There seems to be a lot going on this month, so I thought I should share the special offers currently running on my books.
Wolf of Mercia is a Kindle Monthly Deal on Amazon UK and Australia.
The Last King is in Prime Reading on both Amazon UK and US.
Cragside is part of the Kobo Buy One Get One Free promotion running throughout March.
To keep up to date with special offers, sign up for my email newsletter and download a free short story.
It’s not very often that I actually get to visit the places I write about. Very little of Saxon England remains as it would have been. But for Cragside, I could visit as often as I liked, and I did. I’m going to share some images of the interior of the house with you. These were either taken during December 2021, so might be a bit Christmasy, or were taken in August 2021. (apologises to people I’ve accidentally snapped).
Cragside: A 1930s murder mystery is now available in ebook, hardback, paperback and audio.
Today, I’m releasing the ebook, paperback and audiobook of Cragside into the wild. I loved writing this book, and I want to say that my narrator, Gill Mills, has done an amazing job of bringing the character of Lady Ella Merryweather to life. Thank you.
But, why Cragside?
Cragside is a National Trust property in North Northumberland. During Lockdown, it was one of the places that was allowed to remain open (the grounds were) for locals. What started as a single visit because it was just amazing to go somewhere that wasn’t home, or the walk down the road, became a regular weekly haunt. Every week, just about without fail, and no matter the weather, we walked around the estate, exploring places I’d never seen before. And what an absolute joy it was. Cragside, the house, is majestic, but it’s the estate and all of its wonderful nature that really called to me. It’s not unusual to see a deer on the vast estate, or to watch birds, ducks and even some fish, in their natural environment. And some of the ducks like to have a proper little scrap, which really echoes.
And the more I walked around the estate, the more I started to see possibilities for a new story. The basin tank, dark and brooding, seemed like a perfect place to find a body, and that was just the first of the thoughts I had about a potential new story. And, of course, I also made the decision to set the story in Autumn, because while the spring and summer are beautiful, I’m a huge fan of Autumn colours, and it’s not just because the estate tends to be quieter over the cooler months:)
My main character, Lady Ella Merryweather, developed along with my walks and I enjoyed crafting the story of a woman already suspected of murder trying to prove her innocence in the 1930s.
I hope you’ll enjoy my 1930s murder mystery inspired by my love of Cragside and Agatha Christie novels.
Cragside is available now.
I’m very excited to reveal the cover for my next foray into twentieth-century crime.
Cragside: A 1930s murder mystery is another of my Lockdown projects, inspired by my weekly walk around Cragside, a nineteenth-century country estate in North Northumberland.
But enough of that.
Here’s the wonderful cover, designed by Shaun at Flintlock Covers. And isn’t it amazing.
Cragside will be released on 14th April 2022 in ebook, paperback, and, also audio – I’m really excited about the narrator. I will share more details nearer the time.
M J Porter 