Pub Day! 💚🌱📚

Good morning,

I write this with my toes clenched and my heart racing.  My book, Tangled Webs, has finally been released into the wild.  Sage has gone out into Great Britain. Trembling a little but chin, determinedly, held high.  I am so proud to be able to call myself an author - and, hopefully, finally shake off that cloying 'influencer' label that has plagued me for years.

I would never have managed to get to this point without you.  You supported our self-publishing journey.  You made it all happen.  I can never thank you enough.  Never.  But I can try.  Thank you so very much for believing in my writing.  For believing in our hare-brained scheme.  It has built a bridge of possibilities for me and I’m very excited to explore this new literary world that is opening up before me.

I write this from London.  I was invited up to go to a party to celebrate the wonderful bookshop Heywood Hill’s 90th anniversary.  This literary cocktail party was held in Shepherd’s Market which is nestled in the heart of the cobbled streets of illustrious Mayfair surrounded by Victorian pubs, high end boutiques and delicious smelling small restaurants.

Toby and I arrived and tucked ourselves out of the way on a table of a little Italian restaurant in a corner at the far end of the square.  I am always a little anxious at smart events.  I am clumsy and sticky at the moment, I am six months pregnant and London is baking hot.  I normally feel slightly nervy at meeting lots of new people but last night I was a real fish out of water.

Men in suits with ear pieces began to circle us.  Well-heeled gentleman and immaculate women in floaty dresses suddenly lined up on the wall opposite.

What was going on?  I clutched my water nervously.  All thoughts dispelled momentarily as my hero, Sophy Roberts came over to introduce herself.  I have admired her writing for years.  I was  star struck but my overwhelming emotion was despair.  Why hadn’t I read her book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia?  It was in my reading pile beside the bed at home.  Damnit.

Then, as our taxi driver put it when a cavalcade of blue lights, motorbikes and big cars passed us, a person of notable character arrived.  It was Her Majesty Queen Camilla.  And we were sitting right next to the unobtrusive entrance she had been reverently ushered through.  Typical.

The Duke of Devonshire, the owner of Heywood Hill and an old friend of mine (lol) came up to say hello.  He had been Her Majesty’s Representative at Royal Ascot when I’d been bestowed the honour of being chosen at The Face of Ascot (such a long time ago) which had been infinitely embarrassing but he had been so kind to me and had, I think, been relieved that I’d been a horse person.  He was accompanied by The Duke of Wellington (another old friend from a life gone by - you couldn’t make it up, I know, although he had to be reminded, lol) so I began to perk up a little.

‘What’s your book about then?' They asked.

'Racing, hunting and sex.' I replied, really leaning into it now - longing for a glass of wine to take the edge off.

'Bloody marvellous.  We’ve ordered 15 copies for the shop.  Come in and sign them?'

Yes please.  Phew.

Then, after the speeches by brilliant Nicky Dunne and Queen Camilla, we made our escape to go and have dinner with two of my very favourite people in the world, Don and Charlotte Cochrane, who we so rarely see.  A golden evening, so far removed from the normalcy of real life that it felt like A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

I have an enormous favour to ask.  I have had some truly remarkable reviews of Tangled Webs from you.  Can I possibly trouble you, if you have a moment, to share your AMAZING reviews on Amazon, Waterstones or Goodreads? All three and my gratitude cup will runneth over.

I’ll put the links below.  It should only take a minute or two but it could change everything for me.

(Bad reviews - you’re off the hook 😂 need not apply!)

If you clink on these links - then scroll down to bottom of the page.  Please 🙏🏼

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tangled-Webs-Spinning-Silks-1/dp/0241812348

https://www.waterstones.com/book/tangled-webs/callie-coles/9780241812341

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249270817-tangled-webs

Forever grateful.  Thank you so much.

With love from,

Callie xxx