Nightingales and Fruit

Life news:

Lord H and I went for a group evening walk in Bookham Common earlier in the week, and were lucky enough to spot – and hear – our first nightingale of the year, hurrah! We also spent some time attempting to track down a cuckoo – often heard but rarely seen – but sadly it proved elusive. Ah well, you can’t win ’em all.

It made up for the fact that work has seemed to drag on and on this week – I swear I’d be beavering away for hours and when I looked at the clock it would be only 9.30am, sigh. Mind you, yesterday wasn’t helped by the fact that I had a headache all ruddy day, and a tricky two-hour long meeting to minute over lunchtime, so I really wasn’t in a good mood at all. At the end of the day, I could barely concentrate on anything anyone was saying, and I collapsed on the bed when I got home and slept for an hour and a half. And the headache was still there. Despite the fact that I’d taken the upper limit of headache pills, deep deep sigh. At least, I managed to wake up in time for Midsomer Murders on TV though – it’s my mid-week brightener. And today, thank the Lord, the headache has gone. Still hugely tired however.

The other thing about last night was we had a three-hour power cut starting at 10.30pm – when I was about to go to bed anyway, but Lord H lost some stuff from his computer but he can remember what it was, thank goodness. However, when we rang Southern Electric, there was a recorded message saying that our planned power cut would last until 1.30am. Planned???!! Surely, if it was planned, they should have told us? I noticed the whole street was dark and some of the neighbours were wandering around with torches, looking confused. None of us knew a thing about it. What if we’d had people round for dinner? (Okay, a rare event, but you get my meaning …). The Water Board at least have the courtesy to leave us a note when there’s a planned loss of service – you would think that Southern Electric would have the sense to do the same! Anyway, Angry of Godalming has sent a snippety email to them setting out my complaints, and I await their response. Which apparently takes 3 days to arrive. What are they up to over there? Filing their nails? Waiting for inspiration?? Perhaps they can’t find the ruddy electricity socket to turn on the computer …

Thankfully, today is proving rather better – Jane H has popped round for coffee this morning and so we’ve had a delightful chat & catch-up. And tonight, I’m out in London to see Jane W. So many Janes, so little time!

Ooh, and I’m utterly delighted we now have a Conservative PM again – honestly it surprised even me (a dyed-in-the-wool and deeply instinctive Tory) how much it felt like coming home and how very pleased I was. By the way, I apologise in advance for this very honest statement, as I know how very left-wing most of my friends are, but actually I do feel that as I’m very happy for everyone around me to follow what politics (or religion) they wish without me making a big fuss about it – or indeed any fuss at all –  then I hope they’ll show the same courtesy back to me … It’s also delightful to see such a rainbow cabinet and I do hope it makes things better for the country – but of course the main and extremely pressing issue, and one that the nation deserves an answer to, is now that we’re Tory-Liberal, will they be combining the party uniform so the men can wear blue-and-yellow striped ties instead of the one-colour options? We wait with interest for this issue to be resolved …

Writing news:

All very quiet on this front. I’m beginning to feel I’ve been forgotten by any publishers that might be out there. Ah well. However, I’m carrying on with The Executioner’s Cane, and also delighted to see this review of How to Eat Fruit.

Meanwhile, the lovely Kirsty McCluskey and I have published a review and article about Haiti at Vulpes Libris. Food for thought indeed.

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker’s Journal

Parties and politics

Life news:

Am gradually getting to feel a bit better, hurrah, though I’m still dosing up on catarrh remedies and blowing my nose for Britain. How delightful. I’ve taken to carrying wads of tissues and 2 handkerchiefs everywhere with me, just in case. A girl in her prime can enjoy several.

Still, I did manage to get round the golf course fairly unscathed with Marian on Friday – we haven’t played for ages, what with Easter and conferences and holidays and such like, so it was nice to get back on the course. Neither were we as bad as we’d feared we might be. Also lovely to see two beautiful song thrushes on the course. Talking of which, Lord H and I enjoyed seeing a deer in the garden yesterday evening, and we also spotted a garden warbler (a lifetime first!) at Pulborough Brooks on Saturday. Huge excitement but really what a dull bird. It has absolutely no distinguishing features except a very lovely voice. Almost like a template for all other warblers, which at least have more interesting markings, poor thing.

Meanwhile, the election excitements continue. Lord H and I were rather bemused when watching the film of David Cameron going home after election night to see that he had to ring the doorbell of his own house in order to get in. What???!? Is he just too posh to carry his own key? Or does he expect the butler to open for him? Or perhaps the lovely Samantha doesn’t allow him to carry housekeys? The plot thickens indeed … Perhaps, Lord H says, it’s because he and Nick Clegg got on so well during their first date that Dave gave his keys to Nick so he could call round “for a quick chat” later? Lordy, but then people wonder where I get my book ideas from?? I fear Lord H is not as innocent as he seems … Best to keep a close eye on the “Dave & Nick talks” and see if they exit their meetings with their hair messed up and wearing each other’s ties. You heard it here first.

Anyway, this weekend’s favourite headline comes from The Sun: Squatter Holed Up in Number 10. Yes indeedy. Say no more.

Today, we’ve helped our friend Liz celebrate her 60th birthday party with a buffet lunch and flowing champagne. Though I did think it was probably best not to let the champers flow my way, what with the drugs. As it were. We didn’t stay too long due to (a) illness, and (b) a deep-seated terror of parties. But happy birthday, Liz, and here’s to 60 more of the same!

Writing news:

Not much to report this weekend. I’m carrying on writing more to The Executioner’s Cane, and I’m also continuing with my erotic straight short story, The Boilerman and The Bride. 3000 words and rising. Ho ho. I’ve also sent out a couple of submissions, one of which is the possibility of a haiku chapbook. We’ll see how that goes, but it would be nice to have a poetry collection out somewhere, however small, that I haven’t had to produce myself. I don’t think I’m as bad a poet as my poetry sales actually indicate, hey ho.

Talking of which, I’ve written two haikus this week and here they are:

All that voting angst,
tremors of expectation –
and no-one in charge.

Suddenly the sky
is filled with swifts: boomerangs
piercing silent clouds.

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker’s Journal

Bitterns and bunting

Life News:

Am still sick, groan. I did manage to get into work on Tuesday to deal with my 90 or so emails I’d gathered over the weekend, but the boss sent me home at 3.30pm saying how awful I looked. Can’t say I blame him really. I just couldn’t stop sneezing and my eyes were red and raw. Nice. I didn’t go in yesterday as I felt so shattered with it all. Though I did feel better around lunchtime. False dawn however, as I fell into a significant relapse yesterday afternoon, and haven’t got myself out of it yet. How I wish the sneezing would come back – it might take this terrible catarrh nausea/exhaustion thing away. Ho hum.

So I’ve cancelled my planned Clarins massage this afternoon (lying on back with catarrh – not a good idea …), but I have gone to my Alexander Technique lesson, which surely must have done some good. Oh, and I’ve voted. I desperately wanted to vote for the Pirate Party, but decided I wasn’t quite dressed for it. I’m the only one out there wearing a fleece and a woolly hat, but hell I have to keep my ears and neck warm somehow.

However, some nice things have happened. There’s a lovely video clip of a booming bittern and the John Lewis ad remains its utterly gorgeous self.

Writing News:

I must first of all say how utterly gobsmacked I am at getting my first quarterly royalty statement from Amber Allure. Ye gods, but I swear they’ve managed to sell more of my books with them in three months than I’ve managed with all my publications in three years. And more. I actually have decent royalty money, for the first time ever – so a heartfelt thank you to Trace, Karin and the team, and let’s hang out the bunting. Amazing stuff! Not only that, but I’m told that they’ve already sold 200 copies of The Delaneys and Me (which is at No 6 in the Amber Allure April Bestsellers chart) and it only came out in April. Which just goes to show the old adage that Sex Sells is undoubtedly true. As Lord H says, best try writing some more of it then! I do hope those of you who’ve been kind enough to buy any of my stuff have enjoyed the read, and a special thank you to you.

In other book news, I’m pleased to say that you can read an excerpt of The Girl in the Painting and get a 25% discount till May 9th – but be sure to follow the instructions in the link. I’ve also gained a 4-star review of The Secret Thoughts of Leaves at Goodreads and a 5 star review of Give and Take at TwoLips Reviews, so all that excitement is making up for any health issues, hurrah.

Ooh and the free download of my gay romance story, A Serious Business, is now available at the Queer Magazine Online bookstore, along with a variety of other lovely free e-reads – enjoy!

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker’s Journal

A Serious Business

Writing News:

I’m happy to say that the lovely Anders at Queer Magazine Online will shortly be offering my gay short story, A Serious Business, as a free download in his new eBook store – so watch this space. And I do love that cover. Thanks, Anders!

I’ve also signed and returned the contract for Angels and Airheads to Torquere Press so it’s great to be part of their author team as well. Meanwhile, The Delaneys and Me received a 4.5 star review at Goodreads – so thank you to Carole for that. And The Hit List gained a 5-star review at Amazon US, and many thanks to Amos for that one, as well as a 4 star review at Michelenjeff Reviews. Thanks, Michele!

In other book news, Thorn in the Flesh is now available (with free worldwide delivery) from The Book Depository, The Secret Thoughts of Leaves is now available in Kindle edition and I’m going through the text of A Dangerous Man to prepare it for its (hoped for) second life. So, never say I haven’t been busy and there’s surely something there for everyone.

Finally, my review of Audrey Niffenegger’s Her Fearful Symmetry is now up at Vulpes Libris. A fascinating book, but it rather lost steam in the final section, I fear.

Life News:

The week’s excitement so far has definitely been seeing a sparrowhawk in the garden – a first for this year, hurrah! Though I do rather fear for the fate of our nesting blue tits … we will have to see how it all pans out.

I’ve also been rather worried by the fact that the hospital didn’t like the results of my recent CA125 blood test, so I have to take the damn thing again in May when I go in for my scan. Lordy, but these medical types do like a rummage. I had a bit of a panic (um, a lot of a panic, if I’m being honest …) when the letter came through, but I was okay last year so I’m assuming it’s just my hormone issues playing up again. So I’ve calmed down now (hurrah) and will have to wait for May. Many thanks to the kind commenters over the last couple of days who’ve been hugely supportive – much appreciated.

Anyway, today, I’ve had a lovely time at my Clarins massage, and tonight, Lord H and I are out at Guildford Theatre to see My Darling Clemmie – which I’m looking forward to as I’m a real fan of the glorious Winston. What a superhero.

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker’s Journal

Holidays and assorted fun stuff

A short blog as I really have to go to bed but here are the edited highlights:

1. We’ve had a really wonderful few days away.

2. Birds seen for the first time this year are: stone curlews, great bustards (lifetime first – and you can find out more about the reintroduction of these fantastic birds to the UK at the Great Bustard Group), a wheatear, house martins, a mandarin, reed warblers, sedge warblers, Cetti’s warbler (the loudest bird on the planet), a whitethroat, a red kite and a swift.

3. Longleat is marvellous – I held my first snake at the snake handling session – a corn snake which was absolutely beautiful and incredibly warm. I loved it. However I passed on the tarantula holding session – mainly by running screaming from the spider handler woman. Ah the shame …

4. We heard our first cuckoos, and our first ever booming bittern (though we didn’t see it).

5. At the Hawk Conservancy, we flew a Harris hawk (briefly) and held a barn owl and a tawny owl. Marvellous. I love birds of prey. They’re the best.

6. The Delaneys and Me received a very nice review at Jessewave Reviews – so thank you for that!

7. My review of Simon Van Booy’s short story collection, Love begins in winter, is up at Vulpes Libris.

8. I wrote 2 haikus and here they are:

Elegant giraffes,
glorious gaudy ceilings:
Longleat in the spring.

Eight swans drift over
startled cattle: air shimmers
an ancient magic.

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker’s Journal

From the ashes of disaster …

Writing News:

Seeing as I am (fairly evidently) not having my week’s holiday in Pompeii (ah the irony of it all …) – of which more later – here’s some happy writing news: my gay erotic short story, The Delaneys and Me, is now published by Amber Allure, and you can find out more and purchase a copy here – there’s a 35% discount for the first week so it’s worthwhile rushing! Plus, for TODAY only, Jessewave Reviews is offering a FREE copy of the story to one lucky winner if you leave a comment at her review site here – good luck to all, and may the best man or woman win. Finally, for your viewing pleasure, don’t forget to click onto the book trailer – enjoy!

I’m also very pleased to see that Give and Take is now available in Kindle edition at Amazon US. And that The Bones of Summer received a 5-star rating at Goodreads – many thanks, Tracy.

Other exciting news is that Untreed Reads is having a 25% discount off ALL their books until 22 April, and this includes three of my literary short stories, amongst others – so do pop across and browse their bookshop – but don’t forget to use the coupon code FBFRIENDS at checkout. Have fun!

Finally in this section, amidst yesterday’s holiday disappointments, I was delighted to receive a proof copy of Clare Morrall’s latest novel, The Man Who Disappeared, from the lovely Carole at Sceptre Press – I’d chatted for ages with Carole at the recent Sceptre event and said how much I love Morrall’s work, and so I was thrilled to receive this surprise package in the post – thanks, Carole! It’s much appreciated, and I can’t wait to get my reading teeth into that one …

Other News:

Yes, well, what can I say? The delicious irony of not being able to go on my longed-for week’s holiday to Pompeii & Naples because of volcanic ash has indeed not escaped me. But I really can’t recommend the existential pain of unpacking when you … um … haven’t actually been anywhere yet. Don’t do it, folks! It’s not pleasant. Though it does save a hell of a lot of washing and ironing, so I suppose there’s always a silver lining to every volcanic cloud. Page & Moy promise us that refunds will be sorted on Monday, as we can’t reschedule as this coming week was the only week we could do, Lord H’s and my schedules being hugely tricky to juggle, alas. Ah well. Maybe Pompeii next year? Who can tell?

So we have spent the weekend having a mini-holiday and drinking champagne to give ourselves an essential lift – where planes could not perform that task. Yesterday, we had a lovely day out at Knole House in Sevenoaks and managed to spot two new birds for this year: a redstart and a willow warbler, hurrah! We also treated ourselves to a truly scrumptious holiday cream tea and admired the gorgeous butterflies, which this weekend have included several orange tips and a light scattering of brimstones. Bliss. Plus we just managed to get back in time for Dr Who, which was thankfully a whole lot better than last week’s disastrous episode, hurrah! Phew, as I was starting to lose the faith a little, perish the thought …

Today, our mini-non holiday continued with a day spent at Wisley Gardens – more butterflies and a riot of colour in the flowers, but way too many people wandering around the arts & crafts fair. We had to eat in the cafe, shock, horror! And they ran out of salad to serve with our pizza so it looked very lonely on the plate, sigh. Mind you, I argued successfully at the tills that we should have had the salad as it was part of the meal, and they took £2 off, so I am indeed the Bargaining Queen of Wisley, ha!

However, Wisley had its revenge in the end, as halfway round our afternoon stroll, I came over all peculiar and had to take a stomach pill in order to make it back to the car at all. I am a slave to my stomach pains, sadly. Anyway, I’d just been admiring the tee-shirt on a small boy which said: Zero to Naughty in Six Seconds, so after a few moments of sitting on a bench, groaning and wondering if I was going to be sick or worse (thankfully I was neither), I told Lord H that I should have a tee-shirt that said Zero to Sick in Three Seconds. However, Lord H reassures me that such a talent is merely an expression of my particular Super-Power, and I am saving many other people from being sick by taking it all on myself. Now, there’s a thought. Though, like Lord H, I’d really rather have the ability to fly or be invisible. Ah well.

So, back to work tomorrow (sigh), but here’s this week’s haiku, inspired by events near Heathrow Airport, where apparently they can hear the skylarks for the first time in living memory:

All the planes are stilled.
Instead the song of skylarks
laces the bright sky.

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker’s Journal

Birds, butterflies and bars

Writing News:

I’m pleased to say that my gay erotic short story, The Delaneys and Me, is now up at Amber Allure Press although it’s not published until Sunday 18 April. I’m noting it now as I’ll be away on holiday at that point so won’t be blogging until I get back.

I’m also happy to say that Give and Take received a very positive review at Tam’s Reads – you’ll need to scroll down a little to see it. Many thanks, Tam!

And I’ve uploaded the final part of Chapter Ten of The Prayer Seeker’s Journal where Michael is still dealing with the ex-wife.

Finally in this section, there are two haikus this week, which I hope you enjoy:

Grey heron flying,
painted across the bright sky:
harbinger of spring.

The peace of water
sinks into my skin: sunlight,
air and deep silence.

Other News:

I had a very enjoyable time representing Vulpes Libris at the Sceptre Press Book Bloggers party at the Hospital Club Bellini Bar in London on Friday afternoon. Thankfully I don’t think they quite realised which Bookfox I actually am, or they very politely ignored it, and we all had a very good time talking with passion and commitment about books. We stayed so long that they had to throw us out in the end. Plus we all got a book goody bag, hurrah – thank you to the lovely Polly et all for that. It was nice also to meet some of their newer authors and fellow-bloggers too. I was on my best behaviour and said nothing about my thoughts concerning their new and distinctly dodgy marketing approach, but I was on the other hand (sorry, in-joke!) happy to say that I was very much enjoying the proof book they sent me, hurrah! I hope we can all do it again sometime, and that other publishers might take the proverbial leaf from Sceptre’s party book. Speaking with my failing-would-be-mainstream-writer hat on though (ah how well it fits me), it was really incredibly refreshing to have any kind of conversation at all with a mainstream publisher that doesn’t involve them either ignoring me, laughing at me or insulting me in suitably bitchy fashion, ho ho. And, yes, all that has happened in the past. Thank goodness I’ve now found publishers to whom my work is far more suited, eh. Saves all the pain really.

Yesterday, Lord H and I did a quick recce to find out how to get to Kingston Hospital – as I have to go to see my nice gynae woman there on Wednesday and I’ve been hyperventilating for days about the terrors of having to find somewhere new. Having done the journey once though, it looks fairly straightforward and the only real problem (apart from the inevitable traffic) is going to be finding someplace to park when I’m there, groan. Wish me luck …

We then went on to spend a very pleasant day at Barnes Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, where we managed to spot sand martins, a little ringed plover, a great black-backed gull and lots of great crested grebes – all new for this year. I was also thrilled to see my second butterfly of the year – a common white. We spotted a beautiful peacock butterfly on the neighbour’s chimney earlier in the week … Plus Barnes actually had chicks, including some gorgeously bizarre moorhen chicks – and yes they really do look like that. Amazing.

Meanwhile, we’ve suffered the appalling disaster of yesterday’s disappointing Dr Who episode – it felt like a nine-year old had been allowed to write it with no supervision and was, frankly, laughable. We trust the writer has been cast into the mouth of the beast, and that next week’s offering will have at least more class. I can only admire the actors for not running screaming from the set, sigh … Mind you, there is one good thing that came out of it – Lord H thought the idea of casting naughty schoolchildren into the Mouth of Hell where they are never seen again was a brilliant idea and all schools should take it up at once. That’ll teach the little beggars not to learn their sums, eh …

Talking of which, we have survived the traumas of being responsible for coffees at today’s Family Service!! Pause for applause – go on, you know you want to. We practised our polite religious smiles before we went and they seem to have done the trick. It was, to be honest, less problematic than I’d feared, though we did have to sing a wretched Graham Kendrick song. Deep sigh. He must be the only songwriter around who’s utterly unable to put the right number of words in a tune, and it’s all so relentlessly glittery and bland. I did find myself turning to the song again to see when he was born (1950, if you’re asking) and therefore when he might retire from the fray, but then thought that was probably way too bitchy even for me. Surely not! I am indeed the soul of loving kindness and warmth. Well, in my dreams anyway …

Anne Brooke
The Prayer Seeker’s Journal

Hit Lists, hot tips and haikus

Writing News:

I’m happy to say that The Hit List has received a very thorough 4-star review at Goodreads and I’m immensely pleased with that. Thanks, Kassa.

At the same time, Give and Take gained an “Excellent” grade at The Well-Read Book Blog so that’s been a nice boost too. I was also thrilled to see that it’s reached the dizzy heights of Number 4 in the Amber Allure March bestsellers list, well gosh, so thank you to everyone who’s bought it, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the read.

Keeping to the subject of gay fiction, I’ve now chosen my Queer Magazine Hot Gay Fiction Tip for April, and you can read all about it at Queer Magazine Online. A great read and particularly enjoyable if you have a penchant for the military!

Turning to matters rather more spiritual, Vulpes Libris has now published my review of Nicholas Buxton’s Tantalus and the Pelican which is an excellent book on monastic spirituality written by a fascinating man. Well worth a look indeed.

And here, rather later than usual due to Easter, is last week’s haiku:

The grey dog trots by,
mouth holding two red mittens
for warming the paws.

Life news:

Easter’s been fun. We spent the day with Mother on Good Friday – a penance for all involved indeed! – and I’ve been rather startled to see that Mother and I bought ourselves the same presents. Hmmm, must be something in the genes. If only we’d known, we could have saved all that wrapping paper, dammit. Ah well. We shall both be smelling of raspberry body cream in the future then.

On Saturday, Lord H and I spent a lovely day at Pulborough Brooks, though we managed to avoid the child influx, thank the Lord. Birds spotted included stock doves and a little gull (both lifetime firsts), plus skylarks and swallows. Swallows!! Heck, they’re early. And we also spent some time gazing at an adder sleeping on the grass, which was fabulous. You don’t see adders very often. Amazing.

Anne Brooke – feeling chocolatey …
The Prayer Seeker’s Journal – in quiet mood

Videos, poetry and some sad news

Let’s start with the sad news. Which is that, unfortunately, our middle neighbour in our block of 3 flats died of heart troubles earlier this week. He’d been waiting for a heart operation in hospital and we’ve visited a couple of times, but he never made it to have the actual op. I’ll miss him – he could be an archetypal crusty old gent of the old school, but he was always, always fascinating. He could also be extraordinarily generous. When we moved in 17 years ago, he left a bottle of very good champagne and two rather posh glasses at our front door to help us celebrate – a gesture that always makes me smile, even today. He loved high-class wine, birds (of both varieties, in spite of his age!), poetry and Spain – and who can argue with that? It leaves a big gap in our little house, which feels much emptier today. You can find two of his marvellous books (and he wrote just as he spoke, so was always a writer who was very much in touch with his voice) on Spain and flamenco dancing here and here. Both come highly recommended.

Keeping on the subject of death and what we remember, and indeed poetry, here’s this week’s poem (about my father) from my poetry course:

September 1977

We live
only four minutes’ walk
from school

and my mother’s car waits
in the car park
so I know my father is dead.

Hair blows across my face
and in the distance
I hear laughter.

The sky is so blue
and my schoolbag weighs heavy
across my shoulders.

When I take it off,
the fabric drags along the ground.
Without looking, I can name the books

that spill from it:
a Latin grammar;
Voltaire’s Candide.

They smell new.
The way spines snap
when first opened

is a memory
that prickles my skin.
I am so close to the car now.

I reach out,
take hold of the handle.
Breathe.

Turning to book news, I’m happy to say that Thorn in the Flesh is now available at Amazon US and Amazon UK. And I have uploaded the book trailer at YouTube.

Similarly, Pink Champagne and Apple Juice is now available with free worldwide delivery at The Book Depository. It too comes with its own book trailer – which is proving extraordinarily popular with 82 views since I uploaded it only a couple of days ago. Which just goes to show that the viewing public love comedy, jolly music and a pretty blonde girl. Must remember that for next time I write something new then!

And, finally, the latest chapter of The Prayer Seeker is now available for reading – it’s on anger, as Michael finds he has much to work through. As do we all, really.

But, to end (or almost …) with very exciting bird news, Lord H and I spent the day in Arne in Dorset yesterday – we saw some stunning sika deer, really close to, plus seven (yes, seven!!!) spoonbills, a couple of blackcaps, a few red-breasted mergansers – all of which were firsts for this year. Plus – the crowning glory and a lifetime first – a firecrest. Hurrah!

So, there are two haikus this Sunday for you:

The first signs of spring:
men on yellow bicycles;
a pink Fiesta.

It’s a conundrum:
how to persuade daffodils
to unfurl their blooms.

Heck, I bet Wordsworth never had those problems, on either count …

Anne Brooke – in fairly thoughtful mood
The Prayer Seeker’s Journal – where anger finds a voice

Read An Ebook Week!

Good news for ebook lovers and ebook enquirers this week, as it’s Read An Ebook Week. As part of this exciting prospect, two of my short stories published by Untreed Reads will be free for one week only at Smashwords.

So, you can find my literary love story How To Eat Fruit at Smashwords here.

And you can find my rewrite of a biblical story Dancing with Lions also at Smashwords here.

You need to put the code RFREE in at the checkout stage – though it explains that on site. The offer ends 13 March. Enjoy!

In other writing news, The Hit List is now available for purchase from All Romance Ebooks, and was for a brief moment of glory actually on their front New Books page, well gosh. Not so now, I fear – the world of eBooks moves on apace …

Speaking of moments of glory, The Bones of Summer managed to make No 48 in the Amazon UK gay romance charts, though it has slipped down somewhat now and will probably be out of the charts altogether by the time you read this. Still, it was nice that someone bought a copy, and I do hope they enjoy it.

Meanwhile, I’ve uploaded the next chapter of The Prayer Seeker’s Journal, where Michael begins to set up a schedule of prayer. And, on an entirely different note, my Hot Gay Fiction Tip for March is now up at Queer Magazine Online. And it’s a book that contains the best scene of sex with a piano that I’ve ever read – dammit but I wish I’d written it. If only I could play the piano, eh …

And, sadly, my lovely almost-week away from work ends today (groan …), but we did manage to see an Egyptian Goose at Wisley yesterday, so something to hang on to when the Monday Morning Blues rears its ugly head once more. And we also saw some gorgeous spring flowers, which has inspired this week’s haiku:

In the rose garden
a pruning. Snowdrops whisper
and crocuses glow.

Anne Brooke – classy and free, always
The Prayer Seeker’s Journal – getting to grips with The Beyond