Apologies for being a couple of days late with this newsletter, but as I warned you, I’ve been having visitors on and off for a while, which – although delightful in itself – is bound to cut down the amount of time I can spend at the computer. But now the house is quiet again, and I can get back to work.

I spent most of the last month picking up one job and working on that for a while, and then having to leave it to get on with something else. A short story, some blogs, and editing the next Ellie all came to the top of the To Do pile in turn.

The short story came first. I had to get down to work on another one for a Christmas issue of the Methodist Recorder. Delivery date: mid November. Title: to be decided. They like to have them in early so as to find appropriate pictures to illustrate the story. This one is partly about the preparations for Christmas – but homes in on the problems our old friend Kerry is having with a new intake of students. It’s not just their bad behaviour in the house that gets to him, but also their dismissive attitude to Christianity and their bad language. I believe it’s scheduled for the week before Christmas. I had a Harvest short story in the Methodist Recorder a few weeks ago, titled A Change of Address. Only one of our old friends moves, you’ll be glad to hear, and that turns out well. If you missed reading it and would like a copy, just drop me an email and I’ll send it to you.

Now that the draft of the next Ellie book  – Murder in Time – is on the computer I have to go over and over it, tying up loose ends, making sure that the time line is correct, and generally giving the text a good polish. I have to watch the word count, too. Usually my first draft is about a thousand words short, but I know very well that as I go over the text, I will want to expand on this thought here, or explain that motive there. If I’m not careful, by the end of the second edit, I’m a thousand words over the target, and then I have to start looking for bits to cut out, and for unnecessary words or phrases that have crept in.

Bad habits creep in as I write the first draft. Once I overused the word ‘really’. In another story, I over-indulged in that useful phrase ‘of course’. Sometimes these bits of careless writing even get as far as the copy-editing before they have to be excised, allowing no quarter. The manuscript is all the better for this pruning, though cutting down to size can be painful. I am going to have a few days off work on this, and then do one final read through before I send it off. As of today, I’m just under the specified word count, so if I add any more material, I will probably have to cut elsewhere. I’m really too close to the story at the moment, to be able to judge whether or not I’ve got the balance right.

You may remember that an early historical romance of mine titled The Siege of Salwarpe, is being brought out by Chivers under the title: A Heart Besieged. I’m looking at the cover now . . . and it’s full of rather heavy-handed clues to the fact that this is a Romance. Not only does the girl have long, blondish hair but she’s holding a rose, and there’s a branch of candles beside her. I don’t think readers will misinterpret these hints. I just hope they won’t mind all the fighting that goes on as well in this story. I’m not sure of the publication date, but it’s some time in November. Hardcover: 978147 1353994. There will be a soft cover edition next April.

I appeared as a guest blogger on Susan Sleeman’s website for Christian Mystery & Suspense authors. This was a new one for me, and I was delighted to be asked. If you’d like to have a look, you can find it on The Suspense Zone.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to reserve your copy of FALSE DIAMOND, the next Bea Abbot story, which will be published at the end of this month. And yes, I know it takes another three months to get to America, Australia, etc. Just be patient. It’s on its way! This story sees Bea drawn back into the questionable doings of the members of the multi-billionaire Holland family, including 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

MURDER IN MIND, the 13^th Ellie Quicke, should also be out in paperback at the end of November 2013. 978 1 84751 435 6

Till next time . . .

Veronica Heley

www.veronicaheley.com

http://blog.veronicaheley.com/

Recent releases.

MURDER FOR MERCY.  Ellie is asked to investigate whether some deaths in the community are exactly what they seem, while her pregnant, difficult daughter Diana is struggling to cope at work, and her husband is still in a wheelchair. What’s more, sabotage at the big house nearby is being blamed on young Mikey, who is certainly up to something. 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       Reviews; Publisher’s Weekly, ‘ . . . this rewarding cosy.’ And Kirkus, ‘Heley’s 13^th finds Ellie beleaguered but resolute as ever . . .’

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

CRY FOR KIT, and SCREAM FOR SARAH. First published l970s, have been joined by FEAR FOR FRANCES in large print versions from Chivers. Warning; some sex and violence in the first two! The third is a Victorian romp-cum-whodunit. They are also available to download as e-books. 

FALSE ALARM, the 7^th Abbot Agency story, is now available in hardback and also as an e-book. Bea is asked to find the person who laid a booby trap for the powerful tycoon, Sir Lucas Ossett,  in his own block of flats.  ISBN 9780 7278 8237 0 for the hardback and ISBN 978 1 78010 289 4 for the ebook.

Review for this:  Kirkus: ‘The Abbot Agency’s seventh outing will be just the thing for readers who like their cosies with a bit of bite.’  And from Library Journal:

‘Think of the series’ seventh outing as a big old-fashioned country-house case, Agatha Christie-like, but dressed-up smart and chic for today.’

MURDER BY MISTAKE is now available in large print. ISBN 978 0 7278 9935 4.

FALSE REPORT is available as a paperback  and also as an ebook . ISBN 978 1 843751 408 0. Ebook: 978 1 78010 201 6.

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

Yes! I’m now back on the internet. Mind you, I had to get a clever friend to connect everything up for me. My days of scrabbling under the desk to find out which plug to push and pull are not quite over, but severely limited. I now have a black box with lights that wink at me all the time. I have no idea why they do this, and please don’t try to enlighten me. I am content to know that they indicate I’m on line or whatever. (Actually, I find them extremely irritating. I have tried turning the box away from me,  but it won’t turn very far because of the wiring. And yes, I know I ought to go wi-fi and I do intend to . . . when I’ve got a minute to organise it).

The Methodist Recorder published the next short story – entitled A Change of Address – in the middle of September. Harvest is a movable feast nowadays, isn’t it? In different churches it can be from September through to the end of October. If visiting churches in different parts of the country, you could – and indeed we have on occasion – managed to fit in two harvest festivals. Anyway, if you can’t get hold of the Recorder and would like to read this story just drop me an email and I’ll send it to you. Don’t forget that the earlier stories about these old friends in retirement – together with some Ellie Quicke stories – are available as an e-book titled Unsung Heroes.

There’s yet another good review in for Murder with Mercy, which was published in May. Sometimes I only get one review, sometimes two, and this time there’s three. This one is from Booklist (Online) and it says at the end ‘This is a pleasant read that’s part British cozy and part women’s fiction, given its celebration of a woman who can do it all.’  I’m not at all sure that Ellie would agree with this assessment of her character because she’s a modest soul. I am thrilled with this review. It’s pleasant to get a word of praise every now and then, isn’t it?

I’m finding it hard to keep up with all of the titles that are now available in E format. I know that some time soon an early romance of mine, set in the Middle Ages, will be coming out in large print, and as an e-book. It was originally called The Siege of Salwarpe, but the new publishers, Chivers, feel that as it is a romance as well as a slice of baron-bashing, it ought to have a new title. I suggested several. What do you think of ‘The Lonely Knight’ as a title? Or should it be ‘The Lonely Man?’ I liked the first title because at least it indicates the story is set in medieval times, whereas the other one might just as well be set today. Ah well. In the end they chose A HEART BESEIGED. They are having a new cover done as we speak, and I await it with interest. Publishers slant the covers towards what they can sell, and sometimes I have been somewhat taken aback by what they have produced. Publishers always say They Know Best. Well, sigh, they may do.

So now, with proof reading out of the way, I have finally managed to struggle through to the end of the first draft of the next Ellie, Murder in Time. This is due to be delivered at the end of November, with publication scheduled for next May. This is a whodunnit,  with side swipes at the question of appropriate punishment for a crime committed long ago. This theme started me thinking about whether or not justice is best served by taking the perpetrator to court if he or she has gone ‘straight’ ever since and truly regrets what happened. And yes, I know that the courts can take repentance into account when sentencing the person concerned, and that some crimes are so horrible that a prosecution should always follow. But . . . well, you will probably have your own views on the subject.

This is not a theme which I would have chosen, but once it arrived in my story, I had to try to deal with it as best I can. Have I got the balance right? I can see that long-ago sins can throw a long shadow over the present. Some crime committed by a schoolboy or girl can affect not only their own lives, but those of others. On the other hand, what if the perpetrator went on to commit yet more crimes because he wasn’t found out in the first place? It’s something of a dilemma and I’m not sure I’ve worked it out satisfactorily. Am I, in fact, becoming too serious in this book? Well, there’s a long way to go yet, as I have eight weeks to work on the manuscript before it is due to be submitted.

Looking at the calendar, I see I’m due to have some waves of visitors at the end of October and into the beginning of November. So please forgive if I’m a couple of days late with the next newsletter.

Veronica Heley

www.veronicaheley.com

http://blog.veronicaheley.com/

PS. The invasion of the moths appears, hopefully, to be on its last legs. (Do moths have legs?) Well, you know what I mean . . .

Recent releases.

MURDER FOR MERCY.  Ellie is asked to investigate whether some deaths in the community are exactly what they seem, while her pregnant, difficult daughter Diana is struggling to cope at work, and her husband is still in a wheelchair. What’s more, sabotage at the big house nearby is being blamed on young Mikey, who is certainly up to something. 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       Reviews; Publisher’s Weekly, ‘ . . . this rewarding cosy.’ And Kirkus, ‘Heley’s 13^th finds Ellie beleaguered but resolute as ever . . .’

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?l1=11

CRY FOR KIT, and SCREAM FOR SARAH. First published l970s, have been joined by FEAR FOR FRANCES in large print versions from Chivers. Warning; some sex and violence in the first two! The third is a Victorian romp-cum-whodunit. They are also available to download as e-books. 

FALSE ALARM, the 7^th Abbot Agency story, is now available in hardback and also as an e-book. Bea is asked to find the person who laid a booby trap for the powerful tycoon, Sir Lucas Ossett,  in his own block of flats.  ISBN 9780 7278 8237 0 for the hardback and ISBN 978 1 78010 289 4 for the ebook.

Review for this:  Kirkus: ‘The Abbot Agency’s seventh outing will be just the thing for readers who like their cosies with a bit of bite.’  And from Library Journal:

‘Think of the series’ seventh outing as a big old-fashioned country-house case, Agatha Christie-like, but dressed-up smart and chic for today.’

MURDER BY MISTAKE is now available in large print. ISBN 978 0 7278 9935 4.

FALSE REPORT is available as a paperback  and also as an ebook . This is the story in which Bea finds that assisting a vertically challenged musician to get some home help is asking for trouble, especially when a pretty girl has been trafficked into this country by a gang who target wealthy men. Paperback: ISBN 978 1 843751 408 0. Ebook: 978 1 78010 201 6.

Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1=102

Congratulate me! August was such a busy month that I am surprised I got any work done at all. Friends wanted to meet up, family visited . . . I’m quite surprised I got any work done at all, and that I ended up not far short of my word count target.

On the domestic front, the saga with the moths continues, though it’s not quite as huge a problem as before. I had to change the batteries in my electronic swatter and believe me, that was a first. Why do men – it must be a man who designed it! – make it impossible to see how to take the cover off to change batteries? Talk about PushMePullMe. I thought I was going to have to resort to a screwdriver to lever the right bit of plastic off but, in the end, I did manage to get it undone without breaking it. Hurray for persistence. I think.

I managed to deliver the next short story for the Methodist Recorder, which is for Harvest time. You remember the three old friends settling themselves into retirement? One of the problems they faced was that of downsizing from a large house, and this story covers one of them doing just that. It’s called A Change of Address and will be out in the Harvest edition. If you’d like to read it but can’t access a copy of the Recorder, just send me an email and I’ll email it back to you. Don’t forget that the earlier stories about this group – together with some Ellie Quicke stories, are available as an e-book titled Unsung Heroes.

I’m finding it hard to keep up with all of the titles that are now available in E format. I know that some time soon an early romance of mine, set in the Middle Ages, will be coming out in large print, and as an e-book. It was originally called The Siege of Salwarpe, but the new publishers, Chivers, feel that as it is a romance as well as a slice of baron-bashing, we ought to have a new title. Now there’s a challenge I found hard to meet. What do you think of ‘The Lonely Knight’ as a title? Or should it be ‘The Lonely Man?’ I like the first title because at least it indicates the story is set in medieval times, whereas the other one might just as well be set today. Ah well. They’ll probably choose something quite different . . . and yes, they have that right. It’s always in the contracts that the publisher has the right to decide what goes on the cover. (And yes, I have objected to what’s gone on a cover occasionally, and been told that They Know Best. Well, sigh, they may do.)

I was aching to get on with the next Ellie Quicke story, but slap! through the letter-box came the copy editing for Bea Abbot’s, FALSE DIAMOND. There were few actual queries, just some points which needed a word of explanation added here and there, and those were easy to deal with. However, the comma problem remains. On many occasions, my editor takes out the commas I have put in, and puts in one when I wouldn’t. After all these years, my publisher’s use of commas still confuses me. Yes, I have tried to understand why some are in and others are out, but in the end I have to accept that this is the way it is, and get on with it.

In recent years there have been some changes in publishers’ punctuation dealing with semi-colons. I think I have understood this. A helpful new rule, from a writer’s point of view, is the use of dashes to indicate a ‘beat’ or action between two bits of dialogue. I like this, and use it a lot.

So, as soon as the copy editing was off my hands, I plunged back into the Ellie book, which is called MURDER IN TIME. You remember I’ve been struggling with this? Years ago someone told me not to get too complicated in my plots, and I have tried not to. But the characters in this particular plot have given me a terrible time. I’ve got three different sets of people homing in on a birthday party for different reasons. Everything that could go wrong, does. Some people’s lives are changed for the better or the worse and, twelve years on, people’s memory of the evening’s events can be unreliable. And what is young Mikey going to say about the events surrounding his conception? His viewpoint can certainly NOT be taken for granted.

And now my internet has gone down. The problem seems to be an old router –whatever that may be. It looks as is I’m going to be out of circulation for a few days, except for the old snail mail and telephone system. Hopefully I’ll be back on line soon. Until then . . .

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

Recent releases.
MURDER FOR MERCY.  Ellie is asked to investigate whether some deaths in the community are exactly what they seem, while her pregnant, difficult daughter Diana is struggling to cope at work, and her husband is still in a wheelchair. What’s more, sabotage at the big house nearby is being blamed on young Mikey, who is certainly up to something. 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
Publisher’s Weekly. ‘ . . . this rewarding cosy.’
Kirkus Reviews. ‘Heley’s 13th finds Ellie beleaguered but resolute as ever . . .’

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?11-11

CRY FOR KIT, and SCREAM FOR SARAH. First published l970s, have been joined by FEAR FOR FRANCES in large print versions from Chivers. Warning; some sex and violence in the first two! The third is a Victorian romp-cum-whodunit. They are also available to download as e-books.

FALSE ALARM, the 7th Abbot Agency story, is now available in hardback and also as an e-book. Bea is asked to find the person who laid a booby trap for the powerful tycoon, Sir Lucas Ossett,  in his own block of flats.  ISBN 9780 7278 8237 0 for the hardback and ISBN 978 1 78010 289 4 for the ebook.
Review for this:  Kirkus: ‘The Abbot Agency’s seventh outing will be just the thing for readers who like their cosies with a bit of bite.’ And from Library Journal:
‘Think of the series’ seventh outing as a big old-fashioned country-house case, Agatha Christie-like, but dressed-up smart and chic for today.’

MURDER BY MISTAKE is now available in large print. ISBN 978 0 7278 9935 4.
FALSE REPORT is available as a paperback  and also as an ebook . This is the story in which Bea finds that assisting a vertically challenged musician to get some home help is asking for trouble, especially when a pretty girl has been trafficked into this country by a gang who target wealthy men. Paperback: ISBN 978 1 843751 408 0. Ebook: 978 1 78010 201 6.

Find details of all the other E-books at
http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?11-102

How do you act when you receive some good news? Do you jump and down and clap your hands? Well, probably not if you’re my age and bits of you don’t work as well as they used to do. Personally, I hum. Yes, that’s right. It sounds harmless, doesn’t it? But the hum usually develops into a full-on sing. Often it’s a hymn tune, one which lends itself to being joyful and letting the world know about it.

After one whole month in suspense, waiting for me editor to vouchsafe as to the future of my next Bea Abbot story, FALSE DIAMOND, she emailed me to say she’d been poorly, but that she had really enjoyed it. She picked out various bits to commend – hurray! – and then said the mss was going straight through to copy editing without need for re-writes. Yes!!! So picture me going from a mild ‘hum’ to an all-out belter. It was all right: our next door neighbours were away and we’re end of terrace, so I wasn’t upsetting anyone by bursting into song.

Mind you, a broad smile on your face can spread a little joy around. Sometimes when I’m walking along and thinking up a bit of plot, I’m smiling to myself and then am surprised when someone walking towards me also smiles and says ‘hello’. Am I spreading sunshine? Well, perhaps. I hope so.

Meanwhile, I’ve been having a terrible struggle with the first few chapters of the next book. All right, it’s a complex plot and I ought to have spent more time thinking through what happened before I actually started to write it. The first chapter was clear to me . . . a character from the past appears to claim Vera’s son. Easy peasy. Not a nice man. But then, how much information can I pile about Vera’s tragic past onto the first few pages without confusing the reader? Or getting myself into a tangle? In the old days I used to reckon on spending four times as long getting the first few pages right, as I do on subsequent chapters, partly because I’m writing two series and have to give a generous amount of back story straight away for the benefit of newcomers to these stories, and to remind others of what has gone on before. It’s not easy to do this without turning the reader off, but it’s not impossible. This time there was a lot of Vera’s history to go in . . . and perhaps, just perhaps, her version might not tally with those of others who knew her long ago? Mm. More thought needed.

I thought it was too early to have got any reviews for MURDER WITH MERCY, the l4th Ellie Quicke, but lo and behold, more cause for rejoicing, because Publishers Weekly have come up with a nice one, which ends . . . ‘this rewarding cozy’. Hurray! This book came out in the UK at the end of May and is available in Canada, America, Australia, as we speak.

In this story, Ellie is asked to investigate whether or not some deaths in the community are exactly what they seem, while her pregnant, difficult daughter Diana is struggling to cope at work, and her husband is still in a wheelchair. What’s more, sabotage at the big house nearby is being blamed on young Mikey, who is certainly up to something. 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?

You remember my clothes moth hunt? A correspondent offers the information that her husband deals with all flying insects by way of the hoover. Mm. Any advance on hair spray and hoovers?

Veronica Heley

You remember I’ve been on a clothes moth hunt recently? Well, this continues. I suppose my ‘kill’ count is about five a day. Where do they come from? Where are they hiding? But my trusty battery-operated ‘tennis racquet’ deals with them in satisfactory fashion. One of my readers says she uses hair spray to deal with moths. Now, there’s a thought! I used to use hair spray on mosquitoes in the old days, and had forgotten how efficacious it was. Any advance on hair spray, anyone?

This month has been difficult. I have had such a long wait for the verdict from my editor on the book I delivered at the beginning of June. False Diamond is another Bea Abbot story, straying into high finance and low skulduggery, with several  twists in the plot . . . but days and weeks have passed and still Rachel has been unable to get back to me, because she’d had a backlog to deal with. There was a paragraph in The Times recently saying that stress was OK but worrying about being stressed led to nervous breakdowns – or words to that effect. I am confused. If you’re stressed, surely you worry about whatever it is that is causing the stress? And now I’m supposed to worry about being worried about all the stress? I give up. (Or at least, I will try not to worry till I hear from Rachel that all is well – or not, as the case may be.)

Meanwhile I have started on another Ellie Quicke. This one is called Murder in Time, and the first chapter has caused me maximum aggro. I knew what I wanted to have my character say, but words were not enough to let us understand how difficult it was for her to speak of a traumatic event in the past. I had to ‘see’ how hard it was for her to speak of it, and I had to ‘show’ the reaction of other people to what she said. No, it wasn’t easy.

Sometimes first chapters almost write themselves. I know what the characters are going to say and how they say it, but just now and then I find myself writing and re-writing – doing some more thinking and then re-writing the whole scene. Once I got past that first chapter and was on to the next bit of plot, I was all right. More or less. I fear this one is not going to be easy to write. But then, when you’re dealing with a matter like rape, perhaps it shouldn’t be.

It is too early yet to have got any reviews for MURDER WITH MERCY, the l4th Ellie Quicke, but fingers crossed, they should be on their way soon. This book is now out in the UK, and available in Canada, America, Australia, et al very soon.

In this story, Ellie is asked to investigate whether or not some deaths in the community are exactly what they seem, while her pregnant, difficult daughter Diana is struggling to cope at work, and her husband is still in a wheelchair. What’s more, sabotage at the big house nearby is being blamed on young Mikey, who is certainly up to something. 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?

The Winchester Writers Conference was great. I enjoyed meeting up with old friends and being able to encourage some writers at the start of their journey into publication. I was asked to say the grace at the start of the Saturday evening, with a caveat that it had to be non-specific about religion. I don’t find this easy to do. I mean, if you’re a Christian, then why not say so? 

So I adapted a grace I’ve heard before and will sign off with it . . .

Let us all give thanks
For food in a world where many go hungry
For friends in a world where many walk alone
For courage in a world where many walk in fear
For the gift of words, to be used for those who have no voice
Let us all give thanks.

Veronica Heley

To cap the story of the Missing Banana skin, this last month I have been going on a killing spree! Anything made of cashmere or pure wool is like a magnet to the little horrors which infest this part of London. I have thrown out pillows and cushions and a rug, I have treated the carpets, I have scoured corners of cupboards and shaken out clothes I haven’t worn for a while. I keep a small towel for blatting purposes, as I can then reach the moths as they alight on the ceiling and make faces at me. Some days I kill only two and think I’ve pulled through the worst of it. Other days there are ten or so flitting around. I have not found any sprays which work. Neither do the teak balls, nor the strips of impregnated paper. I used to put my faith in bags of lavender culled from the garden and dried by my own fair hands, but even they have let me down. I suppose that killing clothes moths is good for getting rid of aggression. But then, I need some killing instinct to write about murders, don’t I?

I had a surprise email in the other day, asking plaintively why I hadn’t confirmed a speaking engagement at a Women’s Fellowship meeting. I had nothing down in my diary for May, and nothing in the way of a letter or email giving me details. It transpired I had been asked some time ago if I still gave talks, and I’d said ‘Yes, but not often’. Apparently I was also asked if I were free at the end of May to give one? I have no recollection of looking in my diary. I probably said, Please confirm. There was no confirmation, only this desperate email, which reached me the day before the event!  I dropped everything, phoned a friend to give me a lift there and back, and made it just in time. Some people think I was mad to respond affirmatively, but it was a nice distraction from editing, and well . . . why not? It was a pleasant occasion and we had a few good laughs. Yes; why not!

So yes, the editing of the next Bea Abbot is going on apace. I had thought I’d be able to get it in early, but Things Happen in life, don’t they? I’ve had to ask for three days’ extra to read it through one last time, but I think it’s all right now. Picture me anxiously waiting to hear what my dear editor at Severn House has to say about it.

Don’t forget the Winchester Writers Conference will soon be upon us. I’ll be doing two talks, one on what voice suits a writer best, and the other about working the media and e-books.  I hope to see some of you there. Dates: June 21^st to 25^th. Contact details: www.writersconference.co.uk.

A FANFARE is required here!

The fourteenth (yes really! 14^th!) Ellie Quicke – MURDER WITH MERCY – is now out in the UK. Allow a couple of months for it to reach Canada, America, Australia, et al. 

In this story, Ellie is asked to investigate whether or not some deaths in the community are exactly what they seem, while her pregnant, difficult daughter Diana is struggling to cope at work, and her husband is still in a wheelchair. What’s more, sabotage at the big house nearby is being blamed on young Mikey, who is certainly up to something. 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?

STOP PRESS! There’s a new moth-killer on the market which looks like a battery-operated tennis racquet. It fizzes and spits as it exterminates! I love it!

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

The Mystery of the Missing Banana skin, reported in last month’s newsletter, has taken on a life of its own. I have had suggestions from readers from all over the world, but I will give you my own idea about what happened to it in a minute. I suppose that if I were clever enough, I could put the solution upside down and in a different typeface at the end of this letter but, as you know, I am not that capable a technician. And PLEASE don’t tell me how to do it, as I do not wish to know!

The first solution received – an excellent one – was that one of our pets had been playing with the missing banana skin, and hooked it under a low chair. We have no pets at the moment, so that was out. Next was that my husband had eaten it, along with the banana; unfortunately his teeth are not up to that much action nowadays. The third and really wonderful anecdote came from a reader in New Zealand, who has given me permission to tell the tale of her father’s missing reading glasses, and what happened to them . . .

‘My father was bed-bound in hospital after an operation on his foot, and had lost his reading glasses. The nurses stripped the bed, scoured the ward, emptied his locker. They looked everywhere. No glasses. I took in another pair. He grumbled they were not so good as his best ones. The following day I was helping him to undress so that he could have a shower, and the glasses fell out of his underpants!’

I hope that gave you a good laugh. Oh, and my solution? I think my husband must have flushed it down the toilet. Perhaps we will never know . . .

The Easter story for the Methodist Recorder was called DOWN-SIZING, which is what so many of us are having to do. If you weren’t able to get hold of a copy of the original, then let me know and I will email one to you.

I had a really good day at the London Book Fair, as my publishers, Severn House, say they want me to go on writing Ellie Quicke and Bea Abbot and have already sent me a new contract. Isis, the company which produces audiobooks, also wants the next Ellie and Bea books, hurray! As I’ve been getting published for over thirty years, I have a backlist of books which have long gone out of print, and these are now being looked at to see if they’d be worth a re-issue, sometimes in large print, sometimes as an e-book. I am so pleased. Mind you, there is just one that I wrote very early on for a competition – and no, it didn’t win – that I think should not now be resuscitated. Yes, it’s an OK-ish story but a bit too black. I think that one will stay in the bottom drawer for good.

So looking forward – I am happily editing the next Bea Abbot, to be delivered at the end of this month. This story has an exploding toaster in it. I have no idea why. I don’t even possess a toaster, but Bea’s defective toaster cropped up as a plot point in the book, and amused me so much that I’m leaving it in.

The details for the Winchester Writers Conference in June are now out. I’ll be doing two talks, one on what voice suits a writer best, and the other about working the media and e-books.  I hope to see some of you there. Dates: June 21^st to 25^th. Contact details:   www.writersconference.co.uk.

Don’t forget that the next Ellie Quicke – MURDER WITH MERCY – will be published in the UK at the end of this month. Allow three months for it to get to Canada, America, Australia, et al.

The story : Ellie is asked to investigate whether or not some deaths in the community are exactly what they seem, while her pregnant, difficult daughter Diana is struggling to cope, and her husband is still in a wheelchair. What’s more, sabotage at the big house nearby is being blamed on young Mikey, who is certainly up to something. 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?

Veronica Heley

Recent releases.

UNSUNG HEROES is now out 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. There are also some Ellie Quicke short stories.

£3.40 UK, and $4.90 USA.

http://www.veronicaheley.com/othertitles.php?l1=11

CRY FOR KIT, and SCREAM FOR SARAH. First published 1970s, have been joined by FEAR FOR FRANCES in large print versions from Chivers. Warning; some sex and violence in the first two! The third is a Victorian romp-cum-whodunit. They are also available to download as e-books.  

FALSE ALARM, the 7^th Abbot Agency story, is now available in hardback and also as an e-book. Bea is asked to find the person who laid a booby trap for the powerful tycoon, Sir Lucas Ossett,  in his own block of flats.  ISBN 9780 7278 8237 0 for the hardback and ISBN 978 1 78010 289 4 for the ebook.

Review for this:  Kirkus: ‘The Abbot Agency’s seventh outing will be just the thing for readers who like their cosies with a bit of bite.’  And from Library Journal:

‘Think of the series’ seventh outing as a big old-fashioned country-house case, Agatha Christie-like, but dressed-up smart and chic for today.’

MURDER BY MISTAKE is now available in large print. ISBN 978 0 7278 9935 4.

FALSE REPORT is available as a paperback  and also as an ebook . This is the story in which

Bea finds that assisting a vertically challenged musician to get some home help is asking for trouble, especially when a pretty girl has been trafficked into this country by a gang who target wealthy men. Paperback: ISBN 978 1 843751 408 0. Ebook: 978 1 78010 201 6.

Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1=102

My dear husband recently had a stay in hospital and was slowly recovering when we experienced one of those domestic mysteries which make you either laugh or cry . . . the sort of thing which I can sometimes use in a story. It’s called the Mystery of the Missing Banana. Included in his breakfast one morning was a banana. And then, it vanished. He has, predictably, no idea what he did with it. There is no banana or banana skin to be found anywhere. I have searched up and down the house. No skin, no banana. Now I know some people think there is a parallel universe into which missing items disappear, but I’m not one of them. It must be there, somewhere! But . . . where? Ideas, anyone? I’ve checked his pockets and everywhere he’s been. My friends say wisely that there’ll soon be a trail of flies leading me to the murder victim. Hm. Any advance on detection by flies?

Meanwhile, Mark Porthouse, my webmaster, and I have been struggling over the cover for the e-book shortly to come out, called UNSUNG HEROES. Even if this not an actual book, an e-book needs a cover. The problem is how to indicate the contents of these short stories in an easily recognisable format. Finally we went for a coffee cup disappearing off to the left, a small cross on a dark banner heading and a strapline of . . . ‘A festival of short stories’. This indicates, hopefully, that these are stories with a Christian background, written for the major festivals; Christmas, Easter and Harvest.   

STOP PRESS.  UNSUNG HEROES is now available to purchase from Amazon as an e-book! Download your copy now! 

Meanwhile again, I’ve been doing the proof reading for Murder with Mercy, which will come out at the end of May 2013.  This process demands that I look out for the repetition of a word within a sentence or paragraph. I don’t always see them when I do the copy-editing and some always sneak through, no matter how careful I think I’ve been. Fortunately there were very few this time, and I can get back to working on False Diamond, which is the next Bea Abbot story. And yes, I do have an idea for an Ellie Quicke Mystery after that. And no, it does not contain Death by Banana.

The Easter story for the Methodist Recorder is called DOWN-SIZING, which is what so many of us are having to do. If you aren’t able to get hold of a copy of the original, then let me know and I will email one to you.

I’m looking forward to The London Book Fair when I can meet up with some of my friends in the industry. That really is a must for me. And also the Winchester Writers Conference in June. Julian Fellowes, of Downton Abbey fame, is going to be the keynote speaker on the Saturday morning! I’ll be there, too, to give a couple of talks and some one to one interviews. The talks will be about what voice suits a writer best – He, Me or It’s – and about working the media/e-books. Dates: June 21^st to 25^th. Contact details: Barbara.Large@winchester.ac.uk or  www.writersconference.co.uk.

And now, it’s back to working on the next Bea Abbot. . .

Veronica Heley

www.veronicaheley.com

http://blog.veronicaheley.com

Recent releases.

CRY FOR KIT, and SCREAM FOR SARAH. First published l970s. Large print from Chivers. Warning; some sex and violence!

FALSE ALARM, the 7^th Abbot Agency story, is now available in hardback and also as an e-book. Bea is asked to find the person who laid a booby trap for the powerful tycoon, Sir Lucas Ossett,  in his own block of flats. A cross-section of yuppies and oddballs occupy the building. Call-girl cards have been left in tenants’ letterboxes, a cat has met an untimely end, and snow is forecast. Sir Lucas’s influence reaches out to touch and corrupt even those nearest to Bea.  ISBN 9780 7278 8237 0 for the hardback and ISBN 978 1 78010 289 4 for the ebook.

Review for this:  Kirkus: ‘The Abbot Agency’s seventh outing will be just the thing for readers who like their cosies with a bit of bite.’  And from Library Journal:

‘Think of the series’ seventh outing as a big old-fashioned country-house case, Agatha Christie-like, but dressed-up smart and chic for today.’

MURDER BY MISTAKE is now available in large print. ISBN 978 0 7278 9935 4.

FALSE REPORT is available as a paperback  and also as an ebook . This is the story in which

Bea finds that assisting a vertically challenged musician to get some home help is asking for trouble, especially when a pretty girl has been trafficked into this country by a gang who target wealthy men. Paperback: ISBN 978 1 843751 408 0. Ebook: 978 1 78010 201 6.

Find details of all the other E-books at http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?l1=102

I had a bad day recently. You know the sort of day that I mean; when you think that you’ll never produce another sentence without typing errors, and if you read it back it doesn’t make sense; then not only is your grammar looking rather peculiar, but you hadn’t meant to say THAT at all. No way. Writing has become such a struggle that you despair.

Then began one of those extraordinary series of coincidences which make you begin to wonder if, after all, you are supposed to be writing to amuse, so you might just as well get on with it. An email came in from someone in Canada who’d read the first of the Eden Hall series three times (!) and was desperate to know how to get the rest of the series. In the post came a goodly cheque from one of my publishers for e-book royalties

. . . and then the postman rang the doorbell because he couldn’t get a package through the letterbox and there were three copies of a reissue of one of the books first published in l976. Yes, really. All on the same day. Affirmation, I think they call it. Or a slap on the back, saying ‘Just get on with it!’

The re-issue was for CRY FOR KIT, and it’s in hardback, large print from Chivers. I looked at the cover, and wondered if I liked it – not that I have had anything to do with the design. But the original cover was about the only one I ever liked from Robert Hale, all those years ago. And then, of course, I was seized with doubt. Was it really such a good idea to reissue books I wrote when I’d only just started to learn my craft? Ought I to be ashamed of what I produced then? All right, so Chivers obviously thought they’d be able to sell some copies or they wouldn’t have done anything about it . . . but . . . really? So many years on? So I began to read the book and well, you’ll have to judge for yourselves, of course, but it rattles along at a great pace and yes, hopefully it will still amuse. 

Within the week, a second re-issue from Chivers arrived. This was SCREAM FOR SARAH, first published in l975. Now – wait for it – both these stories were written for the general market, so not all fans of Ellie and Bea will like them. Be warned: there is more sex and violence in these two books than I deal with nowadays.  ‘Sarah’ is also in hardback and softcover.

This is the time of the year when I block certain dates out in my calendar. London Book Fair in April, for instance. That’s a must. And so is the Winchester Writers Conference in June. Look it up on their website and see what goodies are in store for us this year. Julian Fellowes, yes, him of Downton fame, is going to be the keynote speaker on the Saturday morning! I can’t wait! Also coming to speak is Jasper Forde, of those weird and wonderful time-and-space-hopping books that I keep in my bedroom next to the Terry Pratchetts, to cheer me up on days when nothing goes right. (See above).

Me? I’ll be at Winchester, too, to give a couple of talks and some one to one interviews. I shall be talking about what voice suits a writer best – He, Me or It’s – and also about working the media and e-books.   Dates: June 21^st to 25^th. Contact details: Barbara.Large@winchester.ac.uk or  www.writersconference.co.uk.

I am still sending off the odd copy of the Christmas short story which was originally published in the Methodist Recorder and now it’s time to deliver another one for their Easter edition. This will be called DOWN-SIZING, which is what so many older people have to do. It won’t be published till the end of March at Easter, so I’ll put a reminder about it next time, for anyone who’d like a copy.

Meanwhile it’s copy-editing . . . which has to be done and done quickly . . . in between working on the next Bea Abbot.

Oh, and by the way, there will be another e-book out in March, this time for the latest  Bea Abbot, FALSE ALARM, which came out in hardback last November. We’ve had two excellent reviews for it. Kirkus: ‘The Abbot Agency’s seventh outing will be just the thing for readers who like their cosies with a bit of bite.’  And from Library Journal: ‘Think of the series’ seventh outing as a big old-fashioned country-house case, Agatha Christie-like, but dressed-up smart and chic for today.’

But for now, it’s back to working on the next Bea Abbot. . .

Veronica Heley

www.veronicaheley.com

http://blog.veronicaheley.com/

Find details of all the E-books at

http://www.veronicaheley.com/ebooks.php?11-102

How are you coping with the cold and the dark of these winter days? I must admit that I hate to get out of bed when the street lights are on – and it’s probably still raining or snowing or both. I have a system to beat the blues, and that is to buy a bunch of early daffodils, so that I can watch the sunshine unfold indoors, even if it refuses to shine in the sky.

So, did I make any New Year’s resolutions? Did I promise myself that I would buy and make some marmalade as soon as the Seville oranges were in? Did I tell myself not to take on ANY extra work? I suppose you know the answer to both those questions. The oranges have been bought – and put in the freezer to await my attention at some point. Yes, I know it may be nearly a year before I get round to doing anything about them. And as for the extra work? No, I fell into agreeing to do some more within the first week of the New Year. Oh well.

Just as a matter of interest, do you have the font called Helvetica on your computer? Size l3, moreover? I was asked to submit two pieces of 250 words each for a local church magazine to be delivered in this format, only to discover that I have neither. Weird! So I sent the stuff in the usual Times New Roman size 12, and await a no doubt aggrieved response.

Meanwhile, my editor’s been asking me what I’d like on the cover of the next Ellie, which is titled MURDER WITH MERCY. And yes, in this book there is someone going around doing mercy killings, though with the very best of intentions. My editor suggested a phial of pills. Mm. I thought that might have been done once or twice before so came up with the idea of a dripping tap. Dripping blood, of course. No, she says. ‘Too much like a horror book!’ So the cover will feature an empty wheelchair . . . and yes, that does come into the book. I hope to have a picture of this put up on my website soon but remember, the book will not be published till the end of May – and will only be  available three months after that in the USA, Canada and Australia.

The new Bea Abbot is coming along a treat, although there are some awkward plot points I still have to solve. One of the problem areas here – and it’s entirely my own fault that this has occurred – is that I am continuing certain characters and situations from previous books in which Bea is in discussions about merging her agency with another organisation. If I said someone’s child had wellington boots with pink flowers on them previously, then where are they now? And yes, it does happen to be important. Oh well, no doubt I’ll come up with the answer in due course.

I promised to let you know if you wanted me to bring back a character from an early story but so far not enough of you have replied to give me much of a choice. Ideas, please?

Many of you asked for a copy of the short story OPERATION CHRISTMAS to be emailed to you. That’s fine. I’m always delighted to do that for you. So if you’d still like to see it, just let me know. And yes, the Methodist Recorder has asked for another story for Easter, so I really must get started on that soon.

So, wishing you a cheerful start to Spring, 2013, I’m signing off…….

Veronica Heley