Hello,
Well, we finally managed to escape Kent and spent the week before last staying in a little stone cottage in beautiful Northumberland.
It's a part of the country I've always wanted to visit. It's only taken me just over fifty years to get there, but it was definitely worth the wait!
My paternal grandfather was from Newcastle, so I reckon my newly-discovered love for the area is in the blood.
It was our first holiday without kids as our two boys, aged 19 and 17, decided they would rather stay at home and look after the cats than spend the week sightseeing and walking with us...
Adrian and I took full advantage and visited so many amazing places, from Hadrian's Wall to Holy Island. A highlight was a train trip up the coast to Edinburgh where we spent the day exploring the castle, the Royal Mile, and the cafe where JK Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter books.
It really was lovely to get away after what felt like a long, long winter and the easing of lockdown restrictions meant we could pretend things were almost back to normal.
It was also good to have a break from writing, and I am now raring to get on and finish the first draft of Book Four.
I'm up to 26,000 words, but I've now hit the sticky middle and need to spend the next couple of days plotting.
I know what happens in the end, I just need to work out exactly how I get there!
In other news, the winners of my latest giveaway were Emma Hernandez-Wyatt and Christine Browne, who each win a copy of the audiobook of Should Have Known Better.
Well done Emma and Christine, and thanks to everyone who entered.
If you weren't lucky this time don't worry, because I have another chance for you to win.
My fellow author and US crime fiction writer JB Stevens is holding a giveaway to win a copy of my Twisty Thrillers Boxset, which includes all three of my books: No One I Knew, Should Have Known Better and When She Finds You.
All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning the ebook boxset is sign up to his email list here.
There are 12 days left to enter this competition. Good luck!
That's it from me for now. I shall mainly be spending the next few days in a darkened room furiously plotting away. In the meantime, I hope that wherever you are in the world, you manage to escape the treadmill for a few days and enjoy a well-earned break. With a good book to read, obviously!
Happy reading!
Amanda
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