Hazards in Hampshire release three months

The two youngest grandchildren have returned home leaving my house relatively calm. I have one remaining grandchild here with her dog. Leo the dog is almost four months old, very big and heavy and so far has tripped me with his leash and brought me down hard, escaped four times, eaten the cake on the counter and one whole loaf of bread (he’s taller than I expected), but he’s good-natured, sweet and we forgive him. My granddaughter is a teenager and self-sufficient, so I can get back to writing–if Leo leaves me alone.

I don’t know how I wrote when my children were little. I must have been superwoman. My congratulations to all of you who write complete books while negotiating computer time, settling arguments, creating meals, cleaning, answering questions, looking for socks, rescuing pets, soothing nightmares and life guarding new swimmers who insist on spending most of their time under water.

Hazards in Hampshire is to be released in October and I am updating my website and getting the promotional blogs and release notices ready.  It seems to be more work than writing. I expect to get better at it. If anyone has suggestions of review or blog sites I should approach, please let me know. It seems that no matter how adept I get at marketing, the market changes and I have to learn new skills with every book. It is, no doubt, stimulating to my brain. In any case, like many things that are good for you, it’s painful.

I thought I might write blogs about the restaurants Claire and her tourists visit. They are real restaurants with real menus. I was always hungry when I wrote those scenes. Perhaps, I could make some of the dishes my characters liked. There is a ham dish made with malt whiskey that looks as if would take all day and be delicious. Claire takes her tourists to Crowborough, East Sussex, where Arthur Conan Doyle once lived. At the Crow and Gate in this town, they serve British blackcurrant and prosecco cheesecake. I could try to create that masterpiece. The reward for doing all that marketing, blogging and cooking would be that I could eat all that wonderful food.

Do you have a favourite British food? One that you associated with a character in a mystery?

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