The South Sea Bubble

The fourth and final book in the Crown Phoenix series is now available on Kindle. Many thanks to the readers who have followed Miriam, Simon, Lizzie, and Mana thus far!

It was very difficult to say goodbye to these little people. I do hope you enjoy this last volume.

Cover Reveal : The South Sea Bubble

For the last volume of the Crown Phoenix series, Lisa Daly was kind enough to design another cover for me. The book is The South Sea Bubble, and here is the blurb:

An Edwardian hospital hides many secrets:

A mysterious patient lurks in the cellar...

A secret passage leads to danger...

Coded messages reveal new riddles...

Visions of danger haunt the people of Grimstead Manor…

Lizzie and Miriam find horror, adventure, and romance surrounding the strange vessel known as The South Sea Bubble.

“Compulsive reading!”

“Addictive steampunk.”

And here is an excerpt:

“Oh, stop the dramatics,” Simon groaned. “What on earth are you talking about? Of course I’m not leaving until we sort all of this out and you tell me what - is - going - on!” His voice rose in volume on each successive word.

Miriam looked at him. Her eyes were dark and very direct. “No, Simon.” Her lower lip trembled, but she took a deep breath and seemed to recover. “I will not.”

“Oh, is that so?” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “And I suppose you think I’m just going to waltz off and forget all about you, Lampala, and last summer.” He raised one finger and stabbed the air in her direction. “I’m not going to, my girl, and don’t you forget it. I will not give up on you, although apparently you have given up on me.”

Finally, here is the lovely cover, courtesy of my friend and constant artist, Lisa:

Sproing! - Random Thoughts of the Season

Spring Pigs

At last, I see signs of encroaching spring outside. After a winter that followed us to England where it snowed on us for three days straight, I'm actually ready for budding trees, lily of the valley, and hummingbird feeders.

When I say "actually ready," I have to admit Winter is my favorite season. I enjoy the fireside, howling winds, driving rain, and heaps of snow - they're all great excuses to stay in and write, you do see. However, when you have to go outside in that wind and snow, so bitter and extreme that it's driven sideways into your face, it does get a bit old. Plus, those three days in England were an exercise in bad hair.

A much cuter version of what I looked like in the UK - courtesy of sodahead.com

I'm ready for salads and the spring fruits: berries, new peaches, grapes, and melons. I see I have two winter melons in the fruit bowl over there, sulking at me and spoiling away. I know I should cut them up and save what I can, but is it really worth it for tasteless, pulpy flesh? Bring on the honeydews that burst forth with flavor and melt at the first bite. 

It's time for dragging out the barbecue again, too. Nothing like the smell of burgers n dogs, but we also like to roast fish and pizzas on the grill. (Fresh pizza dough on a stone, turn down the heat all the way. Add topping and cook a bit more - serve up with more salad and frosty beverages.)

Did I mention Lily of the Valley? They are my favorite flowers, and I'm completely smug that I managed to get them to grow in my side flower beds. I always think of Cicely Mary Barker when I see them. 

Time to wheel the fig out and pray that it survived another winter in the garage. Last year the figs were as tasteless as those sulky melons, so I'm hoping for great stuff this year. 

My friend sent me Brown Eyed Susan seeds. I'll plant them back by the woods, where the deer can crop them, probably, just as they snacked on my blueberry and raspberry canes in the woods. How pleasant of me, to give them such a convenient snack. 

Throughout all of this I will continue writing. Edits on The South Sea Bubble continue apace, and I foresee a cover reveal soon. I can't wait to show you what my cover artist Lisa Daly (the same friend who sent me the Brown Eyed Susans) did - it's something new that fits in with the ongoing Crown Phoenix theme. 

As well, I've been writing on Wattpad. A short story somehow morphed into an ongoing book, so if you like horror and fantasy you can read Voices in the Wall for free here.

The Gramophone Society is being painfully rewritten as well, for the THIRD time. I can see now the many mistakes I made in rounds one and two, and I've started from scratch to erase them. I can't wait to get back to it, once my South Sea edits are complete.

If you want to try my pizza dough, here is the very easy recipe. It makes enough for two pizzas, and you can freeze one for later.

Easy Pizza Dough

2 cups warm water (test on your wrist)
1 packet yeast
2 Tbls sugar

Mix and let stand five minutes. Add:

6 cups flour
2 tsps olive oil
2 tsps salt
Any other flavorings you like : cheese, fresh basil, etc.

Let stand 45 minutes in warm place. Punch down and roll out.

Print Proofs!

I just had to show off what arrived in the post today:

They look all shiny and new!

And then there are the maps:

And the drop caps:

And the journal entry pages:

Hurray! Thanks again to my cover designer, Lisa Daly, for the wonderful print format she did. As usual, the proofs look perfect, thanks to her hard work. 

My Big Wonderful Blog Tour

Miriam, the heroine of the series. 

It feels like spring outside today, and how fitting that is. My Big Wonderful Blog Tour starts today, and it's kicking off at Book Vacations. (Four stars, yippee!)

Mana, the magic governess.

In order to celebrate the sparkly new release of my books, I am offering a giveaway of some cool stuff, if I do say so myself. You can win a Kindle Fire, big old Amazon gift cards, bling, signed books, and a bag full of swag. Entering is really easy, in the Rafflecopter form at the bottom of the page.

My books are newly edited, with sparkly new covers by my dear friend Lisa Daly and maps (yay, maps!) designed by the very talented writer and cartographer, Ross Kitson. I do hope you will give the books a look, and of course you can always download a sample first from my author page, here.

Barbara, the beautiful villainess.

They are also available on Nook and Smashwords.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Not the Block!!!!

It happened this morning. I saw my kid onto the bus and went to prepare myself for a  day of writing. Now, I need to grab a shower, get dressed, even put  on makeup before I sit at the keyboard. That's just the way I roll.

As I poufed on my Blush Minerals  (Stop n Shop brand) a sudden thought hit me: What if I can't write today?

For a  writer, that's the nightmare. You have this voice, and the fear that it might stop speaking is a dreadful one. It's the fear that this gift might be taken away.

Perhaps it hit me because I'm getting close to working on the fourth and  final book in my Crown Phoenix series. The third book is done, and soon I'll start the last chapter in the adventures of Miriam, Riki, Simon, Neil, and Mana. To have to say goodbye  to them and their little world makes my breath catch in my throat.

Perhaps it's because  I'm in the middle of writing a new book at the  moment, The Gramophone  Society. It's a stand-alone work, it's quite historical, and it requires a lot of untangling and careful planning.

I suppose there is  only way to overcome all this: get my butt in that chair and start typing away.

Okay then.