We’re having a heatwave? I don’t think so…

So here we are again, the end of yet another month. Seven down, five to go. This year has been a strange one. We’ve had only a handful of lunches on our back patio and as for the seating on the decking? Well, the covers have yet to come off. As I sit here, there’s rain against the window once more. I’m hoping that August will restore my faith in the weather and bring some of that much missed summer sunshine back to the UK.

July was a quiet month with not much to report. I’m still working on my new writing project, but don’t plan to begin until we’re back from Italy later in September. Desenzano, on Lake Garda, where we will be staying, actually features in A Cornish Affair, which was published back in 2019. It definitely ticked all the boxes when I was looking for somewhere for my two star crossed lovers to meet and resolve their differences.

I’m planning to write a piece on my writing blog about using real places in my fiction. I have done this many times in the books I’ve published and on one occasion, when I needed a heroine to walk around Verona, I used Google Map. I had actually visited the city, but my memory, coupled with photos I’d taken at the time, weren’t really sharp enough to make the scene convincing. I’ll be posting on FB and ‘X’ as it is called now (not sure I can get used to this strange new name, but that’s another story) later this month.

MY READING MONTH

And finally…

From the covers below you would be forgiven for thinking I’ve been locked away in a room for the last 31 days and done nothing but read. Not so, but it’s my biggest monthly reading challenge so far this year. Some books, depending on the story, I’m able to finish in a couple of days; others take a bit more time. All of these were great reads, but there were three which I felt really stood out – two crime and one coming of age novel set in the States.

• The Nail Salon by Natalie Tambini.

• Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman.

• The Crying Cave Killings by Wes Markin.

Check out my Goodreads account to see my reviews

Well that’s all for this month, I’ll be back at the end of August.

Best wishes, Jo