Apologies for being a couple of days late with the newsletter. I had a chance to take a few days off so I returned to beautiful Bruges to shop, look at art, eat good food, and see the fantastic Procession of the Holy Blood on Ascension Day. I really needed that break and what’s more, it refreshed my memories so that I can use this as a holiday destination in my next short story. Yes, there’s going to be another for August, but it has to be delivered mid June, so I have to get writing now!
The good news is that I signed lots of contracts in May (hurray!) So now I’ve delivered the next Bea Abbot – False Impression, to be published late November 2014 – I am able as of today to make the mental change from ‘being’ Bea to ‘being’ Ellie. Believe it or not, this is going to be the l6th Ellie Quicke. I have been thinking about this plot and I know just where the villainous part of the story is set. That’s one of the attractions about writing based in this particular part of London; we have old buildings, buildings which have been extended upwards and outwards; we have brand new flats and small tenements which now house professionals. This particular story was inspired by several local events – as my stories usually are – but there’s a particular building with an unusual extension at top of a nearby hill which has always intrigued me. More on that later.
Meanwhile MURDER IN TIME has been published in the UK – three months later for Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand. This is the one in which the man who raped schoolgirl Vera twelve years ago, returns to claim his son. He plans to pay Vera off and remove Mikey and descends to blackmail and force when his offer is rejected. Attempting to solve the mystery of the doctor who was killed on the night of the rape takes Ellie into contact with Vera’s old school friends, who are not happy to have their current lives disturbed. A copy of the cover has gone on the website already, plus the first couple of pages for you to look at.
ISBN 9780 7278 83988
Now there’s a chance for some of you to request a secure digital review copy (not a hardcover copy) of Murder in Time as Severn House have put it on NetGalley. It’s free to become a member and Severn House manages all requests for review copies this way, but it only applies to collection development public librarians, booksellers and established reviewers and bloggers; this does not include the general public who only post reviews on Amazon or GoodReadreads, unless they are Amazon Vine reviewers or GoodReads librarians. If you qualify, let me know and I’ll pass your details on to Severn House – or you can apply direct to Charlotte Loftus via severnhouse.com
E-books: Severn House is bringing out the first of my early historical novels on June 15th. This is MY LORD, THE HERMIT, set in medieval times, in which a wrongly convicted man has to build a church in silence, with his own hands . . . until a feisty heiress crosses his path and a neighbouring lord invades her lands. This originally came out under the pseudonym of ‘Victoria Thorne’, but will now be titled: ‘Veronica Heley writing as Victoria Thorne’. ISBN 978 1 4483 01362.
Later this month I’ll be going up to Lytham St Anne’s to visit and old friend and to give a talk in the Library on Tuesday morning l7th June. If you’re around, it would be good to see you there.
About the moths? Every day I think I’ve counted fewer bodies but still they keep coming. I have reluctantly decided to get rid of three oldish carpets in the hope that that will defeat them. This means CLEARING OUT MY STUDY!!! Oh, the agony! Oh, the discovery of things I thought I’d lost! Oh, the cramming of files into bookcases not meant for them. But oh, where have I put X. . .not to mention Y? I keep telling myself it will be good when it’s all done, but meantime . . . yuk!
Our afternoon tea club for the over 65s is going really well. We’re mostly widows and widowers, with two ninety-odd year olds. It’s a lot better, they say, than sitting at home staring at the telly.
A blessing: may you find some time to relax by yourself, to enjoy the longer hours of daylight, and make the most of the time you spend with friends.
Veronica Heley
http://blog.veronicaheley.com/
Recent releases.
The short story, ‘The Art of Saying “No”’ was published at Easter. If you’d like to read it, let me know and I’ll send it you by email.
FALSE DIAMOND. Bea is drawn into the questionable doings of the multi-billionaire Holland family, which include an engagement with a fake diamond ring, an alleged suicide attempt, an abusive man who tries to put the frighteners on Bea, and the ambiguous behaviour of the black sheep of the family, who turns out to be the joker in the pack. ISBN 978 0 7278 8298 1.
Also in e-book in March 2014: 978-1-78010-484-3
MURDER MY NEIGHBOUR. Large print, hardback. Pub Nov 2013. ISBN 9780727896551.
MURDER FOR MERCY. Ellie finds some deaths in the community are not exactly what they seem, while her pregnant, difficult daughter Diana is concerned that her husband is still in a wheelchair. Sabotage at the big house nearby is being blamed on young Mikey. Can Ellie track down whoever it is who is killing for mercy, keep Mikey out of the clutches of Social Services, and steer her difficult daughter Diana into calmer waters? ISBN 9780 7278 8281 3
UNSUNG HEROES is now available as an e-book. This is a collection of short stories originally published in the Methodist Recorder, concerning the problems of three retired men and their families, plus some Ellie Quicke short stories. £3.40 UK, and $4.90 USA. http://www.veronicaheley.com/othertitles.php
FALSE REPORT, an Abbot Agency story, is available in large print, hardback, from June 14th ISBN 9780 7278
Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php