News . . . I managed to get the next book off to my editor, and then paced up and down waiting to hear if she liked it or not. I thought the story was all right, but by the time I’d been living with it for six months or so, I really didn’t know what day of the week it was. Two days before I sent it off, I was sure that I’d not ironed out a particular bit of plot. And could I find that bit in the mss? No, I could not. Then, I found it, and put it right. Hooray! And then I sent it off . . . only to realise that I’d changed something else at the last minute which was not right, and which was going to be picked on and chucked back at me . . . ah me! Who’d be a writer?
But at last the waiting was over. The editor liked it and said some very nice things about it, hurray. All things being equal, it will be published at the end of this year. This story is titled FALSE PRIDE and includes one of the nastiest weapons this century had come up with – a taser. I like to do the research on anything I don’t understand, so I googled ‘taser’ and came up against a screen which forbade me to go any further under pain of being interviewed by MI5 or whoever. So I desisted. I knew enough about the horrid things by that time to write about them, anyway.
Mark, who created and looks after my website, has given me a new website. Some things still need tweaking. For instance, I have been getting published since 1974 (yes, really!) and the very first crime books that I wrote were not on the site. They are, I must confess, somewhat ‘harder’ than the stories that I write nowadays, but nevertheless have been brought out recently in large print and e-book by AudioGo. Also missing were the beautiful pop up books by Francesca Crespi at Frances Lincoln for which I provided the text. So, some of this has now been rectified, some not. No doubt Mark will sort it out. (I’m just so grateful that I can ask him to do this sort of thing for me. If I even have to change the batteries in the remote control, I’m liable to get them in the wrong way!)
Some paperback copies of the 14th Ellie Quicke, Murder with Mercy, arrived on my doorstep the other day. I’m so glad the publisher continues to bring out paperbacks. I rather like this story, which has a lot of duplicity in it, and young Mikey getting into trouble – again.
If anyone missed the last short story I wrote for The Methodist Recorder and can’t get a copy, I’d be happy to email one to you. It’s called ‘You can do it!’ and is about how Sally learns to stand up for herself . . . a bit.
And finally, a blessing; may we pause even in our busiest days, to look around us and thank God for His many blessings.
Veronica Heley.