Do I suit shorts?

Well, no, I don't. But Michael Brookes, author of  Conversations in the Abyss and other excellent supernatural thrillers, has set a competition on his blog (http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/p/june-writing-competition.html) to write a 500 word short story based on the picture he has posted there. Amazon voucher prizes! and anyone can enter!

I responded 'maybe', because short stories aren't my thing - I waffle far too much. But yesterday as I took a routine twenty minute walk from doffing Hat A to donning Hat B I started thinking about the picture, and the next thing I knew the wretched story was writing itself in my head. Of course it was one of those times I've left the house without a notebook, so I was frantically trying to remember it and hold it in. No chance for several hours to get a bit of peace and quiet, but when I did it just poured out. Then it was, of course, too long, and I had to pare down 197 words. Ouch! Great discipline, though. In an hour all was over bar the title, the hardest bit. It's called Bid Spalls - no, really, and you have to read it to work out why. So that's that out of my head and I can now relax until he sets the next devious one!

Now back to some factual history work ... good fun, but the sun is shining, the seedlings are taking over the kitchen, and I have deadlines!

Fellowship with Demons - out at last!

Fellowship with Demons, the fifth in the Murray of Letho series, is now out on Kindle at 99c or whatever Amazon's equivalent is for one month only. It's not on Smashwords yet but I'll get there eventually!

Meanwhile, both Death in a Scarlet Gown and Knowledge of Sins Past are out in paperback via Amazon Createspace, Service of the Heir is being proofread, and An Abandoned Woman is almost ready for a proof copy to be ordered. I'm trying not to think of Book Six (70% completed but in need of deep thought and some more research) until everything is sorted out with the first five. After Book Six I'm definitely back to writing them in full!

Hope you enjoy this one, and thanks to N and Ignite for their prepublication reassurances while I was in the midst of a crisis!