Hello and welcome to my February Newsletter.  

It’s hard to believe we are into February already when Christmas doesn’t seem that long ago. Mind you, we only got around to having a Christmas meal with all the family recently as several had covid during the actual festive period. Now thankfully all recovered, everyone came to me and we had roast turkey with all the trimmings, followed by Christmas pudding, and it really didn’t matter that it was at the end of January.  That brings back a memory from several years ago when we went into a local pub in July, only to find it decorated, tree and all, for Christmas. The special of the day was, yes, of course, Christmas dinner. When we asked what was going on, the landlady told us they are always so busy at Christmas they thought they would celebrate theirs in July. It was certainly different, complete with Christmas carols playing in the background.

My plans for January this year included some family tree research using the newly released 1921 census. In readiness, I reactivated my membership to Ancestry and looked forward to 6 January, the census release date. Unfortunately, it then transpired that “Find My Past” has exclusive rights to the data and it is not available on Ancestry. I cancelled my subscription and decided to join “Find My Past” instead. Not ideal, as my family tree is on Ancestry, but still doable. However, I then discovered, that in addition to the monthly subscription, it costs £2.50 to view each record. This is OK if you only want to look at a few, but when you are researching it is difficult to know if you have the right record until you view it, so not really practical. Undaunted, I decided to do things the old fashioned way and manually look at the census on reels of film in the local Record Office. Foiled again I’m afraid because these too are not going to be released for a period of up to 3 years. Disappointing, but there it is.

My Writing News

This is normally where I tell you how my latest book is coming on but as I haven’t started writing one since “The Rabbit’s Foot”, I can’t do that. It’s good to have a break anyway because although I enjoy writing, it is hard work and nice to do something different. However, now that my family history plans have gone awry I am beginning to think of starting to write, or at least to research another book. I haven’t decided yet whether to continue The Hartford Manor Series or to start afresh with new characters. I’d love to know what you think so do drop me an email if you have an opinion.

In the meantime, I have joined AllAuthor, an organisation that helps authors to promote their books. It was recommended to me by another author and I am impressed. As well as advertising my books in various places, the site provides the tools to make banners for use on Facebook and Twitter, as well as “review gifs” with scrolling text. If you follow me on either of these social media platforms you may have seen some of my recent efforts. It’s a bit of a learning curve, but quite good fun and I’m enjoying experimenting.

My other news is that I was recently interviewed by author, Pam Lecky. Pam is an Irish historical fiction author who has written several books including The Lucy Lawrence Mystery Series. I have only read one of her books so far but enjoyed it so much I am featuring it as my book of the month. You can read my interview here: https://pamlecky.com/2022/01/13/a-conversation-with-marcia-clayton/ I am hoping to return the favour and interview Pam later in the year.

As you know, I like to write the occasional blog for my website and my latest offering is about how the pandemic has changed our lives. I’m sure if someone had told us two years ago how life was going to change, none of us would have believed them. Anyway, if you would like to read my thoughts about the pandemic you can find my blog here: https://marciaclayton.co.uk/has-the-pandemic-changed-your-habits/

My Book of the Month

“No Stone Unturned” by Pam Lecky

Thank you, once again for staying in touch and reading my newsletter and I hope you keep well and stay safe.

Best Wishes
Marcia