May 2026

Currently working on…

A love story (of sorts) about a young Elvis impersonator and his girlfriend / manager who are both secretly questioning their relationship. This one has been on my list for about six months as a possible short story. I had the idea after listening to Dire Straits’ song ‘Calling Elvis’ for the millionth time in a row. I’ve written 10 chapters and I think it’s working. This is always the scary part; after investing hours in writing a first draft, it’s only after the first edit that it starts to take shape and the characters come alive. Then I have to decide if I like the story and if it’s worth continuing.

I’ll keep you posted.

The Butcher of Duke Street. This is the next murder mystery set in Brythgate. I’ve written three chapters but paused because I felt like working on the love story/ not love story. Also, this is a gruesome murder so I might have to write it in stages when I’m feeling brave.

April 2026

Book cover updates

Apparently, it’s not just what’s on the inside that counts. In a saturated market, book covers really matter and people do judge novels by their sleeves. As much as it pains me to have to think this hard about the outside of my books, I’ve been considering what changes are needed to make them more appealing, and to give them the best chance of finding their readers. I’ve already updated covers for ‘The Tipping Point’ and ‘Never To Be Told’’ using Canva’s free book cover templates, which are amazing. But I’m struggling to find one that works for ‘Death on the Common’. So I’ve been outside in the sunshine taking photographs and playing around with filters on my phone. I’m not sure if any of them will work for the book, but here’s a photo I took that I quite like anyway (no filter on this one, all natural).

I won’t be changing the novel cover straight away but I’m preparing for when I write the next murder mystery also set in Brythgate.