As mentioned in a previous post, I was obliged to let Amazon have my final copy of Unhappy Families (Romney and Marsh File #6) well before publication date. That’s now out tomorrow. How time flies.
(Unhappy Families is available for pre-order now here Amazon UK and here Amazon US )
The book has been available for pre-order for the last ten days. In that time it’s floated in and out of the top 20 in Amazon’s British Detectives chart, which has been encouraging. (It’s just a sub-genre of the crime catalogue so nothing to get too excited about. I’m not ordereding the Range Rover yet.) I noticed that the book broke briefly into Amazon’s top 1000 chart a couple of times. And one time when I looked it was occupying the number one spot for Amazon Hot New Releases in the British Detective chart. That was so thrilling I immediately took a screen shot. (Like you do.)
When R&M #6 was off my hands I had a choice to make: get back to Booker & Cash #3 or get on with editing one of my other finished first drafts. It seemed a bit silly to have first drafts just sitting around waiting attention. They should be moved along the production line as soon as possible so that they can start repaying me my time and effort. (This is my livelihood now.) Besides I write books to be read, not stuck in limbo in drawers.
So I got on with Deep State – Acer Sansom #4. A couple of read-throughs and associated editing and I was happy enough with it to send it off to my gentleman friend. That took about a week.
When I read about how long it can take some writers to write a first draft and then perform their own edits on the manuscript until they are happy enough to let it go up the line I can feel a little… hurried with my own process. (A year or more for some of them!) But I know when I’ve done all I can with a project. And I’m pretty sure that putting it in a cupboard for six months and then taking it out again to look at it with fresh eyes isn’t going to make much difference to me regarding the end product. They’ll still be my eyes.
On that subject, a reader gave me cause to look up another writer who I had heard of but hadn’t appreciated his contribution to literature. John Creasey. Have a guess at how many novels he wrote in his lifetime and then check him out here if you like. Here’s a clue: he wrote using twenty-eight pseudonyms. John_Creasey.
Suddenly I didn’t feel so bad about my own production line timings.
What next? I thought I might as well get on with the last first draft I’ve got in the pipeline, A White-Knuckle Christmas (Romney and Marsh File #7). It’s been cluttering up my writer’s desk with the others, a constant reminder that I have work to do on it.
I have been glad this last week to be involved with Dover CID in a story that takes place in the run up to Christmas. It’s made me feel Christmassy in a time and place where Christmas is not celebrated. Actually, I’m more than a little disappointed not to have written this one a few months before so that it would have been available as a Christmas download. And I’m not just saying that because the charts seems to be awash with Christmas themed books. Four that I can see in the British Detectives top 20. (Did I say awash? Some of you may have noticed that I’m prone to exaggeration.)
I’ve now given that a couple of read-throughs and some editing attention. It needs some more but I need a break from it. Actually, what I need a break from is editing. That’s pretty much three books back to back I’ve edited. It’s mentally exhausting. I couldn’t do it for a living. I’m missing my writing – making stuff up and letting my imagination run away with me.
I think I shall now get back to B&C #3 until Deep State comes back to me. Then it’ll be that interminable formatting process to go through again before releasing it into the wild.
*
I also want to mention that Making a Killing (Romney and Marsh File #2) had its third birthday this week. Three years it’s been available on Amazon. It currently has 225 reader comments/reviews with a 4.6/5 star rating average on Amazon UK. I’m very happy with that.
Oliver Tidy 
Looking froward to tomorrow and Unhappy Families, My other books will be put to one side to be back with Romnet And Marsh.
Thanks, David. That’s a real compliment when I look at your Christmas reading pile. I do hope you enjoy the new R&M File.
Best wishes
I too am looking forward to reading RM#6 tomorrow but even more so Acer Sansom#4 when its eventually released. Hope you had a great Christmas Day and I wish you a productive and successful writing new year.
Thanks very much, Jeff. I’m looking forward to seeing how R&M#6 goes down (here’s hoping it’s not like the proverbial lead balloon). I think Acer#4 is not bad. Should be out early in the new year.
Thanks, too, for your good wishes for my writing. Much appreciated.
Best wishes.
I suspect the pre-orders were good probably beating PS.
Hi David, I’m happy with the numbers – at least I’m not out of pocket on this one. No idea what the numbers were for PS. Or if I did have I’ve forgotten. Feedback has been very encouraging so far, which is great.
Best wishes
Please explain why Romney and Marsh are also the name of a place (in the book anyway) Romney Marsh. I either don’t remember the connection or it was not made. Enjoyed the book as always! Now awaiting the next Booker and Cash (my favorite team.)
Hi Dianne
Thanks for getting in touch.
Good to know that you enjoyed this outing for R&M. Thanks for your ongoing support of my writing.
It was something that just amused me at the time. Some readers have given a luke-warm response to the naming of my detectives after a place but I can honestly say I’ve never regretted the decision.
When I was working on the first couple of books (I had the first three written before I decided to self-publish them) my lead detectives were called DI Moses and DS Stone. The idea was that I might write s series of crime novels involving the ten commandments, so, to labour a point, Moses as in Moses and Stone as in ‘set in’.
Then one day I was watching the news and Mitt Romney was running. I remember thinking, Romney sounds like a strong name and, because I was born and bred on Romney Marsh and lived there for over forty years I can never here the word Romney without associating the word Marsh. The light bulb went on. What a fun way for me to involve my birth place.
Romney Marsh remains a very special place for me. I visit every year. It’s the reason I set Booker and Cash there too. Just trying to give something back.
Best wishes.
How nice of you to respond, and now I understand. I’ll need to look up Romney Marsh since I now know it’s a “real” place. Best regards to you, and continued success!
Hi Dianne
My pleasure. I enjoy communicating with readers.
Romney Marsh is a very special place. The longer I live away the more I realise that I want to go back to live there.
Many thanks for your good wishes for my writing. Much appreciated, as is your ongoing interest in my writing.
Best wishes.