A Question of Balance

It’s been a while since you’ve seen me here and with good reason. Someone else, lots of someone elses, have been doing my blogging for me and I didn’t want my personal efforts to be lost in the crowd.

Three weeks ago today The Ghost of Glendale was published as an eBook, the paperback having preceded it by three weeks. It was my first foray into the realms of self-publishing and in a way I cheated in as much as I had others far more experienced to do the work for me. I reaped the benefits of the professionalism of Rebecca Emin (Gingersnap Books) and Cathy Helms (Avalon Graphics) who formatted the book and produced the, in my opinion, spectacular cover.

Following all that, Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources took me on a whirlwind blog tour, hence the reason I haven’t posted myself. Rachel managed to assemble a group of people for whom I have a newfound awe and admiration to read, review and promote my book. Yes, folks, I’m talking about

THE BLOGGERS

that amazing fraternity who give up their time for no reward other than their love of reading. I have received some wonderful reviews for which I’m truly grateful but the thing that struck me most has been the consistency of the comments. I’d never written a mixed genre book before but it seems that romance and paranormal can go together. For those with a love of the Regency, I am happy to have portrayed the era effectively. To combine it with a ghost story was something else. Fortunately it seems I got the balance right. I had so much fun writing this book and when more than one compared it favourably with Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen, well, I could ask for no greater praise. I hope you enjoy reading it. Here’s an excerpt.

“It was fortunate indeed that you weren’t present for I should certainly have given myself away, but I so wished you’d been there to enjoy the joke.”

            Phoebe and Duncan were sitting again on the fallen tree where they had first met, the horses standing contentedly by in the small clearing. He had thought she’d looked a little overwrought when they’d met earlier in the stable yard but after a good canter she was relaxed as ever in his company and smiling now as she related what had happened at the table the previous evening.

          "Does she always rub you up the wrong way?”

        "Almost invariably, but when I stayed with her in London I was able to hold my tongue. I was her guest and it would have been unforgivably rude of me not to.” Duncan could appreciate her logic. “Here at Glendale I will not have her cutting up my father’s peace. It seems to me that if I can inject some humour into the situation, be she never so aware, I am able to restrain myself.”

           "Is her understanding so inferior then?”

          "By no means. She is intelligent enough. Just that she has no sense of the ridiculous. I cannot believe how unalike she is to my mother who could make anyone laugh by merely a word or even only a gesture.”

            “I wish I could have met her."

I hope you can join me again next time