It’s been a year of ups and downs – one where self-help books and gin seemed like the only answer. A year where insurmountable obstacles appeared from nowhere and navigating them became a way of life. Mum died unexpectedly in February, closely followed by my mother-in-law in law, and four weeks ago, I came within a whisker of losing Dad. Other people I know have been through worse during these uncertain and challenging months, and in many ways, it’s brought out the best in people. I’ve witnessed frequent and humbling acts of kindness.
Concentration is vital for writers and never easy when emotions are high, so I took a few weeks out of my busy schedule to ease the pressure. My carefully constructed diary is now full of red lines, and I’m a month behind on all my goals. Attending to my poor excuse of a mailing list and other planned projects has fallen by the wayside. But life goes on, and it’s time to consolidate and move forwards. Assuming there are no further curveballs, here’s the plan for the rest of the year.
I’ve recently released the first three books in the Lawrence Harpham series as an Amazon Kindle ebook boxset for anyone who likes to binge read their mysteries! I will also re-release an updated version of Vote for Murder with a professional cover and not the hideous version I designed in my early years as a writer. This will be ready by autumn.
I’ll be completing book four in the Lawrence Harpham mystery series in the next week. After time with the editor, it should be available in ebook and paperback in a couple of months. Book five is in the plotting stage, and I’m hoping to finish writing it by the end of the year for release in early 2021.
And the final piece of news is for those of you who prefer listening to reading. I have signed an audiobook deal with the UK’s largest audio producer W F Howes for audio rights to The Fressingfield Witch, The Ripper Deception and The Scole Confession. The recording is underway with book one provisionally due at the end of September, book two in October and book three in November. It has been an absolute pleasure to deal with the acquisitions editor, Craig Thomson and his team and I wish all my business dealings ran as smoothly as this one.
Hopefully, the second half of the year will be an improvement on the first!
Jacqueline Beard Writer 