Tag Archives: Chindi Authors

#WritingWednesday with Helen Christmas: Character inspiration.

Guest Post, Writing Wednesday, , , , , , , , , , , ,

How chatting to people helps character inspiration, by Helen Christmas.

My up-and-coming novel is a psychological suspense thriller set in Sussex. In the early days of drafting this story though, my enthusiasm dried up. I lost all focus. Had the plot sketched out, a climatic ending… but couldn’t seem to drive the story forward. Gradually it occurred to me that I hadn’t quite got into the minds of my characters. It took a while to coax them out of hiding and shape them into the amazing people they needed to be.

Talking to professionals really helped to get the inspirational juices flowing, starting with my main protagonist, Maisie, (a girl who is fostered and ends up working in a fostering department herself). So one approach was to contact WSCC and it paid off. I was put in touch with Rosemary Conroy-Smith, who not only advised me on processes and procedures, but invited me to one of their information events. This was a really enlightening evening and I could sense people’s enthusiasm; the valuable service they provide for families and children so fulfilling, I was able to reflect this through my own character.

But also interwoven into the story are Maisie’s memories of a children’s home she lived in, a hostile place where she befriended Joe. He too, is a complex character, a runaway who ends up in all sorts of trouble, before she finds him homeless on Bognor Beach. Writing Joe’s story was fun, but it took a chance meeting with a local man (with a similar background) to gain some insights into his character. I have author, Dan Jones, to thank for introducing me to his friend, Graham, and describing his work in children’s homes.

Furthermore there is a police investigation at the heart of this book, and when I started to lose momentum I spoke to two senior officers, (one from the Metropolitan police who handled similar cases to the one I was writing about). Two conversations later, I had all the inspiration I needed to finish this; from interviewing suspects to home searches and gathering evidence. Later down the line, as I was nearing the climatic finale of my story, I spoke to former Sussex Police Ops Controller, Andy Kille, who offered some great tips on procedures and helped me to visualise that all-important ending.

 Writing a thriller, it is essential to get police procedures right, so everything came together and by October 2020 I had completed the first draft. Deep in my heart, I knew I had a good story – but the people I interviewed were the driving force behind my characters and their motivation. I have written more in depth stuff about my characters on my blog, articles that not only discuss the story, but hope to raise awareness of some of the complex emotional issues that affect people today.

Lethal Ties will be published April 18th 2021 and is available to preorder on Amazon:

The Blurb:

A haunting vision. A spine-chilling nightmare. A missing boy.

When Joe, Maisie and Sam met in a residential children’s home, they pledged to look out for each other; three friends who were inseparable until the night Sam went missing…

Twenty years later, Maisie suffers flashbacks, unable to understand what lies at the root of her recurring nightmares. Shocked to find Joe, homeless on Bognor seafront, she helps him turn his life around, but it doesn’t seem long before their past comes back to haunt them.

 What really went on at Orchard Grange all those years ago?

Where did Sam go?

Only he can provide the answers but they need to find him.

Within weeks of Maisie and Joe being reunited, however, a series of eerie events rips the fabric of their world. A mysterious black car is tailing them. A campaign of online abuse makes Joe wonder if his enemies are still around. He has never forgotten Mr Mortimer from the children’s home, but a shocking attempt on his life launches a police investigation.

Lethal Ties is a tense psychological thriller, an untangling of secrets with an utterly chilling twist. Purchase here.

About the Author:

I am creative, ambitious, and enjoy working from home with my husband, running our web design business. I love where we live and with a passion for walking and photography, found inspiration to base my novel in West Sussex. I am also active on social media, I write a blog and like networking with other authors. In 2017 I completed a mystery thriller series (Same Face Different Place), but have many ideas for books in the psychological suspense genre. LETHAL TIES is my first psychological thriller, a standalone novel and there is even a little romance woven into the pages.

Discover more about Helen Christmas and her work here:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website

Julia Firlotte Author Interview.

Author Interview, Book Review, , , , ,

Today, I am welcoming author, Julia Firlotte to my blog, and sharing my review of her debut novel, Trust in You.

Thank you for stopping by, Julia. I was fortunate enough to read an ARC of your book, but for those who haven’t read it, tell us a little about Trust in You.

Trust In You is a first love summer romance that falls into the romantic suspense genre. There are many clues throughout Trust In You which elude to the plot for the next novel, but the main point to take away is that it’s a love story which will keep you wanting to know what happens next and is the first in a series.

During the writing process, who became your favourite character and why?

My hero, Adam, is my favourite character because he possesses all of the characteristics I would find attractive, oozing confidence and charm but underneath there’s unshakable qualities of fidelity, bravery and integrity, despite what the reader might be deliberately lead to think. He always puts my heroine Ella first, and that’s always important in a relationship.

 As well as the developing romance, your novel explores some dark themes. How, as a writer, have you balanced those across the story?

The novel started out quite differently; in the first draft, it was a much darker story where I wanted my hero Adam to be a genuine bad-boy you loved to hate. It was originally a bully romance (as opposed to dark romance), which centred around a land dispute; As the characters developed though, I listened to them and also to the feedback from my wonderfully supportive beta readers and found that Adam was simply too bad for the reader to like and so I adapted the story accordingly.

It’s made it a far better novel, although I would still like to write a bully-romance in the future and respect the finesse authors such as Cara McKenna are able to bring to storylines which could otherwise easily tip that delicate balance. I’ve weighed the darker themes in the novel by my heroine’s very human and normal reactions to them, also underpinning the story with integral qualities such as respect and consent.

Which authors or novels have influenced you?

Oh, where to start! I read all genres of romance but also enjoy other genres such as Charlaine Harris, Phillipa Gregory, Catherine Cookson and Colleen McCullough, but if I had to choose certain influencers for Trust In You, it would be these: Jaine Diamond, I’d choose any day of the week, because of the powerful chemistry, humour and perceptive insight she never fails to deliver, particularly of her male characters’ reactions to situations displayed through body language. Ryan Kendall and Chystal Kaswell also do this extremely well. I’d choose Silvia Day for the dark charisma of Gideon Cross and also Jamie McGuire and for the tension and ‘bad-boy you’ve just got to love’ in Beautiful Disaster and EL James for the innocence and inner strength of Anastasia Steel.

How will you be celebrating the release of Trust in You?

I’m extremely grateful to The Glorious Spa for hosting my Valentines Themed pre-launch event titled A Glorious Love Story where journalists and new readers will receive an advance copy of my novel in order to raise awareness prior to it going on public sale via Amazon on April 6th 2020. That’s my main launch event and what better way to learn about a wonderful new book than over a glass of bubbles while receiving an exceptional treatment. I am also collaborating with Chichester Music Academy who are producing the song my heroine Ella has written for post-launch promotions, something I’m very excited to share with my readers via my website in the months to come.

 What is the top tip you’ve learnt, in bringing your book to publication?

Firstly, if you find yourself skim-reading sections while reading through your manuscript, it’s not going to grab your reader’s attention. Secondly, always plan your book project with additional time and budget, you’ll likely often need more of both.

 Finally, here’s five quickfire questions for fun.

  • Beach or mountains? Beach
  • Ebook or paperback? Both! I’m a bookworm!
  • High heels or trainers? Heels if there’s no walking involved, otherwise trainers!
  • Cake or crisps? Cake, it’s one of my five a day!
  • Cinema or Netflix? Cinema, because there’s more access to popcorn!

About the book:

The blurb:

A first love summer romance full of intrigue, lust and lies.

From the moment she met him, Ella Peterson had questions. As always, though, she’s too shy to ask.

Older and sexy as hell, mysterious Adam Brook soon sweeps sheltered Ella off her feet; but is he as perfect as he appears to be, or is there more to him than he’s telling her?

Ella’s world has already turned upside down after moving from England to rural Kansas. She and her sisters were hoping for a more secure future, but instead find that life can be tough when jobs are scarce and the stakes often higher than anticipated.

When events spiral out of Ella’s control, she learns the person she needs to rely on most is herself and her instincts on who to trust in the future.

It’s just that her instincts are screaming at her to trust Adam; it’s what he tells her that makes that a problem.

This is the first book in the Falling for You series and ends with a ‘happy for now’ conclusion.

Genre: Contemporary Romance | Dark Romance

My review:

While I read erotic fiction and lots of romance novels of all kinds, I don’t generally read dark romance, and so this was an interesting first for me.

The characters are well-drawn, and the settings are described with detail, enabling you to clearly visualise them. The romance starts slowly, but becomes more dramatic and intense as the book progresses. The story contains some darker, threatening situations that took a moment of adjustment in my mind – especially as the female lead is young and inexperienced (I can’t help myself, I am the mum of three girls). Nevertheless, the author achieves balance with lighter moments and plenty of likeable characters too.

In a manner reminiscent of Sylvia Day’s Crossfire series, I read to the end, with impending awareness that all was not going to be resolved by the close of the novel. And while I stomped my feet, I am aware there’s more to come; Trust in You is the first in a trilogy and is not intended as a standalone story! I’ll just have to wait for the next 🙂

Buy the book here | Also available at Barnes and Noble and coming soon to iBooks.

You can discover more about Julia and her work here: Website complete with mailing list and blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Chindi Authors | Julia Firlotte Author Advance Information PDF

My reviews are added to Amazon and Goodreads. xx

Patricia Osborne on connecting with her characters and writing a family saga.

Guest Post, Writing & Reading, , , , , ,
Today, I am welcoming family saga writer Patricia M Osborne, to my blog, as she celebrates being the Chindi Authors’ Author of the Week.

In her post Patricia elaborates on writing a family saga and shares the bond she makes with her characters. Over to you, Patricia…

“Firstly, thank you to Carol for inviting me over to her blog during my ‘Chindi Author of the Week’ which happens to coincide with publication of my second novel, The Coal Miner’s Son.

“As a writer, I’m sure I’m not unique in falling in love with my characters. This is why I love writing a family saga series. It means I can stay with my characters for longer. However sometimes it is necessary to lose a character and bring in new ones.

“A family saga is about life and you can’t have life without uncertainties and losing people we love. That can be no exception in a family saga and sometimes a character needs to die. When this happens I grieve and you will find me sitting over my PC crying as I mourn for my lost character.

“On the other side of the coin I get to keep some characters and create an even stronger bond with them. In The Coal Miner’s Son, two new characters join the saga that aren’t in fact human but animals. One, Millie, who is a young jet-black horse, and the second, Tassles  a beautiful red setter. Tassles stays with me for longer as she’s featured in Book 3, ‘The Granville Legacy’ too.

“Creating a character takes a lot of thought and as writers we need all the help we can get. I find ‘Character Creation’ by Linda Anderson in Creative Writing, A Workbook of Reading, Edited by Linda Anderson a great asset, along with K M Welland’s Creating Character Arcs.

“My debut novel, House of Grace, is written in the first point of view of Grace Granville but in The Coal Miner’s Son, Grace has less of a voice and the narratorship is taken over by two narrators, nine-year-old George Gilmore, and his estranged Aunt Elizabeth, both telling their stories in first point of view. In Book 3, ‘The Granville Legacy’, Grace returns along with George, but George as a man.

“I love my characters and my characters become more than friends but family.”

About the Books:

Blurb for The Coal Miner’s Son

After tragedy hits the small coal mining village of Wintermore, nine-year-old miner’s son, George, is sent to Granville Hall to live with his titled grandparents.

Caught up in a web of treachery and deceit, George grows up believing his mother sold him. He’s determined to make her pay, but at what cost? Is he strong enough to rebel?

Will George ever learn to forgive?

Step back into the 60s and follow George as he struggles with bereavement, rejection and a kidnapping that changes his life forever. Resistance is George’s only hope.

Available via Amazon and all good bookstores: The Coal Miner’s Son

Blurb for House of Grace:

All sixteen-year-old Grace Granville has ever wanted is to become a successful dress designer. She dreams of owning her own fashion house and spends her spare time sketching outfits. Her father, Lord Granville, sees this as a frivolous activity and arranges suitors for a marriage of his choosing.

Grace is about to leave Greenemere, a boarding school in Brighton. Blissfully unaware of her father’s plans, she embarks on a new adventure. The quest includes a trip to Bolton’s Palais where she meets coal miner, Jack Gilmore. Grace’s life is never the same again.

Is Grace strong enough to defy Lord Granville’s wishes and find true love? Will she become a successful fashion designer? Where will she turn for help? House of Grace is the first book in the historical fiction family saga trilogy.

If you like Mr Selfridge and House of Eliott then you’ll love this riches to rags 1950s/60s saga. Delve into House of Grace and follow Grace Granville as she struggles with family conflict, poverty and tragedy.

Available via Amazon and all good book stores: House of Grace

About the author:

Patricia M Osborne is married with grown-up children and grandchildren. She was born in Liverpool but now lives in West Sussex. In 2019 she graduated with an MA in Creative Writing (University of Brighton).

Patricia writes novels, poetry and short fiction, and has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. Her first poetry pamphlet ‘Taxus Baccata’ is to be published by Hedgehog Poetry Press during 2020.

She has a successful blog  where she features other writers and poets. When Patricia isn’t working on her own writing, she enjoys sharing her knowledge, acting as a mentor to fellow writers and as an online poetry tutor with Writers’ Bureau.

 The Coal Miner’s Son is the second book in the House of Grace trilogy.

Discover more about Patricia M Osborne and her work via: Twitter | Facebook | Patricia’s Pen

Thank you so much for sharing a little insight into writing sagas and your relationships with your characters, Patricia. I love Tassles!
Congratulations on the publication of The Coal Miner’s Son and enjoy the rest of your Author of the Week! xx

Lexi Rees joins my Christmas Countdown!

Guest Post, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am delighted to welcome the Chindi Authors’ Author of the Week, Lexi Rees, to my Christmas Countdown! Lexi writes for children and is celebrating her forthcoming release, Wild Sky.

Welcome to my blog, Lexi. My children and I have read your first book, Eternal Seas, and greatly enjoyed it. Can you tell us a little about Wild Sky, the second in the Relic Hunters series? 

Thank you, to give you a taster of Wild Sky, here are some early reviews:

‘This action-packed blend of magical fantasy with classic kids adventuring is a swashbuckling read for 8+ year-olds, peppered with soft line-drawings and propelled by a strong sense of urgency.’ – LoveReading4Kids

‘Non-stop adventure with an exciting blend of magic and dystopia. Sinister villains, strange magic and thrilling adventure. I loved it!’ – Claire Fayers, author of The Accidental Pirates series, Mirror Magic and Storm Hound

‘Raging seas, snowy lands, fortresses and monasteries – the quest for the relics continues at an exhilarating pace. You won’t put it down!’ – Jude Lennon, author of the Hal series and other books

And the blurb:

After delivering the pearl, Finn and Aria thought life would return to normal.
But with the survival of the clans still in peril, they must continue their quest.
Can they find the next relic before the forces of evil?
Not everyone is who they appear to be
And time is running out …

Wow! That sounds great, and as my blog is full of festive cheer at the moment, I must ask, does any of the action takes place over Christmas?

Wild Sky (published on 28thNovember) starts with my characters finding a riddle about the Cold Moon – the last full moon of the year. Unfortunately, this means they’re going to be sailing off on an impossible quest over Christmas itself. The world is effectively a child-friendly introduction to dystopia (no nuclear holocausts or anything distressing) and there is no reference to Christmas (or any other festivals) in it.

So a great all-year-round read, and I am sure a wonderful addition to the Christmas stocking list of all adventure loving, middle grade, readers.

Find Wild Sky on Amazon.

***To celebrate the publication of Wild Sky, Lexi also has a great giveaway running ENTER HERE!***

With your characters off on a quest, I am intrigued to know what you will be up to this festive season…

We have a pretty traditional family Christmas although now the kids are older it can start at a far more leisurely time than it used to! My brother is a doctor at Great Ormand Street Children’s Hospital so we don’t always get to do the family celebration on Christmas Day itself, but when we get together it always feels like it, even if it’s actually a few days later than everyone else!

I’m completely addicted to mince pies and start doing essential “research” into the best brand as soon as they first make an appearance in the shops, so my Christmas breakfast is coffee and mince pies.

Then we all gather at someone’s house. I’m lucky that my side of the family all live reasonably nearby – my husband’s side of the family are scattered across the globe. We take turns – I’m off the hook this year as I hosted last year. My catering responsibilities include the cranberry jelly, sprouts with pancetta and chestnuts, and bread sauce which hardly anyone eats but it reminds me of my granny so is compulsory.

Your Christmas sounds lovely, and I completely agree that good mince pie research is essential 😉 Before you go, I’d love you to answer some quick questions from my festive selection:

Mince pie or Christmas pudding? Both. Have you tried left-over Christmas pudding stir fried in butter? Yummy!

Favourite Christmas film? Them all! One a day in the run up, more if I can get away with it. It’s a Wonderful life is still a treat. Die Hard, Home Alone, Love Actually, Bad Santa, Rise of the Guardians. And don’t forget the panto! Oh yes we do. Even though the kids are far too old!

Multi-coloured decs or co-ordinated Christmas tree? Red, gold, bronze, green, white, sparkly errr I think that’s pretty matchy-matchy actually, although I suspect it’s classified as multi-coloured by most people.

Must read Christmas book? Narnia, of course!

Best Christmas gift? An AGA.

Worst Christmas gift? A set of pans. You can take the “she likes cooking” thing too far!

First Quality Street flavour to disappear from your tub? We don’t fight over our favourites but, as with the characters in my short story in the Chindi Christmas anthology the strawberry fondants are always left.

Sprouts or no sprouts? What do you mean no sprouts? Unthinkable! And not just for Christmas. As long as they’re not boiled to death they’re delicious. So many great sprout recipes – do you want one?

Haha, I love the fact that an AGA was acceptable but a set of pans wasn’t!

Thank you so much for joining my Christmas countdown and I wish you and your family a very happy Christmas. xx

About the author:

Lexi Rees was born in Scotland but now lives down south. She writes action-packed adventures and workbooks for children.

She’s passionate about developing a love of reading and writing in children and, as well as her Creative Writing Skillsworkbook, she has an active programme of school visits and other events, is a Book PenPal for three primary schools, and runs a free online #kidsclub and newsletter which includes book recommendations and creative writing activities.

In her spare time, she’s a keen crafter and spends a considerable amount of time trying not to fall off horses or boats.

Books by Lexi Rees:

The Relic Hunters #1, Eternal Seas, was awarded a “loved by” badge from LoveReading4Kids and is currently long-listed for a Chanticleer award.

And in case you missed it, here’s my review:

My children and I loved this tale of adventurers, Finn and Aria. Both characters capture the imagination as the quest and their unique role within it unfolds. Pippin – the small girl with a big personality – was a great addition to the cast of characters too.

Their world is brought to life through descriptive language that is aptly used to hold the focus of middle-grade readers. Finn and Aria’s abilities (and Aria’s bow and arrow) hooked my children in as they willed them to fulfil their potential within the story.

Having short chapters it is an ideal read for younger confident readers, and as a story to share.

Eternal Seas is a brilliant introduction to the fantasy genre and stepping stone for future readers of books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. I loved the fact it had a futuristic setting but also harked back to an earlier time of magic and the reemergence of these powers.

As a parent, I thought it was a great read for my children – it has all the potential to become a classic, and as a teacher, I could see how I could use this book to discuss and inspire writing about imaginary worlds. I look forward to the next book.

The sequel, Wild Sky, is available for pre-order now.

Discover more about Lexi and her work here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram |

Don’t miss Choc Lit author, Marie Laval, joining my Christmas Countdown on Thursday 28th November!

Welcoming Isabella Muir on writing cosy mysteries.

Guest Post, Writing & Reading, , , , , , , , , , ,

Writer of cosy mysteries, Isabella Muir, is the Chindi Authors’ Author of the Week! To celebrate this, and the lead up to Agatha Christie’s birthday, she is taking part in a series of blog posts about her own Sussex Crime series. 

Welcome to my blog, Isabella, it is great to have you, and I am looking forward to finding out more about you and your work, as you explain what makes a cosy mystery.

Over to Isabella …

In this lead up to the birthday of that great Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, I have been exploring what makes for a cosy mystery. It seems that the term ‘cosy’ was first coined in the late 20th century when various writers produced work in an attempt to re-create the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

When I investigate Wikipedia I discover that my Sussex Crime series fits perfectly into the genre, even though when I wrote the first in the series, The Tapestry Bag, I hadn’t ever considered the genre and knew little about it. I hadn’t planned to write a cosy mystery, but it seems that my young amateur sleuth, Janie Juke, fits the bill just perfectly. Let’s take a look at some of the suggested criteria and see why…

The detectives in such stories are nearly always amateurs, and are frequently women. These characters are typically well educated, intuitive, and hold jobs that bring them into constant contact with other residents of their community and the surrounding region (eg, caterer, innkeeper, librarian, teacher, dog trainer, shop owner, reporter).

We first meet amateur sleuth, Janie Juke, when she has taken on the job of a librarian responsible for a mobile library van. The Sussex Crime series is set in the late 1960s in Sussex, when mobile libraries were a popular feature in most towns. As Janie travels around the seaside resort of Tamarisk Bay she is at the very heart of the community and is happy to lend an ear to anyone who wants to chat!

Like other amateur detectives, they typically have a contact on the police force who can give them access to important information about the case at hand, but the contact is typically a spouse, lover, friend, or family member rather than a former colleague. Dismissed by the authorities in general as nosy busybodies, particularly if they are middle-aged or elderly women, the detectives in cosy mysteries are thus left free to eavesdrop, gather clues, and use their native intelligence and intuitive “feel” for the social dynamics of the community to solve the crime.

Janie’s father, Philip, spent a brief time as a detective before he had an accident, which has left him blind.  Father and daughter have a very close relationship, which means that Philip acts as a perfect sounding board as Janie tries to gather clues and solve the crime. In the first book of the series, The Tapestry Bag, Janie uses her intuition and is really feeling her way.  She successfully solves the crime and as a result is approached to take on a new case in the second book in the series, Lost Property, when someone is prepared to pay her.  Quite a development.

The murderers in cosies are typically neither psychopaths nor serial killers, and, once unmasked, are usually taken into custody without violence. They are generally members of the community where the murder occurs and able to hide in plain sight, and their motives—greed, jealousy, revenge—are often rooted in events years, or even generations, old. The murderers are typically rational and often highly articulate, enabling them to explain, or elaborate on, their motives after their unmasking.

There will be no  spoilers here (!) but suffice it to say that the criminal in each of the books in the Sussex Crime series manage to ‘hide in plain’ sight.  Just as the suggested explanation above, their motives are certainly ‘greed, jealousy, revenge’ and I think that when the reader listens to the criminals explaining their motives they will agree that they appear very rational – maybe too rational!

The cosy mystery usually takes place in a town, village, or other community small (or otherwise insular) enough to make it believable that all the principal characters know, and may well have long-standing social relationships with, each other. The amateur detective is usually a gregarious, well-liked individual who is able to get the community members to talk freely about each other.

Janie Juke was born and brought up in Tamarisk Bay, a sleepy seaside resort in Sussex.  Her father has always lived there too.  As a result, the Juke family know all the locals and Janie has the chance to enlist the help of friends and neighbours when it comes to solving the crimes. In the second book in the series, Lost Property, Janie teams up with friend and young journalist, Libby Frobisher, and between them they ferret out clues and manage to get people talking to and about each other, which eventually leads them to solving the mystery.

Cosy mystery series frequently have a prominent thematic element introduced by the detective’s job, pet or hobby.

What could be better as a hobby for a librarian than reading books!  But not just any books.  In The Tapestry Bag readers discover that Janie Juke has a hero and that hero is Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot! Extracts from The Mysterious Affair at Styles introduce each chapter and Janie frequently tries to approach the case with Poirot in mind.

In this extract from The Tapestry Bag Janie’s father, Philip, prompts his daughter to tap into all she has learned from her reading…

“‘Do you know what I think?’ he said. ‘Take it back to basics. Blank out anything you know about her and start again. Be thorough, make lists.’

‘Are you teasing me now?’ Dad and Greg were forever teasing me about my inability to follow a system. Like I say, I am the least likely person to be a librarian, or an amateur detective, come to that.

‘There’s something else you can do.’

I waited.

‘Make use of all those Agatha Christie novels you’ve read and re-read since you were a little‘un.’

‘What do you mean ‘make use’?’

‘Search for patterns, clues, that’s what Poirot does.’

‘Nice idea, but that’s fiction. This is real.’

‘It won’t hurt to try.’

Dad’s advice for me to start from scratch inspired me to get organised. His suggestion about Agatha’s Poirot made me smile, but when I thought about it a bit more I realised it might just help. A few weeks earlier I’d started re-reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles, so I decided to scour the book to see if I could glean any tips from the wonderful Poirot and his sidekick, Hastings.”

Isabella continues…

This blog post is one of a series, which leads up to Agatha Christie’s birthday and national #cozymysteryday on 15thSeptember. To find out more about the great Queen of Crime and help to celebrate Agatha Christie’s birthday, then look out for the other blog posts in the series: Agatha Christie and Isabella Muir | Agatha Christie – a child of her time | Agatha Christie and the sixties  |  The good, the bad and the ugly |  Investigating the past  |  Agatha Christie and Janie Juke

As a present to you, on Agatha’s behalf, I am pleased to announce that the first book in my Sussex Crime series – The Tapestry Bag– will be available on Kindle for just £0.99p for one week only – grab it while you can!

And there’s more! Receive the FREE Sussex Crime novella, Divided we Fall when you sign up to receive Isabella’s newsletter, with cozy mystery news and views, special offers and so much more. Just click here.xx

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog Isabella. I wish you every success with being Author of the Week, and hope you enjoy Agatha Christie’s birthday celebrations.

Isabella Muir is the author of the Sussex Crime Mysteryseries: BOOK 1: THE TAPESTRY BAG | BOOK 2: LOST PROPERTY | BOOK 3: THE INVISIBLE CASE | Her latest novel is:THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN

Discover more about Isabella and her work via: Twitter | Facebook | website | Goodreads