EPISODE TWENTY-THREE: GETTING ON

First off apologies if you missed last month’s episode, it sat in my drafts folder for some reason instead of posting as scheduled at the end of February…

Pagans by James Alistair Henry. Two police officers from different parts of the country team up to catch a serial killer. It has razor sharp dialogue, plenty of humour and political elements as the killer seems intent on destabilising an important government summit. But what really makes this book different is the setting: an alternative version of history in which William the Conqueror never arrived. Britain remains a tribal country, people go around with tattoos and knives, worshipping pagan gods and drinking mead while on their mobile phones. Very enjoyable.

Dragon Girl and the Awakened Flames by Jenny Moore is the first in this re-published trilogy of fantasy adventures about Emba Oak, a girl born from a dragon egg. Raised by a kindly witch she discovers an evil sorceror is after her blood. When the sorceror kidnaps the witch, Ember sets off to rescue her with help from best friend and sometimes brave Odolf. A heart-warming quest that sees Ember discover her special powers.

Death by Chocolate by Anna Brooke is a murder mystery wrapped up in a ghost story with a side helping of delicious confectionary. When Coco’s parents buy a dilapidated hotel in France she is forced to leave her friends behind. And when the hotel’s ghost – the old chocolatier – starts haunting her, she decides to confront him and ends up trying to solve the mystery of who killed him. Lovely page-turning cosy crime that will leave kids hungry for more.

The adult story about a failing marriage I began many years ago, is coming along well. I’m at about 25,000 words and the big twist has just been revealed. The detective’s character is taking shape and I’m really pleased with the husband’s voice but the wife’s voice is not quite right yet. I think the story will end up far too short for a proper novel. So this may well end up going nowhere. But I’m enjoying the process once more and want to see it through to the end now!

In other writing news, NASA announced plans to start building a base at the South Pole of the Moon. But I’m still awaiting the official OK to start talking about my new children’s adventure set on the Moon, which should publish later this year. No cover reveal yet… watch this space. Pun intended :-)

Not strictly writing news, but I had a busy month centred around World Book Week, visiting six different schools, running a couple of workshops and being the guest speaker at a local children’s writing session. All went well, and I actually sold quite a lot of books which is always a bonus!

If you’d like a copy of any of my books, don’t forget you can find buy links to them all on my website.

As I write this, I am about to play padel four times and tennis twice in the next 3½ days. So the racket season has definitely started in earnest! I am still keeping up with my regular sessions at the local outdoor circuits too, but my running sessions have dropped to just 1 or 2 a week. A trip down to Devon should, weather permitting, see me back out on the golf course after a long break and maybe even up on the surf board if the waves look good. Always my favourite time of year as the days get longer and the temperature rises.

It was my birthday this month and my presents included two expansion sets to board games I own. Outer Rim (Fantasy Flight Games) is an excellent Star Wars themed bounty hunter game, and the Unfinished Business expansion adds more characters to encounter, more missions to accept and more stuff to trade. Can’t wait to give it a whirl. I also received an expansion to The Lost Expedition (Osprey Games), called Fountain of Youth and Other Adventures. Seeking the fabled lost city of Z, the expansion includes different routes to teach the city as well as new team members and extra sub-plots along the way. A very fun, quick-to-play card game.

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