So how was your Christmas? Was it what you wanted? I do hope so, because mine is now at the stage of making notes of what worked and what didn’t. I’ve been doing this for more than thirty years and the evolution of Christmas is fascinating to look back on. This year, what we valued most of all was the peace and quiet. What they call in autism circles a low-impact Christmas. I know this is a lot of people’s idea of hell, but the Covid lockdowns taught us that we thrive on it so we’re now happily accepting as a family that yes, we like people, but we also need plenty of recharge time.
My sewing corners are now in the tinkering and playing with stage because I only have limited space for them and very definitely unlimited dreams. But hey, we have the dream location as far as I’m concerned as we’re in easy walking distance of the sea on 2 sides, the shops, a swimming pool, a brilliant park and good shops and a farmer’s market. You can’t have that and unlimited space and I wouldn’t fancy heating unlimited space, would you?
My goal, and Amy’s sewing room is sheer wish fulfilment, is to have all the projects I want to do till next autumn cut, pinned and instructions written out and in a special file. I’ve learned this one the hard way because one of my projects this year is going to be a mystery quilt. Why? Because I cut and pinned it before my husband was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and then put it away because I didn’t have headspace for anything complicated. It’s definitely seaside and I think it may be beach huts. Other than that, who knows but I intend to find out!
I’ve done the cutting, it’s all in wicker trays so that’s today’s picture because I’m so pleased with it. I haven’t had so much fun with sewing for years and I definitely never imagined I’d love playing ‘house’ but hey, I do!
So, where are we this week for special offers? You’ll have to wait till New Year’s Day for the new Amy Hammond, which is set around the King’s Coronation. Peter, of course, was his equerry (a sort of aide) and so was his young sidekick Colin, so it’s safe to say that they’re invested in making it go smoothly and other people aren’t!
On special offer at 99p UK and 99c US are
3 Christians Cross stories; Nature Strikes Back, No greater love and Mistletoe and Mischief. These are cosy paranormals set in a beautiful Dorset village that’s a lot more than it seems and feature a virtuous vampire heroine and her trusted friend and sidekick Handsome the were cat. Although Handsome might say it’s the other way round…
Omega Project - This one is an Eleanor Neville and features 3 reluctant heroes who’ve had a much worse Christmas than you have. Now they’ve been accidentally converted into superheroes and have to learn what their powers are and how to use them while avoiding the people who want to kill or use them. Like I always say - be careful what you ask for!
Twice Shy - Another Eleanor Neville, and it’s a mildly gothic romantic suspense set in a bleak midwinter in a little Dorset town where bodies start turning up and someone wants our heroine dead. (In Eleanor Neville’s world people very rarely seem to want the heroine to thrive… Not like Tia Brown but I have a dark side and it’s fun to let it out to play!)
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