Stretching my wings...
Who knew taking up a new hobby would be so exciting?
As I mentioned in a recent Substack article, I have taken up a new hobby… or at least gone back to a hobby that my late grandmother would dearly have loved me to take up while she was still alive. Watercolour painting. I started on our recent cruise and since my return it has become an almost daily practice (a reward for completing my word count for the day!). My lack of talent doesn’t matter to me anymore. The problem was that my grandmother was VERY good and I have felt the weight of that expectation all these years. However, as she would be the first to say (and often did when judging art contests) “You must have had a lot of fun painting that”, which I always thought was rather patronising but I think I understand now. This is something I am doing entirely for me… and entirely for fun. BUT I would not be so presumptuous as to enter an art competition!!!
My evenings are now spent watching endless tutorials and workshops and scrolling art supply stores. I feel invigorated by the challenge of learning something new. And the bonus is spending time with my grandchildren, dabbling in paint. It’s a win-win… although I do still have books to write and quilts to sew so I am hardly idle!
Have you taken up a new hobby recently?
NEWS
This has been long promised… and here it is! What will be Book 6 in the Harriet Gordon Mysteries CHRISTMAS AT THE CONVENT … a Christmas season novella, is now up on preorder (everywhere except Kobo). It won’t go live until September as it still needs a lot of work, but I needed a deadline!
I know I said Agony in Amethyst was the last book in the series but as I started writing CHRISTMAS AT THE CONVENT, I realised it rightly belonged to what I am calling the ‘old’ series. The new series, which I will be starting soon (yes… it is a Harriet and Curran continuation or spin off), begins at a point several years later and this novella didn’t fit that timeline.
So here it is with another gorgeous cover from Fiona Jayde incorporating the magnificent old chapel at the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus and Mary (more on that closer to the time). The ebook is available for preorder from all major online distributors (except Kobo). Print and audio will be coming. The preorder price (which will go up on release) is $2.99.
A child is born. A secret awakens. A life hangs in the balance.
Harriet Gordon and her husband are eagerly anticipating their first Christmas together—until a newborn baby is discovered nestled in the nativity scene of the Convent chapel.
The infant is unharmed, but the mother is nowhere to be found. What begins as a desperate search to reunite mother and child quickly spirals into something far more sinister.
As Curran delves deeper into the mystery, he uncovers a dark secret buried in the past—one that threatens not only the young mother’s life, but her baby’s as well.
With time running out and danger closing in, Harriet and Curran must untangle a web of lies and long-hidden truths before tragedy strikes. But some secrets were meant to stay buried, and this Christmas may prove deadly for those who dare to uncover them.
In other news…
THE GIRL WHO NEVER LEFT is now live on Amazon and if you are a subscriber to my private Substack, I have put up an excerpt for you to read.
I had the pleasure of speaking with podcaster AMRA PAJALIC recently and if you are interested in my thoughts on the current state of the publishing industry and historical fiction, you are very welcome to tune into AMRA’S ARMCHAIR ANECDOTES for a listen.
SPECIAL OFFERS, NEW RELEASES and SHOUT OUTS
MONTHLY SHOUT OUT:
My monthly historical fiction shout out is Jennifer Moorman and the book I am highlighting is The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds
"Widowed at thirty-five, Josephine Reynolds finds unexpected solace restoring her ancestral home—until an original door transports her back to 1927, where she meets her great-grandmother Alma, a daring speakeasy owner in the Jazz Age. A profound bond forms, but returning to the present, Josephine discovers history has changed: Alma died in a raid just days after their meeting. Now Josephine's own existence is fading. She must race against time to rewrite the past—before she erases herself entirely.
Sign up to Jennifer’s email list and she promises… Your happy inbox starts here! You’re officially invited to join the heart-forward corner of the internet, where stories shimmer, bookshelves overflow & cinnamon rolls are basically a love language.
When you subscribe, you’ll get:
– Free recipes inspired by The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds
– Booklists & beyond—curated recommendations for magical, cozy, feel-good reads
– First dibs on giveaways, sneak peeks & subscriber-only surprises
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Her sign up link is HERE
Reading/listening/watching…?
Reading: My current read is an Advance Review copy of The Foreign Correspondent’s Wife by Jenna Helwig… The story follows former journalist Kat Kelly as she investigates a culinary school classmate’s death. Set in Paris post WW2… imagine Julia Child investigating murder :-).
Listening: Finished THE GATHERING OF CLAN McFEE - always good fun - and I am now listening to MURDER IN THE BOOKSHOP by Anita Davison. Anita and I first bonded over a mutual love of all things 17th century. However we realised no matter how hard we tried (and we did try!), it was never going to be the next big thing. Completely coincidentally, she, like me, turned to historical mystery set in the Edwardian era, and this delighful murder mystery (first in a new series) is set in 1915 - which is when my new series will be kicking off! Isn’t that weird? I’ve always loved her writing and I am very happy to rediscover her! And if you are a Harriet fan I think you will enjoy her books. Maybe Anita and I need to do a crossover?
Watching: I am basking in the afterglow of all 40 episodes of PURSUIT OF JADE (Netflix)… a historical slow burn romance drama set in old China. I am scrolling Instagram like a teenager looking for anything I can find on it and the actors. Everything else just pales in comparison. Any recommendations?
What are you reading/watching or listening to this month?
Finally…
All from me… please feel free to comment directly on the Substack post :-) I love hearing from you and if you are not already a subscriber, consider subscribing to my Substack posts and look out for a link to a free download of the Harriet Gordon prequel novella THE UMBRELLA in your inbox :-)
It is important to keep writers caffeinated and, as most books sell for less than a cup of coffee these days, in the interests of transparency, some of the links I use in my newsletter may be ‘affiliate links’ which earn me a small (very small) commission.
Best regards
Alison
You may enjoy My Royal Nemesis, on Netflix.
Another gorgeous cover, and I appreciate the very reasonable price!