It rained on my retreat. And we had gale force winds. And thunder. That was the Saturday and Sunday was cool, grey, windy and then wet again in the afternoon but I had a wonderful time sorting out my sewing projects ready for the next few months without feeling guilty about all the things I ought to do and it was such an amazing break that I envy Amy and the Swansmere gang their craft retreat more than ever. I imagined the Swansmere craft complex as my ideal place so I’m really pleased that so many people would like to go there too.
This week I’m on the home straight for No retreat… which is the next Amy Hammond and out in July. You’ve been so nice that you deserve a tiny, tiny sneaky peek so here it is…
“All I want is a good old-fashioned simple straightforward and most of all nice and fun time. No murders, no crimes, no past mysteries coming back to haunt us or anyone else and definitely no way that anyone can get hurt or turn out to be any sort of spy, crook, criminal or anything else I can’t think of a name for. I just want a nice group of nice people who’ve come to a nice place so that they can enjoy nice craft-based activities while they eat loads of nice food and listen to nice talks about nice interesting things. With any luck, they’ll make some nice new friends and enjoy being in a place that’s as Covid-secure as we can make it and… don’t you dare laugh at me, Peter Cunningham!”
Amy Hammond, or Amy Cunningham as it was getting easier to think of herself, finished what had become quite a rant as she looked round from where she’d been making a pot of tea while her husband cooked breakfast and set the table and caught him not actually laughing but very definitely smiling affectionately at her.
“I wasn’t laughing.” He pointed out with his usual scrupulous accuracy, but then redeemed himself by adding. “I was hearing enjoying hearing your vision statement; because it’s so nice to see you looking forward to something new, and there’s no reason why anything should happen.”
“That’s what you always say, but it always seems to happen.” She pointed out even though she knew that it hadn’t always been his fault when it had. In fact, a surprising amount of the time it had been if not actually her fault then at least her responsibility. She didn’t want to ever change enough to be prepared to turn away someone who was in trouble or be prepared to stand tamely by or pretend not to notice when people weren’t being treated right or fairly so it’d probably go on happening too.
“Not always, and you always cope magnificently when it does. Anyway, I don’t see why it worries you so much because I can’t see anything being allowed to go too drastically now that Callie's doing all the admin because everything that can be scheduled and planned has already been scheduled and planned. I’ve seen less detailed planning for major military operations so I can see why poor Michael looks so nervous whenever he sees her coming towards him with that oh so sweet smile on her face. I suspect he’s looking wistfully back at the days when all he had to deal with was gunmen, terrorists and Camilla, rather than your pretty niece saying ‘Could you possibly do this for me, please? I’m sure it’ll only take a few minutes and you’re so good at it.”
It’s available for pre-order if I’ve whetted your appetite, and till then, you can get to know Lucy Williams in a couple of weeks time, who’s a former spy turned widowed mum.
Today’s picture is my beloved Harbourside on a not so beautiful day, to prove that I’m still exercising and working on losing my baby weight now that my baby is almost 21 and well over 6 foot tall.
So, what’s new and on offer this week?
Murder, Devils and Maidens is the first 3 Christians Cross books at a bargain price of £2-99, so it’s ideal for those of you who don’t have Kindle Unlimited and/or live in a country that doesn’t get Kindle Special Deals (And a special hi to all my European, Canadian and Australian readers. I really appreciate you!)
Imagine an idyllic English country village with an amazing pub and a village shop that has everything you need as long as its owner likes you. Imagine a thriving school, beautiful scenery and weather that’s good even by Dorset standards - and they don’t call us the soft south for nothing. Sounds too good to be true? Well, maybe I forgot to mention that Christians Cross is also on a gateway between dimensions and is ever so slightly sentient so calls people to it when it needs it.
So maybe it’s no surprise that virtuous vampire writer and private investigator Kit Conway and her partner the former cop turned werecat Handsome are drawn back there even though she’d sworn never to go within a hundred miles of the place again. Or that they make new friends and enemies and find trouble, friendship and at least a temporary happy ending.
It’s fun, lighthearted, no more violent than Amy and let me play with a different world and very different perspectives on life so why not give it a try?
And on special offers this week. Sorry, it’s a bit bitty but come the middle of August I’ll have the US and UK promotions all synchronised which’ll be easier for all of us. Till then
US promotions 99c Wednesday 19th to Wednesday 26th July
Endings and Beginnings - A Windy Bay cosy romance.
An older heroine, with secrets and hopes and dreams and a gorgeous ginger cat that she thinks she’s rescuing. The cat thinks he’s doing the same for her and they’re both probably right.
UK promotions 99p Wednesday 19th to Wednesday 26th July
House of Dreams, Ghost of Dreams, Ghost of A Chance - The first 3 Lavender House novels.
Traditional sweet love stories set in the exclusive Sandbanks resort. (Although it can’t be that exclusive when people like me only live a 10 minute drive away!) Couples who aren’t expecting to find romance, or to get caught up with a matchmaking ghost.
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