Hello and welcome to my December newsletter.  

Well, it won’t be long now until Christmas! Fingers crossed the new covid variant doesn’t upset everyone’s plans. I’m feeling pretty organised at the moment.  It was a relief to get my third book published and be able to get on with some of the jobs I had neglected. I’ve written my Christmas cards, made my cakes and iced them, and wrapped most of the presents. This morning I made a batch of sausage rolls and my stuffing for Christmas and it’s now in the freezer. I use a Jamie Oliver recipe which includes sausagemeat, chestnuts, sage and onions, and it’s delicious. Sorry if I sound a bit smug! Now I’m getting older, I find I have to be more organised and not leave things until the last minute.

My Guest Author
Last month my “book of the month” was “Rapid Eye Movement” by Amanda Sheridan, a lovely author from Northern Ireland. I have read and enjoyed this unusual book and have just started reading her second novel, “The Dreaming”. Amanda and I got to know each other on social media and I recently had the pleasure of interviewing her. You can read my blog of our interview here: Interview with Amanda Sheridan

How to Make a Christmas Holly Tree
A couple of years ago I attended some floral art classes which I enjoyed very much. At one of the classes, we learnt how to make a Christmas Holly Tree and I have made one every year since. There is a bit of preparation work to do first, but once the basis of the tree is assembled, it can be used year after year. You can take a look at it in this blog which includes full instructions. There’s plenty of time to make one for Christmas: How to make a Christmas Holly Tree

My Writing News
So far, “The Rabbit’s Foot”, the third book in my Hartford Manor Series has been well received and I’ve had some nice comments from people. (Such a relief!). I’m always grateful for a review on Amazon, however short, (just one line will do) so if you’ve read and enjoyed the book and can spare five minutes here is the link:
The Rabbit’s Foot: The Compelling Tale of an Old Man’s Search for his Missing Son (Hartford Manor Book 3) eBook : Clayton, Marcia: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Special Offer on “The Mazzard Tree” and “The Angel Maker” EBooks
I’m pleased to tell you that my first book, “The Mazzard Tree” will be FREE on Amazon from 10 – 14 December, and the second in the series, “The Angel Maker” will be reduced to 99p from 1 – 7 December. You can find the books here:
UK: http://viewauthor.at/MarciaClayton
USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R65BLQV
The ebooks can be gifted to someone else – so could make an inexpensive Christmas present for someone.

Another Book?
A few people have already asked me if I’m going to write another book in The Hartford Manor Series. My sister, Gill was the first. She proofread the book for me, then read it again, and immediately asked when the next one would be published. Another lady I am friends with on Goodreads, is an avid reader, having read 350 books so far this year which is phenomenal. She commented that she wished I could write books as fast as she could read them. Me too! If only I could, that would be great. Well, the truth is, it’s quite likely I will write another book in the series because the characters have become like friends to me, and I may like to continue the story. However, I’m also keen on researching my family tree, and as the 1921 census will be released in January, I’m going to spend some time in the new year looking at that. This census will be particularly interesting for me as it will include the names of people I can remember. I think it is also the last one I will get the chance to look at as I believe the 1931 and 1941 censuses have been lost, probably in the war. If I’m still here in 2051 to see the 1951 census I think I may be a bit past research!

A Good Read for DecemberInvisible Thread by Sophy Layzell

I’ll be honest, when I first started reading this book, I wasn’t sure it was going to be my cup of tea. However, within a few chapters, I found myself really enjoying it.  The book is about a family which has suffered the traumatic loss of a daughter, and how the survivors are trying to navigate life without her. Stella, the deceased teenager, returns from her slumber beneath the earth in response to her mother’s desperate plea for help to reunite the family. The chapters are short and are written from the perspective of Stella, her mother, Catherine, her brother, Charlie, and her father, David. The short chapters work well in this novel. The book is sensitively written and there are some beautiful descriptive passages. If you feel like reading a book that is a little different, then this is the one to look out for.

Invisible Thread by Sophy Layzell

Thank you for continuing to follow me and read my newsletters. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.