Merry Christmas and a ghost story!

Just a quick one to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and to let you all know that the ghost story 'What it Takes' is now available on Kindle or in paperback through Amazon or direct through Createspace.  My aim was to have this ready before Christmas and hey I've done it on schedule - just! Definitely worth a celebration.  I'd love for you to take a look and tell me what you think - don't forget that you can 'borrow' all of my books for free on kindle.
Thanks everyone and once again a very Merry Christmas to you all.

Kim

What it Takes - A Ghost Story

Hello everyone I know my posts are few and far between, but there is a reason for this - I've been writing!  I decided I would like to get one of my ghost stories ready for Christmas so this has been occupying most of my time.  So far, dare I say it, I appear to be on schedule so I thought I would do a little post on what to expect from this story.
First of all, this is not a Stephen King type horror story it's more of a romantic, ghost mystery and it is set in one of my favourite corners of the UK, Cumbria.  Anyone who has visited this area will know that it is beautiful; mountains, lakes and forests combining to provide the perfect atmospheric background for a ghost story.

So, what is it about?  Well, here's a brief synopsis.

Haughley House has a dark secret; a secret it has kept hidden for a long time - until now.  Sarah Kendrick, driven by a long held fascination for the house and with the help of her partner, Tom Harper finally uncovers the truth behind Haughley's sinister past.  It is a quest and a discovery that she and Tom will come to regret, for within hours of discovering this truth, Sarah is dead - another victim of Haughley's secret and Tom is plunged into a nightmare existence from which he can see no escape.  He has no one to turn to, no one to talk to, because he knows simply that no one will believe him.  He hides the real cause of Sarah's death from everyone including her family, because he can't inflict that pain on them.  The real truth of what killed her is a truth he must bear alone.
His one consolation in all of this, if it can be called that, is that Haughley House stands empty; all its dark past hidden from the world by its isolation and whilst ever it remains that way it can be a threat to no one else.  So, as Tom tries to come to terms with the loss of his beloved Sarah all he can do is pray that the house remains that way for a long time to come.
Three years later all his hopes come crashing down around him when Haughley House is sold - to a successful architect from London who plans to restore the place and settle there.  Tom's dark nightmares return to haunt him, the tragedy of Sarah's death reawakened in him, but worse is to come when the architect, Sean Hanlon, becomes involved with Sarah's sister, Karen.  Tom can only watch uselessly as Sean and Karen quickly fall in love, knowing that now only he can save Karen from the same terrible fate that befell Sarah.  Only he can protect her, and he is determined to do whatever it takes, whatever it costs to ensure that Karen doesn't become simply another victim of the malice that lies waiting in Haughley House.
But, Sean Hanlon has done some research of his own into the secrets of Haughley House and in the end when Tom's despair finally overwhelms him it is down to Sean to protect the woman he loves, and through her discover that Tom and Sarah only found half of Haughley's secret and that the real truth is more tragic and more dangerous than even they realised.

Okay, so that's it for now - I hope this has whetted your appetite a little!  Watch this space for more detail on when it should be available.

Thanks for reading!

Kim

Flooding the market with trash?

I recently read an article about the way self-publishing was allowing the market to become awash with poor writers producing sub-standard work that would never normally see the light of day  This article has plagued me for some time now.  Some good points were made and we have to acknowledge that not all writers are going to be good enough to retire to their country estate and watch the world go by based on the profits from the sales of their books, but should that really be a reason to stop writing?
Both the Prudence books are so far down on the Amazon bestseller list that they are not even a blip on the horizon, so should I just call it quits and find some other 'hobby'?
I have to admit that since becoming a part of this merry band of sub-standard writers I have been amazed by just how many others there are out there following the same path as me. Actually it's a little bit scary just how much competition there is out there!
So what makes us carry on?  We have two, three or more books out there that are going nowhere fast, why write more?  I suppose we have to examine the reasons why we write.  I can't speak for everyone else of course, but here is a little insight into why I will probably never stop.
Firstly it is something I have always done and when I say always I mean just that.  I first started making up stories when I was very young for my two brothers.  I then progressed on to making up episodes for my favourite t.v. shows.  These rarely got as far as being written down (obviously no computers back then - I am that old!), but it allowed me to carry on story time in my head even after 'lights out'!  As I got older I started writing down scraps of ideas for stories on any bits of paper I could get hold of.  I was pretty average at school but English literature and language were always my favourite and my strongest subjects.
I didn't actually finish a complete novel until the mid 1990's after having started the story shortly after I got married in 1981.  I found it the other day, hidden away in a cupboard and long forgotten.  to be honest that is where it should have stayed; it was rubbish.  The story itself was not bad and there were no gaping plot holes or anything like that, it was just that it was very poorly written and most of the characters were a little wooden and 'samey'.  However the very fact that I can look at it now and see my mistakes means that I have grown as a writer; that I have learned along the way and hopefully will continue to do so.  Still, I can not forget the feeling I got when I finally got the thing finished; the excitement, the sense of achievement, it was amazing.
And, that is the feeling I get whenever I write.  That is why I write.  Remember in a previous post I referred to this quote; 'if you can't find the book you want to read on the shelf, write it.'?  That's what I'm doing and I suppose this is the crux of why I'm writing; it's not really for anyone else it's just for me.  If anyone else wants to share the journey with me well that's great, there's plenty of room, hop on board, but if you don't that's fine too, there are plenty of others out there to hitch a ride with.
I think that probably the person who wrote the article that has prompted this post could be slightly missing the point of why most of us write.  I, for one am never going to set the world on fire with my literary genius, but I don't think that has ever been my intention, it is just that it is so much a part of me, so ingrained that I just don't think I could turn my back on it now, or ever.  Even if I did, a lot of my idea's come from dreams that I've had so if I did try to make a conscious effort to stop writing I don't think my sub-conscious would give up without a fight!
So my message today,
as always:

Don't be negative
Keep writing
Stay happy

Kim

The first draft

The first draft - surely the best part of writing?  This is where you can have all the fun; this is where you can get all those ideas down and worry about whether they're right or not later.  This has got to be the easiest part of the whole writing process, right?

Well it should be.  Of course it doesn't always work out that way. In a previous post I mentioned how I deliberated over a particular chapter and whether or not it should be included in the book, now when I look back I realise I should have ditched all the deliberation and just gone with it.  There would be plenty of time during the re-writing and editing process to decide whether it should stay or not.  Sometimes, also you've got to see it in print before you really get to feel whether it's right for the story and you can't do that unless you write it!
The first draft should all be about getting the bones of the story down, getting a feel for the basic outline.  Adding the flesh comes later!  Too much pondering at this stage is a bit of a waste of time.  Just get that first draft done and then you can pontificate all you like!  After all, the first draft is never, ever, ever, ever the final edit, so go for it, write from the heart and let it all come out.

I suppose you could argue that the more time you spend on the first draft, the less time you'll need in the editing, and as some writers seem to find this the worst part  this may be a good thing.  Personally I quite enjoy the fleshing out and fine tuning part.  I find it quite satisfying somehow, although I am still guilty of spending too much time worrying about the first draft.  It's hard not to sometimes.  This is your little creation, you want it to be perfect!
 The thing to remember is that there are lot's of parts of the self publishing process that are really difficult and not a lot of fun - like marketing, still not really doing all that I should here - so we need to make the most of the fun bits.  Enjoy your first draft; no one is going to see it but you; no one is going to judge it but you and you will know best whether you have achieved what you set out to do.

Happy writing!

Kim

Dark and Light - creating a balance

I have just written probably one of the most difficult chapters of the Prudence trilogy so far.  I had deliberated over it for so long, but somehow the story just couldn't seem to move forward without this happening; I had to kill one of the characters.  I now feel dreadful!  I invested so much emotional energy into getting this chapter right and I'm hoping that they way I now feel is just an indication that I got the feel of subject as I wanted it.  The whole of the Prudence saga has so far been written from Prudence's point of view and so how this death effected her was really important.  The character in question had been with Prudence since the beginning of the first book and so was someone she had come to rely on; someone she believed would always be there.

How Prudence deals with this death adds to an already sombre mood to the beginning of the last book.  The city and palace of Ealdhun are under siege and food stocks are running out.  Tempers are starting to fray and an air of tension and only slightly subdued panic is beginning to build. Add to this the tragedy of the death of a very dear friend and Prudence's world has suddenly become a very dark place.

Like I said it was important to get the feel of this subject right, but it was also important not to become too depressing.  This is not a gritty true life drama it is an older children's fantasy story and so I felt I needed something to counter the darkness.  It actually turned out to be quite easy to do this. Although as I have said the whole of the story has so far been written from Prudence's view point at the end of the second book it became necessary to write also from another characters perspective.  Prudence and Rupert are separated from Sam and Maggie by a prophecy that leads them on different ventures, and whilst Sam's and Maggie's story is not quite as dark as that of Prudence and Rupert, it is none the less adventurous.  Sam and Maggie also have the advantage of having Emrys the wizard and Bob the dragon with them and the banter between these two will always add a little humour into the narrative. The relationship between Emrys and Bob whilst a vital part of the story also allows me to pit two somewhat eccentric characters against each other.  They both have a grudging respect for the other, but often differ on how things should be done - much to the frustration of those around them.  They are the perfect foil against any dark element in the story.

I hope I have managed to get the balance right.  I have spent so long on this that I have (once again) fallen behind schedule with my writing.  I know, I'm rubbish with schedules!  I really don't know why I bother!  Anyway this is just a little update.  I'm not going to say when I'm expecting to have this third volume ready for publishing because you and I both know that I will not stick to it!
So I will just keep you updated on here with progress reports on this and my other projects.

Kim

Taking the positives from the rejections

Rejection is something that all authors have to deal with at one point or another, but for a new author struggling to get their work recognised it can be so deflating, so demoralising.  We can cope with perhaps one or two by just brushing them aside, but three or four - twenty?  It is so hard not to think 'oh what's the point?' and give up.
So, can there possibly be anything positive to take from the many rejections?  I believe there is.

Firstly, anything that comes too easily to us is never appreciated in quite the same way as something we have had to struggle and strive for.  It's hard at the time of the struggling and striving, but when you finally get there - well that feeling just needs to be bottled!  Remember as a kid learning to swim?  Ride a bike?  Watching all the other kids doing with ease what you're finding so difficult to grasp?
It's the same with anything we desperately want we've got to be prepared to face the obstacles and keep on trying to overcome them: persistence is the key.

Also, remember that you are not alone; others are going through exactly the same struggle, so find some way to connect with them and share their experiences.  Social media is great for this and if you are a self publisher use the forums provided.

But, the biggest way to deal with rejection is to look at all those best selling authors who were at one point in exactly the same position as you.  J. K. Rowling didn't give up and accept the rejections!
Publishers and Agents are like any other business - they need to be able to make money.  It doesn't matter how good your book is, how well written, if they don't feel there is a market for it you're hit with the rejection stamp without a second thought!  It's not always that your work is rubbish, not worthy of print, a lot of the time it's because it's different.  It's not what is trending at the time. This is good!  Be original!  Don't try to be the next J.K. Rowling because you never will.  For me the biggest part of the charm of the Harry Potter books was their originality.  They were just so different from anything else that was about at the time. Their uniqueness unfortunately earned them many a rejection, but in the end that same uniqueness helped them sell in their millions.

Another obstacle to your success as far as publishers are concerned is that you're not already 'famous'.  You don't have a name that will sell.  How many books out there that are written by already 'famous' people would have avoided the rejection stamp if they had been written by you or I?  This may not appear to be a positive, but it is.  It means there is hope.  If you read a book and think, genuinely mine is as good as that,then that is a positive.

And finally, always always always counter any rejection with any positive reviews for your work.  At the end of the day it's what the reader thinks not the businessman/publisher!  If you have a small audience that love your work that audience will inevitably grow.  They will talk.  They will recommend. They will sell your book better than anyone else!

Keep positive!

Kim

Dealing with distractions........or not

I have been wondering if I'm the only person that this happens to; you get a precious couple of hours to yourself to sit down and actually get those ideas that have been running around in your head for so long into format, but as soon as you do those niggling little voices start..............shouldn't you be dusting, hoovering, washing up, weeding the garden?  Ok, easy solution to that - do all that stuff first!  The trouble with this is then those precious couple of hours you had to yourself have suddenly disappeared and you haven't written a word!
My biggest niggle is the one that insists after a full day at work, and all that entails that I am then too tired to write. I've been looking forward to coming home to do just that and then as soon as I sit down at my laptop the little niggle insists that nah, you're way too tired to concentrate, just give it up.
Too often I give in to the niggle and end up falling asleep.  I then wake up the next morning really frustrated with myself that I've let another evening slip by without doing anything and am determined to not do it again................right?

So, I've been experimenting with a few things to get my focus back and banish the niggle.  Here are some of the things that seem to be working for now:

1. Reading - if I loose myself in a good book, preferably something along the same lines as the stuff I'm writing this seems to silence the niggle.  At the moment I'm re-reading the Harry Potter books to help me get into the fantasy mind-set that I need for Prudence.

2. Listening to some suitable music.  Depending on what is happening in your narrative the right kind of music can be so inspiring.  Music has always been one of the biggest sources of inspiration for me as I believe I may have mentioned in a previous post, and it never fails to stir the creative juices!  Of course, it has to be the right kind of music in order to create the right mood.  For instance, at the moment Prudence is in a particularly tight spot and is about to face a fierce battle to defend the capital city of Ealdhun, so listening to something light and frivolous is hardly going to create the right atmosphere for the tension and drama I am trying to portray.

3.  Going for a walk.  It's summer, which means nice, light, long evenings, so sometimes it's just nice to  switch off and get out in the fresh air - particularly when you've been stuck indoors at work all day.  This is not something I have tried for a while as at the moment nos. 1 and 2 seem to be working pretty well, but it is something I've done in the past to get my focus back.

As you have probably gathered by now if you have read my previous posts, discipline is not one of my greatest features.  Writing can be a terrible series of highs and lows.  It can also be a tad lonely; it's not a 'team sport' and when you hit one of those lows and the niggles start to take over and hold you down it's hard sometimes to talk yourself back into a more positive frame of mind and get you back on track with your writing.

So on that somewhat depressing note (sorry!)  I would love to hear your ideas for keeping your focus whilst writing.

Kim

More reflections and ruminations

I recently ran a promotion for the first volume of the The Chronicles of Prudence series and whilst I was pleased with the result of the promotion it did highlight a few things that I hadn't really noticed about the sales of my books so far.

For those of you who don't know anything about the books it is a children's fantasy story spread over three volumes and is aimed at an age group from about eleven to fourteen.  I would like to also think that like many other childrens books it also appeals to an older audience too.  The story centres around Prudence and tells of her life and struggles from unknown orphan to princess and rightful heir to a throne taken from her father shortly after she was born.  Prudence is a fairy. She lives in a magical world that we in our world would perhaps know best as Avalon; a world that an ancient english king and his noble knights once fought hard to protect from human jealousies and misunderstandings.
It is then, very much a tale based on old english folklore with Arthur and his knights forming a very important backdrop to the story.

So getting back to the promotion, a few things became obvious when I reviewed the sales during this promotional period. First and foremost Prudence seems to be a lot more popular abroad than she is in the UK.  This surprised me at first but the more I thought about it the more I realised that what so many visitors to this country seem to find so appealing about us is our history and heritage, and that this is perhaps what drew them to the book.  However, during the whole three day promotion only one copy was sold in the UK!  Hmmm..............

So, if my theory is correct and the attraction of the book was the quintessential englishness of the subject then is it that we here in Blighty are just a little bit  blase about our heritage?   Is it something we're a little too used to and it's a bit 'old hat'.

Perhaps I'm just over-analyzing and  it was simply that the promotion for the offer on twitter and Goodreads (Both bigger in the US) had a greater reach than other stuff that I did to advertise.  It's very difficult because knowing what attracts someone to your book helps with knowing how to promote it; the more you know the easier it is.  And, when you're a novice like me you need all the help you can get! (Still not liking this whole 'having to promote your work' thing!)

Also it is clear that everyone loves a bargain - me included - so I would just like to say that if you have been living on another planet over the last week and missed all my incessant plugging about the promotion, you may like to know that both the first two volumes of the chronicles of Prudence are available to borrow on kindle for free.  So if you would like to take a look, or if you're thinking of buying the paperback for a little person you know you can check it out before you buy!  How good is that!

Kim

A little Celebration!

As I have just started, within the last few days the final volume in the 'Chronicles of Prudence' trilogy, I thought I would mark the occasion with a little celebratory offer!   From Monday 20th July to Wednesday 22nd July the first volume in the series, 'The Gatekeeper' is available for free download on Kindle.  So if you like a good fantasy story - no excuses!  Give it a go and don't forget to tell me what you think! Love to hear your thoughts!

Kim

Advice: to take or not to take?

I have read a lot of blog posts since publishing my first book about everything from writing to publishing and marketing and one thing I have noticed more than anything; they can be very contradictory! I have been advised to write about what I know and then told to try something new in order to broaden my writing skills.Some say you should sit down every day and write something (oops I haven't written a word for the last two weeks!), others advise that inspiration does not come easy and that breaks in your writing can help to stimulate the creative process (Phew!).  I have been told to include as much dialogue as possible in order to help the reader better understand your characters - then I read somewhere else that lengthy conversations can be distracting for the reader?!
I'm so confused!

A long time ago (in a galaxy not so far away) when I was just starting out in the big, wide world of  9-5 and paying your taxes, I was offered a piece of advice by one of my work colleagues.  She was much older than me (well she was about the same age as I am now, but to the seventeen year old me she was ancient!), and she told me the best piece of advice she could give me was not to listen to any advice!  At the time I just smiled and nodded and thought, "silly old bat", but now I think I'm beginning to understand what she meant. There are all kinds of advice and by that I don't mean that some is good and some is bad I just mean that some is relevant to you as an individual and some of it is not.  You've just got to work out what is right for you and go with that.

Recently I have discovered the delights of Pinterest which has brought me a whole new avenue for the discovery of new blogs and quotes and today I have found my favourite so far;

"Better to write for yourself and have no public,
than to write for the public and have no self."

- Cyril Connolly

I love this!  It is so true!  I love to write, but I need to write what comes from the heart and not what is currently on trend.  Another little gem I found on Pinterest was this;

"If you don't see the book you want on the shelf, write it"

-Beverley Cleary

And, with that in mind I need to get back Ealdhun and the last volume of the Prudence chronicles!

I would love to hear what pieces of advice you have found helpful.

Kim

The value of reviews - good or bad

Writers can often be plagued by self-doubt; this one certainly is!  During the creative process idea's that pop into your head can get you really excited about your work and create something of a mini adrenaline rush; you can't wait to get this latest little gem down on paper! (or laptop!)  Then, of course you sit back and admire this literary masterpiece and after a while the shine seems to where off - maybe it wasn't that brilliant after all?  Perhaps it was pretty poor?  No, actually it was downright rubbish!  How could we even think about putting this in the story?  No, it's got to go!
So, it's hard sometimes not to follow that by hitting the delete button, instead of remembering that you have just re-read it for the umpteenth time and therefore it's obviously not going to have the same effect on you.  It's like re-reading your favourite book; I can't remember how many times I've read Pride and Prejudice and although I still love to read it, it will never have quite the same magic as the first time - there's still magic  it's just a different kind of magic - like settling down for an evening with an old, familiar friend!
However when someone else reads your work their comments are invaluable; you're getting that 'first impressions' effect again and when they get that same feeling you had when you wrote it you finally know that you were right to stay away from the delete button!  I love it when readers understand the characters the way you were kind of hoping they would, or when they comment on a particular setting or scene; you know exactly what you're trying to convey and so it's great to know that someone else is 'seeing' it too.  Of course constructive criticism is just as good - knowing what the reader doesn't like is just as important as knowing what they did.
I suppose what I'm trying to say here is the next time you read a book, especially if it's not the latest blockbusting best seller, spare a thought for the one who put their heart and soul into creating it and let them know what you think!

Happy reading!

Kim

Arthur's Sword : Published!

So, finally The Chronicles of Prudence the Foundling Fairy Vol. 2 is now published and available to purchase from Amazon on kindle or in paperback.  It has taken a little longer than the 'week or so' that I promised in my last post, but as my daughter (and i.t. adviser!) is currently pregnant with Grandbaby no. 2 I have done all the formatting and editing myself as I think she has enough on her plate right now!
As I said before I am really pleased with the story and the way it is progressing.  I did intend to take a break and concentrate on my other project (a ghost mystery) once vol. 2 was finished, but I can already feel Prudence pulling me back into her world - especially as I did leave her and her friends in something of a precarious situation at the end of this book! Nevertheless I'm exhausted - this year has been pretty eventful - and I do feel I need time to re-charge the creative batteries a little so a short respite may be in order.
Of course I do also need to concentrate on that necessary evil when self-publishing; marketing.  Promoting the new title, as well as volume 1  is something that I have been neglecting of late so I suppose that must take priority now.  As you've probably gathered this is the part of the whole process that I really don't enjoy, so I'm just going to say; it's out there -
 enjoy!


Kim

Yay! It's Finished!

Hello everyone - it's nice to be back!  I know it's been a long time since I published a post but I was absolutely determined that my next post was going to be 'Yay, it's finished!'  So here we are at last; The Chronicles of Prudence volume two, Arthur's Sword is finally finished!  It's only taken me a year - a tiny bit longer than I had hoped, but when you're holding down a full time job sticking to any kind of schedule for writing is proving to be difficult.  I am pleased with the way the story has gone and the development of the characters, particularly Prudence and Rupert - I've had a lot of fun with those two!  It's also been great to be able to weave in a little more of the Arthurian legend into the story and as well as dragons, magical swords and a dark wizard, the Lady of the Lake also makes an appearance in this volume.

I am now in the process of editing which some writers seem to find tedious, but I quite enjoy.  It's nice to be able to go back and just 'fine tune' a few things and make sure you're completely happy with everything.  The hard part with editing is knowing when to stop; it's so easy to just keep 'tweaking' and thinking that there's always some little way you can improve things when most of the time the improvements are just not necessary.

Publishing should follow in a week or so and then I am going to take a little break (well the decorating still needs finishing!) before tackling volume three, and getting my other project 'The Legacy of Vengeance' finished.

Thanks for reading - and staying with me

Kim

A & E, Mickey Mouse and a new kitchen!

Despite my resolutions for the new year I have been a little slack again with the old blog posts - however I really do have genuine, proper excuses this time!  First of all I haven't been too well (going for the sympathy vote here). I've been having a few problems with low blood pressure which resulted in a dramatic - and embarrassing - dash to A & E from work.  Happy to say that after a quick m.o.t the issue has been resolved and everything seems to be back to normal again now although it did leave me a little lacking in energy for a while.

We have also been planning a little family trip to EuroDisney with my Granddaughter.  We were originally planning to go at Easter, but trying to get everybody together has proved to be a bit more difficult than we had first thought and so we are now going next weekend as this was the only time we could all get the time off work together!  Now, as my passport had expired I had to sacrifice a precious day off to go to Peterborough to get that sorted.  Would just like to say on that note that this process was a lot simpler than I thought it would be!

Finally, the new kitchen; this has been taking up a bit of time as I'm sure you can imagine although it has infected me with the 'let's decorate' bug!  And, in fairness the whole house is in need of a little TLC.

On the plus side, despite all that has been going on I am making good progress with the two projects I have on the go at the moment.  I only have a couple more chapters to do of the second volume of the Prudence series so that should be ready for editing very shortly.

I would also just like to share with you this picture, drawn by the amazingly talented Lucy Daine.  This is a picture she has done of Prince Rupert, one of the characters from the Prudence series of books.  She is also helping me with the design for the cover of the new book.

If you would like to see more of Lucy's artwork check out her facebook page Serendipity Art here

Kim

The Legacy of Vengeance - new title

I am currently working on two separate projects; the first being the second volume of The Chronicles of Prudence and the other a ghost/murder/mystery.  This is just a little post about the latter of the two. The legacy of Vengeance is actually just a working title and I'm not sure yet if it's what I'm actually going to go with.  I'm not completely happy with it to be honest, but I'll see when I've finished if it feels right or not.

The story centres around the character of Alex Sherwood, a young doctor with a successful career and a seemingly stable and secure future.  However, Alex has a dark and tragic event in his past which haunts him continually.  As a young boy of sixteen Alex was living in the small market town of Daringby, a peaceful and happy existence.  During the summer of that year a team of archaeologists arrive in the town to investigate a local ancient monument.  Alex and a group of his friends volunteer to help out on the dig and soon develop a keen interest in the subject.  Other local people however are not so keen on  digging up the site as there are a lot of local suspicions about the place being haunted, and they prefer to stay away.  The idea of ghosts though, just piques the interest of Alex and his friends and one night they decide to go up to the site to do a spot of ghost hunting.  They become separated in an early morning mist and rather than ghost,s a much more sinister protagonist stalks them and one of their number, Alex's girlfriend, Lydia Garnham is brutally murdered.
As the police investigation into her murder drags on with little success local gossip and suspicion begins to fall on Alex; a lover's tiff that got out of hand being the way most thoughts are going. Although there is little evidence to really point the finger at anyone let alone Alex the gossips do not relent and eventually Alex and his  family move away and start a new life in a new town.
For fifteen years Alex never goes back to Daringby although what happened there continues to haunt him.  He finally returns to visit an old friend and discovers that all those that were with Lydia at the site on the night she died are still just as disturbed by what happened as Alex.  Why was her killer never found?  Why was there such a lack of evidence?  Why didn't any of them see anything?  And, what happened to the murder weapon?  Once he is there Alex soon realises that he can't just walk away from Daringby again; he has to do something, however remote his chances of success to find some answers.
He joins forces with Abi Jordan, the daughter of one of the archaeologists who had been working on the site at the time of Lydia's death, but he then discovers that Abi has her own motivation to find the truth when it becomes obvious that her father is not being entirely honest about his own involvement in the events of that night.

So that's it, a very brief outline that I hope is enough to make you want to read more!  I am working on having it ready for publication by the end of April, but as you all know I'm rubbish with deadlines so be prepared for that to get pushed back a little!  I will keep you updated!

Kim

Reflections and Resolutions

This is not the most original of subjects for this time of year I know, but like everyone I am feeling a little reflective. 2014 was definitely something of a memorable year for me; getting my work into print was a dream come true and I still can't believe I can actually call myself a published author now! I have had such a lot of support from friends and family and I really want to thank everyone for that especially all those who bought the book and have been so positive about it. It's a great motivation to know that others are actually getting some enjoyment out of what you are doing.  A special mention has to go out to my daughter, Kay who has helped me so much with all the technical stuff.  I really couldn't have done this without her.
 I didn't really make much use of the time I've had off for Christmas - which wasn't a lot I have to say - but Christmas is for relaxing with the family, having fun and eating chocolate which I certainly managed to achieve!

So, resolutions.............

Well this is easy; I need to be a little more organised with my writing, both the stories and this blog.  I know, I couldn't be much worse surely - at least where the blog is concerned!  I am going to attempt to stick to deadlines a little more.  I did ask Santa for a few more hours in the day or days in the week, but he wasn't very forthcoming so I'm going to have to make do with what I've got! Oh yes, and a little less chocolate from now on!

For the first half of the year I have two projects on the go, the second volume of 'The Chronicles of Prudence' and 'The Legacy of Vengeance' a sort of romantic ghost mystery aimed at a bit of an older audience.  I am setting myself the goal of having them both finished by April.  'The Chronicles of Prudence' shouldn't be a problem as that is in the final stages of writing and the ghost story is one that I have had kicking around now for a long time so it's just a case of reworking and updating. I will be doing a separate post shortly all about 'The Legacy of Vengeance' and what to expect from this story.

So, that's it - I'm really excited about the coming year and I hope you'll stay with me through all that 2015 has to hold.

Kim