Normal service will be resumed...

...but not yet.

I'm off down to my father's so there won't be any posts here for a few days. Meanwhile, I h0pe all of you in the UK have a super bank holiday weekend.

Infrequent posts

Sorry I haven't been posting regularly. I know how annoying it is to keep visiting sites only to discover that no one has updated it recently. Life's been a bit hectic and I can't see things improving in the short term. However, I will try harder. Promise.

I've been busy, busy, busy. The good news is that my father left hospital yesterday. He's back in his own home, and my sister and brother-in-law are staying with him for a few days. I'm not sure how long he'll need someone with him so the future is a bit up in the air at the moment. I'm assuming I'll be there at some point next week. I've been trying to make sure I have lots of work to take with me when I am away. I also think I may be restricted to internet access via my mobile phone which will be a bit expensive. Or maybe someone in the area has unlocked broadband that I can 'borrow'. We'll see.

Nick is off work until 2nd June, but he's busy, busy, busy too. Before Dad was taken into hospital, we thought it would be an ideal opportunity to get our attic rooms insulated, plastered and decorated. Hm. As it's turned out, we couldn't have chosen a worse time and it's been manic here. However, the spare bedroom is almost finished. What we (by me I mean Nick as I'm being no help at all) have to do now is insulate the other room, Nick's study, and get it plastered and decorated. Sadly, our wonderful plasterer is away on holiday next week so we'll have a bit of a delay there. It will be great when it's done though. It will look nicer and be much warmer so that will help our heating bills. Our last gas bill was enormous.

I've been working as and when I can. A Darker Side is published next Wednesday so I've been doing a bit of local PR stuff, registering it with PLR and ALCS, etc. I'm still like a dog with two tails after that lovely, lovely review from The Express. I'm also getting on fairly well with the fourth book in the series. Strangely, that's mainly because I haven't been sleeping well. With a head full of all sorts of stuff as I've tried to sleep, I've forced my mind onto things other than hospitals, like the book. Some of my best writing has been done in my head at 3 or 4 a.m.

Finally, well done to Manchester United FC who are now champions of Europe. Didn't they do well? It was a brilliant game to watch, very exciting, and although it was testament to both teams' performances, it was a shame it had to be decided on penalties. If it was almost impossible for the spectators to watch, think how bad it was for the players. Commiserations to Chelsea FC who played their hearts out.

Review

I have to post this review for A Darker Side from Peter Burton, writing in The Daily Express, one of the UK's top newspapers:

DARK FAMILY SECRETS UNEARTHED IN PACY THRILLER

A DARKER SIDE

By Shirley Wells

Constable £18.99



Forensic psychologist Jill Kennedy has taken a sabbatical after a close encounter with a serial killer in Into The Shadows, the previous book in this series and her first outing with sometime partner DCI Max Trentham.

She is reasonably settled in an isolated cottage not too far from Manchester and is intent on finishing her latest self-help manual. A deadline looms and she neither wants nor needs distractions.

Yet when Martin Hayden, a good-looking 17-year-old, disappears and Trentham asks for her help, Kennedy is swiftly drawn into the investigation.

Trentham and Kennedy's probing into the life of the missing teenager throws up some interesting anomalies. His family, who live on a run-down farm, are unconcerned. His father and brother don't seem to care if he is found or not. Clearly his mother is concealing something. Only his sister shows any signs of distress.

And it becomes evident that Martin was not quite the innocent he seemed. He had been known to frequent a gay bar and had shown himself capable of blackmail. It becomes clear that he wasn't a pleasant person and it comes as no surprise when his body is discovered in a canal. It seems as though a killer with a yen for teenage boys is on the loose.

At least, it looks that way until there is another brutal slaying which causes the investigating team to rethink the case. However, matters are further confused when another two attractive teenage boys go missing.

Kennedy and Trentham decide the key to the mystery is at the Hayden farm, but can they break through the reserve which surrounds the family? Just what is it that Martin's mother is hiding and what is it that keeps her in thrall to her dour husband?

A Darker Side is a carefully plotted and intensely atmospheric thriller in which the fractured relationship of the two pivotal characters nicely underlines the essential murder and disappearance plot. Briskly paced, the books moves inexorably towards a highly satisfying climax.

What a fab review. I'm chuffed to bits about that.

Back Home

What was I saying about a heatwave in the UK? Hm.

So on Saturday, we left home at the crack of dawn for Manchester Airport. We queued for what seemed like hours to check in our baggage. Then we saw on the screen that the plane was delayed. We queued for passport control. We seemed to spend all morning queuing for one thing or another. When we finally boarded the plane, the pilot apologised for the delay and explained that the plane had been late arriving from Tenerife. He also added that they had just discovered that a tyre had been damaged on landing so there would be a further delay. So we sat there and waited. After an hour, we were told that the jack sent to help repair said damaged tyre was, um, broken, and there would be a further delay. Ho-hum. However, when the plane finally took off, we had a good flight to Split Airport. Fortunately, it's only a 2.5 hours flight but I was pretty sick of the sight of that plane. After landing at Split, we travelled to Makarska, about 1.5 hours away. And, believe me, it was well worth the delay. On our last visit to Croatia, we stayed in beautiful Baska on the island of Krk. This time, we stayed in Makarska, where the mountains meet the sea. Although Makarska is geared up for tourists, it still - just - manages to blend new with old. Having said that our hotel did resemble a multi-storey car park.

However, the views from the balcony were stunning, the room lovely, and the staff marvellous. Not that we spent much time in the hotel. We had breakfast there and didn't return until the evening. We walked miles. And miles. We got sunburnt. We enjoyed the food and drink. We marvelled at the scenery.

We were sad to say goodbye.

The flight home was uneventful - except for the moment when the pilot announced that it was 21 degrees in Manchester. Eh? I can't remember the last time it was 21 degrees. We landed and, sure enough, it was hot and sunny. Unbelievable.

It's always a relief to find the pets safe and well, and the house still standing. We have lovely neighbours so we didn't have too many worries there.

The bad news was that my dad had been re-admitted to hospital so that's all a bit worrying. I'm going to see him today so I won't get much work done. I'll leave here at around 3.30 p.m. and get home about 10.30 p.m. - a 260-mile drive to spend an hour with him. Needless to say, I'll be worn out tomorrow.

What I need, of course, is another holiday...

Busy, busy, busy

My feet don't seem to have touched the ground lately.

The good news is that Dad's out of hospital. We went down yesterday, having been told at 10.45 a.m. that we could collect him at 2.30 p.m. "Not before, because we need to get his medication ready.  So, having driven 130 miles, we arrive at the hospital at 2.30 p.m. And there we all sit, in a hot, stuffy, airless room until 5 p.m.  None of us were very happy, but at least he's out of the place. He's staying with my sister in Leicestershire for a while before going back to his own home.

I was asked to speak to the northern chapter of The Romantic Novelists' Association near Harrogate so that's where I've been today.  It's ages since I've met up with romantic novelists and it was lovely to see so many friendly and familiar faces.  I met up with Bill Spence (Jessica Blair), Freda Lightfoot, Catherine King, among others which was great.  And isn't it wonderful to talk shop with people who understand this strange writing business?

Tomorrow, (whispering here) I'm taking the dogs to kennels, cleaning the house (ha, ha - as if I could manage that in a single day) and packing because, early on Saturday morning, we're flying out to Croatia for a week. And I can't wait!  So be warned all you UK readers, there will be a heat wave this week. I'll hopefully have loads of photos to post when I get back.     

Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year

The longlist has been announced for this year's Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and what a great collection. I need to put an order in to Amazon, I think, as, although I've read most of the authors, I haven't read the books. This is a very special award as the shortlist will be decided by the general public. You can go here to read more about the books and authors and vote for your favourite from the longlist:

Blue Shoes & Happiness Alexander McCall Smith

Christine Falls Benjamin Black

A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil Christopher Brookmyre

Shifting Skin Chris Simms

Sovereign C J Samson

One Under Graham Hurley

Darkness and Light John Harvey

Buried Mark Billingham

The Savage Garden Mark Mills

Corn Dolls Patrick Lennon

Not Dead Enough Peter James

Piece of my Heart Peter Robinson

The Death of Dalziel Reginald Hill

The Chemistry of Death Simon Beckett

Relentless Simon Kernick

Hurting Distance Sophie Hannah

The Tenderness of Wolves Stef Penney

Dying Light Stuart MacBride

The Risk of Darkness Susan Hill

The Grave Tattoo Val McDermid

Happy St George's Day!

Happy St George's Day to all you English readers.  I hope you're doing something special to celebrate.  We don't though, do we?  The Scots celebrate in style and even the English celebrate St Patrick's Day with the Irish (perhaps that's something to do with the Guinness), but poor old St George seems to get forgotten.  Me?  I'll be doing that 260-mile trip for hospital visiting later. Meanwhile, I'll be trying to catch up on some writing.