Death is the Cure : an innocent visit to Bath can prove fatal!

Yippee! The advance copies of Death is the Cure arrived today!


Nicola Slade’s new Victorian Mystery – Death is the Cure – is published by Robert Hale Ltd on 31st December 2009

An inquisitive young woman, a swordstick, a wooden leg, a man whose hobby is funerals, a murder and some fearsome-looking electrical medical equipment!

Death is the Cure
Nicola Slade
A Victorian Mystery set in 1858

When Charlotte Richmond's dearest friend decides to visit Bath for medical treatment, Charlotte, a young Victorian widow, is delighted to accompany her. But the spa town turns out to be far less genteel than she anticipates. Their fellow guests at elegant Waterloo House seem to be haunted by secrets and Charlotte is soon embroiled in mysteries, mayhem and murder. When one of the inhabitants of Waterloo House is stabbed to death it is Charlotte who trips over the corpse and begins to ask questions. In the course of her unofficial enquiries her own life is put in peril as she uncovers family secrets and stumbles upon a mystery that could even change the course of history.

ISBN-13: 9780709089551 RRP £18.99
Special Offer @ www.halebooks.com £13.29 (till 31st January 2010)

Fortunate Wager Is Out Today

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I am delighted to announce that my second Newmarket Regency - Fortunate Wager - is out today.

As I say on my website:

Anyone who has read my first Newmarket Regency, Fair Deception, cannot have failed to spot that Caroline Fortune was only being held to secondary-character status by a supreme act of will on the author's part.

In Fortunate Wager (set a year later in 1817), she breaks gloriously free and sets about making the book her own from the very first page. Caroline is under no illusion about her attractions: plain, unbecomingly dressed and with little money, she is resisting all attempts at marrying her off as a housekeeper-substitute - because what she really wants to do is settle down on her own and train horses.

Lord Alexander Rothwell, on the other hand, cannot wait to shake the dust of Newmarket off his Hessians and get back to London. Unfortunately he is stuck here for the moment because he has promised Lady Jersey that he will try to get to the bottom of the double-dealing she claims to be taking place on the racecourse.

He manufactures what he considers to be an excellent excuse to hang around the training grounds, by making a preposterous wager with cub-trainer Harry Fortune (Caroline's brother). This seriously inconveniences Caroline who needs seclusion to help train Harry's string.

But the wager is not nearly as inconvenient as when Alexander is struck down and left for dead at Harry's stable. Now that really does make life trying.

Fortunate Wager is available to order at a reduced rate from the Hale website, but non-UK readers can use the Book Depository for post-free delivery anywhere in the world.

Gary Dobbs Interview

There's an interview with myself HERE regarding both my western and crime writing.

THE ITALIAN AFFAIR by Loren Teague

Placing a pre-publication order for any Hale book through THE BOOK DEPOSITORY means you can secure a big saving on the recommended price and also receive free postage worldwide which represents a significant saving to overseas buyers.

Already advertised on The Book Depository’s website is New Zealand author, Loren Teague’s forthcoming novel, The Italian Affair.
Classed as a thilller, this is Loren’s third book with Hale.

As I thoroughly enjoyed reading Loren’s previous novels, True Deception and Ultimate Betrayal, I look forward to reading this story which is due for release in February 2010.

The story sounds intriguing:
Gina Rosselini, the granddaughter of a wealthy fishing magnate, lives a charmed life until her twin sister, Maria, is shot on her wedding day, and Gina is marked as the gunnman's next target. The Rosselini family hire Rick Caruso, an ex-cop and private investigator, to act as a bodyguard for Gina...but Gina has other plans. A strong, independent woman, Gina has no intention of letting Rick protect her. Then, an attempt on her life changes everything. As the danger escalates, Gina must face her worst fears. Meanwhile, the killer watches her from the shadows, waiting for his moment to strike...

The Italian Affair is currently advertised by THE BOOK DEPOSITORY at 25% discount for pre-publication orders.

Posted by Margaret Muir

E Books

I have been reading the dismal news about e-books. Dismal for non best selling authors like myself because the e-books threaten not only me but publishers too. I think the only people who will reap the benefit of e-publishing will be the top authors and any decent publicist who can persuade the buying public to download his/her client's material. Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

Mick

FLOATING GOLD - first step in book production

The jacket cover is one of the first things completed in the process of publishing a book. It is required for all pre-publication advertising and promotion.

It's a well used cliche that you can't judge a book by its cover but it's also a fact that a good cover will go a long way to selling a book.

Revealed today is the jacket cover for FLOATING GOLD, Margaret Muir's latest novel due for release in May 2010.

The artwork by Michael Thomas is certainly colourful and will hopefully prove to be an eye-catcher on library shelves.

The Blurb which will appear inside the jacket flap reads as follows:

1802 - The fragile peace with France has brought massive debt and unemployment to England and frustration to its naval officers.

After an enforced absence, Captain Oliver Quintrell is eager to return to the sea, but the commission he is granted leaves him cynical and disappointed. In command of a mere frigate, he heads south unaware of the unimaginable dangers which lie ahead.

The seething Southern Ocean, enemy ships, a discontented crew and the secrets held by a living breathing volcanic island pose more of a threat than a full broadside from a man-of-war.

FLOATING GOLD is a nautical fiction adventure which follows the tradition of the CS Forester and Patrick O’Brian stories.

Margaret Muir (Tasmania)

April And May

When Rose Charteris arrives in Constantinople the last thing she expects or wants is to come face to face with Tom Hawkesleigh, the man who broke her heart four years previously. Worse still, she is forced to work with him on a top secret document for the Sultan. Spied on by all sides, Rose must affect a polite indifference and get the job done.
At last she can return to London but enemies still hope to disrupt Tom’s work and so danger follows her. Rose struggles fiercely to maintain her independence, spurning all Tom’s efforts to help her. Finally when she does realise that she still loves him, it seems she has left it too late to win him back.

The cover is another stunning picture by artist David Young. Sunset over Constantinople - and with a kiosk - what more could I want!