You might think you have your future neatly laid out, but what happens when other people trample across your plans? Meg, Joey, Angelique and Caitlin are different ages, have different lives and different plans for the future, but by the time their paths cross, each of them has found that events have no respect for planning. This is a story about choices and relationships.
Yes, I’ve done it!
After several threatened meltdowns and innumerable cups of coffee, my book is now on Smashwords, Kindle etc, thanks to my daughter who knows far more than I do.
I’d love you all to review it (you don’t have to be polite) but I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea (women’s fiction/relationships/light ent) so it’s up to you!
helen meikle's scribblefest 
Congratulations and best wishes 🙂
Thank you. It’s all new to me!
Congratulations Helen! Will it be printed as well?
No, no print. You need a publisher to love you for that!
Well I hope it will be snapped up. I don’t have a tablet/ Kindle, unfortunately. I do think the cover works well with the Jacaranda.
Thanks, Barbara. I was pleased with the cover, too. Not my work, obviously, but they got exactly what I was after.
Wahoo! and Hurrah for you! I’ve bookmarked the link. Next challenge? Figure out how to download it to my tablet!
I think it has to be easy, but I’d be last person to ask!
How exciting! I am eager to read this and totally stumped as to how to get it on my Kindle. This may require calling in the reserves for a tech lesson!
The reserves were summoned and “Six Weeks in Summer” is now happily residing in (on?) my Kindle. Small victories!!!
Thank you so much!
Are you kidding?? Getting it right now.
You’re a gem!
Well done Helen!
Thank you! I can assure you the uploading wouldn’t have happened without my daughter.
Brilliant and more than an accomplishment! I’m so happy you didn’t give up and it’s done!
Bravo — and I can’t wait to check this out.
Congrats Helen and may you celebrate your efforts! 🙂
Thank you! At least it’s inspired me to get on with the next one.
Oh that’s tremendous and wonderful Helen! You go! And may you be successful in all your attempts, including the “failures.” I know that sounds weird, but I think you know what I mean by this. 🙂
You can have ‘print on demand’ through Amazon (somehow). Just got to clean install linux on my laptop then will download it – tomorrow. Looking forward to reading your “well written fluff”, Helen. I’m so pleased for you. Cover art is wonderful and worth every cent. Exciting.
Am interested to hear if it is available from Amazon in printed form Christine. please let me know if it is.
Hi Barbara. One goes through CreateSpace to get ‘print-on-demand’ books on Amazon. M-R mentioned she had been looking into that when her book was picked up by a publisher. The do-it-yourself option is free, along with a free ISBN used for that publishing platform only. I haven’t gone into it yet, they do have services for a fee. Ohterwise the cost of each book as printed comes out of the the book price. The author can buy cheaper copies I think.
Thanks Christine, there’s much to learn… but thanks for filling me in! Can’t wait to get it through Amazon, Helen, if this can be organised. 🙂
That’s my next challenge, Christine – getting it up on Amazon.
That would be easier if Amazon used the same style / formatting guide, but apparently not. Plus there is the USA tax exemption to deal with. Helen, I downloaded your book this morning, and it’s eating away at me (lucky it is tucked away from me on the laptop). I must get cracking on an assignment! I have read up until the POV changed to Tallis (?) at the beginning of the chapter and at last I managed to drag myself out of bed. There is a bit of ‘head hopping’ which isn’t done so much these days, but I’m ready for it now. I will just have to wait until bedtime before I get back to it. I’m loving the story and the characters you are building up, particularly the blooming Meg / Caitlin relationship.
You’re right, Christine, head hopping is a big no-no and I’m horribly guilty – but sort of unrepentant as well: I guess that’s the rebel in me. Or maybe it’s because I wouldn’t write at all if I let myself even think about the market, and I enjoy writing too much to stop now!
I’ve taken the required steps on the tax exemption issue, although here in Aus even with that, we still have to pay the IRS 5%, which doesn’t make me happy, but they’re bigger than I am. I’ve looked into POD and decided against it, at least for the moment, but my daughter uploaded it onto the Amazon Kindle shop today. Isn’t she wonderful?
Barbara – I’m not going to upload for print on demand, but if you REALLY want to read it, send me your email and I’ll send it to you as a word doc. You could still comment on Smashwords if you felt so inclined. No pressure, though, believe me!
Helen and Barbara – the book is available from that link in PDF format, that’s what I downloaded.
Helen, I would be privileged to read your book, and grateful too! My e-mail address is:
ctbkpyett@bigpond.com
Thank you Helen! I have more family coming tomorrow, but shall be free next week!
So exciting to hear how things are going for you! B xx
Well done Helen, that’s a massive achievement. I will download and read within the next few weeks (schedule permitting!) and I look forward to it.
Hi Helen, I finished Six Weeks In Summer this morning. It was bit of a shock, because it’s the first time I’ve yet a digital book on my laptop, so didn’t have the sense of the book drawing to a close. I was so engrossed I took no notice of the page numbers in the PDF. It is a lovely story and the ending brought me to tears, so that’s a success in my thinking! After I kept reading last night, it came to me that what I thought of as head hopping wasn’t actually that at all because you were writing in the all-powerful third person omniscient viewpoint. It can really only be called head-hopping when it is an accidental flip within a stricter POV novel. Anyway, I’ll pop up a review soon. Loved it, Helen.
Actually, Helen, I’m hoping your are planning a series – I’d be quite happy to pay to read about these lovely people again. 😀
“… yet a digital book on my laptop,…” [sigh] That should say ‘read’ of course.
Thanks so much, Christine! You can have no idea how much I needed that encouragement.
Better and better! No sequel planned at the moment, but I might come back to them. I did get very fond of them!
I love that your daughter helped you, my son Tom helped me set up my blog, wouldn’t have known where to start without him x
Same here! My daughter insists I’d have managed, and maybe I would, but I’d have been a complete nervous wreck!
Reblogged this on Christine R and commented:
This delightful story from Helen Meikle is told from an omniscient point of view, and is set in the Sydney area. The author’s voice reflects her Australian background, and her well written words evoked many images from my life.
At first, I found the view-point disconcerting, but that eased once I realised it was the writing style – not accidental head hopping.
This is the first time I’ve read a digital novel. I became so engrossed in the story, that I didn’t notice the page numbers whipping by (106 pdf pages on my laptop) and it seemed to end suddenly. I wanted more!
In my honest opinion, any book which reduces me to tears is a good book. I have no hesitation recommending it to you. I would happily pay for any future novels by Helen Meikle. I would pay for this one.
Hello from Virginia. Just wanted to drop a note that I finished your “Six Weeks” last night. Helen, truly, one never knows what to expect when embarking on a novel, right? I had no preconceptions or even expectations, really, just a sense of curiosity. Imagine my delight when I discovered myself in the hands of an expert writer – I could let go of myself, relax, and immerse myself in this charming world you have created. Watching the specter of Monica diminish as Meg grew into herself was a joy, as were all the rest of the characters. Adored Rupert. And Joey. Truly reveled in Adam’s…..well, I shouldn’t leave too many spoilers here, right? Where would it be most beneficial for you to see a review written? On the website where I downloaded the book? Kudos to you, Helen, what a fresh and lovely novelist’s voice you have.
I can’t begin to thank you! ‘An expert writer’? Oh my goodness! I had the greatest fun writing it, but it’s so hard to know whether what you’ve written has any value outside your own entertainment.
A review on the website where you downloaded it would be perfect.
Thank you!