Hello, and welcome to my December Newsletter.
I’m so pleased to tell you that we’ve finally moved house! It’s been a stressful year, but we are delighted with our new home. Those of you who are regular readers will know that we had a large garden before, which was my pride and joy, but sadly, it was becoming too much for us to cope with, and was the main reason for our move. Our new garden is much smaller and will be less demanding, but it is proving a challenge at present because it was very overgrown. We are working our way through it, and I hope that by spring, it will be more presentable and I will be able to share some photos with you.
Old Saying of the Month
Here’s another saying I’m sure we’ve all used, but I never knew where it came from.
One for the Road
We’ve probably all used this saying at the end of a party or night out, meaning one more drink before leaving. However, its origins are less pleasant. In the Middle Ages, condemned prisoners were taken along what is now known as Oxford Street to their place of execution. On this final trip, the cart would stop, and the condemned person would be allowed to have one final drink before facing the hangman’s noose!
December Blog Spot
Christmas Holly Tree
This is a blog post that I originally posted a couple of years ago, but I’ve had new readers since then, so I thought it was worth revisiting.
A few years ago, I attended some floral art classes, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This was a Christmas Holly Tree, which I have made several times since, and I’m always pleased with the result.
Here are my instructions on how to make this eye-catching Christmas holly tree:
https://marciaclayton.co.uk/christmas-holly-tree/
It’s a bit of an effort to make the pot with the branch in it, but once that is done, it can be used year after year.
My Writing News
I have quite a lot of news to share this month, so please forgive me if I go on a bit!
Book Signing at The Castle Inn, Landkey
I’m delighted to tell you that I have been invited to a book signing at The Castle Inn on Saturday, 6 December.
I will be there from 9.30 am until 12 noon, and I hope a few of you might call in for a chat and a coffee. Perhaps a book might make an ideal Christmas present for someone you know?
The Castle Inn is situated in the centre of the village with a large car park at the rear. The address is Blakes Hill Rd, Landkey, Barnstaple EX32 0NF
Coffee Pot Book Club Awards 2025
Over the years, I’ve paid for several of my books to go on blog tours with The Coffee Pot Book Club, as this is excellent publicity and a good way of promoting my books. The way it works is that authors in the Club offer to host my book on their websites and share it with their readers and followers over several days. The Book Club holds an annual competition, and the winners were announced last Sunday evening. I was thrilled to discover that three of my books had won awards – totally unexpected – I only got an Honourable Mention for Millie’s Escape last year.
In the Historical Family Saga category, Betsey won the Gold Award, and, as if that wasn’t enough, The Mazzard Tree won the Silver Award in the same category.
I scrolled on down the list of categories and winners, never expecting to see my name again, but, lo and behold, A Woman Scorned won the Bronze Award in the Historical Women’s Fiction category.
As prizes, each is awarded a badge to use on publicity banners and various free advertising over the next year.
Blog Tour for Annie’s Secret
I have arranged for my latest book, Annie’s Secret, to go on a Blog Tour from 15th – 19th December, and it will be featured on 21 author websites, so lots of publicity.
Here are the websites where it will be featured on Monday, 15th December.
There will be information about the whole series, Annie’s Secret, a few excerpts from the books, and a bit about me.
If you take a look at any of them, it would be great if you left a comment.
https://maryannbernal.blogspot.com/
https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/
https://mjporterauthor.blog/
https://thehistoricalinkpot.blogspot.com
You can find Annie’s Secret here: https://mybook.to/AnniesSecret
Here are all the websites where the books will be featured, and you can find the links here: The Coffee Pot Book Club – where you can also see all the annual awards.
This Month’s Bargains
All of my books are free to read if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited on Amazon. However, if you want to grab a bargain, these books will be reduced to 99p on the following dates:
The Rabbit’s Foot
The Rabbit’s Foot will be reduced to 99p from 4th to 11th December
Sam, a tramp all his life, inherits wealth beyond his wildest dreams, but all he wants is to find Marrok, the son he abandoned at the age of five. A moving Victorian family saga.
You can find the book here: http://mybook.to/TheRabbitsFoot
Betsey
Betsey will be reduced to 99p from 11th to 18th December.
Set in 1820, Betsey is the prequel to the much-loved Hartford Manor Series.
Betsey, a sadly neglected child, is shouldering responsibilities far beyond her years. As she does her best to care for her little brother, Norman, she is befriended by Gypsy Freda, an old woman whose family is camped nearby. Freda’s granddaughter, Jane, is also fond of the little girl and is concerned about her. Thomas, the second son of Lord Fellwood, happens across the gypsy camp and becomes besotted with Jane. However, Jasper Morris, the local miller, also has designs on the young gypsy, and inevitably, the two men do not see eye to eye. Betsey is drawn into their rivalry for the attention of the beautiful young woman, and she finds herself promising to keep a dangerous secret for many years to come. You can find the book here: http://mybook.to/Betsey
My Book of the Month
Your Last Breath by Doug Lafuze and Carole Parkes
About the Book
Serial killer Raymond Lang has a problem. His long-held dreams of writing a best-selling thriller are thwarted by writer’s block. The only thing that cures it temporarily is the euphoria he feels after breathing in someone’s last breath. In order to carry on writing and fulfil his dreams, he must kill more victims. When the law gets too close to capturing him, he leaves America and flees to London, where he continues his violent and brutal killing spree. Can he finish his book before he’s caught?
My Review
This book is a spine-chilling read and not for the faint-hearted!
The story is told from two different points of view – one of a private investigator and the other of a serial killer, which works well in this novel. The killer, Raymond Lang, longs to write a best-selling thriller but suffers from writer’s block. However, after his first murder, he finds that the euphoria he feels after breathing in his victim’s last breath cures his problem, and the words flow.
There are many twists and turns, and many graphic descriptions as the murderer goes on a killing spree. It is a well-written novel that will hold your attention from the first page to the last.
You can find the book here: Your Last Breath
Well, that’s all my news for now, so it just remains for me to thank you for continuing to follow me and to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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