M K Turner

Welcome to my world

Happy New Year

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Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and my very best wishes for a happy and healthy 2020.

Thank you for all your support over the years, particularly last year, which was a tough one for our family, although I’m delighted to advise that Ellie has been given the all clear and is currently cancer free!

I’m currently nursing a lurgy, so today I will be writing! I think Not If You Paid Me, is going to hold the record for the one that took the longest to complete!

To welcome in the New Year, The Story so Far, Meredith & Hodge 1 -6 has been reduced to 0.99. I know most of you have read them, but thought it worth a mention for new subscribers.

Audio News

The manuscript for One Secret Too Many has been amended for audio, and Meredith & Hodge narrator, Lee Beddow, will be making a start on it tomorrow. Tin Soldiers is now complete, and Amazon are currently reviewing it before release, so hopefully that should be available within the next week or so.

I know many of my readers don’t listen to audio, so I’m planning on running a separate mailing list for that, so those who have no interest in audio don’t get unnecessary emails.  If you would like to keep getting the latest audio news, simply respond to this email and I’ll add you to the list.

I still have a few promo codes for a free download the first three in the Meredith & Hodge series should anyone be interested, and of course will have a fresh batch for the new release of Tin Soldiers.

That’s it for now, I have writing to do… take care & have fun

Happy reading

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When was the last time you had a feel . . . ?

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Good Afternoon, and hello new subscribers,

Many of you will remember that a while back we had a little survey to establish how often you wanted to hear from me. The consensus was once a month. So today a little reminder popped up in my calendar and my heart sank. On the writing front I have nothing much new to say. My life is hectic, but far from exciting, and with the exception of listening to Meredith & Hodge come to life via audio, I’m not being very productive. I’ve got a million ideas (and I am jotting them down), but I can’t for the life of me string a coherent plot together at the moment. I have done bits here and there, but realistically, Not If You Paid Me, the next in the Meredith & Hodge series will be lucky if it reaches a kindle near you by the end of spring next year. Then I realised I should introduce you to the people who are more important to me than writing. I hope you’re sitting comfortably; this will be longer than usual!

This is a photograph of my beautiful daughter, Ellie. It was taken in early November at her 30th birthday celebrations. Her birthday was on the 4th, a Monday, and family and friends had lined up a weekend of celebration, culminating in a family meal on the Monday.  Ellie named the weekend, “Hello thirties, bye bye Boobies”.

Ellie was diagnosed with breast cancer, at the tender age of 29. Her mastectomy was booked for the 15th November, so this was going to be her last chance to let her hair down for a while. I think it’s fair to say she did.

My birthday is late January, and Ellie gave me tickets to the opening night of Lion King, at the Bristol Hippodrome in September. We’d had a girl’s day out to London nine years previously to see it at the Lyceum, and she knew I’d love the opportunity to see it again. It was during our journey to the theatre she told me she’d found a lump, and thought she probably should get it checked out. She did the next week, and the doctor referred her to the hospital.

This was my baby. It wasn’t going to be cancer. So when, some three weeks later, we went to get the results, I was fairly relaxed. Until we were called to see the consultant. I knew bad news was coming when the doctor opened the door and stood back for Ellie to enter, and she stumbled. This wasn’t a consulting room. This was what Ellie and her cousin Lucy called a crying room. Softly decorated with comfortable chairs, and a box of tissues on the coffee table. But she didn’t cry. Not when she was given the news, not even when he said because of her young age it was likely to be a genetic issue, and if that was the case it would mean she needed a bilateral mastectomy. If she could be brave, then so could I, and, dry eyed, we asked a LOT of questions.

Over the last two months we have had to visit the hospital numerous times each week for MRIs, biopsies, meetings with surgeons and plastic surgeons, meetings with the consultant to get the various results, and a morning of pre-op assessments. The operation was scheduled for the 15th November and Ellie had a final meeting with the surgeon the day before. The results from the MRI guided biopsy taken the previous week hadn’t come back and the operation the next day had been cancelled . . . And that’s when my baby cried.

Ellie had spent almost two months mentally preparing herself for this operation. A significant part of her anatomy was going to be removed, and as a self-employed dog trainer and walker, she’d stopped taking new clients, cancelled her puppy classes for the foreseeable, and found alternative walkers for her regulars. She’d also arranged for her own lovely dog, Riddle, to go into boarding for a few days. Having bought her first little flat the year before, she had no savings to speak of, and now she would have no income coming in for even longer. But what caused her the most distress was the fact that the cancer was not going anywhere the next day.

The operation has now been scheduled for the 29th November, so please keep you fingers crossed that nothing happens to delay it this time. I’m proud to say she has bounced back, and has been overwhelmed by the support and understanding she has received from her friends and clients, and more than a little embarrassed that one of her clients set up a gofundme page to help her out while she recovers. I think it’s really sweet, as Riddle has written it.

I asked Ellie if I could write this and I could feel her rolling her eyes. She’s not one for seeking attention, but she does want everyone to check themselves. So here’s her original post written about a month after her diagnosis:

“I’ve been debating whether or not to post about this for various reasons but here goes. Last month I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and in a few weeks, 11 days after my 30th birthday I’ll be having a mastectomy and after that radiotherapy. At the moment it looks like I will be able to avoid chemo but every time I go to the hospital the news seems to get worse so who knows!
Obviously I am absolutely gutted, I am already completely emotionally exhausted by having to be at the hospital virtually every day, but the point is, I AM GOING TO BE ALIVE!
And the reason for that is that as soon as I thought something wasn’t right I went to the doctor and it’s been caught early enough that it’s not spreading to my other organs yet. If I had left it, well, it doesn’t bear thinking about.
So please everyone, if you want to do something for me for my birthday please just go check your boobs and your balls and go for your smear tests on time etc., because it absolutely CAN happen to you! Get checked, catch it early and get it cured!
Funny hospital stories to follow…might start a blog…or write a book…gonna have a lot of time on my hands! 🙈
PS: thank you so much for all the support/cards/flowers from my family and friends all over the country/world. So much love xx”

On a cheerier note, the other reason my life is hectic are these beauties. Edie and Frankie. My beautiful grandchildren, and I’m happy for them to take up my time any time they like.

In other news, The Wrong Shoes audio should be live within the month . . . I still have a few free audio promo codes for Misplaced Loyalty and Ill Conceived, drop me line letting me know if you would like UK or US codes if you would like to give them a listen. More on that in the next newsletter. I’ve taken up enough of your time.

 

Happy reading and listening,

Go and check your bits!

 Follow me on BookBub and you may choose a FREE ebook from my list of novels. ( boxed sets excluded)  Simply click here and you’ll be taken to my author page, and will find the follow button on the top right. If you don’t use your own name for BookBub please drop me a line and let me know what it is and I’ll be in touch.

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I won’t keep you . . .

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Good Morning,

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend, and welcome new subscribers.

A Quick note to announce that Ill Conceived is now available in Audio format. I have free download codes for both the UK and the US available, please shout if you would like one. These are limited, and I will send out as requests come in, so don’t delay if you would like one.  I’m not sure why ACX/Amazon are so restrictive and apologise to readers/listeners elsewhere.  I understand you may have to sign up to join audible to use them, BUT you may cancel this at anytime, so please don’t be put off. I have been given a further allocation of free codes for Misplaced Loyalty if anyone is interested.

If you would like a sneak preview the most popular links are below.

For those of you in the US you can take a peep HERE  Those in the UK HERE If you are in France click HERE and finally Germany HERE

In other news THANK YOU if you followed me on BookBub (see below) I did contact quite a few who were also on my mailing list, unfortunately there were several names on BookBub that didn’t show up on my list. If you were one of them please shout.

That’s it, I’ll leave you to enjoy the remainder of your weekend. Hope you’re having a good one.

Happy reading,

Follow me on BookBub and you may choose a FREE ebook from my list of novels. ( boxed sets excluded)  Simply click here and you’ll be taken to my author page, and will find the follow button on the top right. If you don’t use your own name for BookBub please drop me a line and let me know what it is and I’ll be in touch.

 

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Free Stuff

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Good Afternoon,

I hope you’ve had a fabulous weekend. It’s finally stopped raining in Bristol, although the weatherman assures me it’s only a brief respite, so here I sit, sun shining in, letting you know what’s happening.

For those of you yet to read it, Witness for Wendy is free until the 17th October. Should you wish to grab a copy, simply click here or on the cover.

Ill Conceived has passed the quality test at Audible and is currently being processed. I should be available within the next week or so. If you haven’t listened to the sample you can do so here. I will be provided with a batch of free promo codes, so if you would like to have a listen to the full book, please shout.  I also have a few codes for Misplaced Loyalty if anyone would like one.

I’ve read some great books, and my reviews are up to date, are yours? You can see what I’ve been reading here.

Hopefully I have finally sorted out the duplicate newsletter issue. However if you do receive a newsletter from both MailChimp and WordPress please let me know so I can stop it happening.

Don’t forget if you follow me on BookBub you can choose a free book (see below). I’ve had a few follows that I don’t recognise, if you have followed me, but not heard from me, please drop me a line.

Finally, Not If You Paid Me, had a spurt and is now crawling along again, but I promise to do better!

That’s it, I’ll leave you to whatever is filling your Sunday,

Happy reading,

Follow me on BookBub and you may choose a FREE ebook from my list of novels. ( boxed sets excluded)  Simply click here and you’ll be taken to my author page, and will find the follow button on the top right. If you don’t use your own name for BookBub please drop me a line and let me know what it is and I’ll be in touch.

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It’s all go here!

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Hello from sunny Bristol,

We seem to be having a late burst of summer here, I hope the weather is nice where you are.

Now the greetings are out of the way, a quick up date for you, it’s all go here I should have steam coming out of my ears. First, I have a confession, and no – you won’t like it. In an effort to get more momentum into the latest Meredith & Hodge – Not If You Paid Me – I’ve read it through (again), and ignoring typos etc., I know what was wrong . . . I didn’t like it! The basic premise was okay, but the whole thing needed a shakeup, a different character, and a slight change of direction.  I’ve made the amendments, and I am now off and running again. I added a further 5k words to it over the weekend. With a fair wind I should have it done in a couple of months.

The audio version of Ill Conceived is almost complete, and I’ve now completed the interview with narrator Lee Beddow. The photo below is of Lee in the studio where it all happens. He’s a very busy man. No boring nine – five for him!

Everyone has favourite characters in the Meredith & Hodge series – those they love, or sometimes love to hate.  To date my favourite characters have been Meredith (of course), Nancy Bailey from The Wrong Shoes, and Peggy Greene who first appears in Tin Soldiers, and pops in and out to annoy Meredith throughout the rest of the series. However, listening to the production of Ill Conceived, Lee has given me another to add to my list. The villain, Michael Brent. Lee really has brought him to life for me. Have a listen to the following clips and let me know what you think.

In this clip, Brent is ‘convincing’ Derek Christie to work for him.

Here, his long-suffering wife, Liz, believes her days are numbered.

 

Amazon have provided another batch of FREE promo codes for Misplaced Loyalty in both the US and UK. If you would like a free listen please let me know and I’ll get a code off to you. Producing the audio books has been an eye opener in many ways. For instance I’m now led to understand that you may have to sign up for audible to download the book even with the free promo code, but please be aware you can cancel membership at any time and still keep the books you have chosen. I’ve also discovered you can actually amend the speed at which you listen to the book- who knew? Not I.  If you want to know more about Audible, click the icon on the right.  I’ll let you know when I have codes for Ill Conceived. Now it’s over to Lee.

Interview with Lee Beddow

Q: Being a musician and teacher, how did you come find yourself narrating novels?

A: I’ve always done little bits of voice over work including everything from radio ads to telephone systems, even competitions on the phone. Narrating books seemed a logical step and I’d always read to both my children when they were young, particularly enjoying characterising different people with different voices.

Q: You have a very busy life, teaching one day, narrating the next, and then on to a music session. Do you enjoy the variation, or would you prefer to have things fall into blocks of work?

A: Having a variety of work keeps things interesting. I love narrating & doing the voiceover work, teaching can be really rewarding and music production is where I started my recording career, as I started my own studio at 18!

Q: Do you yourself listen to audio books or are you a reading man?

A: Actually, I love audio books, especially for long car journeys. Those and a good podcast too – depends on the length of journey as to which I listen to. That said, I LOVE reading and often have a couple of books on the go at the same time – usually one on Kindle and one in the traditional format.

Q: When choosing a book, what’s your preferred genre?

A: I like reading a mixture of genres. I like detective books, such as Ian Rankin’s Rebus and Michael Connelly’s Bosch. I’ll then mix it up with some biographies or real-life stories and maybe something humorous too.

Q: If you had to choose, which novels would be in your top three?

A: Top 3 novels? Gosh that’s tough!! My all-time favourite book is definitely “To Kill A Mocking Bird”, which I’ve read countless times since I was about 15. It was a school exam text and I remember thinking it wouldn’t be for me but then couldn’t put it down.  On a completely different vein, I’ve also read a slightly obscure Beatles novel called “Paperback Writer” by Mark Shipper many, many times. It’s a funny book giving a fictionalised account of The Beatles’ story, right up to them reforming the band in 1980 and doing a concert supported by The Sex Pistols and Peter Frampton – hilarious!!!

Q: You’ve narrated books from a wide selection of genres, Crime, Children’s stories, Sci-Fi, do you have a favourite?

A: Each different type of audio book brings its own rewards so there’s no favourite genre really. That said, I do love doing different types of voices, whether it’s a serious bad guy or strange alien.

Q: With the Meredith & Hodge novels, did you guess ‘whodunnit’ before the reveal, and if so, did that effect the way you portrayed the character?

A: So far, I’ve never guessed whodunit in the M&H series, although I have to admit to reading ahead to find out the conclusion in the latest one before I narrated it, but that was more because I wanted to know, rather than influence how I delivered it.

Q: Because I’ve had the character’s voices in my head for so long, it took me a while with some of them to recognise your ‘version’ of them,  but as we come to the end of the second novel I can pick who’s speaking without the narrator letting me know, and by far my favourite is Michael Brent, the villain in Ill Conceived. Where did your inspiration for Brent come from?

A: Would you believe it if I said Brent was originally a giant white tiger?! I have done a children’s book where a little girl’s best friend is a white tiger and I wanted to give him a low, slow and thoughtful voice. With a few tweaks, I realised a similar delivery would fit Michael Brent and I really looked forward to doing his lines in Ill Conceived.

Q: Who’s your favourite character in the Meredith & Hodge novels so far. (I’m conscious you’ve yet to come across Peggy Greene – but that’s a conversation for another day.

A: My favourite character in the M&H series is easily Loopy Linda! The lines she has instantly put her voice in my head and she’s definitely someone I see inside my head as a narrate her.

Q: Has any particular character given you any trouble?

A: I don’t think characters give me trouble so much as making sure I’m consistent with delivery. For example, I can do a reasonable Irish accent but then trying to do the accent whilst delivering the written lines becomes a lot for tricky. Adding more accents and variations of voice is something I look at constantly – If I hear an interesting voice anywhere, I find myself shaping my face and imagining how I’d do that voice. I often ‘see’ character’s faces in my head as I’m reading them in order to maintain them as much as possible.

Q: If readers are interested in hearing more of your work, where can they find this?

A: People can hear me in all sorts of places – I might turn up in a training film or on a TV / Radio ad at any time! In terms of audiobooks, the most recent include Patrick G. Cox’s “Harry Heron – Into The Unknown”, where 3 18th century sailors are transported from a sailing ship accidentally to the 23rd century onto a space ship, so a real mix of historical and sci-fi genres. Also available very soon is “The Bag” by D.J. Cattrell, a teenage fiction novel set between Earth & a mystical land inhabited by dwarves and other odd creatures as well as a very horrible and powerful witch. Both available on Amazon / Audible.

Q: Finally, when the recording equipment has been switched off, and the school books put away, how do you relax?

A: How do I relax? Well, I love my music, playing, writing and listening. I play a number of instruments but guitar is what I’m most likely to pick up – I used to have over 30 guitars but have slimmed it down to probably around 17 or 18 now. I’m a self-confessed Beatles anorak and in fact I have a Master degree in The Beatles and Popular Music, which I studied for in Liverpool (naturally!). I love spending time with my family and walking the dog, but the end of a good day is always with the company of my wife & either a glass of red or a large whisky – cheers!

_ _ _

That’s it for now. I’m off to sit in the sun for an hour with my kindle. Don’t forget to follow me on BookBub and claim your free ebook (see below)

Happy reading,

 Don’t forget if you follow me on BookBub you may choose a FREE ebook from my list of novels. (Not boxed sets)  Simply click here and you’ll be taken to my author page, and will find the follow button on the top right. If you don’t use your own name for BookBub please drop me a line and let me know what it is and I’ll be in touch.

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Nothing to see here . . . but . . .

by Filed Under: Authors Ramblings, Book reviews, Giveaways, Information on books 6 Comments

Hello one and all,

I hope you are having a wonderful summer. It’s been a while since I’ve shared an update as to what’s going in my world. The lack of communication is mainly due to my lack of productivity on the writing front. I seem to have had little time dedicate to writing, and when I do get a few hours here and there something happens to distract me. Not If You Paid Me, the next Meredith & Hodge story, is certainly moving along, but powered by snail rather than rocket. Hopefully this will all change soon, as the distractions settle into a pattern. . .

That said, I have been working, it’s not all been sitting around gazing into space. I’m excited to tell you that Misplaced Loyalty will soon be released as an audio book. I’ve been working with narrator, Lee Beddow, over the past few months on the production. This is the first audio version of one of my stories. Listening and suggesting edits to the recordings is a time-consuming occupation, albeit an enjoyable one.

Once Misplaced Loyalty Audio is released, the mighty Amazon will be providing me with a number of codes, which will enable listeners to download a free copy of the audio book. They do this with a view to obtaining early reviews to help other customers decide whether or not it’s for them. So, if you do listen to audio books, and would be prepared to leave an honest review, here’s your chance to get a copy.

As the purpose of the codes is to gather reviews, good – and hopefully not too bad – if you are happy to leave a review once you’ve listened to it, and wish to enter a draw to win one of twenty free downloads, then simply email me the link to any review you have written for one of my novels. It doesn’t matter when the review was written, or whether it was a glowing five star review because you loved it, or a one star review because you didn’t.

I understand that the audio book of Misplaced Loyalty should be live with in the next few weeks, and therefore I will be drawing the 20 winners, at random, a few days after release, so get your entries in now.

Whilst on the subject of reviews, mine are all up to date, you can see what I’ve been reading HERE.

I have also read a couple which I simply didn’t like, one, which will remain nameless, I simply couldn’t finish, although written by an author I usually enjoy. This is a first for me, although of course, other readers raved about it. But as we know, everyone’s taste is different, and what one reader simply hates, is another’s favourite read. These two very different reviews for Witness for Wendy demonstrate just that.

* * * * * This is NOT a Meredith & Hodge – “I thought I had developed a feel for Marcia Turner’s writing style
 and choice of topics through reading her Meredith and Hodge series. Silly me. Witness for Wendy is a real surprise. Just as it slips into a sort of modern day cozy mystery it flips into on-the-edge-of-your seat terror. No confusion about characters this time – I either loved or despised individual characters, I thought I had pegged the truly evil one only to be surprised at the end. . . . In Witness for Wendy the author has used sexual violence (without it becoming the focal point of the mystery) to create a truly terrifying predator. Five stars for that alone. I continue to be fascinated with MK’s imaginative mysteries.”

*  Had to Stop Reading – “Too much violence, deviant sex and foul language. Storyline jumped around so much couldn’t keep in straight. All in all just not a very good book.”

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder!

I hope you’re reading something you enjoy at the moment, until the next time . . .

Happy reading,

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Bearing Witness – Would you?

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Hello from sunny Bristol.

Only a few days to go, and Terms of Affection will be published. Hurrah! This is always the most nerve-racking time for me. Will the advanced reader team like it? Did I get the pace and the reveal right? Were there enough clues? …..and  many other doubts and concerns. Well, it’s too late now, I’ve hit that button.

Most of the critique is back in, tweaks and amendments made, so now it’s up to you. Here’s what a few of them said:

“Loved reading the book, the ups and downs, really got emotional at the funeral.  Only a truly good book will hit you in the feelings.”

“Thoroughly enjoyed Terms of Affection kept me entertained all the way through, had me near to tears too.”

“Thought I’d worked out who-dun-it fairly early on, so was hoping I wasn’t going to be disappointed in the book, and I wasn’t.  It had all the usual unexpectedness that I have come to love and expect from your novels……”

Terms of Affection goes live on the 17th May and can be purchased here.

If you’ve yet to read any of the Bearing Witness and would like to get started with the series, to celebrate I have some FREE and BARGAIN promotions coming up, so now’s your chance to jump in.

Witness for Wendy will be FREE from the 15th – 19th May.

An Unexpected Gift will be 0.99 from 15th May – 22nd May.

Alternatively, you might want to pick up the new boxed set and get all three together – Bearing Witness  1 – 3 is now available.

As always all are free to read with Kindle Unlimited, to check them out simply click on the cover.

BEFORE YOU GO: Yet again I seem to have a technical blip with the newsletter and some people appear to receive it twice. If you do receive this twice, firstly, apologies, and secondly, would you be kind enough to drop me a line as we have an idea what the issue is, but I need more feedback before I start hitting the delete button.

I think that’s it for now,

Happy reading,

Don’t forget if you follow me on BookBub you may choose a FREE ebook from my list of novels. (Not boxed sets)  Simply click here and you’ll be taken to my author page, and will find the follow button on the top right. If you don’t use your own name for BookBub please drop me a line and let me know what it is and I’ll be in touch.

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Eavesdropping? Not if you paid me

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Hello,

Thought I’d pop by to let you know how I found the title for my latest work in progress.

I mentioned in my last update that I had an idea for both the next Meredith & Hodge and Bearing Witness stories, and I was unsure which to start work on. The story for Meredith & Hodge had a stronger pull and I’m off and writing it. Some of the plot is still a bit hazy, but I know it will all fall into place, as it always does, once the characters take charge.

I had no ideas what the title of this one would be, only what started the serial killer off on his course, and why he later decided to taunt Meredith with his crimes. This wasn’t an issue that concerned me, as my titles mainly come from the dialogue, or occasionally objects within the story. Most of my novels have been started with no idea what they would be called.

Today, standing in the queue at the supermarket, I overheard the end of a conversation between the two young women in front of me.

Yellow Jumper: “I don’t believe that. What a cheek!”

Walking Boots: “I know. I just looked at him, you know, shocked. Then he laughed, and I got so mad.”

Yellow Jumper: “I’m not surprised. What did you do?”

Walking Boots: “Raised my eyebrows, and said, ‘Not if you paid me, love. Not if you paid me’ and I walked away.”

They then dissolved into giggles. Of course I wanted to know what He’d said that shocked her but wasn’t going to ask. But I was smiling too, not because I understood the reason for their amusement, but because I probably had the title for the next Meredith & Hodge. Not If You Paid Me. It fits, and I think the picture on the left might provide the basis for the cover – what do you think? Is this a good image for a serial killer who leaves a coin in the victims mouth?

In other news, Terms of Affection, Bearing Witness #3, is back from the editor, Sharon. Tweaks and additions have been made, and now the proof reader is working her magic while the ARC team put it through its paces. Four people have read the full manuscript so far, and they approve. (Hurrah …and phew) I hope you like it too. It will be live on Amazon from the 17th May and can be pre-ordered here.

Now I must dash, I have a few reviews I must get written, I’ll share those with you next time. (Are your reviews up to date?)

Happy reading

Don’t forget if you follow me on BookBub you may choose a FREE ebook from my list of novels. (Not boxed sets)  Simply click here and you’ll be taken to my author page, and will find the follow button on the top right. If you don’t use your own name for BookBub please drop me a line and let me know what it is and I’ll be in touch.

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Terms of Affection

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Hello,

A very quick note to confirm that Terms of Affection, (Bearing Witness #3) is done, dusted, and off to the editor. It will be published on 17th May 2019 and is available for Pre-Order HERE.
Here’s the blurb to whet your appetite:
A teenager in love disappears for no reason. Decades later a betrayal is uncovered that could wreck the lives of everyone he loved.

Henry Cooksey was seventeen when he disappeared. No trace of him was ever found, apart from his treasured scarf, abandoned at a bus stop.
When the Bearing women investigate his disappearance, they uncover not only betrayal and deceit, but a secret hidden for almost four decades, which could shatter the lives of the loved ones Henry left behind.
Terms of Affection is the captivating third book in the Bearing Witness series, a collection of exciting suspense novels. If you like surprising twists, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and a touch of the unusual, then you’ll love this fast-paced mystery.

That’s it, except . . . I have story lines for both Meredith & Hodge and the Bearing Witness ladies whizzing around in my head at the moment, which do you think I should work on next?

Happy Reading,

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Sad News & Good News

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Good Afternoon,

I hope all is well in your world. Here in Bristol things have been frantic. As always, so much to do, so little time. Although I’m happy to say, if we ignore the state the world has found itself in, I have nothing to complain about, and I’m grateful for that.

I heard some sad news this week. Susan Haughton, one of Meredith & Hodge’s first readers, died unexpectedly. She hadn’t been ill, in fact she had only just returned from a dream holiday in Alaska. Susan was only sixty-two, and she was one of the nicest people I have never met. Genuinely one of life’s nice people. She cared passionately about animal welfare. Her dog, Mia, was a rescued German Shepherd. In February it was Love your pet day, Susan commented. “Seriously? This is “Love Your Pet Day”? If that isn’t every day, then you should not have a pet.” While in Alaska she and her husband were going to the Mushers Banquet, and she told us, “We will get to meet the Mushers. Shhhh, would prefer to meet the dogs, but this is second best!”

I laughed regularly at some of the things she posted on Facebook. We shared a similar sense of humour and taste in music. We exchanged numerous emails over the years, and Susan was one of the first to put her hands up to Beta read for me. I will miss her input on the trials and tribulations of Meredith & Hodge, and having a giggle with her on Facebook. It just goes to show, that you don’t need to meet someone for them to make an impression in your life. My sincere condolences to Susan’s family, I know they will be devastated. RIP Susan.

And, now the good news . . . The winners are ….

Thank you, if you completed the recent survey on audio books. The draw for the three $10.00 Amazon cards has been made, and the winners are . . . Actually, first, I’ll share some of the results.

57% of the respondents listen to audio books, but only 27% are members of Amazon’s Audible. Of those that are members, 45% buy extra credits to purchase additional books. Only 20% leave reviews. 41% of those who do listen have stopped because they didn’t like the narrator. Of the 43 who never listen to audio books, over 82% would consider it. But only two people, a tiny percentage, would pay over 7.99 for a book.

This is all very useful information for me, so once again, if you took the time and trouble to complete the questionnaire, thank you. Your contribution is much appreciated. However, as I’m finding out, there is an awful lot invested in producing an audio book, not least time, so please, if the author and narrator have entertained you, leave a review when you have a moment. It really does help and is very much appreciated. Which brings us to the winners, the following three readers were selected at random by my hubby, and in no particular order, the winners are:  Angela Herron, Jan Meredith and Diana (Evs2Hui)

Congratulations! You should receive an email later today with your eVoucher.

In other news, Terms of Affection is nearly done, yes, I know I’ve said that before, but this time I think I mean it 😉, the audio version of Misplaced Loyalty is also progressing nicely, and I’m hoping to find a way of providing a link where you can listen to a snippet. Another thing on the to do list!

Finally, huge thanks to those of you who have written to me, and or reviewed Family Matters, I’m grateful and chuffed that you enjoyed it.

That’s it for now,

Happy reading,

 Don’t forget if you follow me on BookBub you may choose a free ebook from my list of novels. (Not boxed sets)  Simply click here and you’ll be taken to my author page, and will find the follow button on the top right. If you don’t use your own name for BookBub please drop me a line and let me know what it is and I’ll be in touch.

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