Posts Tagged Little Museum of Hope
Cover Reveal plus a Free Book
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books, Promotion, Successes on February 21, 2025
It’s an exciting week: the cover for Out of Control, my third novel with Choc Lit/Joffe Books is now in the public domain and the Kindle version is available for preorder at only 99p. 
Plus Little Museum of Hope is available on Kindle for FREE for today only (Friday 21st February 2025).
Out of Control is about learning to loosen the reins of life, trying to go with the flow, learning to trust and letting others in. Three decades ago Fiona was married to a man with a gambling problem. He lost everything they had and the stress this caused may have played a part in Fiona’s miscarriage. Fiona divorced Rob and vowed never to let anyone else get too close to her again. She keeps that promise. Fast forward to the present day. Fiona is on the verge of retirement. She sees boyfriend Joe only once a week – which she loves because she still has her own space and complete control of her life. Plus absence makes the heart grow fonder!
Then Joe turns up on her doorstep with his suitcases: his house has been flooded and he needs somewhere to stay. He’s swiftly followed by his heavily pregnant student daughter who has nowhere else to go. Fiona’s ordered existence is suddenly out of control. Will her relationship with Joe survive? Can she cope with the presence of his daughter and the reminder of the baby she lost?
Out of Control will be published on March 11th 2025 and can be preordered now for only 99p on Kindle!
And if you missed out on reading Little Museum of Hope – now is your one-day only opportunity to grab it for FREE! (That means you can get two of my novels for a combined price of only 99p – don’t miss out!).
Book Group Recommendation: Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Books, Lifestyle on July 30, 2024
I run a monthly book group. There are 12 of us in the group and I choose our books from the numerous book group sets available from Birmingham Libraries. We always get a cross-section of opinions on each book; some members will rave about the book and others will detest it so much that they can’t finish it.![20240707_151310[1]](https://sally-jenkins.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240707_1513101.jpg)
Recently we read Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor (no, not the actress) and it provoked one of the best discussions we’ve ever had. It’s about an elderly lady in the late 1960s who joins several other older people as a permanent resident in a hotel. She longs for her grandson to visit so that she can show him off to the other residents. He doesn’t appear but Mrs. Palfrey strikes up an unlikely friendship with an impoverished young writer.
I found it an easy, gentle read but the novel has a lot to say about the issues and indignities of growing old, much of which is still relevant today, for example, loneliness, infirmity, abandonment by family and fear.
The ladies in my group are all retired and were open about their opinions on the treatment of older people, their fear of needing care, the advantages and disadvantages of ‘retirement villages’ and how we encourage our children to fly the nest and go away to university, but often they never return. We came to the conclusion that there has been no improvement in how we treat older people over the last 50+ years.
But the book is not all doom and gloom. The residents have eccentricities and there are lovely comic cameos plus a marriage proposal! I’d never heard of Elizabeth Taylor but she is a wonderful writer and creator of characters. Read her books!
On the subject of book group discussions, it was lovely to hear from a group who have read and discussed Waiting for a Bright New Future. They all enjoyed the book and found it uplifting (which was my aim!), the group favoured the character of Florence (she’s a colourful, middle-aged, tribute band singer and I loved writing her!), one member guessed the ending but the others were taken by surprise and there was general consensus that a sequel would be good in order to find out what happens to Stuart. I’m also aware of two other book groups borrowing the five copies of Little Museum of Hope in Birmingham Libraries. I have no idea what their verdict was! And I’ve just noticed that Amazon have reduced the price of the paperback to £4.65 (for how long, I don’t know), if you fancy a bargain.
If your book group has read a book that created a good discussion please share it in the comments!
Streamlining and Focusing
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Lifestyle, public speaking on May 10, 2024
I’m on a mission to focus my mind and become more productive. But there are hurdles. And the biggest hurdle is email. I’m not talking about personal emails from people I know or from those who want to invite me to speak to their group or who need to contact me personally for some other reason – I love getting those! I’m talking about all those email lists I (willingly!) signed up for which send me down a rabbit hole of clicking whenever they arrive in my inbox.
I’m immediately drawn to the prospect of a holiday in the sun, a designer handbag at a bargain price or the ‘last’ chance to secure £60 off a spa weekend experience. I can spend a good fifteen minutes drilling down into all the detail and then always decide the offer is not as good as the headline promised.
And I’m addicted to those emails filled with writing opportunities and competitions. There is always the feeling that this could be the one action I need to take to catapult me to stardom. So I read all the entry requirements, debate with myself over the entrance fee and then try to work out whether there is enough time to craft something new before the deadline. After wasting all that energy I either decide against entering or I write it on my ‘To Do’ list and don’t look at the list again until the closing date has passed.
If those offending emails never arrived in my inbox, think how much time I would save and how much more productive I could be!
So I am now in the process of unsubscribing as each time-wasting missive arrives. However, the ‘unsubscribe’ option is always buried somewhere near the bottom of the email and I have to try to scroll past all the enticing stuff to get there. I fear it won’t be a quick job.
Please tell me that I’m not the only one who has this problem?
In other news, my author talk, ‘Richard Osman and Me’, is now up and running. It’s gone down well with the community groups I’ve visited so far and some of them even bought books (which is always good). I talk about the real-life inspiration behind Little Museum of Hope, my roller coaster journey to traditional publication and about writing in general. There’s a photo of me in action at the bottom of this post (courtesy of Conrad Palmer).
And today I received a surprise parcel from my publisher ChocLit – a bright new mug to celebrate the bright new cover on Little Museum of Hope (and, if you’re quick, you might catch the Kindle edition still on offer at 99p).
Finally, if you’re passionate about libraries, here’s a competition for you (and, yes, it came from one of those pesky emails!): The Europe Challenge Writing Competition is an opportunity for fiction and non-fiction writers on the theme of ‘How a Library Changed My Life’. 3,000 words maximum and there are 5 prizes of 500 Euros plus the possibility of travelling to Amsterdam for an event and book launch in September 2024. Closing date is May 20, 2024 (so not long!)
A Birthday Relaunch and 2 Book Competitions
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books, Competitions, Successes on April 30, 2024
Little Museum of Hope was published in April 2023. To celebrate its first birthday, Joffe Books have given it a fantastic new cover. Don’t you love the little cat staring into that beautiful, positive blue sky? 
I feel like that cat is a metaphor for all of us who are looking for a better future after a difficult time. And that is what Little Museum of Hope is all about: shedding reminders of broken relationships and tough times so that we can find renewed enthusiasm for life.
If you want to dip your toe into the Museum, the Kindle edition is currently only 99p! (I don’t know how long that offer will last).
By the way, that new cover matches very nicely with that of Waiting for a Bright New Future. I’m beginning to feel a bit like a brand!
And talking of books – I have a couple of free book-related competitions for you:
Marlborough LitFest is running its annual Love Books Competition. They want to hear about your favourite book, poem or play in 750 words or less. Explain what you love about your chosen read, highlighting key areas of interest, and why you think others should try it. Entry is free. The winner in each age group receives £300 and the runner-up receives £100. The closing date for entries is Friday 28 June 2024.
My publisher, Joffe Books, is running a competition to celebrate its tenth birthday. Tell them in no more than 50 words your favourite Joffe book of the last ten years. The best entry will win a year’s worth of books (in the form of a £500/$600 Amazon voucher)!
RULES
*The 50 words (well-expressed/heartfelt) can be about any book published by Joffe/Lume/Choc Lit in the last ten years.
*Entries must be a maximum of 50 words. And submitted by email to: readers@joffebooks.com. The email subject should be: “Win a year’s worth of reading” plus your name.
*Entries can be made between 23 April and 31 May.
Happy Reading!
All Change at Jenkins Towers …
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Events, Lifestyle, Non-writing, public speaking on February 6, 2024
There’s been a bit of stuff going on around here lately, which is making my long held vision of becoming a fulltime writer hover on the horizon. This is NOT because I have suddenly hit the New York bestseller lists and the money is pouring in, although as I write, Kindle Direct Publishing for Absolute Beginners has an orange ‘bestseller’ flag in Amazon’s Electronic Publishing category – which may have disappeared by the time you read this.
119419479 © Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com
My current situation has arisen because of redundancy from my part-time job in IT and being at very high risk of losing my library position as well (due to council cuts). On top of this, the gearbox in my old car is making clunky noises and will cost more than the car is worth to replace. So, there’s been a lot to think about and not a lot of writing or blogging has been happening.
However, I have not been totally idle. I’ve been preparing an author talk based around the inspiration for Little Museum of Hope. The first outing for the talk is Friday 9th February at Mere Green library in Sutton Coldfield – I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will be well received!
And on the evening of Friday 23rd February I will be taking part in a Women’s Fiction panel at the Museum of Cannock Chase, organised by the lovely Kim Nash. It’s the first time I’ve been involved in a panel event so it will be an interesting experience.
Moving away from my life, I’ve spotted an unusual ‘competition’ for historical fiction writers from Sapere Books. On their website are a selection of outlines for historical fiction series. Choose one of the briefs and write a synopsis and the first three chapters of the first book in the series. As the prize will be a contract for a five-book series, ideas and outlines for the next four books in the series are also welcomed. The competition appears to be open to all writers, published or unpublished but do check all the details. The closing date is 31st May 2024.
Finally, if you enjoy reviewing WWII sagas, take a look at Helen Yendall’s latest book on Netgalley. I think it might tempt you!
Novel and Flash Fiction Writing Competitions!
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books, Competitions on December 12, 2023
I’ve received an email from the lovely people at Farnham Literary Festival about their Farnham’s First Five Thousand competition for the first 5,000 words of a novel plus a 300-word synopsis. The novel does not have to be finished but it must be unpublished. Any theme or genre is allowed. There will be 5 shortlisted submissions, and a further 15 long-listed submissions.
First Prize is £100 + a Literary Critique, the runner up receives £75 and three shortlisted entries will receive £50. Closing date is Thursday 1st of February 2024 and there is a £5 entry fee.
Don’t forget to read all the terms and conditions!
The Welkin Mini Flash Fiction Prize is also currently running and entry is FREE! Closing date is 2nd January 2024. There is no set theme but entries must be no more than 100 words. Titles are not included in the word count. Prizes are in the form of vouchers redeemable against Matt Kendrick Editorial Services: 1st place £50 voucher, 2nd place £20 voucher, Highly commended £10 voucher.
Again, do check the terms and conditions.
In other news, I’m always very grateful for positive reviews on Amazon but I’m at a loss to know what I did to earn the 4* one for Little Museum of Hope, which reads, “Not read yet building my library.” However, I do feel honoured to be part of that library and I hope the reviewer feels the book is worth 4* when she/he eventually reads it!
Finally, if you’re still searching for stocking fillers or want a treat for yourself, Waiting for a Bright New Future is now available in paperback as well as being only 99p on Kindle.
Little Museum of Hope – FREE on Kindle!
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books, Promotion, Successes on November 17, 2023
Just a very quick post to let you, my faithful followers (thank you – I do genuinely appreciate your loyalty) know that ‘Little Museum of Hope‘ is currently (for a limited time only) free on Kindle. Please, fill your boots while you can!
What the reviewers say:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ’Fascinating, often emotional, addictive reading. Recommended.’ Coco
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ’Something special that’s bound to intrigue.’ Isabelle D.
And don’t forget that my next book for ChocLit/Joffe Books, ‘Waiting for a Bright New Future‘ is only 99p on preorder.
If you order it now, it will drop onto your Kindle on December 5th. A paperback will be out too for those of you who love a real book to handle.
End of commercial break and I’m headed back down that Nano rabbit hole!
What I Learned From the Copyedit and Proofread (plus a poetry competition)
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Poetry, Writing on October 17, 2023
My second novel for ChocLit (an imprint of Joffe Books) will be released into the big wide world in a few months. The cover design and marketing plan are underway. Structural edits, copyedit and proofreading have all been done – and each one of these stages has been an education.
On a ‘Happy Walk’ with my daughter’s dog, Sam.
I thought I was pretty good at grammar, punctuation etc. but I’ve realised: I’m not! For example:
- The school subject ‘geography’ starts with a small ‘g’ rather than a capital ‘G’.
- There is no hyphen in armpit (I have habit of putting hyphens where they’re not needed).
- The novel mentions the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. I was asked to change this to the ‘royal wedding’ to avoid referring to Andrew.
- Monetary values, such as £30, should be written in full, e.g., thirty pounds.
- “I’m alright.” Should be: “I’m all right.”
The points above are just a few of the corrections. There were a lot more!
Then there were the continuity mistakes which got picked up (thank goodness). For example, there is a cat in the story called Tibby and halfway through I had inadvertently changed its sex from female to male. I mention that one of the characters will have a birthday in a fortnight but a far greater timespan elapses before the birthday celebration takes place.
Needless to say, I am very grateful to all these professional people who have read the manuscript and stopped me from making a public fool of myself!
I’ll say a bit more about the book’s actual story when I have a front cover to show you. For now I’ll tell you that, like Little Museum of Hope, it falls into the ‘uplit’ genre of literature, i.e., by the end of it you will (should!) feel uplifted and positive.
If positively improving your mental wellbeing appeals to you, you might fancy entering this FREE poetry competition from Happiful magazine:
The magazine is looking for “poems that explore the topic of mental health and wellbeing in relatable, original, and empowering ways”. The winner will receive £100, and four shortlisted poets will receive a £25 National Book Token. All five poems will be published in Happiful. Closing date is Monday 20 November 2023. There are some useful tips on how to get started with poetry on the Happiful website.
Stay happy and positive everyone!
The Seven Sisters Series (continued)
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books on August 3, 2023
At the beginning of 2023 I posted about how much I was enjoying the books in Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters Series. That post has become one of my most popular ever (alongside Icebreakers for Creative Writing Classes) and therefore I’m following it up with a ‘part two’.
Since January I’ve read books four and five in the series: The Pearl Sister and The Moon Sister. Again, I completely lost myself in the stories and learned something along the way.
In The Pearl Sister, Ce Ce, the fourth daughter of Pa Salt, travels to Australia and follows clues to the discovery of her ancestors amongst the pearl industry of a century ago. There’s love and relationships as well as mystery and intrigue.
It’s Tiggy’s turn to discover her roots in The Moon Sister. Tiggy is a nature lover and wildlife conservationist. Her story spans the wilds of the Scottish Highlands in the present day to the gypsies of Granada in Spain several generations ago. This is the only book in the series that made me do a ‘second take’ on one of the sentences. Towards the end of the book, Tiggy is in conversation with someone she particularly admires and decides that this lady is who she aspires to be one day, describing her as a ‘… wife, mother, homemaker, full-time vet and lovely, lovely human being.’ It made me wonder how healthy it would be for a person to strive to be all of those things. That goal sounds like a recipe for stress overload – I’m sure many of you will agree that for a woman to ‘have it all’ is very difficult. However, it didn’t spoil the book, it just made me think – and surely that’s a good reaction to a book?
I’m going through the stories gradually because I find they are better enjoyed with a gap in between, during which I read lots of other genres including crime and also novels for the book group which I run. I save The Seven Sisters for high days and holidays when I have the time to read big, indulgent chunks in one session. I’m looking forward to picking the next one up in a few months’ time!
And if you enjoy books about people, their pasts and their relationships, you might also enjoy Little Museum of Hope, described in one review as, “
one big blanket of optimism to wrap around the reader. I loved it”.
Listen Carefully!
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books on May 30, 2023
Have you ever listened back to a recording of your own voice?
Weird, isn’t it? You never sound quite how you expected. I had a similar experience when I received an advance copy of the audiobook of Little Museum of Hope and listened to a random chapter containing a discussion between two of the main characters, Vanessa and Stephen. I’ve never listened to an audiobook before and it didn’t occur to me that the narrator would change her voice for each character. At first it felt intrusive to have this stranger injecting her own take on my characters, especially Yorkshireman, Stephen, the potential love interest. But gradually I relaxed into it and enjoyed the experience of my characters speaking aloud!
Many thanks to ISIS Audio and to the narrator, Jilly Bond.
While we’re talking audiobooks, I thought it would be interesting to look at some recent statistics, taken from headphonesaddict.com:
- In the UK 24 million audiobooks were bought between June 2020 and June 2021
- The biggest share of listeners is the 18 – 29 year-old age group. 30% of this group listen to audiobooks.
- Science fiction is the most popular audiobook genre.
- The average audiobook length is 7 – 9 hours (Little Museum of Hope is 9 hours and 29 minutes).
- Women are more likely to listen to audiobooks than men.
- Most audiobook listening takes place on the commute (73% of listeners), when doing housework (33%) and when exercising (15%). I know that adds up to more than 100% – but I guess some people might listen when they do all three of those activities, especially if it’s a compelling book!
The audiobook of Little Museum of Hope is available on Audible from today. I hope it brightens up your commute, housework or gym experience!
About Little Museum of Hope
A jar of festival mud, a photo album of family memories, a child’s teddy bear, a book of bell ringing methods, an old cassette tape, a pair of slippers… These are the items that fill the exhibit shelves in Vanessa Jones’ museum. At first glance, they appear to have nothing in common, but that’s before you find out the stories behind them… Because Vanessa’s Little Museum of Hope is no ordinary museum – its aim is to help people heal by allowing them to donate items associated with shattered lives and failed relationships, and in doing so, find a way to move on, perhaps even to start again. The museum soon becomes a sanctuary for the broken hearts in Vanessa’s city, and she’s always on hand to offer a cup of tea, a slice of cake and a listening ear. But could the bringer of Hope need a little help moving on herself?
P.S. There is a free trial of Audible available if you’re not sure whether audiobooks are your ‘thing’. You can try it out for a month with no charge (including Little Museum of Hope) – and it might help you spend more time in the gym or crack on with the housework!
Sally Jenkins 