Thursday 25 November 2021

TV thoughts.

 Shetland is a series I enjoy watching in spite of having to tune my ear in to Douglas Henshall's accent each time.  The last episode revealed all last night and then the last few closing words accused Jimmy Perez of aiding and abetting murder! 

Jimmy Perez! What are they thinking

I know that they filmed 2 series on Shetland back to back recently, but of course they are not going to release series 7 until next year. Hopefully, early in the year. I don't want to wait forever.

The other crime drama I began watching I'm not so keen on. Dalgleish. Oh, the acting is fine and the lead actor does a wonderful job but the story lines are so depressing. Always connected to the church in some way, in the dark colours of the 70s for accuracy and not a joke in sight. Now I know why I never read any of the novels of P D James except Murder comes to Pemberley, and I was not very keen on that.

There is a rumour that Happy Valley is doing a series 3. I hope so. Even my other half watched that, though we caught onto it quite late as in last year.

Hope for Last Tango in Halifax is fading, which is sad. I know they've all gone on to bigger and better things - well, the two female leads have; but I would like to see another series.

Thursday 18 November 2021

November droops

 November means Nanowrimo.

Social media goes quiet, book sales drop off,  and many claim the month is filled with holiday prep  - which is odd because  we don't have any holidays in November and surely it is far too early for Christmas preparation? (But other countries do!)

Then there is tax preparation and end of year wrapping up of projects - now there I can relate, since I am desperate to finish my current novel and this week - or was it last? - Amazon told me it required a new tax form from me. 

I don't take part in  Nanowrimo because for me it takes all the pleasure out of writing. Besides, the editing afterwards must be horrendous

I'm one of those people who write a scene and then go back the next day and fill in all the "expression," as I call it. I sometimes go back two and three times, especially if my plotline is changing in any way- which it usually does!

It seems odd to lump book sales in with this list. Not all readers are aspiring authors, but mine do drop in November. I wonder if it possibly has more to do with people waiting for Black Friday reductions when they plan to have a a splurge and buy lots of cut-price books? That makes more sense to me.

Saturday 13 November 2021

A big enough turkey

 We are currently waiting to see if Australia deems us worthy of being allowed to visit them.  Been waiting about a fortnight now. We have an exemption as parents of an Australian citizen - well two or three of them - but it doesn't seem to speed things along as we fondly imagined it would.

Once we do get there it will be heading up to midsummer for them - totally different to the grand Northumberland countryside closing down for the winter here. The idea of walking barefoot along Diamond Beach appeals very much right now and we are assured that Helen has bought a turkey big enough for everyone. 


Friday 5 November 2021

The Ellsdon Affair under way

These, at the moment, are the first paragraphs of my new novel. They may yet change or be deleted as I am still very much at work on it! (The highlighting is for me to keep check of a sub-plot as I go through the chapters. So easy to forget things, or get them out of place in the time line.) he title will undoubtedly be The Ellsdon Affair. As yet I have no cover....

The coach rolled to a stop in the small Northumberland village of Ellsdon, the door opened and Miss Rosa Brewster fell out onto the stony track. By sheer chance, her cousin Louise, impatiently awaiting her arrival, dashed forward, caught her by the arm and prevented her from pitching headlong in the dust.

“Careful!” she cried. Young enough to laugh at mishaps, they clung together, chuckling. “What were you doing?”

“Thank goodness you were waiting for me,” Rosa gasped. She held her cousin at arm’s length and scanned her fair curls and amused blue eyes with pleasure. “I’ve been so cramped the entire journey I think my foot has gone to sleep because I can’t feel a thing. Do you think we might dare a quick stroll?” She waved at the village green behind her.

Louise darted a glance at the house behind her. “Quickly then. The others will hear the coach and be out in a moment.”

With Louise to steady her, Rosa hobbled a step or two until feeling came back into her foot. “I could not wait to get here,” Rosa declared. It was the truth, but she declined to speak of the reason for such longing. Time for such disclosures once she was settled in with her cousins.  

Louise snatched an assessing glance at her companion. “We shall have such fun.” For a moment, her fair brows drew together. “We even have a little mystery I think you ought to know about. It involves Grace.”

Rosa stopped brushing dust from her gown. “Your sensible older sister? What can Grace have done to cause alarm?”

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