Written by my Edinburgh friend and fellow Capital Writer, Jo Allen, I’m delighted to feature this 4th outing for Jo’s Lake District detective, DI Jude Satterthwaite and his team.
If you thought lovely rural locations meant sentimental Christmassy scenes to everyone, dipping into Jo’s cleverly crafted pyschological mysteries, will certainly make you reconsider.
We all need a good whodunnit on the go over Christmas and this is going to be mine.
There may be a cover reveal along soon.
Shopping again locally this morning as I now have a functioning and empty freezer to fill. Bread in first with some rasps. Hoping for a trip out to Craigie’s pick your own soon. We love gooseberries and they are so hard to find in the shops. Currently cooking some chicken which will be the first ‘dinner’ to go in.
Really quiet day yesterday and went to bed early to read fellow Capital Writer, Jo Allen’s book, Death in Coffin Lane. Continued with that this afternoon and the bodies are mounting up. Honestly, Jo is such a nice woman – where does this homicidal urge come from?
DH lost at bridge again – poor cards! The season ends soon…
Haven’t started a new jigsaw. Must reduce my TBR. Really must.
What ways have you slipped into that now need addressing?
Anne
The exit plans and strategies for leaving Covid- 19 behind, are struggling to be heard amidst the clamour of other concerns. There’s a feeling among some of the folk I chat to on my walkabouts that they’re going to miss the comparative calm of being in lockdown. Reading this morning’s press, I can see where that feeling might be coming from.
There was a wee flurry of new books and new editions of books among my writing acquaintance yesterday. In that flurry, I managed to miss the new DCI Satterthwaite mystery, Death in Coffin Lane by my fellow Capital Writer, Jo Allen (aka Jennifer Young). It has been available for pre-order of course, but yesterday was the official publication date. You can find your kindle copy here
It was a two bag shop yesterday bringing in some of the items I’d used up. Also, I made a lime meringue pie for supper. Have done better, but it was okay. DH won at croquet and also at scrabble. Have done better…
Good progress on the wip and another lovely family chat. Exciting promise of a visit when the barriers come down.
Connected through Facebook with an Australian author also published by Endeavour Press, now LUME. Prompted me to remember I hadn’t changed that on my FB profile. Honestly, the business of writing often adds up to more than the writing of writing. Now done and the book I have with them is Courting the Countess, a Scottish Regency. Also in a (closed for now) library, possibly near you, courtesy of Ulverscroft.
Anne
The gang of teenage Herring gulls irritating the neighbourhood has been around for a while now. I don’t have a pic of a herring gull, but these cranes created by the kitchen on board a boat on Hulong Bay are way more elegant – and a lot quieter.
Background noise is always with us and even in these unnaturally quiet days of lockdown, there are rustles. Let’s hope the whispering campaign to ease the social distancing doesn’t become a bellowing before we’re ready to cope.
Shopping for a neighbour and a lovely family chat were yesterday’s highlights. Almost finsihed the daytime book which is Death At Eden’s End by Jo Allen. Who dunnit?
Cooked a new chicken and chorizo recipe from yesterday’s Woman’s Weekly. V. good. DH played online bridge and went to a Gotomeeting.
Sad to learn the DC Thomson publication, The Weekly News is to cease. 165 years young – a goodly innings.
Anne
These aren’t the actual friends I was chatting with, but in more ordinary times, they might have been. This was taken at last year’s RNA conference in Lancaster and features three of the Capital Writers. Here’s No 4
During Lockdown:
Kate Blackadder has published a new anthology of short stories,
Jo Allen has shared the cover for her third DI Satterthwaite book,
Death on Coffin Lane which is available to pre-order.
Jane is offering her
Things We Choose To Hide, free until Wed April 22nd.
As reported earlier, I have accepted an offer for a short novel from My Weekly, title and dates to follow.
We’ve had much to discuss electronically, if not in person. I hope you’re all finding people to talk with and things other than the virus to discuss.
I hope by the time this post goes live, the glitches marring yesterday’s RR will have been resolved. My apologies, but I don’t know why some of the posts aren’t showing as they should.
Friday saw the above mentioned chatting with friends on Whereby – worked really well. I made an Eve’s pudding and remembered to sprinkle sliced almonds on the top. Yay! I took a lucky dip bag of books to a friend deprived of her local library at present. I cannot find any Bran Flakes – do not send toilet rolls, thank you.
Anne
On the Boil
In fact, the bubble isn’t bursting, but there is a sense of things coming to a boil.
I enjoyed a short chat with one of our medical neighbours yesterday as she sat outside with one of her children. Before long, I found myself saying, “Of course I’m living in a bubble’. It’s an apology of sorts for the fact she, with children, is going into the front line and I am staying at home writing a blog about staying at home.
Doing what appears to be nothing is frustrating. Even when one understands why it’s being asked, it’s frustrating. However, deep breaths, we must carry on staying at home and thereby contribute to the best end result the country can achieve.
A Quality Product
Great call with some of the family yesterday. DH won at bridge, including a small slam achieved by his partner. Wrote!
Took note of things to tell you about:
On Facebook, pointed out by Kate Blackadder, What’s Onstage are streaming the live UK premiere of the musical Pride and Prejudice. Find that hereÂ
Music by Paul Gordon
The Royal Scottish Academy, RSA, is having a virtual annual exhibition. That’s here
News of that came from a friend in France!
Capital Writer Jennifer, writing as Jo Allen, had a cover reveal for her third title from Aria books, Death on Coffin Lane. Pre-order here
This book is the third outing for Jo’s DCI Jude Satterthwaite.
There was a short and uplifting service from Mayfield Salisbury yesterday to mark Good Friday. Find that here
Short sermon by Revd Helen Alexander. Readings by Walter Thomson.
Stay Home
Anne
A small selection of the novels by EWC members past and present.
I did say early on in this excercise that I’d surprise myself if it kept up. I’m being surprised as this is the seventh post.
We’re all grateful to the small shops, the delivery folk, the people enabling the printing of our newspapers, the posties and the many, many others in more often mentioned jobs who keep going and, therefore, keep the community going.
Within that, there are yet others.
Yesterday, my church, Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, posted a Sunday Service, with children’s address, on the website. My cousin sent me a link to a poetry exchange. My writer’s club, Edinburgh Writers’ Club, some published tomes featured above, is active in online ‘conversations’. People are phoning one another. Remember the telephone?
Pumpherston, a village in West Lothian, is asking folk to put stuffed teddies in their windows so the village children can spot them and thus be encouraged to take a walk for exoercise.
Whatever contribution you can make – do it. It may be small, but it may also be just what someone needs.
On the grand scale, today sees the launch of Scotland Cares. Widely reported, it might allow you to volunteer. Details are here
I did walk yesterday. I have the means to make soup today, butternut squash from the WI book of soup recipes. The sun is shining.
I see my friend, Jo Allen, is enjoying great sales with her DI Satterthwaite books. The most recent is Death At Eden’s End.
Till tomorrow,
Anne
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