The Awkward Squad
A Readers' Group by Michael Campling
Hello
“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
― Benjamin Franklin
I found today's quote myself, and you can probably guess why it spoke to me.
The latest Devonshire Mystery seems to have been simmering for a while, but it's coming to a boil. Things are hotting up.
Perhaps this is because it's Spring and the days are long and warm. The fields and hedgerows of Devon are bursting with new life, and the birds are finding plenty to sing about. This is my favourite time of the year, and I'm sure all that activity in nature lends a sense of energy to us plodding humans.
I've been coming up with some new ideas for the book's ending, and they are better and more interesting than my earlier attempts. I guess it's a case of not knowing what to do with a thing until you can really see what you've got. To coin an analogy, you have to bake the cake before you can put the icing on top.
In other energetic news, I'm taking up running in a way that I never thought possible, and I'm sure it's doing me the world of good. Much as I love to sit and write, you can have too much of a good thing, and it helps to get up and get moving. At the weekend, I completed my first proper sporting event, a 10K run as part of the Great West Run in Exeter. Like most of Devon, Exeter is not what you'd call flat, but I ran every step and I was pleased with my time. I was second in my category, so I was happy with that. Not bad for a beginner of a certain age.
On with the newsletter, and we'll get to the photos soon, but first, here are some words of thanks:
Cheers!
A huge thank you to these kind people who have sent me a mug of tea
via ko-fi.com. I'm raising a mug of Yorkshire Tea in honour of these recent supporters:
Dave
Nancy
Meredith
Cathy
Alonza
and regular supporters: Lara, Cynthia, Lynn.
Thank you all for your encouragement and support.
Want to join them?
Featured Photos
Here are some nice photos of the Teign Valley, my home as well as the location for the fictional village of Embervale in the Devonshire Mysteries. The fields and hedgerows of Devon are a delight, crammed with wildflowers, and the birds are in full song. Also, there's a collage of pictures of our Labrador, Lottie, who is still able to sniff her way through the fields, enjoying the sunshine without getting too hot.
There are more photos on my website and the images there are larger. I hope you enjoy the pictures, and please note that you no longer have to sign in to see all the photos on the site, but you do need to be registered and sign in to comment.
My Podcast
This week I talked about the exciting business of writing a good ending for a mystery. This and older episodes are on my website and wherever you get your podcasts:
Book News
Kobo are having an ebook promotion, with tons of great ebooks at excellent prices. Lots of genres are included so there’s plenty to choose from
Running from May 18-29, 2023, this curated promotion includes the first full-length Devonshire Mystery novel, Valley of Lies.
The offer is available in Canada, the UK, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.
Find Valley of Lies on Kobo:
If you already have my book, you can always look for more bargains at:
What's Next?
I'll be sharing some snippets of the new book on my website, and members will get access to much longer snippets than I'll show to the public. Members will also be able to comment on those posts.
In case you missed me mentioning it above, you no longer need to sign in to see all the featured photos, so please feel free to share the featured photo posts on social media etc. If you do, please share the whole post so that people can see where it came from. Thank you.
Speaking of social media, I know not everyone uses Facebook, but it can be a very quick way to get in touch with me, and I can respond very quickly, so here's a link to my author page: facebook.com/authormichaelcampling
I mention the website and my Facebook page particularly as I can respond to comments in those two places much more quickly than by email. My inbox is a disaster zone, so apologies if you're waiting for a reply.
I'll get back to applying my energies and persistence to the novel.
Happy reading and take care.
All the best,
Mikey C
PS: Want More or to Get in Touch?
There are more photos and lots of other content and on my website:
I hope to see you over there!
To contact me, please visit my website, comment on Facebook or reply to this email.
I never send spam, so if you don't want these emails, please unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom.
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