New Story: Kat Carruthers Doesn't Get Married

Comic romance Kat Carruthers Doesn't Get Married is now available on the Kindle for only 99p!

Kat Carruthers is preparing for her wedding day when her fiancé Brian rings her to say that the wedding is off. As an unhappy and furious Kat tries to come to terms with this shock news, there’s a knock on the door and it’s the boilerman, Mike, come to service the boiler a full month early. 

When Kat’s mother rings to say Brian has arrived at the church, got into a fight and the police have been called, Kat is faced with several interesting choices. What in the end will she decide?

Buy the ebook here!

Anne Brooke

Free Books: Fantasy and Comedy!

Another package of FREE books for you today at Amazon! Here are the details:

Hallsfoot's Battle

This book is the second in the Gathandrian Fantasy series and is the sequel to The Gifting. 

The battle for survival has merely begun and the Mind Executioner's defeat is only temporary. Annyeke Hallsfoot, Acting Elder of Gathandria, must join forces with Simon the Scribe in a tenuous alliance to fight for their survival. However, Simon is distracted by his own personal demons, giving Annyeke no choice but to plot a desperate strategy to defeat the enemy. 

When the Mind Executioner kidnaps Simon and raises an army from the dead, all hope appears to be lost. Both Annyeke and Simon, with the help of the mysterious mind-cane and the magical snow-raven, are determined to stay alive and, if possible, to win.

Download this book for FREE today only!

The Executioner's Cane

The Executioner's Cane is the final book in the Gathandrian Trilogy fantasy series. The first two books are The Gifting and Hallsfoot's Battle. 

Simon Hartstongue, accompanied by the mind-cane and the snow-raven, must travel back to the land he came from to offer support to the people he once tried to kill. From Gathandria, Annyeke Hallsfoot endeavours to help him but her attentions are focused on rebuilding the city after the wars. 

Alone and faced with the anger of his people and hindered by the fragility of Ralph Tregannon's leadership, Simon has to find a way to bring healing to a dying country and to renew his relationship with Ralph. But the odds and time itself are stacked against him.

Download this book for FREE today only!

Tales from the Typeface

Office life: love it or hate it, but you can't get away from it. Want to laugh at the lighter side of your secretarial career? Then this is the book for you! Discover the essential art of looking busy, how to love your photocopier and carve a path through the stationery jungle. Learn to deal with terrifying tasks, tricky travel arrangements and the horrors of networking. And do it all with a smile on your face and success on your CV. Happy typing! 

A reader review: "hysterically funny and very true of all offices everywhere!" 

Download this book for FREE until tomorrow!


Happy reading and have a great weekend.

Anne Brooke Books
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK

Free Book Friday: Comic Romance Rosie by Name

Comic romance Rosie by Name is FREE at Amazon today and tomorrow, so hurry to download your copy while the offer lasts!

Rosie (AKA Alison) works at a high-class escort agency as a receptionist. When her boss asks her to be the special birthday present for his favourite nephew, she can't help but agree. The boss is the boss after all. 

However an evening of surprises, unexpected parents and even the odd spider awaits her. By the end of the night, will she have fulfilled her mission or is her potential pay-rise nothing but a distant dream?

Amazon Reviews:

"A light, easy read, and with plenty of Anne Brooke's original metaphors and similes to keep you entertained until the twist in the tale."

"Funny and tongue-in-cheek. Just what I needed. It made me smile and I laughed at the ending."

Happy reading and have a great weekend!

Anne Brooke Books
Gay Reads UK
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy

The Gangster's Wife: Husbands - can they ever be trusted?...

Quirky crime novel, The Gangster's Wife, is now available in your country's Amazon.

When 53-year-old Elise Walker returns home after a day at the office to find her husband Gerald dead of a heart attack, she doesn’t expect a visit from the police with revelations about Gerald’s secret life. 

Soon, however, her own life takes a distinctive turn for the surreal, with missing loot, online crime and curious neighbours the least of her problems. Not to mention trying to deal with never-ending funeral arrangements and stay on top of her job. 

Thank goodness then for the support of her ever-reliable boss, Hugh. But will even he turn against her when she decides to contact Gerald’s former gang members to find out more? And what is the real significance of the note Gerald left her? Most important of all, if Elise ever finds the money, will she be able to keep it? 

I hope you enjoy the read!

Anne Brooke Books
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK

Bestsellers and bargains galore

Book News:

Goodness me, lots going on this week. I'm pleased to say that gay thriller Maloney's Law is now available from Amazon UK, Amazon US and All Romance Ebooks, where it's already one of their bestsellers.

It's also received a couple of reviews, one from Rainbow Reviews, which comments:

"Maloney’s Law by Anne Brooke is a gay romance and mystery. It’s also a dark, deep, and poetic gay romance and mystery. I confess I love novels written in the first person and present tense, but I also know it’s quite difficult to write them well. But not, apparently, for Brooke. Her Maloney’s Law is exceptionally well-written."

And there's another re-released review from Well Read Reviews, so thank you to Jen for that.

Meanwhile, over at Brief Encounter Reviews, The Delaneys, My Parents and Me are also having their turn in the sun, where Jen says:

"If you haven’t started the series yet, and you like m/m/m stories then I would recommend that you read this series, as I’m sure you’ll love the Delaneys and Liam as much as I have."

Not to be outdone, Where You Hurt The Most also had a review from ARe Cafe Reviews which I've only just picked up on. They say:

"I am always glad to snap up the latest fiction from Anne Brooke because the writing is flawless – clean, crisp, minimalist, and elegant – and her insight into the interactions between people is profound. This story fulfills both expectations."

Gosh, that's nice. Thank you!

Over at Amber Allure Press, gay comic romance, Who Moved My Holepunch? appears, alongside The Delaneys, My Parents and Me, in the March bestsellers charts - so it's really lovely to have two in the charts at once. Many thanks to those people buying my books, and I hope you're enjoying them.

This week, my surreal comedy Candy and Catharsis - about the love-life of a dictionary - has also been published by Untreed Reads. Here's the blurb:

"Love is possible even in the most surprising of settings. When dictionary-dweller and word-about-town Catharsis falls madly in love with good-time-gal Candy, it changes everything he ever thought he knew about the literary life.

Helped by his closest word-friends and neighbours, Catharsis sets out, determined to meet the word-woman of his dreams and declare to her his undying passion. However, in a journey beset with difficulties and dangerous detours, will he ever find Candy? And, even if he does, can the course of true love ever really run smooth?"

And, at the moment, if you buy this book, then you get another one FREE. What could be nicer?... Not only that, but if you buy bisexual thriller Thorn in The Flesh direct from Untreed Reads, then you can pick another story up for FREE. Happy reading!

Life News:

During the week, I was sorry to hear about the death of Maggie Thatcher, one of the great women and great politicians of our time. You can read my reactions, written with a literary focus, here. RIP Our Maggie.

Closer to home, K has been involved with the Players of Elstead Theatrical Society, making his debut performance in their very funny farce, An Eye For An Eye, Darling. I went twice, and it was fantastic - a star is born, I'm sure! I can't wait for the next play, later this year. Though I have to admit it's nice to have our living room artwork home - as they were used for the set!

Meanwhile, the barn owl is back (hurrah!) and after five weeks of having the goldfinch food on the bird-feeder with nary a goldfinch, we finally have two goldfinches who are making regular visits, double hurrahs. It's lovely to see them here.

Over at The Angry Anglican, I achieve a full Anger Rating in my response to the Church of England telling me that Equal Marriage is the Work of The Devil, harrumph.

On a far nicer note, this week's baking endeavours were Maple Syrup and Pecan cupcakes which actually worked, and very tasty they are too.

And the dwarf tulips are coming up in the garden and look absolutely stunning. Spring has sprung at last!

Anne Brooke
Gay Reads UK
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Biblical Fiction UK
Lori Olding Children's Author

Possible signs of Spring

Book News:

I've just sent the contract for bisexual thriller Thorn in the Flesh back to Untreed Reads, so am looking forward to getting the edits started on that one.

Meanwhile, lesbian short story The Girl in The Painting was briefly at No 31 in the Amazon UK lesbian short story charts, and office comedy Not A Shred Of Evidence found itself at No 30 in the Amazon UK Business Humour charts. Well, there's a strange blending, that's for sure.

Gay thriller The Bones of Summer gained a 5-star review at Amazon US and is called "an outstanding read", and I'm also pleased to say that the 6th & final part in the gay erotic menage Delaneys series will be published on 17 March.

Finally, to add an essential dash of mayhem, mystery and magic to the start of your week, don't forget the first of my Gathandrian fantasy trilogy, The Gifting, is still available at all good online bookshops near you. One reviewer recently described it as:

"a unique fantasy where mental and physical worlds merge in a flight of unrestrained imagination. Unlike much fantasy I've read lately, this book soars with hope. It's a story of redemption gained through a mystical journey through earth, air, fire and water that tests the deepest recesses of a man's soul."

Really, what more could one ask for? Please do feel free to take a chance and pick up a copy - thank you!


Life News:

This week, I had my NHS call-up papers and have been to have my first ever mammogram. Apparently, Surrey take women up to three years before they hit fifty, and I'm one of those lucky chosen ones. Actually, it wasn't as bad as I'd expected, and the nurses were great. I should expect the results sent directly to me in a couple of weeks or so, which isn't long to wait. And, hey, it's always nice to have a trip out.

Also this week, I've been well enough to get back into playing golf on Friday with M, which was great. A tad chilly, but I was well wrapped up and thank goodness for thermals. I played some pretty hot shots too, but sadly not often enough. Ah well.

Yesterday, K and I went up to London to see the quite magnificent Seduced by Art exhibition, which I can thoroughly recommend, but hurry - as there's only a week to go before it ends. It was also great to wander around afterwards and catch up with all those fabulous works of art we've not seen for a while. Honestly, the place is a riot of riches.

Whilst there, we popped into the equally wonderful National Portrait Gallery to see the first painting of our very own Duchess of Cambridge. Hmm, not a great work of art, by a long chalk, methinks.  I can see what the artist was trying to do and it was a bold decision to have her looking out so clearly directly at the viewer, but it's as if he wasn't really looking at her at all, somehow. The picture is very tense, the smile very false and she looks as if she's about to be sick, bless her. Perhaps it was painted during the early stages of her pregnancy, however? That would explain it ...

Thank goodness then for the fabulously classic Cinema Portraits by Fred Daniels and the ever luminous work of Mario Testino to enthuse us again. Great stuff.

Meanwhile, in the garden, there are veritable signs of Spring, hurrah! The snowdrops that failed us so badly last year have succeeded this year, and are starting to appear. Several shoots are coming up, plus both pots of narcissi are definitely on their way. Just hope they all survive the cold snap we're forecast later this week.

I've also made a Lemon Yoghurt Cake yesterday so am keeping to my Lemon Theme for the year thus far. Suspect I'll change that next week though. K and I had a sneaky slice still warm from the oven and it's not half bad, though I say it myself and shouldn't.

I'm also continuing to hammer away at my beginners' keyboard lessons, and I can now play "Love Me Tender" and "Mary's Boy Child" with two hands - at the same time, well gosh! Book now for the concert of the year - or possibly book tickets to avoid it, which may well be the wiser choice. I'm enjoying it though!

Tonight, I'm trying to psych myself up to watch the increasingly bizarre Ripper Street - there's a lot of vomiting on it this evening apparently, which doesn't really have a Sunday feel to it. I think the series producer might have rather gone overboard on the "no lighting, chaps" and "let's not explain anything of what's happening to the viewers at all" approach - as most of the time, neither K nor I have a clue what's going on. Mind you, spotting the anachronisms is turning out to be a fun game - moving pictures six years before they were invented! Teddy bears before World War One! Whatever next?... Perhaps someone will pull out a mobile phone and text the solution to the police - that would sort them all out.

Finally, over at The Angry Anglican, I'm musing on the question of just how gay a bishop in the Church of England is allowed to be before they stop being a bishop ... The plot, my dears, is indeed entirely lost to the church. Sigh.

Anne Brooke
Gay Reads UK
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Biblical Fiction UK
Lori Olding Children's Author

FREE on Amazon: Not A Shred Of Evidence

Just popping in between showers on this rainy bank holiday weekend to say that surreal office comedy Not A Shred Of Evidence is FREE at Amazon UK and Amazon US for today and Sunday only - so grab this no strings attached bargain while you can. Enjoy!

And a happy weekend to all.

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Biblical Fiction UK
Lori Olding - Children's Fiction

Murder and mystery with just a hint of Ketchup

This week I've taken a big step and published one of my books directly to the Kindle. It's a screwball crime comedy set in an office and featuring cat-suited, vermilion-nailed heroine, Fallon Evans. Actually I can't tell you her full name as it's quite rude, but all is revealed in the book, I promise! It's called Not a Shred of Evidence, and the blurb is:

When secretary and would-be detective Fallon Evans slaps on her best Office Hag smile for another kick-ass day at Grabbit, Nickett and Leggatt, she doesn't expect a tormented boss or a murdered Chief Executive Officer. However, the office is a ruthless place, and Fallon must navigate the obstacles she faces armed only with her trusty leopard print catsuit, her vermilion nails and her attitude.

When she discovers a bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup next to the corpse of the CEO, she knows something sinister is afoot. Can she solve the impenetrable mystery, mend the shredder and be in with a chance of gaining that longed-for pay rise at all?

Here's the beginning for you:

The office is a mysterious place, full of sound and fury. Yes, it is. And we all fear it. Though some, the lucky ones, survive it. You don’t agree? Then let me tell you my story. Afterwards you can judge for yourself.

I’d been working as Support Hag In Training – a title that was never shortened – for Grabbit, Nickett and Leggatt Customer Service Consultants for two months but already I knew it was a job which might bring me hours of unadulterated pain, lightened only by the occasional sandwich or trip to the Ladies. At such times, much like the casual viewer of EastEnders, I would turn my back to the shouting and dream of better things. Some things can only be endured, but they bring a peculiar feeling of pleasure.

That day started out like any other. I’d come in ten minutes late, sweating from the effort of putting one foot in front of another; a Hag’s life was a hard one and they didn’t pay me for my energy levels. In fact they didn’t pay me at all. What with all that sweating, my salary went straight to the dry cleaners. It cut out the middle woman. When, oh when, would they give me a pay rise?

When I opened the office door, I could see my boss was weeping, his head squashed against the keyboard like an overcooked onion, and there were smashed segments of plant pot and half a wilted geranium on the thin grey carpet. Gosh, I thought, why the mess? But as I wasn’t overly fond of flowers, I trod on it on my way to my modern ergonomic workspace, or desk as it was traditionally known. At once the day improved.

‘Morning, Roger,’ I said, but not before ensuring my Morning Hag Smile was in its right place. In the bin. I could always rescue it later, should it be needed. ‘Lovely day.’

The only answer was a moan. Well, sometimes a moan is the most communicative sound bosses produce, apart from the odd groan or peculiar snorting noise, so this wasn’t unusual. I decided to impress him with my cool efficiency and understanding of business process.

‘Er-hem,’ I said, picking up the day diary and flicking through its blank pages, the subsequent cool breeze a boon to my hot skin. ‘Today you’re having a heads-up with the Director of Office Organisational Moves, then you’re touching base with the Head of Electronic Lighting Liaison. Lunch if there’s time and if you still have the will to live, and your afternoon will be spent on the beach head with the Premises and Internal Staff Support division, that is if you ever get them off the beach. You know what they’re like when they spot a sandcastle. Then the school bell will ring and it will all be over. Sound good to you, Rog?’

‘It’s no good, Fallon. It’s all over already, I can’t go on.’

‘Course you can. It’s what you do.’

‘But this time, it’s different. So very different.’

Hmm. Even to me this sounded serious. Roger wasn’t usually this melodramatic, not even when he’d caught his flies in the shredding machine, though only the gods know what his wedding tackle was doing there in the first place. Thank goodness for my trusty first aid experience and the good old stand-by of elevating the limb. But now I could see that whatever was wrong with him would need a lot more than some Arnica gel and a sticking plaster so I retrieved my smile from the bin and slapped it on my face.

‘Oh?’ I said through the wide grin I was now wearing and which was making it difficult to talk. ‘Why?’

If you'd like to find out what happens next (and Fallon and I would be hugely grateful if you do!), you can pop a copy in your basket at Amazon UK for only 79p and at Amazon US for $1.20 or thereabouts. A bargain price for making you smile!

Meanwhile, much to my amazement, it's currently standing at No 12 in the Amazon UK Business Humour charts - can it get any higher? Time will tell ...

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Lori Olding Children's Author

Blogs, Bones and boils

Book News:

Much to my astonishment, comic sf short story, Creative Accountancy for Beginners, has sold a copy in Slovakia, well gosh. Many thanks, kind Slovakian reader - I hope there are more of you out there! I'm also pleased to say I've sent back the galley proofs for gay short story, Dating the Delaneys, which is published on Sunday 6 November, and you can now read an erotic extract on the Amber Allure site. Enjoy ...

At the same time, Riptide Publishing have asked for two more blog posts ready for the upcoming blog tour - one about favourite Christmases and one about the story behind writing gay short story The Heart's Greater Silence. So I'm getting my brain in gear (don't wait up ...) for those projects.

And I'm very happy with the Quarter 3 royalties made by gay thriller The Bones of Summer. I'm surprised it's still selling, but hey I'm not complaining. Never think that.

At Vulpes Libris meanwhile I've discovered my best book of the year (hurrah!) and can only encourage you all to rush out and read Evelio Rosero's Good Offices. A marvellous little novella.

This week's meditation poem is:




Meditation 583
Solomon builds
his temple
with a glorious excess
of gold:

a reminder
when starting your project
you should always attempt
to be bold.


Life News:

Hmm, what can I say? The title of this post has probably given you the clue so all I can say is if you're squeamish, best to skip to the very end, ho hum ... As you may remember, the pesky little cyst (AKA Carlos) on my collarbone has been giving me hell all week and has shot up from a brief and fairly idyllic childhood to be three times its original size in its difficult teenage years, all in the space of seven rather unholy days. My, what fun. It's had its rather painful moments too, and getting into bed without gritting my teeth and wincing (let alone attempting to sleep) has been tricky.

Well, my op was scheduled for 6.30pm this evening and I was starting to get rather angsty as the last time I had an infected cyst removed (from my back) twenty odd years ago, on the NHS, there were several rather unfortunate events which may be best simply listed: a trainee doctor out of his depth (bless him), a call for an emergency surgeon on the hospital tannoy system, being left in a room on my own bleeding onto my t-shirt while everyone rushed around trying to find said surgeon, being told that they couldn't give me any more drugs as I was over the limit now so the rest of the op would be painful (it was ...), no aftercare, wandering round the hospital in my blooded shirt (heck, no wonder people were staring!), and eventually getting home without any clear idea of how I managed it. My lodger at the time (a nurse) took one look at what they'd done and shrieked: Lord, they've butchered you ... Which did at least have the effect of making me laugh while I drank my gin. I bear the scars with something like a survivor's pride really ...

So, today I was a little nervous. However, in the event there hasn't been time to think. I went in to the clinic at 11.30am for a pre-op consultation, the very lovely surgeon took one look at it, said he'd need to do it there and then as it was infected and by the way please could he take a few photos as he'd never seen a furuncle cyst (aka boil, for the uninitiated in these things) so badly advanced before (naturally I let him - I do so love the camera under any circumstances ...). He had to bring the beast down in size before he could use the drugs (no, please, don't ask ...) and he then whipped up a few nurses and an ops trolley and did the dirty deed. After the drugs kicked in, it wasn't as bad as expected, hurrah.

I now therefore have the largest neck dressing I've ever seen - which did rather startle the good people of Tesco as I popped into the pharmacy on the way home - and enough antibiotics to kill a giraffe. The surgeon has also booked me in for a follow-up appointment next week - let's hope he doesn't discover anything else he wants to whip out, eh - and has commanded me in any case to ring the clinic immediately if I think the wretched beast might be on its way back again before then.

However, in the midst of all this, I am strangely heartened to think that the op scars on my back will now at last have a matching set on my front. How I do love to be symmetrical. But, then again how will I know which way I'm facing?...

Stay healthy, folks!

Anne Brooke
The Thoughtful Corner

Gardens, Gifting and Rosie galore

Book News:

Happily, Rosie by Name has begun to spread her wings a little and can now be found at Amazon US, Amazon UK (where it's actually got a ranking so someone must have bought a copy - many thanks indeed!), All Romance Ebooks and Bookstrand (where it's classified as "steamy" - mainstream with some adult language, in case you're wondering ...). And it looks as if someone might just have bought a copy there too, so thank you for that, whoever you are.

Keeping with exciting packages from Bluewood Publishing, I'm thrilled to have received the final proof copies of The Gifting today, so my main focus over the next days will be going through that and marking down any typos I might find to get it ready for publication. As a result, though I've completed Annyeke's part of the epilogue for The Executioner's Cane (a milestone which actually has made me feel quite sad, even though I've been longing to get there for weeks), I'm leaving Ralph's and Simon's parts of the epilogue until I've finished the proof checks for The Gifting.

My most recent meditation is:




Meditation 517
Methuselah is a name
to conjure with:

fire and wind
and storm,

a wildness to cling to
when the days

are dusty and dry,
and the journey bleak.


And the Sunday haiku is:

When a plastic bag
grows up, it becomes a swan:
feathers and sunshine.


Life News:

After I threw all my toys out of the pram last week in terms of our potential house-purchase and our issues with the vendors, things look set to improve, I hope. The estate agent called yesterday to say that the vendors are both 100% behind selling their house to us, and therefore answers to the two outstanding questions will be with our solicitor by the middle of next week, at which point we can start discussing an exchange date. Plus they apologise for the delay, which is nice. Lordy, if it actually happens as the estate agent promises, it will be bloody brilliant as I am more than desperate to get into the new house.

However, we're keeping a Plan B route open in case that doesn't happen and so viewed three other properties yesterday also. Top of the list is a very nice bungalow in Wood Street Village, with a great garden, which we can both happily see ourselves living in. But we won't make any decisions until next week begins to unfold. Wish us luck, eh - we need it.

Meanwhile, our selling estate agent, the marvellous Lucy of Seymours (may her name be praised) seems to be the only one who really knows what she's doing and has been chasing round in terms of the sale of our flat. She's also beaten everyone over the head with the information (which we keep on telling people but nobody pays a blind bit of attention) that we are not in a chain and can leave here and rent somewhere whenever we need to, and on the other hand occupy the next house without initially selling this one. I hope they have now understood these details from Lucy, when they cannot do so from us. It also appears that the only one left to sign our transfer document is the new middle neighbour, so we hope he begins to be rather more amenable than he has up to now. It's about time he did something positive and pleasant - as so far he hasn't really covered himself in glory. Watch this space indeed ...

Anyway, our trip to the theatre on Thursday to see To Kill a Mockingbird ended up being pretty damn classy. A very slow and rather unnecessary start finally gave way to a stonkingly good finish so it was well worth the wait and the journey. I can only recommend it if it travels your way.

Friday night saw us out for dinner at Robin & Gavin's, along with Liz & John (hello, all!) and it was lovely to catch up before Easter rolls over us. This morning we have pottered along to church where the first two hymns were utterly unfamiliar to everyone and we were desperately struggling with the tune (how I hate it when that happens) but luckily the final two were more familiar though, as a congregation, we were so emotionally drained by the first two hymns that we were barely able to squeak our way through at all. We did our best, but the spirit was willing, etc etc, as they say.

We've had a wonderfully relaxing afternoon strolling round Coverwood Lakes & Gardens, which is open today as part of the National Garden Scheme. Being a working farm, it was really more parkland than garden, but still very pleasant especially in this weather and the tea & cake were lovely. Mmmm.

Tonight, it's the glories of Lewis on TV, and once more I can't wait for it. The perfect end to a Sunday.

Anne Brooke

Rosie by Name

Book News

I'm delighted to say that my comic and just a little bit naughty short story, Rosie by Name, is now available at Bluewood Publishing, and what a totally fabulous cover that is. I love it. So if you want some springtime laughter, do pop along and find out more. Rosie's quite a gal!

On a rather different tack, I've just found out that my lesbian erotic short story, Butterfly Girl, has been accepted for publication by Oysters & Chocolate webzine, so I'm thrilled about that one too.

In terms of reviews, A Dangerous Man has been doing well though, sadly, royalties for the paperback version are continuing to be very poor, which I'm sorry about really - I feel rather guilty for my paperback publisher as they've taken a risk on it and I fear it's not paid off ... Still the ebook is doing okay so that's some consolation for sure. Anyway, at Goodreads, it gained an interesting 4-star review (thanks, Kate) and a fascinating 5-star review (thank you, Sonya), so both of these were lovely.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to note that 5 copies of The Secret Thoughts of Leaves have been borrowed from libraries during April, so I hope the borrowers have enjoyed that. Call me old-fashioned but actually having someone take one of my books from a library always gives me a thrill. It's almost like being a real writer, you know.

And my review of Andy Frankham-Allen's magnificent fantasy novel, Seeker, is now up at Vulpes Libris, so please ignore that quite dreadful new cover it has (!) and go along and find out more. It's a work I can thoroughly recommend for all.

Meditations so far this week are:


Meditation 514
A long, bleak path
from the place you know
to one you do not;

with every slow step
the chance for life
fades away

and you know you will not
make the journey back
one day.




Meditation 515
Great power
brings greater risk

so do not choose
to seek it.

Walk the quieter path
and mark your step

on the earth most suited
to meet it.




Meditation 516
Freedom comes by being open
to the day’s surprises

which often arrive
in strange disguises.


Life News:

Difficult news on the house front, alas. It appears that our vendors might be having second thoughts about selling us their very nice house, groan. I appreciate they're in the middle of a tricky divorce and have every sympathy for that, but we've got so far down the road that I can't bear the thought of our second attempt at purchase falling through. We're getting zilch information from their solicitors or their estate agents, though the solicitors did tell us their clients were probably too busy divorcing to pay us much attention or words to that effect (nice, eh!...), so we're really none the wiser. K sent a firmly worded email earlier in the week, which has been ignored. And today I've rung up the estate agents - actually to ask them if we can view another house on their books, which put the wind up them rather, but frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn - who got terribly panicky and promised to ring back asap. Which they have now down, so hopefully someone's on the case ...

Anyway, in the meantime, we're keeping our options open and I've arranged three other house viewings for Saturday and, if we find one we like and they're actually willing and able to sell it to us, we'll seriously consider withdrawing our offer and starting afresh, with a keener vendor. The one good thing that comes out of this is our solicitor is likely to make a fortune from our misfortune (glad someone is!). A few more situations like this and we won't be able to afford to move at all. Hey ho, you've got to laugh, I suppose. Thank goodness for anti-depressants! Though, understandably, I've had a bit of a relapse this week and have been supplementing them with Quiet Life pills, which seem to have helped a little.

However, all is not lost as nice things have happened too, hurrah. I had a totally lovely reflexology session with Helen at work on Wednesday which was bliss. I even fell asleep twice so it was great to feel that relaxed. What with Easter in the way, I've made my next appointment in May, and I can't wait. Today, I've popped in to see the ground-floor neighbour now in Woking and was delighted to find him in much better form than during my last visit. We talked about politics, the environment, gardens, war and tea, so a great time was had by all. I swear that, between the two of us, we could probably change the world.

The world of television has been a fascinating one this week. The Model Agency was as grippingly shallow and socially horrid as ever but, now it's over, I shall miss it, I fear. It was, I imagine, much like watching a Victorian freak show - the freaks being the agency bookers, definitely. Something one is fascinated by but never wants to connect to ...

However, it was wonderful to have Lewis back on Sunday nights and I wallowed in its classiness, bliss. Sooooo much better than the increasingly wretched Midsomer Murders. Talking of which, I'm told that the Jack Russell now taking the main role in Midsomer is the same dog as the one in the recent series of adverts (advertising what, I really don't know) who's attempting to find a home by doing the washing-up and the gardening etc etc for its potential new owners. Give that animal an Equity card - it could go far ...

And I watched (again, as the same episode was on last year, I think) the pilot episode for the utterly surreal, terribly rude and strangely accurate university comedy series, Campus. Ah, that Vice-Chancellor - how I loved him. It's bold, brutish and takes some breathtaking risks, but I laughed out loud several times, particularly at how well it portrayed some of the current issues of universities (though in a larger-than-life way, I hasten to add!), and I'll definitely be watching again.

Tonight, K and I are off to the theatre to see To Kill A Mockingbird, so that should be ... um ... fun. Sort of! Well, classy anyway. Which should round off the week nicely, hey ho.

Anne Brooke

Candles, quakers and lesbian romance

Book News:

I'm really pleased to say that A Dangerous Man gained a lovely 5-star review at Goodreads, so many thanks for that, Lisa. I was particularly touched by the comment at the end that:

"A Dangerous Man is a taut psychological thriller that one doesn’t necessarily consume as much as savor. It is too rich and satisfying to finish quickly."

That certainly made me smile. In the meantime, Creative Accountancy for Beginners briefly appeared at No 57 in the Amazon UK Kindle charts, so that was a nice boost too. And, after a month away from it, I have written an extra 2000 words of The Executioner's Cane - and my goodness what a horrendous struggle the first thousand words were. Like climbing a mountain with no oxygen mask and a broken leg. Though why a mountain would need an oxygen mask or indeed legs is anyone's guess, ho ho. Not a pleasant experience then ... Anyway, I'm not sure how good those newly written sections are but at least I have some glimmer of a notion as to where it's all going and as to how Annyeke and Simon might possibly make it all come right. I think the Great Library of Gathandria might even have a part to play, but at this stage nothing's set in stone.

I'm also thrilled to say that Untreed Reads has accepted my literary lesbian romance, A Woman Like The Sea, for publication early this year, so I'm very happy indeed about that. Strangely, it's a story that started out, a few years back, as a heterosexual story but there was something not quite right about it, I couldn't make it work and I've been dissatisfied with it ever since. Last month I looked at it again and thought maybe it would be a lot better, and certainly a lot crisper, if my lead character was a woman. I started rewriting it in that way and the whole thing came together in my head. Ah how astonishing it is when that happens with a story, especially one I feel I've been failing at for so long. Miracles do indeed occur! It's interesting too how I get more responses to announcements about my literary lesbian fiction than I do about all my other fiction put together - perhaps that's the way to go then? ... Certainly, at the moment anyway, I have a few ideas about a lesbian detective story once the Gathandrian Trilogy is finally completed (ye gods, will there ever be such a time?? Seems like a distant mirage, you know!), but we'll see.

Back at Vulpes Libris, you can see what's coming up this week, a mix that includes some interesting confessions, dating for book lovers, and the Beautiful People, so it'll be well worth a visit during your week - promise!

This post's meditations are:




Meditation 480
The feel of silver
between the fingers,
the glitter, the fizz
of it as it slides
seductive as sin
over the skin.

What you could do
with it, the men
you could manipulate,
the history you could change.




Meditation 481
A muddle of names,
dates and facts
bamboozles my memory.

I only hope
God is keeping count
somehow.


The Sunday haiku is:

In this quiet night
stars are messengers of time
and bright memory.


Life News:

I've had a happy dentist experience (hurrah!) when I went to get a filling done on Friday morning, as the usual receptionist and dentist were there, and they're just lovely, so made me feel human again, thank you both! I actually had a very enjoyable time - which is strange to say when you're getting a filling done, for sure - and my teeth are now perfect, hurrah. However, I missed the marvellous Margaret who also makes it all worthwhile but who wasn't working that day, alas, and will have to catch up properly next time. With or without a mouth full of dental implements ...

Yesterday, K and I had lunch at Secretts restaurant in Godalming, which was great and we then wandered around looking at plants. I bought a poinsettia and some extra treats for the orchid, eg orchid food spray and some nice-looking butterfly clips for its stem. Hmm, how girly I am today - is it the lack of drugs? .... However we couldn't find any Yankee Candles, which I was really wanting, but we popped in to another garden centre in Woking and I now have the four candles (or fork handles, though I suspect you have to be British to get that classic and glorious comedy reference ...) I was looking for, hurrah.

This morning, I've had a very enjoyable time being quiet with the Quakers in Godalming. It's a couple of years since I've been but there's something about it that keeps drawing me back, now and then. I think this year I'm going to try to go more often, maybe once a month or so. Talking with the rest of them afterwards was good too - something I thought I'd never say, seeing how much I hate the post-service coffee zone, but actually the conversation was interesting and meant something and wasn't the usual remarks about the weather or traffic that people seem to stay with. On the other hand, perhaps I was simply in the mood to listen more, rather than being stressed out by the concept of socialising - now there's a thought.

Mind you, the obstacles that arose during my attempts to get to the Meeting at all were fun, um not - my face powder somehow managed to explode all over the sink and bathroom tiles, and I had to get the bathroom cleaner out to make it look normal again. Then when I reached the car, running slightly late, someone had broken my wing mirror so I had to go back to the flat to get K's car keys and take his instead. Ah the joys of Sunday morning, eh. Still, K has mended the wing mirror now (what a hero!) and I'll pick up some more face powder during the week, so all is not entirely doom and gloom in the shires. Gosh, how calm I sound - must the be Quakers' influence - or have I been swopped for a nice, cheery alien? Who can tell ...

Anne Brooke

Haikus, houses and Holmes

Book News:

I'm happy to say that my latest poetry collection, Sunday Haiku, has already received two 4-star reviews at Goodreads, one from Kim and one from Lisa, who says amongst other comments that she "felt captured within the calm of the poetry" which is precisely the feeling I was trying to attain. Thank you very much, both. And you can now also find Sunday Haiku on sale in PDF version at Rainbow Ebooks, so I hope that covers all buying possibilities. Enjoy!

In addition, I'm getting towards writing the final few scenes of The Prayer Seeker's Journal, where you can now find the latest episode. There's a time lag between writing them and actually uploading them, but I hope to finish the first draft by the autumn or thereabouts, though I suspect the last few chapters will be fairly long.

Other books news includes the following: Creative Accountancy for Beginners found itself in the Smashwords Top 10 Humour Bestsellers list, which has been a lovely boost; Painting from Life gained a 4-star review at Goodreads; and The Bones of Summer also had a 4-star Goodreads review - many thanks, Nene, for reading! Meanwhile The Delaneys and Me, continues its rise and fall through the Amazon Kindle Gay Fiction charts, rising as high as No 32 this week.

Recent meditations are:

Meditation 396
No matter
how many lists you make –

table, lampstand,
flowers, cups, bowls

and all the paraphernalia
of fire and hope –

you cannot keep God
contained by your

limitation.


Meditation 397
A cloudy day
and a simple ritual,

wood and stone
and silent angels,

but when the light
arrives, it dazzles you

to the eternal changeability
of prayer.


Meditation 398
The slow history
of stone

wraps you round
in memory

and truth,
helps you

pray again.


And here's a poem I've also written this week:


East

These eastern winds
are an icy layer
leaving you
and me

too close
for comfort

and too far away
to see.


This week's haiku:

Two blue bicycles
energise the road, piercing
the day's warm silence.


Life News:

The very big news this week which is both exciting and terrifying is that we and our deceased neighbour's nephews have agreed on a price for his old flat (below ours) - it's at the upper limit of our budget but we think that with a bit of scraping around and with the wind in the right direction we can do it, hurrah! So we're now plunged into the process of conveyancing and soliciting (as it were) and mortgaging, and we hope to have contracts exchanged - all things being equal - by the end of August. I hope it all goes to plan, as it would be great to have more space, not to mention a part of the house garden and a garage. And two floors, well gosh. Whatever next? We won't be able to eat or go on holiday for the next five years, but what the heck, eh. Who needs food or aeroplanes? We do so love the house, which has got an NVQ Level 5 in Character, though those old Victorian pipes can be a tad dodgy (don't ask, but never ever put anything at all if you can possibly help it down the loo in a Victorian house - a piece of Life Advice you can have for free ...!), so it would be lovely to have more of it. So watch this space, and wish us luck.

Marian and I had a good round of golf on Friday, though we can tell that the schools are ready to break up, as it took a lot longer to go round. I started off with two pretty damn glorious pars (hurrah!) but rapidly faded, so only just managed to scrape victory from the certain jaws of defeat. Yesterday, I was briefly (on a Saturday, how dreadful!) back at work to help out in the afternoon at the University's open day - which I must say was the busiest I've ever known, so I did a heck of a lot of smiling, and was utterly shattered when I got home. So much so that I nearly fell asleep in front of our recorded episode of Midsomer Murders and had to go to bed at 9.30pm, which is really unheard of.

I'm still tired today as well, but this might have been a good thing as they sprang a cunning double christening at church on us today, so there was a lot of water and gurgling, not all of which was me. I'm not a great fan of christenings to be honest - too child-centred for my tastes, but I did a lot of smiling and trying to look normal, so I think people were fooled. Mind you, the family had dressed up to the nines, which was nice to see, and all looked very glam. We're not used to that in the Sunday crowd ...

Ooh, and tonight I and Lord H are hugely looking forward to the new updated version of Sherlock Holmes, which I'm sure will be well worth catching - 9pm on BBC. Don't miss it! Must dash and get my violin and deerstalker hat ready, if only for old times' sake.

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker's Journal

The Hit List - publication day

I'm very happy to announce that my latest novel, m/m romantic comedy The Hit List, is now published by Amber Allure, where you can also read a brief extract.

The blurb is:

Jamie Chadwick is straight. Determinedly straight. Or so he keeps telling himself. His small conference business is doing okay and, even though he looks after his ailing father, he loves living in the countryside and life is good. Sort of. But the arrival of old college friend, David Fenchurch, who’s just come out on the distinctly camp side of camp, together with Lucy Reid, his father’s sexy new physiotherapist, sets Jamie on a path he’d never dreamed of taking. On top of all that, the unexpected return of long-lost family friend, Robert Trevelyan, himself openly gay, means that Jamie can no longer ignore the past he’s kept hidden for six years. When Robert and David get together, Jamie’s feelings begin to surface in surprising ways. Who, amongst the crowd of people set to blow his life apart, will make it onto his fantasy hit list? And in the midst of Jamie’s own emotional battlefield, how can he keep things together at all?


I'm really happy with this one, as it's taken me six years to get it right - which, coincidentally is roughly the amount of time it takes Jamie & Robert to get their very rocky relationship sorted out too. All of which proves that writers do indeed grow to be like their characters, in time. I'm also happy to say it's a very different beast in tone from its distant self-published beginnings, and it's great to feel I can finally let it go, having got it to where I wanted it to be, probably all along.

Anyway, at heart, it's a modern, gay retelling of Jane Austen's Emma, so I hope you might take a chance on it and enjoy the read! The ebook is available now, with the paperback being published in mid-March. There's also a book trailer, featuring some rather good-looking young men, so what could be nicer on a Sunday?

Meanwhile, in other news, Lord H and I saw a chiffchaff yesterday (hurrah!) so another bird to be added to this year's list. And here's this week's haiku:

Words batter like rain.
They soak my skin, infiltrate
blood and aching bone.


Anne Brooke - in romantic and humorous mood
The Prayer Seeker's Journal