Your Latest London Dispatch for July 2024

All. The. Reading.

I have recently been feeling the pressure of so many good books to read, so little time. There are a few reasons for this:

• Research! I am currently getting underway with a huge research project for a future book that requires a lot of new-to-me information. This means doing a lot of groundwork to make sure I understand the world I’m setting my book in before I write even a single word of the first draft. It’s fun, but it also requires a lot of dedicated reading time.

• A super secret project. See above but in still another time and place.

• Reading ARCs and blurbing. One of the fun parts of being an author is getting the chance to read books by fellow writers before they even come out. Authors often do this and then offer a blurb (aka that glowing quote on the cover of a book that acts as an endorsement). I try to read and blurb as many books as possible, but they do have to slot around my own research and writing.

• Reading for fun. One of the most important things I can do as an author is read purely for pleasure. I’ve been on deadline recently and pretty mentally tired at the end of the day, but I try to make it a priority to read at least half an hour before bed for a bit of a mental refresh. Not only does this help keep my brain fresh, it also lets me know what people are writing in other genres, what’s popular, and what I might have missed in the past.

All of this reading is great, but I do feel as a bit like I’m teetering under four separate TBR piles now. It’s almost overwhelming, actually, so I turned to one of the most voracious readers I know for a little advice: Mum.

My mother usually has several reading projects on the go at any given time, such as re-reading all of John Le Carré’s novels, reading deeply about a certain subject like “forgotten” British female writers from the first half of the 20th century, or exploring Romantic poetry. The amount she reads per month always impresses me, so I asked her how she does it and she told me that she makes a list.¹

First, she figures out what themes she wants to focus on over a long period of time. Then she selects a few books a month that follow along with those themes. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are usually represented. She also throws in a few wild cards that are there purely because she’s interested in them.

This month she is reading about Freud and Vienna at the end of the 19th century and into the First World War; the Arts & Crafts movement, William Morris, and the Pre-Raphaelites; and re-reading Louise Penny’s mysteries.

This month, I’m taking a page out of her book² and making a similar list of themes and titles to go with. At the beginning of July, I picked a few books from each of my Research, Secret Project, ARC, and Reading for Fun buckets and wrote them down. So far, I’m dutifully making my way through those titles and feeling far less overwhelmed for it.

Do you have summer reading plans or do you prefer to pick what you read based on a whim?

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Book news

Evelyne Redfern #3

I am happy to report that I have handed in the first draft of the third book in my Evelyne Redfern series! The book still doesn’t have a title, although I am playing around with options, and I still can’t tell you much about the plot except that Evelyne and David are going abroad for their next adventure. Keep an eye out for more updates on that book in the coming months!

Preorders on sale

There is something about it being the height of the summer that makes July feel like the perfect month of an absolute bonanza of book sales! I am very happy to report that, for US readers, Barnes & Noble is having its huge 25% off preorders sale for members once again and I am fortunate enough to have not one, not two, but three books on offer!

First up, my 2025 historical novel The Dressmakers of London is available for preorder using the code PREORDER25 at checkout.

Then you can pick up my October 1 mystery novel Betrayal at Blackthorn Park (the sequel to my first Evelyne Redfern novel A Traitor in Whitehall) for 25% off by using the code PREORDER25 at checkout.

And if you need to catch up on all things Evelyne Redfern, the first book in the series A Traitor in Whitehall’s paperback preorder is also included if…you guessed it…you use PREORDER25 at checkout.

Just a heads up, these deals are available through July 17th!

Giveaway

Wrapping things up this month, my publisher is kindly hosting a giveaway on Goodreads for readers in the US and Canada a chance to win 50 copies of Betrayal at Blackthorn Park! Just click the button below to enter!

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Postscript

What I’ve been reading: Speaking of ARCs and blurbs as I did at the beginning, I wanted to be sure to mention The Champagne Letters by Kate Macintosh, which is a delightful dual timeline book the draws in the history of the Widow Clicquot with the story of an American divorcée finding herself again in Paris. I appreciated the twists to the present day story in particular that kept me guessing.

What I’ve been watching: Between the Wimbledon and the Euros, it’s been all sport all the time in the Kelly household! Unfortunately, England’s hopes in the football were dashed Sunday evening, but it’s been a fun (and wild) tournament.

What I’ve been listening to: I’ve been enjoying listening to The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, hosted by Richard Osmond and Marina Hyde. It feels like a good mix of current entertainment news and discussions of nostalgic British pop culture, which is perfect for an expat like me who is still learning new references all the time.

What I’ve been knitting: My sister is a fellow knitter, and she knows that often knitters are the last people to get handmade gifts because they’re always spending time making for other people. To remedy that, I’m making her a pair of Thelxinoe Socks by Sari Nordlund in a cream yarn with pastel blue, pink, and green sprinkles that she says remind her of Dunkaroos frosting. To say they are a delight would be a vast understatement!

What I’ve been baking: Growing up in my Los Angeles-based household, it was always a real treat when Dad would break out the Nestle Abuelita Mexican Chocolate and make us hot chocolate.³ I have always loved that combination of spicy and sweet, so when I found a recipe for Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies I naturally jumped on the chance to make them. Unfortunately where this recipe is from has been long lost to time, but I made a batch based on my saved notes this weekend and was in baking heaven.

1. Music to my ears! I love a list!

2. Pun very much intended.

3. You can get it over here, but you do not want to know what the import markup is like…