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Mystery & Cake: Your July Seacastle Update

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A sprinkle of mystery, a dash of seaside charm, and a generous helping of delicious cake

Hello, Mystery Lovers!

I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying the summer weather, perhaps with sand between your toes and a good book in hand. The seagulls are circling, the waves are rolling in over the pebbles, and I’m typing away on the next mystery in the series, Malign Fortune.

📝 WRITING UPDATE: Malign Fortune

I’m thrilled to report that Book 9 in the Seacastle Mystery series, Malign Fortune, is coming along splendidly. Our favourite seaside sleuth, Tanya Bowe, is about to encounter her most perplexing case yet, involving a dodgy medium, a feisty widow, and of course, a shoal of red herrings. I’m particularly enjoying writing the scenes which involve Miles Quirk (of Mortal Vintage fame). He’s such a waspish and witty chap, don’t you think?

📚 WHAT I’M READING

I’ve been utterly absorbed in The Dentist by Tim Sullivan this month. There’s something about British crime fiction that always pulls me in, and Sullivan’s detective protagonist has such a compelling voice. It’s always fascinating to see how other mystery writers construct their puzzles!

🗞️ AUTHOR’S CORNER: AI and Author Rights

I was saddened to see Anthropic winning their case regarding AI training on authors’ work. As writers, our words are our livelihood, and seeing the courts ignore the importance of consent and compensation when it comes to our creative output is crushing. They used eight of my books without permission, but I have no recourse to complain. The digital age brings wonderful opportunities but also new challenges for creators, and it’s important we stay vigilant about protecting author’s copyright and income. I’m sure none of you ever buy pirated books, but remember, doing that literally takes the food off our plates

🍰 EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT: Ghita’s Recipe Collection!

In response to your requests, of which there are many, I’m creating a special booklet featuring Ghita Chowdhury’s cake recipes from the Seacastle Mysteries! From her famous limon and orange sponge to her secret-recipe tipsy cherry cake that DI George Carter can’t resist, they’ll all be included.

The booklet will be available FREE to all newsletter subscribers shortly. I’d be absolutely chuffed if you’d share photos of your baking attempts on Instagram or Pinterest with the hashtag #GhitasBestBakes. Let’s see those beautiful creations! I will be awarding signed books to the ones I like best. You can follow me on Instagram or Pinterest by clicking these links.

📊 BACKLIST NEWS

Lethal Secret is selling like hotcakes! Thank you all for your support. If you’ve enjoyed unravelling the mystery alongside our Seacastle crew, I’d be ever so grateful if you could leave a review. Those little stars make such a difference in helping new readers discover our seaside world.

🌊 UNTIL NEXT TIME…

Keep your magnifying glasses handy and your teapots full! The next newsletter will include more details for Ghita’s recipe collection and a link to download the recipes for free.

Happy sleuthing!

PJ Skinner

10 Great British Seaside Cosy Mystery Book Series

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  • Seaside charm: Every series features village life by the sea
  • Cozy vibes: Lighthearted, character-driven mysteries with minimal violence, plenty of humor, and a strong sense of place.
  • Variety of eras: From 1940s nostalgia (Seaside Murders) to modern foodie and festive mysteries (Nosey Parker, Doris Cudlow).

Nosey Parker Mysteries by Fiona Leitch – Set in the fictional Cornish village of Penstowan, ex-Met officer Jodie “Nosey” Parker runs a catering business while solving murders – often with a side of tried-and-tested recipes and her feisty Pomeranian, Germaine.

Seacastle Mysteries by PJ Skinner – the series centres on Tanya Bowe, a vintage shop owner and former investigative journalist, whose knack for stumbling over dead bodies annoys her ex-husband, DI George Carter – a by-the-book copper who’s less than thrilled by her involvement, even if her insights prove annoyingly accurate.

The Doris Cudlow Mysteries by N.C. Lewis – Doris Cudlow, a London reporter turned seaside resident, gets entangled in comedic coastal whodunnits involving murder, mischievous cats, and eccentric locals – four books to date.

The Seaside Murders (Secret Detective Agency) by Helena Dixon – Set in 1941 England, amateur sleuth Jane Treen returns to her seaside hometown to solve a body-on-the-beach mystery – sharp period detail, light nostalgia included.

Fethering Mysteries by Simon Brett – In the fictional coastal village of Fethering, retirees Carole and Jude stumble upon murders – The Body on the Beach kicks off this witty, quietly charming series.

A 1960s-set Cornish spin-off from the Daisy Dalrymple books, featuring Mrs Trewynn and her niece solving village crimes with period flair.

A Londoner relocates to a Cornish village with her gossip-loving corgi – expect cosy village life, light romance, and amateur sleuthing wrapped in coastal charm.

The Olivia Wells eco-friendly mysteries set in creekside Cornwall. Cornish cosy crime with a green twist. Her books include ‘green’ characters, ideas and solutions set against the back drop of a traditional murder mystery.

The “Isle of Wight Killings” is a cozy mystery series by Mary Grand featuring amateur sleuth Susan, who finds herself embroiled in solving murders on the idyllic Isle of Wight. The series blends elements of cozy mysteries with the unique setting of the island, focusing on community, friendships, and the darker undercurrents of seemingly peaceful village life

Jemima Jago Mysteries by Emma Jameson – On a Cornish island, librarian-turned-sleuth Jemima investigates local secrets and curious deaths. The series kicks off with A Death at Seascape House and continues with A Death at Bay View Hotel.

Lethal Secret is here!

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Get your copy of Lethal Secret and enjoy a cosy mystery with spy thriller vibes set in Budapest. Tanya and Harry are on the trail of a missing friend and have bitten off far more than they can chew. Be the first to read this gripping cosy mystery.

Lethal Secret is out on 31st May…

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Hi there I’ve recently returned from a fantastic research trip to Budapest to check the background for Lethal Secret. I stayed with dear friends of mine and we had great fun visiting the scenes of the main action in the book. Get My Copy of Lethal Secret
We visited Memento Park, which contains the communist monuments taken down when after the revolution. I found the brutalist statues quite extraordinary.
I also visited the Budapest Commonwealth War Cemetery which contains the graves of 210 RAF crew who were lost over Hungary during WWII. I found it extremely moving. The men were all under 36 years old and came from Britain, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. Crews from the same aircraft are buried side by side which is almost unbearably poignant. It brought me to tears.
I hope you will enjoy this book. I wanted to take Harry and Tanya out of their comfort zone for a change and introduce Gladys as a three dimensional person. Let me know if you have any comments on the book

Best wishes
PJ
Get your copy of Lethal Secret Now!

Mortal Vintage is a hit!

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Mortal Vintage, book five in the Seacastle Mysteries, has been out for two months now and it is a roaring success. It has 166 ratings on Amazon already with an average review of 4.6 stars and ranks high among cozy/cosy myteries in all stores. You can buy it in paperback form direct from me or go to Amazon to buy the ebook or to read on Kindle Unlimited.

So what’s the background to the witchy theme? Well, I have always been fascinatedby the existence of ancient covens of witches in Britain. In 1542, witchcraft wasmade a criminal offence. An increasing number of witches were hunted down andkilled in the mid-17th century especially between 1645 and 1647. By the time thewave of killings was over, very few witches had escaped. The southeast of Englandheld one of the few remaining covens, the New Forest Coven, so I thought it wouldbe interesting to invent an offshoot of this group for the purposes of this book.

In Mortal Vintage, you’ll get to know more about Grace and Max Wong and theirbackground. Grace has been an enigma up to now so I hope you’ll enjoy getting toknow her better. You’ll be glad to know the normal cast of quirky characters are allon the trail of the murderer. Can Tanya and George work together without tantrums? Will DI Antrim turn up again.

Read on to find out.

Toxic Vows is out today!

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Hello Folks,

Great news! Toxic Vows is out today. I’m so excited. Launch day is always a mix of feelings, but mostly I can’t wait to hear what you think of the latest in the Seacastle Mystery series. The ARC readers have been thrilled with it. Here are some quotes from their reviews:

‘A great plot, smooth writing, wit, lovely description, and the wonderful characters keep you turning pages. The best yet in this great series.’

‘The mystery was twisted (in the best way), hilarious, and entertaining. Despite the huge clue in plain sight, I did not see the whodunnit/whydunnit coming.’

‘Another brilliant mystery in the series. I absolutely loved it!’

‘Yet another great book in the Seacastle Mysteries series that, like any good murder mystery, kept me guessing right to the end and I really enjoyed it!’

‘Please, please grab the whole series – you’ll race through the stories and love them all!’

I’m thrilled with the response and I hope you will rush out and buy a copy yourself. Please leave me a review. Indie authors rely on reviews for traction. ‘I liked it’ is long enough, although it would be nice if you could say more than that. 🙂

The next book, Mortal Vintage, is out on pre-order for the end of May if you want to get ahead of the crowd.

I’m off to Spain to a conference at the weekend. No rest for the wicked.

Best wishes
PJ