Thursday 2nd February 2023

Hi everybody- long time no communicate! I have, however, been writing – on 29th November 2022 Boldwood launched my second book with them, The Family at No.12.

This awesome book is currently sitting at #5 in the overall Kindle rankings, something that seemed so far out of reach… but it wasn’t. It has garnered a massive 1,212 reviews, and has been at #5 for about eight days now. It has had an amazing knock on effect with all my books, and One Hot Summer, my first book with Boldwood, is also riding high in the charts at #238.

My Bloodhound books are clambering up the charts, and Beautiful, my debut novel from 2015, is currently around the 9,500 ranking. I couldn’t be more pleased about this, and one day I will do a major edit on it, and re-release it, but for now if it’s purchased, you get it warts and all.

A new book will be launched in six days time, on 8th February 2023, called Fatal Secrets. It is book one in a trilogy. If it sells well it could be more than a trilogy, who knows? It is set in Sheffield, in an area called Gleadless, and the overarching banner for the trilogy is The Forrester Detective Agency Mysteries.

After that first book there will be a standalone, currently called Actions and Consequences, but it’s anybody’s guess what it will be called when it’s released lol. That is currently with Boldwood, going through a structural edit.

So what am I doing now? I’m writing two books at the same time is what I’m doing. Book number one, and my main priority, is the second book in the Forrester series. It begins with a burglary that escalates into something much worse. It has a fascinating title – Book Five. That’s simply because it’s the fifth book in my five book deal I signed a contract for, I’ll wait and see what it appears as on the front cover.

The second book I am working on is one that is really close to my heart. It’s no secret amongst my readers that my personal favourite of all my books is Winterscroft. It’s by no means my biggest seller, although since it’s launch in 2016 it has done quite well. It is my only supernatural book, was first written in 1992, and then I lost the print out of the manuscript. I rewrote it from memory in 2015, and although Bloodhound were dubious about it they published it because 34 Days had been a top seller, reaching #22 in the rankings. I think they saw it as a reward for me, and it was.

But I want to write another, and I chatted with Trish Dixon (my co-author of Liars) about it several times, until in the end she shouted at me, said a girl on a beach, now write the bloody story! So I am. The book is called Cain Jacobs, I have written 12k words in it after about two years of working on it in dribs and drabs, but it’s nibbling away at my brain, so I do 2k words on Book Five, and Ik words on Cain every day. I don’t know what I’ll do with it when it’s finished, maybe self-publishing might be an answer, but finish it I will because it won’t let me go.

So that’s my life as it is at the moment. On a personal level I am well, but Dave isn’t; we keep plodding on. We have three great grandchildren, Lily, Elle and William, and this year two more will be added, two little girls. One is due in April, and one in June.

Thank you for all your support over the years, long may it continue.

Anita xxx