So, February has been and almost gone, which means spring is preening in the mirror, readying herself for a grand entrance. I do hope she hurries up. My garden could do with some colour. We did have daffodils on the table for yellow vibes but one of my children read a horror story about people dying from daffodil poisoning so now the flowers are made of LEGO which never poisoned anyone.
Zero is well and truly settled in, and by that I mean he is now the King and we are all his humble, battered servants. He meows and we scamper off to freshen his water, change his litter, offer him a platter of treats and pray we have not displeased the bald Bringer of Pain. Just when I think ‘Battersea’ for you, he comes over purring and kisses my face, all swinging hips and sultry eyes. When my husband does this I laugh, obviously. When the cat does it I swoon. The wonderful Tony Parsons, artist extraordinaire paid me a visit and created loads of the most amazing, beautiful images for me - in my own home! More about that below.
I went to the snazzy launch event for Jennie Godfrey’s outstanding debut List of Suspicious Things last week. It was at Daunt books in that London and people kept stealing my plus one, Enzo. I met some wonderful people and did not get home till 11.30pm.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Hey, hold on! I think you'll find YOU were MY plus one.]
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*** EXCLUSIVE *** A brand new short story |
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Mist sits over the tops of houses, catches like candyfloss on the windmill. Ghosts reaching down their transparent arm, poking fingers through the veil. Everything is shrouded in white, dressed up in mourning. I've just uploaded Mist, a brand new short story to my website this very morning. Head over there if you'd like a quick coffee-break read. | | |
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Birdie with even more love |
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Early reviews have suggested that Goodbye Birdie Greenwing is a bit of a heartbreaker so I decided, much like the mighty Wizard of Oz himself (or WOO as I call him) to make some new ones for you. Hand-crocheted by me, with no real talent but with loads of love, they are available EXCLUSIVELY from Bert's Books when you pre-order. While limited stocks last, obvs - there's only so many I can feasibly make! [EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm a bit concerned about Repetitive Strain Injury - those hands are required for stroking.] | | |
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Enzo's Short Story Competition |
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We're running a Short Story Competition! If you missed the announcement on the socials, here's what you need to know. I spotted this old photo at a car boot sale and found it so intriguing. It immediately suggested so many different stories. And that got me thinking - how about YOU write some of those stories?! All you need to do to enter is write a story inspired by the photo, up to a maximum of 800 words (which actually isn't a lot) and send it to me and Enzo. You can email it to: enzowallereditor@gmail.com We'll post all the entries to my wesbite for you to peruse and then you get to choose the winner via a poll. The CLOSING DATE for entries is Monday 4th March and You can WIN a new paperback of your choice plus a signed harback copy of Goodbye Birdie Greenwing. We've had some fantastic entries already - I can't wait to read yours. | | |
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Jennie's brilliant debut is my Book of the Month |
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So, I attended the launch in London but I also adored the book. February's Book of the Month award goes to... List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey I read it in two sittings and had no idea how it was going to end, right up to the last page. This is not just a crime book. It is also a story about friendship and resilience. I can't recommend it highly enough. |
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More tantalising Birdie tasters... |
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Publication day edges ever closer and after last month's list I wanted to whet your appetites even further with Five More Facts About Goodbye Birdie Greenwing... 1: There are plot twists. I am not very good at coming up with twists, in fact my husband came up with one of them. I am always impressed and slightly scared of crime writers and their weird thoughts and ideas. I can't read crime or watch scary films because of my overactive imagination. On the way home from seeing IT at the cinema, I was |
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convinced the clown was in the back of my car and so I didn't look in my rear view mirror once all the way home - and almost crashed. I left the car in the middle of the street and ran indoors crying. 2: I almost wish I'd made the dog in Birdie a griffon, but it didn't feel right. Audrey had to be an old, yeasty bulldog because that is how I saw her in my mind. I don't choose a lot of the character traits. Like, obviously Min keeps a piece of tissue tucked up her sleeve just in case, whereas Birdie would use a proper one from Marks & Spencer and keep it in her pocket. In fact, Birdie would have a silk one, trying to channel Princess Margaret. 3: There is a deleted sex scene! I will not tell you who was in it. I may still have it for horndogs who want to read it post publication. How do you feel about sex in books? My thinking is if we are going to do it, let's just use sex parts and description. Don't talk to me about oysters and waves. I want mechanics and logistics. I recently read a book about werewolf vampires going at it which made my sex scene seem incredibly tame. |
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4: I had alternative endings, a bit like Scooby Doo. I am not very good at knowing when to stop. Side note: I was cleaning the loft out at the weekend and found my old school reports and my own report on my reports which was all "I think I am doing really well in RE, and I'm great at debates" and "I find IT very easy and am really fast at typing" but also said "I need to slow down and read questions properly" and "I need to think before I put my hand up in class". On the one hand, go me for never changing, but on the other hand, why am I still like this? 5: Birdie is dedicated to my great Aunt who would not approve of most of the book at all. She loved crime books. We read Ruth Rendell together and watched Juliet Bravo with mugs of Horlicks and Garibaldi biscuits. I wasn't scared then. [EDITOR'S NOTE: What's a "horndog"?] |
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The five books that changed Susan's life |
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Wow! I can't begin to tell you how excited and honoured we are to welcome the wonderful author and all-round lovely person Susan Fletcher as the latest contributor to our 5 Books That Changed My Life feature. From Postman Pat (yes, really) to Seamus Heaney and lots more besides, you can explore Susan's life-changing reads over on my website. And if you'd like to tell us about your five life-changing books, just drop me a line. Everybody's very welcome to take part. | | |
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As ever, the Reading section on my website is chock full of bite-size book reviews and recommendations, Check out what I've been enjoying of late. | | |
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It feels like a privilege just to admire the stunning artwork of Tony Parsons so imagine how great it was to welcome him into my home and have him create some bespoke, personalised pieces - just for us! Tony came by a couple of weeks ago and painted a beautiful mural on my daughter Daisy's bedroom wall. Depicting peace doves and symbolising the "fight or flight" response we all need to recognise and control, the mural has been a real source of hope and support. Taking inspiration from the Goodbye Birdie Greenwing jacket design, Tony also painted some beautiful flying ducks for me. And he didn't stop there - Zero even had the honour of 'sitting' for a portrait. I really can't thank Tony enough. You can find more of his work at artistonthehill. |
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How could I not leave you with this absolutely STUNNING painting of Zero by Tony Parsons? We're currently working on some updates to my website and this image will be joining the dog portraits on the Homepage. [EDITOR'S NOTE: How about running a competition to win this painting, like you did with my Tony Parsons portrait, Eicka? Then we'll see if anyone actually actually likes this... this... CREATURE!] |
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Come on! Get pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and send me your Short Story Competition entry. Looking forward to catching up with you all next month. Peace and paws out, people
Ericka (and Enzo) |
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