This week's news

Brief post that I shan't broadcast far and wide yet, but a quick update to my post on the Reader Group. The next full length book in the Libby series will be out in August 2019, and will be entitled (we think) Murder Repeated.

But it is now confirmed that, in time for Christmas 2018, Murder And The Pantomime Cat will be released as an ebook. It will be a "short", somewhere in length between Mallowan Manor and Most Fowl. The editor (my Dear Ed) has agreed, so has the publisher and the publishing schedule has been updated.

This is not general knowledge as yet, so keep it under your collective sun hats for the time being. Not that it's exactly world shattering news, but still...

Back to Sleeping Beauty.

And The Pressure's Off!

A brief catch up here, to let you know that Murder And The Glovemaker's Son is finished, the revisions are in and it is up for pre-order on Amazon and presumably other platforms, too, as well as in  Real Bookshops. I shall be having a little launch at my home bookshop sometime in August, with nice nibbles (cake, I expect) supplied by friends, and probably a few glasses of fizz. Bookshop will be organising it, and I am happy to leave it to them, as are my publishers, who supply them direct with the Real Books.

I am slightly worried about what you're all going to think about this one. I have no doubt that you will let me know in no uncertain terms! And the silly thing is that having been agonising over the damned thing and saying I never wanted to write another word again, there I was last night and this morning working out the plot details of the next one...

Heigh-ho! And on with the panto script rewrites. Oh, yes I am... (Not a picture of mine, although it is of one of my pantos - in fact, the very one I'm updating now. And a lot more than 7 years ago!)

My beautiful corner of Turkey

I'm home!

As I posted in the Loonies group, I wasn't able to do the revisions while I was there because, although our wifi was rubbish, I could receive stuff for limited periods each day, but my poor editor Greg, who lves and works abroad, was suffering terrible problems, both technically and in health.  Still I have all his notes now, and  although I was shell shocked yesterday I've caught up on sleep and nearly caught up with the washing, so I can get get on with it now.

Already got almost 600 pre-orders, according to the publishers, and did I tell you about the books I donated while I was on hols? I've been going to the same place for so long now I and my friends are regarded as honorary locals, and thus do local type things, including contributing to local charities. Pretty sure I told you all this, but someone won Murder In The Blood (about the faux village in Turkey) and is going to wait for the Glovemaker's Son. Must not forget.

Anyway, it was wonderful to be back after a gap of a year, so much so that I've already booked a return trip in September, hopefully when I won't forget so many essentials - which I did this time. Well, there aren't many places you can go where the owner of the hotel gives you your first bottle of wine free, can't actually remember how much he should be charging you, and says if you can't afford the full price don't worry about it... And no, I'm not going to tell you where it is. The drawbacks for the mass holiday crowd are the two hour journey through the mountains from the airport, the lack of any nightlife (except alcohol!) and the less than stunning gastronomic experiences. We all have our favourite restaurants, not that there are many, and we are all known by name. In some places it is assumed that we will have the same thing each time, which can be awkward!

So it's full steam ahead with Glovemaker's, then updating my pantomime script, then starting the next one. Think I should send Libby & Co back to Turkey?

World of Libby

The world of Libby has rather fallen by the wayside this week, after sending off the latest manuscript to my editor, from whom, ominously, I haven't yet heard a word.

I had such a bad time with it (what I put myself through!) that I actually felt ill for two days after I'd got rid of it. It taught me a lesson, though. This next one will be planned down to the last detail instead of just ploughing into the mist as I usually do.

There has been some discussion about the pros and cons of planning and not planning among authors in Facebook groups. Many, like me, have a vague idea and just charge off willy nilly. Others have a detailed plan, write and rewrite. I never have time to do that, as I have a tighter schedule than many, and another thing is that I have enforced deadlines because I'm traditionally published. Talking about that, some self published authors, of which there are many these days, argue that they are under just as much pressure, but they haven't got a publisher's schedule to fit into, they can publish when they're ready, which takes the pressure right off. I know, however, that I couldn't do that. I'd never finish the damn thing - I need someone behind me cracking the whip.

So I've already started research for the next one, assuming Dear Ed doesn't throw the Glovemaker's Son back at me saying Never More.

I have been to a lovely old bookshop run by two wonderful ladies in an alleyway in an old market town, to an equally lovely village where I got stuck in the high street in opposition with a bus, I have been ruthlessly questioning the owner of said village's website and I've been picking my son's brains. He was the one who came up with the vague idea in the first place, as he often does, so he can't complain.

Meanwhile, in order to try and make sure you all receive this blog/newsletter every time, I am going to try to import this into Wordpress. It can be done, I'm told. I think it will mean everyone signing up again, but I know that Wordpress sign-ups work - I have several - and when I was away on retreat my friend who runs one of my favourites, promised to give me a hand if I wanted to change. So I'm going to try.

And in a week's time I'm going back to my favourite village in Turkey for two weeks with some old friends before diving into rewriting the panto script  and then carrying on with the new book. I confidently expect to spend a large part of my holiday on rewrites of the Glovemaker's Son. Heigh-ho.