Well, dear friends and readers, hopefully the summer is round the corner. I keep picturing the sizzling cover of that Stevie Wonder album, Hotter than July. Here in the south west of England, it’s lukewarm, to say the least. Cooler than April, most mornings.

But I won’t be deterred. This is what I’m up to at the moment. I’ve just finished the third cozy crime novel in the Morwenna Mutton series, and this year I’ve written a follow up to Five French Hens in which the fabulous friends take off to Skye, and a witchy Elena Collins. I’ve done an edit and now I’m planning a couple more novels, one in the dual timeline genre with something slightly witchy and steeped in the culture of somewhere I know well. With the release of The Wicked Lady this month, I’m also not ruling out another highwaywoman’s story. Something has alrady caught my attention.

I’m back from my fantastic week in Brittany, and before that was my son’s wonderful wedding in Battersea. I even squeezed in a visit to the dentists for a check up – he was very complimentary about my teeth, but I still look like a wombat when I smile in photos – the one from that advert for Meerkats.

We are a two cat household since we lost our gorgeous Colin,but there is a stray hanging around whom I call Batface. He’s timid but I feed him and he lets me pet him now. He’s very tatty.  There’s been no sign of Winston the rat since I put the chilli water by the base of the bird feeder. The neighbours have put out so many posters asking drivers to slow down on the lane: hedgehogs, cats, wildlife, everything is at risk. They are a great bunch here, the neighbours.

One of the main themes in my book is enjoying every moment, and I’m a great believer in making time for fun. I want to an awesome party last weekend and met up with some old friends, and made time to watch a good film with one of my besties. This week there’s time for lunch out somewhere nice, a monthly writers’ group meeting, which I love, a Sunday lunch, a big dinner party. Later this month there’s a launch party too for The Wicked Lady. It’s definitely summer fun time.

I’ll have another edit soon, then I want to get two more novels written this year if I can. It will involve a couple of planning and research trips too, which I always enjoy so much. The chance to meet people and chat things I’m curious about is fantastic.

In August I have a lunchtime talk in a library in Plymouth, where I’m patron, and a literary festival in Somerset. I’m looking forward to both.

There will be time for walking, a few beach visits, some live music, some sport on TV. It sounds like life’s all play and no work.

In a way it is. To do what you love all the time is a joy.

Sending summer best wishes – I hope your summer will sizzle soon. To that end, I’m going to listen to Hotter than July again, just in case…

J xx