A New Book!
The new Devonshire Mystery is here
Hello there,
God keep me from ever completing anything. This whole book is but a draught—nay, but the draught of a draught. Oh, Time, Strength, Cash, and Patience!”
― Herman Melville
I found the above quote myself with the aid of a search engine, but I’m actually reading Moby Dick at the moment. Only in short bursts, mind you. The prose may be elegant, but there’s only so much detail of whaling I can take.
I’m also reading Karla’s Choice, which is a novel added to the le Carré series of books featuring George Smiley but written by his son. It’s interesting how close it is to the other books, and I’m enjoying the old-school espionage: chalk marks and dead-letter drops rather than high-tech wizardry. It can't have been easy to add to these books when they spanned a number of years and were written so long ago.
Talking about continuing a series, I have news on the new Devonshire Mystery - more below.
Featured Photos
Three ways to enjoy the photos: a collage in the email, separate images in the substack app, an interactive gallery in the online post.
My sister-in-law’s collie, Daisy, creeping behind a curtain to lie in the sun.
The rest are from Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast. The coast is well known for fossils, and the statue is of renowned palaeontologist Mary Anning who worked in the area (and her faithful spaniel).
The lovely brick building is the museum.
More photos soon. Until then, happy reading.
Behind the Scenes
I’m recording these videos as a thank you to paying members. There is a free preview via the ‘Read the full story‘ link below, and that gives a flavour.
To become a paying member (with a decent discount) and receive access to the videos and the online chat feature, have a look via this button:
Behind The Scenes - When is a Book Finished?
Thank you very much to all the paying members of the VIP Readers Club - you can watch the whole behind-the-scenes video which I recorded just for you. Everyone else gets a preview of the first 2 minutes or so.
Book News
A Shamefaced Murder Now Available
I decided not to dabble with kickstarter as the whole process takes quite a long time, and readers would’ve had to wait for at least 6 weeks before the ebooks were delivered.
Instead, I’ve put the book on my own store, and that’s the only place you’ll be able to buy it for the time being.
I’m doing this because I believe my store gives you a good reader experience. The ebooks are delivered by BookFunnel and will work on any device or in any browser. In addition, the books you buy will automatically be added to your free BookFunnel library. You’ll receive a link to your library in the email you get after checkout.
It’s good for you, and it’s good for me because I get paid faster and I don't have to give a percentage to a retailer. My store provider takes a small cut and there are card processing fees, but aside from those, the money goes where it’s needed. This is a long book, so it cost quite a bit to edit.
If you want to wait until the book arrives on your preferred retailer, no worries. It will be there in a couple of weeks.
Signing Off
I began by quoting Melville on the subject of drafting, and I’m actually rewriting the Devonshire Mystery prequel, A Study in Stone, to make it more of a mystery and a full-length novel. This is challenging, but I decided it had to be done. I’ve grown to know the characters so well over the last few years, and that early version of Dan wasn't quite right. Plus, I had a sudden idea for a new plot thread, and I knew I had to try it out.
The good news is, it seems to be working. There will be more news on this in coming weeks, and I might well recruit beta readers for this new version.
Time is marching on, so I’ll get back to the draft of a draft of a draft.
All the best.
Happy reading and take care,
Mikey
Is there a way to buy the book in dollars?
Many thanks--Harriette