My latest novel, Secrets and Shadows, is published today, and is available on Amazon Kindle.

In the next week I shall be preparing the novel for publication on Smashwords, for those with other types of e-readers. I am also bringing out a print edition, so will add information to my book page as soon as this is available.
            I'd like to say a big 'thank-you' to my friends in the northern chapter of the Romantic Novelists' Association for their comments and ideas about the book cover. It has taken many weeks of careful thought and work to find exactly the right images for the cover. The background shows a photo of a tram outside Sunderland train station in the 1950s, which is appropriate for the setting of the novel. A considerable part of the action happens in Sunderland, and this location is the lynchpin of the story.
            The photo of the girl was chosen for her fifties-style dress, and the colour, which I find particularly appealing. I hope that it will give readers an idea of how the heroine would look. I tried out many colour combinations for the lettering, and must thank my writing friends for their hints, which I believe have helped produce a balanced cover.

Watch out for more posts about the novel and its background. Available to buy on Amazon Kindle now.
            
                    

I'm guesting on the blog of fellow northern author Rhoda Baxter this week. Rhoda writes light-hearted contemporary romantic novels. In her blog, she asks other writers to talk about the book they have inherited from the generation before, and which book they would like to leave for the next generation. It's a really interesting idea, so why not click on the link and read about my choices, and what other writers have picked. Rhoda Baxter's Inheritance Books.

My other news is that I have had an article published in Your Cat Monthly magazine. It's in the June edition, out now. The article is a real life story about when we lost one of our cats, and the tale has an unusual ending.
If you like cats, the magazine is a good read, with plenty of tips about cat care, stories of cats from all round the world, lovely photographs and even a short story. They also feature various pedigree cats each month.
     We have two lovely cats, who are now nearly six years old and very much part of the family. They came from the Cats Protection League, and despite being the same age, they're not from the same litter. One is a black and white medium hair, the other a blue tortoiseshell short haIr. Although they have their spats, they get on pretty well, indulging in the occasional mutual grooming, and they often venture out together, as can be seen in this photo of the pair of them on our garden fence. Both are female, so they don't range very far, and they have sweet natures. Naturally, I think they are adorable!