Liz Fielding's Blog, page 4
March 11, 2024
When the book no longer comes first…
I’ve just emerged, blinking into the light, rather like Mole in Wind in the Willows. ‘Up we go! Up we go! Till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight and he found himself rolling in the grass of a great meadow.’
Okay, I’m not rolling in a great meadow – it’s still a bit chilly and damp for that kind of madness here in West Sussex in the middle of March but in another month there will be bluebells and who knows what I’ll be tempted to do then.
Glued to the keyboard
I have spent the winter glued to my keyboard, writing the third of my Maybridge Murder Mysteries. For days I was not aware whether it was raining, snowing, or if the sun was shining while trying to figure out — along with my sleuth Abby Finch — whodunnit. Now, having finally sent the manuscript to my editor for her feedback so that, between us, we can knock it into shape for publication I feel exactly like Mole.
(Her trusted editor is an author’s best friend. I refer you to Cautionary tales of indie authors and editors – Liberta Books on the absolute necessity of this stage even after nearly eighty books.)
Emerging into daylight
Image by Jill Wellington from PixabayI have emerged to daffodils and willow catkins in the hedgerow, there are camelias flowering in gardens, magnolias are budding and like Mole I’m saying to myself ‘This is fine!’ and ‘…after the seclusion of the cellarage he had lived in so long the carol of happy birds fell on his dulled hearing almost like a shout.’
There’s a kind of giddy freedom to being able to take an afternoon off without thinking I Should Be Writing – The Book Comes First. No guilt about taking a couple of hours to go out to lunch with a friend. No guilt about having a lie in and listening to some drama on Radio4Extra. (There’s been a Daphne du Maurier season on recently). To pick up a book written by someone else and get lost in a story.
It’s not all good news
Of course it’s not all good news. The minute I send off a manuscript I realise all the stuff I should have put in there — but that’s for revisions so I make a note and move on. No, it’s the fact that when I finally hit “send” and raise my head from my desk, the sunshine is lighting up the dust lying on shelves and the windows that haven’t been cleaned because The Book Comes First.
I can no longer look at a pile of ironing and say that will have to wait because The Book Comes First.
So the first week becomes the spring cleaning and reading week. Housework in the morning. Reading in the afternoon.
Spring cleaning
Image by StockSnap from PixabayI can no longer ignore the fact that while I was writing – the best part of twelve hours at day at the end – other stuff wasn’t being done because The Book Comes First. (That phrase is beginning sound obsessive, but believe me, I said it myself at least once every day for weeks!)
I may not be splashing whitewash on the walls of Fielding Towers, but like Mole I have had to do a serious amount of spring cleaning and get to grips with some things that have been bugging me even while I was saying that phrase.
The office
I have cleared my desk and removed post-it notes from my cupboard doors that I hadn’t looked at for months. I’ve tested dozens of pens, sharpies, markers and disposed of a large number that were no longer working. Disposed of papers, magazines and a heaps of catalogue that arrive in my letterbox every week. My accounts are up to date and everything is filed.
I have been through my wardrobe and taken a load of clothes to the charity shop – and binned a few that no one would want, including me. Pink socks…? Really?
I’ve bought new organisers for my kitchen cupboards. (I’m a big fan of Stacey Solomon’s Sort Your Life Out.)
I have ordered peat free compost for the garden and I’ve even repotted the avocado stone that I stuck in a pot and put out in the garden last summer and much to my surprise grew. It’s a bit wonky because it got lost among a lot of other pots and had to fight its way, like mole, into the light. Next week I’m going to tackle the garden if it stays dry.
I have even made new covers for a couple of my romance backlist and republished them – that’s not work, that’s fun.
…with the cupboards sorted, the windows gleaming, the desk clear, it’s time to start brainstorming the next book when the whole process will start all over again.
February 7, 2024
YouTube Interview…
January 13, 2024
What I’ve been reading…
The temperature has been bitingly cold – and there’s been a bit of snow – so while I’ve been writing during the day, I’ve been catching up on my reading during the evening.
First up is the latest in the Libby Sarjeant murder mystery series from Lesley Cookman. Libby is an old friend and it’s always a joy to catch up what’s happening in her corner of Kent.
Cozy? Cosy? However you spell it murder is brutalWhen a man’s body is found bludgeoned to death in a doorway, Libby has to work hard to unravel this mysterious death but undeterred and with her fellow sleuth Fran at her side, she leaves no stone unturned, or pub unvisited, in her effort to find out who murdered Dickie Marsham.
Moving on to Norfolk…
My next read is the second book in Kate Hardy‘s Georgina Drake Murder Mysteries .
In the first book, The Body at Rookery Barn, we were introduced to Georgina, a widowed photographer, who has moved to the country where she isn’t constantly reminded of her much loved husband.
Kate gives us the Norfolk landscape, the village where Georgina lives and is making friends. And then she gives us a ghost whispering in Georgina’s ear, warning her not to go into the barn, now converted into holiday accommodation, because there’s a body in there.
The Body in the Ice HouseMoving on, when a body is found in the ice house where Georgie is taking photographs for the guide book a country manor house and estate, she is drawn into the mystery out of concern for her friends who immediately come under suspicion.
Once again working with DI Colin Bradshaw (I doubt the name Colin is accidental – he is, apparently Mr Darcy) and with a little help from her ghost, Doris, they hunt down the killer.
And when Georgie’s beloved spaniel uncovers the bones of a long dead young woman there is another mystery to solve. This time just for Georgie and Doris. (That’s Kate’s own spaniel, btw)
Set in stunning countryside, as English as afternoon tea, this second book in the series has a very sure touch and it was a delight to spend more time with Georgie and her friends.
You can pre-order here.
And then there’s the Queen
I have loved S J Bennett‘s books featuring HM in the role of sleuth in her last decade, and wondered how she would move on after her death.
Easily, is the answer, by going back in time to 1957 when the Queen, on a State visit to Paris, realises that her visit is being sabotaged and that one of the trusted “men in moustaches” is a traitor.
With the help of the magnificent Joan McGraw – Irish, from the East End and not at all welcomed by the well-entrenched courtiers – she searches for those who are doing their best to undermine her reign. And then there is the murder of the “tart in diamonds”.
This is close to home. Phillip was with the men who were there that night and Elizabeth knows he lied about his whereabouts. Could he be involved?
Engrossing, and full of fascinating insights into the life of royal. Much recommended.
You can pre-order here.
December 31, 2023
My year
The year is nearly at an end and I couldn’t let it pass without a little reflection on how different it has been for me. This was the year of the great change, from thirty years of writing romance to becoming a published crime writer.
Murder Among the Roses was a book of the heart. A story that had been sitting, half-formed, in the bottom of my desk for years. It was a story I longed to tell but with a constant demand for my romances, I’d had no time to write.
Then the world changed.
LockdownIn the bleakness of lockdown, the shocking daily statistics on the news, many of us considered the future and whether indeed we would have one. It was an “if not now, when?” moment.
I delivered the last book on the contract for my romances, informed the wonderful editor that I’d worked with for twenty years, that I was taking six months out to write a story that wouldn’t go away, and I set to work.
It wasn’t easy. Writing crime, I quickly discovered, has different requirements than romance. Many more characters for a start. But I set my story in a familiar place, Maybridge, which has featured in many of my romances. It gave me a frame, a place where I felt at home.
The characters
I already had my heroine, my sleuth, and her family and that life changing moment when she found the bones of long buried baby.
Gradually I found my other characters, her extended family, her neighbours, a friend she’d found at a bleak moment and someone from the past. And 85,000 words later I had my story.
Oops…My first audience was at the Romantic Novelists’ Association conference, where the first 1,000 words were read out by someone who knew nothing about the story, or who had written it.
She did a good job. It got a laugh and then, as I was listening I heard the exact moment when it fell flat.
Backstory.
In an effort to create sympathy for my character, instead of driving the story forward, I’d slipped into backstory. After more than seventy books I’d made a classic rookie mistake.
I couldn’t wait to get home to fix it and then, after another read through to check that I hadn’t put a brake on the story anywhere else, I sent it out into the world, high on hope.
Back to the beginning
I was starting over in a new genre and this is a tough business. I’ve been a part of it long enough to know that even with a long and successful career behind me it wasn’t going to be easy to find a publisher.
There were rejections . I expected that. I was even prepared to publish the story myself.
Then an email arrived from a senior commissioning editor at Joffe Books saying that she loved the book… I was waiting for the inevitable “but”.
It didn’t come.
She wanted to talk to me, suggested a time and, after that conversation. she offered me a contract for a three book series. I gave me the kind of notes that come from a great editor to strengthen the book.
A two-book year!
So this year there have been two Maybridge Murder Mysteries starring my amateur sleuth, Abby Finch.
The first, Murder Among the Roses, now has over 1000 5* ratings on Amazon, and some truly wonderful reviews.
The second, Murder Under the Mistletoe, published at the beginning of November, (still at the launch price of 99p/99c) already has nearly 700 5* ratings.
As 2024 approaches, I am hard at work on the third book in the series which will be published in late spring.
What further adventures await both Abby Finch, and her creator I have yet to discover, but the lesson is learned. This life is not a rehearsal.
Carpe diem. Seize the day.
Wishing you all a wonderful New Year, filled with adventure, achievement, joy and a whole load of diems carped.
December 17, 2023
The accidental historical
The great Leigh Michaels believes that we need a new book category – the accidental historical.
Read all about it today on the Liberta Books blog.
December 5, 2023
English Crime Novels for a Winter’s Night
Strand Magazine in the United States asked me to write a blog for them on English crime novels for a winter’s night.
Here’s the link –
November 18, 2023
Reading series novels…
I have noticed, when reading reviews of Murder Under the Mistletoe, that several people said that they wished they’d read Murder Among the Roses first.One reviewer mentioned that she’d stopped and bought the first book, before reading on.I can understand that.Even if I later pick up books out of order in a series – library reads, charity shop buys – I always try to read the first in a series before piling in. Meeting the characters
Jake SullivanIt’s where the characters lives are set up, where you learn about their relationships and what, in their past, has made them who they are.
In Murder Among the Roses, you’ll have met Abby, seen her discover the bones of long buried baby and know how that incident rebounded on everyone she knows and loves.
Abby FinchYou’ll have met Jake, and know their backstory,
And you’ll have taken an instant dislike to Abby’s soon to be ex husband (soon to be dead husband!) and Izzy, the glamorous – and pregnant – woman he’s planning to marry as soon as the divorce is finalized.
You’ll have met Abby’s children, her gossipy neighbours, June and Beattie and the other people who – for good or ill – are important in her life.Both Maybridge Murder Mystery books are on sale at the bargain price of only 0.99 at the moment – cheaper than a cup of coffee for both of them.And in case you’re still not sure, here’s what the Seattle Times had to say about Murder Under the Mistletoe.“If you’re someone who has already decorated for Christmas, Liz Fielding’s “Murder Under the Mistletoe,” the second novel in her Maybridge Murder Mysteries series, may be your ideal crime read this month. Besides its cozy, visceral small-town English setting, Fielding creates a world where the characters feel like old friends, and her writing goes down easy, like a glass of milk and a plate of your favorite holiday cookies.” Seattle Times, November 15, 2023
Happy sigh! Here’s the link to my Amazon page where both books are on sale for 99p/99c
November 5, 2023
Why romance writers turn to crime
Just a very quick note to let you know that I’ve talked to a number of romance writers who have crossed over to the crime genre – not always exclusively. If you want to read what they have to say, click on this link to the Liberta Books site
November 3, 2023
Save the date!
Excitement is building, because that’s the date when Murder Under the Mistletoe, the second Maybridge Murder Mystery, will be hitting the tablets, kindles, phones of everyone who has hit the pre-order button at Amazon at the launch price of 99p/99c.
Cheaper than your spiced latte!
NetgalleyThe book has been on Netgalley for a week or two andthe reviews are already coming in.
“This book proved to be the ideal cozy mystery, perfectly timed for the holiday season.”
“Fielding kept me so entertained with her witty dialogue, endearing characters, and the warm Christmas spirit that permeates the plot. Murder Under the Mistletoe includes cozy fireside scenes, heartwarming moments, and the magic of Christmas that’s smoothly woven into the story.”
“Fielding’s writing provides a heartwarming sense of community and the importance of coming together during the holiday season. She successfully blends the murder investigation with the spirit of Christmas.”
“Murder Under the Mistletoe is a brilliantly executed cozy mystery that really captures the essence of Christmas and delivers a captivating and well-crafted whodunit. Liz Fielding’s writing will warm your heart, tickle your intellect, and keep you on the edge of your seat. This has been the perfect.”
No worries – I have just republished A Surprise Christmas Proposal, a lovely Christmas romcom that will fill the bill. I’ve linked it to Amazon, but it’s available to download from your favourite platform, again – because it’s the holiday season – for 99p/99c
October 25, 2023
Shortlisted!
I heard this week that Murder Among the Roses has been shortlisted for The People’s Book Prize – founding patron, Beryl Bainbridge, present patron Frederick Forsyth .
The announcement came completely out of the blue.
I’d never heard of this book prize, but it’s a literary competition aimed at finding, supporting and promoting new and undiscovered works — an unlike other literary prizes is decided exclusively by the public. who can vote online on three shortlists – fiction, non-fiction and children’s fiction.
Publishers can submit up to three titles and the fact that Joffe Books has three books shortlisted in the fiction category this year is a testament to their excellent editorial standards and great author list.
If you enjoyed Murder Among the Roses, you can vote here!
