Stories that feel more real than life itself  

‘Few authors are so adept at capturing the emotions of their characters.’ Book Viral

The Bookseller’s Wife ~ cover reveal

One of the joys of being an independent publisher is getting to choose who to collaborate with. 

I’ve enjoyed a longstanding working relationship with graphic designer Andrew Candy of Tentacle Design. So much so that my heart sank when I learned he wasn’t available to design the cover for The Bookseller’s Wife (working title, The Second Mrs Lackington). 

I needn’t have panicked. Jessica Bell of Jessica Bell Design interpreted my brief perfectly.

Publication day is six weeks away, but I couldn’t wait to share the cover with you.  And so without further ado!

A silver medal for Smash all the Windows

It’s good to know that five years after its release, Smash all the Windows is still finding new readers. Now it has won a silver medal in the Readers’ Favorite annual book awards. 

Readers’ Favorite is one of the largest book review and award contest sites on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the “Best Websites for Authors” and “Honoring Excellence” awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies.

Ring in the new. If you love audiobooks, watch this!

#BookoftheWeek 📖 This is Saga’s Book of the Week for the first week of #January! We’ve chosen ‘Small Eden’ by @janedavisauthor due to its magnificent language and telling insight into #marriage, #love, and #parenthood ❤️ We hope you enjoy it as much as us! pic.twitter.com/hjVdjS05tp

— sagaegmont (@sagaegmont) January 10, 2023

Small Eden – end-of-year report card

Yes, that is what it feels like! 

I’m thrilled to announce that Small Eden has won a silver medal in the Historical Fiction Company’s book awards.

It also appeared in The Chocolate Lady’s Top Ten Novels of 2022, and in Margarita Morris’s favourite books of 2022 list. It’s not often I find myself sandwiched between Joanne Harris and Kate Atkinson!  

My Top 3 Reads of 2022

I thought I’d share with you the three novels that brought me the most joy in 2022!

Small Eden receives highest commendation from The Historical Fiction Company

Small Eden has earned its stripes. Hot on the heels of a 5-star review from the Historical Novel Society, The Historical Fiction Company has now honoured Small Eden with a 5-star review and a ‘highly recommended’ award. Not only is this wonderful news in its own right, but Small Eden is now eligible for automatic entry in the annual HFC Book Awards. You could say I’m doubly chuffed! 

‘With all the essence of classic literature, particularly resonating with the voice of Thomas Hardy, this novel emotes the travails and unspoken emotions of the Victorian era… Bravo, Ms Davis, bravo for the life lessons and history embedded in this sensational book!’ To read the full review, click here. 

To read a preview, click here.

Small Eden goes on Tour!

In October (my favourite month of the year), Small Eden goes on tour courtesy of the lovely people at The Coffee Pot Book Club. Make yourself a brew and catch up with all of the interviews and reviews here. 

Small Eden nudges Anne Tyler’s latest novel out of Top 5!

Although some book bloggers wait until the end of the calendar year to produce their ‘Best of’ lists,  Davida Chazan (The Chocolate Lady) has produced a Year to Date list, and Small Eden is on it! I’m honoured to be mentioned in the same breath as bestselling author Kate Quinn (The Diamond Eye) and this year’s winner of the Women’s Prize, Ruth Ozeki (The Book of Form and Emptiness), and ever so slightly guilty to squeeze Anne Tyler out of Davida’s Top 5. 

“Jane is one of my favorite authors; she always thinks of something a little different, a touch out of the ordinary to write about, and that excites me every time.” ~ Davida Chazan

I Stopped Time has a brand new look!

Just a word of warning. This is not a prequel or a sequel to I Stopped Time. It is the same book. Why the new cover? Certain websites that shall not be named barred me from advertising because the old cover didn’t pass muster with their censors. Because we’re all grown-ups here, the paperback cover will remain exactly the same. 

I Stopped Time cover makeover 2022, cover Jessica Bell

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

I’m delighted to announce that three of my novels are now available as audiobooks, with three more to be released in 2023! As you’ll see, the audiobooks will look very different to the paperbacks and eBooks! Listen to a sample from A Funeral for an Owl here!   

At the Stroke of Nine O’Clock Shortlisted for the Selfies Book Awards

Buy here (universal link for all formats)

Introducing The London Collection

Can’t choose which novel to try? Now you don’t have to.

I’m incredibly proud to be ushering The London Collection into the world. The box set is priced at £7.99. That’s three eBooks – My Counterfeit Self, rated 5 stars by over 80% of reviewers, the award winning Smash all the Windows, and Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choice, At the Stroke of Nine O’Clock – for the price of two. I poured my heart and soul into these novels. They represent six years’ work, time in which I feel I’ve matured as a writer.   

Click here to buy

Cover makeover for These Fragile Things 

These Fragile Things has a brand new look for the new year. A hot debate rages over which is the most common type of colour blindness, but blue-green is near the top of every list. When you show your book cover to a number of people and mention the significance of the butterfly, and they say, ‘What butterfly?’, it’s time for a rethink!

I’ll be sad to see the old cover go. It takes me right back to the beginning of my journey as an indie author. On Christmas day 2012, I did a double release (not something I’d recommend) of I Stopped Time and These Fragile Things. A Funeral for an Owl was also good to go, but I decided to hold that back and buy myself some much needed writing time.

And so, without further ado, here it is. Do let me know what you think!

Cover design by JD Smith Design based on original artwork by SSokolov

Next for a makeover came my box set, Second Chapter. Now it’s far clearer that this is a collection of three novels. (Sadly it’s only available as an eBook collection at present.) 

Missed my book club meeting?  

Of all the innovations lockdown has brought, my favourite by far is Zoom. This year, visiting book clubs has been something I’ve missed, so I thought why not have a Zoom Book Club meeting? And so on 12 December, that’s exactly what I did. A special thank you to Beverley from Australia who set her alarm for 3.50am (beyond the call of duty). If you missed it, you can watch the replay here.   

Remember, if you prefer to host your own meeting, you can find suggested book club questions, discussion points and readers’ reflections on my special page dedicated to book clubs. 

Read a preview here

Buy here (universal link for all formats)

As featured in the October edition of The Lady Magazine 

Three women defy others’ expectations of them and pay the price society demands.

‘Another triumph from indie author Jane Davis in this gloriously gritty novel that engages head-on with a post-war London struggling to re-boot itself and wider society, amid ongoing privations. Against this authentic backdrop, the dawning realisation that Britain needed to change and to challenge former ingrained inequalities (particularly the structural disadvantage of women) is deftly explored by the author, through the lived experiences of three fictional women in the 1950s.’ BurfoBookish

‘A reminder that good things happen. Not always despite the tragedies in life but sometimes because of them, inextricably entwined.’ Jean Gill

‘Provocative and compelling.’ Lorraine Devon Wilke

‘A novel that unfolds like a movie.’ Kathleen Jones

Read about my inspiration for the book here or visit the book page At the Stroke of Nine O’Clock.  

Smash all the Windows wins The Selfies 2019, a brand new award that celebrates the quality of independently-published fiction.

The award is run by BookBrunch in association with London Book Fair and is sponsored by IngramSpark. 

You can read about my reaction to winning the award here.

From the blog