My lovely newsletter subscribers received the long awaited short story that acts as a sequel to The Lady's Gamble. 

My fifth book in the Royal Court Series is at the editors and will be released soon. When I have a better idea of a date I will let you all know. 

This was the story of Mary Howard, daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. Little is known about her but she was one of the creators and contributors of the Devonshire Manuscript: a collection of poems from the Tudor court that survives to this date. 

Hello!

Just wanted to let you know that I have been working on a short story to act as a companion piece to The Lady's Gamble that takes place a few years after the end of the story. Even if you haven't read The Lady's Gamble I have made it so you can still read and enjoy it although it might spoil some of the events in The Lady's Gamble.

It is coming soon! Thank you for waiting so patiently. 

A huge welcome back to Katherine Bristow who has returned to narrate The Lady's Gamble. 

It shall be available on various retailers soon but I was excited to share with you all a 5-min sample. 

Choosing Him - Book 2 of the Bluehaven series is out now.

On June 1st, 2021 it will be available for free for one day only. I'm really excited to hear what you all think. 

In other news I have been working away at another installment of my Royal Court Series. It's been nice to step away from the Tudors but I have missed them and am happy to be going home. 

By the start of my career the importance of networking had been drilled into my head. But as most people I dreaded doing it. Networking became this thing I would avoid doing at all costs. It was a combination of feeling shy, but also feeling like the whole interaction was insincere. Almost a transaction rather than a conversation between people. Over time it has evolved into this scary monster that I run in fear from.

However, there are times when I push aside my biases and fear and do reach out. And then I am surprised (usually pleasantly). 

Recently, I reached out to a photographer for photos for my book covers and not only did I discover interesting information about the world of photography and those large websites that sell stock photography but also made a meaningful connection. It was a pleasure to work directly with Kathy Servian and the images I purchased from her were equally amazing.

If anyone is looking for stock images for this book covers please consider contacting her through her website. 

In the future I will remember how important reaching out can be (and to not be scared of it).

I couldn't resist. My fingers were itching to have a go at rebranding my royal court series. I also wanted to add more cohesion to the covers. 

So far just the ebook covers have been updated. I will have the paperback and hardcovers updated soon. It also takes a lot longer for the changes to be reflected on that. 

In other news. The fifth book in the series shall come out in Late July/August. Stay tuned!

It must have been at least a few months since I've changed a cover. Maybe less. Regardless, I decided now would be a good - no - a great time to update a cover on a book that's not even that old. 

But c'est la vie. 

At least I'm very happy with how it turned out.

The sequel to this book is currently at the editors. Can't wait to get it back and start working on the cover for that one too. And since you are asking: yes, I am procrastinating other work.

Image copyright Inkblot Press 2021

I have been the biggest procrastinator lately which is usual for me. What is not usual for me is to take that time when I could be writing to just pour myself into other huge projects. I think I may have forgotten how to take a step back. I will try to work on that. 

There have been some changes to the website I am sure you've all noticed by now. I really like the feel of it now. It speaks to the minimalist in me. 

Links to my books and audiobooks have all been consolidated to make it easier to see what options you have and where you can find them to purchase. Somewhere along the way I had forgotten about the tool that would allow this to happen. 

I am trying to compile a to-do list for myself and others if they want to go on a self-publishing journey. Will be posted under freebies when it is done. 

Now I must head back to my writing desk but full disclosure - I really just want to stare at my new website. I regret not taking before and after pictures. Another thing I am famous for is forgetting to take the "before" shot. Ah well, one day I might learn. 

So I've been working on getting my two audiobooks (The Lady Carey & The Lady's Ambition) on more platforms. Including Scribd. 

They are still available on Audible and iTunes as well. 

I have included the links down below. 
​

Before you go running for the hills I hope you will take my word for it that it was a very solid chapter, integral to the plot. 

But it was still about grass. And I have to laugh about that. 

Sometimes our stories, just like our lives take us in unpredictable directions and we should all embrace that. 

The events in the last few years have taught me that not only is nothing certain but the real world can be stranger than fiction.


photo credit: ​Kin Chan on Unsplash