Life update: Murder, mayhem and mortar boards
- A J McDine
- Jul 26
- 5 min read
Hello!
Well, the past couple of weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind.
I’ve only just caught my breath after a jam-packed few days at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate and, to be honest, I’m still pinching myself that I got to be a part of it.
The highlight of the weekend was the chance to host a table at the Murder Mystery Dinner on Friday night. The mystery, written by Mick 'Slow Horses' Herron, had my team and I scratching our heads and although we didn’t win, we gave it a good stab (pun intended!)
It was my first time attending the festival, the world’s longest-running and most prestigious celebration of crime writing, and I enjoyed every minute.
The panels included such heavyweights in the crime-writing world as Lee Child, Kate Atkinson, Paula Hawkins, Kate Mosse, Andrea Mara and Claire Douglas - to name but a few.
I caught up with old friends and made new ones. One memorable moment was finally meeting my fabulous audiobook narrator Danielle Cohen in person, as well as two authors I've admired for years, Jackie Kabler and CL Taylor.
It was such an honour to be even a small part of such a legendary event. All the excitement must have taken it out of me because I slept for nine hours straight the night I got home. Rock and roll, eh?
Here are some pics of the best bits:
On Monday we drove down to Southampton for our youngest son Thomas's graduation.
It was so lovely to share this milestone with him and we couldn't be prouder. ❤
After three years studying human geography, he's now taking a year out to do some travelling before he starts job-hunting in earnest.
Meanwhile, Adrian and I have gone from empty-nesters to having a full house again. Not that I'm complaining - I love having both boys at home.
I won't think about all the extra washing, shopping and cooking that goes with the territory!
I'm now the only member of the family without a degree, which got me thinking about whether I would change things given the chance.
I had a place at university to read English when I left school, but I also had a job offer as a cub reporter.
Being a reporter was all I'd ever wanted from the age of about 13. Why go to uni when I could earn money doing something I loved? It was, as they say, a no brainer. By the time I would've finished my degree I had qualified as a senior reporter.
Do I ever regret not going? Sometimes. But being a journalist on a local paper taught me so much about people, writing and the ways of the world that if I could turn back the clock I wouldn't change a thing.
I told myself I could always do a degree with the Open University if I wanted, and maybe I will one day.
In the meantime I couldn't resist trying on Thomas's mortar board for size. What d'you think - does it suit me?!
In book news, I’m thrilled to say that Das Baby, the German edition of The Baby, was published on Wednesday, and it’s already climbed to #46 in Psychological Thrillers in the Kindle store as I write this!
I absolutely loved writing The Baby and it means the world to see it being discovered by readers in new languages.
And this is just the start. It has already been released in Portugal and foreign rights have been sold in Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Spain, so more editions are on the way.
Which is pretty damn cool!
As for the English language edition, that's now gone on sale in branches of The Works up and down the UK.
I popped into the Canterbury store a couple of weeks ago hoping to find the book on the shelves. Spoiler alert: There wasn’t a single copy to be seen.
I have to confess I was bit disappointed.
So I took a deep breath and introduced myself to a member of staff... who turned out to be the manager... who was having a meeting with the area manager, and said, ‘I’ve just seen some on the pallet we’re about to unload. Come back in half an hour and we’ll get them on the shelves for you.'
I went back, signed all eight of their copies, the store manager managed to sell three to customers while I was there and I’m going back in August for an official signing for which they’re going to order a load more in!
Not only that, but the area manager said he could fix up signings in Ashford, Dover and Maidstone stores if I was interested. Hell, yes!
I was completely bowled over by just how incredibly helpful and enthusiastic they both were. Completely bowled over by the whole ‘seeing my books on the shelves’ thing to be honest.
I feel incredibly grateful that my publisher Bookouture and The Works have made this possible. Isn't every author's dream to see their books on the shelves of their local bookshop?
In other book news, I met up with my editor Natasha while I was in Harrogate, and she’s really pleased with how Book 10 is shaping up. The line edit is done and dusted, it’s now with the copy editor, and we’re hoping to do a cover and title reveal very soon.
I can’t wait to share it with you!
I shall be making a start on Book 11 on Monday and am hoping to get the first draft finished well ahead of the December deadline. Once again I have a detailed (5,500 words long, in case you're interested) outline. While this may change as I start to write, at least it's a roadmap I can follow so I know where I'm going.
I'm sure I'll have the usual 'I've forgotten how to write!!' collywobbles that plague me when I start every book, but with luck I'll soon get back into the groove.
After all, this is my job. I don't have any choice!
That's all from me for now. I'll be back in touch soon - hopefully with the big cover reveal for Book 10.
In the meantime, take care and happy reading,
Amanda
Amsterdam becomes even more enchanting once the sun goes down and the lights reflect across the water. To embrace this magic, travelers should discover the city at night, enjoying illuminated bridges, live music, and cozy restaurants.