Hello, and welcome to my February Newsletter.
Well, the new year started with a lot of storms, but for the last week or so, the weather has been lovely here in Devon. Cold and frosty, yes, but lovely and sunny later in the day. I’ve even made a start in the garden, as the weeds seem to be thriving. This is a photo of my camellia which has somehow managed to survive the frosts and is looking good.
Bryan and I have been busy since Christmas. We’ve decorated our bedroom and our lounge. Both jobs were straightforward in that we only had to emulsion the walls, and there wasn’t a great deal of paintwork to gloss as the windows are made of PVC. I’ll bet a few of you remember the joys of sanding down and painting wooden windows! It’s certainly not a job I’ll ever miss!
In between all of that, we’ve had new loft insulation installed, as the old stuff was not up to the recommended standard. We’re now hoping to see our heating bills plummet. Fingers crossed! This work, of course, led to tidying out the attic first – and involved several trips to the dump and charity shops, but I’m glad now that it’s done.
Old Saying of the Month
I enjoy looking up these old sayings, so I hope you’ll bear with me. This is one that has been used a lot recently I suspect!
Cost an Arm and a Leg
This term originated in America after World War II. During the war, many servicemen lost arms and legs. Therefore, for some, the price of the war was an arm and a leg. Of course, this was a high price for anyone to pay for anything, and it soon came into common usage to mean expensive.
My Writing News
As I mentioned last month, I’ve taken a break from writing for a couple of months to get other jobs done (like decorating!), but I shall be starting on Book 6 in the next week or two, so I’ll let you know how it progresses.
You may have noticed that I played around with my newsletter last month and changed the background to green. I quite liked it, but my son, Stuart, has offered to take a look at it for me. He used to work as a graphic designer, so I’m going to take him up on his offer. Watch this space as they say. I’m not sure when it will be done, so in the meantime, we’ll stick with my green effort.
This Month’s Bargains
I’m running some promotions on my ebooks on Amazon this month:
The Rabbit’s Foot will be 99p until 4 February: http://mybook.to/TheRabbitsFoot
The Mazzard Tree will be reduced to 99p from 5 – 12 February: http://mybook.to/TheMazzardTree
The Angel Maker will be reduced to 99p from 13 – 20 February: http://mybook.to/TheAngelMaker
It’s a good chance to stock up on some reading or gift a book to someone else, perhaps for an anniversary or a birthday.
My Interview with Alison Huntingford
Some time ago, I interviewed Devon author Alison Huntingford and reviewed her book, A Ha’penny Will Do. Alison is about to publish her third book, Dance a Fearful Jig, and so I thought it would be nice to catch up with her again and hear what she’s been up to. You can read my interview with her here:
https://marciaclayton.co.uk/my-interview-with-alison-huntingford/
My Book of the Month
From My Cold Dead Hands by Hilly Barmby
This story held my attention right from the first page and held it until the last. A young woman wakes up in hospital following a serious accident and is suffering from amnesia. She is finally allowed home to her rich American family but remembers nothing, and their lifestyle feels abhorrent to her. She speaks with an English accent, her horse dislikes her, and she can’t remember how to ride. Nothing makes sense, and her memory flashbacks have nothing to do with the world she now finds herself in but another sordid existence where she fears for her life. An intriguing and well-written tale which I thoroughly enjoyed. Well done, Hilly Barmby.
Readers – you can find the book here: From My Cold Dead Hands
I congratulated Hilly on her book, and she agreed to be interviewed for my March Newsletter, so I’m looking forward to chatting with her soon.
Well, that’s all for now, so thank you for continuing to follow me and until next time, I hope you keep safe and well.
Best wishes,
Marcia
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