Katey Lovell

On the final day of 2017 I'm going to shout about some of the things that have brought me joy over the past twelve months.  Personally, I had a pretty great year, and I'm hugely thankful to end the year in remission from Crohn's Disease.  Good health allowed me to have a productive writing year, with the publication of 'The Café in Fir Tree Park' in May and 'Joe and Clara's Christmas Countdown' in October.  I gained a friend and agent in Julia Silk in June and drafted the first book in a series, which I'm currently in the process of editing - it's due to go out on submission to publishers in early 2018.  I became a vegan.  I walked a lot.  I spent quality time with family and friends. As a fan of live music I saw (amongst others) old favourites (Take That, Frank Turner) and little-known gems (Charlie Barnes, Felix Hagan and the Family); world-wide megastars (Blondie, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles) and hot new talent (Declan McKenna).  I also list

I'm a dreamer, always have been.  Since childhood I've had wild fantasies about dabbling in all kinds of different professions. In (roughly) age order I've wanted to be... A nurse A writer (because I wanted to be like Enid Blyton) An artist A ballet dancer Kylie Minogue A librarian An Olympic gymnast A writer (again, because I wanted to be like Judy Blume) A Red Coat at Butlins A journalist An actress A nurse (again - I actually applied to do a nursing degree at this point) A teacher Manager of a nursery A librarian (again - and I did get a job promoting library services to under 5s) A burlesque performer A professional book reviewer A writer (again, because I wanted to write a Christmas book) My mum has never been the pushy type but she's always encouraged me to strive to reach my goals.  Sure, being Kylie was never likely, but she still put up with me perfecting the dance moves to 'The Locomotion' and when I became obsessed with gymnasti

Many of you know that before I was a published author I was a book blogger.  My blog, Books with Bunny, was a place where I reviewed books of all kinds, interviewed authors and hosted guest posts.  I loved my time as part of the wonderful blogging community and am very proud of how I organised online events, had reviews posted in a number of books and was chosen to take part in many blog tours and marketing campaigns; but the time has come to say goodbye.  I have big plans and wild writing ambitions, and I want to be able to give these projects my all. None of the posts at Books with Bunny will disappear, but the blog will no longer be active.  This does mean I'll be talking about other people's books over here from time to time because I will always be a reader, always shout about the importance of libraries and always support authors I admire - as anyone who follows me on Twitter will know. You can read my final post at Books with Bunny here. The title of this blo

I've been a terrible blog-keeper.  Again. There's no excuse, other than I've been ridiculously busy.  Again. I genuinely want to get into the habit of blogging regularly, and my plan (again!) is to post at least once a month, whether that's an update of what's happening with my writing projects, or something related to my interests (most likely books, music and theatre).  I'm going to schedule it into my phone, so if nothing appears you have every right to prod me on social media! But for now I guess it's time for me to fill you in on my news... THE PARK BOOK     Thank you to everyone who's bought, read and reviewed The Café in Fir Tree Park .  Since the ebook release on May 26th, so many readers have contacted me to say lovely things about Maggie, Fern, Lacey and Pearl.  Not to mention Paolo (and Matt, Warren and Carrick) who've also captured people's hearts!  I'm so proud of this book and knowing you're enjoying it too 

Rainy days and Mondays always get you down?  Well, fear not!  I'm here to bring a sprinkling of sunshine to this drizzly February day by revealing the cover for my next novel The Cafe in Fir Tree Park .    Books Covered (who've designed all my Harper Impulse covers) have hit the jackpot once again - I can't stop staring at the gorgeously vivid colours which grace the cover of my next release.  The vibrant blue sky perfectly compliments the uplifting romances within the novel (which is by and large a heart-felt story of family, love and friendship) whilst the silhouetted shadow of the café itself represents the secrets and fears held by the four main characters, Maggie, Pearl, Lacey and Fern.     I'd love to hear your thoughts on the cover - is it what you expected?  The Café in Fir Tree Park  will be published by Harper Impulse (ebook May 26th 2017, paperback 10th August 2017) and is available to preorder now from Amazon and all good bookstores.  Preorde

I finished the copyedits for The Café in Fir Tree Park last week!  I can't deny the huge relief I felt when I pressed the 'send' button and pinged the final 297 pages of manuscript over to my editor at Harper Collins, and I'm hoping there won't be any more changes now.  Ebook publication day (May 26th) is drawing ever nearer. I've taken a much-needed week away from drafting/edits and have come back to my laptop refreshed and ready to tackle my next projects (yes, multiple projects, because one book at a time is obviously not enough of a challenge). Although quite different in style and content, both the novels I'm working on are set in Manchester.  The first, a contemporary Christmas romcom, will be published by Harper Impulse this winter.  I've written around half of it already, and (at the moment) I'm really enjoying working on it.  I do love a festive book!  I've made trips to Manchester to reacquaint myself with the city in the hope

It's no great secret that I love a musical, so I was thrilled to hear Sheffield Theatres were putting on a new original production.  Since the opening night I'd heard only good things about the show and last night I finally got to see what the fuss was about for myself. A contemporary musical set in Sheffield, 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' is the story of sixteen-year-old Jamie New who wants a career as a drag queen (despite his psychometric careers testing inexplicably suggesting his future lies elsewhere).  More than anything, he wants to wear a dress to his leavers' prom.  Inspired by real-life events, this coming-of-age musical about friendship, family and acceptance has a definite northern flavour which will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the dry wit of 'The Full Monty'.  That easy humour, along with a belting score written by Dan Gillespie Sells of The Feeling and Tom MacRae, makes for a fast-paced romp through Jamie's final days at s