Hi

Since I last wrote I’ve moved into a new house – it’s two doors up the road from the old one, and newly refurbished with a little garden and a driveway to park in. The place already feels like home, and the dog has stopped looking confused and following me about! There’s still a bit more unpacking to do, but it’s either in the spare room or the garage, so normal life has more or less resumed. Which means I can now sit down to begin the first draft of my next book, which is set at the end of the Second World War. It’s a subject I’m just drawn to again and again, and I’m really excited to get started.

I’ve been reading a bit about author branding recently, and apparently I’m doing it completely wrong. The message from those who claim to know these things is that authors should stick with one genre, so that readers know exactly what they’re getting with every book that author writes.

This advice has come rather too late for me as I’ve already written two World War II novels, a historical fantasy trilogy, a romance, and a historical novel that can only be described as literary fiction. One suggestion was that we should use a different pen name for different genres so that readers don’t get confused. While I understand the argument, I’m not sure I agree – I think readers are smart enough to figure out which of an author’s books might appeal to them, and a lot of readers like to read more than one genre. What do you think? I’d love to get your feedback.

On the subject of branding, I’m absolutely thrilled with the new cover of Another Time and Place. I think it’s beautiful and sits very nicely alongside The Officer’s Affair. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Book of the Month.

I’ve not read a lot of fiction recently as I’ve been doing research for the new novel, but A Woman in Berlin is just as good as any novel I’ve ever read. Written with wry humour as a journal by an anonymous journalist in Berlin at the end of the war, it’s a searingly honest, insightful, and moving account of the citizens’ experience of the Russian occupation of their city. Highly recommended.

Till next month,

Happy Reading!

Samantha Grosser

https:www.samanthagrosserbooks.com