@LoveBedford @MannersPR … and The Swan Hotel – Thank you!

@LoveBedford does so much to promote life and businesses in the county town on Bedford, a middle England market town which lies on the River Ouse, adding to its character and charm. It is a town full of many cultures and is allegedly the perfect place for people from numerous backgrounds to live, since they have juggled along in relative harmony for decades.

There is a @LoveBedford Facebook page which tells you up to date news and offers, and a website for more detailed information.

An example that pleased me is that the Oxfam bookshop and record shop was reopened after refurbishment last Wednesday. Here’s the full article and details. Recycling books continues to give readers pleasure, finds a new home for that much loved tome and supports a charity I admire too.

Another source for information ad interesting features is The Bedford Clanger . Well worth picking up if you are in Bedford or reading it on line. Here’s an article about the famous Bedfordshire Clanger on The Country File.

For those of you who like to read a glossy magazine whilst sipping your coffee then I can recommend Bedfordshire Country Life.

I must mention Bedfordshire on Sunday too, who keep us up to date with all things Bedfordshire and helped to promote my event at The Swan Hotel, organised by @MannersPR in August. I am so grateful for their support.

Looking forward to 2016 I am already giving out leaflets for the game ‘CLUEGO’ – a quiz with cash prizes which will be awarded in May 2016, all related to my Bedfordshire murder mystery ‘Murder Now and Then’ and planned with the help of @LoveBedford and @MannersPR.

This will hopefully get people out and about in the Bedfordshire area answering the questions, which will be posted on line in the new year.

Again, heartfelt thanks!

 

 

The Novel Approach to Research ~ Do you know what car this is?

What inspires you to write a novel?

All it took for me was an email and a photo and I was hooked.

Haynes Park Army Camp 1915

Here’s the photo:

And here’s the gist of the email:

‘Did you know that a young Jersey girl was murdered at Haynes Park, near to where you live, back in 1919? The murder was never solved.’

The inspiration to write my first murder mystery ‘Murder, Now and Then’ was born!

Inspired to delve deeper I discovered this photo at the Bedford archives. The young ladies quickly became my characters, as did the owner and driver of the car – but what was the car?

I needed a car which looked like the above and was manufactured before World War One. Searching on the internet and asking several people for their opinion we decided to call it an ‘Austin 7hp.’ 

Imagine my surprise and delight to receive a comment on Facebook yesterday morning from a friend @PaulFellows who informed me that the car was really a Morris Oxford or Morris Cowley.

Many apologies for car lovers for this error in my novel. Not that you would know of course since there are no pictures in ‘Murder, Now and Then’ Morris;-)

Clue Go! ‘Murder, Now and Then’ Game with prizes ….

Just another hint about ‘Clue Go!’ which will take place in October 2015.

There will be three parts and the first one you can begin right now!

Get your cameras and your copies of ‘Murder, Now and Then’ to the ready because in order to win the biggest prize you need to get out and about and snap photos of yourselves on location with a copy of ‘Murder, Now and Then’

Those of you in and around Bedfordshire, why don’t you pop to Thurleigh Museum and Twinwoods before they close for the winter.

There are loads of interesting places in Bedfordshire to visit and places to drop into for refreshments.

Or – If you are in Canada, Jersey, on Alderney, in Godalming Surrey – in fact locations in ‘Murder, Now and Then’   – or anywhere else in the world to be honest, there will be smaller prizes for you too.

So go on – Get Snapping!

Copies of the book can be bought at Waterstones, Bedford, ordered at any bookshop in the UK or bought on Amazon in most places of the world!

                                                    Amazon.com                          Amazon.co.uk