Happy New Year - January Update
Jan 15, 2024 12:18 pm
Hi
Happy New Year wherever you are in the world, and welcome to any new subscribers. I hope you had a good break over the festive season and 2024 has been good to you so far. I can’t believe we’re half way through January already!
I had a lovely break, spending most of it in the Blue Mountains just west of Sydney, which is my favourite place to be. The bush walking is incredible, with walks for every level of fitness; ranging from15 minute strolls to spectacular lookouts right through to 3-day hikes if you’re that way inclined. We did a couple of 3 hour walks, which is more my speed, and the views were amazing.
I also actually took a bit of a break from writing, (and thinking about writing) which doesn’t happen often, and I’ve come back refreshed and ready for the new year, with plans for a new World War II series. There’s a lot of research to do before I can get started, and I’m wary of saying too much at this stage – it always feels like I might jinx things if I talk about it too soon. I need to let the ideas just percolate – I jot them down but don’t try to order them in any way for a while. But I’ve started on the research, ordering books and tracking down information on line, and you can be sure you’ll be the first to know once I am ready to talk about it!
Letters from the Past – the new novella – will be out in May, and it will be available to pre-order very soon. I will of course let you know.
People sometimes ask me why I’m drawn to write about World War II, and there is no one answer I can think of. But I was clearing out the other day and came across an old school notebook for my English class when I was eleven years old. The first piece of creative writing I found in it was a set in the Second World War, and Glenn Miller even got a mention as my hero! So it seems it’s been a fascination right from childhood.
What I’m reading – Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons. A fascinating retelling of Romeo and Juliet from the point of view of Rosaline, who was Juliet’s cousin and Romeo’s lover first. You will never look at the play the same way again.
What I’m watching – Fargo Season 5. The same brilliant quirky TV we’ve come to expect from Fargo. One more episode to go, and I’m already missing it.
Please do drop me a line if you have any comments or feedback - I'd love to hear from you.
Here are the links to my books. Have you read them all?
See you next time – until then, happy reading!
Kind regards
Samantha
https://www.samgrosserbooks.com
