Kath Middleton's Blog, page 7

National Novel Writing Month

This year I'm once again taking part in National Novel Writing Month - affectionately known as NaNoWriMo. I've done it before, successfully one the first occasion, and have a novel length book in my TBP pile (To Be Published). Last year I got part way through and decided that this book was going to change course. With the pressure to hammer out over 1600 words every single day in November, I didn't have the time to go back and redo it so it fell by the wayside, only to be taken up and altered at a more considered pace.

This year, I'm writing a science fiction story and rather enjoying it. It's not an outer space one; no battles or death stars. It's firmly based on earth. I think it's scarier that way! 

As I write, I have over 20,000 words down. And counting! 

Author Chat - Katherine Roberts

We're approaching Halloween and today's interviewee has a book set at this time of year, so I've put her under the spotlight.

Welcome to my blog, Katherine. In the run-up to Halloween, the first spooky thing is that your name was my maiden name. I do a double-take whenever I see it!
 
Thank you! I always do a double-take when I see your married name... am I talking to a Duchess?
 
No, sorry. I come from a long line of commoners! You have an impressive list of books available. Can you begin by telling me about your writing journey? You started off with a traditional publisher, I believe?
 
If it had been possible to publish indie without spending thousands of pounds on a print run, I might have started a bit earlier! But we didn't have ebooks or print-on-demand in those days, so the traditional route was the one everyone chased. After a frustrating seven years of sending manuscripts around to publishers, my first novel "Song Quest" was picked off the slush pile by the editor who discovered Harry Potter, and went on to win the inaugural Branford Boase Award for a debut book for young readers.
 
Excellent! Your books are mainly fantasy, science fiction and historical stories for young adults. Have you always written for this audience? I’d have thought they were a tough crowd?
 
Not always. During those seven years it took me to find my first publisher, I wrote a lot of short SF, fantasy and horror fiction (hence my Halloween-themed title “Spellfall”!) for various indie magazines with an adult readership... also short romance under a pseudonym for the women's magazines that made some actual money. But fantasy was my passion, though I always assumed I'd write fantasy for adult readers - in fact, "Song Quest" started out life as an adult novel and was edited for younger readers, though not much needed taking out since it was never THAT kind of adult. So I suppose my style must suit the teen/YA crowd, though quite a few adults enjoy my books too, especially the more historical ones such as my Alexander the Great epic "I am the Great Horse". I've only branched into younger fiction quite recently with my King Arthur's daughter books published by Templar.
 
I love the Arthurian legends, and your Great Horse is an excellent story. What kind of books do you read yourself?
 
I started out with pony books as a child, then became a big fan of Anne MacCaffrey as a teenager. After falling in love with "The Lord of the Rings", I devoured all the big fantasy series - David Eddings springs to mind - and then I had a King Arthur phase, which is probably where my interest in history/legend comes from. These days I tend to read more widely and prefer single books, but I still enjoy horses in fiction and recently discovered Jojo Moyes through her book "The Horse Dancer".
 
Is there a book you really wish you’d written?
 
I'm always discovering books I admire, but every author is different, and I think it's important to write your own book not someone else's. Sometimes, though, when I'm examining my bank statements and panicking about the coming changes to the state pension age for women, I wish I'd written Harry Potter...
 
Yes, better to be the first Katherine Roberts than another J K Rowling - but...
What’s your next literary ambition?
 
To conquer Createspace so I can get some of my out-of-print titles back into (real) print.

Not easy. Without a friend's help I'd be stuck. Thanks for joining me on my blog - and happy Halloween! 

​If you'd like to read Spellfall it's available on Amazon here and until Halloween it's at the special offer price of 99p/99c.
And here's a sneak preview of the new Createspace cover for the forthcoming paperback.

Author Chat - David Haynes

Hi Dave, and welcome to my blog. You’re known (as Mr Macabre!) for your horror stories. Have you always read/written horror, or did life thrust it upon you, so to speak?
 
Hello and thank you for inviting me.
 
In my teens I read a lot of Stephen King. And I mean a lot. Not quite exclusively but almost!
 
My best friend, Rich, got me started. He had a copy of Salem's Lot he'd borrowed from the library and when I saw the cover I thought, Wow! That looks scary. I NEED TO READ IT! And that was that. I was hooked.
 
I actually read IT a bit later – marvellous book about a clown.
 
As for writing horror stories? I shied away from it for my first two books if only because I love the genre so much, I didn't want to spoil it in my own mind by not doing it justice. It still worries me now. But you write what you love and I love horror!
 
In my previous occupation in the police I saw things that would make your hair stand on end. That's why I cut most of mine off. I was sick of all the spiky hair styles.
It's hard not to let those things shape your life so for it to influence my writing was probably inevitable.
 
I read a fair bit of horror in my youth – I was reading while others were mis-spending theirs!
Do your family and friends read your work? If so, what do they think?
 
Unfortunately most of my family have an aversion to horror so, no they don't read it. My wife has read some of it but again, she doesn't like to be scared. When I finish one, I'll give her the run down and then she always asks, 'Will I like it?'
The answer is invariably a resounding, no!
I suppose I could lie and tell her she'd love it and watch her reaction when she reads something a bit grim. That might be fun!
 
I can see why you’re known as Mr Macabre now!
Plotter or pantster? Do you plot tightly before you write, or do you have a broad idea and dive in and write by the seat of your pants?
 
I'm a pantster and interestingly I like to write in just my pants. Or if it's a cold day, pants, (special lucky) socks and a t-shirt.
That all started when I used to try and grab a few minutes here and there to write and one day I was in mid-change of clothes. I wrote what I thought was good so I've stuck with it.
 
I've tried planning and it just doesn't work for me. I know a lot of people will cringe when I say this but, and I think Stephen King said, something along these lines, 'If I don't know what's going to happen in my story then the reader most certainly won’t.'
For me that works but for others I know it doesn't.
 
Agreed – I can’t plan to the inch but I do know where it’s going.
Do you have a writing routine?
 
For years I wrote at the same time, in the same place and for the same amount of time. I had to because time has always been precious. Getting into that routine was probably the most important thing I did for my writing – training my brain to know when it was time to write.
 
Now, time is less of a problem. The issue now is finding a position to sit/stand/lie that's pain free for long enough. I move about a lot now, from room to room, from position to position. I could write a version of the Karma Sutra for writing positions.
 
You might have a best seller on your hands there! Go for it!
What are your influences, either in books or in film? Some of your work would make brilliant movie fodder!
 
Early influences in film and TV would be the Hammer House of Horror television series, Tales of the Unexpected and the Hammer films. My dad was a huge fan of all of them and let me watch them with him. Of course then we'd both get in bother because I'd be up half the night having nightmares.
 
When I think back to some of the films I watched in the eighties they all influenced me too. I'm talking about Lost Boys, Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, Friday the thirteenth, The Fly, Gremlins, Alien, Poltergeist, An American Werewolf in London. All classics and all watched on our dazzling 'top loading' VHS with a remote control on a length of cable we trailed across the room.
 
Other authors I read were Richard Laymon, Dean Koontz, Shaun Hutson, James Herbert. All wonderful writers of horror.
I was also introduced to a writer called John Irving. He's nothing to do with horror but his characters are probably the best I've read. All of his characters influenced me in some way.
 
I confess I read far more than I watch films.
You’ve just published your first full length novel. Can you tell me a bit about it?

Well, it is the longest book I've written by some margin but at no point did it feel like a long story when I was writing it. I think that's a good thing?

It's a modern tale is set in the wilderness of Alaska with a crew of gold miners trying to strike it rich. When you put a group of people in a place like that, working long hours without a break and in terrible conditions, cracks will form. Especially when greed is involved.
And they do.
But there's something else at play up there too. Something that thrives on greed and the human condition. Something that feeds on it.

Hmmm it's tricky to write about your own story without saying too much but I hope that gives it a little flavour.

Right, I'm off to take my trousers off and start writing. Thank you very much for your hospitality, Kath!
 
It’s been a pleasure! Nice shreddies, by the way!

​
You can find Black Pine Creek here.
Dave's Author Page is here
And his Facebook page is here

Coming soon - Souls Disturbed

Souls Disturbed is a collection of three novellas on a supernatural theme. 

​Presenting three novellas which ask the unanswerable and deal with the unthinkable...
 
The Moon Glass
Martin buys an old mirror, but when the moon shines on the glass it’s not his own reflection he can see.
 
The Mourning Jewel
On her twenty-first birthday, Vanessa inherits her great-grandmother’s pendant. The classic style appeals to her and she wears it constantly – until she discovers her darker inheritance.
 
The Well
While archaeologists dig out the old well in Karen and Ben’s garden, a neighbour’s child goes missing – and Karen can hear a child’s cry coming from the well.

Author Chat - Anna Faversham

Hello, Anna, and welcome to my blog. Tell us how long you’ve been writing and what genre(s) you prefer to work in.
 
Thank you, Kath, for asking me.
 
I’ve been writing in one way or another for many years but novels only started when my husband was working away for weeks at a time and the children were grown up. That gave me time.
 
The first book I wrote was One Dark Night, a historical romance with plenty of adventure, and I thoroughly enjoyed the research that goes into making sure the setting is true to the lives our ancestors endured or enjoyed. I put it away in a drawer, like thousands of other authors before me, and it was about nine or ten years before I published it on Amazon.
 
The first book I published was Hide in Time, a time travel story. I found when I was writing it that I preferred working on the historical sections. The contemporary settings can be written quicker but I could feel myself enjoying writing the historical sections more. So my third book is a sequel to the historical book, One Dark Night.
 
However, I plan to write in other genres later. You will know that this is not the best plan to ‘get rich quick’.
 
I certainly do! Do you read the same kind of book you write or do you follow a wider selection of genres?
 
Definitely a wider selection. I enjoy cosy crime, thrillers, historical adventures, humorous books, and more. All have something to offer. I don’t read horror or erotica (it feels voyeuristic to me) and I rarely read fantasy though I really enjoyed a couple of Lexi Revellian’s stories about dragons.
 
I agree about erotica. We all know how to do it! Anything you’ve got a hankering to write which you haven’t so far?
 
Yes, there’s something brewing. I have a file into which I stuff bits of paper when something occurs to me which might be useful. I can’t tell you much more, not even the genre, it could even veer towards horror or fantasy. I’m female, I’m allowed to change my mind.
 
Oh, intrigue! Is there any published work of fiction that you wish you’d written – and why?
 
This is a hard question and if I spent a year or two thinking about it (what luxury) then maybe I’d get it right. The one which occurs to me now is ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. I would definitely like to have written that. I guess I like tales with a strong theme, something I can take away and mull over, something that contributes more than just entertainment to my life. Edmund Burke (18th century Parliamentarian) said, ‘Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting.’
If it hadn’t already been written, I’d have a go at A Christmas Carol with gusto.
 
It’s up there as one of the favourite books with most people, I think. Can you tell us what your next book is about?
 
It centres around the theme ‘All that it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing.’ This is a paraphrase of a quotation attributed to Edmund Burke again, though this is often disputed.
It’s a sequel to One Dark Night where the two enemies, Karl and Daniel, have become almost friends. Karl always has a mission in mind and his latest is to rid the Isle of Wight of corruption, poverty and wreckers of cargo ships. Daniel, protective of his hard-won wife, wants her to stay at home. Lucy has other ideas and follows him, thereby getting into life-threatening situations.
For anyone who has read One Dark Night perhaps you’d like to know that in this book, Karl finally finds a lady worth loving.
How does it all turn out? Someone once described my writing as being like Thomas Hardy’s and you probably know that he didn’t stick to the rules.
Under a Dark Star, Book Two in The Dark Moon Trilogy, is due for publication in the late summer, preferably this summer!
 
Thanks, Anna. I look forward to that. Here's a little information about One Dark Night - so you can catch up before the sequel comes out.
You can find it on Amazon here.

Author Chat - Mark Fowler

Welcome, Mark. I think I’ve read all of your current output. Can you tell us a bit about your writing journey to this point?
 
I started writing towards the end of my school days, mainly poetry and the occasional attempt at a story. I became more public with my writing when I formed a band and wrote songs. Later on I began writing short stories, screenplays, including sitcoms, and eventually I found my home in the novel.
 
I think many writers will recognise that path! What was your fist novel?
 
The first novel I wrote was Coffin Maker, a gothic horror fantasy, with Death as the main character. One day Death is sent two apprentices. He doesn’t know why, but it may be related to rumours that the devil is entering the world. I began writing it on October 1st, 1994. I sent it out to agents and publishers, gathered the rejection slips, rewrote, send it again, and so on. Then I began my next novel, repeating the process, now with two books to send out, then three, and so on. I built up quite a body of work, while endlessly revising and editing my previous books. I could have decorated my house and next door’s too with all the rejection slips! Then, a couple of years ago, I realised that it was 20 years since I started writing Coffin Maker, and I decided to mark the anniversary by self-publishing it. A year later I self-published The Man Upstairs, the first of a series of Frank Miller mystery novels featuring a private detective who discovers that he is a character in a series of mystery books. Very metafictional and, like Coffin Maker, philosophical too, though hopefully in an entertaining way. There’s certainly a lot of humour in both books, despite the dark themes.
 
Yes, I enjoyed both, and the fact that people have an ‘existence’ in the mind of others. I really enjoyed your more recent publication, Silver.
 
Bloodhound Books published the first of my psychological thrillers, Silver. Best-selling novelist, Joy Haversham, is killed, leaving behind an unfinished, uncharacteristic and disturbing manuscript: Silver. The book has become the Holy Grail of the publishing world, yet Joy’s family refuse to publish. Her killer is due out of prison on what would have been Joy’s silver wedding anniversary. The main protagonist in Silver is Nick Slater, the journalist who reported on the case. Nick has since published a novel bearing uncanny resemblances to Joy’s unpublished manuscript, which he could not possibly have read. Joy’s daughter, Grace, wants him to read Silver, and to visit her mother’s killer before he is released, believing that Nick can uncover the dark secret that lies behind her mother’s death.
 
I’ve always loved the idea of books within books, and the creative process for me is often generated by a title and a strong opening. The idea of Silver as an unfinished, mysterious manuscript that bears dark secrets, really grabbed me. And the idea of writers being killed in a fashion that resembles the plots of their own books, felt strong and compelling, offering a lot of room for development. And I went from there.
 
It’s a great read! What is it that draws you to writing – or puts you off?
 
I enjoy making up stories, thinking up ‘what if’ scenarios. I particularly like creating characters, placing them in interesting, challenging situations and seeing what they do, and how things develop. I am fascinated by the psychology of human behaviour, the conflicts between people, which can often generate interesting story ideas. It can be fascinating discovering what motivates people to act in certain ways. I find it very difficult to plot a book cold. The fear of the blank page, of trying to come up with a great plot before I begin writing, stifles the creative process. If I try to over-think an idea too early on, it kills it for me. I prefer to find a strong opening situation, something intriguing and that can generate conflict and tension, and let it develop organically.
 
I know what you mean. I sometimes start just with a title! And what’s next for Mark Fowler – and his readers?
 
I’ve recently completed another psychological thriller, and I’m currently working on a follow up to Silver, again featuring Nick Slater.

Thanks for chatting to me, Mark. I'm looking forward to more from you.

​You can find links to Mark's work here -
​
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silver-compelling-thriller-Mark-Fowler-ebook/dp/B01DQYBK0U/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/COFFIN-MAKER-MARK-L-FOWLER-ebook/dp/B00PHAEWE8
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Upstairs-Mark-Fowler-ebook/dp/B016IPNE3K/
 

Author Chat - John Marrs

The author, photobombed by 'a friend'. Can you guess which is which? 
 
Welcome to my den! You now have your third novel up for pre-order, John. Can you tell us about your writing journey to date?
 
I’ve been working as a journalist since I was 18-years-old, starting on local newspapers in Northamptonshire and working my way up to national publications in London. Now I work for Express newspapers across their magazine titles where I interview celebrities for a living. Four years ago, I had an idea for a novel and after around eighteen months of going back and forth with it, it became The Wronged Sons. After seventy rejections from agents and publishers (I’ve kept all their responses!) I decided I had nothing to lose by self-publishing it on Amazon. My target was to get 100 downloads from people I didn’t know. It’s now approaching the 30,000 mark. Its success inspired me to write a second novel, Welcome To Wherever You Are, based loosely on my year as a 21-year-old, backpacking around the USA. It’s also been a consistent seller since I published it in 2015, but I’m completely aware that nothing I write again will top The Wronged Sons in terms of appeal. And I can live with that!
 
I'd suggest that your new novel is in the running!
You are one of the many indie authors who don’t stick to a single genre. Where do your ideas come from?
 
I don’t read books in just one genre either… some of my favourites of late are The Kind Worth Killing, A Spool Of Blue Thread, Golden Son, The Last Of Us and Everyone Is Watching – five very different styles. So I don’t want to write the same kind of book over and over again. I’d like to think the three of mine are quite different. The Wronged Sons was inspired by a piece in The Guardian’s magazine about a woman whose husband vanished many years earlier and I began to wonder how tough her life must have been not knowing where he went. (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/oct/17/letter-to-exhusband) As I mentioned, Welcome… was inspired by a backpacking trip and the new book, A Thousand Small Explosions was an idea that came to me while I was writing another novel. I wondered what life would be like if there was just one person out there in the world who was designed for us biologically, then I began to think of the different ways it could affect one’s life. I abandoned the book I was writing 35,000 words in and ran with this new idea instead. I gave myself a minimum of 1,000 words a day to write and completed it before Easter, my fastest turn-around yet.
 
Your latest book, A Thousand Small Explosions, could be called speculative fiction. Do you ever see yourself going off into science fiction proper?
 
No. It’s not a subject I read enough of or know enough about to do it justice. Sci-fi readers would see though my inexperience in a heartbeat!
 
I do read science fiction but it's a field in which there are so many - dare I say geeks? Hey, I said it! - that one slip and they've got you!
Can you imagine any genre you wouldn’t write in? Any no-nos for you?
 
The aforementioned sci-fi, chick-lit, romance and comedy. I’ve tried comedy a few times and if I can’t make myself laugh, I doubt I’ll make a reader laugh either. I shy away from detailed sex scenes too, I just can’t pull it off (so to speak.)
 
I feel the same way. Everyone knows how it's done!
Is there a book you wish you’d written and why?
 
I like a book with twists and turns, an unpredictable ending and that misdirects a reader. I’m a fan of commercial fiction, so I’d love to have written Gone Girl, A Kind Worth Killing and The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair.
 
And although the fantastic A Thousand Small Explosions hasn’t even hit the Amazon shop yet, have you got the next idea ready to go or are you having a little rest?
 
For the first time since I began writing ebooks, I do have a fully mapped out idea. It’s a 3,000 word treatment of a story and I know where it’s going to start and finish. I have my characters, their arcs, their motivation and the plot. Although I don’t like to repeat myself, I think it has more in common with The Wronged Sons than anything else I’ve written. Finding the time to actually sit down and put finger to keyboard is a tough one though. I don’t know how writers find the time to write book after book. One every 18 months is hard enough for me!
 
Thanks, John, and I wish you the best of luck with A Thousand Small Explosions, a fantastic story (which I’ve read, readers!) published on July 15th. Mark your calendars or pre-order now!
 
You can find John’s Amazon page at http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Marrs/e/B00F1CRG9U/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1467622503&sr=8-1

Author chat - Heather Burnside

Hi Heather, and welcome to my blog. I see from your author biography that you’re no stranger to writing. Is the Riverhill Trilogy your first foray into fiction?
 
Thank you, Kath. It’s a pleasure to join you.
In terms of novels, yes the Riverhill Trilogy is my first foray into fiction. However, when I studied for my writing diploma around 15 years ago I wrote several short stories, and have included a number of these in my short story book, ‘Crime, Conflict & Consequences’. Prior to the writing course I dabbled a little in poetry but never had any poems published.
 
You write about the gang culture in an area I knew in my school days. I think what’s different about your books is that you write with an eye to the women whose lives become drawn into that culture. Was this a conscious decision, and why?
 
It’s something that developed over time and there’s quite a story behind it.
Going back to the first book, ‘Slur’, it didn’t start out as a crime novel. Originally I started writing about the lives of two young women and wanted to see where it took me.
The book had a bit of a chic lit feel to start with and the original title was ‘Nightclubbin’, but I was dissatisfied with it and wanted the book to have more substance. So, I asked the question ‘What if?’ What if something catastrophic was to happen, which would have devastating consequences on the lives of the two main characters? From this point on the book became a crime novel entitled ‘Slur’, and I found my preferred writing genre.
By the time I was nearing completion of ‘Slur’ I had grown attached to Rita and wanted to develop her character further. In ‘Slur’ I had already mentioned that her father was a petty crook and her sister hung about with some dubious characters, which gave me a starting point.
In addition, the Riverhill Estate is based on the estate where I lived from 73 to 80. During the 90s the drugs gangs moved into the estate and there were a lot of shootings. I started researching this period and was affected by the impact that gang violence had on the families involved (see: http://mavuk.org/about/history/). I have therefore focused on this in the second and third books in the trilogy.
 
With your reader hat on, do you choose crime and thriller fiction or do you spread your net more widely. What’s your favourite thing to read?
 
My two favourite genres are crime thrillers and sagas. Occasionally I try other genres, mostly through Indie authors that I have discovered, but I always tend to return to my two favourite genres. My favourite thriller authors to date are Jeffrey Deaver, Minette Walters and Nicci French. For sagas my favourites are Sara Fraser (The Tildy Series) and E V Thompson (The Retallick Saga), although some may view their books as historical fiction rather than sagas.
 
Are there any other genres you’d like to tackle or do you have more of the Riverhill kind of thriller in mind for your next publication?
 
I have lots of ideas for crime thrillers so that’s something I want to focus on for the near future. I also have a few ideas for novels that I would classify as women’s interest but I’m more excited about the crime novels.
My next publication is another crime novel. It takes place over a number of years and features a brother and sister as they transition into adulthood. I wanted to include their late childhood because it shapes their behaviour in their young adult years. The best way to describe the book would probably be to show you the book blurb:
 
Blurb of Bad Brother and I
For Adele and Peter Robinson it is by no means an easy childhood. To survive on a tough council estate in the Manchester suburbs of the 1960s and 70s, they have to learn to look after themselves. That struggle for survival is mirrored in their home lives with a slovenly mother and a drunken father who is perpetually angry. 
What the children don’t realise at first is that their father’s violent mood swings don’t stem solely from a lack of satisfaction with his load. There is something inherent within him. By the time Adele is old enough to associate her father’s behaviour with stories about her mad great grandfather, she is already beginning to notice adverse signs in her brother.
As Peter grows up he engages in a life of escalating crime, which finally culminates in murder, and Adele is disgusted with the person he has become. Meanwhile, Adele is hiding behind a façade of normality and has difficulties in maintaining relationships because of her jealous rages. She is worried that she might also take after her father, and seeks help from a psychologist.
Can Adele manage to overcome her troubled past or will her damaged childhood, and fragile mental state, have devastating consequences on the rest of her life?
 
Is there any genre you think you’d never write, and why?
 
Fantasy, sci-fi and anything paranormal. For some reason those genres have never really appealed to me and, because I’ve never been an aficionado, I wouldn’t do anywhere near as good a job as authors that have a genuine interest in those topics.
 
And finally, what do you do to wind down? Any unusual hobbies I can winkle out of you?
 
My hobbies are all fairly standard. I enjoy books, of course, visits to the theatre and eating out. I also go to the gym and swimming but I think that the latter two are more out of guilt than pleasure. Oh, and I’m a member of a Spanish group, which I really enjoy. Even if we don’t learn much, we always have a good natter and a laugh.

Thanks, Heather, and best of luck with Book 3 of the Riverhill Trilogy, Danger by Association, out today. You can find all Heather’s books on her Amazon page here
​

Guest post - Jim Webster

​The trials and tribulations of the author
 
Now after many years I discovered the secret of having a little time to do stuff you want. It's comparatively simple. Cultivate the air of enthusiastic incompetence. Suddenly your name is no longer the one that occurs to people when they need a job doing. Not only that but if you volunteer, they look nervous and think up excuses why it's probably not your cup of tea.
 
The problem is I think it's rubbing off on me as well.

I'd better explain. You see I came up with a cunning plan. When you publish a book you get a bit of publicity and not only do you sell some of the new book, you sell a few of your previous books as well. So with my fantasy novels, when I published a new one, the others also got a little jump in sales.

But this happens once or twice a year; I could do with it happening more often.

Then I had the brain wave, I'd take Benor, hero of a couple of my books, and base six novellas round his actions. OK six novellas are a book and a half at least but I've never really been good with numbers. Not only that, they're not a series, in that you have to read them in order, they're a collection, a bit like the Sherlock Holmes tales, where you can read them in any order.

So I wrote them. Each has at its core a crime or mystery to be solved, and each was edited and proof-read and placed in the queue for publishing.

The system started to roll and a month before each new story came out, I would crank up the old promo machinery and get the news out there.

But as well as being enthusiastically incompetent, I'm a writer, and writers write. I got dragged into a new book and at 75,000 words didn't want to let go. Then I glanced at the calendar and discovered that I had the next novella coming out on the 1st July. At which point I didn't panic. In reality I should have, but being a writer I procrastinated. Finally, when I'd got the book I was working on to a place I felt I could lay it down for a while, then I panicked.

So now I'm trying to do some promotion.

It's as simple as this. On the 1st of July, Woman in Love is published.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Woman-Love-Port-Naain-Intelligence-ebook/dp/B01H04MHK4

To quote from the blurb "Asked to look for a missing husband, Benor finds that the female of the species is indeed more deadly than the male."

And here's a bit from the story


Benor thought back to Ami's story. "The only witnesses we have are the staff in the office and the blind beggar. I don't hold out much hope."

Mutt looked up from his plate. "The blind beggar at the Hall of Records?"

Benor nodded, amused by the boy's sudden interest.
 
"Oh, he's not blind." Mutt turned his attention back to his plate.

"What do you mean, not blind?" Tallis asked.

Mutt looked at him as if he were a difficult and argumentative child. "Simple, he can see."

"So how does he pass himself off as a blind beggar?" Benor asked, scratching his head. "Don't people notice?"

"He's got a bandage over his eyes, but look closely you'll see the bandages have been split and he looks out through the slit." Mutt absently finished his slice of bread. "I think his eyes are weak and he cannot cope with the sun, but he's not blind."

"So he might remember Ami if she gave him some money."

"Brides do that," Mutt said in a world-weary voice. "Said to be lucky." He pondered his comment. "It is for the beggar."


So treat yourself, it's only 98p and you'd kick yourself if Amazon ran out of electrons and you missed your chance to buy a copy.

​

Holidays and photos

Four years ago we had a wonderful holiday in Scotland at the end of May. It was so idyllic that we felt it could never be as good again. What a defeatist attitude! So we set off up north again a couple of weeks ago and started our tour at Crieff. First thoughts were that the little town is ideally placed for a holiday centre but seemed to be on its uppers somewhat. Lots of charity shops, some shops simply boarded up, spoke of the problems of competing with cheap holiday packages abroad. And they get the sun all the time there! The Cairngorms still had snow on their noses, though I think the North West sees a rather milder climate. We moved up after two days to Inchnadamph and Loch Assynt. We only spent one night there but from our bedroom window we could see herds of deer grazing. We heard two visitors saying later in the week that they never saw any wildlife. You have to look!
We had a little walk around the loch to Ardvreck Castle. It would be a bit cramped as a living space but superb for a fortress.


​Ben Mor Caigach on a glorious day. It looked like a worn-down volcano, puffing out white smoke.  


​Then up to Tongue for two days, via Durness. It was bright but breezy up there. The beaches have beautiful sand but some fierce rocks. 

Smoo cave, near Durness, is quite something. You can take a boat trip into the further cave, lit in orange on this picture. We didn't. We had to press on with our journey.

​Over the Kyle of Tongue to the Ben Loyal Hotel. Lovely place but it's fairly remote and needed 3 routers to cover the place. Who wants to see the mountain with a phone mast on, though? Coming down to Oban for the last two days we passed the Nevis range and observed a phenomenon I'd never seen before. Lenticular clouds. I'm sure some people see them all the time but they require an air-current hitting a large obstacle, such as a mountain, to produce a standing wave. They are peculiarly UFO-like but I don't have a photo as we were in the car with no suitable stopping place. From Oban, on our only overcast day, we took the ferry to Mull and the local bus to Tobermory. It's as quaint as it looks!

​I haven't yet written anything set in Scotland. There's plenty of inspiration there.