Dear All,
If you’re UK-based, I hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather and wherever you are in the world, I hope that you receive this update. The downside of not having my own IT helpdesk is that I have to learn/apply/fix all the various bugs myself, and it appears that quite a lot of my email list have not been receiving any messages since they first signed up for them. After a few frustrating hours trying to fix things I’m crossing my fingers that it works…
Aside from battling with tech issues, this month has been mostly about readying myself for the publication of Kiss, Marry, Murder which is out in two weeks! All of the writing, editing and proofing has been done for a while now, so my main focus has been on trying to score some publicity for me and the book, and put in place a marketing campaign that will encourage people to hit the link and buy. It’s not easy to know where to start – three and a half years has passed since my debut novel came out in the wake of Covid and the landscape has shifted immensely in that time. It’s all so very noisy out there – and the continuous battle for engagement means it’s really hard to maintain the energy required to promote the book and make people care enough to buy it, even within my own author-sphere. But slowly, and surely, I’m making headway, and in a couple of weeks I’ll see if the hard work has paid off. Fingers crossed!
With a third (unrelated) novel just gone off on submission, I’m in that rare moment of time where the next book is brewing in my mind but I’m not quite ready to start writing. Actually – make that books, plural! I’m currently torn as to the order I should write the sequels to Kiss, Marry, Murder. One is a summer book, set in Wimbledon (working title Game, Set, Murder) and the other (currently untitled) is a seasonal adventure, set near Hampton Court. If you have an opinion on what you’d like to see next, feel free to let me know!
WHAT I’M READING THIS MONTH I’m obviously a huge fan of the crime caper genre and this month I was really excited to read the second book in Jesse Sutanto’s ‘Vera Wong’ series, having really enjoyed the first. I love Vera as a character, but more so, I love the eclectic collection of people around her. There is such variety in their quirkiness, awkwardness, generosity and general likability, it makes for joyful reading. The whodunnit part of the story almost takes a backseat to the relationships – which as someone who writes with a similar emphasis, I can relate to. I listened to the first one on audiobook; this one I read as an e-book. I recommend either – althought there is something quite wonderful about hearing these characters come to life – it would make a brilliant TV series.
WHAT I’M WATCHING THIS MONTH For those who are new to me… I watch a LOT of TV, and, I’ll admit, like my reading choices, I like it bright and breezy. I know I should be devoting less time to binging and more time to other stuff but, honestly, I absolutely adore television, and when something is good, I really appreciate the work that went into it. The Four Seasons is good. It’s not White Lotus good (that S3 is some of the best TV I’ve seen is a hill I will die on) – but it’s a a really solidly scripted, brilliantly cast show. The amusing, horribly familiar observations of middle age and relationships did make me chuckle out loud on several occasions, and, with only eight episodes was certainly easy watching over three quick nights.
WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN JUNE Next month is National Crime Reading Month, which I’ll admit I had no idea about when I first decided to launch Kiss, Marry, Murder at the end of May, but is a rather convenient celebration of all things crime! As well as promoting the book at a few events throughout the month, I’m delighted to be running a workshop for sixth formers at the Kings Arts Festival in Wimbledon, on ‘Writing Through Play’. This workshop combines some of my comedy improv toolkit with writing techniques to help spark creativity and wit within writing, no matter the genre. It’s a workshop I absolutely love delivering, although this will be the first time to the under-18 crowd. Hopefully they will enjoy it!
AND FINALLY … Kiss, Marry, Murder will be out on 28th May and if you haven’t already pre-ordered, please consider doing so, either from Amazon or from your local bookshop. Pre-orders can make a huge difference to visibility in the crucial early days of release. If you’ are interested in other ways to support me, I’m also on the lookout for book club nights, book signings, events, blogs, podcast and workshop opportunities. If you would like me to come along and talk about my books, writing mid-life female characters, writing through play, or generally about life, the menopause and everything, please get in touch at fayebrannwriter@gmail.com
Once I know the tech issues are fixed I’ll be in touch again just before publication day with some special subscriber-only content, so watch this space. Happy May!
Faye x
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