Hello again, and welcome to newcomers.
Whilst it is wonderful to see the sunshine and have longer periods of daylight, it can also be very tiring working in the extreme heat. I hope you are all coping.
My cats have each taken up residence in the garden under separate ground-hugging trees where they sleep the days away before emerging in the cooler evenings. There is insufficient space underneath these trees for me and my laptop to join Amber and Opal – I have checked.
Audible Books
The release of the Audible books has been very successful. Thank you if you have purchased an audible copy of the books. All three books are currently in the top 50 Amazon Best Sellers list for Traditional Detective Mysteries, with Murder in the New Forest sitting at #1 and Straw in the Wind at #8 and Killer in the New Forest is #32. This is a reflection of the support I have received from The Book Folks at Joffee Books and also the result of the excellent work of the fabulous James Macnaughton in reading the texts. I really enjoyed listening to him and am very pleased that he was able to read all three books in the series.
Progress Update Book 4
The structural edits of Shot in the New Forest have been completed, and the manuscript will soon progress to copy edits. We are still on course for an October release. It feels strange revisiting this book when I am now firmly immersed in its follow up and the new investigation with Callum at the helm. Another thing that always feels strange to me is writing about a different season of the year from the one we are currently inhabiting. The garden this last week is not happy about the lack of rain but my characters are zipping up jackets against a cold rainstorm.
Joffee Books have begun publicity for Shot in the New Forest with postings in various places – some of which you might have seen. I am fortunate to have a conscientious publisher who does a good deal of marketing prior to a book publication, including making it available for prerelease ordering.
Dates for the future
In July we will be at Shaftesbury on Friday 10th,Wilton on 12th, Burley on 25th and Lyndhurst on 26th. On 1st August we will be in the Old George Mall in Salisbury in a small wooden hut, along with a selection of other traders, outside M&S.
If you are free come along and say hello. Signed copies will be available for purchase. If you have already purchased a copy from Amazon, which will not have been signed, bring it along and I will add a signature, if you wish.
Salisbury History Festival 2026 Monday 24th August – Sunday 30th August
This takes place in various locations around Salisbury for the above dates. The focus this year is on crime. On Sunday afternoon, 30th August three local crime writers are giving talks, followed by a chaired discussion on crime.
The authors are Nikki Coppleston, Andy Maslen, and me. My topic is Cause of Death. I will be exploring the different methods used by killers, and the problems that arise for the victim, the killer and ultimately the police and coroner in pursuing a conviction. Firearms, knives, everyday objects, opportunist murders and premeditated killings – it should be fun!
If you are around any would like to brush up on your causes of death, do come along and see us all.
Book 5
Is progressing well. As usual, we begin with a body and an early identification. Spoiler. It is possible that Callum may lose a member of his team at the end of the investigation and we will need to find a new detective as a replacement. On the other hand, maybe that won’t happen – we will have to wait and see how things go as the investigation unfolds. Which member of Callum’s team would you like to get rid of, and why?
Let me know what you think.
Happy reading
Carol