"The Snowdrop Garden" - my new book, out soon.

[Martin Baxendale]

As I mentioned in another thread, my new book "The Snowdrop Garden" should have come out in February to coincide with the snowdrop season but publication had to be put back to April. So if anyone's been expecting to see it in the shops, it won't be there yet.

However, it can be pre-ordered in advance of publication, from Amazon UK who are offering free postage and packing on it  (link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+snowdrop+garden+Baxendale ) or from any high street bookshop.

As it's my first novel, I'm expecting everyone to rush out and buy it, tell all their friends about it, buy copies for everyone they know as presents and generally do their bit to help make it a bestseller (or at least not a total dismal failure).

I should stress, in case anyone gets the wrong idea, that this is a novel and not a factual gardening book about snowdrops (although I have written a few gardening books in the past).

Maggi suggested I put a picture of the cover and some details on the forum, so here's a (not terribly good) photo of the cover and the blurb from the pre-publication publicity sheet which includes the ISBN, which may be required in bookshops when ordering:


THE SNOWDROP GARDEN

A NOVEL BY MARTIN BAXENDALE

A wickedly funny and heart-warming tale of
love and misunderstandings, international
intrigue and a last-ditch attempt to save one
of England’s most beautiful and important
woodland snowdrop gardens.


To be published in paperback April 2009,
price £7.99p


This book may be ordered in advance from Waterstones
or any other bookshop, or online from Amazon.co.uk
(free delivery available). Alternatively, for a signed copy,
send a cheque for £7.99p plus £2.00p postage and packing
to Martin Baxendale, 21 Bisley Road, Stroud, Glos. GL5 1HF
(please make cheques payable to Martin Baxendale).

ISBN  978-0-9550500-9-1 (International Standard Book
Number—may be required if ordering from a book shop).

[KentGardener]

I am looking forward to it Martin.

The big question is....  will I recognise any of the characters as caricatures of forum members?..... 

Good luck

John

[Martin Baxendale]

I am looking forward to it Martin.

The big question is....  will I recognise any of the characters as caricatures of forum members?..... 

Good luck

John

Gulp!! I hope not! No, all characters are of course completely fictional, although there are inevitably some distinctly semi-autobiographical aspects to one of the central characters, who's a mad keen snowdrop grower; it is, after all, written by someone who's a mad keen snowdrop grower and has been for over 30 years. The main female character may also ring some bells with one or two forumists.

[Paddy Tobin]

Is it Maggi?

I bet she's trying to kill the snowdrop enthusiast, spray weedkiller on the snowdrops and is incessantly ringing bells.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Is it Maggi?

I bet she's trying to kill the snowdrop enthusiast, spray weedkiller on the snowdrops and is incessantly ringing bells.

Paddy

Paddy, are you trying to make me appear like a horticultural Cruella de Ville?  And if so, who's been tellingtales out of school??


I think the heroine of Martin's book will be an elegant and beautiful spy, probably of Slovak origin, dark and mysterious.....with green leanings....

[Paddy Tobin]

Ha, ha!

I knew that would draw you out!!

And! I thought you were of Scottish origins through and through; never knew you had any Slovak background at all.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Ha, ha!

I knew that would draw you out!!

And! I thought you were of Scottish origins through and through; never knew you had any Slovak background at all.

Paddy

Don't be daft, Paddy, how many red-haired little round Slovaks do you know?

I  do however have a horrible fear, from some of my conversations with Martin, that I might appear in one of his cartoon books as a comedy character.......     It's a risk you take with writers, though, isn't it?!

[Martin Baxendale]

Maggi, the trick will be trying to decide just how much of it is autobiographical and how much the product of my overactive imagination. 

[Martin Baxendale]

Apologies to anyone on the forum who pre-ordered and paid for my snowdrop-themed novel, The Snowdrop Garden, and has been waiting for it to come out. The plan to publish in April (delayed from February) fell through, but the book is finally at the printers and due for publication in early June. I'll post again when  it's actually in the shops and available through Amazon.

[Martin Baxendale]

For those who I know ordered their copies of my novel The Snowdrop Garden from Amazon in February and have been waiting a long, long time for it to arrive, it's now in stock at Amazon.co.uk and you should receive your copies soon if you haven't already.

Huge apologies for the very long delay in publication which meant some people paying last winter for a book that they'll only just be receiving now in mid-summer. Sorry.   

[Martinr]

Can we still get a signed copy direct from you as suggested umpteen posts ago?

[Martin Baxendale]

Can we still get a signed copy direct from you as suggested umpteen posts ago?

You can indeed. And again, sorry about the delay.

[KentGardener]

I've just finished reading your first novel - good fun Martin ( it made me blush in places - such language from an octogenarian!   )

I have one question I really really just have to ask.....

Is Humphrey Whimpleton-Pughe based on a real life person?......  Or would you rather not answer that.    

[Martin Baxendale]

I've just finished reading your first novel - good fun Martin ( it made me blush in places - such language from an octogenarian!   )

I have one question I really really just have to ask.....

Is Humphrey Whimpleton-Pughe based on a real life person?......  Or would you rather not answer that.    

The answer to that would be no, definitely not. I'll be sending you a couple of bulbs, John, as soon as the soil dries out enough for me to lift snowdrops promised to people this year. Been too busy (apart from the waterlogged soil) with my latest book - Women Are Wonderful, Men Are A Mess. Just got it off to the printers this week. Finally I have some time for gardening!   

[Anthony Darby]

You read faster than me John. I got Martin to send me two, one for my mum. I think she has broadened her book choice since her Mills & Boon days as I saw 'The Kite Runner' in her lounge the other day.