Never a dull moment

 Wondering this morning why Amazon has suddenly dropped off the Marketplace statistics on my KDP reports. The US always used to be the major player but as of this month it has fallen way behind. 

This has led me to checking as far as I can but I cannot see a reason for it. Unless it is because I charged a dollar more for my books? Would that do it?

Now that I am not writing - The Earl's Protection has been on sale for 12 days now - I have time to look at all these things. I really should have another go with Mailerlite and see if email lists really work or not. I have the feeling they may be just annoying to most people but the experts insist it is the way to go. Unless one chooses to go with a business venture that promises to "do it all for you - and sell thousands of titles!" There are a lot of them about on Facebook and Instagram these days. I also should look at TikTok, which so far has remained a mystery to me. Never a dull moment when you are a KDP author!

The gateway is Prudhoe Castle, built in early medieval days and still standing above the river Tyne in Northumberland

Frozen posts

 Just when I want to know how my ads are doing, KDP refuses to co-operate. It is probably my fault. I must have pressed something in my attempt to archive old ads and suddenly the page is virtually blank. I wish there was a re-set button where everything would miraculously go back to my original settings.

The other thing that  bugs me is that my ipad appears frozen on  one particular post. Nothing I do shifts it. It is a photo of three heads (of tennis players) supposedly carved into mount Rushmore, asking who the 4th great player should be. Things like Instagram and everything else work as normal but not Facebook. Has another data centre been knocked out or something?

I struggle with it and really I should be outside weeding my garden...

A love of dragons

 Discovering a book that holds me through the first few pages and beyond is getting harder and harder. So many have excellent blurbs but the inside is tiresomely boring. I suppose a lifetime of reading means that most tricks, plots and themes have been read before, and some many times. When I was twenty, anything I read was exciting because chances are everything about it was new. The themes might not have been new, but I was new to them.

Now that does not hold true though I go on searching and hoping. I have moved from historical to romance to crime and then onto  urban fantasy as long as there are dragons. True historicals take a long time to write and the big authors do not publish often. Modern Historical romance seems to have taken a dive into sex and that seems popular in certain quarters. While I don't dislike reading sex, a little goes a long way and I'd rather have more story. Contemporary romance has never been my thing. Crime has proved entertaining, even when some of it is positively frightening - the things people can think up to do to one another!  Dick Francis was always good. No doubt I will recall several more favourites from the past once I've published this little post.

But I do admit to a love of dragons. I guess it started way back with the dragons of Pern. After the author's death they seemed to disappear. (No, I never tried those written by the son and daughter.) Now they are back and I'm enjoying them.

New Book: The Earl's Protection

 New Book:  Now available for pre-order

A marriage born of necessity becomes the one place Caroline discovers she is free.

Plunged into grief when her father and the man she was to marry both fall at Waterloo, Caroline Hewitt does not expect her only brother to dictate the rest of her life. 

The estate Andrew has inherited is on the brink of ruin, and he knows both he and his sister must marry well—and quickly. Caroline rebels against Andrew’s tightening control, but her defiance only provokes his temper. What she does not expect is for him to seize her future with cold determination. 

Driven into peril by his schemes, she finds unexpected rescue in a stranger—a man whose quiet strength unsettles her as much as it reassures. He offers her protection, but safety comes at the cost of a marriage neither of them planned. Their sudden union brings Caroline into a new world of unfamiliar kindness, wary servants, and a family still healing from its own wounds. As she learns to stand on her own feet, she also learns what it is to be cherished. 

But Andrew’s threats grow bolder, and Caroline must choose whether to retreat into fear or step forward into the life—and love—she is beginning to desire. To claim her future, she must confront the brother she once loved—and the courage she never believed she possessed. A tender, slow‑burn Regency romance about trust, belonging, and the quiet bravery required to claim one’s own happiness.

How long does a book

How long does a book have to be these days? My understanding when I began this game a decade ago was that the standard Regency romance would be around 70k words but those I have read recently seem to be getting shorter. Is that true or not true? One I read in the last year, by a very famous author, had pages and pages of sex and very little actual story. A little is sort of expected these days but extended pages scream (to me) that the author couldn't think of more story. 

Deadline approaching on latest book but I have no cover for it yet. Tried Shutterstock a couple of times but nothing that suits and since I paid for a set of 5 and still have 2 to take, I won't be looking anywhere else unless I become truly desperate. (Can't break the habits of a lifetime!) Must keep checking!

The pic is of the entry to Prudhoe Castle but this time, looking out. English Heritage held an open day ay on 2nd May and hopefully, this means the castle, which has been closed for several months, has begun a programme of events and open days. 

When music turns deadly

SOME THINGS NEVER TURN OUT THE WAY YOU PLAN…

DI Jess Carter is used to blending in. In Hexham’s bustling market town she can slip through the crowds unnoticed — exactly how she likes it. She’s finally living the life she dreamed of, and nothing could make her happier…

Until the night a brutal murder shatters the calm.

Thrown into the unfamiliar world of ceilidh bands, Jess leans on Rory and her small team to navigate rivalries, jealousies, and the fierce competition between two groups desperate to secure a coveted wedding gig — and the recording contract that comes with it. Jess suspects the temptation has proved too much for someone, and emotions have spiralled into violence.

But when a second body is found in the aftermath of the wedding, Jess realises the killer isn’t finished — and the truth is far more tangled than she imagined.

Suspense, romance, and sharp humour collide in this fast‑paced mystery.

A mature, character-driven Regency Novel

 Been working hard in between bouts of sitting in the sun with a glass of wine to hand over the last month but now  the weather has turned cold again,  witness the near frost cover on the garden this morning. So far none of my plants have succumbed, thank goodness.  

The working hard bit concerns a mature, character-driven Regency Novel Homecoming but the bulk of it is done now at first draft stage so it could ready for the summer reading holiday scene. No promises! 

We've had the snowdrops, the primroses, the daffodils now is the time for wild garlic. The woods around here are full of it, to the point it seems to be choking out the bluebells which seem weak this year. Certainly no carpet of blue as yet. Only a few small, stubby little heads poking up through the white and green.

Saw the finale of The Capture last night and now looking for a fourth season. What twisty minds some authors have, but full marks to Ben Chanan, the creator, writer and executive producer for the series. It was an entertaining series that kept me second guessing all the way through.