As we know, many people ask us what we do in the winter when the beaches are closed, and the sun is in hiding, when the weather is unpredictable, most tavernas and summer cafés are closed, and it’s not suitable to sit outside watching the world go by. The truth is, for me, I do the same in winter as I do in the summer; thus, the list of things I don’t do is also the same. I don’t go on boat trips, spend time at the beach, nip out for lunch, hang out with friends (for more than an hour a day), or spend the days making our home as much like a Greek holiday fairytale as possible, tend the courtyard and sit by the shore painting, or any of those things invented in dreams of ‘If I lived on a Greek island.’ I get up early, go straight to my writing room, get on with emails, post a quick blog to warm up my brain, do the admin, publicity, pay bills, research and write, and I do this in the storms of winter and the hot days of summer. So, for me, the end of the season brings little change. I wear more clothes to keep warm, and often work in the afternoons now that it’s cooler. I also sometimes get up late (4.35 this morning; half the day gone), but I rarely take a day off.
Why? Because I have to write, and that’s what I have been doing for the last several years. Each time I release one of my stories, I aim to make it better than the last, and some of the earlier ones could certainly do with being made better! Despite the shoulder aches, back aches, dodgy chairs, and word blindness, I get on with it and beaver away until something is as good as I can make it, and then I set about the other things necessary to self-publish a book: engage a proof reader, layout artists, cover artists and then, somehow, find some free publicity. This is, these days, all while avoiding and ignoring the 10 or so spam messages I get from spurious ‘professionals’ wanting me to pay to be a part of their non-existent book groups, Goodreads review groups, and so on, and those purporting to be editors from everyone from Pan Macmillan to Penguin. At the end of all of this early morning malarkey, I am left with a few hours of the day for the job of writing, but, after a few months of six or seven hours a day, I come up with a story that I would like to read told as I would like to write it.
Today’s piece of unashamed publicity, therefore, should come as no surprise, but this one is different. I am sure many people who read Symi Dream are only interested in knowing what they are missing on Symi, and that’s fine. Many others, though, take an interest in my books, and that’s wonderful, but not everyone knows when a new one has come out. So, today’s image is of the cover of the latest story, which I released yesterday in Kindle format. The paperback version will be available in a few days; it often takes a little longer to get right.
This story is slightly different from the others I have been writing of late. After three series of Victorian mystery novels (30 in total), I have lessened the mystery element and upped what you might call the human element. Yes, it’s set in Victorian times, but not London. This one is set in a small village in Kent at the same time as the first two of three court cases involving Oscar Wilde, although he has nothing to do with the story, and his trials only form part of the background. This is also a story that’s suitable for everyone (there’s romance, but it’s neither sloppy nor bodice-ripping, neither steamy nor, I hope, cliché). So, the hope is that those who have wondered what it is I do in the winter (spring, summer and autumn) now have a chance to find out, which you can do for under €5.00 or other currency, by downloading a copy to your Kindle app, or reading it in Kindle Unlimited, or, in a few days, buying a paperback copy. It’s a safe read for anyone, with no ‘naughty bits’ or anything horrible. In fact, there are a few laughs along the way, and plenty about blacksmithing, village life, some Kent traditions, such as the opening scene which takes place on Hoddening Night, and there’s nothing nasty to put you off your tea.
So, now at the end of today’s lesson, I’ll leave you with the cover and a universal link to where you can find out more and, if you’d like to support an indie author who hasn’t been to a beach for over three years and has never sat in an olive grove sketching, you know what to do.
PS. My books are only on sale on Amazon, under the penname Jackson Marsh or, for the older ones, under James Collins.
https://mybook.to/JourneymanJoe
