A strange thing happened the other day

Every morning between two and three a car drives up and stops outside my house. A man gets out and flings the newspaper into my garden – although recently he has been kind enough to open the gate, step up the path and thrust it through the letter-box. Mission accomplished, he returns to his car, drives off round the corner, repeats the action two doors on and then . . . disappears into the night. In the morning I collect my day’s newspaper, dry the rain-proof cover roughly and switch the kettle on for breakfast. Only, one day it wasn’t my usual newspaper. I checked with a couple of neighbours who also have their paper delivered – no, they had their usual. Another advised me to read the ‘stranger’ as I might prefer it to my usual paper.

Which set me thinking about the reasons we choose a newspaper in the first place. Were you brought up with a tabloid in the house and perhaps switched to a different paper because you needed world-wide factual information for your job? Did politics rule your decision, or did you look for a good sports supplement? Or perhaps nowadays you get your information about what’s happening in the world from social media?

Now that’s opening a can of worms, isn’t it! Suffice it to say I did read the ‘stranger’ but I won’t switch from my usual.

                                        The waiting game

On Monday I sent off False Relation to my publisher. They acknowledged receipt the same day and, without having read it asked when I could deliver another book. A day later they asked what I’d like on the cover of the one just delivered. Another twenty-four hours and they said they were changing the design of their covers. They still haven’t said if they liked what I’d just sent them! However, I felt I needed a holiday and for some obscure reason I awarded myself eight days away from the computer. The eighth day has come and gone, and I still haven’t tackled the To Do Pile, or worked out what the plot might be if I do write another book. And I still don’t know if they liked False Relation. So – watch this space.

                       The next short story . . .

. . . is a trailer for the very first Ellie Quicke, where she moves on from being a stay-at-home little wifey to someone who can stand up to bullying by family and a baddy or two. You can read it here.

A blessing on all those who can exchange news and views without reaching for a gun. And yes, I am still good friends with the neighbour who urged me to read the wrongly-delivered newspaper even though our politics are completely different.

Veronica Heley

Another school year starts, so what changes will that make in your life – if any?

Well, it’s not back to school – or is it? Do you sing in a choir, work in clay or paint? Do you attend classes on literature or a drama group? As we get older these things can become the structure around which we build our lives. Tai Chi in the park, Strength and Balance classes keep our bodies mobile and the arts keep our brains ticking over – if not as fast as they used to do in the old days. There’s also he benefits of being in a Café Society. We go shopping, meet someone we know and end up having a restorative cuppa AND chat. Don’t take my word for it! The Authorities have decided a life with lots of people in it will keep us going till we reach a hundred!

For me, life is half socialising and attending choir, etc., and half on the computer. Soon I have to deliver another book, and already Severn House want to know if I can manage another one. For the first time, I hesitate. Perhaps I need a short holiday before starting on anything else? Except that I’m not one much for holidays. For fifty years I’ve delivered a story only to start on another the next day. If I write another story, it would be an Ellie Quicke, of course. But yes, perhaps a holiday first?

                           Praise where it is due?

I have been receiving some lovely emails recently. The writers want me to know how much they appreciate my books, my wisdom, my wit; the charm of the backgrounds, the light they bring into the darkness. They want to help me get a wider readership, which is only what I deserve. Etcetera. Then there comes the hook, which is hardly to be seen at first, but there it is . . . ‘We can help you get a bigger readership, we can show you how to promote yourself, we have different prices for doing this, see our tariff attached.’ And now I’m told that it’s Al who is generating all this fulsome praise in the hope I’ll pay someone oodles of money to get better known. What pity. I was almost beginning to believe I was a wise and witty person.

                            The next short story . . .

. . . is one that appeared in the Methodist Recorder at the end of last month. It’s called Music but maybe it ought to be called Find the Christian. Is a man or woman who spends all their lives in the service of the church a Christian? Or is it someone who follows Christ’s command to love one another but may go to church infrequently? You decide. You can read it here.

A blessing on all those who look after a neighbour’s cats or dogs (or budgerigars) when said neighbour goes on holiday.

Veronica Heley

       August means a holiday . . . or does it?

No, of course it doesn’t. August means that other people go on holidays, that my favourite café is closed for a fortnight, that other people talk about what they’re going to do or have done – or maybe dream of doing.

It doesn’t mean a holiday for me. Rather the reverse. I had to deliver another Max story for the choir concert, and another short story for the Methodist Recorder, and by the end of August I must deliver another complete book – FALSE RELATION.

Actually I’m having some fun with the end of False Relation. This will be the fourth and possibly last of the stories around Marston Hall and the young couple who inherited this run-down stately home. Now most of their problems have been dealt with and I plan to finish up with the flier for their first Garden Fete. The model railway will feature, of course, and the dog show they’ve been talking about for a while. But what else? Is it the wrong time of the year to have a plant stall? Yes, to a craft tent, a tea tent and – of course – a beer tent. Yes to Face painting and a Children’s Corner. Should we have races for children and a tug-of-war? I’m told something called Whack-a-Mole is fashionable, but I need instruction on that.

                                         So what’s new?

Or, what’s newly published? Well, first there’s another box set from Joffe, which had the first seven – yes, Seven – of the Ellie Quicke books republished under the title of the ELLIE QUICKE MYSTERIES. That was on July 21^st.

Next, the large print hardback comes out for libraries, and that’s FALSE NAME which is the first in the series where Bea Abbot gets tangled up in the fortunes of a seeming rough sleeper with an intriguing background. That’s out now.

                                                       The next extract . . .

Now I have a problem. You know I’ve been bewailing the fact that I didn’t have a new short story for you each month – but this month I have two. I’ll save one for later but here, for your delectation and enjoyment, is another chapter in the eventful life of Maximilian the Magnificent – or The Comfort Cat. Read it here.

A blessing on all those who, after telling you their tales of hospital visits, sleepless nights, digestive problems and what the children/grandchildren are doing, actually remember to ask how you are doing yourself.

Veronica Heley

And a happy birthday to me!

Yes, I am now ninety-two years of age. Sometimes I feel it. At other times it’s just something that happened on the calendar. I had masses of cards and lots of lovely things to eat which is really all I want as a present nowadays.

One nice thing that happened is that Joffe have re-issued three of my early Murder & Romance mysteries, first published many years ago. SUE FOR MERCY was the very first book I ever had accepted in l974! Followed shortly after by SCREAM FOR SARAH and CRY FOR KIT. On June 12^th Joffe brought them out in a slip case under the overall title of The English Murder Mysteries. [View the Kindle books here on Amazon UK.]

You’d think that would be enough for a while, but no; they have been pleased to find Ellie Quicke has a lot of new readers and are celebrating this with another box set containing the first seven, yes, SEVEN of the series. This comes out on the 21^st July, under the title of ELLIE QUICKE MYSTERIES BOOKS 1-7. And each spine shows the title and a clue to the setting. Joffe are indeed amazing, delving into the archives to find more and more . . . well, I hope we can call them treasures.

The next extract . . .

Well, you know the problem. I’m just not writing fast enough to give you a brand new story each month. So, let’s have a few pages from the beginning of the very first book I ever had published – SUE FOR MERCY. See above: box set published June 12^th. You can read these pages here.

Work in progress

I am coming to the end of the first draft of the Bea Abbot book – Julian, Polly and the Hall are beginning to see the results of their hard labours, the baddies are dead or in custody, while Bea and Piers are looking to the future. I still have to finish off a short story for The Methodist Magazine and another for Maximilian the Magnificent, but I’ll let you have these later in the year.

My birthday wish for all of you is to be able to spend time in the sun without sunburn, to eat as much as you like of your favourite food without indigestion, and to sleep the night through without interruption.

Veronica Heley

I can’t believe . . .

. . . it’s June already. At the end of this month I will celebrate my ninety-second birthday! And I’m still writing! And I’m still being asked to talk about my books . . . Well, not so much now. I do have to ask for a lift to and from the venue, and I must admit that I was rather pleased to be asked what kind of cake I’d like to be given with a cuppa afterward. Isn’t that civilised?

And, talking of civilised, I have been thinking of what marks our entry into society, and I rather think it may be when a child – or an adult – says ‘Please’ or ‘Thank you’ on the appropriate occasions. The next step might be their saying, ‘Sorry!’ if they have done something inappropriate. This pattern of behaviour is something I’ve been thinking about for the book I’m writing now. I have a multi-billionaire who has forgotten how to say Please or Thank you until his circumstances change and he is challenged to relearn the rules of society. What would be your most acceptable turn of speech?                   

                             I had a very pleasant surprise . . .

. . . the other day when I finally took delivery of my copies of FALSE GOLD. For many years, Severn House had insisted that the background of crime books should be black. They firmly believed that this is what their readers wanted. Crime equals black, and that’s that. They may be right. Possibly they are. But I personally have a ‘thing’ about black and it was a great delight to find the background for this cover is a rich blue. Hurray! And yes, as usual Severn House have produced a readable text for all ages. And yes, I do like this story which follows the further fortunes of Bea and the supposed rough sleeper she found outside her garage one wintry night. He’s now in a very different place from the ragged, half-starved man she helped to discover his background, but there are still obstacles to overcome.

                     Now, what to do about the short story?    

How about a tearer from the start of Bea’s meeting with the aforesaid rough sleeper? The book was FALSE NAME, and you can find the first chapter here. This book was followed by FALSE WITNESS, which came out last year, and by FALSE GOLD, which came out this May. I am currently working hard on the last in this group, which will be FALSE RELATION.

A blessing on those kind people who offer a lift to an ancient ninety-two year old writer who walks with a stick.

Veronica Heley

           What do you do when you catch a cold?

Do you pretend you’re perfectly all right and insist on spreading your germs everywhere you go? Or do you go to bed and stop trying to keep fit? I try to keep going but I had to admit I had to cancel all face-to-face events and even wore one of my Covid masks when I went out. And yes, I had the dreaded cough that went on and on, interrupted by phone calls from some organisation which kept ringing me to say, ‘Please hold and we will connect you . . .’ Which it didn’t. I assume it’s one of those automated thingies which searches for someone to scam but never manages it.

I did have a scam the other day supposedly from an old friend who was asking a favour . . . and I thought they might be asking me to talk to a church group . . . so I answered. Silly me. They wanted me to buy a gift voucher for an old friend whom they hadn’t seen in a while and their voice had gone, so could I oblige? Er, no. I did reply, though, to suggest they take lessons in typing and grammar as theirs were sub-standard and suggestive of someone with a poor education.

                              What went well . . . .?

The second Ealing Book Festival. The room was packed. I was invited to sell myself and my Ellie Quicke books in two minutes at the Local Author Showcase. I made the company laugh, I told them about how Ellie came into being, I emphasised the local setting . . . and sold out of all the copies of MURDER WITH PROFIT! Hurray. I talked to some writers with fascinating stories to tell and made plans to meet with them soon. Yes, it was tiring as I was in recovery mode. (See above) but enjoyable.

                                           The short story is: Snakes & Ladders

This is about the legacy we may leave behind us. Is our legacy that of money wisely distributed or is it kindnesses shown to others? This story was in the Easter issue of the Methodist Recorder, but I’m giving it here because the subject matter has been on my mind for a while and it’s not really tied to any one season. You can read it here.

                                               FALSE GOLD is now out . . .

Hurray! The story continues on from FALSE WITNESS as the supposed rough sleeper Bea finds on her doorstep in FALSE NAME inherits a stately home and tries to make sense of problems there. Julian, Polly and Bea are plagued by rumours of buried gold, resentful relations and a missing security man and his dog. Also by a bossy estate manager who thinks everything Julian does is rubbish.

A blessing on gardeners whose flowers give passers-by so much pleasure.

Veronica Heley

A little of what you fancy . . .

. . . does you good. Every Monday afternoon I allow myself a break from work to toddle along to the Tea Club where we take our seats among friends and are served the following: four finger sandwiches – without crusts and with various fillings – and a slice of cake: Lemon drizzle is my favourite but the red velvet chocolate is also to be recommended. Tea and coffee are on demand.

And we talk! About local concerns, the latest in scams, the children’s Maypole Dancing . . . and why so-and-so is not with us today. We don’t touch on politics as it raises the blood pressure. Sometimes we have a quiz. An hour and a half later, we stagger back home to decide that we don’t need any supper, do we?

So, back to work. London Book Fair has been held and everyone concerned is exhausted but content. I don’t attend nowadays as my age is beginning to tell. I miss the face-to-face meetings with my editors and agents, but good news still drifts my way. Booklist has given the May publication of FALSE GOLD a good review . . . ‘A perfect escape from weather vagaries, especially with a cup of tea.’ This book has Bea called on again to help Julian – who has unexpectedly inherited Marston Hall – only to be plagued by rumours of buried gold, a missing security man and also his dog.

Now it’s back to juggle promises I’ve made to deliver this and that. First, the Easter story for the Methodist Recorder. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what we leave behind when we die. Will ee be judged by the amount of money we leave and how wisely we have directed its disposal? Or will we be remembered for acts of kindness which leave no footprint in the financial markets? The story will come out in the Easter edition, titled ‘Snakes & Ladders.’

I also wrote another short story about Maximilian the Magnificent, the undersized black cat who gets into lots of bother. This time he has an unwelcome guest in the house to deal with. I wrote UNINVITED for our choir concert, and you can find it here.

And now, back to Bea Abbot and the work in progress. This story is FALSE RELATION and will be he last in this group of four books which take Bea out of her comfort zone into her friend Julian’s new life at Marston Hall. It’s coming on, slowly.

As for the garden, I’m behind with sowing seed because it’s been so cold, but now the sun’s out, I’m popping seeds in here, there and everywhere. Lots of colour from the forsythia and the grape hyacinths, not to mention the polyanthus and the brilliant daffodils.

A blessing on all the volunteers who run coffee and tea clubs for us oldies. They are often the only human contact we have all week, and give us so much pleasure.

Veronica Heley

Don’t you hate it when . . .

you’re sent a letter that hasn’t been properly stamped? The Post Office hold whatever-it-is to ransom, and you sit there wondering if it’s worth paying the fee demanded or not. Suppose it’s a piece of advertising? Suppose it’s something wrongly addressed? You take a deep breath and attempt to pay through some site which decides you’re an imbecile who shouldn’t be allowed on a completer, ever. Yes, I tried three times. I huffed and I puffed . . . and finally promised to allow myself a chocolate biscuit if I managed the task which, finally, I did. Was it worth it? Now I have to wait and see.

PS. Yes! The Post office finally delivered the envelope which had an out-of-date stamp on it, and it was the contract for the translation rights for Brazil for the first two Ellie Quicke books! So yes, it was worth the ransom.

Another book out!

The trade paperback of FALSE WITNESS is now published. This is the second in the series about a young accountant inheriting a rundown estate and stately home, with all the problems that this entails. Was it Machiavelli who advised his boss to kill not only his biggest enemy but all his children as well? Well, we don’t do that nowadays, do we? Or do we? History has multiple examples of defeated families rearing their children on stories of the injustices suffered by their parents. In this way they train the next generation to continue the fight. Well, it’s not as bad as that in FALSE WITNESS, but it is still true that ancient wrongs can still affect the future. ISBN 978 1448316328.

I’ve also got the publication date for the next book in the series, which is called FALSE GOLD. The hard back will be out on May . . . and of course I’m working on another story now. You remember I was moaning that I had too much plot ion this one? Oh dear, oh dear. I’m still tussling with the problem, but the path to the end will become clear soon . . . I hope.

My snowdrops made a poor show this year but I’m pleased to say that my tiny blue Irises are coming into flower. Now they really do herald spring. What’s more, my neighbour – a dedicated gardener – is planning to sow her tomato seeds this week. I am impressed, particularly as she usually gives me some plants to bring on in my greenhouse, hurray! There’s something about home grown tomatoes that makes me smile. They taste so different from bought ones, or those in tins.

Another short story!

This from the archives, is called NEW LIVES FOR OLD. Find it here.

A blessing on all who can be cheerful on misty, murky, miserable days when the sun declines to shine.

Veronica Heley

So what happens next?

I look for snowdrops in the garden but there are none. Mine are all of the later flowering variety. Every year I intend to buy some early varieties and every year I forget. However, I do have a sky blue iris unguicularis in flower, the yellow blooms of the winter jasmine are brilliant and I have some red amaryllis which lift my spirits every time I look at them. I must make a note to buy some early varieties of snowdrops, or I’ll be moaning about the same thing in another year’s time.

Work seemed to stop for everyone but me over the Christmas holidays. Contracts did not come through as expected, queries were not followed up. Everyone else in the whole wide world seemed to have had a fortnight off and return refreshed. Perhaps I ought to schedule a holiday for myself, too. Only, I really really need to write every day.

One of the problems was . . .

One I’ve met before. I have too much plot. Yes, I know! I do this a lot, don’t I? This last week I put in a new character, a Mrs Minchin, very upright and most helpful as a witness to as nasty hit and run involving Polly and little Pip. I put her in, and then I took her out. And then I had to put her back in again. Sigh . . . a writer’s life is not a happy one when this happens.

Another book out!

Joffe have brought out the last (for the time being) book in the Ellie Quicke series. This is MURDER FOR PROFIT, which came out on January 12th. This is the last of the Ellie Quickes for the time being, so make the most of it. Joffe are planning to bring out some collections later on but I don’t have a date as yet.

For a teaser, I’m including the first pages of this book instead of a short story. See it here. Joffe have suggested I ask for readers to put in an honest review of this book if they liked it, because they say it would help to get it known.

View my Amazon Author Page here.

I never know how this works, but I’m sure you do. I think I could probably benefit from some kind of course on all the things I should be able to do on the computer but don’t. Perhaps I should . . . after I’ve finished the next book, the next short story for Easter and of course, the next newsletter.

A blessing on farmers and shops who manage to get bunches of cut daffodils ready for sale at this time of the year. How I enjoy watching them come out!

Veronica Heley

Are we glad or sad to see the last of 2024?                                    

I’m pleased in some ways and sad in others. Some things have been very good. I have managed to keep going healthwise, only finding two more medications to which I have bad reactions, my stories both short and long seem to be still much in demand, my social life is busy and if I can’t run and leap around as I used to do, there is a lot to be said for moderating one’s pace on the way up the hill to the local shops.

I am sad that the run of my cosy books by Joffe is shortly coming to an end. (Murder-in-Law came out on December 18^th and the last of that series, Murder for Profit, comes out on January 12^th.) There will probably be more later on, but that’s all they can take for the time being. They are, however, planning to bring out some more collections at some point.

Now I have another contract to sign . . .          

Meanwhile, Severn House have been very busy with the copy edits and proofs for the next in the Bea Abbot series. This focuses on Julian, who unexpectedly inherits a failing stately home and a clutch of relatives who are not at all friendly. FALSE NAME and FALSE WITNESS are out and about already, shortly to be followed by still FALSE GOLD. Now I’m working on the fourth in this mini-series, FALSE RELATION, to be delivered next year. I can’t think beyond that. Or rather, I still have new stories weaving themselves into my head, but I must not allow myself to be distracted.

Meanwhile, short stories continue . . .

The Christmas and New Year edition of the Methodist Recorder has another story called ‘One for Sorrow,’ which is about a widow coming to terms with the loss of her family at Christmas time. Sad, but true to life. On a brighter note, I wrote another Max the Cat story called The Special Birthday for the choir concert and attach that here for your enjoyment.

What else? The garden is adapting to the change in the season. The pink viburnum tinis is in full flower and scent, and the winter jasmine is starred over with yellow blooms. There are bulbs pushing up here and there. How, may I ask, do I prevent the postman and all other delivery people from treading on the green shoots as they cross the flower bed between the pathway to my front door and my neighbours? (Suggestions on a post card, please.) Who uses post cards nowadays? Well, I have a wonderful friend who always sends me postcards when she goes abroad on holidays. How about that!

A blessing on all those who still send Christmas, New Year and Birthday cards! And a blessing on those whose names we cross off our address book each year.             

Veronica Heley