DIY soapbox

[SandraParticipant]

Eight years ago I signed up for NaNoWriMo 2011 with plans to write a murder mystery (a genre I then knew little of).

I had a title. An idea: a cruise ship on which brides were bumped off to order. I had back stories for a dozen honeymooning couples; for ship’s crew and owners (some good, some bad). Best of all I had DI Luke Darbyshere and crime reporter Baz Rose, whose from-the-cradle friendship had turned toxic. All I needed to do was convincingly bump off a few brides under suspicious circumstances, by person-as-yet-unguessed-at, for reasons I could not begin to imagine.

Nearly eight years later, the final, final version of ‘Step so Grave’ is now released on Blurb:

https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/9571608-step-so-grave

Blurb because I’m not after making a profit (I write to please myself) and because our local independent bookshop has said they’ll only stock it if it’s not on Amazon

[AthelstoneModerator]

Will you have copies at York? I definitely want it signed!

[SandraParticipant]

I’ve not booked for York but depending on dates could certainly deliver to anyone interested – good idea, in fact, but we’re in Orkney 5-14th …

[AthelstoneModerator]

Oh well, it won’t be the same at York without you 🙁

[SandraParticipant]

When IS it? It would be good to catch up

[AthelstoneModerator]

6-8 September https://jerichowriters.com/festival-of-writing/

[SandraParticipant]

Shame … I’ll check out postage costs. Or better still, hope to arrange a meet up; it’s been far too long.

[KazGParticipant]

Congratulations Sandra! An 8-year gestation after a sprint start 🙂 Well done on persevering and turning your dream and idea into a proper, finished book!

[SandraParticipant]

Thanks Kaz.

[BellaParticipant]

Well done, Sandra.

[JanetteParticipant]

Congratulations, Sandra. I’m so glad you got there in the end. This always did sound an intriguing plot.

[JaneShuffParticipant]

Congratulations, Sandra! I was going to order a cpy but would love to have a signed one. Can I order one too? Let me know how much.

[SandraParticipant]

Thanks, Bella, have to say I’m glad to have finally got there!

[SandraParticipant]

Thanks Janette, it didn’t work out as expected, but what book does?

[SandraParticipant]

Jane, I’d be delighted to sign and send you one, how much would be the £7.95 + p&p. I’ve not yet got the order back and would need to go to the post office to find out what it costs. Will let you know.

[JaneShuffParticipant]

Brilliant! Let me know about the P&P and I’ll send you a cheque. If it’s hideously expensive to send to France, I’ll get it sent to my sister, or one of the sons…

[GippsGirlParticipant]

Congrats, Sandra! A great accomplishment to get it in print after eight long years. Friends who know I write can’t understand why I’m still at it after five. I, too, would love a signed copy, and assume you reap more of the profit (!) if purchased direct rather than via Blurb? Could do a bank transfer.

And a catch-up is definitely due! x

[SandraParticipant]

Thanks Robyn, I’ll gladly sign and send you one but hopefully it’ll save you money rather than reward me because Blurb charge an embarrassing (to me) £6.99 p&p for a single book. I’m profiting by ~£1.30 per book, which is fine because I’m not after making money, just getting it out to those friends who have expressed an interest (and much prefer them to have a ‘proper’ book. Be a few days yet though.

[SandraParticipant]

@athelstone, @janeshuff, @gippsgirl re posting Step so grave, if I’ve interpreted the Royal Mail site right (and often I don’t) it’ll cost £7.65 to send to France, £3 for the UK, plus, say 75p for P&P so, Jane, if you have a UK address that’ll still be cheaper than Blurb. (My profit per book is 78p, not £1.30 – maths never my strong point!- so I can’t go any cheaper)

[GippsGirlParticipant]

Fine with me, Sandra. Do you want to provide bank details for a transfer (by way of PM) or would you prefer a cheque?

[JaneShuffParticipant]

Please would you send it to France, Sandra. I’ll PM you my address and it would be easier for me to do a trasnfer if you don’t mind PMing me your bank details.

[SandraParticipant]

I’ve a couple of reviews on Blurb already, but would be pleased for a few more – honest ones, of course, (I’m not wanting to bit it up for sales) just whether you enjoyed (or didn’t) and why. Or Goodreads.

‘Longest shadows reach’ and ‘Commission and omission’ will be added within a couple of weeks – unless I get them out there I’ll fiddle with them forever!

I have attempted to produce ebooks but failed so far. 🙁

[RaineParticipant]

The link isn’t working for me, @sandradavies ??

[SandraParticipant]

Damn! Sorry @raine (AND I posted that before the distillery tour!)

Hopefully my name &/or ‘Step do grave’ ought to find me – links I see might not be different.

Try: https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/9571608-step-so-grave

• This reply was modified 6 days ago by  Sandra.

[KateParticipant]

‘Step do Grave’ was definitely after the distillery! 🙂

[RaineParticipant]

@katemachon 😀
@sandradavies yes, that one works better ta! Enjoy the whisky!

[SandraParticipant]

Phew – and thanks. The Orkney Distillery is gin, not whisky, and given the amount of free gin, good value as well as entertaining.

[SandraParticipant]

Longest shadows reach, book 2 in the Love triangles with murder series now available

‘Step so grave’ indicated a wealth of history between Luke Darbyshere and Baz Rose. They’d been born within a week of each other; lived half mile apart, in a Hertfordshire village small enough to allow no escape. Each had successfully come through adolescence courtesy of Susannah Elphinstone.

Before puberty was reached, however, Susannah, to some extent, made an already horrific situation worse, the results of which came back with a vengeance 24 years later.

‘Longest shadows reach’ reveals how nurture and nature influenced what came next.

I’m publishing this (and the next in the series) with what may look like indecent haste, but if I don’t I’ll carry on fiddling with them forever, and I do want to get on with book 4

[Author]

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