Jackie Keswick's Blog: Musings & Meanderings
March 26, 2023
Looking for a Distraction (or maybe a Hiding Place?)
Welcome to Zombie Week! Our clocks went forward last night, and I’m already dreading the coming week. Moving to summer time puts my internal clock out of whack, and every year it takes me at least a week of headaches and yawning at inappropriate times to adjust to the change.
Over the years, I’ve learned that having a distraction – like a project that I’m excited about – helps me adjust more easily. And with that, it seems, I’m in good company.
Zach Hellig, the main character of my newest book Hiding Place, is set on finding a distraction to help him deal with his grief.
Zach is convinced that there is no such place, and no such distraction… but then he finds an old, fortified tower in need of complete renovation and falls in love with the place. The delicious, brooding neighbour is a bonus, as is the thirty-year-old mystery he uncovers in the course of his renovations.
It’s a story of grief, and comfort, and resilience and – as usual with me – of endings that are new beginnings. And yes, there are yellow roses.
Hiding Place is available from my store now, or from all major retailers on Friday, 31st March.
Get Zach’s story
February 19, 2023
Sunday Snippet: Big waterfall. Tiny boat. Happy ending?
Time for a Sunday Snippet – and this one comes with a hefty dose of adrenaline. Imagine yourself trapped in a tiny wooden boat. You have no oars, and no way to steer while the river carries you – at ever-increasing speed – towards one of the world’s tallest and most powerful waterfalls.
You know that – in principle – your soulmate should be watching over you from another plane, but is he really? And what can he actually do?
Read today’s Sunday Snippet to find out.
I took another deep breath, pictured blue eyes and golden hair.
“Hiro!” I yelled his name as the current carried me over the edge.
Then I was falling.
The boat jolted and jumped, thrown this way and that by the air billowing up from the base of the falls. I clung to the sides, knuckles white, waiting to see water and death rushing towards me.
They never did.
The current shoved rocks over the edge of the falls along with the torrent of white, swirling waters. But not a single one hit the delicate wooden shell I clutched with white knuckles.
I’d expected the boat to go down bow first, but it stayed level, descending through spray and mist in stuttering jerks that made my stomach heave, until it settled back in the river with a splash that drenched every part of me that wasn’t soaked already.
I’d gone over the Gu-Chian Falls in a tiny wooden craft, and the only thing I had to show for the experience was… nausea?
I pried my fingers from the sides and fell backwards onto the planking, incredulous. My breath came in great, heaving gulps, and my body shook with the terror I’d had no time to feel. Beyond the fear and relief, bright, shining elation waited to claim me. I no longer doubted that Hiro watched over me while I was human.
Now I was certain.
Today’s Sunday Snippet story, Repeat Offence, is ON SALE in my store right now!
February 11, 2023
Publiversary Sale!
I love it because of the minefield they're trying to negotiate as they become a couple, and because I love Jack change and reach for what he wants.
To celebrate - and because Ghosts ends on Valentine's Day, I've put the book on sale.
It's 0.99 from all amazon stores. (and available with KU)
February 5, 2023
Sunday Snippet: Finn has a very special skill
Today’s Sunday Snippet is a bit of wishful thinking on my part. I’m tidying my yarn stash and planning the next project(s)… and having Finn here would have saved me a mountain of time.
If you knit, you probably know what I’m talking about. You’ve picked up stunning yarns here and there, but now you need to decide what to turn them into. And I cannot count the number of times I’ve started to knit a jumper or a blanket or even socks before the deciding that the yarn didn’t suit the pattern after all.
You can find out why Finn could have saved me much unravelling in today’s Sunday snippet, which is under the image.
“How about the lady with the dog?” Leo pointed across the road where an older woman walked a spaniel.
“Lace shawl,” Finn said after a short appraisal. “In a mix of colours. She lives alone, but isn’t lonely, and has many good memories. A lace shawl would be like a hug from dreams.”
Leo smiled, enchanted with Finn’s way of classifying people by garments, yarns, and colours. “The young woman with the baby in the pushchair?”
“A sturdy miniskirt in chocolate orange.”
“Chocolate orange? What sort of a colour is that? Murky brown?”
Finn laughed. “It’s not a single colour. It’s a colourway. The yarn’s mostly dark chocolate and every so often it runs a stretch of bright orange. It looks gorgeous knitted up. I’d knit it lengthwise, maybe with a subtle pattern running across.”
They were on their way to view the empty store on the High Street, and instead of the apprehension Leo had expected to feel, they were both in tearing high spirits. As if there’d been something apart from tea in the pot they’d shared with their sandwiches.
Leo didn’t mind. He’d take this floaty feeling, the belief that he could do anything, in place of overtired drudgery any day of the week. He’d felt drawn to Finn in the pub because of the quiet delight on his face while he’d sat in a corner and plied his needles. Finn openly laughing and enjoying the sunshine was an even more striking sight. Leo resolved there and then not to lose sight of Finn, whether they rented a shop together or not.
A woman waited outside the store’s front door, dressed in heeled boots and a smart grey coat to ward off the November chill.
Finn grinned when Leo nudged his side. “A soft cowl in lilac lace or 4-ply. Or a drop stitch pattern in dark grey and lilac. That would look lovely, too.”
“Do you think she’s here to show us around?”
“Oh.” Finn’s expression switched from delighted to apprehensive in a blink. “I hope she likes us. I didn’t… I didn’t precisely dress before I came out to go to the post office.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re smart as sixpence.”
Today’s Sunday Snippet story, Cosy & Chill, is available from my store and everywhere books are sold.
Cosy & Chill
January 29, 2023
Sunday Snippet: Many different paths to death
In today’s Sunday Snippet, we’re with Taz and Hiro, the two warriors sentenced to spend eternity on different planes, unless they manage to meet at the exact moment one of them dies. Over many lifetimes, they become experts at making death a drawn-out production to give each other a chance, but that isn’t as easy as it sounds…
Water splashed over the prow of the boat and the cold made me gasp. The craft rocked in the suddenly roiling waters, forcing me to brace myself against the sides. The Gu-Chian was too wide for bridges for most of its course, and swollen to capacity during the rainy season. My little boat had drifted with the current, but now it was picking up speed.
I scanned the expanse of water for obstructions and searched the banks for a clue for the growing pace. There was nothing. Just water with the occasional ripple, a wide stretch of meadow on either bank, and then woods beyond. As the wind blew the rain clouds towards the south, the sky overhead lightened from dark grey to the palest of blues—and then I saw it: a thin haze veiling the horizon, like a layer of mist on the water.
The falls that marked the border between Hestorand and neighbouring Sakkad were fearsome, regardless which side one observed them from. The Gu-Chian’s glassy waters rushed over the edge of a dizzying drop in foaming swirls and eddies until they hammered against the rocks in a wide, deep cauldron where the torrent whisked water into a mix of foam and spray.
And I was headed for the roaring chaos in a small wooden craft without oars or a rudder.
“The falls, Hiro.” My voice was oddly breathless. “The Gu-Chian Falls! Gods, that one never occurred to me. How do you rate my chances of arriving in Sakkad in one piece?”
I crawled into the bow and peered over the edge. The river’s surface reflected the pale blue of the skies. A handspan deeper, the water was murky, heavy with silt and small stones. There’d be larger stones, too, dragged along the riverbed by the force of the current. They’d smash the boat to splinters long before it reached the bottom of the falls. And me with it, unless I wanted to try swimming.
“The gods gave us our minds, so we can change them,” I told Hiro. Only hours earlier, I’d been disappointed that Hestorand’s queen was denying me the death I’d prepared myself for. Now, faced with another chance, I found myself reluctant to give up my life.
I tested the current with the dagger and my fingertips and judged it too strong to swim, bruised and battered as I was.
“Unless I want to throw myself into the driver and drown before I reach the falls, I’ll have to stay with the boat. And hope you’ll make it before I’m dashed against the rocks. I’ll tell you one thing, Hiro: when you prepare yourself to die by fire, being faced with a watery death is… disconcerting.”
Today’s Sunday Snippet story, Repeat Offence, is available from
my store
and all other bookstores.
January 23, 2023
Pre-orders (almost) like buses
I’m knee-deep in preparing Hiding Place for release and had got as far as setting release dates for March when I got a lovely surprise. Sous Couverture, the French translation of House Hunt, is also ready for pre-orders, and will release, as luck will have it, just a day before the first copies of Hiding Place ship out.
If I get my skates on and stop taking nonsense from Gareth Flynn, I could pretend my new releases are buses, and have three pre-orders come along all at once.
Until I get that sorted out, there are two of them. Check them out!
Out on March 16th:
Sous Couverture, Force intrinsèque #3
Des drogues. Des intimidateurs. Des kidnappeurs. Et la seconde chance de Jack de goûter au bonheur est menacée.
Entre une journée parfaite qui se transforme en trois mois d’infiltration, une brute qui menace Nico et Daniel ainsi qu’une faveur qu’il doit rendre qui le conduit dans un piège, Jack n’a pas de répit.
Il n’a jamais refusé d’aider les autres, mais il n’a jamais rien eu qui comptait pour lui, non plus. Il doit maintenant revoir ses priorités, ou la famille qu’il se crée et sa relation grandissante avec Gareth vont céder face aux demandes qui lui sont faites.
The third book of the Power of Zero series makes its French debut, and I’m very excited about it! You can pre-order your copy from my French publisher, Juno, or from your usual retailer.
Juno Publishing
All other retailers
***
Out on March 17th:
Hiding Place
Can a house with a secret bring two grieving men together?
After losing his bandmates in an accident, songwriter Zach Hellig looks for a place to hide and a project to distract himself with. He finds both in a dilapidated Pele tower in the wilds of Northumberland, and in a neighbour whose smooth, elegant facade hides an old, painful secret. A secret that’s somehow tied to Zach’s new home.
Are the rumours of two unavenged murders the reason for Robert Ludlow’s reluctance to sell Charnbarrow Pele?
Should Zach try to find answers to a 35-year-old mystery?
And knowing the pain of loss, should he risk his heart for a man who had to learn the same lesson?
Hiding Place is a 45k m/m mystery romance, featuring a neglected old house in need of TLC, an unsolved murder, a grieving musician looking for a distraction, and his stern, intense neighbour who really should smile more.
It’s available from my store at a special, early-bird price, and will be delivered on March 17th.
Hiding Place goes on general release on March 31st.
Order from my storeAll other Retailers
January 22, 2023
Sunday Snippet: Catching His Eye
We’re having another cold snap here. The sight from my window is a mix of frost-rimed grass and bright, beautiful sunshine. But what if it were very early morning, and you’re lacking both sleep and breakfast? Then you’d have the scene I’d love to share for today’s Sunday Snippet.
And it’s a crime scene! Sort of.
Crime scenes come in all shapes and sizes. In A Box of Wishes, the crime scene is a coffeeshop – something DS Ben Hobart is devoutly thankful for when he arrives at ridiculous o’clock in the morning without having had even a cup of tea. And no wonder, because there’s nothing better than swapping the cold and dark for a warm, inviting room that smells of coffee and freshly baked treats.
But Ben’s good fortune doesn’t end there. What happens next is what our Sunday Snippet is all about. Read it under the image:
Golden light spilled from the coffeehouse’s windows along with the enticing scent of freshly baked goods, and Ben’s stomach woke up and roared its displeasure.
Inside, the scent of warm bread twined with the aromas of sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and made his mouth water. Almost as much as the man behind the counter.
Ben stopped in his tracks. Blinked. Had he just…?
He had.
In his defence, he’d have to be blind to ignore this man.
The barista wore a dark green apron over close-fitting black jeans and a long-sleeved top. He was slight, with warm brown eyes, a mobile mouth, and shoulder-length auburn hair that he’d pulled back into a tight tail. And the mirror running the length of the wall behind the bar showed him to be just as decorative from the back as he was from the front.
“Good morning, sir,” he greeted when Ben reached the bar. “How do you like your caffeine?”
“What?”
The man gestured, lips stretching into a welcoming smile. “You’re up early and barely awake. How do you like your caffeine?”
“You reported a break-in,” Ben said. “I’m DS Hobart, Northamptonshire Police.”
The smile grew a little wider. “I knew you weren’t one of my regulars. Thank you for coming so quickly. Now, before you ask me all your questions, can I offer you breakfast?”
Ben stared longingly at the ham and cheese croissants that must have come out of the oven not long since. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t just skipped breakfast, but dinner, too. First things first, though. “Would you have tea?”
“Of course. Grab a seat. I’ll bring it right over.”
It wasn’t standard procedure for investigating burglaries, but if the owner of the coffeehouse needed to look after people to keep his composure, Ben would let him do so.
Ben and Ryan’s story is available from amazon and with a Kindle Unlimited subscription until February 10th.
January 6, 2023
Throwback Thursday: Zeroes are Important
Time for a Throwback Thursday post! And this one goes all the way back, and deep into my heart.
One series I’m aiming to finish this year is Zero Rising, which follows Jack through his early years, from finding Rio’s house to just before he reconnects with Gareth. The series currently has two books, a shoebox full of notes and bits, and a Word file with more of the same.
Jack, were he real, would be 40 this summer. Shocking, right? Fortunately, my writing speed hasn’t kept up with the calendar, so I still have a little while before he has to face that milestone. But the final book in the first part of his journey is now well and truly overdue!
And I’m going to get on that by reminding myself that zeroes are important. And that many of us need someone like Jack Horwood.
The current Zero Rising books:
The Power of Zero
Two Divided by Zero
January 1, 2023
500 Miles and a Stack of Books: Making Plans for 2023
It’s Sunday morning, the first day of 2023, and I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year!
For many of us, the changing of the year is a time to look back at the past months while also making plans for 2023. I didn’t write a separate “looking back on 2022” post, but I certainly got down a few ideas about things I would like to do in the coming year.
There are many moving parts to each of our lives, and keeping them all interacting smoothly can take a little bit of doing. During the months of the lockdown, much of our focus was on our physical and mental health, to the detriment of friendships and outside pursuits. In the 18 months since we’ve had the vaccines and started to open up our lives again, my focus has shifted and taking care of my health has moved to the back burner, until I had to admit in the last couple of months that I’d moved from one extreme set of imbalance to another.
Which is why my plans for 2023 include things I can do to level the scales, to achieve more balance in my life.
I’ve never been all that good at physical challenges, and I’ve certainly never attempted a virtual physical challenge, but since Covid forced us to abandon our North Coast 500 road trip halfway around, I thought that virtually walking the route would be a suitable challenge for the first part of the year.
I’m eight miles into my 500-mile journey around the north coast of Scotland and – if nothing else – getting in the miles will get my backside off my office chair and my gaze away from the computer screen for a little while each day.
I also hope that it will bring me many, many new words. During the lockdowns, I did much of my writing while out for walks, and I’m hoping to revive that habit. Which leads me neatly onto the second set of plans, which are all about books.
Last year, I launched my very own bookshop, worked regularly on my newsletters and Patreon page, released three books, and wrote a bunch of short stories.
In 2023, I’m hoping to add paperbacks and some unusual items to my store. There will be an Italian version of Job Hunt and a French version of House Hunt. I’m going to up my blogging schedule and… there will be new books.
My plans for 2023 don’t have a complete a publication schedule yet, because that has moving parts which are still out of my reach, but here’s an idea of what you can look forward to:
First, there’s Hiding Place, the story of Zac and Robert falling in love while renovating an old house with a secret.
Not too far before or after comes Grand Union Hunt, the next Dwight & Conrad Casefiles story, this time centred very much around Gareth and how far he’s prepared to go to make sure things are done just right.
A little further down the line is Zero Tolerance, the final book in Jack’s backstory, Zero Rising.
After that, things become a little nebulous, but on my list are A Simple Mistake, the next full-length Jack and Gareth book, Fan Bait, a Power of Zero side story, Claimed, the 3rd book in the Balance of Magic series, and Time in a Bottle, which is the companion story to last year’s Christmas novel A Box of Wishes.
I don’t think for a moment that they’ll all be published this year, but if I can make a reasonable dent in my list while still keeping up with the day job and getting a little bit more active for my own benefit, then I’ll be very happy.
As we all know, the best laid plans don’t always come to pass, but as I’m enjoying the first morning of sunshine of the New Year, I’m determined to make progress on some of these. Because the one thing I love more than anything else, and that never fails to give me pleasure, is writing books and chatting with readers.
It’s something I don’t want to put aside for anything else. Not even my own laziness when it comes to sports!
So that’s me sorted for the next twelve months. If you’re making your own plans, I wish you all the success in the world! And why not tell me in the comments what those plans are, because I would love to cheer you on.
October 23, 2022
Let's open A Box of Wishes
It has been a long time coming, but… I can finally offer you Ben & Ryan’s story all the way to their happy-for-now!
To celebrate, I’d love to share Ben and Ryan’s first meeting with you. Meeting scenes, whether the main characters just catch a glimpse of each other or actually interact, are some of my favourite scenes whether I’m reading or writing. How the characters meet and what they say or hold back is as intriguing in fiction as it is in real life.
In A Box of Wishes, both Ryan and Ben are working when they meet: Ryan, the caretaker with an unusual gift, and Ben, the protector with the softest imaginable heart. They each try to make the other comfortable, and each of them likes what he sees when he looks at the other. 😉
Ben found Top o’ the Morning just off the High Street in a small courtyard that also housed a knitting shop, a store selling fishing rods, a hairdresser, and a furniture arcade. Festive decor brightened each shop window, and a large Christmas tree, decorated in white except for one red bauble, occupied the centre of the square.
Should he celebrate Christmas? He could buy a treat or two for Morris, wrap them, and arrange them under a tree. Or was it pathetic to—
Negative, defeatist thoughts were common after a long night spent near sleepless. Ben acknowledged them, then put them aside. He was here to work. Contemplating Christmas trees could wait.
Golden light spilled from the coffeehouse’s windows along with the enticing scent of freshly baked goods, and Ben’s stomach woke up and roared its displeasure.
Inside, the scent of warm bread twined with the aromas of sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and made his mouth water. Almost as much as the man behind the counter.
Ben stopped in his tracks. Blinked. Had he just…?
He had.
In his defence, he’d have to be blind to ignore this man.
The barista wore a dark green apron over close-fitting black jeans and a long-sleeved top. He was slight, with warm brown eyes, a mobile mouth, and shoulder-length auburn hair that he’d pulled back into a tight tail. And the mirror running the length of the wall behind the bar showed him to be just as decorative from the back as he was from the front.
“Good morning, sir,” he greeted when Ben reached the bar. “How do you like your caffeine?”
“What?”
The man gestured, lips stretching into a welcoming smile. “You’re up early and barely awake. How do you like your caffeine?”
“You reported a break-in,” Ben said. “I’m DS Hobart, Northamptonshire Police.”
The smile grew a little wider. “I knew you weren’t one of my regulars. Thank you for coming so quickly. Now, before you ask me all your questions, can I offer you breakfast?”
Ben stared longingly at the ham and cheese croissants that must have come out of the oven not long since. His stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t just skipped breakfast, but dinner, too. First things first, though. “Would you have tea?”
“Of course. Grab a seat. I’ll bring it right over.”
It wasn’t standard procedure for investigating burglaries, but if the owner of the coffeehouse needed to look after people to keep his composure, Ben would let him do so.
He ignored the Christmas trees dripping baubles and ribbon at each end of the long room and sat in the nook beside the unlit fireplace, imagining a roaring fire in the grate and the coffeehouse filled with an afternoon crowd, enjoying scones and jam, Danishes, and cheesecake with their tea.
It was easy to do.
Despite the stainless-steel counter and the high-tech coffee equipment behind it, the room felt warm and inviting. A space to stop in the daily rush and relax for a while.
Ben had spent much time in coffeeshops when he’d first moved to Manchester. Sat at a small table and read, baffled the baristas with requests for speciality teas, watched the other patrons and guessed at the kinds of lives they led.
Then he’d met Keith and his coffee shop outings had stopped.
Now he lived in a house with half the furnishings missing. With marks on the walls where pictures had told stories, and bookshelves that showed bare patches. He’d done nothing to the house since Keith had left. He’d stayed away from people and buried himself in work and workouts until he even forgot to go shopping for food. His home reeked of loneliness and heartache, with Morris the only bright, welcoming spot in his life. The tabby might go out for hours at a time, but he’d never desert Ben. Morris was loyal. Faithful. The way Keith hadn’t been.
“Here you are.” The barista’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. The soft baritone fit with the space, as much as the Christmas lights draping the walls, the trees in the corners, or the wooden tray that held a proper teapot, a cup and saucer, and two plates. A large cheese and ham croissant lay on one, a cherry and white chocolate muffin on the other.
It was what Ben would have chosen if he’d placed an order. “You watched me,” he accused, cheeks burning.
“That’s my job.” The man slid into the seat opposite. “I’m Ryan O’Shaughnessy. I own this joint,” he said, and watched while Ben poured himself a large cup of tea, added a little milk, and raised it to his nose to inhale the fragrant steam.
“You reported a break-in,” Ben began when he’d soothed his empty stomach with the croissant and muffin and had coaxed a third cup of tea from the pot.
“I did.” Ryan’s chin rested on his folded hands. He hadn’t moved while Ben enjoyed his breakfast. “I found the back door forced when I got here at five. My office looks like a tip. And don’t worry, detective. I only peeked in from the doorway. I’ve not touched a thing.”
“You sound calmer than most burglary victims I get to see. Could you tell whether they’ve taken anything?”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “Like I said, I’ve not checked. Nobody touched the cash register. I’m not sure if they even came in here. All the damage is in my office. They’ve upended my filing cabinets and turned out all the drawers in my desk. I don’t know what they were after. Not money or my recipes, I don’t think.”
“Why not?”
“I lock my recipe book in the safe along with the petty cash, and the safe appears undisturbed.”
“Your recipe book… I take it that’s valuable?”
“My most valuable asset.” He waved his hand at the furniture and equipment. “All this is insured. My recipe collection? Not so easy to replace. Though…”
“Yes?”
Ryan shrugged. “It’s a recipe book. It’s not much use to anyone but another baker. I mean… you can’t sell it or anything.”
“You’d be surprised what you can sell. Do you keep cash on the premises?”
“About two hundred in petty cash. That’s in the safe. Front of house… most people pay by card. I keep a little cash on hand for change. Fifty quid at most. If there’s more, I bank it at night.”
Ben finished his tea and closed his notebook. “May I see your office?”
“Of course.” Ryan led the way into the back of the coffeehouse to a small room that looked as if a tornado had paid a visit. It wasn’t an unfamiliar sight, and Ben retrieved his notebook and got to work.
***
I imagine that first meetings can be as nerve-wracking as a release day. For me, the latter don’t happen often enough to become routine, and I’m determined to enjoy mine as much as I can. If you’ve pre-ordered your copy of A Box of Wishes, a download link should be in your inbox.
And if you haven’t yet met Ben and Ryan, then why not order your copy here?
