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Celebrating some exciting news with a paperback #bookgiveaway!

Helena Fairfax
Authors Mary Jayne Baker and Helen Pollard outside the Heart Gallery, Hebden Bridge, the inspiration for Miss Moonshine’s Emporium

I have some exciting news today, and news of a book giveaway below…

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may have heard me mention Miss Moonshine, the mysterious and redoubtable owner of a magical emporium in Haven Bridge, a fictional town in the north of England.

For those who don’t know Miss M, here’s an introduction…

Miss Moonshine’s Emporium of Happy Endings and Christmas at Miss Moonshine’s Emporium are anthologies of stories by nine award-winning and bestselling authors from the Romantic Novelists’ Association – that is, Mary Jayne Baker, Sophie Claire, Jacqui Cooper, Kate Field, Melinda Hammond, Marie Laval, Helen Pollard, Angela Wren and me – Helena Fairfax.

At the time of the first anthology, the nine of us all lived in the north of England – six of us in Yorkshire, and three in Lancashire. We used to meet up regularly for lunch (and we still do) in the picturesque old mill town of Hebden Bridge, on the border between the two counties – hence our group name, Authors on the Edge :)

helena fairfax, miss moonshine
The canal at Hebden Bridge
Image by Stephen Wall from Pixabay

It was over lunch a few years ago we discussed the idea of writing a set of stories just for us, and just for fun, set in the town we’d come to love to visit.

We came up with lots of ideas to pull the anthology together, but we kept coming back to the idea of a shop and its shopkeeper. And that, in a nutshell, is how Miss Moonshine was born.

We little realised over that first lunch a few years ago just how our Miss Moonshine was going to take on a life of her own, and become a bestseller in the process.

Readers took Miss M to their hearts in a really touching way, leaving reviews such as ‘When I washelena fairfax a child, I would have loved to have met Miss Moonshine‘, ‘What a wonderfully eccentric character Miss Moonshine is‘, and ‘We all need a Miss Moonshine in our lives!’

It was Mary Jayne Baker’s mum who first said she’d love to see our Miss Moonshine in a TV series, and at first we thought how funny it would be for Miss M and her Emporium to take on a life of their own and have their own show.

But now that idea is starting to gain ground, because to our absolute delight and excitement, Miss Moonshine now has her very own literary agent! The anthologies are being represented by Megan Carroll, of the Watson, Little Agency, who also represents one of our authors, Sophie Claire.

helena fairfax, freelance editor
The Heart Gallery, Hebden Bridge. Inspiration for Miss Moonshine’s Emporium

We’re really chuffed that Watson, Little have taken to Miss Moonshine. Of course it’s early days yet (and if you’re reading this, Steven Spielberg, there’s still time for you to get in touch!) but we thought it might be nice to celebrate Miss M’s success, so we’re giving away three copies of Miss Moonshine’s Emporium of Happy Endings.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is leave us a comment below.

The competition ends on May 16th 2020. The three winners will be picked at random. We’ll notify you via email and post out your anthology as soon as possible after this date.

The competition is open internationally.

Good luck – and we look forward to hearing from you in the comments!

 

 

84 thoughts on “Celebrating some exciting news with a paperback #bookgiveaway!”

  3. Pleased to see you’ve all got an agent (while I’m still doing the rounds looking for one and getting brutally rejected all over the place), and there should be lots of readers stuck at home both willing and able to turn the MISS MOONSHINE canon into bestsellers.

    Good luck!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you very much, James. It is very disheartening being turned down by agents. I hope you persevere and that you find the right person for you. Wishing you all the very best with it. And thanks for your comment! x

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  5. Congratulations on your great news, especially in these difficult times. I’d love a paperback copy. I’m not a lover of ebooks, I like the real thing #oldschool.
    Please stay safe all of you 🤗

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Julie. I love a paperback, too. And Mary Jayne did the cover for ours (she’s very talented!) and it looks lovely in print. We’ll be putting the names in a hat, but there are three to be won, so you’ve a good chance! Good luck, and take care xxx

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    1. Thanks, Kathleen! We feel as though Miss Moonshine is a real person now, and in a strange way it’s like being excited on her behalf. Some cheerful news in these dark days. Thanks very much for dropping in. I hope all’s well with you x

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  9. Congratulations to you all 😊. Miss Moonshine sounds delightful and this book sounds like it is a must read. I love that you call yourselves authors on the edge 😊.

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    1. Thanks very much, Kelly! One of our authors, Mary Jayne Baker, came up with our name. I think our Miss Moonshine would approve :) Thanks so much for dropping in, and for your lovely comment!

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  10. Adding my thanks to Helena’s for all the kind words here – Miss M has been an inspiration to her authors as well as the readers! We are all so grateful to her, and at the present time she is a little ray of sunshine.

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  12. It sounds like a beautiful collection of stories. Exactly what we need in these times. congratulations Miss Moonshine, I’ll definitely be reading these tales.

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  13. Wow!! Thrilled for you author ladies and Miss Moonshine. Now, who will play Miss Moonshine?? Definitely a British actress. But who??? Your photos bring me back to our wonderful visit at Hebden Bridge. Best wishes, Miss Moonshine will be a hit on-screen as well as in the books!
    JQ Rose

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    1. It would be amazing if she really did come to life, JQ!! We’re not sure that will happen, but we can dream, and Miss M would say ‘dream big’ :) It was a lovely trip we took to Hebden Bridge. The weather was perfect. We’re all looking forward to meeting there again, once the restrictions are lifted. I can’t wait.
      Thanks very much for dropping in, and for your great comment!

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  14. This is very exciting news! I would love to see Miss Moonshine onscreen. Please count me as a dedicated Moonshiner!! At the end of both books I was left craving many more stories about her and all of the folks she could help. This is especially uplifting in light of the world today. We all need a bit of love and magic to cheer us up. Thanks to all of you for writing these enchanting tales.

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    1. Thanks so much for your very kind words, Kathy! I so agree about this being uplifting news. It’s almost as though Miss Moonshine has a life of her own, and is here to raise our spirits. We do all need a bit of love and magic. Thank you for dropping in on our post, and for your lovely comment xx

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    1. Thanks, Marsha. It’s early days yet and there’s no saying anything will come of it, but it’s exciting that an agent has offered to represent our Miss Moonshine. Thanks very much for dropping in, and for sharing. We appreciate it xx

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  21. Congratulations…
    Haven Bridge awakes so many memories of a wonderful October half term family holiday, in one of the high and narrow little houses near the canal.
    On the way south, a strange new device called sat nav sent us to Halifax. Apparently, it rained every day, which I don’t remember at all.
    Perhaps we were too happy to notice – and demanded at once to move house…
    Which never happened

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    1. That sounds a lovely holiday! We thought about moving to ‘Haven Bridge’ too at one time. It’s such a lovely town, and nearby Halifax is a great place to visit, too, especially now the Piece Hall has been refurbished. It looks amazing. Funny you should mention the rain. It does tend to rain a lot on our visits! Some of us incorporated the rain into our stories :) Thanks very much for dropping in, and for your great comment!

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  22. Congratulations on such wonderful news ❤❤❤
    Happy for you.
    And this is so awesome giveaway.
    Thank you for the opportunity,
    wishing you all a lot of health and success.

    Liked by 1 person

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  23. Congratulations on your news. Will look forward to seeing Miss Moonshine on TV in her own series. Although not familiar with the character or the stories, I would love to read them.

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    1. Thanks so much for your comment, Charlotte. It’s early days for our Miss Moonshine, but we’re excited that an agent has seen something worth pursuing. Thanks for taking the time to comment! x

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  24. Congratulations to you and all the authors! This is awesome news, and thanks for the fantastic giveaway. Good luck to you, and I hope you are staying safe during these times! Thanks for the opportunity.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. It’s a horrible situation, Amanda, and especially for those who already have mental health problems. I’m so sorry to hear it. I’m wishing these days away. Thanks very much for taking the time to comment. Take care of yourself x

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  28. This all sounds very exciting for all of you. The book sounds absolutely lovely and I am glad I got the chance to read about it. Thank you for the opportunity.

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  33. Congrats on such great news. I am so excited as you are giving away a print copy and that is all i can read as I am battling RSd and fingers are badly crippled. This is one I would love to read and review on a few sites. It sounds so so good and I wish you luck and a Happy Mothers Day ! peggy clayton ptclayton2 at aol.com

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    1. Thanks so much for your lovely comment, Ana. One of our authors, Mary Jayne Baker, designed the cover. I’m thrilled to be part of such a talented group. Thanks for dropping in! xx

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  41. Thanks so much to everyone who has taken the time to comment. Just to let you know winners have been drawn and informed. Congratulations to Sandra Coulter, Kathy and Kathleen Jowitt. Your copies have been posted and are on their way!
    We wish we could give away copies to everyone who commented. Thanks again, all, for taking part and for your support. We really appreciate it x

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