The Jigsaw Mysteries - South Africa, by Elaine Wallace
Twice this week, I've had the great pleasure of attending book launches for new authors with their first novels.
Congratulations to Elaine Wallace on publishing her first book, The Jigsaw Mysteries - South Africa.
What a fabulous evening it was. Elaine told us about her family holiday to South Africa which inspired her to write this fictional children's book. We saw wonderful photos of the places and animals she saw, including a hike up Table Mountain and a herd of elephants crossing the road in front of their car. And it was no surprise that Elaine had her book cover turned into a jigsaw. What a great idea!
I met Elaine in the same writing group as RK J Adams from one of my previous blogs (flapjacks with no chocolate!). From this virtual group, Elaine and I found ourselves in a smaller gang called Emerging Butterflies. Once we realised that we lived reasonably close to each other, it wasn't long before we were having coffee and cake meetings. Yes, it would appear that cake and I go everywhere together!
At one of these meetings, Elaine discussed her book with me, which she had almost completed, and we chatted about her options for publishing. Somehow, as we munched on scrummy mint Areo slices, followed by coconut cake - it was a long meeting - Elaine asked if I could typeset and publish her book for her.
It's an honour and a privilege for a writer to trust you with their treasured manuscript. Over the last year, there have been numerous meetings. Elaine took on the role of cafe hunter and always found great places for our catch-ups. We also had lots of Zoom meetings, hundreds and thousands of emails, WhatsApp and text messages.
I have travelled with Elaine on her journey as she tentatively gave me her finished draft, had the cover image and chapter pictures designed by her daughter, and I proofread, edited, typeset, published the book on IngramSpark in paperback and ebook formats, making The Jigsaw Mysteries, South Africa, now available world-wide.
What an amazing feeling it is to take a writer's words and turn them into a book. Seeing Elaine talking about and holding in hand her first published book, The Jigsaw Mysteries, South Africa, was a very teary moment for everyone at the book launch.
Now we are looking forward to the next book in The Jigsaw Mysteries. What are you waiting for, Elaine?
From the back of the book:
Imagine putting the final piece into a jigsaw of the world and being transported by portal to that country.
Join Ems, Rich and Becks as they embark on an adventure to South Africa to the wild plains of Africa, climb the magnificent Table Mountain and meet the mysterious and terrifying black-robed figure.
Adventures galore for this brave trio as they try to find all the pieces of the puzzle and solve the mystery.
Writing is easy. Getting your book into people's hands is not so easy, so why not make a new author jump for joy and click the link below to buy Elaine's novel?
The Jigsaw Mysteries, South Africa by Elaine Wallace
A few years ago, a friend of mine, Kim, told me I didn't need a tearoom to help people. I didn't believe her at the time, but seeing people publishing books that I have been involved in is proving my friend was right.
If you would like to chat about how I can help you follow your dream to publish your book, drop me an email or message: