First time author Steve Bichard has done incredibly well to not only write and distribute Vantastic France, but he has also done that rare thing in the self-publishing sector and actually sold some copies! You can read about Steve's experiences of e-publishing here and if anyone is considering going down this route, Steve's down to earth advice will prove invaluable.
If someone asked me to sum up Vantastic France, 'down to earth' would be the key phrase that springs to mind . The main character, Barry, is down to earth and so is his partner Linda. The writing style is equally unpretentious and the story covers the kind of day to day events that affect us all. Vantastic France is a warm, funny story about real people. And yes, the characters are stereotypes, Barry is 'white van man', Clarissa is the crashing snob and we also have Norman the slime ball, but as we all know, stereotypes do exist and rural ex-pat life can often bring out the worst in people!
It can also bring out the best in them and Barry's desire to make their new life work, is what gives this book its feel good factor.
There have been requests for a sequel and I've heard rumours that Steve is planning one. Watch this space....
Vantastic France is available from: Amazon
Thank you ever so much for your review and kind comments Catharine.
I still have to pinch myself every morning, when I see that there is not a single day that goes by when I have not sold any books.
You are spot on when you say it is a 'down to earth book' about ordinary folk, trying to start a new life in France. Even though it is fiction I feel many of the situations in it reflect on real life and believable people, who we all well recognise.
It is like a soap opera based on people that frequent certain other Anglo/French forums, so slightly tongue in cheek.
I would be the first to admit that it is not a literary masterpiece, more an enjoyable holiday read for anyone with an interest in France. I also have to admit that in the rush and excitement of getting it published that I could have edited it slightly better. It is now in the hands of an expert having a little re-edit, so past readers please forgive me for any slight errors, we all have to learn from our mistakes.
Thank you also to Kerry and Jacqueline for your comments, a sequel is slowly being created.
For those of you wanting to follow in my footsteps I have charted my progress on my website, with tips about how to go about it. With Amazon Kindle publishing it is far easier than it was in the past to publish a novel.
I really enjoyed Steve's book too. He did a great job describing life in France and the people you find yourself rubbing shoulders with along the way. I think he has more to tell us about Barry and Linda's life in France too - come on Steve, you know you want to!