Woman Walks into a Bar
On September 10th Rowan
is publishing her novella Woman Walks into a
Bar as
an ebook for the first time. And 100% of her proceeds will be
donated to Refuge.
Her goal is to raise
£10,000 and you can help. All you have to do is buy a book, or two, and get
your friends to buy one too. You’ll get a funny, romantic and touching summer
read and you’ll be helping women you’ve never even met at the
same time and all for the price of £1.59!
The
story behind the story
Every book Rowan have
ever written has meant a lot to her, but with her latest book ‘Dearest
Rose,’
something really special happened when the real world and the fiction she loves
to write collided. It changed her as a person and a writer, forever.
She was getting ready
to research her tenth novel, which with the help of her Facebook readers she
decided should pivot around the theme of domestic abuse. It was a subject she’d
touched on briefly once before, when she wrote a short novella as one of the
first Quick Reads called Woman Walks into a Bar, which to this day
remains one of the pieces of work of which she is most proud.
So she posted
on her Facebook page asking if anyone had any personal experiences of domestic
abuse, and any stories they might share with her in confidence.
She was shocked and
amazed by the response; there were more than 200 emails waiting in her inbox
the next day. Each story she read was horrific and frightening in its own way,
giving her an insight into the secret lives of many women; lives that all too
often remain hidden. Domestic abuse can happen to anyone - well educated
wealthy women are just as likely to suffer as women from a working class background
- but the one thing all those women had in common was that they were survivors.
After years of being mentally and physically beaten down, they had managed to
find the emotional strength, somehow, to break free and start again.
Now Rowan wants to do
something that will help other women find that inner courage, and change their
lives.
‘Woman Walks
into a Bar’ is the story of 28-year-old single mother Sam spends her days
working in the local supermarket and her Friday nights out with her friends
letting her hair down at the White Horse. Life hasn’t been easy for
Sam and her daughter, Beth (who always looks on the bright side) but
she’s always hoped that one day she’ll break free from her past and meet The
One.
But after a series of
terrible dates with men she’s met through an internet dating site, that have
all been as awful as her daughter’s terrible jokes, she’s starting to lose
heart - until her friends tell her they’ve set her up on a blind date. Sam’s
horrified but finally she agrees to go. After all you never know when you might
meet the man of your dreams; maybe Sam’s happy ending is just about to
begin….
So, come on and join
Rowan, and help to #supportafriend on September 10th. Every time you
buy or pre-order ‘Woman Walks into a Bar’ you’ll be entered into a prize draw
for fabulous prizes every week, while the #supportafriend #womanwalks campaign
is running. On 10th September, tweet Rowan photos of you and your friends, tell
her your ideas to support a friend, and why your friends mean so much to you.
You can be a best
friend to someone you have never even met. You can help someone out there find
the support they need to change their lives.
If you are a blogger
or tweeter, spread the word using #supportafriend #womawalks. If you are a
company who could offer a prize to drive book sales and thereby money for
Refuge, please get in touch. If you are a woman in an abusive relationship, or
if you have a friend about whom you are worried, please get in touch with Refuge and ask for
help today.
About Rowan
Rowan Coleman grew up in
Hertfordshire secretly longing to be a writer despite battling with
dyslexia. After graduating from university she worked in bookselling and
publishing for seven years before winning Company Magazine Young Writer of the
Year in 2001. Her first novel ‘Growing Up Twice’ was
published in 2002.
Rowan
has gone on to write eight novels for women including the bestseller ‘The Accidental Mother, The Baby Group’ and ‘The
Accidental Wife‘
and eight novels for children and teens including the paranormal adventure
novels Nearly Departed and Immortal Remains under the name Rook Hasting. Her
books are published around the world. She now lives in Hertfordshire with her
family.
Well done her, what a great idea and how nice of you to share and spread the word.
ReplyDeleteLainy http://www.alwaysreading.net