The fifth book in my Lou Elliott series is now underway (at last!)

Hello! Yes I know, I only ever seem to write blog entries when I want something but I really do intend to start blogging more regularly (honest!).

Anyway, I have some important news to tell you about: work is now underway on the fifth book in my Lou Elliott mystery adventure series. I know it's been a long while and many of my readers will probably have thought I'd abandoned it but it's not the case. I've just been waylaid with so many other things which have demanded my time.

But it's great to get back to the series and to pick up again with the characters and find out what they've been getting up to. Lou, Jack, David and Emily are all fine and they've been having a great summer holiday in Snowdonia where they've been camping. The parents of the Johnson children are with them this time, and wrongly supposed that they could keep their eye on them and stop them from falling into another adventure. How wrong can you be!

I am hoping that the book will come out in time for Christmas (2017) but it's possible that it may not be ready until early January. The important thing though, is that book five is on its way and it definitely won't be the last. So watch this space, I will post regular updates on this blog.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I better get back to writing it. Things are hotting up!

My book is free in Amazon's Kindle store today!

If you haven't already got yourself a copy, now is your chance. My Abersoch-based children's novel Smugglers at Whistling Sands is free for 24 hours in Amazon's Kindle store. The promotion only started about 20 minutes ago (just before 9). So please go ahead and get yourself a copy.

If you like it, all I ask is that you remember the value to unknown authors of reviews and feedback and consider doing me a review on my Amazon listing. But I'll leave that up to you! Alternatively you can always give me feedback via this blog or on email at georgechedzoy@hotmail.co.uk*

Anyway, it's Saturday morning, under a rainy and overcast sky - at least that's the case here in north-east Wales - so I'd call that the perfect excuse for putting your feet up and reading a thrilling children's mystery story on your Kindle! Just click on the links to my book on the right hand side of this screen - Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com and get Smugglers at Whistling Sands for free. It's something of a cross-over book and can be enjoyed by adults as well as children.

*And on that note, I have just discovered I've got a third review on Amazon.co.uk - five stars and a very nice write-up. That's the second really good review in two days and I'm absolutely chuffed to bits! Such a nice surprise.

Smugglers at Whistling Sands to get a new ending

I've spent a few hours today, including the extra one from the clocks going back an hour overnight, mapping out a new structure for the closing chapters of Smugglers at Whistling Sands.

As I explained in my previous post, because this is major surgery and not just minor tweaks, I no longer wish to be selling a version I am not happy with and am poised to replace and for that reason the book can't be bought any more.

Such is the flexibility of publishing a novel as an ebook, one can make these changes without having to wait for the end of a print run. I absolutely guarantee to allow those who have bought my book so far to have a copy of the revised ending.
I am very pleased at the progress I have made today in mapping out what I believe to be a better, more satisfying, more exciting ending for Smugglers at Whistling Sands and one which does proper justice to the confident, capable, strong-willed lead character, Lou (Louise) Elliott.

That now leaves me with the small matter of a complete re-write of the last 4,000 words. If the book becomes longer, and it might, then this will be possibly a writing job of some 6,000 words, some of which will ultimately be cut away in editing.

I do feel that I have grown as a writer since I penned this book. I can see flaws in it now that I could not see when writing it. By putting those flaws right, I will then have a novel which I feel I can be proud of and be confident in offering for sale.

How long will it take before I am in a position to sell it again? I'm not sure, but I've set myself a month to get it sorted and back on sale from December 1, 2011. It's frustrating in a way, because I want to be getting on with writing a second book, not fiddling with my debut one. But by getting this one right, I've got more chance of getting my next one right as well.