Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy peaceful New Year with good books, joy and good things.

Happy Christmas

Stopping by to say that the first draft of book 12 aka Murder at the Jubilee is done and marinating now until the New Year when I'll polish it up and send it to my new editor. Thank you to all of my guest bloggers. And a huge thanks to all my lovely supportive readers for the kind comments and reviews this year. It means so much to know that someone has enjoyed a story that I've created. It makes all the research, muttering and neglected housework worthwhile. I'm looking forward to bringing you more Matt and Kitty stories in the New Year. Stay safe and have a lovely, healthy, peaceful celebration xx

A bit of a catch up!

I honestly don't know where the time gets to. It seems to simply fly past. I realised I sould give you all a bit of a catch up. Murder at the Pageant (Jubilee) aka book 12 is continuing a pace. Just as well since Murder at the Charity Ball releases in the New Year and has just arrived on Net Galley. Over on my author page on facebook my lovely readers made lots of brilliant suggestions for the name of Kitty and Matt's new pet. With Harriet Notley suggesting the winner. Rascal the kitten will be making a first appearance very soon! For my UK readers, Murder at Enderley Hall is just 99p this month. I'm thrilled to say that December 11th marks the 3 year anniversary since Kitty and Matt first came to life in Murder at the Dolphin Hotel. My editor tells me that in this time over 300,000 copies of the Miss Underhay series has been sold! Wow!!! Just Wow!!! Thank you all so much for your support and here's to the next adventure and more stories to come!

Verity Bright is back!

A warm welcome back to my fabulous writer colleagues, Verity Bright with their latest release Murder in an Irish Castle. Irish whiskey, rolling green hills, a traditional Christmas feast and… a murder? Lady Swift will need the luck of the Irish to survive this holiday season! Christmas, 1923. Lady Eleanor Swift has received a rather unexpected invitation to the village Christmas party in the tiny, rural hamlet of Derrydee in the west of Ireland. Eleanor is thrilled about exploring her ancestral roots at her late uncle’s estate and spending the festive season in a castle. Packing Gladstone the bulldog’s coziest Christmas jumper, they set off to the Emerald Isle with her butler Clifford in tow. Arriving late at night, Eleanor and Clifford are shocked when they find a body sprawled in the snow on the winding country lane outside the estate. The local constable is immediately suspicious and all but accuses the pair of murder. This isn’t the warm Irish welcome Eleanor imagined! Clifford is certain he recognises the poor fellow from the funeral of Eleanor’s uncle – but what was their connection? Undeterred by the villagers’ lack of gossip on the matter, Eleanor is determined to get justice for the victim. The man’s pockets are suspiciously empty of personal effects, but closer inspection reveals an old key hidden in the heel of his boot. Could this unlock more than one mystery for Eleanor? But when a fire breaks out at the castle on Christmas Eve, an even bigger question looms: is someone out to ensure the family line dies with Lady Swift? And will Eleanor’s first Irish Christmas be her last? Intrigued? Grab your copy HERE

UK bargain alert!

Murder in theBell Tower is 99p on a #UK kindle deal this month HERE

Murder at the Charity Ball!

After all the excitement yesterday of the release of Murder on Board I am so thrilled to share the cover of Murder at the Charity Ball PREORDER

Guest Blogger - Elizabeth Ducie

I'm delighted to welcome a new guest to the blog. Elizabeth Ducie is a Devon based crime writer and has another fabulous new book in the Coombesford Chronicles series out today!!!!!

Villainy at the Village Store Stanley Wentworth was no saint. He’d had his fair share of trouble with the law. He’d upset his former partners in gangs across the Midlands. And he’d abandoned more than one woman in his time. But did he really deserve a cold and lonely death in the Country Park? Charlie Jones, Annie McLeod and Rohan Banerjee are on the track of another murderer.An old friend is under suspicion once more. While a new friend has troubles of her own to contend with. And it looks like she's about to lose her greatest ally. Can the intrepid trio save their friends and find the true culprit? Fans of Lisa Cutts, Frances Evesham or Midsomer Murders? Then the Coombesford Chronicles series will be right up your street. Get your copy HERE or HERE

Email surprise!

For a while now I wanted to reward all my lovely loyal readers with a little gift. So, if you subscribe to my Bookouture newsletter check your email and you'll find a bonus story starring the lovely Alice. I hope you'll enjoy it!

You can sign up HERE

Publication month!

Murder on Board releases on the 20th!!! Eek! My editor is currently reading book 11 and so far she loves it - phew. I have a little surprise treat for you all this month too. My editor and I have been working on it for a while and it's almost ready to share. Keep a sharp eye out and make sure you are all signed up to my newsletter over on the Bookouture website.

Book 11 is done!

Book 11 is now completed and with my agent and my editor. No fixed title as yet. The working title was murder at the Charity Ball but that may change. Time for an admin break to catch my breath and research for book 12. Murder at the Pageant - again a working title.

Wow!!!

Thank you all so much! Murder at the Dolphin Hotel is on a free offer for ebook at the moment and went to number 1 in the US, UK, Canada and Australia yesterday. Number 1 in the kindle free charts out of all the millions of books on those charts. Just mind blowing. I do hope that people enjoy it and will go on to explore the series further!!

Talk tonight

If you are in Paignton, Devon I'm talking tonight at Paignton Historical Society on blending local history facts with fiction. It's at the Gerston Hall at 7pm. I'll be covering my research methods and how the facts get blended into each of the Miss underhay stories.

Murder on Board is on Netgalley!

Murder on Board has gone live on Netgalley. this is not a drill. Repeat - this is not a dril. You can get your review copy HERE

Guest post from Verity Bright

My lovely writerly chums, Verity Bright have a new release out today!

You can get your copy HERE The society wedding of the decade has everything: the blushing bride, beautiful flowers… and the groom arrested before he can walk down the aisle? Thank goodness Lady Swift is on the guest list! Lady Eleanor Swift isn’t normally one for grand social occasions, but who can resist a wedding? Especially when it’s her old friend, Constance Grainger, marrying the most eligible bachelor in town, Lord Peregrine Davencourt. Eleanor is taking Gladstone the bulldog as her plus one, with a smart new bowtie to match her bridesmaid’s dress. But the big day is ruined when the groom is arrested for murder before he makes it to the altar. In a baffling twist, it turns out he was already engaged to the lovely Daisy Balforth, who has been found dead at the local inn with Lord Davencourt kneeling over her. The gossip pages will have a field day! The distraught bride-to-be asks Eleanor to clear her fiancé’s name, as she’s certain he wouldn’t hurt a fly. With help from handsome Detective Seldon, Eleanor examines the evidence. But she’s barely had time to write down her suspect list before Constance’s father is set upon by a bearded stranger on the golf course. Clearly there is more to this story than Eleanor first thought, but can she catch the real killer before the wedding turns into her wake? How can you resist?

Miss Underhay is available in Bulgarian

the loveliest thing about foreign translations is seeing the fabulous covers. I just love these for Murder at the Dolphin Hotel and Murder at Enderley Court!

Murder on the Dance Floor is a bestseller all over again in Australia!

Huge thanks to my fabulous Aussie readers. It was wonderful to discover Murder on the Dance Floor is a best seller in 3 categories and in the top 300 in the overall kindle chart! You are all the best.

Guest Blogger - Lynn Forth

A warm welcome to my guest Lynn Forth. Lynn is known for her warm, witty escapist romances and she's here to tell us about the latest addition to her titles - Secrets of the Chateau! A château in France, with fairy-tale turrets. What’s not to like? Sophie Stewart loves her job. Working for Alex Conroy, who owns an exclusive hotel chain, is a dream - as is the man himself! So why does she panic at the thought of visiting Alex’s proposed new hotel, a dilapidated château with fairy-tale towers, in the glamorous south of France? Must she reveal her past to uncover the secrets of the château? And Alex has secrets too. You can get your copy of this fabulous book HERE

Lynn Forth went to live in Accrington when she was 11 and still has the accent to prove it. She now lives with her family in Worcestershire (where it doesn’t rain as much) and has a room with a view to write in. A lifelong fascination with words and people, led to her studying English and Psychology at University and, as a lecturer at the local College, she tried to pass on her enthusiasm to students of all ages. An avid reader, she runs two book clubs and, as a bit of a movie buff, she enjoys the discussions at a local Film Club. Although not a big exercise fan, she enthusiastically participates in the fun and music at her Zumba sessions and at home encourages a riotous array of flowers in her garden. She now writes romantic comedies full of sparky dialogue set in sunny foreign climes, which, of course, she has to visit for the sake of research. Her debut novel, Love in La La Land, combines this love of films, humour as her heroine Jane encounters the glamour and glitz of Hollywood. Her second novel, Love, Lies and Café au Lait, was inspired by a visit to Nice and evokes Accrington Annie’s delight in living in such a sophisticated city, although, perhaps, all is not quite as perfect as it seems. Her third novel, The Girl Who used To Be Me, features her much-loved character Reen on her home ground in Marbella where Kate meets not only Reen's family but also her fabulous pink plastic flamingos. Her fourth book, Secrets of the Chateau, sees her returning to her beloved city of Nice and to a beautiful but neglected chateau, high in the hills overlooking the stunning blue waters of the Bay of Angels.

Summer catch up!

It's been quite busy the last few weeks. I went to the Romantic Novelist Association's conference which was at Harper Adams college near Telford this year. It was very hot and we shared the campus with eight teams of christian footballers who were there on a training camp. I think they were quite bemused by so many, mainly female, novelists of a certain age suddenly appearing on the site. It was lovely to catch up with old friends and to make new ones. I've also had lunch with my editor and agent with lots of lovely positive news about the Miss Underhay series. I can't wait to be able to share some of that when we have bashed out the details. I left some signed copies of Murder at the Country Club at Oldway Mansion in Paignton which were sold to raise funds for the house and gardens. I'm reliably sold that these have now sold out so I shall have to see if they wish to have some more. Book 11, currently called Murder at the Charity Ball is well underway and see the return of Kitty's father. As you might guess this doesn't go well and Kitty's grandmother and Mrs Craven get to say 'I told you so!' a lot :) But there is also the small matter of a wedding...

Cover reveal for Murder on Board!

You can preorder your copy HERE

Signed copies of Murder at the Country Club

If you are in or near Paignton signed copies are now available of Murder at the Country Club from the tea room at Oldway Mansion. All proceeds are going to the house and gardens. Drop in, enjoy the beautiful grounds, buy plants, eat cake and if you want, buy a book!

Releasing June 17th!

Murder at the Country Club will be out! #Preorder #MurderAtTheCountryClub Stabbing a man to death at a social event simply isn't cricket... HERE

Returning guest - Verity Bright

Welcome back to the lovely writing team of Verity Bright and their fabulous new release - The French for Murder. Out today! Buy HERE A grand villa, croissants for breakfast and a dead body in the wine cellar… Lady Swift can’t seem to take a vacation from murder! Summer 1923. Lady Eleanor Swift is finally persuaded by her butler, Clifford, to take a villa in the south of France for the season. She plans to do what a glamorous lady abroad should: long lunches on the balcony followed by lazy afternoons lounging by the pool. Even Gladstone the bulldog is looking forward to a daily paddle in the ocean. But when Clifford examines the wine cellar, he discovers there are no decent reds but there is a very dead body. The victim is famous American movie star Rex Armstrong. Poor Rex seems to have been stabbed with a sword from the film set. So how did he end up in Eleanor’s villa? Before Eleanor even has time to change out of her travelling suit, her beloved butler is arrested for the crime. At sea without her right-hand man, Eleanor must gather her wits if she’s to outsmart a murderer and save Clifford. Attending a glitzy party at the luxurious Hotel Azure with the film’s cast and crew so she can question her main suspects, Eleanor overhears the director having a most unsettling telephone call that throws all her theories out of the water. Can Eleanor unmask the true killer before her time abroad is cut murderously short?

British Book Awards

So, on Monday I had the honour of joining my agent and her staff along with three other fab authors, Alex Shaw, Bella Osbourne and Faith Martin. Kate, my agent had been shortlisted for agent of the year. A huge achievement and very well deserved. We met lots of famous people and ate lovely food. It was very exciting. I also had the great honour of meeting Robert Rinder, someone I admire hugely for his compassion and kindness. I can't even begin to tell you how amazed I was when he told me he knew my name and had read one of my books and he was a fan! Kitty has a celebrity fan. Wow, just wow!!!

Bargain alert!!!!

For anyone in the UK looking for a bargain, Murder in First Class is just 99p on a kindle monthly deal for April. "Five stars are not enough" "Excellent and I read it in one sitting, a page-turner I couldn’t put down" "Fast, fun and utterly unputdownable…perfect for fans of Agatha Christie" HERE

Also in Australia Murder At The Dolphin Hotel is just $1.49 on a kindle monthly deal

Guest blogger- Verity Bright!

I'm very excited to have Verity Bright return to tell us about the latest Lady Swift book! A Royal Murder GETITHERE At the royal boat race there are beautiful barges, plenty of bunting, a handsome prince and… is that a body in the water? Lady Swift is on the case! Spring, 1923. One-time adventurer and now amateur sleuth Lady Eleanor Swift is attending the annual royal regatta with her new pal Tipsy Fitzroy. Tipsy has Eleanor trussed up like a debutante in a new dress, determined to turn her into a proper society lady. Even Eleanor’s favourite companion, Gladstone the bulldog, has a new outfit for the occasion. But the sparkling prize-giving ceremony is interrupted when the devilishly handsome host gulps his glass of champagne on stage and collapses to the floor. The victim is none other than the king’s cousin, Lord Xander Taylor-Howard. He was rumoured to be entangled in a rather dubious gambling ring, but did someone kill him instead of collecting his debt? Or was this simply an ill-timed tragic accident? Either way, a right royal scandal is afoot… Sir Percival, the head of the royal police, asks Eleanor for her help investigating. He’d do anything to keep the story under wraps. She knows it will get her into hot water with a certain dapper Detective Seldon, but she’s determined to see justice done. However, as she digs deeper, she learns Lord Taylor-Howard was hiding more than one murky secret. It isn’t until she takes a closer look at the unfortunate royal’s shattered champagne flute that she stumbles upon just the clue she needs. But can she reel in the killer before her ship is sunk too?

Murder at The Country Club

Nothing says Happy Valentines like a cover reveal for a new cozy mystery! PREORDER

Murder in First Class

Murder in First Class releases Feb 16th and is available for preorder now!HERE Murder at the Coutry Club is finished and with my editor so I'll have exciting news to share with you all about that soon too.