Anna Sayburn Lane

Thriller author

Newsletter

February newsletter: a successful launch, a return trip to Nice and progress on book 3

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Thank you to everyone who bought The Soho Jazz Murders and Blackmail In Bloomsbury last month. January was my best-ever sales month in five years of publishing. I managed 700 sales (not including all the Kindle Unlimited borrows) and The Soho Jazz Murders made the top 20 ‘hot new releases’ in historical mystery on Amazon. I was particularly thrilled that this put me in rather good company next to fellow newcomer Agatha Christie!

Read on for news of travels, book and movie recommendations, and a free book promotion.

Reviews of The Soho Jazz Murders

One reviewer kindly headlined their review of The Soho Jazz Murders: “The new Agatha Christie!” Here are a few other reviews that made my day:

‘An entertaining and atmospheric read. I like the developing relationship between Marjorie and her employer, Mrs Jameson.’

‘This was an engaging read that took you through night life in London in the 1920’s… The detective duo are great, one sophisticated, one spirited and game to try anything. All in all an enjoyable novel.’

‘A relatively new series in which you should definitely invest your time!’

Please do take time to leave a review if you’ve read any of my books. For independent authors without a big marketing budget, reviews make a huge difference in helping us find new readers.

Back on the Blue Train

The next-but-one Marjorie Swallow novel will be set on the glorious Cote d’Azur in the south of France. I hopped back on the train from London to the Riviera at the start of January for two weeks staying in a very glamorous art deco apartment overlooking Nice harbour. Even Mrs Jameson would have to approve of the accommodation.

Turquoise sea, acid-yellow mimosa in the Cours Saleya flower market and ice-cream hues of the painted houses in the old town – strawberry, lemon and pistachio – meant grey old England felt a very long way away. This was the place the British upper classes used to flock to in winter, before hot summer beach holidays became the fashion. Artists and writers loved it too, from Picasso to Matisse, Monet to Renoir, Chekov to F Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway to HG Wells.

It wasn’t too hard to imagine a few murders among the mimosa for Marjorie and Mrs Jameson to investigate. But if I need to jog my memory about the locations, perhaps I can squeeze in another trip south on the Train Bleu before I write it!

 

 

Work In Progress

It wasn’t all play and research, however – I knuckled down to some serious writing in Nice, meaning that I’m on track to finish writing the next Marjorie Swallow mystery, Death At Chelsea, in a couple of weeks. Then it goes off to my lovely editor and beta readers for their thoughts, before I work on the revisions. It’s on track for release in May – thank you to everyone who has pre-ordered. If you want to be sure of getting it, you can do so here.

Recommendations

I have a hot new release to recommend this month. I’m devouring Lynn Morrison’s 1920s ‘Dora and Rex’ series, featuring sleuth Theodora Laurent, a femme fatale with a mysterious past. The latest in the series, The Roman Riddle, was published on Tuesday. It sees Theodora and sidekick Lord Reginald “Rex” Bankes-Fernsby decamp to the Eternal City, where the British ambassador, no less, is accused of murder. I can’t wait to read more.

The next recommendation isn’t new at all (it came out in 2001), but if you love Downton Abbey and murder mysteries, then you should definitely check out Gosford Park, a 1930s-set murder mystery starring Dame Maggie Smith and written by Downton author Julian Fellowes. I re-watched it this week on Netflix and thought it was funny, sharp-edged and gloriously entertaining.

Cozy mystery promo

February is definitely the season to snuggle up with a good mystery – so if you’re running short of reading material, try the February Cozy Mystery Freebies promotion, running all this month. It has more than 30 free cozy mystery e-books to fill up your e-reader.

Competition winners!

Congratulations to Bryony Taha, Karen O’Conner and Holly Bradford who won signed copies of The Soho Jazz Murders for correctly identifying the murder victim in Blackmail In Bloomsbury.

December news: exclusive Christmas short story, festive promotions and book news

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Whatever your faith or beliefs, midwinter is an excellent time to put on fairy-lights, plan a feast and gather friends for mulled wine and conversation. This is a tinsel-trimmed, festive edition of the Readers Club newsletter.

I’ve written a special Christmas story, exclusively for Readers Club members, which you can download below.

The Soho Jazz Murders is on track for publication in January, and I’m getting cracking on the third book in the series. In the meantime, I have some recommendations of Christmassy releases from writer friends, as well as promotions to keep you jingling all the way.

Diamonds Are For Christmas

This festive short story features a sparkling Christmas from Mrs Jameson’s younger days–with a touch of mystery, of course. It’s December 24, 1892 and Iris is nineteen years old. She’s visiting Rome for the first time with her dauntless Aunt Isabel, and the Christmas Eve Ball at the Palazzo del Fiori is about to go very wrong…

The story is dedicated to my friends George and Christina, who took me to the Venerable English College in Rome this Spring and sparked the idea for the story.

Download link here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/j6jgvcwnh7

 

 

 

Recommendations: A Christmas mystery special

I’m long been a fan of Benedict Brown, whose 1920s-set Lord Edgington mysteries are a delight. He has a new Christmas book out, The Christmas Bell Mystery, featuring the revered detective and his less-revered grandson Chrissie as they investigate a classic whodunnit in a snowbound manor house.

Link: https://mybook.to/Christmasbell

Verity Bright has a new Christmas book too – Lady Eleanor Swift is hoping for snowy walks on the Cornish cliffs after an invitation from a friend of her uncle. Godfrey Cunliffe has asked her to stay in Cornwall for the holidays – but only because he believes his gardener is trying to poison him! Eleanor hurries down to his picturesque manor house with her butler Clifford. But they arrive too late to stop the crime…

 

Lying dead at the bottom of the steep cliffs, however, is not Mr Cunliffe, but the gardener himself. And his plans for restoring the gardens to their former glory are missing. Jerome St Clair has gone from suspect to victim. This certainly puts a twist in the tinsel!

Link: https://mybook.to/MurderCornishCliffs

 

I’ll be tuning into BBC One at Christmas for the glitzy new two-part adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder Is Easy, starring Penelope Wilton (from Downton Abbey) as the inquisitive Miss Pinkerton. I’m also looking forward to Dope Girls, a drama set in the same 1920s Soho night club world as my next Marjorie Swallow mystery, The Soho Jazz Murders.

Book news

Talking of which, The Soho Jazz Murders has been checked over by my advance reader team, who have given it the thumbs up. I’m hoping to publish it a little earlier than planned, so if you’ve pre-ordered, it should be with you around January 18. If you haven’t ordered it yet, why not do so now? Think how pleased you’ll be to have something fun to read in January!

And I’m already researching and planning the next in the series. I’ve visited the Chelsea Physic Garden, read a fascinating account of the plant hunting adventures of Frank Kingdon Ward and looked up the Chelsea Flower Show of 1923 in the British Newspaper Archive. All I need to do now is write it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More cosy crime and historical mysteries

I’m taking part in two e-book promotions this month.

December to Remember Cozy Mystery Sales event

https://books.bookfunnel.com/decembertoremembercozymysterysalesevent/i5pacdjaq5

December Free Cozy Mysteries

https://books.bookfunnel.com/cozymysterydecember/6sjefpc0nr

The Big Give!

Christmas is about giving, and there’s one charity I always support this time of year. When I was a child, the best thing about Christmas was getting book tokens, or a longed-for new book in my stocking. But for some children living in poverty, there will be no book to treasure this Christmas.

The charity Book Trust gives books to children in need in the UK. It works with families and schools to support children with their reading. And at Christmas, it sends book parcels to children who might otherwise have no gifts. This may be the only book they own.

Books have been my comfort, refuge and escape since I was old enough to read. That’s why I donate to Book Trust, so that other children can grow up with their own treasured books.

November news: Turkish travels, Agatha Christie and book news

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What an exciting month! I’ve been travelling again, this time a fascinating trip to Turkey. I published Blackmail In Bloomsbury, bringing me the best month’s book sales ever. I met one of my heroes. And I sent my next book, The Soho Jazz Murders, to my editor.

Read on for all this, plus recommendations and promotions.

Adventures in Turkey
I’ve long wanted to visit Turkey and I finally got the chance to tag along when my husband was asked to speak at a conference in Izmir, a big port city in the south of the country. While he worked, I had plenty of time to explore!

As one of the ‘WAGs’, I was invited on a tour of nearby Ephesus, an astonishing city from the days of the Roman Empire. We saw the remains of temples, amphitheatres, the forum, shops and houses – even a 20-seat lavatory! Most impressive of all was the rebuilt façade of the city library, pictured below right.

Izmir too has Roman-era remains, but I was most intrigued by the bazaar. I spent hours exploring the maze of streets, coming across shops selling everything from Barbie t-shirts to heaps of spices, kitchen utensils to antiques, soap to budgerigars. I met a friend of a friend who lives in the city and she guided me around, helping me purchase fragrant freshly-ground Turkish coffee to bring home. We then stopped at one of the many shops selling Cay (pronounced chai), Turkish black tea served in small glasses, cheap, delicious and refreshing. It certainly beat a trip to the supermarket.

Less cheap but equally delicious was the peach Bellini that I sipped on the rooftop of our hotel after a refreshing swim! My fellow WAGs had heard about my book launch, so they made sure that I had a suitable celebration.

Meeting a hero!

Agatha Christie loved travel. She wrote to a friend that ‘your travel life has the essence of a dream… you are yourself, but a different self.’ That ability to imagine different lives is, I think, one of the reasons that so many writers love to travel.
The quote above comes from historian Lucy Worsley’s biography of Agatha Christie. It’s extremely readable and tells a fascinating story of a life from Victorian girlhood into the 1970s. I’m a big fan of Miss Worsley’s history programmes and podcasts, so when she visited Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre to talk about Agatha Christie, I grabbed a ticket. She’s a brilliant presenter and it was a very entertaining evening. Not only is she formidably knowledgeable, she’s very funny and glamorous. She also remained kind and patient with all of us who’d queued to have her sign our books.

 

Recommendations: A Christie special

After all that gushing, it won’t surprise you to hear that my first recommendation is indeed for Lucy Worsley’s Agatha Christie. Her life involved two world wars, two marriages, a mysterious ‘disappearance’, intrepid journeys to Iraq and Egypt – not to mention writing an astonishing 80 books.

The second recommendation also comes via Lucy Worsley. Asked which her favourite Christie novel was, she nominated Murder At The Vicarage, in which the wily Miss Marple makes her first appearance. I’ve just re-read it and it is terrific. I liked the acidic way in which Miss Marple is described – the vicar’s wife say she’s ‘the worst cat in the village’ – and the humour of the vicar’s tribulations with his avidly curious parishioners, his ‘distractingly pretty’ wife and his appallingly bad cook. The mystery itself is satisfyingly twisty, with hidden couples, false identities and double bluffs. I was nowhere near guessing the true murderer when Miss Marple revealed it.

Book news
Blackmail In Bloomsbury looks like being my most successful book yet, which makes me very happy! Congratulations to Megwen Woodham, who won a signed copy of Blackmail In Bloomsbury for her correct response to my question last month.

One of my readers suggested Blackmail In Bloomsbury would make “the perfect Christmas present” for any lovers of classic crime… and far be it from me to disagree! If you think your mum, dad, aunt Maisie or friend at the book club would like it, why not grab a paperback? You can order from your local bookshop, or via the button below.

If you’ve already finished it and are anxiously awaiting the next in the series, good news! I’ve sent the first draft of The Soho Jazz Murders to my editor and all is going well for publication in January.

Here’s the cover – as you can see my designer Donna has come up trumps again with a lovely design.

You can pre-order your e-book copy now.

 

New to my Readers Club newsletter? Sign up below.

September Newsletter: one month to go!

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It’s all systems go at the seaside as I put the final touches to Blackmail In Bloomsbury, ready for launch next month. The book is back from the proof-reader; I’ve sent copies to the book bloggers for review and – most exciting of all – I’ve finally held a copy in my hands. No matter how many books I publish (and this is number five) nothing beats seeing your words down on paper in a ‘proper’ book for the first time!

You can pre-order Blackmail In Bloomsbury today!

And onto the next…

In August I dived into writing the first draft of the next Marjorie Swallow murder mystery, The Soho Jazz Murders. I absolutely love this part of writing; when the story is fresh in your mind and you have the fun of introducing the characters that have popped into your head, creating the settings and making sure all the elements needed are in place. I’m more than halfway through the first draft now.

Research for this book has been exciting. I’ve read about 1920s nightclubs, flappers, early jazz musicians and organised crime. I’ve enjoyed learning some of the slang of the era – my favourite is the phrase ‘giggle juice’ for booze! I can certainly relate to that after a glass or two of my sleuth Mrs Jameson’s favourite cocktail, the French 75 (recipe below).

So what is the story about? Well, I don’t want to give away spoilers but it involves Freddie the pianist, the American ambassador’s wayward niece, and Marjorie going ‘undercover’ as a dance hostess in a Soho nightclub on the trail of a drugs gang. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Recommendations: books, blogs and booze

Did you know that Dorothy L Sayers, one of the greats of ‘Golden Age’ crime fiction, worked in advertising? The wit and wordplay of copywriting obviously stood her in good stead. It also provided the setting for one of her most enjoyable novels, Murder Must Advertise. I read it for the first time recently and was blown away by its contrasting witty tone and dark subject matter. I found it completely gripping and loved the pin-sharp dissection of the work of an advertising agency.

I read it on the recommendation of Kate Jackson, a prolific blogger about classic crime and author of the entertaining-sounding British Library book How To Survive A Classic Crime Novel. I’m a big fan of the British Library’s crime books, so I’ll be picking up a copy next time I’m there for research. Kate also wrote a very funny blog post, Dorothy L Sayers Guide to Amateur Sleuthing, which you might enjoy.

My version of the French 75 comes from Cecil Beaton’s Cocktail Book, a splendid publication which kept me amused during those long evenings of lockdown. As well as delightful recipes to try, it includes lots of inspiring photographs of the Bright Young Things photographed by Beaton in his studio. As the book says, the French 75 is ‘a beautifully straightforward sweet and sour combination, with a charge of gin and a bubbling fuse of champagne leading to a kick likened to the French 75 field gun.’

Here’s how: Shake 25ml gin, 20ml lemon juice, 10ml sugar syrup together and fine strain into a champagne flute, then top up with champagne and garnish with a lemon twist. Cheers!

 

July newsletter: Blackmail In Bloomsbury cover design

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I hope you enjoyed Murder At The Ritz, the first Marjorie Swallow adventure. Blackmail In Bloomsbury, the first full-length novel in the series, is on track to publish in October. Here’s the cover! Thanks to Donna Rogers, my amazing cover designer, for another beautiful design.

A bohemian party, a handsome artist – and murder
At her first Bloomsbury party, Marjorie Swallow enjoys dancing, conversation, and the attentions of a handsome artist.
But for one guest, the night ends in murder – and Marjorie’s artist friend is a prime suspect. From the garden squares of Bloomsbury to the seedy backstreets of Soho, trainee detective Marjorie and her employer Mrs Jameson undertake a perilous hunt for the killer.
Can they save an innocent man from the gallows? Is it ever a good idea to blackmail a murderer? And will Marjorie’s new satin T-strap shoes be ruined forever?
If you enjoyed Murder At The Ritz, I think you’re going to love Blackmail In Bloomsbury.

Join my advance readers club!
I’m looking for more readers to join my advance readers club. How does it work? You get a free advance e-book copy of Blackmail In Bloomsbury, in return for letting me have your feedback within two weeks. That helps me to spot any clangers that have got past me and my editors. Then, when the book is published, I’d be most grateful if you could post an honest review on websites like Amazon and Goodreads. Fancy getting involved? Hit ‘return’ and let me know.

More about Marjorie

So who is Marjorie Swallow, my new sleuth? Marjorie seemed to spring to life almost fully-formed, perhaps because I drew on my own family for inspiration. For a start, Marjorie is my middle name. I hated it at school, I love it now!

My grandmother Marjorie Swaddling (born Marjorie Ball) grew up in South London, one of 10 children. She’s bottom right in the photo. She grew up in the 1920s and 1930s, living above the builder’s yard in Lee High Road. After working as a hairdresser she met and married my grandfather Dave Swaddling, who had a bicycle and toy shop in Catford. So my mother – like Marjorie Swallow – was the daughter of a Catford shop-keeper and also won a scholarship to Sydenham High School for Girls.

My grandmother and mother grew up in the aftermath of the two world wars that shaped the 20th century. As a child, I learned about Auntie Vi (the child on her mother’s knee), whose fiancé died in the second world war, and Auntie Dulcie (bottom left), whose husband was also killed. My grandfather was away fighting in France when my mother was a small child. It’s this aftermath of war, and the changes it brought, that first sparked my interest in writing about the 1920s.

What I love most about Marjorie Swallow is her mixture of innocence and quick-wittedness. She enjoys life, she’s kind and courageous – and she has a great sense of humour. Perhaps the many excellent women in my family history were peering over my shoulder while I wrote?

What I’ve enjoyed this month
The book I’ve enjoyed most this month is Stephen Bates’ fascinating The Poisonous Solicitor, a true-life 1920s murder mystery investigation. Did the mild-mannered small-town solicitor poison his wife with arsenic? Or was he really intending to use it to eradicate the dandelions in the lawn?

I’m also getting into the Shedunnit podcast by Caroline Crampton, which unravels the mysteries behind classic detective stories. From the forensics of Agatha Christie to 1920s slang, it’s a treasure trove for aspiring classic crime authors.

Free cozy crime and historical mysteries
There’s a banquet of crime and historical mysteries this month! I’m taking part in three promotions via Bookfunnel. Murder At The Ritz will be featured, along with lots more e-book free novels and novellas. Why not take a look?

Cozy Mystery Freebies

Free Cozy Mysteries

Historical Fiction Freebies

The big question!
What did you think of Murder At The Ritz? I love hearing from readers, so do let me know.

Haven’t downloaded your copy yet? Sign up below.

May newsletter: writing news and spring recommendations

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Book news

I’ve been busy finishing the first in my new series of 1920s murder mysteries, Blackmail in Bloomsbury. The manuscript is off to my editor next week.

It’s my first historical mystery and I’ve discovered a few challenges along the way. For example, in one scene a man arranges to meet somebody at Piccadilly Circus, by the statue that Londoners call Eros. I wanted to check people used that name in 1922, so I looked it up – only to discover that Eros was removed from his pedestal in 1922 for the building of the new Piccadilly Circus underground station! Cue some hasty re-writing.

Next month you’ll receive Murder at the Ritz, the prequel novella which introduces the series. My beta reader team has been busy checking it through and I’ve been delighted with their responses.

Here’s a taster of comments: “Hugely enjoyed it… I really liked all the characters, especially Marjorie Swallow and Mrs Jamieson, and the story was fantastic… It is a great start to a very promising series… I loved the setting of a luxury London hotel.”

I hope you’ll enjoy it just as much.

Deal Music and Arts Festival

I’m thrilled to be appearing at the Deal Arts Festival in my home town of Deal in Kent in July. I’ll be on a panel with one of my favourite crime writers, William Shaw, to talk about writing crime by the seaside! The box office opens on 9 May if you’re interested in coming along. Link here: https://dealmusicandarts.com/festival/

What I’ve enjoyed this month

On TV, I loved watching The Gold, a dramatization of the aftermath of the massive Brinks Matt gold robbery which took place in London in the early 1980s. I grew up in south London at the time, so a lot of the pleasure was from recognising places, faces and fashions. I didn’t know that development of the area of London now known as Docklands was funded from the heist. I remember going for a ride on the brand-new Docklands Light Railway in the early 80s, across acres of derelict former docks and building sites. It’s now home to half of London’s biggest banks, not to mention very posh flats.

The novel Godmersham Park, by Gill Hornby, was another peek into English history. This was a bit longer ago, and a bit more decorous than the 1980s criminal underworld. It tells the imagined story of the real-life Anne Sharp, a governess to the family of Jane Austen’s brother Edward. The difficult position of an independently-minded (but unfortunately not independently-funded) woman in Georgian England is keenly exposed. It includes tantalising glimpses of Jane Austen herself, who understood only too well the perils of her situation.

The big question!

What have you been reading or watching this month? Hit ‘reply’ and let me know.

Have a wonderful May, and happy reading.

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