Hello from Down Under… where it feels like the media has been full of nothing else but the Olympics and everything to do with France! 

Because the Olympics were in Paris, every newspaper and magazine seemed to be trying to include a “French” theme in any way they could. 

Has it been the same where you are?? 

We've had articles about French food, French movies, French fashion, French music... 

... travelling in Provence, eating in Paris, joining a French dating site... 

... and even a piece about French pâtisseries for pets (something Muesli was very interested in! 😉 )

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In book news...

It's been SO lovely receiving your messages about my latest release and how much you love the new "Bewitched by Chocolate" mystery: A WITCH WORTH PRALINE FOR. Not only the readers enjoying it in ebook and print format, but all the audiobook listeners too, who are relishing the story being brought to life by my talented narrator Pearl Hewitt. 😊 I have to say, Pearl is so brilliant that her rendition of Viktor, the old toothless vampire, always makes me laugh - even though I know the punchlines to all the jokes because I wrote them - hah!

If you haven't read (or listened to) A Witch Worth Praline For yet, you're in for a treat! Here are the links again so you can pick up your copy:

Kindle & Paperback: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon DE

Audiobook: Audible US | Audible UK | Audible DE

Oh - and you might also enjoy this Author Interview with me, which was published by New In Books - with questions ranging from: "What books are on your TBR pile right now?" - to - "Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)"  - Hah! No prizes for guessing the answer to the latter question!! 😉

You can check out the interview HERE

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Pre-order at a discount!

And if you're desperate to find out what happens next... don't worry, you haven't got long to wait! A FONDANT FAREWELL: Enchantments & Endings (Book 9) should be out in the first week of Sep, in ebook and print. I'm not sure yet about the audiobook version - that might release a few weeks later but definitely before the end of September. (Please ignore the release date on Amazon - that's just a placeholder) 

You can pre-order the Kindle version now - and get it at a discount! The price of the ebook will be going up after release - as this final book is really two books in one volume - but I wanted to give you, my special fans, the chance to get it at a discount: 😊

PRE-ORDER NOW:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon DE

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For the bargain hunters...

Speaking of discounts... if you haven't had a chance to check out my Barefoot Sleuth Mysteries in AUDIO, now is a great time to nab the audiobook version of Book 1: FLIP-FLOPS AND MURDER.

I've just received an email from Audible telling me that they are including this title in their August Monthly Deal promotion - and you can get it for 74% off! (scroll down the page to find it)

If you're unfamiliar with my Barefoot Sleuth Mysteries, this is the "mini" cozy series that I wrote during the lockdown months of the COVID pandemic 😉 (remember, Western Australia was shut to the world for 2 years?!) - and it was inspired by my first visit to Florida back in 2017, when I attended a big writers' conference held at a resort hotel on St. Pete Beach. Here's a bit more about the story:

English girl Ellie has barely arrived in sunny Florida for an unexpected vacation when she stumbles on a sinister murder amongst the sugar-white sand and swaying palm trees. Now Ellie must battle sunburn, jetlag and a cheeky parrot named Hemingway whilst doing some barefoot sleuthing… But with red herrings sending her on a wild ‘gator’ chase and a handsome resort doctor setting her pulse racing in a different way, will her first visit to the Sunshine State end up deadlier than she ever imagined?

You can also check out the ebook & Print versions here:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon DE

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For the foodies... and the travel bugs!

Florida probably isn't that "exotic" for many of you who live in the US... It's funny how anything that's different from our "norm" feels glamorous and exotic, doesn't it? - I get so many American readers writing to say how much they love my stories set in Oxford and the Cotswolds... and then British and European readers writing to say how much they love the series set in Florida! 😄

Well, it was certainly exciting for me to visit the Sunshine State for the first time back in 2017 - I had heard so much about Florida and couldn't wait to taste the famous "OJ" and key lime pie... 

As you can see from my photos above, the conference was held in a beautiful resort, right on the beach and criss-crossed by water canals. And as you can imagine, it wasn't long before my imagination got ticking with ideas for mystery stories set there (although there were no alligators loose in those canals... that I knew of, any way! 😉)

My favourite time of day was breakfast! I love American breakfasts in general - (you've got all my favourite things: Crispy bacon! Fluffy pancakes! Maple syrup!  More crispy bacon!! 😁) - I stuffed myself silly every morning.

And while I know a lot of people probably see them as a nuisance, I absolutely loved making friends with the squirrels during my early morning walks around the resort. There are no squirrels in Australia... and we used to see them all the time when we lived in Oxford, so I really miss them! 

The closest thing we have here are possums, which are adorable in their own way (and Perth, in particular, has the quokka, which is probably the cutest animal on earth 😉) - of course, visitors to Oz think our possums are delightful... I guess it's the novelty of the unfamiliar again!

The Brush-Tailed Possum... a common sight in many Aussie cities!

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For the cat lovers... 

Finally - sticking with the theme of "cute"! - I thought you'd enjoy these pictures of Muesli cuddling with her squishy feline friend... It's a miniature pillow I found when we were travelling in Japan several years ago, which is shaped like a little squashed cat... and Muesli loves it! 😊 

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