Alison Golden's Blog, page 5

📚 Did you miss anything? 📚

Hey there, lovely reader!I hope you had a lovely holiday season and are now recovered and raring to go! I barely stopped over the winter break (reason for that will be in next week's newsletter) and it's full steam ahead here.

2023 is in the rear view mirror. And now it's 2024. For some reason, perhaps because I was born in one, I prefer even-numbered years. So 2024 sounds good to me. I'm also facing a milestone birthday in a couple of months.

At the end of each year, I like to review what I ac...

📚 Happy New Year! 📚

Hey there, lovely reader!It's the end of 2023. Many people count down the days but I think every day is precious. 🎇

As the year ends, I'm feeling grateful. 2023 has been an amazing year for me and that's all down to you. If you’ve bought one of my books, left a review, or recommended me to a friend, thank you. 🙏🏻

Thank you for trusting me with stories about your lives, for sending me your lovely pictures, cards, your emails. Writing stories for readers to enjoy is a privilege and you’ve helped ...

📚 🎄 Happy Holidays! 🎄 📚

Hey there, lovely reader!Are you nearly done with your holiday prep? I don't have too much to do having such a small family and it's just about done. 🦌

We are limiting gifts this year to one from each person (3) plus our Secret Santa gifts, also three. Our Secret Santa shopping is a fun night. One night close to Christmas we go out as a family. First, we go to a dollar store (or pound shops as we call them in the UK.) We draw lots and then go in and buy something for our person. Then we go to a...

📚 Are they or aren’t they? 📚

Hey there, lovely reader!Ack, I managed to plant my bulbs this week but forgot to water the Christmas tree. I love a profusion of daffodils in spring, but gosh, do I procrastinate putting them in. I finally got it done at the weekend, but then realized the tree was looking a bit woebegone. Hopefully, I'm not too late with either and they will withstand my cack-handed attempts at taking care of them. My orchids need a bit of attention too. But I did get a lot of writing done.Today, I have an up...

📚 More Eliza Doolittle than Mary Poppins 📚

Hey there, lovely reader!How are those holiday preparations coming along? Our tree is now fully decorated and the Christmas wishlists came in right on time (no surprise there!) Today, I offer a peek behind the scenes and an announcement.

Fun!

Yesterday, I was reviewing audition reels. These are submissions by voice actors seeking to win the job of narrating a book series. In this case, the Roxy Reinhardt cozy mysteries. Selecting a narrator is a fun part of my job.

I start by searching for a n...

📚 Christmassing 📚

Hey there, lovely reader!If you're in the US, I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving last week. Ours was just as I like it, nice and quiet. A friend told me about her plans for having twelve people over and then moving to someone else's the next day, and I had to tell her that it sounded absolutely horrific. We both laughed and laughed. (She's a good friend, I can tell her things like that.) If you're not in the US, I hope you had a lovely Thursday. I spent Friday researching two of my favorite t...

📚 Birthdays 📚

Hey there, lovely reader!Gosh, it's noisy here today. We've got a couple of world leaders meeting for a summit two miles away and the air is full of planes and helicopters. Add a few police sirens and this author is struggling to concentrate.

Today, I have updates on Star, and on Inspector Graham audio. Let's goooooooooooo!

Happy Birthday, Star

Some readers are complaining they haven't heard about Star for a while. It was Star's birthday a couple of weeks ago. She is 14. Back when I was younge...

📚 I was wrong 📚

Hey there, lovely reader!Ka-pow! Boom! Pshewy! That's the sound of my brain exploding.I am spending part of this week attending an author conference (online.) I am particularly interested in new technological developments especially as they relate to book marketing, translations, and audio.The speed at which artificial intelligence is changing the game is astounding. Every week, something changes and there is something new to learn. Which is great, because I love learning.

But it also makes m...

📚 My Dress 📚

Hey there, lovely reader!I hope you enjoyed Halloween. I had a blast! I stayed in, doled out candy, and reminisced about Halloweens of years past which were SO much fun, they are permanently etched onto my memory.

This week I am revisiting a story I've told before but it's so good, it deserves another outing and a request.

My M&S Dress

I moved to California on October 30, 1996. Virgin Atlantic flight VS019 arrived at SFO at 2:50 p.m. to be exact.

I sat in seat 49C.

Five years prior to that or ...

📚 You’ll never forget if you do this 📚

Hey there, lovely reader!I got into the Halloween candy after a stressful weekend. 🎃This happens every year. I really need to buy the bag of sweets on October 31 rather than a month before. I promise myself that I will do this every year and I never do. Perhaps telling thousands of people will hold me accountable for next year.This week I'm telling you about how I will make absolutely sure not to repeat my Halloween candy error and one way I know I have smart readers.

My favourite tool

I love...