First of all, welcome! A lot of you are new to this newsletter, and it makes me so happy to have you here, you have no idea!

That said, without further ado, let's dive in!

A Slice Of Mystery is on NetGalley until February 8th: if you enjoyed the first chapters and regularly review books, why not request it? No guarantee the request will be successful, but as I always say, "If you don't ask, you don't get!"

January has been an odd month on the book front, as I formatted the paperback, which did involve correcting some typos, but was mostly about making it pretty and visually comfortable to read. I'm happy with the result, and I'm hoping my readers will be too. Do you prefer reading on paper or on screen? I'm curious!

The rest of the month was spent on various publishing-related activities, and me learning new ways to bring my books to readers, without feeling like I was going against who I am (social media), shouting into the void (social media), or shoving my books down people's throats (social media!). There's still a lot for me to learn, particularly with advertising and reaching out to so-called traditional media, but I think I'm going in the right direction, and hopefully the readers who will love my books will find me!

I've also been watching my pre-order numbers like a (slightly demented) hawk, and a huge thank you to those of you who have already pre-ordered! It may not seem like a big thing, but it sends a signal to the retailers that people are interested in this book, and in return, the retailers (and their pet algorithm) put the book in front of more potential readers (butterfly effect in all its glory!).

While it's been nice to learn new publishing skills I desperately need, I can't wait to go back to proper writing! I started on a short story that takes place a couple of months after A Slice Of Mystery, and about four months before book 2, Two Sparks Of Mystery, but the itch to draft the third and fourth books is strong!

Coming 1st February, I'm bringing you not one, but two free books offers:

If you like cozy mysteries and/or no-spice romance, over a hundred authors (117 at the time of writing this) are bringing you their free books or book excerpts, so do check them out from Sunday 1st February, the offer runs all month.

If you like sci-fi dystopia, then you're in for a treat with Dystopia Ever After, also starting Sunday 1st February, and also lasting for the whole month. The excerpt (first 7 chapters) of my Young Adult novel Your Knowledge Or Your Life? is in there, and it has been described as "a YA combination of Portal Sci-Fi, Slice of Life, Light Sci-Fi, Comedy and later on, the story veers into a suspense direction," "a YA cozy mystery comedy," and "an excellent YA book that even older readers will enjoy!"

Oh, I almost forgot, the ebook will be on sale from Thursday 12th to Wednesday 18th February!

Lots of culling this past month (which doesn't necessarily equate to lots of reading - don't judge!) - I took out a big pile of the non-fiction books that had been on one of my TBR shelves for (too many) years, and gave them a chance: I read the first chapter for all of them. If it felt like I wanted to read more, but didn't have enough mental space, or wasn't in the mood for the topic, then they went back on the TBR shelf. If I struggled to make it to the end of the first chapter, off to the donation pile they went... I think the pile had twelve books (I should have counted them), and I kept two!

Otherwise, I spent some time in the seventeenth century, both in France with the Princess of Cleves by Mme de la Fayette, and New England with the Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, both of which I'd been procrastinating on since my school / university days, many years ago!

Another read (I had some time before Christmas, see "Life News" below), was the complete Lord Darcy series by Randall Garrett. A friend had recommended it years ago, and a thick tome to keep me company was just what I needed. At first it bored me, but when I turned the last page, I found I was disappointed there were no more stories (most of them were short stories)! I think the only reason I felt bored at first was that the first story was written in the mid-sixties, and the style of writing and pace were different to more recent writings. If you like the Sherlock Holmes stories, and you like a bit of magic sprinkled on top, you should give them a try!

I've also done a bit of re-reading, with one of my favourite series, The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman - even though I know what happens, it's still a real pleasure to read. This one also features a great detective that could be Sherlock Holmes, but with portal fantasy and paranormal elements, all the while remaining cozy... a real treat!

I got an early Christmas present, the day I sent I out my last newsletter: acute appendicitis! Needless to say my end-of-year break wasn't exactly as planned, but thankfully it was more around frustration at not being able to do what I wanted (couldn't lift heavy things - including the cat, couldn't walk far, couldn't sit on the ground - so no giant jigsaw puzzle, etc.), rather than pain.

I did do a bit of reading, I installed some PC games I'd played as a teenager, and I did spend more than a few hours playing SimCity and Caesar, both simulation games involving building cities and making them a pleasant place to live while making sure they earn their keep.

It did make me reflect on my money habits, and it got me wondering whether the fact that as an adult, I've always been pretty good at managing my money, had anything to do with playing those games (and The Sims) as a teenager, since all of them involved managing a budget, with consequences if you ran out of money (in the case of The Sims, if you ran out of money, the fridge would be empty, and your sim would starve to death...).

As the month went on and I recovered from the surgery, I got more and more done, including some of the baking I'd wanted to do over the break (I'd never realised quite how much I used my abs when kneading and stirring!), but there is still a lot more to do, including putting the Christmas tree away (all the decorations were packed away weeks ago, but the tree remains!). I think it's time to reshuffle my themed weeks (check out "life news" in this past newsletter if you don't know what I mean), and to spend a week on life admin!

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This went on for much, much longer than I anticipated, sorry! Tell me, what would you change in this newsletter? I love feedback and constructive criticism, so just hit reply and let me know what you think!