Hi,

Further to the laptop saga, it has finally given up the ghost, letting me know it's time to stop throwing good money after bad. As I invested in a solid state drive last time it failed, I'm able to access my data through a nifty device using a USB cable. Unfortunately, that still leaves me using an old desktop computer, in an unheated study, just as it's turning chilly. Such is life.

Thank you to all those readers who agreed to BETA read the Silence of Children. I've received some really useful feedback and suggestions, some of which I have incorporated into the text. It's a real pleasure to have such a supportive group of people out there, in many parts of the world, so thank you very much for interacting with me. If you took a copy and haven't yet read it, I'm still open to suggestions, but soon it will be in the line-editing stage. I've decided to try this one with mainstream agents, but so far my offerings have been universally rejected. I'm giving ten agents a month to decide whether they like this work, and if I hear nothing, I'll put it up on Amazon, and offer the book to those of you who kind enough to provide a review. The ongoing conflict between mainstream versus self-publishing means that mainstream publishers are hanging onto their elitism, so once I self publish this work, none of them will give it a second glance.

Those readers who said STOP WRITING EMAILS AND WRITE A SEQUEL!!! might like to know the sequel is being mapped. I'd be happy to receive feedback on the proposed covers, above, though, the title of the second book might yet change...

In the meantime, I'm finishing a novel, begun whilst doing the Creative Masters at UCC a few years back. This has a more literary flavour than my other novels. It won't be a huge book, coming out at under 70k words, at my present estimation (I'm at 50k now). Check it out via the link. When it's complete, I will offer this to BETA readers who express an interest, so watch this space.

Storyboard - A Spiny Issue

This month I thought I'd share my affinity with cacti. My husband suggested it's because we have the same prickly nature, but there are many reasons to admire these plants: their amazing durability, their architectural structure, and in the summer, brief flashes of exotic beauty. Even if you're not a lover of these plants, take a moment to admire them.

Free Books

As always, click on the images below to access some free books. I can't guarantee the quality of any (except mine), but if you do find one that moves you, please go that extra mile and provide the author with a review. Check the dates the offer go live; you might need to come back to this email on 16th October.

No banner was provided for this first option, so simply click on the text:

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