The Awkward Squad
A Readers' Group by Michael Campling
Hello
“We never know the whole man, though sometimes, in quick flashes, we know the true man.”
― Agatha Christie, Agatha Christie: An Autobiography
Happy New Year, and I hope all is well with you and yours. I'm writing a little later in the month than I'd hoped, but as some of you know, I've been hampered by a painful trapped nerve. Thank you very much to all who sent kind wishes and greetings before Christmas. I have read and appreciated all your kind thoughts, and I will tackle my backlog of replies as soon as I can.
I'm pleased to say that the physiotherapy exercises are working, and I'm almost fully better. I'm picking up where I left off with the next Devonshire Mystery, which is a bit tricky when I insist on having several threads in each book, but I'm enjoying getting back to Embervale with Dan and Alan and the others.
Thank you to Sarah for sending the opening quote to me. I'm taking Agatha's words out of context, but I think we can substitute 'person' for 'man', and in that light, I think it's a very perceptive remark.
I wonder if the enduring appeal of Agatha Christie's books is not down to the murders, clues and clever detectives after all, but something to do with the way she gives us fleeting glimpses into the true natures of her characters.
As readers, many of us are on the lookout for those revealing moments when a character gives themselves away. A glance can be furtive, adoring, nervous or all three. A greeting might be warm, reserved or formal, and if the level of affection is equal on both sides we can draw our own conclusions. But it's much more interesting if one party is warm and the other standoffish. What's happened there? Has one person hurt the other in some way? And what next? Will they learn to forgive and forget, or will their grievances come to the fore once again?
We love to read between the lines, and as a writer, I try to reveal my characters very slowly, allowing them to change gently as they grow and learn the lessons of life. Hopefully, that comes across. Readers tend to say, "I enjoy reading about Dan and Alan", and I like to think that the chaps are becoming as real to you as they are to me.
But perhaps that's just me, reading between the lines.
Let's get to the photos, but first, here are some words of thanks:
Cheers!
A special thank you to these kind people who have sent me a mug of tea via ko-fi.com. I'm raising a mug of English Breakfast in honour of these recent supporters:
Cynthia
Lara
Lynn.
Thank you for you encouragement and support.
Want to join them?
Featured Photos
A New Year walk up to Hound Tor - a beautiful day to be on Dartmoor. And yes, that's Mrs C and Lottie marching up the hill.
Another crisp day for a walk, this time on the beach at Teignmouth.
As always, there are more photos on the site, especially if you take a minute to register as a member (which is free):
NB: If you don't see a confirmation email after signing up, please check your junk and spam folders, and if you still can't find it, please drop me a line and I'll fix it as soon as I can.
Book News
ebook bargains on Kobo and Amazon
Kobo are having a January sale, offering a discount on ebooks - lots of genres included.
Running from Jan 19-30, 2023, the discount on offer is a whopping 25%, and it includes two of the Devonshire Mysteries, Valley of Lies and Murder Between the Tides.
The offer is available in Canada, the UK, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.
To get the discount, use coupon code 25JAN
Here are some handy links to find my books on Kobo:
Valley of Lies
Murder Between the Tides
Special Deal on Amazon in the UK
In the UK, Amazon has chosen Valley of Lies as a deal of the month, so it's only 99p until the end of January
If funds are tight...
You can borrow many of my books and audiobooks for free if you request them at your local library and they order a copy for you via OverDrive or one of the other library distributors. You'll need to contact your local library to arrange this.
What's Next?
The next few weeks are all about catching up. The upside of my enforced break from writing is that I'm now raring to go. I'm also getting into the swing of things with the website, adding new photos. I'm not sure whether to continue my audio author podcast in the same form. I enjoyed recording it, but it might be time for a change. I'm thinking about setting up a crime fiction podcast. It would be nice to interview other authors and hear their stories. I'll see what I can come up with and let you know.
I've experimented with a few short videos, posting them on my Facebook page and on Youtube, and that was fun, so I will experiment further with that.
Going low-tech, I'm having a go at journalling with pen and paper. So far, it's going well and I'm getting something out of it. It's nice to go back to basics, and if something interesting comes from it, I'll have more to share with you.
The main activity will be to get that novel finished though, while being careful of my posture and taking breaks for a stretch and to do my physiotherapy exercises.
So I'd better back to that manuscript, revealing those characters and dropping subtle hints between the lines.
Happy reading and take care.
All the best,
Mikey C
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