I’m afraid my newsletter is a wee bit late this month. I put this down to having started a new job. Actually, I started it 5 days before lockdown in August. Talk about timing! It’s three days a week in a women’s wear store, and I’m embarrassed to admit it was a bit of a shock to the system to realise that spending pretty much the last two years on my butt in front of a computer – along with several other things, ie: Covid eating and little aerobic exercise – has wreaked havoc with my fitness level. I am stupidly tired at the end of a working day and need a ridiculous amount of recovery time in order to bounce back to productivity.
I was lucky to enjoy the luxury of staying home to write prior to the Covid tidal wave, and the change in working situations and conditions, but I got to wondering about those writers who keep their day job while penning their novels, even when successful already (every second one of them seems to be a lawyer). How do they manage to fit everything in? How on earth do they do it?
I follow an author on Twitter who writes under a pseudonym because, I imagine, he holds a sensitive, high-powered job. Under normal circumstances he also travels internationally for work. He writes thrillers, and to comments from readers like “this story line is too far-fetched, it couldn’t possibly have happened”, he has replied, “Well it happened, and I know that because I was there . . . “
I’m thinking “Whaaat?”. Forget about me being able to do that sort of job and still write a book a year. I’m nine hours on my feet at work and need a cup of tea and a lie down when I get home.
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As I gear up to start on Hennessey’s third adventure, it’s lovely to get feedback about her second foray into sleuthing. Here are some excerpts from reviews in so far.
“”DYING GRASS MOON is highly recommended for fans of Westerns who want an entertaining read and different take on the usual cowboys and Indians.” Vali, Goodreads
“This was a great sequel in the Hennessey Reed series, it had what I enjoyed from the first one. The plot was wonderfully done and had great characters.” Kay, Netgalley
“A really complex, well-developed character who is a fantastic heroine . . .” Louise, Netgalley
Reviews are important to authors, so please consider posting an honest opinion or star rating of Hennessey’s adventures on your preferred platform. They are really appreciated.
Did you know . . .
- Amazon’s Kindle Cloud Reader is a web-based reader app that can be accessed from any device rather than just one, and is super easy to set up and use.
- Richard Curtis, who wrote’ Four Weddings and a Funeral’ and’ Love, Actually’, was born in Wellington.
- In 1872, during its first year as a National Park, Yellowstone welcomed 300 visitors. Now, over 4 million people visit this wonder of Nature annually.
Take care and happy reading,
Andrea
P.S. I’d love to hear from you, so feel free to drop me a line.
On my bedside table at the moment is THE QUIET PEOPLE, by Paul Cleave.
The tagline for this novel is ‘Can crime writers get away with murder?’
That’s a very good question. Paul Cleave is often described as’ the crown prince of antipodean noir’ for good reason. Three-time winner of New Zealand’s Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel – and winner and short-listee for numerous other awards – this is another rip-snorter of a story from him. To say too much may give the game away, but if you’re looking for a fab,exciting read you can’t go wrong with Christchurch-based Cleave.
“A drop of ink may make a million think.”
– Lord Byron
