Christmas

The antics at this time of the year irritate me. The adverts encouraging people to spend money on outrageously expensive things is wrong.

The spirit of Christmas was lost long ago in commercialism, which had even the most sensible people in its grip.

Christmas is supposed to celebrate the birth of a man who tried to make the world a better place. He failed. His death was excruciating. People have fought about the way he should be worshiped ever since.

No much to celebrate is there?

Endeavour

The prequel to Morse, is well cast and the plot line is fiendish, but easy to follow. I didn't guess that the opera singer was the murderer.

As I've written 2 crime novels I appreciate well written crime novels and TV series.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Doll-Collection-ebook/dp/B005E0QXES/

http://www.amazon.com/Suspicion-Points-Joanna-Stephen-Ward-ebook/dp/B00GSZIPEO/

Talk!

Just saw a photo of a sign on face book - Sorry, No wi fi. Talk to each other and get drunk.

It reminded me of the time my husband and I went to a pub. It was warm sunny day, so we sat outside. At a nearby table there were 5 young men. They were all glued to their mobiles or ipads. None of them spoke to each other. What a waste!

Extract from a review

 Real characters and believable dialogue. It’s the mystery that made me want to read on. Very gripping stuff indeed.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vissi-darte-ebook/dp/B004NNVWDE/

Detective novel

Suspicion Points is available on Kindle from today.

A young woman with a lot of enemies. But she was not in the house when it was set alight in an arson attack. Her husband and son were the victims. The list of suspects is long. Will the detectives investigating the murders catch the killer before they strike again?

http://www.amazon.com/Suspicion-Points-Joanna-Stephen-Ward-ebook/dp/B00GSZIPEO/

WWI

Was too much chloroform the cause of the first world war?

The documentary shown on TV last night gave a fascinating portrait of the poor baby born to Queen Victoria's daughter. Because she was so dosed up with chloroform she could not push. The baby was breech and it was very difficult to get his out. The nerves and muscles of his arm were  was damaged in the process. The poor child had to endure agonising and brutal 'treatments' to try and correct this deformity. This led to him being not just physically damaged but mentally damaged as well.

Although the documentary was interesting, it did not explore other causes of the war, such as the extreme tensions in Europe and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.

But how frightening to think that millions of lives were lost and families wrecked all because of a paralysed arm.

http://www.amazon.com/Eumeralla-Secrets-Tragedy-Love-ebook/dp/B004NNVWBQ/

Swearing in novels

Is unnecessary. The right physical action says far more about the character's state of mind than swearing. If a character is furious they can throw something or slam doors.

In the novel I'm writing at the moment one character calls another character 'an ugly peasant.' That is far more insulting and hurtful than being called an effing bitch.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eumeralla-Secrets-Tragedy-Love-ebook/dp/B004NNVWBQ/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vissi-darte-ebook/dp/B004NNVWDE/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Doll-Collection-ebook/dp/B005E0QXES/

Book review

I've just started reading The Cutting Room and can't believe it ever got published. It's set in modern times, but the female characters are straight out of the 50's. They are desperate for a marriage and children and regret they are in their late 20's. In spite of being an accountant the first victim is  a fool. She frequents nightclubs in the hope of finding Mr Right and naturally ends up being tortured and murdered. What woman in their right mind goes home with a man she had only just met?

I won't be finishing it. The first 50 pages were dire.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eumeralla-Secrets-Tragedy-Love-ebook/dp/B004NNVWBQ/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vissi-darte-ebook/dp/B004NNVWDE/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Doll-Collection-ebook/dp/B005E0QXES/

Ancestors

I only discovered three years ago that I had convict ancestors. Two, Olivia Gasgoine and Nathaniel Lucas were transported to Australia on the First Fleet in 1788. When they arrived in Australia they were married. Olivia was guilty of armed robbery. Nathaniel pleaded not guilty to stealing from his landlord.

Given the justice system of the day, I've always believed that 50% of the convicts transported to Australia were innocent, 40% were desperate for food or money and only 10% were hardened and violent criminals.

Olivia was guilty. Nathaniel was, I believe, innocent.

Many people who have read my second novel Eumeralla begged me to write a sequel and I'm working on it now. And it's not just a sequel, but a prequel too.

I hope to have the first draft finished by Christmas.

Borrow FREE

All my novels are FREE to borrow for members of Amazon Prime.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eumeralla-Secrets-Tragedy-Love-ebook/dp/B004NNVWBQ/

 

A family saga set in the dangerous Australian outback.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vissi-darte-ebook/dp/B004NNVWDE/

 

Students at an opera school are united by their passion for opera, but divided by love and ambition.

 

 

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Doll-Collection-ebook/dp/B005E0QXES/

 

Gloria's victims make the fatal error of thinking she is boring.

Suspicion Points

New detective novel coming out soon. Today The National Trust approved the cover, which shows part of Lanhydrock house.

It is set in Cornwall.