April has been a funny month - cold and wet, like a long extension of winter. It was also my first full month without John the Cat, who I’ve missed terribly during these dreary grey days.
But spring does come, even when the weather is grey, and the cherry blossom has been spectacular.
Now lilac and horse chestnut season has begun and, as I type this on 1 May, the air is warmer and my seedlings are finally sprouting.
Spring always comes, no matter what.
April has been mostly spent with the above view of my laptop as I begin Book 11. This one will be out in the spring of 2025 and I’m just starting to find my flow with it as I hit the 20,000 word mark. I can’t tell you much about it just yet but there is a big clue in that picture.
I tend to find the first 20,000 words a bit of a slog when I’m writing a new book. It takes that long for me to really get to know my characters and the story they want to tell (as opposed to the story I want to tell) but once I’m over that threshold the words start to come a bit more quickly. I’m hoping to get this draft done by the end of August.
In other news I had the cover reveal for my tenth book, The Butterfly Garden, in April. This is my first book with Boldwood Books and I am absolutely in love with this cover. It’s out on 28th June but if you would like to preorder it that would be hugely helpful!
Work has finally calmed down - you may remember my colleague broke both her arms in January and my part time job turned full time for a while. I’m delighted to report that she is now fully on the mend and has returned to work which means I’m back to a normal schedule again. Fingers cross things stay nice and steady while I get this first draft written!
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April Reads
Secrets of the Watch House by Jenny Ashcroft - I was lucky enough to read a super early proof of this one and it is a joy. If you’ve read Jenny’s previous books, this is a little darker, with a dash of Du Maurier thrown in. Set in Cornwall between the wars on a remote Cornish island, the book takes us on a journey through a web of secrets and a mysterious death. Or does it?! It’s out in September and I highly recommend pre-ordering this one.
Death on the Tiber by Lindsey Davis - The latest in the Flavia Albia mystery novels set in first century Rome and it was a good one that, if you read Lindsey’s previous Falco novels, harks back to Time to Depart.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - The most recent read for the Mega Dickens Readalong and I think it’s safe to say that Dickens’ historical novels (this one and Barnaby Rudge) are my least favourite.
The Letter by Ruth Saberton - my author friend Lorna Cook put me on to Ruth’s books back in January and they really are pageturning reads. If you like historical timeslip novels with equal parts mystery and romance then these are for you. This one is set in Cornwall during the First World War and has a twist at the end that is rather splendid.
The House of Mirrors by Erin Kelly - This is a sequel to Erin’s debut novel, The Poison Tree but it is also a marvelously done stand-along thriller too. If you liked the Skeleton Key - disfunciotnal families hiding secrets for decades - you will love this. I inhaled it in about two days and and one increasingly cold bath.
"I tend to find the first 20,000 words a bit of a slog" As long as the reader doesn't : ) I feel the same way Rachel. But for me the demand is lightened, and I can stretch out with a character. Once the the stress builds and action quickens I feel compelled to keep up, and miss the leisure.
btw beautiful pics