My Diary – Archive

I’m glad March has gone as it’s not been good one healthwise. I went to the Romantic Novelists Association awards evening – feeling perfectly well for the first time in weeks – had a wonderful time and the day after I returned I started to feel unwell. I’d caught Covid for the second time.That was on 8th March and I’m still not well. I’ve now got a different infection and am on yet another round of antibiotics. I think I’ve spent as much time in bed feeling sorry for myself as I have been up and working this month.

Hopefully, now the nights are longer and it’s warmer, I’ll soon be well again. My garden’s coming alive and I wander around it most days to admire the new plants. I’ve no idea what most of them are so it’ll be a complete surprise when they finally blossom.

On the writing front I did the  final edits and proof reads for Wedding Bells at Goodwill House and that’s now on pre order and will be out on June 1st. My fifth book, A Wartime Reunion at Goodwill House was published on 2 March and seems to be doing really well. The final book of the first series of Goodwill House will be out later in the summer. I’ve just started writing the first in a four book series about the ATS – Auxiliary Territorial Service – the women’s army and, as always, I’m finding it a bit of a struggle to get to know the new characters and immerse myself in a completely different world. I have sold over a hundred thousand copies of my Boldwood books in the past twelve months and I’m surprised and delighted by this milestone.

Boldwood are having another summer party in May but I’ve decided not to go this year. I really don’t want to catch anything else as I’ve got a big family wedding in the middle of June. I missed my brother’s golden wedding anniversary celebration because I had Covid and I’m not going to miss anything else. I’m definitely going to the RNA conference in August because if I catch covid again I’ve got months with nothing planned to get over it.

Things can only get better – for me I’m hoping that in the May local elections it will become clear to the horrible government we have that they are not popular. How can who are multimillionaires have any notion what ordinary people are enduring because of their thirteen years of austerity and cutbacks.

Until next month

best wishes

Fenella

Wedding Bells at Goodwill House

J Miller

Where shall I start? My health has been decidedly poor  most of February – a nasty virus similar to Covid which I just can’t shake off. Loki got frightened and was missing for five hours on one day and had ten hours on the next. I kept him in for four weeks and now he’s going out again has shown no sign of leaving the back garden. I’ve actually got three formal invitations proudly displayed on my bookshelf – two weddings and a golden anniversary party. I really need to concentrate on getting fitter and thinner so i cna buy myself a fabulous new outfit for the weddings in June.

Book News is all tickety-boo. My fifth book, A Wartime Reunion at Goodwill House, is published today and the next one, Wedding Bells at Goodwill House, the sixth, is on preorder. I’ve just had one book on a BookBub  promotion and another is just starting a month long one with Amazon. I’m on the last two chapters of the final book in this series and hope to hand it in next week. There will be more exciting book news next month.

My kind neighbour, the widower on the right of me, is trying to sell his bungalow. That will be the second time this house has changed hands since I moved here. It seems his very elderly (almost 100 years old) mother is now in a very expensive care home and he needs to sell in order to pay the exorbitant weekly fees. He will be living in her vacated house as he is the only child and will inherit it when she goes. It’s not a good time to sell a house and there have only been one lot of people look round since it went on the market two weeks ago. Last year it would have sold by now.

Things are so grim everywhere with earthquakes, rail crashes, boats capsizing and mass shootings that it’s hard to be optimistic about the future. Added to these disasters are the appalling cost of living rises which are pushing so many people all over the world into debt. My family and I are the fortunate ones as we’re able to weather this financial storm. At least with the lighter nights and improved weather families will be able to use less power and the worst will be over for a few months.

Until next time

Fenella J Miller

I definitely did a diary entry on the second of this month but for some reason it vanished and didn’t appear on the website. I can’t remember what I wrote but I’ll try again. I apologise for the delay – not that I think anybody reads it – but for those that do here is a roundup of last month.

On the writing front everything is going well and there will be exciting news in next month’s diary and blog, but I can’t say anything at the moment. A Wartime Reunion at Goodwill House is on pre-order and will be published on March 1st. The sixth book is being edited and I’m two thirds of the way through writing the seventh and final book in this very popular series. I might return to Goodwill House in a couple of years but that’s not quite decided yet. It rather depends on reader demand.

I’ve booked for the Romantic Novelists Association conference and this will the first time I’ve been for five years. It’s being held at Imperial College in Kensington, London, excellent accommodation, first-class catering and a terrific program – worth the extra money not to have to stay in miserable student rooms in out of the way provincial universities, endure horrible catering and inconvenient arrangements.

My garden is looking very brown and gravelly still even though there are literally hundreds of plants in it – until the weather warms up they won’t start to grow so I’ve just got to control my impatience until next month. Two of my raised beds are packed full of daffodils and tulips and they should be glorious when they come out, but again it’s been so cold nothing very much is growing.

On the domestic front I’m doing what most people do after Christmas which is trying to lose the weight they put on then. I’ve got a big family wedding in June and those photographs will be around for many decades and I want to look presentable in them. My health is as good as it’s going to be – I still do half an hour of yogalates and meditate every day and try and go for a half an hour walk with my neighbour and her little dog as well.

I am going to Paros In July with my niece and great-niece to see my cousin who now lives there – I’ve not been for four years and I’m so looking forward to it; it’s good to be going somewhere familiar and be able to show other members of my family all the things that I enjoyed last time. I know it’s going to be blindingly hot but then it was even hotter in England last summer and I survived – both places that we’re staying have air conditioning anyway.

Until next month

best wishes

Fenella J Miller

How can it be another year? Despite everything I can look back on last year with a great degree of satisfaction as far as my writing is concerned. My decorations are now down – I never liked them into the New Year – I loved having them for the month that they were there. I do go a bit over the top when it comes to Christmas.

My fourth book with Boldwood was published in November, The Land Girls of Goodwill House, and has been a bestseller. The fifth book, A Wartime Reunion at Goodwill House, is on preorder and due out on March 2. The sixth book, A Wedding at Goodwill House, was handed in but has yet to be edited and should be out in May. I’m writing the seventh and final book in the first series with this title and this will be given in next month some time.

Healthwise I’ve been better than November but unfortunately owing to the amount of food and delicious chocolates in the house I’ve managed to put on 5 lbs. It took me weeks to lose that and it went back on in a fraction of the time. I’ve now gone back on my sensible eating plan and am determined to go down a dress size by the summer when we’ve got a big family wedding.

I hope this year is better for all of us than the previous one.

Best wishes

Fenella J Miller

Christmas is on the way and I’ve already put up my decorations. Nothing outside this year as the landscapers have got a skip, portaloo and van where my reindeers and penguins would usually go. My big expense this year is to have my back garden redesigned and the landscapers are here now. I’m having a Beth Chatto inspired, sustainable, environmentally friendly, drought resistant gravel garden put in. Should be taking 2-3 weeks but will take double that because of the rain. Good thing I’m not writing as using my Dragon would be impossible. I dictate my books and the noise from the machine passing the study window every five minutes is horrendous.

I was a bit down a week ago as it will be the second anniversary of my husband’s death on 26th December. Am fine now, but I do still miss him so much. Another sadness is that my daughter and her family are on longer a part of my life. They moved to America five years ago and I have no contact with any of them. I hope I do see my daughter and grandchildren again one day.

On the writing front I’ve finished and handed in the sixth book in my bestselling Goodwill House series and the fifth book is on pre-order. I’ve also signed another eight book contract which will keep me busy until 2025. There will be a seventh book in this set of Goodwill House books, then a new four book series set in London, and then back to Goodwill House. I so love being part of the Boldwood team. It was the best decision, writing wise, I’ve ever made.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, festive break, and a peaceful and happy New Year.

best wishes

Fenella J MIller