Well, I did it!

In spite of some sleepless nights. (I’ve spoken at conferences with over a 1,000 people but this was far worse!)

And I thought if you weren’t able to be there, you’d like to catch up with a few photos and thoughts from Bath Abbey.

However, I was absolutely thrilled that even in the middle of the day in the middle of the week, so many people were able to come! They were treated to chocolates and sparkling elderflower pressé and Carolyn Armitage Scriven interviewing me, before I read an extract from the book. It was so encouraging and a wonderful support to have so many there.

The Abbey is vast, of course, and we scarcely filled the chancel and I seemed a long way away from them, due to the position of the fixed microphone. There was a Bishop, a Dowager Countess (not of Downton alas) ... people from Chorleywood, London, Dorset ….. and, best of all, Robin and Harriet came for the day to help. Victoria, America-based, was there via FaceTime and she has been organising the pre-launch team on social media.

It was live streamed via Facebook (you can see the recording on my author page on Facebook if you really want to spend half an hour watching!)

We did a free giveaway and handed out more chocolates ….. then I did a book signing.

It would have been wonderful to have had time to chat with everyone but inevitably the hour rushed past. We could only have an hour as the workmen have an hour for lunch; the rest of the day their background noise of drills and machines is extraordinarily loud (the Abbey floor is being repaired and relaid, a 5 year project!)

And you weren’t able to be in the Abbey on Wednesday, the next book signings in the UK are

Friday November 29th St Michael's Church Christmas Bazaar, Southfields, London. 11am - 8pm An enchanting and enormous Christmas Fair/Bazaar with gifts, crafts, entertainment, cafe, mulled wine …..

Saturday December 7th Norton St Philip Church Christmas Bazaar. 10.30am -12.30pm (there’s also a Christmas Jumper swop shop stall ….!!)

And in the USA, Virginia December 26 - 30, Jan 5 - 9; and South Carolina/Charleston Dec 31 - Jan 4; and California/Santa Barbara 11-17 January ( yay! A book tour! A Date for each place to be finalised soon)

If you haven’t yet got a copy you can order it here:

www.penelopeswithinbank.com

And once you’ve read it, do please, please write a review. You can write one and then copy and paste it EVERYWHERE! It’s a vast and enormous help to have reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Eden …

To write your review, log in to Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47358103-walking-back-to-happiness) or create a new account and mark the book as “currently reading” or “read”. Select the number of stars you award the book and Goodreads will open up a popup box where you can write your review. (Pro Tip: write this review in Word or notes and you can use the same one on Amazon, your blog, or on social media later on!) When you write the review make sure you use Penelope’s name or “the author”, not “my friend” etc!

And do tell your friends and family and colleagues about the book! It would be such a help to get it to as many people as possible.

Do please pray that this little book is a blessing and a help to others who read it. It’s been sent out with some fear and trepidation in our vulnerability and yet I really want it to speak to others and be used to draw people closer to the Lord. I hope you enjoy reading it as well!

Wow! included on someone’s blog post about books she’s read recently!