I’m in my happy place this week – getting stuck into the first draft of the new book. After all the research and planning, there’s something very satisfying about starting to write. The first 10,000 words is written and I’ve submitted the two opening chapters to my writing group for their verdict next week.
March was busy month. I had fun meeting readers at Beckenham Book Fayre (hello again to everyone who came along!) and other members of the Alliance of Independent Authors as part of London Book Fair.
I even spent a day in the office! I work freelance as a medical editor, and for the first time in about 6 years I went into offices in Fitzrovia, London, to meet my colleagues in person. It was a bright, sunny day and I had fun afterwards wandering the streets around Soho, thinking about where to site the offices of my fictional spies. I even found time for a haircut (a good haircut makes me feel like a new woman!).
Read on for audiobook news, a new independent author bookstore, and some fantastic new book recommendations.
Indie Author Bookstore
April is Indie Author Month, and to help celebrate, the wonderful people at the Alliance of Independent Authors have launched a new online book shop.
The Alliance does great work to help independent authors bring their books into the world. I’ve found their advice invaluable and they are my first recommendation when friends ask me about independent publishing.
So it’s fitting that they are bringing together all the books by Alliance members in one place, the Indie Author Bookstore. You can have a good browse and buy from whichever outlet the author links to. All of my books are there, and you can browse by genre. You’re sure to find something different and interesting.
Recommendations
I have two new cozy mysteries to tell you about this month, from two favourite authors.
First up, A Very Irish Mystery is book 26 (!) in the Lady Eleanor Swift series, and (you’ve guessed it) takes us to Ireland, where Eleanor is having a grand time cosying up with her husband in Dublin’s traditional pubs, eating Irish stew and soaking up the craic… Until another body ruins all their plans!
A tour of a brewery making Ireland’s famous black stout results in the discovery of a body in a barrel – and it belongs to the owner of the brewery. Can Eleanor catch the killer? It’s published on April 10.
Next, it’s Ella Strike’s latest Kitty Goring novel, The Scarab Society Murders. When Kitty sets sail aboard the RMS Mooltan to Alexandria, what should be a glamorous adventure turns deadly. A guest is found murdered, and the killer is hiding among the glittering passengers.
Armed with her keen mind, a scrappy little dog named Scottie, and her circle of eccentric friends, Kitty must navigate high society and treacherous waters to uncover the culprit before they strike again.
Death At Chelsea
With spring around the corner, gardeners’ thoughts turn to the upcoming Chelsea Flower Show, held every May in London’s Chelsea Royal Hospital.
If you haven’t read Death At Chelsea, my Marjorie Swallow book set at the Chelsea show, it’s going to be on offer at 99p/99c with Kindle from Wednesday 15 to Sunday 19 April. It’s also available as an audiobook.
Talking of which, my narrator Kim is working on the next in the series, so Murder On Fleet Street should be available soon for those who prefer to read with their ears.