In Sweden, we have a saying: “April snow is like sheep’s dung” – i.e. a valuable fertilizer. Me, I’m more of the “damn it, no snow NOW!!!” approach, but these last few days have been so cold there is a faint possibility we will see snow, when what I want for Easter is sun, budding bushes and the ground covered in snowdrops and aconites.
Obviously, there’s not much I can do about the weather. A relief, in some ways, isn’t it, that some things just happen, still out of human control. Instead, I’ve submerged myself in a thorough re-edit of my series The King’s Greatest Enemy. Why waste time on re-editing your published books, you might ask.
Well, first of all, a prequel to the Kit and Adam story will be published as part of a new anthology called Courage later this year. Yet again, it is the impressively energetic Helen Hollick who has pulled together a variety of authors to contribute.
Secondly, I have decided to take back my paperbacks and reissue with new covers. Obviously, new covers call for a general revision of content and blurbs. Right?
Thirdly, it was lovely to spend time with Adam de Guirande and his Kit again. There I was, back in the political quagmire that is medieval England in the last years of Edward II’s reign, the first few of Edward III’s. So much tension, so much manoeuvrings, so much thirst for power, wealth, revenge—and in the midst of this, my very honourable and loyal knight, Adam.
As a consequence, I am now writing a fifth book about Adam.
“About time,” he mutters. “Here I’ve been, these last, what, seven years, waiting for you to continue my story.”
“I’ve been busy doing other things,” I protest. “You forgot about us,” he accuses.
Never.
Anyway, this fifth book has a new surprise character called Little Lionel (who is positively HUGE) and who has ties to some of my other characters. But more of that as the story progresses.
Presently, I have little time to write. I have decided to go broad with my books, leaving the safety of the Amazon walled garden, and that requires quite a lot of admin. I’m not sure it will lead to more sales—the only thing that leads to more sales is promotion and I am so, so, so, so bad at that. I blame it on being Swedish: we are taught very early on never, ever to toot our own horn. I should probably also blame it on being less than enthusiastic about social media these days.
I am also gearing up to the release of Queen of Shadows. Peeps, allow me to drag you back to 14th century Castile, and introduce you to one of the more tragic soap operas ever: I give you King Alfonso XI, his humiliated wife Maria of Portugal, and the woman he loved faithfully for twenty years, Leonor de Guzmán. Leaving aside that every day he loved Leonor he was actually being unfaithful to Maria, Alfonso is one of the very few Castilian kings who was faithful—to the wrong woman. While both Leonor and Maria are given a voice in the book, the true protagonists are Alma de Ponce y León and Rodrigo de Altamar y Hierro, two young people who end up serving the king and his powerful mistress in a time when Castile faces rebellions, Marinid invasions—and the plague.
When I am not toying with the idea of writing a Victorian Romance (I am presently devouring Lisa Kleypas’ books) or considering just how the mend the fences between Adam de Guirande and Edward III, I am outlining a sequel to Queen of Shadows, and—
“You’re what? No, no, no, lady! We’re stuck here with a dead body in a barrel, and you better sort that one out first!” Erin Melville says, glowering at me.
Oh, right: the dead man in a barrel. Not that Erin knows this yet, but he’s one of the unfortunate Swedish POWs who ended up in Russia after the battle of Poltava, and as he converted to Russian Orthodoxy (most reluctantly, but being whipped on a daily basis can do things to you) he wasn’t allowed to return home after the Swedish-Russian peace treaty in 1721. Shoot, she’s right! I have to do something about the poor dead man.
Which, lovely peeps, means I am presently toying with FOUR potential WIPs!!!! Sometimes, a vivid imagination is a burden.
But first, Easter. It’s my favourite holiday (except when it snows) because all you really need to get in the mood is buy flowers, chocolates, good food and decorate your table with miniature chickens. And as a treat to myself, I will allow myself to sit sipping tea and munching chocolates while reading yet another romance!
In my next newsletter, I hope to give you both cover, blurb and a giveaway of my upcoming release. Until then, I wish you all a lovely April!
Anna