More wonderful reader feedback for 'The Fine Art of Kindness'

I received this email this morning.

'Thank you for your beautiful new book. I have just finished it and I simply loved it. I was slow to get started as I had a book club book to finish and review before I could begin ( 620 pages! ) It was worth waiting for! You write so beautifully and simply, it was a joy to read. I love the way the stories are about ordinary people leading ordinary lives. I have a friend from NZ  and I lent her 'To The White Gate' and she is anxious to read 'The Fine Art of Kindness'. I also must mention the cover, so beautiful and gentle, just like the book! Thank you so much for your fine act of kindness, best wishes.'

'Underneath The Arclight' FREE promotion

Poor old Underneath The Arclight. It's a wonderful funny Kiwi story that doesn't get the attention it deserves because -- it's my own fault -- the cover is too low key and 'good taste'. So I've decided that for a while I'll give away a FREE copy with any other book sold. 

Here's the blurb from the back cover
Nothing much ever happens in Robinson Street, Blythewillow, and for Phyllis, Graham, Karen, Charlie Downs and Monkey Oldfield, and most of the other residents of the town, that’s just the way they like it.
With The Arclight cinema, The Record Reign, Wake’s butchers, the garden, and Monkey Oldfield’s brand new chicken coop, the residents of Robinson Street have everything they need. So when Clint appears in the garden one night and tells Phyllis that it’s all about to change she doesn’t know what to think.
Within days there are changes at The Arclight, and Clint’s isn’t the only ghost making its presence felt. Long forgotten events from the past bring visitors from the outside world; from the city, Australia and from Los Angeles, with news, offers and veiled threats.
Are these the changes promised by Clint? And can the residents of Blythewillow save their town’s bucolic charm? Only time will tell as Karen and Graham and Jehoiada Hartsfield – the charming young city lawyer – peel back the layers of Blythewillow’s forgotten history to discover Clint’s secret treasure.

Murder in the (Takapuna) Library

Last Wednesday night (the eleventh of April) I and three other authors took part in the Takapuna edition of the 'Murder in the Library' series of events as part of the 2018 Ngaio Marsh awards for New Zealand crime fiction. It was well attended by the book-lovers of Takapuna and excellently moderated by Sarah Ell. My novel Six Murders? is entered in the competition but it is not really very 'crimey' -- it's a bit on the light and humorous side really -- whereas the other three authors were each, in their own different way, serious series writers.

Pictured at Takapuna Library, from left, Sheryl Beaumont, me, Carne Maxwell, Sara Ell and Mike Boushier

(Note: I'm a bit late posting this because we have been without power since last Tuesday night. We got restored this morning only because Newstalk ZB pointed out what Vector didn't seem to know: that as of Sunday morning there were still thousands of city streets out and  that the problems were not just limited to the 'fringes of Auckland' as Vector claimed. Once ZB pointed out to Vector what Vector themselves didn't know we had power restored in five minutes -- literally five minutes -- after being fed misinformation and waiting helplessly for five days.)  

 

Nice news from Wellington libraries

In the course of arranging for some free copies of The Fine Art of Kindness to go the Wellington libraries the librarian told me that

"The copies of Six murders? are issuing exceptionally well as is our single copy of To The White Gate." 

As a result I sent them some more copies of both titles. There's nothing more gratifying to a writer than knowing his books are in demand.

Coming soon: MURDER IN THE LIBRARY

MURDER IN THE LIBRARY is an entertaining series of events for book lovers featuring the books (and their authors) entered into the 2018 Ngaio Marsh New Zealand crime fiction awards.
I'm now booked for the event at Takapuna Library (with three other authors) on the evening of Wednesday 11 April from six o'clock to talk about my popular novel Six Murders?

'The Fine Art of Kindness' gets its first Amazon review. And it's a FIVE-STAR.

The Fine Art of Kindness

I sold my first copy of The Fine Art of Kindness at Parnell market yesterday and I told the buyer that  although he wasn't the first reader he was definitely the first sale.  Anyway, he  emailed me today to tell me how much he had  enjoyed the book -- he had read it in one sitting -- and that he had reviewed it on Amazon. 

His five-star review follows:

A thoughtful tale, well told. You will be entertained and richer for the experience. Don't miss it!

A touching story of 2 older folks reunited after 70 odd years and their time together, until one passes. Robert has done an excellent job of introducing us to the characters and unraveling their secrets over 234 pages. Having met the author I was surprised at the depth of his perception of the character of the subjects. A little challenging at first but the story evolved quickly into a chance encounter which for Jack carried many past memories of kindness and comfort. For a little boy who had a rough upbringing. He briefly experienced a world more nurturing than his own and this had a profound influence on his life's path and the impact of the meeting in later life. The character Betty in contrast experienced huge wealth and poverty in her life, latterly influenced by a medical event early in her married life. This drove her to become what she became and do what she did. Without people like Betty in our world, we would all be that much poorer. Her contributions both financially and physically to children's hospitals and her community were astounding, when you consider the heights her life experienced. While this is a work of fiction one cannot help but wonder if there really was a Betty out there. Judging by the contributors to this narrative it seems our lives are blessed with people like Betty, large of heart and small of profile. Robert has done an excellent job of drawing the reader into a "slice of life" story and telling us who the characters were. He makes us all, perhaps, look at our lives in a different way. An entertaining read. I completed the whole story in one sitting. Fascinated with who these people were and what was coming next. I have no hesitation in recommending the book and its author to all thoughtful readers.

Another FREE Kindle promotion

This time I've set up a free Kindle promotion for my new book The Fine Art of Kindness which will run until Sunday night (NZ time). I posted the promotion on Facebook and then boosted it to the UK and Australia so it will be interesting to see how it goes.