My Diary – Archive

January for some reason seems to go on longer than any other month – it’s hard to believe that Christmas was only five weeks away when it seems like months. I think, like most people, the short days and horrible weather make it seem worse than it really is. Now there are daffodils beginning to poke through the soil, snowdrops are already out, and there’s a wonderful dawn chorus every morning.

On the home front I believe that the horrible long covid is finally going – I still get bad days but they’re not as bad as they were before and I’ve had as many as twelve days without any symptoms at all. I’m making a serious effort to eat better, exercise as much as I can – not the gym or anything silly like that, but short walks, a bit of gardening and so on – and have stopped buying chocolate as I only eat it. I think that my arthritis would be improved if I lost a couple of stone but that’s wishful thinking. If I drop a dress size then I’ll be satisfied.

Loki is by far the best cat in the world – beautiful, intelligent and kind. I never thought I’d be a devoted cat owner but I’m now very much in the cat camp rather than the dog. I’m only going away for one holiday – to stay with a good friend in Bath for six days in June so he won’t be too put out. I just can’t face airports any more so in future my holidays will be ones that don’t involve flying.

On the writing front I’ve reduced my contracted output to Boldwood to 3 books a year but I still might write four if I have the energy and the time. I’ve got, at the last count, three new titles and thirteen back list coming out between now and December. I’m sure there are very few of my readers who will want all the books but I hope they do. The next one coming out is the second one in my new Army Girl series, Army Girls: Heartbreak and Hope. This is on preorder and will be published on the ninth of this month.

I won’t be going to the RNA conference this year – or in any future years – as I just don’t enjoy it. I don’t drink alcohol and 90% of the people attending the conference do which always puts me at a disadvantage.  The one I went to last year was packed with excellent workshops and talks, everybody was friendly and welcoming but the accommodation – being for students – was uncomfortable and the food awful. I’m sure everybody going this year will have a great time.

Until next time

Fenella J Miller

I’m not sorry to say farewell to 2023. So much misery, death and destruction in the world and all of it man made. I sincerely hope that 2024 will see the end to the wars and that the civilians can begin to live their lives in peace again. I’m also hoping for a general election here so we can see the end of the appalling government we have now.

2023 has been  brilliant for my writing, seven books out with Boldwood and all of them have done so well. Thank you brilliant Boldwood. I’m lucky to have Emily Rushton for my editor and we work well together. I’ve cut down my new book output to three because of health problems, but as I’ve got another thirteen backlist books coming out in 2024 I don’t think one less new title will be noticed.

The second in my new Army Girls series, Heartbreak and Hope, is out on 2nd February, and this series seems to be proving popular. The third book has just been handed in and will be published in May. The fourth and final one will be a Christmas title and should come out in September.  Then I’m going back to Goodwill House and intend to pick up Joanna and her family’s stories from 1943 and take them to the end of the war.

I had good festive break, I spend both days with my son and his family, and all my decorations came down on 28th. The plastic boxes crammed with things have yet to be carried out to the shed but they are in my study and not in the way.

I intend to enjoy 2024 and hope that you can all do the same.

Fenella J Miller

I can’t believe it’s December already even though there have been trees and decorations and Christmas puddings everywhere since September. I think November is now the last month of autumn rather than the first month of winter and lots of trees, up until this week, have still been in full leaf. Now the heavy frosts have come I’m sure the leaves will fall and we’ll have the beautiful sculptural outlines of the naked branches until next year. I love seeing them with the frost and the sun during the winter.

I still have this wretched long Covid and am being referred to a long Covid clinic – by the time I get seen I’m hoping I’ll be better. I’ve also been referred to an ENT consultant but when I rang they said there’s a five month wait – I’m also hoping that my ear problem will have sorted itself out long before then. The landscapers should have come back last month to weed, prune, plant and generally tidy up but because of the incredibly wet November and October they are running behind. It won’t really matter if they don’t come until the New Year as I didn’t plant my bulbs until January last time.

On the writing front I’ve decided to cut down to 3 books a year as writing four was becoming too stressful. I’ve also got fifteen backlist titles appearing between now and next autumn so I doubt that any of my readers will notice there are three new books instead of four. I’ve also decided not to work on weekends unless I want to and try and get a better work/life balance.

I’m fortunate that I write for the best small publisher in the UK, Boldwood, and they will do anything to help their authors. They’ve won two awards this year and I’m not surprised. They get better and better and authors from the big five are now joining us. Digital first is the way forward and Boldwood are the best at that.

The second book in my new Army Girl series is now on pre-order, the first one is doing really well, thank you. I’ve also got the first two books in a series that I wrote more than ten years ago – once called Barbara’s War – and now called The Pilot’s Girl –  out on the thirteenth of this month.

https://mybook.to/ArmyGirlsHope

https://mybook.to/armygirls

https://mybook.to/pilotsgirltwo

https://mybook.to/pilotsgirlone

Thank you for reading my books and enjoying them and leaving such wonderful reviews all year.

Loki and I wish you a fun filled festive season and a calm and prosperous New Year.

Best wishes

Fenella J Miller

Another month has drifted by and the news in the real world continues to be grim – I don’t watch the television news any more because it’s just too upsetting. The clocks have gone back and it’s now dark by five o’clock – I wish we had double summer time like they had in World War II as I really don’t like the dark nights. Loki now wants to be let out what he considers is the right time – but to me it’s four o’clock in the morning.

I’m still suffering from long Covid and having my booster jab has just made you feel even worse – I suppose it’s worth the few days of high temperature and so on to give me extra protection against Covid. The flu jab which I had at the beginning of the month also made me unwell. In fact – because my immune system is compromised it doesn’t take much to knock me off my perch. My entire family went down with Covid. Fortunately I didn’t catch it this time.

On the writing front things are going well as far as books being published but not quite so tickety-boo with the writing. I decided to drop back to 3 new books a year as writing four was becoming too much for me. I’ve got fifteen backlist titles coming out between now and next summer – the first one – A Land Girl’s Secret – is already out. My Barbara’s War series is now entitled The Pilot’s Girl. The first two books will be out on December 13th.  The Army Girls Reporting for Duty, is out tomorrow and I hope you enjoy it. This is the first of a new four book series and the second one will be out next February.

https://mybook.to/pilotsgirltwo

https://mybook.to/pilotsgirlone

https://mybook.to/armygirls

I suppose I should be thinking about Christmas but this year I don’t seem to be at all motivated. I bought a fabulous Christmas tree last year but because I’ve now got two bookshelves where the tree went I don’t know if I’m going to be able to use it again – perhaps it can go in the hall. Normally by this time I finished my Christmas shopping but I think this year everyone’s going to get some sort of gift voucher from Fenwicks.

Until next time

best wishes

Fenella J Miller

This year has gone past even quicker than usual. I can’t believe it’s October already. In September I went to Bordeaux with a very good friend and we spent two wonderful days there before going on to a writing retreat. This wasn’t what we’d expected and we both decided we’d have written a lot more if we’d stayed at home. The fact that I was unwell more than half of the time I was there certainly didn’t help.

I think when I catch a virus it triggers a relapse of Long Covid which isn’t fun. I’ve also had an infected ingrowing toenail – it sounds amusing but I can assure you that it isn’t – and had the surgery last Monday. All seemed to be going well until yesterday when it became really painful and I’ve got to go back and see my podiatrist tomorrow. I really want to feel well again but my immune system appears to be compromised and I catch one thing after another. Thank goodness most of the time I can still write, see my family and friends and have my wonderful, mischievous adorable cat Loki  to keep me company.

My friend and I decided that holidays abroad are no longer something we want to do so in future any breaks I take will be in the UK where I can get home or see a doctor without any problems. I’ll be going to Bath for a few days next summer and to London for a couple of days in May, but apart from that I have nothing planned. I intend to let my passport will expire and not renew it.

The first of my backlist books,The Land Girl’s Secret, previously called Hannah’s War, is out today and I hope there are still sufficient readers who haven’t already seen this book to make it successful. It’s certainly got a wonderful cover. I handed in the second book in my new The Army Girls, series but I’ve yet to hear from my editor if she likes it. I think she will as it’s more romantic than the last one. Today is the day I should start writing the third book in the series but, fortunately, I’ve already written ten thousand words so there’s no panic for a few days if I don’t get on with it. The first book, The Army Girls Report for Duty, is on pre order and will be out on November 2.

The fifty over cricket World Cup starts in a few days and that will keep me busy – fortunately it’s in India so the time difference isn’t so extreme as when it’s in Australia or New Zealand. We’re the current holders of the cup and I really think we can win it again – I’m going to enjoy watching as long as England do well. I’ve also been watching, binge watching, Madam Secretary and think this is the best thing I’ve seen this year. I just wish that American politics was really like this.

My garden has been fantastic and I know will be even better next year when the plants are more established. My ornamental gourds were too successful, I had to give more than half of them away. Some of them were the size of pumpkins – I’d no idea I’d got such different seeds. I’ll definitely grow them again but not so many next time. Despite the weather insisting it’s still late summer it’s actually autumn and the flowers are fading and at the end of the month the landscapers will be back to trim, tidy and plant so it’s even better next spring and it was this year.

The shops are full of Christmas items and even my grandson thinks this is far too early. Someone told me that shops do this so those that are on a tight budget can buy a few extras every month and not have to By everything in December. If that’s actually the reason then I approve. I usually buy everything online this year I’m going to go to the only decent department store we have in the area –Fenwicks in Colchester– and buy all my gifts there. I won’t be doing that until next month and usually I finished my Christmas shopping by October.

Until next month

Fenella J Miller