Hello Mystery Lovers!
I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying the final days of summer with a good book in hand. There’s so much brewing in the world of Seacastle Mysteries, so let’s dive right in!
📚 Big News: MALIGN FORTUNE Arrives August 31st!
Mark your calendars! Seacastle’s next cosy mystery hits shelves on August 31st. I’m so excited to share this story with you all. Your pre-orders and early enthusiasm have meant the world to me!
📖 What I’m Reading
I’m currently losing sleep over the latest Detective Maeve Kerrigan novel by Louise Casey. I’m not a fan of romance, but her relationship with Josh Derwent has me hooked. It reminds me of Moonlighting all those years ago on the telly.
🧁 Ghita’s Best Bakes Competition! 🧁
As promised I’ve launched something special for all my Seacastle Mystery fans – a baking competition called Ghita’s Best Bakes!
If you’ve read the series, you know Ghita’s pastries are legendary in Seacastle. Now it’s your turn to recreate some mystery-worthy treats! I’ve created a Pinterest board (Ghita’s Best Bakes) for you to use, and (brace yourselves) I’ve made several TikTok videos documenting my first-ever attempt at baking a cake… Let’s just say detective work comes more naturally to me than baking! You can also put your photos up on Instagram. Don’t forget the #Ghitasbestbakes and #seacastlemysteries hashtags so I can find them.
I have also created some brilliant merch on Red Bubble. Even I was tempted by the Hades Apron. Check me out here
Join in the fun – no professional skills required (as my videos on TikTok clearly demonstrate)!
🎬 What I’m Watching
I’m re-watching the Star Trek movies – something I never tire of. There’s something comforting about revisiting these familiar stories and characters. Are there any comfort films you watch again and again? Reply and let me know – I’m always looking to add to my “cosy viewing” list!
📊 Backlist Update & A Small Request
Exciting news! “Deadly Return” is approaching a milestone with 1,990 ratings at an impressive 4.5-star average! If you’ve already read it but haven’t yet left a rating or review, I would be grateful if you could push it over 2,000. Your support makes such a difference!
Until Next Time…
Happy sleuthing!
PJ
P.S. I’m thinking of writing a detective series next. Would you be interested in reading it? Have you any story ideas you’d like me to include?
Discover more from PJ SKINNER | Mystery, Crime and Adventure Author
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Hi, so as well as mysteries and cake we also have Star Trek in common 😁
I read a lot of detective books and enjoy them if they are character driven with an interesting back story and a good team. I know, given your talent for creating great characters, any books you come up with would be on my reading list.
Best wishes
Hi there Gill, Thank you for your great comments. The detective series I am mulling on is definitely character driven and not gory. I am also considering a detective agency in space. Do you think that might work? Please don’t spread the idea around. I don’t want anyone to grab it… Best wishes PJ
Hmm space detectives. Wasn’t expecting that one. However after mulling it over while walking my dogs I can see the potential.
I have definitely read many science fiction/fantasy books when I was younger, including many Star Trek books. Some of my favourite books are Anne McCaffrey’s science fantasy series.
I think that genre relies on the setting you create as well as the characters. It’s a balance of asking your readers to take a leap, suspend reality and believe in the world you build. Very different from lovely Seacastle but think of the fun you could have inventing planets and civilisations from scratch. I do think you have the skills to pull it off if you decided to do it and I would be excited to read it.
Oh and rest assured my lips are sealed x
I’m planning on writing book1 in a York detective series and book 1 in the Cosmic Casefiles (name not fixed) after I finish book 12 of Seacastle. I will publish both and see which takes before I make a decision on what to concentrate on. Thank you for your thoughts. I am definitely going found family cosy crime for the space mysteries. No gore or violence. It’s hard to decide, but I am quite excited by the idea.
By the way, I may ask you to read the space cast before I publish, if you fancy a beta?
Oh absolutely 👍 As I said I’m excited by the idea and can’t wait to see what you do with it. Thank you x