Thursday, June 21st 2012

Thursday, June 21st 2012

There you are.

Today is the longest day of the year. And for around eight consecutive years, the queen and I used to make a point of being in the very north of Scotland on this day. We used to stay on the north coast near Durness at a hamlet called Sango Bay overlooking the sea. It was a quiet and beautiful place to stay and write. I remember I used to go in and paddle … the water was cold and loads of jelly fish used to float in and be left on the silvery sand. I used to enjoy seeing how late one could stay up and read a newspaper in the unusual and ample natural light of the evening of the longest day. 11.40 pm I think was my record.

I’ve been trying to enjoy the bits of sunshine we’ve had and keep up with writing my new book. I hope that you’ve been enjoying the sunshine.

I said I’d let you know how my change for life was doing. Well, I’m disappointed to have to tell you that even after all the exercise and changes in diet, I have only lost ½ lb this past month. I have still to eat less or exercise more, or both. Of course I am not putting weight on and after a lifetime of always putting it on, I should be much relieved and comforted, but I’m not. One of the things, I have been advised to do by cheeky Helen (sexy Linda was away on holiday last time so I had to tolerate cheeky Helen), is cut out the potato from my salad and have 1 only slice of multi-grain bread. Now that is no big sacrifice, is it? I used to keep going back for more servings of those beautiful new potatoes. I’m going to give it a try and keep up with everything else and see if I can’t continue to lose significant weight. I expect to see sexy Linda next week on June 27th. I’ll be weighed again then, and I’ll tell you how I get on.

I hear two libraries are to close in Rotherham. It will only make a tiny difference to my earnings, but I am still sad to think of the people (particularly young people) there denied the opportunity to access the information, entertainment and the development of their dreams and imagination presented by books. It is so much richer than the pornography and rubbish promoted on tv and on the internet. I hope the government are not breeding gangs of unimaginative morons.

My latest Angel book, THE CHESHIRE CAT MURDERS, was chosen as the book of the week in the Bradford Telegraph and Argus on 25th May. Very kind of them.  

My next new Angel book, THE DIAMOND ROSARY MURDERS is still on track to be published in hardback in December.

THE SNUFFBOX MURDERS is now on Kindle and other electronic readers
and
THE MAN WHO COULDN’T LOSE
THE CURIOUS MIND OF INSPECTOR ANGEL
FIND THE LADY
THE WIG MAKER
and MURDER IN BARE FEET
will be published on Kindle and other electronic readers in October.

Thank you for your emails. I have replied to everybody. Always pleased to have your comments on my books and crime writing generally.
Have a great summer, and enjoy your reading.