First of all, many, many thanks to all of you who bought my Cornish Wartime Story books - Be Brave for Me and Promise You'll Wait; for making them successful and also for the smashing comments that you wrote. It's always good to connect with readers (especially as I'm an avid reader myself) and I believe firmly in the idea that a book doesn't only belong to the writer but only properly comes to life when it gets into a reader's hands. So, thank you all for that and for your continued support and encouragement.
Another book is on the way very soon now - goes on pre-order in early June. It's another one in the Cornish series. My thanks to those brilliant people at Bookouture who are helping it on its way!
Good to speak to you again and I hope everyone is managing to hang on in there and get some joy out of this year of 2023. It's been a hard struggle for some people but most of us are in the same boat (apart from the millionaires) and that boat has been more like a leaky canoe at times than a luxury liner.
Take heart, though, we can still escape it all by disappearing into the pages of a book and allowing their writers to sweep us up in their stories. I love reading, especially fiction, and want to thank the authors of books I've enjoyed this year. I'm grateful for the time and effort they've dedicated to writing their stories. My thanks go to Christy Lefteri (who also wrote bestseller The Beekeeper of Aleppo) for her beautiful novel Songbirds; to Liane Moriarty for her exciting Apples Never Fall and Joanna Cannon for her quirky book Three Things about Elsie.
I've also enjoyed another incredible book this year. It's not fiction, which is my usual feast, but a non-fiction book (and rather thrilling) by Dr Sarah-Louise Miller. She's a historian who specialises in 'recovering the hidden histories of women'. I've been reading her book about the WAAF during the 2nd World War. It's called 'The Women Behind the Few' (the Few being the Battle of Britain pilots). It's all about the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and a group of dedicated women who worked hard during wartime and have largely been forgotten. I've found it fascinating (especially if you like history) and it's been a very useful addition to my research for this latest book of mine.
Well, that's quite enough of all that - keep well everyone, especially those who are feeling a bit wobbly at the moment and perhaps on NHS waiting lists, may you not have too long to wait now. Here's hoping this year will bring you all you wish for.
Happy reading!