I DID IT!

Now that I’ve achieved it, I’m still at the “letting it sink in” stage… lol. There were times across this year, with everything going on in my life, that I repeatedly seriously doubted I would manage. But last Wednesday was the defining moment. At the beginning of 2016, my goal was to augment the total of completed and released books to my name, to 5, preferably 6.

So, this past Wednesday, I completed the last work on my latest and 6th book, and it will be released on the 2nd of December.   And thus, I’ve reached my goal for 2016! YAY!

Onto the next… while catching up on Facebook, this blog, my Amazon’s author page, etc. etc. and catching up on “housewifely” duties, I’m already working on the next batch. But for now, I’m chuffed no end that I achieved my goal. (giving myself a pat on the back. lol)

There was too big a gap after The Snow Crystals. Sad but true. But I never stopped writing. Immensely proud and pleased that at the end of 2016, I have six books to my name. The sixth will be released on the 2nd of December as part of a book box set of similar genre books.

THE SNOW CRYSTALS

Amongst others, part of the #PARANORMAL COLLECTION Vol. 3 – GUARDIAN OF DREAMS (Paper Gold Publishing) #angels #spirits #specialabilities #books #pgp  #MoBPromos

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M70RMBYhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M70RMBY

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VENGEFUL LEGAL DEAL – Book 1 of the Belgravia Antiques Mystery Series

Amongst others, part of Weapon of Choice  Book Box Set -Vol. 2 (Paper Gold Publishing)

https://www.amazon.com/Weapon-Choice-Crime-Mystery-Vol-ebook/dp/B01LZ0H48R/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476904843&sr=1-2&keywords=weapon+of+choice

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Free Kindle Book Cover Templates

Free Kindle Cover Template. Romance

MING, MURDER AND MATCHMAKING

part of the ON THE EDGE Book Box Set Vol. 2 (Paper Gold Pubishing)

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THE CIRCLE OF PROTECTION

Part of the #PARANORMAL COLLECTION Vol. 4 – WANDS, SPELLS & MAGIC TALES (Paper Gold Publishing)  #witchcraft #magic #books, #pgp  #MoBPromos 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MG42Z98

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MY DARLING DOLLY

part of the PLEASURE ME Book Box set (Paper Gold Publishing)

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WISHING UPON A CHRISTMAS STAR

Part of The Winter Wishes Set Book Box Set (Paper Gold Publishing)

(to be released on the 2nd of December 2016) Details will follow.

Circle of Protection…

Delighted that it’s almost time… on Friday, the 28th of October, my next book, Circle of Protection will be released. (details will follow)

It’s years ago now, since the first  seeds of an idea were sown for a book which ultimately evolved into Circle of Protection. It went through stops and starts, comparable to frustrated motorists’ expectations and experiences of the Leeds roundabout system. After each stop/start, something changed. And thus this paranormal tale steadily developed. A few bones from the original skeleton remain… but many have been replaced, renewed, upgraded, and more so, I added danger and evil.

Apart from a number of my characters possessing special powers, they’re all essentially normal people, who live in London, Bath, and in a small (fictive) market town in the West Country. In my book, the gorgeous county of Somerset has magically acquired a new market town… Yeocombe is based on the myriad of charming market towns to be found scattered around the West Country.

Once again, the wonderful Patti Roberts, of Paradox Book Cover Designs created cover magic. And special thanks to my dear and much appreciated friend,  Ella Medler of Paper Gold Publishing,  who will be releasing this book as part of a book box set on the 28th (links, etc.soonest).

CIRCLE OF PROTECTION by Kendra Hale

Driven by insatiable greed, Mark Drew employs the powerful witch Lorel, to realise his every desire. When he meets Violet, the great niece and heir of the wealthy Sir Peter Grosvenor-Willetts, he proposes to her with one sole purpose. To attain this fortune, through whatever means. Magic… and even murder. The ensnaring spell cast off, Violet flees, with the help of her great uncle, to a small town lying within a protective circle. In this idyllic sanctuary, Violet’s life takes a happy turn, as she discovers her own magical identity, and love. But, Mark is adamant in his pursuance… as the forces of good versus evil do battle.

 

 

Weapon of Choice…

Select your Weapon of Choice… 

I am proud and happy to be one of the 14 awesome authors featured in this great 2 volume book box set.

A special thank you to Ella Medler of Paper Gold Publishing!!

 

You can find us on Amazon:

 

Twitter:  #WeaponofChoiceBookSet

Escapism

I don’t know about you, but when I am tired, fed up and want to turn my back on the world, and forget its existence for a while, I disappear through the portal of a book, into another world. And when I resurface… my batteries have been recharged.

Unfortunately, I’ve not had much time of late to read. Been too busy writing. I finished one, which will be released ere long. In my next blog post, I’ll share the lovely cover, and tell a bit more about the book. Plus, I’m in the very last throes of finishing off of a suspenseful paranormal story… with a dash of romance.

As much as I love writing, I do miss escaping into a book… OK, I know, in a way I am escaping into my own books… but it is not quite the same. Suppose watching BBCs  Eastenders is escapism, too. Although, saying that, as much as I continue to enjoy watching the trials and tribulations in Albert Square, it’s not exactly relaxing. On the other hand, the Strictly season (BBC1 Strictly Come Dancing) offers glittery and musical escapism paired with great dancing. But it still isn’t a book…

Often people ask what is your favourite genre, or what do you enjoy reading, etc. My answer is always the same: it depends on my mood. And when I’m in a tired, fed up with the world “mood”, I seek escapism. And it can take many forms, but it is oftener than not, light or “lightish” (so, no Einstein and his theory of relativity and such. lol) and entertaining.

So. with all that’s going on in the world, and assuming I am not the only one.who needs to disappear down the rabbit hole at times, I try my best to offer this much needed escapism in my books.

 

 

Book 1 in the Belgravia Antiques Mystery Series

Well, as promised, I am proud and delighted to reveal – drum roll – the beautiful cover to Vengeful Legal Deal, the 1st book in the Belgravia Antiques Mystery Series. The book will be released shortly, with special thanks to Ella Medler of Paper Gold Publishing and Patti Roberts of Paradox Book Cover Designs.

Years ago, I wrote a short story with every intention of submitting it. But… the looming deadline brought all kinds of doubts. In the end I listened to my intuition, and didn’t submit it. For the rules for submission to a short story competition, being held by a well known magazine didn’t sit well with me. I never once regretted my decision!

With the story safely in my possession, instead of someone else’s, I let it rest for a while, and a couple of years later, re-read it again. And out of that one short story, a whole book materialised. And not merely one book, but a series. Michael Sheridan and his best friend James Templeton (auctioneer), as well as Michael’s horrendous mother, Jessica, and his “girlfriend”, Valerie, already featured in the short story. As did the Victorian beauty whose picture Michael found in a dilapidated album. As I started to expand the story, I came to love  these characters more and more, and they so deserved more than some paltry couple of thousand words or so. And thus, this short story snowballed… into 100K plus words. For, if I’d not listened to my intuition, Vengeful Legal Deal would more than likely never have been written, let stand these wonderful characters ending up in a series.

The next books in The Belgravia Antiques Mystery Series are being worked on already.. I’ll also be adding, amongst others, some of my experiences whilst I lived in France… For in one of the next books, I am, sending Michael and his father off on an adventure filled buying spree to France.

Anyway, there’s also a moral to be found here (lol), and that is always listen to your intuition!

Vengeful Legal Deal, Book 1 in the Belgravia Antiques Mystery Series 

When psychic antiques dealer Michael Sheridan buys a Victorian photo album in auction, he doesn’t expect to unearth a Pandora’s Box of lies, deceit, and revenge. As fate would have it, the villain looking to settle the 130-year-old vengeful score through murder is closer than he thinks.
With his father and best friends becoming involved, Michael has to stay a step ahead to keep them safe, a task more difficult now that the beauty in the Victorian photo is calling for help.

Changes and new beginnings…

Thus far, 2016 has been a year of changes, and new beginnings, too. New home. Other location, which is paired with a sense of being home again. In all, it’s had a tremendously positive effect on my writing. One book will be released later this month. To be followed shortly after by another one. And  then there’s a seasonally themed feel-good novella which will be released well in time for Christmas. Oh, and magically themed one in the paranormal genre, has to be finished in the next couple of months in time for a Halloween release. So, yes, a year of changes and new beginnings. Certainly a new found energy…

But, on the writing front, that’s not all, for there’s more. Books which merely need finishing off. And I am exploring other genres, too. But more on that later… another time.

In the next blog post I will be sharing more about Vengeful Legal Deal, its wonderful cover, and more about the book itself. Ideas for a next book in the Belgravia Antiques Mystery series are already bouncing around my mind. And shortly after, I will also reveal the title and cover of the one after that… a suspenseful romance. That’s all happening this summer!

Thus far, 2016 has been a year of changes… all for the better. And I am sticking to the road I am on.

 

 

 

Two thousand words….

Again and again it strikes me that non-writers just don’t understand all that is involved in being a writer… writing books This thought came to me last month, when a friend kept asking, whether I had already finished writing my latest book. The questions started some two weeks in. Now, assuming I write as Stephen King advises based on his own work style and ethic, two thousand words a day, then I’d have written 2,000 x 14 = 28,000 words. But 28k words do not make a book… a novelette perhaps… but not a novel.

For a man, whose day job is writing, and more than likely has someone else do the cooking, cleaning, shopping, and multiple other things that occupy many a normal person’s day, I suppose, 2,000 words is easily reachable. And I can do it, too. There are times I can easily do lots more. But it is always at a cost of other things… except for the absolute necessary (like the care of my pets), other things around the house then just have to wait until another day.

How many real writers have the luxury to sit down at the computer to bang out 2,000 words at the speed of lightning, and in one go, and then get dolled up to go out for lunch or go shopping, or some other social pursuits? Only in totally unrealistic TV shows, like Murder She Wrote! Mind you, years ago I used to enjoy that show, but each time I used to wonder “How and when does she ever get any writing done?” Because serious writing is about locking yourself up and away, and not answering the phone or the doorbell, and closing out the world.

Writing is not solely about sitting at that computer, banging out words. There is so much else and more involved. Our entire days are taken over thinking about plots and plans. We wake up with these, and go to bed with them. And in between the story and the characters are vying for our constant attention. Nagging us into submission, and obedience. “Thou shalt write!” And once we’ve obeyed this persistent call, and, as it were, transferred their story from our minsd to black on white, their satisfaction is short lived. Characters do take over, and they rule our lives… relentlessly. They even work their way into our dreams. Writers understand all this. In varying degrees, all have to deal with it.

So, it’s not only the planning and plotting, but research, too. I try my utmost to bring an as realistic world to my readers as is possible. Of course I create fictive people, situations, towns and villages, and streets, but I have to make sure that beyond that fictive part, it is based on reality. In my current work in progress, MMM (the title will be revealed in due course…), I’ve had to spent quite a bit of time on google maps and on Rightmove. uk to get the feel of the Fort William area (Scottish Highlands), and the properties there. On google maps I travelled along a road at the foot of Ben Nevis… I needed to get the feel of the area. It had to be remote, wild… the right place for a crime. And I needed to find out where hotels lay… what the town looks like… the shops and pubs there… And it is the same for every other book.

But… it is not only about writing, plotting/planning and research, but also contact with friends/followers on Facebook, building up my Facebook author’s page, maintaining contact on Twitter, and trying to spend time on building up this blog (and this poor blog has lain a bit neglected… sorry). There is so much more I should and could do, but I am not a particularly fast typist (never was), and by the end of the day… well, I’m out of steam (LOL!).

And the floor then still needs hoovering, and the dishes washing… oh, and the laundry needs to be hung up to dry…

Yes, 2,000 words a day are easy peasy… but…

YAY! Finally…

… the first book in the wonderful, suspenseful Belgravia Antiques Mysteries series will soon be released, thanks to Ella Medler of Paper Gold Publishing.

In Vengeful Legal Deal, I introduce some delicious characters. Especially the five main characters – all antiques dealers – are essentially an eccentric lot.  More so, they’re the kind of people I would love to count amongst my friends. And I hope that my readers will feel likewise. They’re a memorable lot… lovable, sympathetic, intelligent, funny. I confess that I fell in love with them. Because of this, I decided that they had to come back. Plans and plots have already been scurrying around my brains for the next books.

I introduced a few characters, who play the minutest of roles in the first book, but will get more air time in subsequent books. More eccentrics.

Once again, Patti Dunn Roberts of Paradox Book Cover Designs worked her magic, and I have one of the most enticing covers possible for Vengeful Legal Deal. I LOVE IT!!  For now, all I can do is give you a Sneak Peek… The great reveal will take place in several weeks time, first and foremost on Facebook… but also on Twitter… and of course here, too.

By Moonlight…

I am so excited to be a part of this wonderful book box set… thanks to dear Ella Medler of Paper Gold Publishing.

By Moonlight…  Release day Tuesday, September 1st, 2015 at 16:00 hrs EST.

15 great paranormal reads by 14 authors… amongst which moi.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1500979470195421/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26164325-by-moonlight-paranormal-box-set-vol-1

Do add your support to both Thunderclap and HeadTalker and spread the word. You’ll make us very happy. Thank you!

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/30186-find-your-story-by-moonlight

https://headtalker.com/campaigns/find-your-story-by-moonlight/

Click or paste/copy the above links…  Thanks!

All in a day’s work and thoughts…

Pat-on-the-shoulder-time, for today I reached the approximately halfway point of the next book in the Crystals series. YAY! Which also means that I will shortly commence tormenting my characters less and less. I don’t do it on purpose. Honest. It’s just the way the story runs. Besides, let’s face it, real life doesn’t run smoothly either, so why should my created characters lead a perfect life? The only difference being, that I, as an author, can give my characters any kind of ending… happy, meh, or downright miserable. I prefer to avoid the last two. lol. But sometimes…

Up until now the question “will they ever meet again” hung heavily in the air for the two main characters in the second book of the Crystals series. But soon, very soon, they will find out that they are both free agents, who can do as they please. I do like, actually in fact love a good romance.

While my characters are creating new lives for themselves, summer is fast approaching in the pretty Cotswolds market town.  The long, warm evenings bring friends and neighbours together… and a chance meeting.

There is the inevitable fly in the ointment… Hattie, a widowed woman who has set her heart on the attractive and very much available widower, Cyril. Far from being bad, let stand evil, our Hattie is still an annoyingly persistent entity. Why is the widower she so dearly favours, more interested in that woman with the silvery eyes?

I am having fun with this book. Believe me, it is turning into a delightful romance, that also proves that love can happen to anyone, at any age.

I am now looking forward to writing the second half… and then it is off to the editor… and last but not least, get it released well in time for Christmas.