
Sunshine After the Rain will be out on in all formats on 15th May. The eBook is available for pre-order and I just spotted at the start of the week that the audiobook has gone up for pre-order too, narrated by Rebecca Norfolk who has narrated all the books in the series so far.
Here's the blurb…
Melanie knows she’s been running away…
For the last seven years Mel has been hiding; from life, from her friends and from those who love her the most - her family. But being at home in her beloved Lake District has been far too painful for Mel to contemplate. Because seven years ago, Mel lost everything and she’s never been able to banish the dark clouds that follow her.
But maybe there really is no place like home?
When Mel returns to Willowdale for a family event, she has no intention of staying. But surrounded by her family she begins to realise just how much she's been missing and also, how much healing she still needs to do.
Starting a dream job at Willowdale Hall, going on walks with Emma and her funny alpacas and reconnecting with those she loves, Mel slowly begins to see chinks of light and a more hopeful and happier future ahead.
And as Mel begins to feel stronger, she also feels brave enough to face the most painful part of leaving home…the one man she has always loved. With his help, can she finally banish the dark clouds forever and see the sunshine after the rain?
An emotional story of healing and hope. Escape to the Lake District with million-copy bestseller Jessica Redland, for an uplifting story of family, friendship and love.
Big hugs
Jessica xx