Apologies for the lack of posts lately – it’s been a very busy time on the home, work, and book writing front, and the blog has had to take a bit of a backseat. I’m planning to take a break from my various other projects in the last half of May, and to devote some time to writing here. I miss talking about stuff with you guys!
The exciting news this week is that my next book, The Mysterious Affair at Gaunt Hall is now available for pre-order (ebook only)! It will be released on June 9, 2026 in ebook, paperback, and on Kindle Unlimited. And if you’ve been looking for genre-bending mystery with a supernatural twist, well, you’re in luck:
Here’s the blurb, to whet your appetite:
Twelve guests, two dead bodies, one cursed village …
Thea Paget has a problem. She’s standing in an unfamiliar room with a dead stranger at her feet and the last 48 hours are a complete blank. The last thing she remembers is driving into the small village of Spalding Crow, following a mysterious summons from a man whose name may or may not be Mr. Noddy. With her personal and professional life in tatters thanks to a heartbreaking betrayal, Thea hasn’t got much to lose. Even so, a murder charge is something she’d rather avoid. Two people are dead – and one of them might not even be a garden variety human. Wolfram Breakspear, late of Gaunt Hall, was an immortal creature responsible for Spalding Crow’s ancient curse. Allegedly.
Every 27 years, at the summer Solstice, Spalding Crow must send a bride to Gaunt Hall or else face the wrath of its owner. Floods, earthquakes, and the threat of a motorway running straight through the village (among other terrible things) have kept the inhabitants of Spalding Crow in line for centuries. Now, one of them seems to have taken matters into his, or her, own hands. With the Solstice just around the corner, and a new bride due to fulfill the covenant, the traditional engagement party at Gaunt Hall has become the scene of a double murder – and Thea is right in the middle of it all. Never mind the fact that she’s a historian, not a detective; to get herself out of a tight spot, she must not only recover her missing memories but also find the answers to a number of pressing questions. If Breakspear is truly immortal, can he really be dead? Why would anyone want to kill the second victim, a local antiques dealer? And what’s going to happen once the clock strikes midnight on Solstice Eve if the covenant isn’t fulfilled?
Gaunt Hall holds the key to the puzzle, but it will not yield up its mysteries easily – especially if Theo Devlin, Breakspear’s personal secretary, has anything to do with it. Luckily for Thea, a magical talking mirror proves more willing to help than the devilishly handsome Mr. Devlin. Offered an unorthodox means of investigation, Thea embarks on a race against time to unravel the truth and, very possibly, save Spalding Crow from utter destruction. But nothing at Gaunt Hall is as it seems, and Thea is about to discover that its secrets can change everything … including her life.
I’ve been working so much, getting this book ready for publication and writing a new/future book, that I’ve not managed to do much else – except my nightly scrapbooking, of course. But I did manage to squeeze in a binge read last weekend: Anthony Horowitz’s latest release, A Deadly Episode. It was fun. Two mysteries in one, including one that took place on the set of a movie. Horowitz has done a ton of screen-writing, so this is very meta for him; I don’t normally love when authors get too meta, but it works in the context of this story.
The weather has swung all the way now – we went straight from boots to sandals, pretty much – which means that I’ll be spending my Mother’s Day in the garden, tidying up. Am I looking forward to it? Yes and no. I’d probably rather be on the couch with a book, but I know being outside in the fresh air will be good for my mental health. That’s what they say, haha!
What are your plans?
Have a great weekend!