New Publication!

An exciting day – publication of my latest Amelia Carr – A Woman of Secrets. As always Headline sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers to mark the occasion, which makes it really special. I do so love getting flowers!

And it won’t be long before A Woman of Secrets is out in paperback. That’s scheduled for May this year. This time, for the first time, the paperback cover is different from the hardback, and I must say I am really pleased with it. I think it is very intriguing!

I’m now hard at work on the next Amelia Carr – though I’ve only just begun. 

Christmas took up a lot of time this year – I was delighted that both my daughters and their husbands and families came to us. It’s several years now since I’ve been responsible for the whole thing, so I really wanted it to be perfect. I made my own cranberry sauce, bread sauce and brandy butter, storing it in the fridge and freezer, and enough pastry for mince pies to feed an army. I also made my own home-made stuffing well in advance – it’s a recipe that was my gran’s, and I’ve never seen it in a cookery book anywhere, but it is totally delicious and always asked for by my troops. With so much preparation before hand Christmas Day itself was relatively hassle-free and I was able to sit down with a glass of champagne and watch the children open some presents before carving the turkey.

At New Year Terry and I went to Porthtowan where my sister Hazel lives. We went to a New Year’s Eve party at Blue, the surfers club down on the beach. The theme was Carnival in Rio. I enjoyed getting ready, with feathers in my hair, but to be honest the music was a bit on the raucous side for me. I didn’t last the pace. Terry and I went back to Hazel’s house to see the New Year in alone which meant that unfortunately we missed the fireworks and the Chinese lanterns being released on the beach.

It really is a very busy time for me, quite apart from my work. A friend, Marlene, and I are organising a reunion for our old year at Midsomer Norton Grammar School, to take place in a fortnight’s time. We are still looking for Maureen Dallimore and Sally Hearse – so if you know where they are, there is still time to get them in on the act! Then, the week before that, my drama/entertainments group, Spades, are putting on an evening of entertainment for the local rotary club. So it’s rehearsals, run throughs, and trying to learn new songs, in my case. (The show will be a mix of music and monologues, with the emphasis on the amusing and downright funny) I’ll let you know how it goes!

Better stop now – try to be with you again soon. Hope you enjoy A WOMAN OF SECRETS and if you do I’d be really grateful if you would give it a 5* rating on Amazon and Waterstones websites!! Nothing like asking for a bit of help …