Waiting Is Hard . . .
September was a strange month since lots of people were still on holiday. I didn’t go away and managed to finish and deliver all of the following:
The next Bea Abbot story – FALSE GOLD – was sent off to Severn House and I’ve just heard they like it and wham! The copy edits landed on my desk! That’s me taken care of for the next ten days or so. This continues the story as Bea helps Julian – who’d unexpectedly inherited the rundown stately home – to rescue the place. They are impeded by an unhelpful estate manager and the death of a John Doe.
I woke at 3 in the morning with an idea for a follow-up story, which I’m calling FALSE RELATION. I’ve already started roughing out the first chapter. Noting that this would be the fourth story set in Marston Hall, after FALSE NAME, FALSE WITNESS, and FALSE GOLD, I thought you might like to read the first chapter of FALSE NAME and hopefully get hooked on the series. Attached herewith.
Next my short story ‘Be Not Afraid. . .’ has been published in the Methodist Recorder and another, called ‘This Will Keep You Safe,’ came out in THE JEWELLER’S HEART, an anthology written by members of the Christian Writers. This latter tale was based on my own family history involving Huguenots and lace-making, and of how hand-made work became taken over by machines. Details here on Amazon.
Covers I have known . . .
Some are delightful, others don’t have much relation to the story. I cherish the memory of one which featured a Scottie dog, as there wasn’t one in the story! Cats are a different matter. I am definitely a cat person and now there’s a cat on the covers of all the Bea Abbot and Ellie Quicke stories which are being brought out by Joffe for Amazon. MURDER IN STYLE came out on September 22nd . Joffe also brought out a slip-case containing five Bea Abbot stories on September 29th. Both feature the family’s cats, one ginger and one black. See these two covers here.
That being said, I have to admit that the covers of FALSE NAME and FALSE WITNESS feature Bruno, an Alsatian who plays a big role in both stories.
A blessing on all the health professionals who work hard to alleviate our problems as we age.
Veronica Heley