So, Covid came. And went. And yes, I’m still getting tired. I look at the neglected winter garden and think how much it would be improved if I could only get out there and do a bit of tidying up. The other day I decided to stop thinking about it, and actually do a little chopping back and pulling out of dead plants. I set myself a twenty minutes deadline and of course I went over that because neighbours kept passing by and saying they wished I had my energy, and had I heard about so-and-so, or called on the new neighbours yet. There were consultations about a bush which had caught the frost and had I seen the camellia which was covered with blossom in the nest road, and altogether a good time was had by one and all. It was a splendid break from work and I wasn’t too tired at the end of it.

So many plants that usually live through the winter here, have died. It’s received wisdom that any bedding plants put into the garden before Easter will need replacing at Whitsun but perhaps, if I put them new plants in the greenhouse to harden off a bit, they might survive? Shall I chance growing sweet peas this year?

The e-books coming out on Amazon are apparently selling well. FALSE IMPRESSION came out on February 25, and in March we have FALSE WALL on the 25^th. Because of the low price, it seems that new readers are beginning to look out for these stories, and that can only be good news. And yes, the black cat continues to feature on the covers.

Meanwhile, first the copy editing and then the proofs of the next Bea Abbot story – FALSE NAME – have arrived on my doorstep. There had been this delay and that, and my editor wanted them back in record time. Unfortunately this particular copy editor was new to my way of expressing myself and held strong views about the necessity of writing good grammar even for people who ‘speak it like it is’ with double negatives and lashings of ‘likes’. So we had a few disagreements, but finally the text has been agreed and will shortly be passed for production. The hardback is scheduled for publication in July this year.

So far, so good. Now I have to write another tale for the Methodist Recorder, and another story about Maximilian the Magnificent, the tiny black cat who is lucky to get out of his adventures with a whole skin.  

PARSLEY and POSY are fed up with this cold weather and are threatening to emigrate. Perhaps I shall get them to stay if I promise they can pose indoors with flowers cut from my garden. I’d welcome your advice on this. You can see them here, posting with the forsythia which has flowered early this year. (And yes, I cheated by buying the daffodils)

Delving into the archives I came across an early story about a time of change for my three old friends who featured in so many short stories for the Recorder over the years. It’s called SPRING CLEANING, and you can access it here.

A blessing on those who ask others how they’re doing and then actually listen to their tales of woe.

Veronica Heley

I’ve been thinking about angels. Yes, well . . . I got Covid, didn’t I? My first dose of it. I’ve had all the boosters and been out and about and in touch with all sorts and I hadn’t got as much as a sniffle until . . . Yes, well. Unmistakeable. Cooking? Forget it. Work? Well, I did try, but had to stop. Puzzler problems? Brain not responding. Telephone calls? Cough, cough, blow nose, cough, cough. Lie down. Keep warm. Drink plenty.

So, enter the angels. Now, I’ve read about Angels in the bible. They came in all shapes and sizes. They are NOT human. Some are frankly scary. Imagine meeting the Archangel Michael in a strop! Just consider what it takes to defeat evil: the power of thunder and lightning comes to mind. He’s wonderful and also terrifying.

Some of the lesser angels in the Bible bring good news. Some bring warnings. And in this day and age I fancy some are humans whom God has used to help matters along. I don’t suppose any of my neighbours think of themselves as angels. Each has their own busy life to lead, fitting me in somewhere between looking after grandchildren and cooking for their families. One even understood my craving for a bunch of yellow flowers, daffs or tulips, I didn’t care which, but I wanted them NOW! And they duly appeared in my porch! All I can say is; Thank you. And mean it. And hope to repay their kindness some-day, when it will be my turn to play angel.

The next lot of e-books from Joffe are now in the pipeline. February has A FALSE ALARM on the lst, A FALSE DIAMOND on the 12^th, and A FALSE IMPRESSION on the 25th. They have continued using the black cat who appears on all these covers, hurray! I gather the e-books are all doing well but the ones with an animal on are doing better than the others.  

You may remember me talking about the lyrics of a song I wrote a while back. One of my kind friends says he knows someone who might be interested in setting it to music. I wonder if it will work? Who knows? Watch this space.

Meanwhile, the next Bea Abbot story called False Name is going through copy editing and will be returned to me soon for this and that. I have a rough of the projected cover for this one already, and think it’s very good. You will be amused to hear that the dog Bruno, who plays a major part in the story, is featured stage front. We’ll have to wait and see if this makes a difference to sales!

PARSLEY and POSY have spent the last month taking shelter in my little conservatory at the back of the house, and say it’s still too cold to pose outside. So here they are with my amaryllis bulbs which are now in full flower. See them here.

I think it’s too early to feature an Easter story so have delved deep into the archives to find you an early Ellie Quicke short story, called Death by Lily. You can read it here.

A blessing on those who shop for those who can’t get out and about.

Veronica Heley

January comes in with a splash and a crash and I don’t suppose many of us look back on the last year with pleasure. So much changed in that time. The Christmas story for the Methodist Recorder this year was very different, being about the problems that many of us encounter as we get older. This tale does remind us that we are not alone in find life difficult nowadays and that sometimes we can act as today’s ‘angels’ to others in the same position. It’s titled ‘Louise’s Christmas.’

Presents can mean different things to different people . . . not to mention cats. My stories about the tiny back cat whose missus miscalls him Maximilian the Magnificent, seem to amuse people who came to our choir concert, so here is what he got up to in ‘A tree for Christmas.’ You can access it here.

So much of the news recently has made me want to go home, slam the front door shut, draw the curtains and reach for comfort food. However, I’m told the e-books from Joffe of the Abbot Agency series are doing well, and their choice of covers recently has made me applaud, instead of reach for indigestion tablets. FALSE MONEY came out on 11^th December, FALSE REPORT will follow on January 10^th, on FALSE ALARM on February lst.

Now in False Report I wrote the lyrics of a song about a girl who was trafficked into this country with promises of love, and ends up walking the streets. Re-reading the words recently it occurred to me that it could be set to music . . . but what do I know of such things? I’ve asked a musician I know to look at it. Perhaps something will come of it, perhaps not.

Murder for Profit, the latest in the Ellie Quicke series, is now out and about and doing well, too. This story covers the fatal fall of a student from one of Ellie’s housing charity’s houses, which triggers an attack on the estate agency’s reputation. It’s also about sibling rivalry.

Meanwhile, my editor has read the next Bea Abbot story called False Name which I’ve spent the last nine months writing, and accepted it straight away. However, she questioned my statement that two brown-eyed parents cannot produce as blue-eyed child. Isn’t it odd how you grow up with these misconceptions? I could have sworn it wasn’t possible, but apparently there are decent odds are for it. Anyway, that manuscript is now going to the copy editor and I’m starting work on another Bea Abbot which will be a follow-up to False Name.

PARSLEY and POSY have decided it’s too cold to pose outside, so can be found in my tiny lean-to conservatory, admiring the poinsettia. See them here.

A blessing on those who help us to face the New Year with courage.

Veronica Heley

The garden has sunk into its winter rest. The winter jasmine and the viburnum tinis are out, as are the first of the iris unguicularis. Hurray! We draw the curtains earlier and earlier or – in the case of some of my neighbours – leave them open so that people can admire the Christmas trees set up in their front rooms.

The Christmas story which comes with this letter was first published in the Methodist Recorder last year and it is a dual-purpose one; first there’s Joseph’s take on the birth of Jesus and then a story of today with Sally and Bruce having a problem with family presents. It’s called GIFTS WITH A MESSAGE and you can access it here.

My Christmas story for the Recorder this year is a little different. It is not about people who have recently or are almost retired. In my ninetieth year I am only too aware of the problems of old age. In general we are living longer but with imperfect health, technology is getting too much for us and family members no long live round the corner. I want to write stories about this special time in our lives and I’m hoping that you will approve. This next story is tentatively called Louise’s Christmas, though the editor may change that to something she likes better.

Some good news: the first e-books from Joffe in the Abbot Agency series are selling well. I am still feeling tense about the choice of covers. FALSE STEP and A FALSE PRETENCE (originally ‘False Pretences’) came out in November and are just fine. There’s even a black cat on the cover for A FALSE PRETENCE. FALSE MONEY is out on 11^th December, FALSE REPORT on 21^st December and we’re being very polite in our discussions about covers for these. Rereading these books has been quite a treat for me, and I hope they please you, too.

I understand that the new Ellie Quicke – that’s Murder for Profit– is doing well, too. Hardback and e-book came out together last month. This story concerns the fatal fall of a student from one of Ellie’s housing charity’s houses, which impacts on the estate agency’s reputation. It’s also about sibling rivalry becoming very nasty indeed.

I’ve just off the manuscript of the next Bea Abbot story called False Name which has been a real treat to write. In fact, there is so much more to say about some of the characters in this book that I want to continue writing about them. But that’s for next year. Hasn’t this past year gone quickly?

We bought our Nativity set years ago on a visit to Prague. I put it out every year and move the pieces around as the shepherds are replaced by the wise men and so on. Parsley and Posy are too big to appear next to these little figures, so have taken themselves off for a holiday. Visit the Nativity Set picture here.

A blessing on those who can cope with the parties and presents for the season without forgetting what Christmas is really all about.

Veronica Heley

First came the autumn colour in trees and plants, which was wonderful to see. Then came the Fall, and that meant lots of clearing up to do. It wasn’t so much the leaves that drifted down onto the garden as the sycamore seeds that came down with them. They are a pain because I can’t sweep them up with a broom as I do with the leaves. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many in my garden. I tell myself that eventually they’ll cease to be a problem and I am enjoying the winter-flowering pansies and chrysanthemums.

A hitch in the proceedings occurred recently when my mouse malfunctioned. The computer froze. I couldn’t get anything to shift. I couldn’t access or send emails. I couldn’t get on with the story. After a weekend of telling myself it wasn’t the end of the world although that’s what it felt like, my wonderful computer guru brought me a new mouse and normal service was resumed. Later, someone told me how to over-ride the mouse on my keyboard, but I haven’t tried it and am hoping never to have to go through that again.

Good news: readers are now finding the e-books of the first titles in the Abbott Agency series. The first, A FALSE CHARITY, came out on 24^th October, then there was A FALSE PICTURE on the 31^st. A FALSE STEP is due out on 8^th November and A FALSE PRETENCE on the 27^th. Please note the original titles didn’t have an ‘A’ in front of them, but these ebooks do. I’m not terribly happy about the first cover which features a dog. I am a cat person. But there it is; the publishers say that dogs sell books. It’s not worth getting into a state about it. (The 3^rd title does feature a cat.)

Meanwhile the hardback copy of a new Ellie Quicke came out on November lst together with an e-book. MURDER FOR PROFIT has a house which looks very much like mine on the cover. It’s all to do with Ellie’s trust fund and which estate agency or realtor should be looking after the rentals, etc. A student fell from the top window of one of Ellie’s latest projects and someone is stirring up trouble about it, big time. I rather like the characters in this story, and I hope you will, too.

There’s been a couple of good reviews of MURDER FOR PROFIT already. This from Booklist: ‘A twisty plot, an intrepid heroine, and an unexpectedly satisfying ending make this a good choice for cosy fans.’

Parsley & Posy have been posing with some of the tiny autumn cyclamens which pop up all over my garden at this time of the year. See them here.

                             The next short story is: ‘Harvest’

This is another oldie featuring Ellie Quicke, written originally for a magazine. It’s about the feuds which can break out in a church over who decorates which window or pulpit. You can access the story here.

A blessing on those who know how to help when computers break down.        

Veronica Heley

The good news: The garden revived once we had some rain. Some plants did die, but others are deciding to have a second go at life and some plants are coming into bloom early. And, my second crop of runner beans are now cropping heavily! It’s a bit mad, really.

Some more good news: the paperback of FALSE FACE came out at the end of September, and I’ve had a couple f really good reviews for MURDER FOR PROFIT, which comes out in hardback on November lst.

. . . which leads on to my next bit of good news, which is that a firm called Joffe Books have bought the e-book rights for thirteen (yes, 13) of the Bea Abbot books and are going to bring them out as e-books one a week from mid-October! How about that! You will be amused to hear that I couldn’t remember much about the early books in this series, so had to find copies and re-read them. Do the plots stand up to the passage of time? Yes, I think they do, although after fifteen years technology has moved on somewhat.

The plot for the first book, FALSE CHARITY, was given me by my husband. He’d come across a couple in court running a fake charity event and then scarpering without paying the venue or the charity concerned. In my story Bea has just been widowed and can hardly think straight as problems mount around her and the agency her husband had run for so many years. And yes, Piers turns up to help . . . on his own terms, mind. So that’s the first book, published in 2007.

The second is FALSE PICTURE in which Bea is struggling to restart the agency, she has two lodgers who are causing problems, an old friend is less than open about a relative who’s gone missing with a valuable painting by Millais, and an experienced thief is planning another murder. Oh yes, and the tax man is on Bea’s tail . . .

Meanwhile. . . Parsley & Posy have been having fun posting in front of the Japanese anemones which threatened to die on me earlier but are now coming into bloom. Whenever I see these flowers, I remember my mother saying, ‘Don’t look at them! They’re the first sign of autumn!’ True, but this year I’m actually glad to see them. I know there’s a variety which has pink flowers but strangely enough, the ones in this road are all white. See them here.

                      The next short story is: ‘Death at the B & B!’

Yes, this is a real oldie, an early short story featuring Ellie Quicke. The problem is that I’m using up short stories too fast. I am asked for them three or four times a year, but I’m sending one out with the newsletter every month. I can’t do the maths, but I’m sure you can see the problem. So here’s one I wrote earlier, and I hope you enjoy it. You can access the story here.

A blessing on those who mourn. Let us remember Queen Elizabeth II and all whose lives she touched.      

Veronica Heley

Phew! Here in London it doesn’t seem to have dropped below unbearable for weeks, and our poor gardens! Conversations centre on letting the grass turn yellow and how to keep this or that plant alive. After a good start in life, my runner beans dried up and died. A second lot of seeds has germinated and has actually produced flowers! But will I get any beans? Who knows?

The only plants that seem to thrive are the blackberries. A neighbour has a wonderful crop at the bottom of her garden and keeps me supplied, hurray! All of which reminds me that my mother always said blackberries are no good after Michaelmas. You’d think that this should vary from year to year with the changing of weather conditions, but it seems to be something that stays true, no matter what.

. . . which leads on to my being asked to produce a story at short notice for the Methodist Recorder. My thinking went like this: Blackberries – Michaelmas – Michaelmas daisies in the garden – who was St Michael? A fighter, yes but . . .goodness me, when did that happen? He’s the patron saint of paramedics! So I built a story around a paramedic wearing a medallion of St Michael and it worked out all right. It’s to be published sometime in October and no doubt I’ll be sending it to you in due course.

Work on the next book continues; it’s a fun story in many ways, a reverse Cinderella with a man in the title role. I got all the way through with the first draft only to decide I didn’t like the way I’d dealt with the last two chapters and had to re-write and re-write them until they worked. I’ve never dealt with so many villains before, but each had their reasons and some of them were more weak than vicious. There’s another six weeks before I send it in and I shall need every minute of that time to make the story run smoothly.

Meanwhile. . . Parsley & Posy have been posing in front of the silver pennies of Honesty (Lunaria). I took a photo of them in the spring when the flowers were a brilliant purple, and thought you might like to see it when the flowers have turned to seed heads so this month you have a ‘before’ and ‘after’ picture. I usually keep some of the silver pennies for decoration indoors over winter. See them here.

                  The next short story is: ‘It wasn’t my fault!’

It’s set in the days when Covid was rife and it raises the age-old question of how much you are responsible for your actions. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. A man who wasn’t good at filling in forms and applying for help, lied to get a job to feed his family, with tragic consequences. He argues mitigating circumstances, but . . . oh dear! How can we judge? You can access the story here.

A blessing on all those who are always ready to listen to other people’s problems.      

Veronica Heley

Congratulate me! I have been to Bruges and back! I was so worried about the journey that I booked myself some Assistance and that made all the difference. It was very hot, but lovely to see old friends and hear their stories about what they did in the Bad Times of Lockdown. Nearly all my favourite shops are still there, I bought some clothes and came home very tired and very happy.

The proofs for Murder for Profit have now been read and amendments made. There wasn’t very much to correct, although some nit-picking (do you hear me grinding my teeth?) proof-reader brought up one or two points that I had to deal with. She thought I meant X when I meant Y. Yes, it happens. The great thing is not to make this an invitation to pistols at dawn. Take a deep breath, deal with it and get on with life.

(You can skip the following if forms made you feel dizzy.) You probably know that books borrowed from libraries can earn the writer so much per lending out. It is a not inconsiderable part of our income. I made a mess of trying to register an audiobook at the British Library (Public Lending Right department|), so got on the phone and a delightful woman took my details, agreed that yes, I’d been getting published a long time . . . and then told me I had Sixty-three (63) titles which had not been registered! We whittled this down to 61, but still!

What seems to have happened is that I have missed notification of publication for some e-books and audiobooks, which means I won’t get any PLR money for them. When I first started writers got one hardback book per title and that was that. Now we can get hardback, paperback, large print, e-book and audiobook. And each one of these has a 13-digit registration number. And I’ve missed this sixty-one times!

So, I’m appealing to all of you who write, or who know someone who writes, to check their details to make sure they are not missing out. I’ve been talking to my publishers about this. It looks as if the system could do with being given a tweak or two, to keep up with the technology.

The garden continues to occupy some of my leisure time. It’s so dry! The ants have, I think, been defeated, but the black fly!!! On the other hand, I have had some pickings of runner beans, grown in big pots on my patio. The first flush of roses is over but I’m dead-heading like mad to see if I can get a second crop.

The next short story is: another about Max the Cat.

I had to write a short story for our summer concert for the choir, and this is what Max has been up to lately. Spoiler alert; he’s been catnapped! You can access the tale here.

 Parsley & Posy

are posing with some tansy and a fake ‘poppy’ that someone dropped into my garden and which seems to have taken root there. See them here.

A blessing on all those who manage to be appreciative of other people’s holiday photos!    

Veronica Heley

Something to make you laugh. A friend was on holiday and needed to visit the loo in the middle of a church service. Quietly she made her exit from the congregation and followed the sign to the disabled people’s loo. Opening the door, she couldn’t find the light switch. But, lo and behold, there was a cord hanging down, which surely would have the desired result of turning on the light. So she pulled . . . and the alarm bell rang out throughout the church building . . . in the middle of the service . . . and she didn’t know how to turn it off! She was rescued in due course and shown how to switch the light on, but it’s going to be some time before she recovers from that little adventure.

Work continues, with forays to water the pots in the garden, deal with an invasion of ants and an infestation of black fly on the runner beans. I find soapy water best for the black fly, but for the ants it’s a question of spraying with a mask on. And gritting one’s teeth as I clear up the resultant carnage. I don’t like killing creatures, but if it’s a question of my having food or not, then I get on with it. I must say, the roses this year have been spectacular, particularly the Paul’s Scarlet and the American Pillar, not to mention the pale pink Albertine.

I haven’t yet got the proofs of MURDER FOR PROFIT, although I’m being promised them for next week, so have been picking up the storyline of FALSE NAME and carrying on with it. This has been a difficult story to write, because I have to go over and over a particular event several times from different people’s point of view. For instance, one person might have observed what people were wearing while another wouldn’t have a clue. It is coming along, though slowly.

                  The next short story is: The Good Neighbour

This is another story set in lockdown when people were coping – or not coping – with the dreaded Zoom, and working out how to manage the changes that the pandemic brought to us. You can access it here.

                                                       Parsley & Posy

Small gardens are great in so many ways, but it’s difficult to keep some plants under control. I put in a plant which may be only six inches high, only to find that it’s grown to six feet high in a remarkably short space of time. These two roses were put in as tiny cuttings and look at them now! Parsley and Posy enjoying the sun. See them here.

A blessing on all those who share their cuttings and seedlings with other gardeners.    

Veronica Heley

No sooner were the daffodils out in my garden than I was making room for the annuals to be put in their place. The first rose to bloom was greeted with the cry ‘That’s early!’ Suddenly the garden is awash with roses, and I’m putting the geraniums – which I’ve over-wintered in pots inside – out onto the patio and wondering where I put the packets of seeds I bought last year and have forgotten about till now.

Apologies to all non-gardeners for going on about it, but it does take up a lot of my time as one season gives way to the next, and there’s not much happening on the publishing front. Well, I did do the copy edit for MURDER FOR PTOFIT and it wasn’t too bad, as such things go. There was the usual battle with my copy editor who likes to put commas in where I don’t, and to take them out where I’d put them in. And of course there’s the usual misunderstanding about semi-colons. I thought I’d mastered the new rules but she disagrees. Ah, well. But there was nothing really to complain about from my side or from hers. So all is well in that sector . . . until it’s time to correct the proofs.

Before the copy edits arrived, I’d been cracking on with the next Bea Abbot which is tentatively titled FALSE NAME. I had put that aside to deal with the copy edit and then found the new story hard to pick up again. This has happened to me before and I know what I have to do. I have to go right back to the beginning of the new story, checking every little fact here and suggestion there, editing as I go along, until I reach the point at which I’d had to stop before . . . and can then move on.

When I start a on a new book I have a tendency to set off like a sprinter only to find myself slowing down about chapter three with a horrible feeling that something is wrong. Then I sigh. Or scream. Or do both. The problem is that I have put in TOO MUCH PLOT! Now you may say that there can’t be too much plot, but oh yes! There can. I don’t know if you’ve ever grown tomatoes but gardeners know that if you don’t pinch out the side-shoots, you won’t get the best results. And so it is with stories. No side shoots allowed. No lingering on back stories that don’t advance the plot. No sudden brainwaves which go nowhere. The remedy? Press ‘delete’ and go back to where you left the main story on diversion going nowhere.

The next short story is: Corona Christmas

This is set in lockdown with the reminder that Christmas is not about ‘Me, me, me!’ but about ‘Him, him, him!’ I’m sorry that it’s a trifle unseasonal, but the message is the same at whatever time of the year you happen to be. You can access it here.

Parsley & Posy

I like geraniums. I like to pop any broken pieces into the nearest pot and see what happens, with the result that in the pot featured, there are several varieties. I apologise for the grass growing up between the stones of the patio. I will get round to dealing with it sometime . . . In the meantime, you can see our two friends here.

A blessing on all those who make time to pray for friends in trouble.

Veronica Heley