The festive 'C' word

Well the weather has definitely turned more autumnal, and wet, here in Devon. Not long now until Murder at the Highland Castle is released and the first reviews are trickling in. Thank you so much to everyone who has read it and said such lovely things about it! It really does mean so much when a writer has laboured so hard to try to create a good story. I always forget to say that for those of you that enjoy a spot of romance. I have several title under my Nell Dixon name. A couple of them are Christmas reads - so if you fancy something short and sweet they are free on kindle unlimited and just 99p/99c if not. The first one is a re release The Cinderella Substitute, my very first published book! #Free on #KU The Cinderella Substitute, GET IT HERE

The second one is Christmas Ever After - a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast and my mother's personal favourite of all my books!GET IT HERE

So if you fancy a gentle romance with all the Christmassy feels to curl up with in front of the fire then give them a go!

Radio!!

Today I was at BBC radio Devon talking about the upcoming Crime Convention on October 22nd in Torquay and of course the Miss Underhay books. You can listen in on catch up, we're on from about 10.15 till 11ish LISTEN HERE And of course you can grab a icket from Torquay Museum and come and meet me and my fellow crime writers on Sunday 22nd at the convention!

Guest Blogger - Lorraine Mace

Please give a warm welcome to a new guest to my blog. I've invited Lorraine Mace along to tell us about her fabulous new book, The Guest, and the inspiration behind it. Lorraine, tell us about yourself first: I was born and raised in South East London, hen I lived and worked in South Africa, on the Island of Gozo and in France before settling on the Costa del Sol in Spain. I now live with my partner in a traditional Spanish village inland from the coast and I enjoy sampling the regional dishes and ever-changing tapas in the local bars. My knowledge of Spanish is expanding. To stop my waistline from doing the same, I run five times a week.

That sounds fabulous! The Guest sounds like a really intriguing book, what gave you the idea for it? When I'm asked where do we find the ideas for our novels?I usually reply that I have an evil mind. This response generally either satisfies or terrifies the person who asked (and always scares my partner because he isn’t sure whether or not I’m joking). However, that isn’t really how I find my ideas (I do have an evil mind, but only when I’m writing). In truth, my inspiration mainly comes from interacting with, or observing people I meet along life’s path. That’s how the initial concept for The Guest came into being. A friend mentioned that an old schoolfriend she hadn’t heard from in more than 15 years had been in touch and wanted to meet up. My friend was thrilled, looking only at the positive sideof this, but my mind runs on much darker lines. The next morning, while out running, I thought about this sudden reappearance of an old acquaintance. Why had she chosen to get in touch? Why now? What did she want? Could she be trusted? Did she have a hidden agenda? Those questions formed the basis of the plot of The Guest . The friend who comes to stay in The Guest absolutely has a hidden agenda. Her actions driveLynda, the heroine, almost to the point of a nervous breakdown. It is gaslighting at its most potent. But is there something even more sinister at play? Wow! That sounds fascinating.

Tempted yet? Here is the blurb: YOUR PAST HAS COME KNOCKING. WILL YOU LET IT IN? Lynda Blackthorn is still reeling from the tragic car crash that killed her family more than a year ago. Throwing herself into her volunteer charity work, she is trying to piece her life backtogether. When she's asked to be the face of the charity's annual fundraiser, an appeal for volunteers onthe local news brings old friend Sarah to her door - and the events of fourteen years ago crashing down around her. As the two women reconnect, Lynda invites Sarah to stay in her guest bedroom. But soon strange things start happening and Lynda learns it might have been better to keep the door to the past firmly closed . . . The Guest is avaible from HERE and you can find Lorraines website HERE and you can follow her on Twitter/X HERE and on Facebook HERE or get down with the kids on Insta! HERE Thank you Lorraine for a lovely chat and best of luck with The Guest!