This year my finances, like the rest of the world's, have been tight. I did manage a holiday in Turkey in September, but only just. Over the Christmas period I received letters from many friends who seemed to go on holidays every other month, stating the joys of retirement. Hmm, yes.
Murder By Magic came out in June, Murder In The Monastery crept out under cover of darkness in ebook format during the week before Christmas. I didn't know until a reader told me, and on checking two days ago discovered it was number 6 in both Amazon's Women Sleuths and British Detectives charts. Print book due next week in time for a big library gig in Maidstone.
Two more are under construction, and thanks to son Miles, as I've said before, for the ideas for the settings of both. Daughter Louise was on television on the 27th December singing on Len Goodman's BBC 4 programme about Dance, Philly is home briefly after singing her way up and down the west coast of America - I say home, but she isn't exactly here in Whitstable - and son Leo is persuing the career of struggling writer and poet in Manchester. They were all here for Christmas and my annual party, and delighted me with an impromptu performance of one of their father's songs.
I lost a much loved cousin in September, and another cousin had a new grandson born two days ago. Life, eh?
I have read a lot of books, as usual, and come to the conclusion that the current boom in the self publishing of ebooks is a double edged sword. I agree that there are some books, Welcome The Pigz included, of course! that deserve self publication after having been through a rigorous editing process but with traditional publishers not knowing quite what to do with it, but in a lot of cases people seem to almost ignore due process and leap in without thinking. Oh, they say they do, but I've read a lot this year, sometimes to support acquaintances from Twitter or the RNA, sometimes to check on books in my own genre, and there are some pretty appalling examples. Strangely, they all have lots of good reviews on Amazon. I get a bit twitchy because it's becoming less and less easy for the reader to discriminate.
What else? Oh, yes, two bessie pressies. Miles had Steve Bramble's painting of Virginia Wolfe and Lytton Strachey reframed for me for Christmas, and Philly is taking me to the O2 to see Paul O'Grady as Widow Twankey on Thursday.
So, a Happy New year to all friends, family, readers et al, and I hope 2013 brings happier times for all of us.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Pre-Christmas Panic!
Not really - I've got most of the presents and the turkey (frozen, sorry, but organic bronze), made the pudding (very late) with a small one for my son-in-law and written and posted most of the cards.
However - I have NOT put up the decorations. All right, I have put the wreath on the door and bought the tree and the mistletoe, but the latter are still sitting in the garden. When I was a child, my father always put the decorations up on Christmas Eve. These included paperchains of crepe paper in all colours making a tent from the walls to the light fitting. It was part of the whole Christmas experience, and to put the decorations up any earlier still feels like devaluing the currency. I have relented in later years but I don't like it.
The real panic was getting Murder In the Monastery ready. The revisions came in late, (Dear Editor very overworked!) but I did a 48 hour marathon on them, then proofs arrived and I managed to do those in a day. The covers have already been printed, now there's got to be a heroic effort to get the text inside by the release date of January 3rd. I have a feeling it might be a little late!
I have started the next one, Murder In The Dark, title courtesy of son Miles, who also supplied the setting and took me on a guided tour through rural Kent and to see the Tudor house owned by one of his clients. I went off on my own a few days later and found the exact location for the story, and creeped myself out driving along what started out as a lane but ended up as a track through an impenetrable, fog filled forest. Well, that's what it felt like.
Miles, on form, obviously, also supplied the setting and raison d'être for the book after next. Which I shall keep to myself for now, but suffice it to say he and I will be going on a jolly jaunt next year - for research purposes, of course.
That's it for now. I'm going to cheat and use this blog post for the Rather Random Newsletter, too, so to all friends, family, readers and passers-by a Very Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.
However - I have NOT put up the decorations. All right, I have put the wreath on the door and bought the tree and the mistletoe, but the latter are still sitting in the garden. When I was a child, my father always put the decorations up on Christmas Eve. These included paperchains of crepe paper in all colours making a tent from the walls to the light fitting. It was part of the whole Christmas experience, and to put the decorations up any earlier still feels like devaluing the currency. I have relented in later years but I don't like it.
The real panic was getting Murder In the Monastery ready. The revisions came in late, (Dear Editor very overworked!) but I did a 48 hour marathon on them, then proofs arrived and I managed to do those in a day. The covers have already been printed, now there's got to be a heroic effort to get the text inside by the release date of January 3rd. I have a feeling it might be a little late!
I have started the next one, Murder In The Dark, title courtesy of son Miles, who also supplied the setting and took me on a guided tour through rural Kent and to see the Tudor house owned by one of his clients. I went off on my own a few days later and found the exact location for the story, and creeped myself out driving along what started out as a lane but ended up as a track through an impenetrable, fog filled forest. Well, that's what it felt like.
Miles, on form, obviously, also supplied the setting and raison d'être for the book after next. Which I shall keep to myself for now, but suffice it to say he and I will be going on a jolly jaunt next year - for research purposes, of course.
That's it for now. I'm going to cheat and use this blog post for the Rather Random Newsletter, too, so to all friends, family, readers and passers-by a Very Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Arte Umbria and other things
Seraphina at Arte Umbria has asked me to help promote my course next year, which I am trying to do by mentioning it everywhere I can, but I can't keep going on about it! So I shall probably not be going after all, as she needs at least four people to sign up to make it viable.
I know this is probably anti-publicity and won't meet with her approval, but I'm sadly not good at self promotion. My fellow tutor is a dab hand at it, and appears all over t'internet, mentioning her course wherever she goes, but I don't. The romance brigade are particularly good at hosting people on their blogs etc, but the criminal fraternity aren't! This means I'm eternally grateful to be published in a traditional manner rather than having to self-publish, as I don't think I have the chutzpah.
Speaking of publishers, I was the guest of Hazel Cushion, my publisher, at the Romantic Novelists' Association Winter Party this week. I wore sequins, as it is quite a glitzy affair, and stood out a bit! I haven't seen any pictures yet, except the traditional ones of The Shoes. We have an obsession with shoes.
Also this week, I went to the theatre to see The Anniversary, directed by one friend and starring another, and on Thursday Jane Wenham-Jones and I did our In Conversation event at Waterstones in Canterbury, which went very well. We both distributed cards/flyers promoting our courses next year, hers at Chez Castillion and mine at Arte Umbria. So I do try!
So if any of you (is anyone there?) feel like doing a spot of promotion for my Italian Adventure, I'd be very grateful
I know this is probably anti-publicity and won't meet with her approval, but I'm sadly not good at self promotion. My fellow tutor is a dab hand at it, and appears all over t'internet, mentioning her course wherever she goes, but I don't. The romance brigade are particularly good at hosting people on their blogs etc, but the criminal fraternity aren't! This means I'm eternally grateful to be published in a traditional manner rather than having to self-publish, as I don't think I have the chutzpah.
Speaking of publishers, I was the guest of Hazel Cushion, my publisher, at the Romantic Novelists' Association Winter Party this week. I wore sequins, as it is quite a glitzy affair, and stood out a bit! I haven't seen any pictures yet, except the traditional ones of The Shoes. We have an obsession with shoes.
Also this week, I went to the theatre to see The Anniversary, directed by one friend and starring another, and on Thursday Jane Wenham-Jones and I did our In Conversation event at Waterstones in Canterbury, which went very well. We both distributed cards/flyers promoting our courses next year, hers at Chez Castillion and mine at Arte Umbria. So I do try!
So if any of you (is anyone there?) feel like doing a spot of promotion for my Italian Adventure, I'd be very grateful
Saturday, November 10, 2012
A brief catch up to keep you all abreast of events. Now that Murder In The Monastery is done and dusted – almost – the one after that is now in the schedule. After a long conversation with my publisher this week, Murder In The Dark has been scheduled for publication on October 10th.
The title is the result of the consultation I instigated in the last newsletter, on Twitter and Facebook, and thank you to all those who contributed. In fact, the rather obvious title, when you think about it, was suggested by my son Miles, who has also given me the idea for the story. Not only that, he’s taken me out on very pretty research trips round Kent and introduced me to one of the people he works for, who allowed me to roam around her beautiful 400 year old house, and inspect the gardens. Miles has been involved in the restoration of both, which is an ongoing project, luckily for me, as it means I can pop over and have a poke about any time I want!
This also a reminder that Jane Wenham-Jones and I will be doing our thing at Canterbury Waterstones on November 22nd at 6 30. Free entry, wine and crisps!
The title is the result of the consultation I instigated in the last newsletter, on Twitter and Facebook, and thank you to all those who contributed. In fact, the rather obvious title, when you think about it, was suggested by my son Miles, who has also given me the idea for the story. Not only that, he’s taken me out on very pretty research trips round Kent and introduced me to one of the people he works for, who allowed me to roam around her beautiful 400 year old house, and inspect the gardens. Miles has been involved in the restoration of both, which is an ongoing project, luckily for me, as it means I can pop over and have a poke about any time I want!
This also a reminder that Jane Wenham-Jones and I will be doing our thing at Canterbury Waterstones on November 22nd at 6 30. Free entry, wine and crisps!
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