C.S. Rhymes's Blog, page 2

September 2024 update

This month saw the launch of book two in the Little-Astwick Mysteries series, Grave concern at the Manor. Thank you to everyone who has bought the book and read it through Kindle Unlimited, its really appreciated!

As the saying goes, there is no rest for the wicked and there is always more to do. Keeping busy confirming the rough outline of the next book in the series has now started turning that outline into a book.

Whilst still working on a writing strategy, the process currently starts out with a rough outline, but not to make it too restrictive and allow room for new concepts and ideas to flourish as writing progresses. The outline helps the plot keep on track and not go off on too much of a tangent.

The storyline to book three has presented the opportunity to explore some existing characters in a bit more detail, but don���t worry, David and Evelyn and their unique problem solving skills are still at the forefront.

As well as writing, there has been putting a lot of hard work into the cover of the next book, as well as trying to decide on the final title.

There isn���t a date for the release of the next book in the series yet, but details will be announced in due course.

The current feeling is to get the next book in the series announced a little earlier this time to help spread the word a bit wider.

Help spread the word

Writers would be lost without their readers. Here is a blog post by Bryan Cheffin I read recently and wanted to share. It explains the impact of reviews in more detail:

Reader Reviews Have an Outsized Impact for Authors

If you would like to help spread the word about The Little-Astwick Mysteries series, or any other books you enjoy, then please tell your friends and leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

For honour - a letter

A letter was discovered within the Templeton family archives.

This fictional letter forms part of the myths and legends of The Little-Astwick Mysteries, a cozy crime mystery series of fictional books by C.S. Rhymes.

The following contains spoilers. Ensure you have read Grave concern at the Manor before proceeding!

Dearest Elsabeth,

The things one must do for honour. The sacrifices one must make for thy family. It is my duty. I need not be asked, I know what I must do.

The ring is a symbol of our provenance, an emblem recognised throughout history. It should not be in the hands of a treacherous thief. It must be returned to its rightful place and upon the hand of the head of the family.

I have my hints to the location. I sought out the builder and cajoled the information out of him. He was sworn to secrecy, but even the strongest of hearts have their weaknesses. An evening of plying him with Perry was enough to lower his defences. He told me there was a secret room under the Manor house.

He would not reveal any more, despite my best efforts, so I ended his pitiful existence. To outsiders it would look like an unfortunate accident, the result of consuming one to many goblets of Perry.

I write this letter to you, so that if I do not succeed then others can try in my stead and return what is rightfully ours.

If I do not return, know that I will not have died in vain.

Elsabeth, you are my love and will be always and forever.

Edward Nicholas Cuthbert Templeton

August 2024 update

Just a small update about writing progress in August 2024.

Grave concern at the Manor

Most of the month has been preparing for the upcoming release of ���Grave concern at the Manor���, the second in The Little-Astwick Mysteries series. I���m extremely excited about the release date getting nearer, day by day, and it feels like the 1st of September is almost upon us.

If you want to get the new book automatically delivered to your Kindle on release day, then why not pre-order it.

It is always surprising the amount of work that is needed to get things ready for a new book release. Lots of proof reading, cover design and setup work in Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, as well as starting to produce some reels and TikToks to help promote the new book to the world.

It seems there is a lot of learning required for all the different social media platforms and what works best to reach a new audience. If you are on TikTok then here is the profile if you want to follow:

Follow C.S. Rhymes on TikTok

Next steps

As with most authors, when you start a new series it seems you never really know how long a book series will be. I don���t want to give too much away or promise too much, but I have been working on some great ideas for the next book in the series.

Completing the second book has left me very excited about the possibilities of where the adventures in Little-Astwick could head to next.

Free Kindle ebook offer

Just a reminder that the first book in The Little-Astwick Mysteries series, ���Trouble at the Church���, will be free on Amazon Kindle for a limited time only, from the 29th to the 31st August 2024. Not long to wait!

Find out more on my recent blog post:

Trouble at the Church, FREE on Kindle Offer

Wrapping up

I just wanted to say thank you to friends and family for all the support you have shown The Little-Astwick Mysteries series. You have reflected the excitement I have had writing this series in your feedback as readers.

Trouble at the church, free on Amazon Kindle

Announcing a special offer to celebrate the release of the second book in The Little-Astwick Mysteries series (Grave concern at the Manor), being released on 1st September 2024.

The first book in the series, (Trouble at the church), will be available for FREE on Amazon Kindle from the 29th to the 31st August 2024.

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If you can't wait until then, remember it is also free to read on Kindle Unlimited!

Buy from Amazon UKBuy from Amazon USA

The Little-Astwick Mysteries (book 2) - Grave concern at the Manor

A small village with a big mystery!

The adventure continues in the second part of The Little-Astwick Mysteries series.

A local metal detectorist, Alan, makes the find of his life in a field just outside the Manor house, which quickly turns into the shock of his life!

David Morgan, a community support officer, and his new friend Evelyn Mckenzie are one again involved in solving the latest mystery set in the fictional English village of Little-Astwick. One story quickly leads into another, uncovering a story that has laid hidden for centuries.

Available to pre-order on Amazon Kindle now, with the paperback available from the 1st September 2024!

Pre-order from Amazon UKPre-order from Amazon USA