Thursday 19 April 2012

Death in Flitbury Marshes


Second in the Elversford Mysteries set in Essex is now published and available to download from Amazon.



When Sarah Hedley discovers a dead body in a crashed car she has an unwelcome insight into her husband Detective Inspector Hal Hedley’s work.

The car has been hidden in undergrowth for seventeen years. The body, however, is fresh. When DI Hedley’s team investigate the suspicious death, they discover it was murder, which makes the placing of the body in the car bizarrely significant… but to whom?

Hedley’s sergeant Fiona Connor is tasked with much of the work, but murder is the least of Fiona's problems at the moment.

Sarah Hedley’s involvement with the case doesn’t end with the discovery of the body, and she finds herself unable to leave well alone.



UK Link


US Link

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Monday 26 March 2012

Cover Contest

The cover of Death in Spigg's Wood is battling it out for first place with another cover in the Cover Contest

Last day voting today, so if you think the cover of Death in Spigg's Wood is the best, please vote for it.

Thanks.

I'm also pleased that a lot of people like Wargeld's cover too.

Friday 16 March 2012

Test post

My blogs seem to have vanished, but it might be my computer losing its favourites labels. This is a test post.

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Free Friday 16th March

Earth Magic by Linda M Priestley

And a short story collection by a friend, which I think are great.

Jo Styles Short Story Collection No.1


Great for Mums

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Not a Crime Story

I have just published Earth Magic under the name Linda M Priestley because it's a love story very far removed from my gritty crime novels. I expect I shall have to start another blog under that name but until then I'll post here.


A novella-length gentle love story.

Physically and mentally scarred after a terrible accident, Claire is trying to pull her life together. Bullied because of her appearance she is saved by Jake, a young man with troubles of his own. In working with him in the garden he has created, Claire finds peace and a purpose in life, along with the first steps towards friendship and, perhaps, even love. However, Claire's fragile, new-found confidence is threatened when family loyalties cause friction between them.

I have scheduled Earth Magic to go free Wednesday 14th to Friday 16th March, in time for Mothering Sunday.

Friday 2 March 2012

For the Love of Books

The launch of Essex Book Festival was great, and once I have a spare minute I'll put something up about it. In the meantime, fellow Essex Writer Sarah Banham told me about some writing workshops she's planning. I hope I can reproduce the list here.

Sarah's Workshop Dates:-

For the Love of Books


www.loveofbooks.co.uk

‘Finding Inspiration for Creative Writing’ Workshop
Sat 24 March 1-4pm 15 Queen Street, Colchester £40 per person
Sat 28 April 1-4pm 15 Queen Street, Colchester £40 per person
Sat 26 May 1-4pm 15 Queen Street, Colchester £40 per person

Tues 3 July 9.30-12.30 Hylands House, Chelmsford £45 per person
Tues 3 July 1-4pm Hylands House, Chelmsford £45 per person
Tues 4 Sept 9.30-12.30 Hylands House, Chelmsford £45 per person
Tues 4 Sept 1-4pm Hylands House, Chelmsford £45 per person


‘Getting to Know your Characters’ Workshop
Fri 16 March 7-9pm 15 Queen Street, Colchester £30 per person
Fri 20 April 7-9pm 15 Queen Street, Colchester £30 per person
Fri 18 May 7-9pm 15 Queen Street, Colchester £30 per person


Places are limited so book ASAP. For Colchester workshops, please email sarah@loveofbooks.co.uk. For Hylands House workshops, please call 01245 605 555.

Wednesday 29 February 2012

Essex Book Festival

Tomorrow, as well as being World Book Day, is the launch of Essex Book Festival. I've been going to the launches of EBF in Chelmsford Library (usually) for the last eight years. Dave Monk's show (Radio Essex) is broadcast live from there. I've always come away with a real buzz.

To celebrate the launch of Essex Book Festival I have scheduled "Wargeld & Other Stories" to go on free promotion Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd March. Please download if you haven't done so already, and invite everyone else to do likewise.

Monday 27 February 2012

Death in Spigg's Wood is a Best Seller!

Death in Spigg's Wood reached the top 100 best ebooks in Kindle Store yesterday. It has just dropped off that particular list but much of yesterday it fronted crime and thrilles on the Kindle Store front page. Most of Sunday it was at the No 2 spot in Movers & Shakers, and it still features in that list.

A new review from Kindle_maniac73 says, "I got this as a freebie, but wasn't sure I'd like it. It turned out to be a lot more than I was expecting and I can honestly say it's one of the best thrillers I've read, definitely as a freebie, and probably ever! It was fast-paced and had elements of a psychological thriller, police procedural, and legal all rolled into one." See the rest of Kindle_maniac73's review on Death in Spigg's Wood's UK Amazon Page.

I am so thrilled by this.

I also have a couple of good new reviews on the US Amazon site One from Joo "Kuforum" (5 star) and one from "In My Opinion" (4 Star.

Many thanks to them for taking the trouble to voice their thoughts.

Worth Grabbing

A fellow author's book is free today and tomorrow. I read his previous novel Fake Kate and I enjoyed it.

Bang. Memoirs of a Relationship Assassin

UK Link


US Link

Saturday 25 February 2012

Recommended Reading

I'm going to recommend an anthology available now for download on Kindle.

Anyone who regularly reads Take a Break Fiction Feast, Woman’s Weekly and My Weekly and other national magazines will be familiar with her short stories. They are excellent. This is a collection of eight which made me laugh, brought tears to my eyes, and one in particular, was really creepy. I can thoroughly recommend this anthology to anyone in search of a satisfying, light-hearted read.

I’ve been so preoccupied lately I had forgotten just how good Jo Styles is.

Jo Styles Short Story Collection No.1

Promotion Results

I had well over 9000 downloads of Death in Spigg's Wood over the last few days, and there's a great new 4 Star review on Amazon.com and Goodreads as a result.

Amazon.com reviews

"What I liked about it? Just that. It was able to incite a reaction from me. Frustration and anger. And that's good enough for me."


Thanks to all who downloaded my novel. I hope you enjoy it.

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Death in Spigg's Wood Free

I have scheduled Death in Spigg's Wood for free promotion on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd February.

See my Amazon reviews.
"realistic and compelling"

Feedback from elsewhere.

Finished it, enjoyed it.

The procedural cop stuff is pretty damn good

*

Whilst away in sunny climes I read Death in Spiggs Wood. Thoroughly good read it was too. I wasn't expecting much, but I found the writing style very engaging and just when I thought I had it all sussed, off it went in a slightly different direction and blew my theories.

I enjoyed the book, even though it is not my usual genre. Good on you, and lets have some more. I also read the Wargeld etc., which were also very much enjoyed. Linda, your mind inhabits some dark places!

*

*Contains spoilers*
Just finished reading Death in Spiggs Wood, brilliant!
Couldn't put it down, a gripping tale with great procedural detail.

Having spent all but the first two years of my life in Essex I had great fun trying to guess where some of the fictitious towns might be.The section where Meg nearly "absconds" from the Magistrates Court and the Crown Court scenes were very vivid for me. For the first 13 years of our marriage we lived just off New Street in Chelmsford, I worked at Marconi's and sometimes walked up New Street for lunch at a wine bar called "Peelers" which an enterprising individual had opened in the basement cells of the old police station just behind the Magistrate's court opposite the Cathedral churchyard. Often saw the guilty being loaded into the prison vans. We were married in the Cathedral,but that's a happier memory.

Thanks for a great read

*

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Goodreads

I've joined goodreads and this is my Author Thread.

If I were really clever I'd do something with widgets or whatsits or youjits or something.

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Video Reading

Annie Wicking did this for me.

YouTube Video

Thanks Annie

I have now discovered that there is something worse than reading your own published work (I haven't read the published version of Charlie's War, for example)and that is reading your work out loud in front of a camera.

Thursday 19 January 2012

In the News

Many thanks to all who visited at the weekend, emails, FB, my Amazon Author Page and here. Thanks to all who downloaded Wargeld, and thanks too, to those who subsequently purchased Death in Spigg's Wood. It went very well. I had some good feedback, and one in particular, from a US veteran, touched my heart.

I am in the local newspaper, The Maldon & Burnham Standard this week.

Friday 13 January 2012

Welcome to the Book Launch

During this time Wargeld & Other Stories is scheduled to go on promotion, but has not yet done so. Unless you're happy to pay the 77p, please wait until the price has dropped to Free. The promotion is scheduled for 3 days so there should be plenty of time.

I will be dropping by throughout the book launch period to answer questions and comments.

Monday 9 January 2012

New Anthology Published and a Virtual Book Launch invite



You are cordially invited to my virtual book launch weekend of 13th January 2012 to 15th January 2012, where I will be launching my full length crime novel set in Essex, “Death in Spigg’s Wood” and my anthology of short stories, “Wargeld & Other Stories”. This is a collection of some of my favourite short stories, including Wargeld, which was Highly Commended in The Yellow Room Competition Spring 2010

During the weekend “Wargeld & Other Stories” will be free to download.

Linda Gruchy on Facebook

Death in Spigg’s Wood by Linda Gruchy


Wargeld & Other Stories By Linda Gruchy

Look forward to seeing you. Linda