Stepping Into a new Story
Changing our stories as we go along
Hello there,
“Step out of the history that is holding you back,
Step into the new story you are willing to create.”
― Oprah Winfrey
I chanced upon the above quote, and it seemed very fitting to me.
For a long time, I had no idea what to do about my first mystery book, A Study in Stone. A lot of people liked it, but there was something not quite right. I tried juggling the sequence of stories so that it was a prequel rather than the first book, but that was a fudge.
The story stayed in my mind, gently nagging me, like one of those annoying little jobs we have in life: the dripping tap, the dodgy light switch, the unreliable ejector seat in the Aston Martin.
Okay, I made that last one up. The ejector seat was in my Renault Megane. And the electric windows were never quite right either. If James Bond had been given a French car, the films might’ve been very different. They’d certainly have had more laughs.
Anyway, back to A Study in Stone. The idea finally came, and the rewrite has improved the book immensely. I’m now on the second draft, and it’s holding up reasonably well. Of course, there are even more improvements to make and plot holes to fix as I go along. I talk more about this in this week’s video for paying subscribers - and a big thank you to that happy band.
There’s a free preview via link below:
Featured Photos
I’m trying something different today, including fewer photos but not putting them in a gallery, as I think that’s more straightforward all around, plus you see the pictures in full rather than cropped.
These were all taken recently, looking out over the Teign Valley which is, as fans will know, where the fictional village of Embervale has made its home. In the middle photo, you can make out the tiny village where I live.
More photos soon. Until then, happy reading.
Last Week’s piece from the In No Particular Order section
In case you haven’t read it yet, here it is:
The Lost Art of Getting Lost
During any journey in my company, you will, at some point, realise that I am just tagging along. It's what I do. I am one of nature's taggers. A useful travelling companion at times, but not someone …
Signing Off - and a bonus photo
In the last newsletter I mentioned the VE Day celebrations in our village, but I neglected to mention that one person was wearing a beret and badge from a relative who’d done National Service. I noticed the badge was from the Devonshire Regiment which no longer exists, but it is referred to in A Study in Stone: the very book I’d been working on that day.
This was one of those fitting coincidences that crop up from time to time.
The story is waiting for me to get back to it, and Dan is tapping his fingernails on the desk. When will that man learn to be patient?
Thankfully, both Dan and I are stepping out of our history and into a new story of our own making. Let’s hope you enjoy it.
All the best and have a great weekend.
Happy reading and take care,
Mikey
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Loved loved loved Shamefaced Murder!!