Sunday, February 3, 2013

"Oh, Kaye!" has a novel coming out!




Before I say one word about me, I have to tell you to scoot over to Meanderings and Muses today.  My pal Mary Jane Maffini, author of the Camilla MacPhee series, the Fiona Silk series, and the Charlotte Adams series, is my guest.  She's talking about a new series she and daughter Victoria have coming out.  They're writing together under the name Victoria Abbott and you can read all about them at their new website - http://www.victoria-abbott.com/ .  The first book in the series, THE CHRISTIE CURSE, will be out next month.


Now then,

In case you're one of the few people on God's green earth who hasn't heard me squealing about my debut novel - well, here's my news . . . .

I have a novel coming out!

Squeeeeeeee!!!!!!


After many months of agonizing over agent querying and all that goes with it, I made the decision to self-publish.  If you're interested in my reasoning, you can read all about it by clicking this link to my Meanderings and Muses.




 
 
WHIMSEY is a novel of southern fiction with a splash of magic and a touch of fantasy, topped with a sprinkling of humor.

The magic was already there when cigar-smoking matriarch Elizabeth Calhoun established an artist’s colony on an island off the coast of Georgia and named it Whimsey.

Elizabeth’s ghost still drops in from time to time to make sure things are going as she planned.

There’s also a wicked pixie named Earlene who fancies tight-fitting designer clothes and Louboutin stilettos.

Elizabeth’s grandniece, Emma Hamilton Foley, a once-promising jewelry designer who moved away from the island, now fears her talent has deserted her.

Along with her four best childhood friends, she has been invited to be a resident artist at Whimsey’s new upscale gallery, Les étoiles. To join them, she’ll need to regain her talent, face the demons from her past and her feelings about Eli Tatnall, whom she loved as a girl.

Will moving back to the Island of Whimsey bring the magic back?
 

WHIMSEY is a story of hope and affirmation, about families and best girlfriends, connections and feelings. It’s about the things in life that make us happy and the things that scare us to death. And the people who walk through life with us.


And, here's what people are saying  - - -
 


"Delightful!"
- Margaret Maron, New York Times Best-Selling Author. Winner of the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, and Macavity Awards, and 2013 Mystery Writers of America Grand Master
 


"Kaye Barley is a treasure and a delight. Her wit, wisdom, imagination--and yes, whimsy!--shine from every page."
- Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Award-Winning Author




And here's my new webpage for Whimsey: A Novel - http://www.kayewilkinsonbarley.com/
 
 
 
And - I'm excited!

I don't know the exact date it'll be available, just "soon."  Booknook.biz is doing the conversion to EBook format for me and they are real pros.  Kimberly Hitchens and her crew are great to work with and have made this whole process so much easier than it would have been if I had attemted doing this all on my own.  Right now we're in the stage where the manuscript file is being converted to a mobi file.  When that's complete, and after I've proofed it, I'll take it to Kindle Direct Publishing.  It will be available in Ebook format and as a trade paperback.

So.  I'm proof positive that it's never too late to do something you want to do.  And, honeys, I'm here to tell you - don't let ANYBODY step on your dreams.  But most of all, don't step on them yourself

 
 
 

23 comments:

  1. This is wonderful news; congratulations, Kaye! I'm looking forward to reading "Whimsey" . . . .

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  2. I'm so excited for you, Kaye, and so happy that you are excited about it, too!

    Can't wait to read it, and I wish you the best good luck with this book, and all the ones to follow.

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  3. Congratulations and I'm glad you kept on pushing to get your book out. Look forward to reading it.

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  4. Sounds like a wonderful novel. Wishing you all the best luck, Kaye.

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  5. What fun Kaye! And the cover is adorable, especially the Corgi:)

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  6. Thanks, everyone! Very much.

    Did I mention that I'm excited?!

    And I am so in love with the cover. (That darn Harley - he cannot resist getting in front of the camera, so he stepped in as a model for Fred, a Whimsey Corgi).

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  7. So excited for you, Kaye. You go, girl!

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  8. Please add my congratulations, Kaye! You must feel like walking on clouds! Be sure you remember all the rest of us who live on earth and listen to the loud applause on your behalf!!! Thelma Straw in Manhattan ... where it's predicting snow. We'll all come to your island of Whimsey to get warm!!!

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  9. Squeeeeee... indeed! I'm thrilled for you, Kaye! And wow: "southern fiction with a splash of magic and a touch of fantasy, topped with a sprinkling of humor." Sounds completely irresistible.

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  10. Lesa Holstine, have I told you lately that I love you to the moon and back?! i do.

    Thelma, it's snowing here as we speak! A walk on the beaches at Whimsey would be my soul a whole lotta good right now, girl - let's go.

    Hallie, Thank you! Irresistible?! I like it! I hope a beezillion people feel that way about Whimsey.

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  11. Yay, Kaye! (Oh, I'm going to make a bumper-sticker of that!)

    YOu have such a wonderful voice--we see that in every blog, right gang?

    Tell us more about the book!

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  12. Hank Phillippi Ryan - you are ADORABLE!

    the book.

    it's full of things I love.

    girl friends, pretty clothes, lots of art and good food, recipes, the beach, magic, a loving family, Willie Nelson, a ghost or two, a pixie or a few, a corgi, a kitty, shoes and jewelry and a cool, sweet, funny, talented, smart handsome man.

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  13. Soon is not soon enough. I'm looking forward to this book, and to own some of your energy in house

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  14. Kaye, it sound like EXACTLY my kind of book! And if it sounds like you, all the better. Can't wait!!!!!

    xo

    debs

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  15. Big congratulations to you, Kaye!

    You deserve every scintilla of excitment running through your body. (I'm not sure if excitement is measured in scintillas, but I do love the word.)

    I admire your drive and determination and look forward to reading Whimsey.

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  16. Yes, Brenda, I think excitement is measured in scintillas. Love that...xo

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  17. Kaye, I have a fondness for stories that have a "splash of magic and a touch of fantasy", and I am eager to travel to the island of Whimsey!

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  18. Great big congratulations to you, Kaye!! Your book sounds absolutely delicious, and I can hardly *wait* for it to become available.

    And thanks for sharing your most excellent advice ("don't let ANYBODY step on your dreams. But most of all, don't step on them yourself").

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  19. Thank you, Lynda. We're guilty of doing that,I think. We're so busy giving to others and taking care of others that we forget to take care of ourselves. Our dreams are as important as our loved ones - never forget it.

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  20. A cat, Willie Nelson, and magic? How can I resist?

    Good luck with the book!

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  21. Sounds so wonderful, Kaye! Can't wait!

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