Mik Mehrtens's Blog

Thanks Pamela

Pamela Eden gave The Maudlin Wives Inn Book 2 its first review, and a five star review at that! 

Thank you Pamela for your awesome review. Xxxxx
Mik and Drew

Esther's back

Esther Quill is back in another adventure from The Maudlin Wives Inn series.

There's just nothing like spending time in Fishermans Rest when Esther tries to convince mourners that she's not dead, negotiate a driving lesson agreement with the DI, arrange a country fair by the seaside with the kind of attractions only Esther Quill would dream up and solve the mystery of who seems to be trying to buy up the village.
But the second book in the series also answers the question, "what kind of child grows up to be someone like Esther?" and gives the uninitiated a lesson on psychology from the point of view of a coffee shop owner. You may never look at your cafe receipt the same way again. Let Esther inspire you to live a life worth living. 

Why not grab yourself a freebie on us? Enter your name and email below to download an extended sneak peek. You'll also get exclusive freebies when we release them to our Goodies friends. (We hate spam even more than you do and only email you when we have something cool to give you.)

- Mik and Drew
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Esther's about to make another entrance

It feels like it has been a long time in coming, but The Maudlin Wives Inn book 2 is almost out at last.
It has been a longer wait than anticipated, partly because we've been working on book 2 and book 3 at the same time, given the links weaving through both of them. (There's a reason why DI John Smith has been featuring in one of the main banners on our website.) 

We're sooo looking forward to setting the second book free really soon.

But, for those in our Goodies club (it's free to join) the first Esther Extra will arrive first, just squeaking in ahead of the big arrival by a nose (albeit one protected from Nana Fluffy's namesakes.)

Love,

Mik and Drew

Mik and Drew on who does what

By Drew

"Which one of you does what? I mean, it says Mik and Drew on the cover, so do you both write the book?"

That's a question we get asked a lot. Simply put, it depends on the book. One of us usually takes the lead for a given series, but when it comes down to the real hard graft, we tend to spilt into two major roles: character and plotting. Mik's strength is character and mine is plot.

When I'm asked to pick which one is most important, I say they are both important, but for different reasons. However, without great characters you won't have a series where people will want to return.

But then, without a decent plot for those characters to deal with, there'd be no direction and no feeling of satisfaction at the end, since nothing would have been wrapped up.

Yet, even after the plot gives the story bones and basic musculature, people will tend to remember the characters first and last. At times, it's almost as if the plot is needed to give the characters something to do and to give us as readers satisfaction and fulfillment, but emotionally, the plot is easily forgotten with the ease of a "who cares" shrug of the shoulders.

The thing is, with a series like The Maudlin Wives Inn, the plot is a mystery that is secondary to the characters, but without which, the book will feel vapid. So, that's why Mik leads The Maudlin Wives Inn from the point of character - setting Esther loose on the world - and then I follow with the boring plotty bits, while trying to make most of the clues as invisible as possible. Then we do it again together a million more times until we're happy.

So it's character first on the bones of a general plot, then the plot muscles and tendons are welded to the bones and the character is laid over everything again providing the contours and outer skin. 

As for plot, we also try to make sure that even though it can feel like it takes ages for the master plot of the book to become obvious, the first clues were laid out right at the very start. You'll see the same thing in the Two Old Twitchers series. If you knew what you were looking for, you would have found the main clues provided right up front. But hopefully, not enough to know which of the many paths are dead ends and which lead to the solution or unmasking.

However, for Mik and I, the fun is always in the journey with the characters. Each book is a summer road trip of sorts. Mik makes sure fun people are invited and I make sure I navigate us correctly to the destination. In that way, you can trust the trip will be worth it in the end and that it's always fun getting there.

Loving our latest cover for The Maudlin Wives Inn Book 3!

After what felt like a million versions in as many months, (prone to exaggerating? Who me?) I was about to find a wall to bang my head on when out of the blue, Mik said "what about the smoothie?"

The scene: Me (Drew) at the computer with a virtual trash can full of rejected covers for The Maudlin Wives Inn Book 3; Mik's  sanguine nature finally starting to sag. Normally, I might have questioned the idea of a strawberry smoothie on a plate as the best idea for a book with a wedding theme, but I was too tired to argue. ('At last,' you could almost hear Mik think.)

And then it happened. Just like it had with the first two covers. And the pattern hit us both at the same moment... The ones that work come together ridiculously fast. Unlike the rejected covers which were the results of hours agonising over every stubborn step. We looked at each other and had exactly the same comment.

"If they don't come together quickly, they're not going to work." 

Didn't Elton John say the same thing about composing songs once too? The thing was, we were starting to regret hemming ourselves in with our original design principles. The series logo and text has to be in the same place on every cover and every cover is to feature a food or beverage on a white plate shot from above; no three-quarter angles and always a space on the top of the item for the logo.

Frankly, I was surprised the smoothie worked. Nice of Mik never to say "I told you so."

Oh, and in case you're wondering why Mik thought of a strawberry smoothie,  the third book features strawberry wedding smoothies. Of the blended kind. Not the cheesy kind.

And romance. Pretty intense romance. And more mysteries - plural. Yup. It's an awesome dose of Esther.

Anyway here it is! The new cover for the third book in The Maudlin Wives Inn series! Wahoo!

- Drew

Marie Forleo rocks!

With the first of her own books due out soon, our (just turned 13) daughter Olivia-Leigh has just started developing her own digital publishing company (Spycat Publishing) with her own vision and style and she was excited to have her first ever interview with the wonderful Marie Forleo in October.

From our perspective, Marie and her team were so incredible in the way they communicated and set it up and made it so easy for Olivia to have her first international interview. Marie, Audrey and Louise - you gals rock!
Who is Marie Forleo?
Marie Forleo is known to deliver the most innovative and highest quality small business and personal development training in the industry.

She is a marketing and lifestyle expert who inspires countless individuals with her business and marketing advice. Marie was recently interviewed by Tony Robbins for his DVD program The New Money Masters and Sir Richard Branson invited her to South Africa to mentor other young entrepreneurs in the art of creative hustle at his Centre for Entrepreneurship. She’s been featured on Oprah Radio, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fast Company, Glamour Magazine, Self Magazine and The Rachel Ray Show.
 
Marie is the author of a bestselling book in 11 languages, has over 90,000 subscriber in 188 countries around the world, 4 top selling fitness DVDs and a weekly online show called MarieTV that’ll make you laugh so hard you’ll snort your soy latte…and leads dynamic training programs that teach individuals to succeed in business.

Coming soon: The Maudlin Wives Inn - Book 2

I couldn't wait to get back to writing about Esther Quill and am delighted to announce that book two is on its way. 

I've gone for a bit more of the romance in this one and have introduced some lovely and not so lovely new characters who, together with the wonderful regulars of Sinbad, Mrs Kent, Jimmy, Tillie and Nana Fluffy, make Fisherman's Rest the best place to hang out for the summer.

Instead of me rabbiting on about it, I thought I would just give you a sample, I hope you enjoy it.


The Maudlin Wives Inn - Book 2 excerpt

“You need to get everyone talking,” Mrs Kent said looking at me with her admonishing face.

I nodded. “I will try.”

I lifted a can with a foghorn on the top designed to quieten crowds. I had especially procured it for such an event and was delighted I was actually able to use it. I raised it high in the air and everyone who could see me covered their ears. 
I pressed the thingy I was meant to press and waited. As did everybody, as one by one, word had spread via elbows. The room went silent and all eyes were on me. 
I would get this. I just needed everyone to be quiet and patient. “I’ll be with you all in a minute, I just need to twist this thingy, oops, no, maybe a little shake, nooo, okay how about a big shake. Now press thingy.” I succeeded in getting a sound out of it, a sort of hissing, strangled noise.

As quick as you like, the can was grabbed out of my hand by Sinbad, flung across the bar to Hamilton, who quickly flung it out the inn door, causing everybody to turn around and face the road where the can suddenly popped in a sort of wet, fizzy way. Many eyes turned back to me.

“Now that I have your attention,” I began, “we can get to the matter at hand. The matter is delicate as it seems to concern many in the village and we don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable. So, some sod, or sods are trying to buy up our village. What are you going to do about it?”

The room erupted into discussions and accusations and even one or two shouting matches. I looked at the stunned face of Mrs Kent. 

“Everyone talking - check.” I said.

“I didn’t mean all at once!” Mrs Kent said.

“Look at that man there,” I said pointing to that man there. “He’s not talking.”

Mrs Kent got an evil glint in her eye. “Then you can’t quite say check can you dear?”

All about The Maudlin Wives Inn

After the research that went into writing Two Old Twitchers I felt like a change. I'd been liberated somewhat by finally getting a book out and now I just wanted to write in a completely different way on a completely different subject for no reason other than because I could. 

Turns out that it's a great reason to write. The first few pages took a bit of work but once I had the voice just the way I wanted it I was away and Esther Quill was born. 

Esther is an amazing character. She looks at life from a whole different perspective and as such gets herself into some fun situations, which, as a writer, are interesting to get her out of. 

If I were to write the boring blurb bit that you see on the backs of books it would go something like this: Esther fell in love with a building on England's Cornish Coast in a village named Fisherman's Rest. The building was an old tavern from the 1700's that due to a local tragedy was renamed The Maudlin Wives Inn.  
Esther took the inn and turned it into a cafe and bookshop and whilst establishing her business, set about solving the mystery of what exactly happened with the tragedy that gave the inn it's name. She does this with the help of the locals.

But I'm not a big fan of the boring blurb bits as I'm not a big fan of boring in general. So I'll leave you with a conversation that shows what The Maudlin Wives Inn is like.

"We will be putting this town on the map!" declared Mrs. Kent loudly to the assembled throng of village folk that had set up their headquarters in my Inn.

I raised my hand. 

Mrs. Kent beamed at me. "Yes, Esther?"

"It's already there."

The beam dimmed.

"What's already there, dear?"

"Fishermans Rest."

She was becoming confused. 

My boredom was dissipating by the second.

"Fishermans Rest is already where, dear?"

"On the map. It's how I found it to begin with. Followed the little red line till it became an even littler red line. The red line stopped. This was at the end of it."

Silence.

I had made my point.

I might attend more of these meetings. 

***

Mik

Mik on the Story of The Two Old Twitchers

Charles Perrin and Tom Worthington are to this day, two of my favourite characters of all time. Finding them in my brain was a revelation and one I am very proud of even though they didn't come about easily. 

It all started with an idea for a TV series I was writing which never really had a name other than a tentative one of Full Circle. That to me should have been the giveaway that this idea wouldn't fly, but in saying that, it was great practice. I wrote six episodes of it and very quickly came to the conclusion that while the premise was good something crucial was lacking. Full Circle consisted of a group of five mature women who, through their community contacts and years of life experience went about solving crimes. It was familiar and comfortable. What it wasn't was right. Then one day, doing housework I heard a word on television that stuck with me no matter what I did to shift it. Twitchers. A very odd word indeed but one that for me, worked. Suddenly I had the platform on which Full Circle would work. Full Circle would be cut up and absorbed into a whole new concept, a book about two older chaps, famous in their field and well respected, who through circumstances beyond their control, end up in a village in England's Newforest with four rather wonderful female friends. They were four of the five women characters I had loved so much from Full Circle. 

So, the hard yards of rewriting and creating began all over again but this time the idea was sound and best of all, complete. I adore Charles and Tom and their dynamic, and hope that the adventures they get up to, the people they are surrounded by and the way they handle life is as enjoyable to you as it was to me.

Mik Mehrtens

All about The Maudlin Wives Inn

By Mik

After the research that went into writing Two Old Twitchers I felt like a change. I'd been liberated somewhat by finally getting a book out and now I just wanted to write in a completely different way on a completely different subject for no reason other than because I could. 

Turns out that it's a great reason to write. The first few pages took a bit of work but once I had the voice just the way I wanted it I was away and Esther Quill was born. 
Esther is an amazing character. She looks at life from a whole different perspective and as such gets herself into some fun situations, from which, as a writer, are interesting to get her out. 

If I were to write the boring blurb bit that you see on the backs of books it would go something like this: Esther fell in love with a building on England's Cornish Coast in a village named Fisherman's Rest. The building was an old tavern from the 1700's that due to a local tragedy was renamed The Maudlin Wives Inn. 

Esther took the inn and turned it into a cafe and bookshop and whilst establishing her business, set about solving the mystery of what exactly happened with the tragedy that gave the inn it's name. She does this with the help of the locals.

But I'm not a big fan of the boring blurb bits as I'm not a big fan of boring in general. So I'll leave you with a conversation that shows what The Maudlin Wives Inn is like.

Teaser:

"We will be putting this town on the map!" declared Mrs. Kent loudly to the assembled throng of village folk that had set up their headquarters in my Inn.

I raised my hand. 

Mrs. Kent beamed at me. "Yes, Esther?"

"It's already there."

The beam dimmed.

"What's already there, dear?"

"Fishermans Rest."

She was becoming confused. 

My boredom was dissipating by the second.

"Fishermans Rest is already where, dear?"

"On the map. It's how I found it to begin with. Followed the little red line till it became an even littler red line. The red line stopped. This was at the end of it."

Silence.

I had made my point.

I might attend more of these meetings. 

***

(Read another excerpt here)

Mik