Still no Snowdrops?
A letter from a stormy Devon
“Words differently arranged have different meanings, and meanings differently arranged have a different effect.”
—Blaise Pascal
Hello there,
Thank you to Jan for sending that quote to me. I’ve been doing a lot of redrafting recently, so this observation is very close to my heart. I found a passage in which Dan was using a coffee machine to froth some milk, and I’d written something like ‘the sound of the steam filling his ears.’
I had to laugh at the mental image of steam pouring from my sleuth’s ears. So yes, the order of words, the tense, the context, the punctuation and the rules of grammar all affect the meaning of every word we write. This is the beauty of language, and also one of its challenges.
I mentioned last time that I’m reading The Day of the Jackal, and Forsyth eschews the comma we often use after an introductory phrase. It’s all very well to play with the rules, but I often find myself rereading a sentence to figure out what’s going on.
That’s my bedtime reading, but unusually for me, I have another book on the go. At our little community shop we have books to take or swap in a sort of informal library, and I picked up a nice old hardback of Melville’s Moby Dick. How I’ve got this far without reading it, I don’t know. I left the book on the dining room table, then I took to picking it up while I finished my morning mug of tea.
The book is very much of its time, and there are times when the language and attitudes make me wince, but there’s also some lovely writing.
The unfortunate side-effect of reading two books is that my sleepy mind sometimes becomes muddled at night. Earlier I’d followed Ishmael through Nantucket as he searched for a hot meal, and then I have to change tack to follow an assassin as he looks for a restaurant in Paris.
Where’s the ship? I wonder. What’s happened to Queequeg?
The photos follow shortly, but apologies for the fact that there aren’t many. Like most of the UK, we’ve had a series of storms this winter, complete with downpours, hailstorms, lightning and power cuts, so I haven’t ventured far. And when I was out, it wasn’t always great weather for standing around to take photos.
Ah well, spring is around the corner, and there will be photos aplenty. But before the photos, a word of thanks.
Thank You Very Much!
I’m raising a mug of Darjeeling to these lovely recent supporters: Linda and Carmen. And a special thank you to regular supporters Lara and Alonza. Cheers!
To join these fine people in sending a mug of tea, please use this handy button:
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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.
(Left to Right, Top to Bottom) My new writing mug with the message ‘Everything will be Okay’, an unusual plaque in Plymouth, a church in Plymouth that caught my eye, Lustleigh church, which would suit Embervale very well.
ICYMI - You can claim A Study in Stone
Briefly unavailable for subscribers because of Amazon’s rules, you can now claim this Devonshire Mysteries prequel for free. Here’s a link:
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Book News - A New Look for Brent and the Crew
You may remember my science fiction comedy series that might be described as Galaxy Quest meets Bladerunner. Written for fans of Star Trek and the like, the books were fun to write - a blend of the noir PI and sci-fi - but they never quite found their audience. To give the stories another chance, I’ve purchased some new and rather glamorous covers, and I’m reformatting and republishing the books.
I’m also mopping up typos that slipped through at the time. If you’re interested in helping out by reading and noting any typos, or if you’d like a copy in order to write a review, please drop me a line: mikey@michaelcampling.com
Here’s a peek at one of the new covers - Dial G for Gravity:
What’s Next?
A plucky few are still holding out for more Brent Bolster books. That would be a fun project. Skimming through the books, I must admit to a few chuckles. But before I commit to writing more, I need to turn those few fans into a few hundred. I hope the new look will help, but in this media-saturated world I need to up my marketing game. When the books are all republished I will run a few sales, and we’ll see what we can do.
On the mystery front, the feedback from the beta readers is starting to roll in, and it’s better than gold. There are lots of really good observations, and the book will be better as a result. I’ll be in touch with the beta readers soon, and I’ll be replying to their emails individually to say thank you. I’ve discovered that I can ‘comp‘ a subscription to this substack, and I’m considering that as an optional reward, but I won't do this without asking permission.
Speaking of which…
The postcards and bookplates have arrived.
I had these custom postcards and self-adhesive bookplates printed, and I plan to send them out to any paying subscribers who want them. The bookplates will be signed and personalised, so they’ll be ready to affix to your favourite book. I’ll jot a message on the postcard, and both will be popped into an envelope and posted worldwide.
I hope that sounds fun. If you’re interested, please use the button below:
Signing Off
After receiving some useful feedback from Chuck Palahniuk on one of my short stories (In Front of the Mirror Alone), I’m trying my hand at rewriting the piece to make it longer. This minimalist literary style is a departure for me, so it’s challenging, but it’s good to flex my writing muscles and learn new techniques.
I’ll let you know how it goes, but let’s just say, with a nod to the opening quote, that I’m experimenting with the effects of word choice and order (among other things).
I’ll be in touch soon, and there might be some news on the upcoming Devonshire Mystery. I finally decided on a title, and it will be, A Shamefaced Murder.
And hopefully there will be some snowdrops.
Happy reading and take care,
Mikey