Two of my short stories are now available as free downloads onto a range of e-readers. There’s Waving Goodbye and Private and Confidential. Some of my full length books are also available in this way and I’ll be added the rest over the next couple of months – and offering more free short stories.

To excogitate means to think out or contrive. When I write these posts I excogitate the possibility of convincing you that one of my travel photos is relevant.

Here I am doing just that…

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Another Scottish word I’ve learned on my travels is smirs, which was taught to me by Dawn Brown (who also introduced me to some jolly good home baking). According to the dictionary, smir (or smirs, or even smirrs) is a form of light drizzle. Dawn tells me ‘it’s down from dreich, but up from scotch mist’.

It was smirring when we visited Crichton Castle. After it had smirred, the sun came out for us at Melrose Abbey.

No, not me. Well, I might be, but that’s not what I’m posting about. It’s my books. Until last year they were only available via Amazon. Over 2021 I made the paperbacks available through many other outlets and I’ve now started doing the same thing with my ebooks.

You can find all those I’ve done here – including a few free short stories. More will be added soon.

Audible means capable of being heard. If something happens audibly, that means it’s audible. When a sound is indistinct, or simply not loud enough, you might complain about its audibility (creators of TV dramas don’t seem to care about the audibleness of their product).

Audible is also an Amazon salesline, which enables subscribers to listen to a huge range of audio books for a monthly fee. They’re currently offering a free trial.

Several of my books are available through Audible Escape To The Country, Paint Me A Picture, Coffee & Cake, and From Story Idea to Reader.

I’ve had the first review for my latest novel Acting Like A Killer and I’m delighted with it. The ebook version of the novel is currently available at a reduced introductory price – but only for a couple more days.

Witter means to talk tediously about trivial matters. So I’m keeping this post short.

To allude is to mention in a casual way or hint at. To elude is to escape from or avoid, or to fail be understood or achieved by. My writing friends have occasionally alluded to the times the correct word has eluded me.

Allusions and elusions are tricky to photograph, so here’s something to give the illusion of spring.

My romantic murder mystery, Acting Like A Killer, is released today! The usual price will be £10 for the paperback. I was going to make it £9.99, but you get free delivery from Amazon if you spend £10 or more on books and as I find it frustrating to have to pay several pounds for that when the cover price is so close I guessed others might feel the same way. If you’d like a copy but prefer not to buy through Amazon you can order it from bookshops and libraries.

The ebook will usually be £2.99 ($3.99) but for the next couple of weeks it’s at the introductory price of £1.99 ($2.99)

Here’s the blurb –

Amelia Watson needs a dead body by tea time. Less urgent, but more important are – time for a life, the chance to solve crime, an uncomplicated romantic relationship, promotion at work, to be less hurt by her parents’ distance. And then there’s Nicole, and the attractive stranger…

Of course Amelia doesn’t get all she desires, or appreciate everything that life brings. Along the way her priorities change and she ends up with far more than she’d bargained for. Will the unexpected bonus break her heart?

You can get the book here.