The Housemaid's Daughter in Paperback

I am currently in South Africa, but with one eye on the UK where the paperback of The Housemaid's Daughter has just been released.
It has been spotted already in a couple of Waterstones but will become more widely available in the coming weeks and months. Keep a lookout for it and post a picture on facebook if you find it!

In February the paperback will be introduced to South Africa, to replace the larger size trade paperback which has been onsale here - and in other Commonwealth countries - since about October last year. I have been delighted to receive many positive comments from SA-born readers now spread across the globe. Almost all of them say that it was my descriptions of the heat, dust and dramatic scenery of the Karoo that took them back most powerfully: the heat rolling over the town of Cradock "in waves", the mirages shimmering in the distance, the dust devils careering across the veld, the sweat gathering at the nape of Ada's neck...

For me, it's all of the above, but also the smell of rain falling. This sounds crazy, I know, because rain cannot possibly smell, but in Africa it contrives to release a haunting scent from the landscape it's falling upon. Maybe it's also because rain can never be taken for granted here - drought is a constant threat. The smell of rain falling, especially on arid ground, is the smell of Africa.

By the way, I was thrilled to receive a wonderful recommendation from the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia. You can see it on the front cover of the new paperback.
Thanks!

The Housemaid's Daughter in Paperback

I am delighted to say that The Housemaid's Daughter has been published on 3rd January in the UK as a paperback!

It has a brand new cover which you can see here. The cover follows the colour scheme of the original hardback in evoking the heat and dust of the Karoo, while also being subtly watermarked with a musical score to denote the importance of music in the novel. We chose a photographic image, and I am captivated this time not just with the front cover but with the back as well, showing a child looking over her shoulder. Despite its size, for me it's a powerful image. She is all I ever imagined the young Ada to be. Let me know what you think when you see it.

The paperback will now be sold in bookshops and online from the usual suppliers. Of course, the book continues to be available as a downloadable e-book for Kindle and tablet e.g. iPad, and can also be downloaded as an audiobook. Please spread the word!

I am in South Africa at the moment, where I will be promoting The Housemaid's Daughter in its "home" market. It's always a thrill to see it on bookshelves here, and I hope that we can give it a good push. The new paperback version will also be released here in January.

2013 looks like being a fascinating year for the book, and for me. I have been working with the French translator on the translation and I have been heartened by the care and attention being lavished on each phrase. For example, Ada's description of Rosemary's hair as being "yellow" could not be translated literally - that would have cast aspersions on Rose's character which I didn't intend, at least not at that point in the novel...!