Christmas at Highfield Court

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I know what your thinking -not another Christmas book. I love the build up to the festive season but usually find the period itself a let down. Not having a faith the religious side is rather lost on me - although I do love singing carols and hearing the Christmas story.
I like to give gifts to friends and family and this is the one time of the year I can do it without anyone objecting.
For this reason I think there can't be too many Christmas themed books -hence this my third.
Here is the blurb for this recycled title. Don't you love the new cover?

Christmas at Highfield Court was previously published as Lord Atherton's Ward. 
Extra scenes have been added to this book. When their father, Sir John, dies leaving Sarah Ellison and her younger sister Jane orphaned, his choice of guardian is entirely disagreeable to Sarah – particularly with Lord Atherton's insistence that they leave their family home and move to Highfield Court to remain under the care of his mother. Will the spirit of Christmas work it's magic or will Sarah continue to alienate Lord Atherton with her headstrong behaviour or prove that she is a girl he can respect?

If you enjoy this book would you be kind enough to leave a short review on Amazon?
Many thanks.
Fenella J Miller

Barbara's War - Audio Version now live.

Amazon UK Amazon US

I'm rather excited to announce that my very first audio book is now available on Amazon and itunes. Sandra Garston is my narrator and she's done an excellent job. It's a shame it's so expensive but Amazon price on length and this is over eleven hours. Hopefully lots of people will be part of Audible and can download it as a loan.

Having four versions of this book is amazing - there is a large print version/paperback/e-book and now an audio. I feel like a real writer now. 

Barbara's War has been given The IndiePENdents Seal # 10112245 .
This certifcate is issued to books that meet their standards of good writing.

"BARBARA'S WAR by Fenella J Miller is a gripping tale of a young woman in wartime changing the course of her unhappy life. Some very dark moments. A really excellent read.
Maureen Lee

‘A captivating story, so evocative of the period.’
Jean Fullerton.

"If you liked War Brides you will love this book."

As war rages over Europe, Barbara Sinclair is desperate to escape from her unhappy home which is a target of the German Luftwaffe. Caught up by the emotion of the moment she agrees to marry John, her childhood friend, who is leaving to join the RAF, but a meeting with Simon Farley, the son of a local industrialist, and an encounter with Alex Everton, a Spitfire pilot, complicate matters. With rationing, bombing and the constant threat of death all around her, Barbara must unravel the complexities of her home life and the difficulties of her emotional relationships in this gripping coming-of-age wartime drama.

Regency Quintet Christmas Edition

£1.99 & $2.99
See book here.

Here it is – the long awaited, and hopefully much appreciated,  collaborative effort from myself, Melinda Hammond, Amanda Grange, Elizabeth Bailey and Monica Fairview.
This time Monica, Elizabeth and myself have written stories especially for this box set so anyone who downloads this edition will be getting a real bargain.
I know it's very early to be talking about the holiday season – in the US you've not even celebrated Thanksgiving and over here we still have Bonfire Night  to come – but all the shops are crammed full of Christmas treats and decorations so we're obviously not the only people who like to get in the festive spirit far too soon.
Here are the blurbs to give you an idea what you will get if you buy this box set:

A Most Unusual Christmas
NEW BOOK
Fenella J Miller
Miss Cressida Hadley is delighted when Lord Bromley and his family are unexpectedly obliged to spend Christmas at The Abbey. Despite the fact that Lord Harry has a broken leg, her papa and the Earl take an instant dislike to each other, the Dowager Lady Bromley drinks too much and her older brother, Richard has got into another scrape – Cressida is convinced she can overcome these difficulties by reviving the old-fashioned Christmas traditions and getting everyone involved. However, falling in love with Lord Bromley hadn’t been part of her plan.

Winter Inheritance
Melinda Hammond
Governess Verity Shore longs for a little adventure, then Rafe Bannerman arrives to carry her off to Highclough and Verity discovers that life can be a little too exciting! An estate the edge of the wild Yorkshire Moors, Highclough is Verity's inheritance, but she soon discovers that the land is coveted not only by her handsome cousin Luke but also by Rafe Bannerman and soon her very life is in danger…..

A Merry Christmas Chase
NEW BOOK
A Very Merry Chase
Monica Fairview
When the new earl at the Lodge catches Cherry poaching, she manages to get away before he discovers her identity. But the Earl is serious about catching his poacher and bringing “him” to justice, so Cherry flees to her estranged rich aunt. Imagine her dismay when she discovers that the earl is a house guest there for the whole twelve days of Christmas! She has to rely on her ingenuity to throw him off the scent.
Lord Carsdale has come to the Christmas house party to find a wife, but there is something very odd about Lady Ashburn’s niece. At first he turns away from her, but as he catches glimpses of someone else behind the mask she wears, he gets more and more intrigued, unaware that she is leading him on a very merry chase, one where it is not clear who is the hunted and who the hunter.

His Lordship's Christmas Bride
NEW BOOK
Elizabeth Bailey
Orphaned and alone, Isolde Cavanagh seeks refuge with her father’s old friend and finds a reluctant guardian in his son. Richard de Baudresey, beset with problems of his own, cannot imagine what to do with a girl who has followed the drum and is unfitted for society. Will her estranged uncle take her on? Can he use the relationship to his advantage in his own dealings with the man? But when, in his absence, Isolde is thrown out, Richard realises his plans for her future have undergone a radical change.

The Six Month Marriage
Amanda Grange
Desperate to escape her brutal uncle, Madeline Delaware enters into a marriage of convenience with Philip, Lord Pemberton. On the night of the Christmas fete they give in to their feelings but it is not until they vanquish a woman from Philip's past that they find the happiness 

they deserve. 

I love working with these brilliant Regency writers and next year Wendy Soliman will be joining us again and we will become the Regency Sextet.

Fenella J Miller

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Why are sales of e-books falling?

I was fortunate enough to get in at the beginning of the e-book revolution. 2013 and 2014 were extraordinary years for indie publishers but we all knew this couldn't last. Things have definitely started to go downhill this year.

£0.99 $0.99

I'm not the only one who has noticed a very sharp drop in sales, indeed, I think that August's royalties are going to be less than for last August  and this will be a first for me. My loans have become stronger and pay per page seems to be working to my advantage.
My new Christmas book, Christmas at Castle Elrick, ( Click to buy in UK  Click to buy in US  ) is already in  several bestselling lists which is very encouraging.
I had to go to Author Central in order to copy my mini bio and whilst there I looked at my author and sales rankings over the past two years. I was surprised to see that both were slightly above the position they were in last year.
There can only be one explanation – I'm still selling the same proportion of books as before in comparison to other writers, but as there are so many excellent Regency books available readers are not buying as many from each author as they did previously. Eighteen months ago there were probably only a couple of dozen successful Regency writers now there must be a couple of hundred.
I also think that the pool of readers isn't growing as fast as everybody expected so with more good books available each author is going to sell proportionately less.
I think we're going to have to get used to earning less from our books than we did before. I'm just happy that the fall in sales figures is not because I've become unpopular, but for the reasons stated above.
I would be really interested to know if other writers have come to the same conclusion.
Fenella J Miller