Canes, carpets and sweet-smelling deer

Book News:

I'm continuing with the edits for fantasy novel The Executioner's Cane and am now on Page 213 of 293, so not bad going really. Meanwhile there've been a couple of nice reviews for The Heart's Greater Silence, including a 4-star one at Goodreads, and a 5-star one at Amazon US. Many thanks to both those readers for their comments.

You can also find an interview with me at Joo's Book Reviews, in which I reveal the one (of many) things that make me feel really stupid ... And many of my stories at Untreed Reads have a 30% discount for MARCH only, so buy early buy often. In addition, if you buy a story at Untreed Reads this month, then you get another one at half-price, so what could be nicer? Enjoy.

At Vulpes Libris today, you can find my review of Katy Gardner's magnificent psychological thriller, Hidden. Definitely one to get, in my opinion. I've thoroughly enjoyed all the novels of hers I've read.

Finally in this section, you can read all about my views on the pleasure of picnics over at the Cupoporn website today. Mmm, bring on those strawberries and cream ...

Recent meditation poems are:


Meditation 631
It’s not the arrival
that teaches wisdom
but the slow slog
of getting there

just as it’s not the answer
that’s important
but the simple trust
of saying the prayer.




Meditation 632
Asking for help
is to be vulnerable,
to cast our solid assurance
of self away

and admit to the vast
eternal sky
that we alone
are not enough today.


Life News:

Much to our joy, the scaffolders have taken the scaffolding away, so we at last have our house and our TV back, hurrah! It'll be great not to have to carry the computer up and down stairs in order to watch television in a civilised way. To my complete surprise, the lovely roofers then came back and did a thorough sweep and tidy around the whole house so it now looks better than even before we moved in, well gosh. Plus they say they're going to pop back to clean the windows as well - so I'd best get some more cake in indeed. Perhaps it's the cake they miss, eh ...

Yesterday was lovely as I took a half-day off and, because the weather was so magnificent, sat in the garden for most of the afternoon just enjoying the sunshine and the flowers. Bliss.

Not only that but the Lent course I've been dreading all week (due to the horrors of the last one) was actually extremely good indeed. Obviously Dr Borg is far better when he's not trying to explain his dodgy theology (yikes!), and just sticking to subjects about which he seems really rather inspirational - in this case, prayer and Christian practice. It was a very rich and intensely interesting evening and we all had a great time. Plus the vicar will be putting on a day's Introduction to Contemplative Prayer in April, which I am desperate to go to, as I really love silence. And, beyond that, there's a six week series on contemplative prayer and meditation planned in the church, so I'm scheduling that in too, hurrah. Blessings do indeed abound, as they say.

Today, the carpet has been refitted and thoroughly cleaned, and I'm impressed with the results. Heck, you can't even see the earlier port wine stain, so in a way the flood did us a favour. Sort of - I definitely don't want another one, please!... And I have spent a happy five minutes or so spraying Brut deodorant all along the garden fence as our garden expert says it will keep the deer out. I do hope the neighbours weren't watching though, as it surely must have looked entirely odd. Even for us. So the garden now has a distinctly 70s tang, and it will either do the trick or we'll have the best-smelling deer in the neighbourhood. Time alone will tell ...

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Biblical Fiction UK

Further garden delights

Life News:

Our roof is now complete, and very lovely it looks too! The scaffolding and skip is due to be taken away early next week and then our house will be our own again, hurrah. Mind you, the roofers have been lovely, and I think I'm going to miss the company at the end of the week when I'm usually in the house on my own. They've been great fun. When they said goodbye yesterday and gave us the invoice, they also very sweetly handed us a bottle of wine for being such lovely customers. Ahh, I felt quite moved actually. Mind you, one of them said he'd miss being here as he never got cake at home, so I fear there might be domestic rumblings in his house in the very near future. Oh well ...

Yesterday, I donned my apron, got out my electric whisk (steady, people ...) and made a chocolate swirl cake with icing. I am indeed a genius. Which of course you already knew. I have to say it tastes marvellous and I am hugely proud of my efforts, as is K. The only slight set-back is it's so tall that it won't fit into the cake tin, so I've had to surround it with tinfoil and hope for the best. Anyone know anywhere that sells tall cake storage tins, please do let me know!

Also yesterday, K and I went to hear Guildford Choral Society sing Handel's Messiah at Guildford Cathedral - and very lovely it was too. It's one of my favourite choral works and you can't really go too wrong with it, but I thought the choir were magnificent last night. Well done to all. Plus we had a great time at the post-concert party, so thank you to L & J for hosting that. It was great to catch up with everyone.

So today we've had a much-needed lie in and then spent the rest of the day doing garden stuff. We visited a local garden centre and I have now joined The Gardening Club as the special offers and discounts are just so good that we couldn't resist them. Plus it's free to join so what could be better? Whilst there, we bought another shrub for the shrub garden which we've now planted. Plus we stocked up on manure (as you do) for potting and for the roses, and also added in a whole lot of plug plants for potting up for our hanging baskets and containers. These we have now put into the necessary pots. The kitchen's a mess, but what the heck, eh.

Not only that but we took a soft stem cutting from our new shrub so I've potted that up too and am hoping for the best. Oh, and the heuchera I planted last year has started to flower again and my potted silver birch is coming into bud. So not dead after all, well gosh!

Book News:

Not much going on really, except to say that I've drafted an article for one website and need to do a set of interview questions for another which I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into. In the meantime here's the Sunday haiku (written just after yesterday's concert):

I know only this:
music clarifies the soul
in the harshest storm.


Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian fantasy trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Biblical Fiction UK

Elstead goes Hollywood

Book News:

I've had great fun today during the first day of shooting for the Milletti Films project - goodness but these people work hard! I've been filmed going up the stairs, coming down the stairs, going up and then coming down again, leaving a room, making tea in the kitchen for the builders, chatting to the (rather startled) postman, and then interviewed in the living room about my life in Surrey, and in my study about my writing life. Tomorrow, on Day Two of the Elstead/Hollywood extravaganza, they'll be filming me attempting (ha!) to play golf, sitting in the garden, sitting in church, praying in my prayer room (what do you mean you don't have a prayer room?!? Shocking indeed ...) and walking through Elstead. Best wear decent shoes then.

It's been hard work and I have no idea where their energy comes from, but I've had a great time. Shame that my request for a magnum of champagne and a small terrier appeared to fall on deaf ears, but one can only try. I'm still waiting for my trailer to arrive ...

Back in the (slightly) more normal book world, I'm pleased to say that gay short story Brady's Choice gained a 4-star review at Goodreads, and For One Night Only was my most popular book this week at Amazon UK.

I've also just finished the fifth book in the Delaneys series and have submitted it to Amber Allure. Gosh, I do hope they like it.

Finally, I was utterly thrilled that the lovely Sharon Bidwell was kind enough to comment on some of my books recently. Many thanks, Sharon - I really appreciate that.

And my review of the really wonderful Heart of Tango by Elia Barcelo is now at Vulpes Libris Reviews. Read and buy it as soon as you can - it's passionate, powerful and almost perfect - what more could you ask for?

Life News:

We're continuing to dry out the carpet and the underlay after the Sunday roofing disaster, and it looks like it might be getting there, slowly. The underlay seems fine now and the carpet is certainly lighter as we move it around to encourage it, so that's good. I'm a bit concerned about the staining on the ceiling and walls of K's study though, where the water came in - I'm hoping we can just paint over at some point, and it won't get any mould problems. We'll have to see.

Today, I was also exceptionally brave when the roofers asked me to go up onto the roof and look at the chimney to see what I thought. Pause for a round of applause! I was really quite jittery going up and down the ladder, but the walk round the scaffolding was nice and the view from the top just stunning. Not sure I'd want to risk it a second time though - so I've agreed we should get a quote from a chimney man and then take a decision about what to do with it.

We've also managed, in between rescuing the house and attempting somewhat foolishly to live a normal life, to turn the dark and nasty corner of our garden into a riot of bedding plant colour. I really like it now, whereas it's been irritating me before. The rest of the garden has also received a serious de-weeding, and it looks much better. We just have to decide what the heck to plant in it. It's amazing how big the beds actually are, when we come to study them. The garden really isn't as small as we assume it is - it's just that it's wide rather than long, and seems to pack a lot into a limited space. I think we'd like a bed of white flowers to go with the pink and white roses - which now have some leaves/buds coming out, well gosh. You plant things and sometimes they grow - it's a revelation to us.

And K and I had a great deal of fun with the rest of the group at our Lent course on Wednesday. Most of us have decided that the video we're following has some seriously dodgy theology and a curious view of debate, and I also think it would be nice if the chappie in the video would occasionally mention the resurrection as if he might believe it. You know, just so we could see he knew the word, deep sigh. Mind you, getting annoyed with said chappie has made me think about what it is I do actually believe, and I'm beginning to realise I'm probably more traditional than I thought I was. So, K and I have come to the conclusion that we're theologically (and indeed politically) conservative, and socially liberal. Hey, that's about a good a summing-up as any, I suppose.

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Biblical Fiction UK

Rain, roofs and the joy of the garden

Book News:

I'm happy to announce that for the whole of March, you will find 30% off all my books at Untreed Reads, plus for TOMORROW (Monday 5 March) only, literary romance How To Eat Fruit will be totally FREE. So the ideal opportunity to pick up a bargain, or even two - enjoy!

Meanwhile, gay erotic short story For One Night Only gained two reviews, one at QMO Books and one at Pants Off Reviews, the latter as part of my Author Week there. Speaking of which, there's still time to enter the Pants Off Reviews competition to win one ebook from my backlist - good luck! The competition will end on 6 March.

Gay short story Dating the Delaneys gained a 4-star review at Pants Off Reviews and, not to be outdone, comic fantasy Creative Accountancy for Beginners was my most popular book at Amazon UK, and is currently No 89 in science fiction short stories. Well, gosh.

Keeping to the writing front, the planning for the short film about writing psychologies and stereotyping from Milletti Films is continuing, with most of the filming taking place later next week. It should be fun, so I'm certainly looking forward to it.

The Sunday haiku is:

The warm earth quivers
beneath my searching fingers:
something rich and strange.


Life News:

A rocky ride this week through the roofing alterations. We discovered on Thursday night that the scaffolding means we have no TV as our satellite dish is now pointing towards the wooden walkway instead of the satellite. So no "proper" TV for the next two weeks, sadly, but we've tuned the computer to pick up the live channels and it's a good temporary alternative, hurrah.

Rather more drastically - and which has ruined our lovely weekend (see below ...) - we returned home today at about 5pm only to discover that the rain has come in through an unprotected part of the roof, flooded the loft, K's study and the living room. Sound of wailing and wild gnashing of teeth from Elstead ... We rang the roofers at once, and they were with us within 5 minutes, full of apologies and making good the hole. As they should. They're really very sweet and I can't fault their general loveliness but, really, I would have preferred them to leave the roof in a decent state when they left on Friday, ah well. So, once the roofers left, K and I have spent most of the evening laying down all our towels and 6 rolls of kitchen towel across the floor before moving the books, the bookcases, and various furniture items out of K's study, then taking up the carpet and the underlay, and laying it in various parts of the house and garage to try to dry it out before mould sets in. I've put the portable heaters on and opened the windows to help speed the process, so fingers crossed. However, K suspect that some of the water is gathered above the living room ceiling as it's still dripping into the bucket and bowls in the living room. So tomorrow (we really can't bear the thought of it tonight!) K is going to take the study floorboards up to assess the damage.

The roofers have agreed to pay for any damage - quite right too - but we hope to minimise it as much as possible. Really, the whole thing is giving me something of a headache and severely challenging my Lenten vow not to worry about stuff. But, hey, surely the good Lord will understand just this once.

On a happier note (literally!), I'm delighted to see that Engelbert Humperdinck - my first crush when I was 11 years old, happy sigh! - will be representing the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Bliss! I've always loved his songs, though I gather his voice is not so good now. Still, as he's about 180 years old, it's good news for the more mature amongst us, and I shall be glued, that's for sure.

And we've had a totally wonderful weekend at Wisley on our Learn to Garden course. It's been amazing, and we can't wait to put it in to practice tomorrow. Hell, it'll probably be drier outside anyway, so we have nothing to lose. I suppose you've got to laugh, eh, through the tears.

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Biblical Fiction UK

Free Giveaway Competition at my first Author Week!

Book News:

I'm thrilled this week to be the subject of the first ever Author Week at Pants Off Reviews, and I must say I'm having a thoroughly enjoyable time so many thanks to Darien for that. As part of the week, four reviews have been posted so far, including Give and Take, The Delaneys and Me, Entertaining the Delaneys and The Art of the Delaneys. I do hope you enjoy reading Darien's take on my fiction.

Not only that but you can read all about my views on Ferrero Rocher chocolates and French knickers at my site interview, and don't forget to leave a comment to enter a FREE competition to win an ebook from my backlist - make sure you don't miss out on that one! Happy reading.

Other book-related excitements this week are that thriller Thorn in the Flesh was an Amazon UK bestseller during the week, and also up there in the Amazon UK charts was gay short story The Heart's Greater Silence. I hope those who've purchased both books have enjoyed the read.

Meanwhile, after my recent bout of illness has at last subsided, I'm back in the routine of writing again, although it's been a bit tricky this morning now the roofers are in situ (see below ...). I've also managed to get back into my morning meditation poems:


Meditation 624
Balanced between
the city’s vibrant hum
and the wilder grey
of the sea

there’s a cliff-top moment
to remember
how you arrived here
before you cease to be.




Meditation 625
All the battles
and rages of men

silenced by the thorns
and cedars of Lebanon

until the whole earth
is at peace again.




Meditation 626
Forgive my prejudice
but no matter
what a man has done

I can’t help
judging him kindly
if he’s a lover
of farming or wine




Meditation 627
You recall that dark night,
the air possessed
with incense’s sour assault

and the flicker
of the candles’ shadow
against the silent altar.

Most of all you remember
when a thousand failures
in their perfumed breath

overcame the sacred space
to pattern your skin
with slow unforgiven death.


Life News:

K and I have been very excited indeed (steady, people ...) by the arrival of our brand-new recycling bins. They're so new! So shiny! So colourful! Well gosh. We now have a big blue bin where everything can go - instead of the three sets of bins we've been used to where you have to spend hours (hours, my dears, hours!) dividing things out or the Recycling Men will leave a plastic carton or two on your pillow ... As it were. Plus, for the first time ever, we have a food bin which comes in two sizes - the smaller one goes in the kitchen and then fits into the bigger one for when it's collected. Plus we have huge numbers of instructions which I will have to read through before the big change-over day happens. In April apparently, so time is on my side ...

And yesterday, K and I attended the first of the church's Lent meetings, which will look at how to have an adult faith. I suspect they're not using the word "adult" in the way that I would do so, however, so absolutely no need to write to the papers. One hopes. Last night we looked at God, and decided he's maybe not as bad as everyone thinks - though being the die-hard traditionalist that I have apparently now become - I kept alive the small flame which offers the thought that God is mystery and ultimately unknowable. Though we catch glimpses of who he really is now and again. Much like people then, hey ho.

Today, the four roofers have arrived and will be with us for the next two-and-a-half weeks. Most of the scaffolding went up yesterday, though more has joined it today, so there's another couple of men to add to the teas/coffees/cake list. Really, it's all very grand and we're beginning to look like a cathedral. We're thinking of draping a trompe l'oeil with a castle scene across the frontage and claiming independence. You heard it first here. Anyway they've all been very lovely and have been happily hammering away, and occasionally chatting about who has the best work trousers. I think the jury's still out on that one.

Plus, as they all arrived and went to work at 7.30am, I suspect I will have to get up earlier tomorrow - if only to avoid opening the door in my dressing gown. Yes, yes, I know - my dressing gown doesn't have a door, but I just couldn't resist typing it. I think I might have to get more cake too, and maybe some biscuits. I don't want anyone to faint with hunger and fall off the scaffold ...

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Biblical Fiction UK

Buy One Get One Free and Roof Disasters

Book News:

Fantasy novel The Gifting is currently being advertised on the Kindle UK Users Forum until 7 February, so if you buy a copy before then, you also get a FREE ebook from anything on my backlist. I am indeed the Queen of the Offers this year (as it were) so happy shopping!

Meanwhile, don't forget that my gay short story The Heart's Greater Silence is less than 72 hours away from being released to you if you've preordered it. And if you haven't, I believe there's still time to do so and also enter into the Riptide competition to win FREE ebooks for a year, so don't miss out ... Speaking of which, there's a lovely 5-star review at Goodreads just in today, so thank you, Jeff, for that. So pleased you enjoyed the read. And don't forget my blog tour will start on 6 February and there will be lots of goodies and prizes to win, as well as some exclusive extracts, so I do hope you'll join me. I'm sure it's going to be fun.

At the same time, there's a whole baggage of exciting book news this week, which I will list below for ease of understanding:

1. My gay thriller A Dangerous Man is one of the entries for the LGBT Scholarship auction, so please feel free to make a bid and support a very worthy cause. It will end on Sunday 5 February, so there's still time - just! Many thanks.
2. Gay romantic short story Angels and Airheads will be published by Musa Publishing in September, so I'm looking forward to that.
3. Gay erotic short story The Delaneys and Me gained a 4-star review at Goodreads - thank you, Sandra.
4. Not to be outdone, Dating the Delaneys also gained a Goodreads 4-star review - many thanks again to Sandra.
5. Literary lesbian short story The Girl in The Painting was for a time at No 7 in the Amazon UK Short Story charts, which was lovely. It's down to No 25 now, but hey I'm still smiling. It is odd though how people are buying it (for which thank you!) but nobody seems to want to talk about it afterwards. Perhaps it's a secret vice, even though there's no sex in it at all? It is indeed a mystery but a nice one.
6. Another literary lesbian short story A Woman Like The Sea is also subject to a 30% discount at Untreed Reads for the whole of February, so why not give it a try? Again, no sex, but a whole lot of emotion. Enjoy!
7. Two copies of my biblical short story A Little Death have been bought by a library in Indiana, so that's very positive too, well gosh.
8. And, finally, you can now find all my romantic stories and novels in one place at my page at Romance Reviews, so happy browsing there too.

Today, you can find my review of Lisa Jewell's chicklit novel 31 Dream Street at Vulpes Libris Reviews. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was greatly pleased indeed that the main character was a man - good for you, Lisa!

This week's meditations are:


Meditation 619
Everything new begins
with the destruction
of something old

for there is a balance
in the universe
as our stories unfold

and all that fades
is exchanged
for everlasting gold.




Meditation 620
Money has the gift
of deadening thought

where each fresh idea
dies when bought

so all our dancing life
remains uncaught.


Life News:

Jolly cold here in the outback, Captain, I must say. Golly gosh, have we been transplanted to Russia and nobody's told us?? It wouldn't surprise me. Suffice it to say that my thermals are in good use this week, and I even wore them to work for the first time ever. Another weather first was earlier in the week I snuggled up in front of the TV with a blanket round my knees. Not the sexiest image you could think of, I admit, but I have to say it was bliss. I am indeed turning into my grandmother after all and any day now I will be taking up knitting and developing a Geordie accent. You heard it here first ... I'm now wondering if I should invest in a slanket or a snuggie - yes, it is sad that I know these phrases - but I'm not sure K's reaction would be positive.

Mind you, with the way things are developing with our Roof Problem, a slanket may turn out to be a wise option yet. Our third roofing man turned up today to give us a quote and he too thinks it's not good news and the whole lot will have to be redone. He's even coming back tomorrow with a friend so he can take a proper look at the really disastrous parts, ah well. Which in a strange sort of way is actually reassuring as we're therefore not being taken for a ride by the first chappie. No news yet from Chappie No 2 however - perhaps he was just too traumatised by it all. Not only that but in chatting with the neighbour today, it appears that the roof of our house has always been an issue and in fact the extension roof doesn't fit properly with the original one. As this is exactly what today's man said too, I suspect there'll be trouble ahead, my dears. The only mystery now is whether Chappie No 3's quote will be four figures or five.

I'd best start knitting then. Anyone willing to buy a jumper? My prices are good, hey ho ...

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Biblical Fiction UK

Hedges and haiku

Life News:

Had a great time yesterday at Elstead Writers' Group and got some wonderful ideas about a story I'm struggling with about a widow and a very special library - loads to think about so thank you to all! I've also continued with my baking extravaganza and this weekend's delight has been chocolate fudge cake. There were one or two dodgy moments with the icing but it was a lot better if I didn't follow what the packet said, sigh. Anyway, I think I managed to salvage it and there've been no complaints, hurrah.

And, with thanks to Jacqui at Elstead Writers, I have rushed to Waitrose and bought gingerbread porridge. Mmm, can't wait to try this. Apparently it's amazing. For most of this weekend, K and I have been planting our red dogwood hedge in the front garden - we did half yesterday and have just finished it off today, and it looks pretty good. Mind you, it's certainly heavy work so I don't think we'll be doing another hedge for a while.

We've also obtained a second quote for our roofing problem from another recommended chappie and are now even more confused than we were before, sigh. I'll try to chase up the third company tomorrow and see if I can get them to come round at some point. It might be a little clearer after that - I'm hoping so anyway as it's totally messing with my head at the moment, sigh ...

I've also just completed this weekend's RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, and have spotted 2 great tits, 4 blue tits, 2 long-tailed tits and 2 redwing, so have submitted those to them, and will look forward to seeing the results for the UK later this Spring. It's great to be able to take part in this for the first time ever, as of course we've never had a garden to do it in before (as it were). Hell, it's almost like being grown-up, you know.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, having a big packet of Giant Chocolate Buttons in the house does make the days seem brighter, double hurrah and hang out the bunting. Plus there's even some left for tonight, mmm.

Book News:

Just a reminder that in case you're looking for something to read that'll take you to places you've not been to before, then I'm happy to point you in the direction of the first in my fantasy trilogy, The Gifting. The Kindle ebook is only £1.91, and the paperback only £7.68 with free delivery worldwide so buy early and buy often! Don't forget you can browse the reviews and read an extract to whet your appetite. Thank you.

And the Sunday haiku is:

A pair of buzzards
master the sky, their wingtips
caressing bright cloud.

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Biblical Fiction UK