First, the good news – which is that no more milk has disappeared from my doorstep since my milkman took to hiding the bottles in the flowerbed. But; another would-be thief has emerged from hiding. Picture me delving into the plants to retrieve the milk bottle and carrying it into the kitchen for breakfast . . . and as I place it on the work surface, I touch something slimy. And it gives way. And I scream a little scream. (Well, more of a strangled yelp, if truth be told.) For there is a large SLUG who is well on his way up the bottle with intent to help himself to the nice milk inside. I mean . . . UGH! And . . . revolting! Some mornings there is nothing to be found. At other times – especially if it has rained in the night – I may well find several large black yukkies. I swipe them off into the garden rubbish bag. No, I don’t kill them. Well, I suppose they will die eventually but they can live in a semi-paradise till the bin men come to remove the rubbish. Thus perish all thieves. Or would-be thieves.          

Now for the latest development in the next Ellie Quicke. I called it MURDER AT THE MAGPIE, the text was accepted, and I got through the copy-editing without too much trouble. The ‘Magpie’ in question was the name of the fashion boutique around which the story revolves. The book was scheduled to come out at the end of June 2016, and although I hadn’t seen the proposed cover, all seemed to be going smoothly . . . until I had an email saying that the publishers were having second thoughts about the title. What? (Or should it be What!) This title had been accepted and approved way back last spring! But no; the Powers that Be had now decided that the Magpie in question wouldn’t mean anything to the reader. They suggested another couple of titles – you can picture me seething with fury – can’t you? I was not at all willing to believe that they had a good point. Anyway, I came up with MURDER IN STYLE, which was accepted. So, expunge Murder at the Magpie from your memories, please, and substitute MURDER IN STYLE. And no, there’s no need for me to alter anything in the text.                   

The 10^th Bea Abbot, titled FALSE WALL has been doing well in the reviews, and a good number of review bloggers have put something out about it. Hurray! In case you’ve missed it, I’d better repeat the information about getting a digital review copy. If you are a librarian or a review blogger, you can email Charlotte at Severn House and she will send one to you. The latest review through was from Booklist, who say, ‘An intriguing plot, a tough-minded heroine, and a satisfying ending make this an entertaining read.’

I’ve been asked for another short story for Easter but had difficulty in getting to it. The problem is that Easter is early this year. I take about three months to get the first draft of a book onto the computer, after which I set it aside for a while . . . and it’s then that I usually write the next short story. This year the editor wanted the story by the beginning of March. I was nowhere near ready to set Bea aside to work on something else and I had difficulty flipping from one storyline to another.

I have a writer friend who was commissioned to write a psychological thriller at the same time as she had to produce another police procedural. She solved this by writing one on her main computer, and the other on her laptop. One in the morning and the other in the afternoon. So, if I moved from my desk in the study to a table downstairs . . . would that work? To be continued . . .

I have just realised that the next newsletter will be my one hundredth! And no, I don’t expect a card from the Queen, but perhaps I should mark the occasion in some way?

Any ideas? Ought I to include a picture of me, if I can work out how to do it. Is there anything special you’d like me to write about? Or should I continue as usual?

Finally, a blessing: may the flowers that bloom in the spring lift your heart in thanksgiving.

Veronica Heley

www.veronicaheley.com
http://blog.veronicaheley.com/

1. I’ve just noticed that a neighbour’s milk is left in his porch with the doormat upended and hiding it from view!

NEW . . . .

FALSE           WALL, the 10^th Bea Abbot. December 31^st 2015, 3 months later in the USA and other overseas territories. Bea Abbot watched in horror as her garden wall came crashing down, exposing human bones in a neighbour’s pets’ cemetery. An invitation to Bea and her financier friend Leon from the Admiral and his lady next door leaves both of them in hospital. It also leaves Bea’s home and her agency rooms uninhabitable, while threatening to destroy Leon’s reputation. Bea is distressed when, at this traumatic moment, Leon deserts her to rescue a business deal. Even with the help of her friends, can the agency survive – and what then will become of Bea’s relationship with Leon? Severn House,ISBN 978-0-7278-8576-0.

FALSE IMPRESSION, the 9^th Bea Abbot. The paperback edition, available from December 31^st 2015, 3 months later for overseas. A series of strange events and seemingly unrelated deaths lead Leon to take refuge with Bea. And nothing is what it seems. Severn House ISBN 978-1-84751-5629.

MURDER BY SUSPICION- the 16^th Ellie Quicke. Booklist review: ‘The latest in Heley’s long-running series again draws its appeal from the mix of suspense, gentle humour, an unpredictable plot, and a brave and engaging amateur sleuth.’

Hardback: ISBN 9780 7278 85241   E-book: 9781 78010 6779

The new pop-up by Francesca Crespi, for Noah’s Ark, has a text written by yours truly. Francesca’s work is stunning. Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978-1-84507-937-6.

You can hear me reading various bits and pieces in recordings made by Isis (Soundings) as follows: Podcast & Interview:https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/isis-unabridged-podcast-3-veronica-heley-interview.   Collected newsletters 2011-2014 (one audio file) https://soundcloud.com/isis/veronica-heley-newsletters-2011-2014   Links to individual newsletters (click on each title) https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/sets/veronica-heley-newsletters

UNSUNG HEROES is now available as an e-book. This is a collection of short stories 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?l1-11

Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1-11

My report of milk being stolen off my doorstep has inspired comments from all around the world. In Australia apparently milk is no longer available in bottles, but only in cartons. I didn’t know that. Another reader advised me to set up a camera to capture the thief in action . . . which is exactly what a third reader did after he noticed the pears on his tree were disappearing every night. And who did you think his camera caught? A fox! They had never realised a fox could jump so high, but now they have it on camera! Interesting . . . but foxes don’t drink milk, do they?

I am happy to say that no more milk has disappeared from my garden but we remain the Crime Capital of this part of London. The next thing to disappear was the cast-iron name plate for our road, which was affixed to the wall of our garden when the house was built one hundred years ago. It’s a heritage thing. Gradually the old nameplates are being given a facelift and returned to their original places and very nice they look, too. Time and rust had worked their wicked way with the staples holding my plate in place and one morning I found it face down on the pavement. I tried to lift it. Yes, stupid; I know! It was far too heavy for me. Later that day I went out with a friend to collect it for purposes of rehabilitation and . . . yes, you’ve guessed it . . . it had gone! Has it been melted down for scrap, or does it adorn the kitchen wall of another house in our road? A souvenir of the old days? It can’t be the same person who takes our milk, can it?

FALSE WALL, the 10^th Bea Abbot, which was officially published on the last day of 2015, has been doing well in the reviews. I understand some librarians and review bloggers have already asked Charlotte for a copy. That pleases us mightily, but she asks me to make sure you realise it will be a digital and not a hard copy. The cost of sending a hard copy from the UK is prohibitive. So here’s reminding you about that. If you’d still like a digital copy for review, just email her and she will send one to you.  

I had quite a few requests for email copies of the Christmas story I wrote for the Methodist Recorder. ‘You Owe Me!’ is about the shoplifter and his family who, when prevented from going about their usual ‘business’, demand presents and money for Christmas. If you’d still like to read this, just drop me an email and I’ll send you a copy free.

I am grinding my way slowly through the first draft of the next Bea Abbot. It starts with a bang – a fireworks bang! – and continues through a maze of misrepresentation, misunderstandings and a cast of nasties. No murders as yet but there’s man (or woman) slaughter all over the place. And two poor little rich girls whom I really do feel sorry for. As the old Nannies used to say, ‘It will all end in tears before nightfall.’ I’m enjoying it, in a weird sort of way.

Meanwhile, there’s a paperback of FALSE IMPRESSION newly out. Hurray! This is the one in which Bea finds herself and her friends targeted by . . . who knows who? See below for details.

Finally, a blessing: may the first flowers of spring bring renewed hope for our own growth this year.

Veronica Heley
www.veronicaheley.com
http://blog.veronicaheley.com/

NEW . . . .

FALSE WALL, the 10^th Bea Abbot. December 31^st 2015, 3 months later in the USA and other overseas territories. Bea Abbot watched in horror as her garden wall came crashing down, exposing human bones in a neighbour’s pets’ cemetery. An invitation to Bea and her financier friend Leon from the Admiral and his lady next door leaves both of them in hospital. It also leaves Bea’s home and her agency rooms uninhabitable, while threatening to destroy Leon’s reputation. Bea is distressed when, at this traumatic moment, Leon deserts her to rescue a business deal. Even with the help of her friends, can the agency survive – and what then will become of Bea’s relationship with Leon? Severn House, ISBN 978-0-7278-8576-0.

FALSE IMPRESSION, the 9^th Bea Abbot. The paperback edition, available from December 31^st 2015, 3 months later for overseas. A series of strange events and seemingly unrelated deaths lead Leon to take refuge with Bea. And nothing is what it seems. Severn House ISBN 978-1-84751-5629.

MURDER BY SUSPICION- the 16^th Ellie Quicke. Booklist review: ‘The latest in Heley’s long-running series again draws its appeal from the mix of suspense, gentle humour, an unpredictable plot, and a brave and engaging amateur sleuth.’ Hardback: ISBN 9780 7278 85241   E-book: 9781 78010 6779 And now: paperback ISBN

The audiobook of THE TARRANT ROSE, from Soundings, ISBN 9781407951836

The new pop-up by Francesca Crespi, for Noah’s Ark, has a text written by yours truly. Francesca’s work is stunning. Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978-1-84507-937-6.

You can hear me reading various bits and pieces in recordings made by Isis (Soundings) as follows: Podcast & Interview:https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/isis-unabridged-podcast-3-veronica-heley-interview.   Collected newsletters 2011-2014 (one audio file) https://soundcloud.com/isis/veronica-heley-newsletters-2011-2014   Links to individual newsletters (click on each title) https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/sets/veronica-heley-newsletters

UNSUNG HEROES is now available as an e-book. This is a collection of short stories 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?l1-11

Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1-11

On this first day of the New Year, I would like my world to be all sweetness and light, but no; I have to report a crime. It’s one I can’t take to the police. My milk is being stolen off my doorstep! Last summer I found someone (something) was ripping the tops off my milk bottles and lowering the level of the liquid inside by an inch or so. Next, I found one bottle had been toppled onto its side, the lid removed, and that the contents had drained away. I concluded that the crows which haunt the nearby park had decided to vary their diet, and a neighbour gave me a plastic bucket to put over my milk carrier. That worked well . . . until recently I found the bucket had been left on one side and the carrier was – empty. At first I thought Alan, who had been delivering my milk for years, must have taken the empties and forgotten to leave me a new bottle. But after this had happened a couple of times, the horrible truth emerged; he hadn’t forgotten and my milk was being stolen!

Now it is true that my front garden is somewhat exposed, and what is more, I live opposite some park gates. People walking dogs go in and out of the park at all hours; as do teenagers extending a night out by sitting on my garden wall and eating a ready meal; as do men wheeling fractious babies in buggies; as does the man who delivers the papers in the middle of the night. (Between three and four o’clock, to be precise.) So who do you think I should blame? Not the milkman. Otherwise, the field is wide open. For the moment, Alan is hiding my milk in a flower bed and we’re hoping this will stop the thefts. To be continued, no doubt.

The Methodist Recorder published my Christmas story as planned. It’s titled ‘You Owe Me!’ If you’d like a copy and can’t get hold of one, just drop me an email and I’ll send it to you by return. ‘You Owe Me!’ is what the father of the shoplifting family says as he demands presents and money for Christmas. What do our old friends reply? And will Corin soften his stance on Christmas? How easily we can overlook the real meaning of Christmas and think only of parties and presents.

The next Ellie Quicke – Murder at the Magpie – has been accepted (hurray!) and I’ll shortly be getting the copy-editing to do. The scheduled date for publication is the end of June this year. I recently had a review from someone who hadn’t read any of my books before and said that (apparently to her surprise) she found that there was more to think about than in this book than in the usual light crime novel. She had come across Murder by Suspicion, with its characters who ignore the usual constraints of society to go after Ellie’s money and who won’t take no for an answer. I was interested that she’d homed in on this theme. Although the Ellie and Bea stories are by definition ‘cosies’ or ‘good-reads’ I usually include a strand in the plot about something that’s been bothering me in real life. I was really pleased to read her comments.

And now – Tarantara! – a fanfare for FALSE WALL, which was officially published yesterday, 31^st December in the UK. There have been a few good reviews out already on NetGalley, which is open to anyone who is a librarian or has a review blog. If you would like a copy with a view to giving it a review, just contact Charlotte at Severn House and she will do the necessary.  

Finally, a blessing: may the New Year bring you more joy than sorrow, and the strength to deal with whichever comes.

Veronica Heley

www.veronicaheley.com

http://blog.veronicaheley.com/

1. Neighbours have just told me their milk is also being stolen. Half a bottle was taken the other night! Alan is now hiding their milk in a food container outside their front door.

NEW . . . .

FALSE           WALL, the 10^th Bea Abbot. December 31^st 2015, 3 months later in the USA and other overseas territories. Bea Abbot watched in horror as her garden wall came crashing down, exposing human bones in a neighbour’s pets’ cemetery. An invitation to Bea and her financier friend Leon from the Admiral and his lady next door leaves both of them in hospital. It also leaves Bea’s home and her agency rooms uninhabitable, while threatening to destroy Leon’s reputation. Bea is distressed when, at this traumatic moment, Leon deserts her to rescue a business deal. Even with the help of her friends, can the agency survive – and what then will become of Bea’s relationship with Leon? Severn House,
ISBN 978-0-7278-8576-0.

FALSE IMPRESSION, the 9^th Bea Abbot. The paperback edition, available from December 31^st 2015, 3 months later for overseas. A series of strange events and seemingly unrelated deaths lead Leon to take refuge with Bea. And nothing is what it seems. Severn House ISBN 978-1-84751-5629.

MURDER BY SUSPICION- the 16^th Ellie Quicke. Booklist review: ‘The latest in Heley’s long-running series again draws its appeal from the mix of suspense, gentle humour, an unpredictable plot, and a brave and engaging amateur sleuth.’

Hardback: ISBN 9780 7278 85241   E-book: 9781 78010 6779

The audiobook of THE TARRANT ROSE, from Soundings, ISBN 9781407951836

The new pop-up by Francesca Crespi, for Noah’s Ark, has a text written by yours truly. Francesca’s work is stunning. Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978-1-84507-937-6.

You can hear me reading various bits and pieces in recordings made by Isis (Soundings) as follows: Podcast & Interview:https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/isis-unabridged-podcast-3-veronica-heley-interview.   Collected newsletters 2011-2014 (one audio file) https://soundcloud.com/isis/veronica-heley-newsletters-2011-2014   Links to individual newsletters (click on each title) https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/sets/veronica-heley-newsletters

UNSUNG HEROES is now available as an e-book. This is a collection of short stories 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?l1-11

Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1-11

November was a busy month. The Methodist Recorder scheduled a story from me to go in the Christmas double issue, and they wanted it early so that they could pick out some photographs to go with it. It is not your usual happy-clappy Christmas story, but carries on the story about the shoplifting family, what they expect from society for their Christmas and what might actually happen to them. But poor damaged Corin does get an invitation to join our old friends on the day. Whether he will come or not . . .? You’ll have to find out when the story is published. It’s called ‘You Owe Me!’ and it will be published in the double edition for Christmas.

Next, I had to deliver the manuscript for the next Ellie Quicke mystery, Murder at the Magpie, which meant going over and over the manuscript again and again to sort out typos and mis-spaced lines and the occasional error in timing. Did she leave the office at nine or nine thirty and what happened when her daughter came to the door? This involves going backwards and forwards through the manuscript, trying to check on what I’d written earlier. I thought I’d polished the story off nicely, and then found – oh horrors! – that I’d missed the odd mistake so had to go through it all over again. But finally, it was sent off into the blue and now I have an anxious wait till I hear if it is acceptable as it is or if it needs more work.

The big news this month is of course that FALSE WALL will be published on or about the third week in December. Someone asked me the other day what this book was about and I went totally, but completely blank! I couldn’t think. Picture me with my jaw dropping . . .! Well, you must remember that since I despatched it to Severn House, I have written two short stories and the Ellie Quicke story referred to above as Murder at the Magpie, not to mention beginning to sort out what the storyline on the next Bea Abbot story will be. So, backtracking through four storylines, I herewith present the plot of False Wall – which is, if I’ve counted correctly, the 10^th in the Abbot Agency series:

Bea Abbot watched in horror as her garden wall comes crashing down, leaving the rear of her house – and three others – wide open to trespassers. The fall of the wall also disturbs human bones in a neighbour’s pets’ cemetery. An invitation to Bea and her financier friend Leon from the Admiral and his lady next door has horrifying consequences, as both Bea and Leon end up in hospital. It also leaves Bea’s house uninhabitable, wipes out her agency office and threatens to destroy Leon’s reputation. Reeling from shock, Bea is distressed when Leon deserts her in an effort to rescue an important business deal.

Even with the help of her friends, can the agency survive – and what then will become of Bea’s relationship with Leon?

Also out at the end of the month is the paperback edition of FALSE IMPRESSION – this is the one in which a series of strange events and seemingly unrelated deaths lead Leon to take refuge with Bea. And nothing is what it seems. This was first published a year ago in hardback – so don’t get confused, will you. . .

Some of you may know I’ve been experiencing problems with my eyes recently. The long-awaited operation has now taken place and I am thrilled to report that my sight is now returning to normal, hurray! Mind you, when I leave the house at the moment, it’s wearing dark glasses and carrying a stick . . . but I hope soon to be without the stick at least.

Finally, a blessing: may you always bear the true meaning of Christmas in mind as the busy-ness of the season threatens to overwhelm us. Rejoice and be merry, give thanks always for His love.

Veronica Heley

www.veronicaheley.com

http://blog.veronicaheley.com/

NEW . . . .

FALSE           WALL, the 10^th Bea Abbot. December 31^st 2015, 3 months later in the USA and other overseas territories. See above for the plot. ISBN 978-0-7278-8576-0.

FALSE IMPRESSION, the 9^th Bea Abbot. The paperback will be available from December 31^st 2015, 3 months later for overseas. ISBN 978-1-84751-5629.

MURDER BY SUSPICION- the 16^th Ellie Quicke. Booklist review: ‘The latest in Heley’s long-running series again draws its appeal from the mix of suspense, gentle humour, an unpredictable plot, and a brave and engaging amateur sleuth.’

Hardback: ISBN 9780 7278 85241   E-book: 9781 78010 6779

The audiobook of THE TARRANT ROSE, from Soundings, ISBN 9781407951836

The new pop-up by Francesca Crespi, for Noah’s Ark, has a text written by yours truly. Francesca’s work is stunning. Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978-1-84507-937-6.

You can hear me reading various bits and pieces in recordings made by Isis (Soundings) as follows: Podcast & Interview:https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/isis-unabridged-podcast-3-veronica-heley-interview.   Collected newsletters 2011-2014 (one audio file) https://soundcloud.com/isis/veronica-heley-newsletters-2011-2014   Links to individual newsletters (click on each title) https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/sets/veronica-heley-newsletters

UNSUNG HEROES is now available as an e-book. This is a collection of short stories 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?l1-11

Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1-11

It’s November already? I can’t believe it. Where did this last year go? My year went in work and play and meeting up with friends – numerous cups of coffee – piles of books read – emails received and answered and deleted . . . oh, and a book delivered here and some ebooks coming out there . . . and no, I can’t keep track of them, either!

The short stories for the Methodist Recorder started with a new theme which I’m enjoying but finding quite difficult to write, but I tell myself it’s better to have a fight with a story and come up with something that will be worthwhile than to coast along on last year’s ideas. And yes, I have been working on another short story about my two retired friends and their difficult acquaintance who doesn’t believe in family values or in being a Christian. It’s for the Christmas season, but I don’t have a date for it yet. I’ll give you the details in the next newsletter.

At the end of November I have to deliver another Ellie Quicke, which will be Murder at the Magpie. When writing this story I got a bit confused with i-phones and new-phones and smart-phones, none of which I have the slightest idea how to operate, but hopefully my editor will sort me out. And here’s where I say a big ‘thank-you’ to the delightful men and women who have edited my manuscripts in over forty years of getting published. Yes, sometimes we argue about this and that. Sometimes I invent a word, or over-use a word and they have, patiently and calmly, to explain to me that This Will Not Do. They’re always right, of course. (Not that I want to admit it at the time, but with hindsight . . .)

Recently I was asked to give a talk to the Friends of the Ansdell Library. It was billed as ‘Tea, Scones and Veronica Heley’. So you can see how far down the pecking order I came. However, it was a most delightful occasion and I believe we all enjoyed ourselves. I wish more libraries were able to have a Friends Of group because it’s fun for readers and good for the libraries, too. This particular group meet once a month with tea, a scone (plus not only jam and cream but also butter!) and to have a discussion about the book they’ve been reading. On this occasion, they had me as a speaker as well. Oh, and the tea and scones were excellent.

I don’t do many speaking dates nowadays because I’m getting on in years and don’t leap on and off trains and buses as nimbly as I used to. But in addition to the Ansdell trip, I have also been down to Plymouth to stay with friends and spend some time with the writing group there. One of the problems faced by beginner writers – and also by some who are well along the road to being publishable – is the lack of a good editor. In recent years publishers have cut their editing staff and many have gone freelance . . . but how to find one who will understand exactly what it is you wanted to say, and help you to say it? Some writing organisations may be able to point you in the direction of a suitable editor, but many don’t have a list of such people . . . and yet writers need editors and vice versa. So my question for the month is: how to connect the one with the other? Perhaps, if you know a good editor who is looking for work, you could advise them to give writing organisations their contact details?

Now, back to work. Murder at the Magpie is fun to write, but I like to make sure there’s as little as possible work for my editor to do when I turn the manuscript in – and that means going over and over the story to cut out the bits I don’t need and explain the bits that I do. And get it down to the right word count.

Finally, a blessing: may the brilliant blue skies of autumn, showing off the red and gold leaves falling from the trees, lift your hearts in thanks to the Creator.

Veronica Heley

www.veronicaheley.com

http://blog.veronicaheley.com/

NEW . . . .
MURDER BY SUSPICION- the 16^th Ellie Quicke. The charismatic leader of a cult is after Ellie’s money, and Claire the Tearful is a disaster as Ellie’s new housekeeper while another young girl it reported as having gone missing. Booklist review: ‘The latest in Heley’s long-running series again draws its appeal from the mix of suspense, gentle humour, an unpredictable plot, and a brave and engaging amateur sleuth.’

Hardback: ISBN 9780 7278 85241   E-book: 9781 78010 6779

The audiobook of THE TARRANT ROSE, from Soundings, ISBN 9781407951836

FALSE ALARM, the 7^th Bea Abbot. Paperback: ISBN 978 1 84751 466 0.

FALSE IMPRESSION, the 9^th Bea Abbot. Large print: ISBN 978 0 7278 7164 7
And . . . the paperback is coming soon.

The new pop-up by Francesca Crespi, for Noah’s Ark, has a text written by yours truly. Francesca’s work is stunning. Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978-1-84507-937-6.

You can hear me reading various bits and pieces in recordings made by Isis (Soundings) as follows: Podcast & Interview:https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/isis-unabridged-podcast-3-veronica-heley-interview.   Collected newsletters 2011-2014 (one audio file) https://soundcloud.com/isis/veronica-heley-newsletters-2011-2014   Links to individual newsletters (click on each title) https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/sets/veronica-heley-newsletters

UNSUNG HEROES is now available as an e-book. This is a collection of short stories 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?l1-11

Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1-11

To start with, thanks to everyone who has commiserated with me on my email troubles. I reckon I spent a whole week of my life on the phone to India! I have been told that I still ought to do more to get the system running perfectly, but it does now seem to respond to what I ask it to do – for which I give thanks.

I also had a query as to whether there would be any more short stories in the Methodist Recorder about my two retired men and their problems. Well, the second short story in the new series was published on 25th September. I didn’t get the date early enough to flag it up in the last newsletter, but if you’d like a copy, then just drop me an email, and I’ll send it to you. This one was called ‘Excuse me!’ and it shows our man from Mars discovering that he still has a sense of justice. A gang of shoplifters causes chaos in the town centre, which gives our old friends Bruce and Leo a chance to help Corin, if he will only accept that he is still part of the human race. There’ll be another story at Christmas time but I don’t have the date yet.

A delightful parcel arrived on my doorstep just as I was off to Warwick University to teach for a weekend at the National Association of Writing Groups – of which more in a minute. The parcel contained the newly published audiobooks of one of my historical novels, called The Tarrant Rose. A lovely cover of an old house – you remember I had cause to be concerned when a story which I can only call ‘a Georgian romp’ had a Victorian dress on the cover? Anyway, this particular story is set in Jacobean times and is about pride, mistaken identity, and plots in high places at the court of George II regarding the Pretender to the throne. I seem to remember doing a lot of research for this book to get the costumes and everyday matters right, but the love story could be set in any age.

The weekend spent at Warwick University went well. I am trying to cut down the number of such workshops I do nowadays, but this one is always worth while. Contact with a professional can shorten the learning curve for a new writer, and that’s what I aim to do. The campus is amazing! And they are still building! A doctor friend of mine used to say that, to keep students healthy, all accommodation ought to be at least a mile from the lecture rooms, and up a steep hill. Our accommodation this time was a good ten minute walk away from where we gave our workshops, but it was well designed, clean, secure . . . and looked out onto countryside! Oh, and the food was good, too. But why, oh why, do caterers think you can make a drinkable cup of tea by pouring hot-but-not-boiling water out of an insulated container onto a tea bag? I’m probably complaining in vain as this way of serving ‘tea’ is gaining ground everywhere.

MURDER AT THE MAGPIE. So, how is the Magpie book getting on? As you probably know by now, I go over and over and over each manuscript before it’s sent off to the publishers. I’m always having to bear in mind that 85,000 words is the maximum for a Severn House book. Sometimes I’m over on my first draft, sometimes under. This time I was under by a thousand words. At the end of the second draft, I was five hundred over. So then I was taking out the odd sentence here and there to get the word count down, until I found I had to add another sentence to explain this and that . . . But I still have time to work on it.

MURDER BY SUSPICION- that’s the one in which the charismatic leader of a cult is after Ellie’s money, and Claire the Tearful is a disaster as Ellie’s new housekeeper –

has had another good review. This time it’s from Booklist, who say ‘The latest in Heley’s long-running series again draws its appeal from the mix of suspense, gentle humour, an unpredictable plot, and a brave and engaging amateur sleuth.’ Bravo, say I!

And finally, a blessing: may the coming of the autumn colours give us an opportunity to pause and marvel at the beauties of the Creator’s wonderful world.

Veronica Heley

NEW . . . .

The audiobook of THE TARRANT ROSE, from Soundings, ISBN 9781407951836

MURDER BY SUSPICION, the 16^th Ellie Quicke.

Hardback: ISBN 9780 7278 85241   E-book: 9781 78010 6779

FALSE IMPRESSION, the 9^th Bea Abbot. Large print: ISBN 978 0 7278 7164 7

And . . . the paperback is coming soon.

Have you ever forgotten your pin number? Do you convert all your pin numbers to one which you can remember? I have just one store card for which I am required to use a pin number and, as my memory for numbers is not good, I wrote it down disguised as a telephone number in my diary. Only, then I couldn’t remember which part of the nine digits was the pin number! I’ve had this problem once before in the post office where the girl behind the counter said, in a bored voice, that I was the third person that morning who couldn’t remember what her pin number was!  

I’ve had one or two of my correspondents comment on the fact that I’m growing my own tomatoes, and I have to tell you that the very odd-shaped fruit on one plant are delicious! I’m told it’s a Heritage tomato, if that means anything to you. Highly recommended.

My short story called WHY BOTHER! was duly published in the Methodist Recorder on August 7^th,   with new character who makes fun of Bruce and Leo for their family values and for being Christians. Bruce’s wife Sally has christened him ‘the man from Mars’, and he certainly acts like it. If you’d like to read it, but can’t get hold of the Recorder, just drop me an email and I’ll send it to you for free. I’ve already been asked to produce another story in this series, which will come out at Harvest time . . . but I don’t know exactly when that will be. Harvest can be such a movable feast, can’t it?

Writing the next book – MURDER AT THE MAGPIE – has been interrupted by the necessity of copy editing for False Wall – which comes out at the end of the year. No one likes dealing with copy editing where all your faults of punctuation come up and slap you in the face, and your long-cherished ideas of what happens with semi-colons are blown apart. You get used to certain ways of dealing with commas, for instance, and then find that all your deliberately placed commas have been removed and put in another place! Ugh. But I now have a new copy editor, who isn’t fixated about commas, but loves – just adores – hyphens. Needless to say, I am grinding my teeth about this. Then I remind myself to choose my battles with care. So, some I’ll let her have, and one or two I’ll fight to the death to retain.

So, how is the Magpie book getting on? Well, I’ve got to the end and found myself surprised by one or two things that happened along the way. All is not what it seems at first sight. I do like planting surprises for the reader to come across, but they have to arise from the plot and not just come out of the blue. In this case I’ve had to go back and back and back over the mss to make sure that the clues to the surprises were there all the time, even though I hadn’t noticed them when I was writing that bit. Young Mikey insinuates himself into the plot even when he’s not supposed to do so – but we’re accustomed to that, aren’t we? This time he not only rides his bike on the pavement and gets shouted at by alarmed pensioners in mobile scooters, but he tries – in vain – to get Thomas to give him driving lessons. He pays War Games with a friend and finds it boring. He borrows a metal detector to find Lesley’s (police, remember) engagement ring which she’s thrown out of the window in the garden in a temper . . . and no, I’m not telling you what that’s all about but Ellie does feel guilty about it.

Meanwhile, MURDER BY SUSPICION is fresh from the publishers and getting out and about and being read all over the world, much to reader’s enjoyment (or so I hear!) This is the story in which the charismatic leader of a cult is after Ellie’s money. Pastor Ambrose works through Claire the Tearful, whom Ellie took on to look after her elderly and very frail housekeeper, Rose – and that did not work out well. Also Ellie’s policewoman friend is raising the question of a missing schoolgirl with whom Claire has had an argument. For details of the ISBNs, see below. There’s been a couple of good reviews out already – Publishers Weekly, have said ‘Ellie remains a formidable heroine, despite her rather slapdash and impulsive habits.’ I like that, don’t you?

And finally, a blessing: may the beauty of the world in high summer remind us to say ‘thank you’ every now and then. And, since I’m having a lot of trouble with my e-mails lately, this comes to you on a wing and with a prayer.

Veronica Heley

www.veronicaheley.com

NEW . . . .

MURDER BY SUSPICION, the 16^th Ellie Quicke.
Hardback:   ISBN 9780 7278 85241   E-book: 9781 78010 6779

FALSE ALARM, the 7^th Bea Abbot. Paperback: ISBN 978 1 84751 466 0.

FALSE IMPRESSION, the 9^th Bea Abbot. Large print: ISBN 978 0 7278 7164 7

And . . . the paperback is coming soon.

The new pop-up by Francesca Crespi, for Noah’s Ark, has a text written by yours truly. Francesca’s work is stunning. Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978-1-84507-937-6.

The weather has not been very helpful recently, has it? We hadn’t had enough rain for weeks – and then it overdid it. Gutters overflowed, water-butts, ditto. And still some plants decided they’d had enough and died. And the pots in the greenhouse had to be watered come rain or shine. So every morning and some evenings as well, I had to go out and find the watering-can (medium size) and water the plants I’m growing in pots, some inside the greenhouse and some out in the garden. And yes, it’s my fault for trying to keep the pots going in the summertime. Every year I vow to cut down on the number of plants in pots, and every year I think . . . well, just this little one here . . . and I really like . . . and then there’s the tomatoes which I grow in the greenhouse to avoid the blight . . . and before I know where I am, it’s back to hauling water out of the water butts.

And yes, thank you; the tomatoes are doing well, all except for one plant on which only one tomato has set and that is a very strange-looking fruit indeed. And no, I can’t remember which make it was as I’ve lost all the labels the plants came with. I was always taught that you allowed four heads of flowers to set and then cut off the top of the plant to encourage the fruit to ripen. But I like green tomatoes as well, so I’m leaving the plants to shoot up and up, tying them onto wires as they go.

I use my garden as a diversion and exercise when I’m writing. I get stuck . . . and then go and do a bit of dead-heading or weeding or whatever, and I find that the knot in my brain has loosened and I know what to write next. A long hot bath has the same effect, or playing patience . . . but enough of that.

How is the writing going? Well, all right, I suppose. At this stage, when I’m working my way steadily through the first draft of a new story, I am always conscious that at any moment a character can turn round and reveal a new side of himself or herself. This makes him or her much more interesting as a person, but means I have to go back and check that this new trait was always there when they appeared ‘on screen’ so to speak. And, surprisingly, I’ve usually written this new trait in, without realising it.

My main problem in this book is that so far Ellie’s daughter, the dreadful Diana, has not yet appeared in person, although she is raging away at the end of the phone. Of course she’s wanting Ellie to do this and that, and of course Ellie is going to try to accommodate her, but there does come a time . . . or does there? . . . when Ellie has to say ‘no’ and mean it. And that clever, difficult lad Mikey has taken to riding his bike on the pavements and being told off by all and sundry, and of course, not taking a blind bit of notice. Ah well.

What else? Well, the short story WHY BOTHER! will be published in the Methodist Recorder on August 7^th. This introduces a new character who makes fun of Bruce and Leo for their family values and for being Christians, despite the fact that they rescue him from a tricky situation. If you’d like a copy, but can’t get hold of the Recorder, just drop me an email after the publication date, and I’ll send you one free. And please, if you like this new theme, could you drop me a line to say just that? I’d appreciate it.

I’ve had the first of the professional reviews in for Murder by Suspicion, the Ellie Quicke which was published here in the UK in June, but which will not be available in the States till lst October. This is from Kirkus: ‘Heley offers another solid outing for Ellie, who isn’t slowed down a bit by the passage of time.’ Isn’t that nice?

MURDER BY SUSPICION fresh from the publishers! This is the story in which the charismatic leader of a cult is after Ellie’s money. Pastor Ambrose works through Claire the Tearful, whom Ellie took on to look after her elderly and very frail housekeeper, Rose – and that did not work out well. Also Ellie’s policewoman friend is raising the question of a missing schoolgirl with whom Claire has had an argument. For details of the ISBNs, see below.

There were two more stories published in different editions this last month. FALSE ALARM came out in paperback and FALSE IMPRESSION in large print.

And finally, a blessing: may our eyes not only see the beauty of summer days, but also the troubled faces of those around us. May our time and our patience stretch to hear what they have to say.

Veronica Heley

NEW . . . .
MURDER BY SUSPICION, the 16^th Ellie Quicke.
Hardback: ISBN 9780 7278 85241 E-book: 9781 78010 6779

FALSE ALARM, the 7^th Bea Abbot. Paperback: ISBN 978 1 84751 466 0.

FALSE IMPRESSION, the 9^th Bea Abbot. Large print: ISBN 978 0 7278 7164 7

The audiobook of THE WILFUL HEIRESS from Soundings. In CD.

The new pop-up by Francesca Crespi, for Noah’s Ark, has a text written by yours truly. Francesca’s work is stunning. Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978-1-84507-937-6.

You can hear me reading various bits and pieces in recordings made by Isis (Soundings) as follows: Podcast & Interview:https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/isis-unabridged-podcast-3-veronica-heley-interview.   Collected newsletters 2011-2014 (one audio file) https://soundcloud.com/isis/veronica-heley-newsletters-2011-2014   Links to individual newsletters (click on each title) https://soundcloud.com/isisaudio/sets/veronica-heley-newsletters

UNSUNG HEROES is now available as an e-book. This is a collection of short stories 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?l1-11

Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1-11

I’ve been lazy for a couple of days. Picture me, laid out flat out on my bed, going Aargh!

The reason? We had our annual Party in the Park on Sunday. It is run by our local Community Organisation, and attracts about 6000 visitors. There are stages for choirs and dancing troupes; a beer tent and a food area; clowns and balloons and races and football and Fit for Sport and a dog show and side shows. In other words, a proper Show. The local churches get together to rent a ‘patch of land’ on which we stage crafts (free for children), a prayer tree, an entertainment section, and a book and cards stall (my church). We set up in the morning, open at one and finish at five, although there is live music till 9. Old friends come and go but the highlight for me was a ride on the wonderful, noisy, creaking, slightly tatty carousel. And yes, I managed to hitch up my skirt and climb up onto one of the horses and hang on to the barley-sugar pole and go wheeeee! So now you understand why I’ve been lying flat out on my bed, going Aargh!

As to the books. Well, the next Ellie Quicke – MURDER BY SUSPICION – came out at the end of June (available three months later in the USA). I don’t have any reviews from the magazines yet, but I do have three via the NetGalley system, which is for librarians and web-site reviewers who can apply for a free digital copy in advance of publication. And they have been very kind. Thank you, all of you.

The storyline? The charismatic leader of a cult is after Ellie’s money. Pastor Ambrose works through Claire the Tearful, whom Ellie took on to look after her elderly and very frail housekeeper, Rose – and that did not work out well. Also Ellie’s policewoman friend is raising the question of a missing schoolgirl with whom Claire has had an argument. For details of the ISBNs, see below.

Someone asked me the other day about a character in one of my books and my mind went completely blank. I have enough trouble remembering the names of characters in my current work, especially when they keep changing! For instance, in the current storyline, I had a character who started off as Donald. He looked like a Donald. He acted like a Donald. And then I remembered I have another character with a similar name – Dan, Vera’s husband. All right, Dan is Daniel, and Don is Donald, but . . . no. I decided the names were too similar, so now I have to think of another name for this important character. Gordon? Perhaps.

Mind you, there is good reason for me to be confused. At any given moment I can be working on four different story-lines. If you are as easily confused as me, I suggest you skip the next paragraph.

Currently, I have just received my copies of MURDER BY SUSPICION, officially published last week. I have finished the edit on FALSE WALL, and am waiting for the copy-editing to arrive. I am beginning the first draft of the next Ellie, MURDER AT THE MAGPIE. I am polishing off another short story for the Methodist Recorder called WHY BOTHER? introducing a new character. I am writing and sending in publicity material for MURDER BY SUSPICION, which will appear on other people’s websites soon and I’m arranging for some forward publicity for . . . er . . . remind me, someone! And I have to bear in mind that publication in the USA is going to be three months behind that of the UK, and somehow I’ve got to arrange for the website to be kept up to date . . . and there are some nice reviews coming through for . . . which story?

You get the picture?

On the whole life is good. They say that writers are never so happy as when they’re producing the first draft of a new story. I’m not sure that that’s true but, as it happens, this one is coming along a treat . . . at least, it seems to be all right at the moment. What I’ll think of it when I come to the edits, I don’t know.

And finally, a blessing: may the longest days of the year bring more light than darkness into your life.

Veronica Heley

NEW . . . .

MURDER BY SUSPICION, the 16^th Ellie Quicke.
Hardback:   ISBN 9780 7278 85241         E-book: 9781 78010 6779

FALSE ALARM, the 7^th Bea Abbot.
Paperback: ISBN 978 1 84751 466 0.

The audiobook of   THE WILFUL HEIRESS from Soundings. In CD.

The new pop-up by Francesca Crespi, for Noah’s Ark, has a text written by yours truly. Francesca’s work is stunning. Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978-1-84507-937-6.

UNSUNG HEROES is now available as an e-book. This is a collection of short stories 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?l1-11

Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1-11

You find me refreshed, revived, etc. In other words, I stole away from my desk for a few days holiday in Bruges. Without a computer. And only switched my mobile phone on once a day. And it was good.

I came back to find the usual things had gone wrong in the house, such as the central heating clock developing a mind of its own – why would it want to do that? Don’t I treat it well? Anyway, I got Tim to fix it.

Work. Well, first off, the audiobook of THE WILFUL HEIRESS came out in May – and I do hope you enjoy it. ‘The Lady Elizabeth Silverwood states that she may be an heiress, but she is not a fool . . .’ so you can guess the rest. Oh, yes, and she wears some lovely clothes and is being pursued by a fortune-hunter . . . or is he? The cover shows a Victorian costume, but the story is actually set in the reign of George II. Go figure! It is a beautiful cover, but perhaps a tad misleading.

More good news: the contracts are through for another Bea Abbot and another for Ellie Quicke. I spent a lot of time when I was in Bruges simply sitting and thinking about the next book. Before I start writing I have to know what the situation is that calls for Ellie to intervene, I have to know what the main characters look like and how they behave, and, most importantly, I have to know their names. So I sit on a bench overlooking the canal, with the tourist boats swishing past now and then, and a cyclist thrumming along on the cobblestones at my back, and I think. It’s a lovely place to sit, looking over at ancient gabled buildings which line the canal on both sides. Where I sit there is a rough triangle of grass with some flower beds in it, and a couple of mill-stones rescued from a long-gone windmill. There are some restored windmills only a few hundred yards away on the banks of a still larger canal, but I like this quiet, grassy spot away from the road.

Names can be very difficult to pin down. You can visualise the character – how they dress and act and speak, and sometimes you can get the name straight off, but usually I have several goes at it. This time I started off with some fairly unusual names which looked all right to start with, but then became something different. Why this should be, I do not know, except that as the characters grow in my mind, the original names didn’t fit. I start writing this next story – which is to be called MURDER AT THE MAGPIE, today, as I have just managed to get off the next Bea Abbot story to my publisher. It’s a weird business, this stepping away from ‘being’ Bea, to ‘becoming’ Ellie. I assure you that I am neither personage, although I do share some traits with both. And, like Ellie, I wish I were a little taller!

What else is happening this month? Well, there will be a hardback of another Ellie Quicke – MURDER BY SUSPICION – out in the last week of June together with the trade paperback and the e-book. This one has the charismatic leader of a cult going after Ellie’s money. Pastor Ambrose works through Claire the Tearful, whom Ellie took on to look after her elderly and very frail housekeeper, Rose – and that did not work out well. Also Ellie’s policewoman friend is raising the question of a missing schoolgirl with whom Claire had had an argument. For details of the ISBNs, see below.

Also at the end of June there will be a large print version of the 7^th Bea Abbot story – which is FALSE ALARM.

Meanwhile the Methodist Recorder have asked me for another short story for the summer months, and I have to deliver that by the end of June, so I’d better get started on that, too. I think we’ll be introducing our two old friends, Bruce and Leo, to a new comer, who is going to be quite a problem. I’m rather looking forward to that. His name at the moment is Corin – but, see above – that may well change as he becomes more real in my mind.

And finally, a blessing: may the showers of rain in your life help you to grow as flowers do in a garden.

Veronica Heley

NEW . . . .

MURDER BY SUSPICION, the 16^th Ellie Quicke.
Hardback:   ISBN 9780 7278 85241
Trade paperback: ISBN 9781 84751 6244
E-book: 9781 78010 6779

Also, the audiobook of THE WILFUL HEIRESS from Soundings. In CD.

The new pop-up by Francesca Crespi, for Noah’s Ark, has a text written by yours truly. Francesca’s work is stunning. Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978-1-84507-937-6.

UNSUNG HEROES is now available as an e-book. This is a collection of short stories 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?l1-11