My Diary – Archive

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

Lots to tell you about. I’m still fighting with Long Covid, that makes six months now, but the symptoms are getting less severe so hope it’s finally waning. I’ve had several unpleasant visits to a podiatrist and have surgery on my big toe on October 2nd. My sister in law had a mild heart attack and is recovering,  and a friend died suddenly. At my age you go to more funerals than weddings.

Loki has fully recovered from the abscess on his neck and is as lively and noisy as always. The garden is looking wonderful and I’m so glad I invested the money to have it designed and landscaped.

My latest book A Christmas Baby at Goodwill House came out yesterday and is flying up the charts. There should be a new Goodwill House series  starting late next year. The first of my fourteen back list books is already on pre order. The Land Girl’s Secret, this is out on 30th September. This was previously called Hannah’s War. Two more WW2 books from my back list are out  in December. The first one is now called The Pilot’s Girl and was called Barbara’s War. The first of my great new series, The Army Girls Reporting for Duty, is on pre order and I’ve just finished writing the second. This will be out on November 2nd.

On the 11th I’m off to Bordeaux to Chez Castillion with a writer friend for a week’s writing retreat. Have a new laptop to take but doubt there’ll be much writing done. I went to the RNA conference in London and it was excellent but will be the last one I go to. In future it will be a writing retreat not a conference every year.

best wishes

Fenella J Miller

July was a busy month for me as I took my annual holiday – the first of two this year – to see my cousin who lives on the little Greek island of Paros. Getting there is complicated and I won’t be going again. Having my niece and great-niece with me was what made it possible to go this time but I’ve now made three visits so it’s my cousin’s turn to come and see me.

I managed to get the first book in my new series in three days before the deadline – I like to get it in three weeks before so it was stressful. I had covid when I started writing this book and am still getting over long covid. I think I’ve finally shaken it off but it’s taken five months – last time it took six months so I suppose that’s an improvement. I’m now writing the second book in the series and this one is going swimmingly – it should be finished a month early.

Boldwood have now got the first of my indie books on pre-order. The Land Girl’s Secret will be published for a second time on 30 September. The last book in my Goodwill House series, A Christmas Baby at Goodwill House, is also on preorder and this comes out at the end of August. I just love the covers that Boldwood do for me and can’t wait to see how they do the new ATS series.

I’ve been loving the test cricket against Australia over the past six weeks and the last day of the fifth test was yesterday afternoon and what a nail-biting finish it was. England would have regained the Ashes but for the weather, but that’s cricket. Stuart Broad announced that he was retiring from all forms of cricket after that match and had the fairytale ending everybody wanted for him. The last ball that he hit was a six and the last ball that he bowled took the winning wicket. To anyone who doesn’t follow cricket – probably most of you – this is all gibberish but let me assure you it was riveting and I’ve now got The Hundred to watch for the rest of this month.