Hello and welcome to my October 2024 Newsletter.
Well, it was nice to have a few days of glorious sunshine in September, but I think the weather has broken up for now. Although I love spring, summer, and autumn with their longer days and warm weather, there is also something to be said about winter and curling up in a cosy chair with a good book or watching a film with a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of wine.
Barnstaple Fair
Every year in September, a fair comes to Barnstaple, our nearest town, and in my youth, I was a big fan, loving to go on all the rides. I haven’t been to the fair for many years, but this year, I fancied going, and, in particular, I fancied a hot dog! Luckily, and unusually, the weather was fine, and Bryan and I enjoyed our visit – especially the hot dog, which was delicious even if it did cost us a fiver each. The Barnstaple Fair has been taking place since medieval times and has some interesting history. I took a few photos and decided to put them into a blog post which you can read here: https://marciaclayton.co.uk/the-barnstaple-fair/
South Hams Literary Festival – 10th – 13th October
I’ve been asked by fellow author Alison Smith to include some information about this popular festival, which will take place in Ivybridge this year. There seems to be something for everyone, from workshops for aspiring writers, book signings and author conversations for book lovers, and free events for children, including Brian the Bear and children’s author Paul Roberts. There will also be a pub quiz and a poetry open mic session over the weekend. You can find out all the details here: https://www.southhamsauthors.co.uk/festival-2024/schedule-2024. So, if you are in the area, it would be worth a visit to see what’s going on.
Old Saying of the Month
Sold a Pup or A Pig in a Poke
Nowadays, these sayings are taken to mean something bought without checking it carefully first, and this is also how the phrase originated. In the past, when someone bought a piglet, the vendor would place it in a sack or a bag. Some unscrupulous sellers would slip a puppy into the sack instead of a piglet when the customer was not paying attention and the buyer was sold a pup. The saying A Pig in a Poke originated in the same way. A poke was another name for a bag, so if you bought a pig in a poke, it might turn out the pig was actually a puppy.
My Writing News
A Best Seller?
A Best-Seller?
I recently paid for a promotion with The Fussy Librarian, which emails a daily newsletter to thousands of readers offering free or discounted books.
I made my first book, Betsey, free for a day and had 1898 downloads. Although I received no money for that, a lot of the readers have gone on to buy the rest of the series or read them on Kindle Unlimited, for which I also receive a payment.
Better still, Betsey has received over thirty new reviews, and I achieved the Number One Spot on Amazon in Women’s Sagas and Historical Regency Fiction in the UK and the USA! So can I claim to be a best seller? If only it was for paid sales!
A Couple of Other Tiny Claims to Fame This Month!
Featured Book of the Week
The Rabbit’s Foot is the third book in The Hartford Manor Series, and it was chosen as the Featured Book of the Week on the popular Facebook Page On the Same Page.
All good publicity and I received this lovely banner.
The Memory Lane Book Group
I’m a member of this Facebook group, and a reader asked for book recommendations. I was delighted to see my name mentioned among so many famous authors, including Anne Marie Brear and Anna Jacobs.
My New Release!
A Woman Scorned
I mentioned last month that A Woman Scorned, the sixth book in The Hartford Manor Series, is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be published on 18 October.
An embittered woman is determined to wreak vengeance on her late husband’s two illegitimate children, but just how far will Lady Lilliana go? A gripping Victorian tale!
You can pre-order the book here: https://mybook.to/AWomanScorned
This Month’s Bargain
The Mazzard Tree – will be reduced to 99p from 3 October to 10 October.
When Annie’s father dies, her mother is left with 7 hungry mouths to feed. Annie, 15, is determined to keep her family from the workhouse.
Will she succeed?
What lengths will she go to?
A gripping Victorian family saga. http://mybook.to/TheMazzardTree
New Releases from some of my Author Friends
There are some great books here to choose from, and I love all the covers. I’ve read previous books by Pam Lecky and Penny Hampson and thoroughly enjoyed them, and I hope to read the others soon.
Amid the Oncoming Storm by Juliane Weber
(Book Three in the Irish Fortune Series)
As the nation starves and resentment grows, can the people on their land be trusted? Gripping historical fiction in 19th century Ireland.
The book is coming out on 25 October and is available for pre-order.
A Pocketful of Diamonds by Pam Lecky
Book 4 of The Lucy Lawrence Mystery Series
A Victorian Murder Mystery set on beautiful Lake Como, Italy
A missing Italian count and stolen diamonds. Lucy and Phin’s honeymoon turns into a busman’s holiday!
A Winter’s Romance
A Winter’s Romance is an anthology of short stories by six different romance writers.
All the stories have a winter theme and are set in the Regency period, so if you enjoy tales that are set in the past and have guaranteed happy ever afters, this book will be right up your street.
Join me, Penny Hampson and my fellow authors, GL Robinson, Audrey Harrison, Judith Hale Everett, Christina Dudley, and Jayne Davis and get ready to banish those winter blues!
A Winter’s Romance is up for pre-order now and will be released on 4th November. Here’s the link:
https://mybook.to/WinterRomance
The Pirate’s Physician, – ONLY 99c/99p! – By Amy Maroney
The Pirate’s Physician: A Thrilling Companion Novella to the Sea and Stone Chronicles
When her world shatters, she dares to trust a pirate. Will she survive what comes next?
The Pirate’s Physician is the story of Giuliana Rinaldi, a student at Salerno’s famed medieval medical school, whose lifelong dream of becoming a physician crumbles when her uncle and mentor dies suddenly.
Faced with an unwanted marriage to a ruthless merchant, Giuliana enlists the help of a dashing Basque pirate and flees home for the dangers of the open sea.
Will she make it to Genoa, where her only remaining relative awaits? Or will this impulsive decision seal her own doom?
A delightful seafaring adventure packed with romance and intrigue, The Pirate’s Physician is a companion novella to the award-winning Sea and Stone Chronicles series of historical novels by Amy Maroney: Island of Gold, Sea of Shadows, and The Queen’s Scribe.
Universal Buy Link https://mybook.to/PiratesPhysician
My Book of the Month
Lie, Lie, Lullaby, by Katherine Black
About the Book
In the chilling undercurrent of an ice-cold case, Detective Chief Inspector Silas Nash is hitting brick walls. Each lead drags him down a burrow of frustration. Around the murkier corners of the internet, a sly conman weaves his web on a dating site, ensnaring unsuspecting women with practised ease. He’s a shark in a digital ocean, preying on the vulnerable.
Clara Watts, devastated and embittered, plays a dangerous game when he slithers back into her life eight years later. But he’s no ordinary villain. His charm is lethal. Is her death on his hands?
Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Molly Brown has issues with her own affairs. Can Nash crack the cold case and save the naive victims from the irresistible phantom invading their lives? In this nerve-shredding, pulse-pounding thriller, every swipe could be a slide into the abyss. Trust isn’t a virtue — it’s a deadly gamble.
My Review
A dangerous serial killer is at large and one who almost seems to hypnotise his victims with his charm. It is up to Nash and his team to catch him before he can claim any more victims. A diary written by Clara Watts, one of his victims, begins the hunt for this ruthless killer, and detective Molly Brown is given the task of reading the two volumes. Clara has escaped the murderer once, but eight years later, he worms his way back into her affections with disastrous results. This is the third book in the Nash series that I have read, and although I have enjoyed them all, I think this one is the best yet. The novel is well-written with an intriguing plot, and I look forward to hearing more about Nash. A well-deserved five stars!
You can find the book here: Lie-Lullaby-Silas-Nash-Book-ebook
Well, that’s all for now, so thank you for continuing to follow me. Until next time, I hope you keep safe and well.
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