A Bicycle Made for Two published in German
Happy publication day to Ein Fahrrad für Zwei, the German edition of A Bicycle Made for Two, which has been published in paperback and ebook today by Blanvalet (RandomHouse)! View on the Blanvalet website
A Bicycle Made for Two nominated for Romantic Comedy Award
I’m beyond thrilled to announce that the first book in the Love in the Dales series, A Bicycle Made for Two, has been shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s prestigious Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year Award 2019! The full list of shortlisted novels in all categories can be found on their website here.
The book is one of five finalists to make the category shortlist for romance novels that are consistently funny, with 300 entries submitted for the awards overall. The Romantic Comedy prize is this year sponsored by Books and the City, publisher Simon & Schuster’s online community for readers of women’s fiction.
The awards ceremony will take place at the Gladstone Library in London on 4th March, when shortlisted authors will find out who has won in their categories. Category winners will then compete for the overall title of Goldsboro Books’ Romantic Novel of the Year. Awards will be presented by bestselling historical novelist Alison Weir.
RNA Chair Nicola Cornick commented, ‘Romantic fiction in the 21st century is diverse and exciting and this year’s shortlist brilliantly reflects the breadth of the genre. We are very proud to celebrate these outstanding books and authors, and the contribution they make to such a successful and popular genre.’
April events for A Bicycle Made for Two launch
A Bicycle Made for Two is released in paperback on 5th April, and I’m going to be out and about shouting about it, with book signings in some beautiful locations around Yorkshire. I’d love to see you at any of the signings, and if you’re in the area, please do tune in to BBC Radio Leeds or BBC Radio York on 4th April to hear me rabbiting on about books, writing and everything in between.
April events
- Wednesday 4th April from 1.15pm: interview, BBC Radio York
- Thursday 5th April: publication day for A Bicycle Made for Two
- Saturday 7th April from 2pm: book signing, The Book Corner, Piece Hall Yard, Halifax
- Sunday 8th April, 12noon-3pm: book signing, Waterstone’s, The Wool Exchange, Bradford. Also, keep an eye out for my short story Lawn Order in the Sunday People‘s colour supplement!
- Tuesday 10th April from 10.30am: interview, BBC Radio Leeds
- Wednesday 11th April from 11am: book signing, WH Smith, Monk’s Cross, York
- Saturday 21st April, 11am-12noon: book signing, White Rose Books, Thirsk
A Bicycle Made for Two is out today for Kindle!
Publication day is here for A Bicycle Made for Two, the first of two Yorkshire-set romcoms featuring these characters under the series title Love in the Dales. Get your copy now!
Blurb
The first in a new romantic comedy series, Love in the Dales, set in a beautiful Yorkshire village.
Chock-full of colourful characters, bawdy wit and a bit of love and passion for good measure.
In a lost corner of the Yorkshire Dales, Lana Donati runs a medieval theme tourist trap restaurant with her brother. As a distraction to help them get over losing the father they loved dearly, and as a tribute to his passion for the beautiful area they live in, Lana hatches a plan to boost business for everyone by having the Grand Départ route pass through their village.
But this entails getting the small community to work together to convince the decision-makers that their beloved village is Tour material. Not an easy task when the people involved include Lana’s shy, unlucky-in-love brother Tom, the man-eating WI chair Yolanda, bickering spouses Gerry and Sue, arrogant celebrity Harper Brady, and Lana’s (attractive) arch-nemesis, former pro-cyclist turned bike shop owner, Stewart McLean, whose offbeat ideas might just cost them everything.
From the author of The Honey Trap and Meet Me at the Lighthouse, this is a rural romance for lovers of Fiona Gibson, Sue Moorcroft and Penny Parkes’ Larkford series.
PRESS RELEASE: Yorkshire’s historic Tour inspires novel
The Grand Départ in 2014 was a triumph for Yorkshire, drawing an audience of millions and capturing a unique moment in the county’s history. It has inspired creative works from paintings to sculptures, graffiti art to chalk hill figures, and now it has inspired a new romantic comedy novel.
Bingley author Lisa Firth, who writes as Mary Jayne Baker, says: “I wanted to write a story that wasn’t really about the Départ as a sporting event so much as it was about people’s response to it – that quintessentially Yorkshire character encapsulated in the yellow bikes, the dyed sheep, the knitted bunting. It was such a proud moment.”
The novel, A Bicycle Made for Two, is set in the fictional village of Egglethwaite in the Aire Valley. Spotting an opportunity to drum up business for her struggling medieval theme restaurant, and as a memorial to her beloved late father, heroine Lana hatches a plan to lure the Tour route through Egglethwaite. She enlists the help of a colourful cast of villagers, including pro cyclist turned bike shop owner Stewart McLean, whose offbeat ideas might just end up costing them everything.
While the village is fictional, its environs may well ring a few bells. “Several landmarks in my little patch of the West Riding have inspired locations in the book,” says Lisa. “Druids’ Altar, on the St Ives Estate near Bingley, and Hewenden Viaduct and Reservoir in Cullingworth, are likely to be instantly recognisable to those who know them.”
Lisa was educated at Bingley Grammar School before studying English Literature at Durham University, graduating in 2003. She has published two romcoms to date, both with HarperImpulse (part of HarperCollins Publishers). A third HarperImpulse title, Runaway Bride, is due to be published as an ebook on 16th February.
A Bicycle Made for Two is the first of two titles set in Egglethwaite with the series title Love in the Dales, under a new contract for Mirror Books (part of the Trinity Mirror group). Lisa is one of the first authors to sign with the publisher’s brand-new fiction list, in a deal negotiated by agent Laura Longrigg at MBA Literary Agents.
A Bicycle Made for Two will be published as an ebook on 1st February and in paperback on 5th April.
www.maryjaynebaker.co.uk | @MaryJayneBaker | www.facebook.com/maryjaynewrites
Description
In a lost corner of the Yorkshire Dales, Lana Donati runs a medieval theme restaurant with her brother. As a distraction to help them get over losing the father they loved dearly, and as a tribute to his passion for the beautiful area they live in, Lana hatches a plan to boost business for everyone by having the Grand Départ route pass through their village.
This entails getting the small community to work together to convince the decision-makers that their beloved village is Tour material. Not an easy task when the people involved include Lana’s shy, unlucky-in-love brother Tom, the man-eating WI chair Yolanda, bickering spouses Gerry and Sue, arrogant celebrity Harper Brady, and Lana’s (attractive) arch-nemesis, former pro cyclist turned bike shop owner Stewart McLean, whose offbeat ideas might just cost them everything.
From the author of The Honey Trap and Meet Me at the Lighthouse, a rural romance for lovers of Fiona Gibson, Sue Moorcroft and Penny Parkes’ Larkford series.
COVER REVEAL: A Bicycle Made for Two
I’m very excited to reveal the gorgeous cover for the first of two books I’ll be publishing with Mirror Books (click on the image for full size). The book is due to be published as an ebook on 1st February 2018 and in paperback on 5th April. More details coming soon!
A romantic comedy set against the backdrop of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ in Yorkshire.
In a lost corner of the Yorkshire Dales, Lana Donati runs a medieval theme restaurant, Here Be Flagons, with her brother. When she hatches a plan to boost business by getting the Grand Départ route to pass through their village, the small community must work together to convince the decision-makers they’re Tour material. Not easy when the cast of characters involved includes Lana’s shy, unlucky-in-love brother Tom, man-eating WI chair Yolanda, bickering spouses Gerry and Sue, arrogant TV star Harper Brady, and Lana’s arch-nemesis, former pro cyclist turned bike shop owner Stewart McLean, whose offbeat ideas might just cost them everything.