Progress report on my new novel. It's in the final stages. And it has a new name.

It's almost the end of the year and my new novel is almost ready to go. However, it needs a bit more work on editing and polishing -- and all that other boring stuff (like checking spelling and consistency) -- before I can get to the work of actually publishing it in New Zealand, Amazon and Kindle, so I have decided to set it aside until the new year when I will approach it with a fresh eye. After all, I've been at it for eight months (somewhat interrupted by surgery and convalescence) so what's another month. By the way, despite saying I'd settled on a title I have  changed my mind and settled on a new title: 'Old Cupboards. Old Skeletons.' It'll be ready to read in February or March next year. 

Progress report on my new novel

My new novel is well under way and will eventually be my twelfth published book. 

I started it, rather tentatively I must admit, at the beginning of May and now, after more than five months -- interrupted by surgery and convalescence --I can report that I have at last typed THE END. That's not THE end end but it does mean I have brain-dumped the whole story and now have to spend months adding new material -- I'm having to do a lot of research for this book -- as well as editing, polishing and all that stuff that takes ages but is very satisfying and makes it all worthwhile. I have also settled on a title: On Making God Laugh. 

When will it be available? I'm guessing early in the new year. 

Don't Kiwis know about Goodreads?

I love Goodreads. It's a great place to find out about books and readers, what people all over the world are reading, and what they think. It's also a great place for writers to promote their books with the Goodreads Giveaway programme.

I use Goodreads Giveaways a lot in the UK, the US and Australia and usually get a great response. But not so from New Zealand. Even taking account of the population size it seems that Kiwis either don't know about Goodreads or, if they do, they don't bother entering the Goodreads Giveaway promotions. I wonder why. It's completely free and painless and you stand the chance of winning a free book directly from the author. 

I've got a New Zealand only promotion on now. I'm making five copies of my book The Collected Short Stories... available to New Zealand readers but I must admit that so far there are very few entries. If you're interested you can enter here until 21 October. 

My Marian Year': Wonderful feedback from an Australian reader: '...one of the best books I have read in my life...'

I receive a lot of feedback about my books but My Marian Year generates more than most.

And today I received a wonderful message from an Australian reader which I am happy to reproduce here in full. It reads:

‘I just want to let you know how much I have enjoyed your book ‘My Marian Year’. It was on my son-in-law’s bedside table and I just picked it up thinking it would be a light read, perhaps not so interesting as I do not know a lot about New Zealand's past, but what a treasure trove of memories I found! Although not raised in a Catholic school I converted and taught in Catholic schools for many years. The stories of the sisters were so real as was the devotion of so many parents - so intense. So many rules!! I loved the games the children played, jacks, chasie and French cricket. I loved the Rawleighs man (one used to visit us on the farm). I loved the visits to the city and the cinemas. It was like a repeat of my life. Perhaps saddest yet loveliest story was of your mum and dad’s marriage and working so hard to make it work after having spent so many years apart and becoming such different people, yet obviously creating a magical life for you! I cannot explain how I felt about the Epilogue. Tears of joy and sadness, such beautiful words, so beautifully expressed. I think I have just completed one of the best books I have read in my life and I am an insatiable reader. Thank you so much.'
With much respect.
Jackie 

A new book (untitled) is under way

What a year this has been. I'm just about fully recovered from major surgery -- after having already recovered from major eye surgery -- and I've started a new book. It's absolutely nothing like anything I've written before. In fact, that's one of my problems. People always ask: 'What is your genre?' It seems that authors who stick to a theme -- a genre -- can acquire a set of followers who know what to expect. But unless you call 'New Zealand fiction' a genre I don't have a fixed genre. A disadvantage? I don't know. At least I'm free to write whatever I like in any manner or style I choose. Anyway, I've started a new book, it doesn't have a title yet, and it's many months (up to a year) away from being finished, but I'm enjoying the writing so that's always a good sign. 

Goodreads Giveaways

I like Goodreads. It's a great website, a great service, and it seems to have a large and very loyal bunch of members. And so last month I tried a couple of Giveaways. First I offered five signed copies of To The White Gate to New Zealand readers only for two weeks and received 28 entries. Not many I thought. Second, I offered six -- later increased to 10 -- copies of My Marian Year to readers in New Zealand and Australia for two weeks and received 93 entries. (Better) Although I have no idea of who all the entrants were, in both cases all the winners were women. Not sure what this means. Are women more avid readers? Do women enter Giveaways more? Anyway I have decided that this giveaway promotion is an ideal way to seed my books without paid advertising and so have arranged to more giveaways starting at the end of this week. As an experiment one (five signed copies of To The White Gate) is aimed only at the USA and Canada while the other (five signed copies of The Tapu garden of Eden) is directed at New Zealand only. 

Six Murders? now available from Amazon and Kindle

I'm waiting for delivery of the New Zealand paperback edition of 'Six Murders' but meanwhile it is now available from Amazon and Kindle.