The weather is certainly strange. The heat seems to have deserted us for the moment, and we now have a very changeable situation, with sultry humidity and torrential downpours, with hot sunny intervals. Yesterday, Philosopher and I were down in town when the biggest downpour happened, and don’t ask me how or why, I had also just had the best part of a large frappe latte land in my lap… Battleaxe is still not feeling totally 100%, have had range of blood tests and nothing shows up. As I said last time, this book business is far more stressful than I could ever have realised. The paperback version of ‘Death, Deceit and Cake’ is now available from Amazon. I loved this FB photo of the book on the table at their favourite little bar in Sao Marcos da Serra, Portugal, with daughter Clara and son-in-law Steve. Thanks to Steve for the photo.
I am quite pleased with the paperback but the layout could have been better. As I said in my last post, the inner (gutter) margin is too wide, making the text look like it is in a strip down the middle of the page. But it is perfectly fine, and selling well. Probably I shouldn’t fuss so much. I have had some lovely 5 star reviews of the book on Amazon, from people from all walks of life – I am quite touched.
As usual, here is the Amazon link. Go on, you’ll enjoy it!
I have just come back from having lunch with writer friends Jill and Roz in the very nice Laya on St Leonards sea-front. It is a Sri Lankan restaurant and very reasonably priced. Yummy food – Battleaxe would recommend. Anyway, I was saying to them that I find it so much easier to write now that I have accepted that I am never going to be a Booker-prize-winning literary novelist. I write light-hearted, readable, hopefully quite funny whodunnits… Battleaxe is now busy writing the further adventures of Caroline and Olga. Lots of bodies as usual. Caroline is now an estate agent and still confused about her sexuality, and as for Olga? ooh, no spoilers!
I am concerned that being an aspirational author now means that maybe I should be more restrained when expressing my views on social media, and on here. I have read about people disagreeing with an author’s reviews and ‘punishing’ them by leaving them abusive one star reviews on Amazon. In some ways, I think, do I care? Do I want a load of Trump supporters reading my stuff? But – what if they are rich Trump supporters? Oh, take a grip, Battleaxe, where is your morality? So, I’ll express a view on here, quick.
Battleaxe is very distressed indeed about Palestine/Gaza. I can hardly bear to watch the news as day after day, people are massacred and slowly starve to death. We all seem quite powerless to influence our governments to Do Something. Part of me feels I should go down to town draped in a Palestine flag, shout and protest, and get myself arrested. Perhaps I could even do some writing in prison. But in reality, I might get beaten up by the police and then banged up in a cell with a homicidal heroin addict… Several people from Hastings/St Leonards have been arrested recently. I genuinely admire their courage.
So, enough views for now. I have not shown a picture on here of our Digby the cat for ages. He is now 17 and beginniing to show his age. He is simultaneously overweight yet is getting that bony look that older animals have. Saturday was the first day for ages he came upstairs for his breakfast in bed lick-out of my cereal bowl.
And to finish, here is a truly ridiculous photo of Battleaxe in what used to be WH Smith but is now TG Jones. It was taken while we waited for the torrential rain to stop yesterday. What on earth would possess the new owners to change the name like that? And who would be possessed to put a photo like that on the internet…. The woman looks demented.
Well done on your sales! I’ve given up worrying and just write what I like and want to publish. I haven’t started your book yet as I’ve been tied up with beta reading other authors’ books, but I will read it soon! I love whodunnits, so I’m looking forward to it!