Editors, forgotten manuscripts, and new ideas
Nov 04, 2025 8:00 am
Hi
It’s been a while since I’ve written but I hope you’re all keeping well wherever you are in the world. A warm welcome to any new subscribers.
Life is its usual busy self – juggling the day job, the writing, and all the other many tasks and joys that make up an average day! I’m still managing to practise the harmonica a little bit most days, which is giving me great joy. I’m still very much a beginner, but as well as learning to play the music, I’m also learning to accept that it’s okay not to be good at something. I think we all tend to gravitate towards the things we find easy, but I’m realising there is also great pleasure to be found in spending time on things we find hard. It’ll be a while before I’m confident enough to play for any kind of audience, but even so, I’m loving it!
In writing news, you’ll be pleased to hear that All That Remains is finally with my editor. Mr G. (who you may remember is supposed to be my first reader) didn’t manage to read it before I sent it off, so now I’m more nervous than usual waiting for the editor’s thoughts. I always get nervous sending my work out for the first time, no matter how many times I’ve done it before. Each book carries its own set of writerly insecurities, and this one is no different!
If it comes back from the editor without needing any major changes (fingers crossed) I’m planning for a February release. Of course, I will keep you posted.
A few weeks ago I was looking through all the many bits and pieces of writing I’ve done over the years, and I came across a manuscript I wrote during COVID lockdown, which I'd more or less forgotten about. I’m now spending some time dusting it off and editing it and I think it has potential. It’s a little different from my usual genre – it's Victorian gothic, with a hint of the supernatural. I grew up on Victorian literature, and this one definitely sits in a similar category to Jane Eyre: a young woman alone, a remote house, and an enigmatic hero with secrets in his past. I’m thoroughly enjoying working on it – it’s a nice change of pace from writing about WW2.
I do have an idea for another war book though, and it’s currently percolating in the back of my thoughts. I plan to start putting words on paper for that one early next year – I’ve already begun doing the research.
What I’m reading: I’ve just finished Tangerine by Christine Mangan, which isn’t my usual fare at all, but I was captured by the beautiful cover. I’m glad I was – it’s a tautly plotted and beautifully written thriller set in Tangier that has echoes of The Talented Mr Ripley. Unputdownable. Here's the link so you can see the cover. https://www.hachette.com.au/christine-mangan/tangerine
What I’m watching: Ridley Road. A historical mini-series based on a true story about a group of Jewish activists who infiltrated the neo-Nazi British National Socialist Party in 1960s London. Gripping.
Here are the links to my books. Have you read them all?
Until next time, happy reading,
Kind regards
Samantha
https://www.samgrosserbooks.com
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/samantha-grosser
