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