There’s a bit of a mystery concerning the mystery story of mine published in the July issue of Take A Break’s Fiction Feast, which is out today.

The odd thing isn’t that the July issue is out at the start of June (or even that the online version was available at the end of May.) That kind of thing is normal in the magazine world.

Nor is it surprising that my original title ‘Amelia Unearths The Truth’ has been shortened a bit. Again it’s quite normal for titles to be amended a bit, or even completely changed. The editors have plenty of good reasons for doing so.

If you’re thinking the name Amelia Watson is vaguely familiar, it could be because she’s the lead character in my romantic murder mystery, Acting Like A Killer, which is available to buy as an ebook or paperback, or from some libraries. I like the fun illustration of Amelia not looking through her glasses, but instead using a magnifying glass to look at her computer screen. There are times in the book when Amelia doesn’t go about things in the most straightforward and obvious way. She nearly always  gets the result though.

The mystery is the fact that the story has been credited to Eirin Thompson – an excellent writer who also has a story in that magazine. Of course it’s a mistake and in no way Eirin’s fault, but I can’t think how it could have happened. I’ve heard of author’s names accidentally being left off in some magazines, and in one case people’s real names were used instead of their pen names, but I’ve not come across the wrong name being entered. Hopefully there won’t be a similar issue with the payment!

Actually there’s another small mystery which is loosely connected. Amazon have reduced the price of the paperback version of Acting Like A Killer from £10 to £6.60. That’s lower than the price they allow me to charge. No doubt they have their reasons.

I’m delighted to have another 5 star review for my romantic murder mystery, Acting Like A Killer.

If you’d like to read it yourself you can order through bookshops and libraries, buy as a paperback or ebook through Amazon, or get the ebook from a variety of other retailers.

My story Puppy Love is in the special Easter edition of Yours magazine. I like the cute illustration – and I’m pleased it didn’t give away the twist ending. (A magazine which has since ceased publication did that more than once!)

I’m even more pleased they gave my books a mention. I haven’t noticed a surge in sales, but letting people know the books exist does slightly increase the chance of them buying one, or requesting it from their library.

I’ve no idea where they got the photo from. It is me, but it’s not recent. My hair has been at least five different colours since then.

I’ve got a couple of stories in the May issue of Take A Break’s Fiction Feast, which is out already. Plus None is about a wedding and having nobody to go with. That’s not a position I’ve yet been in. Accidents Happen is about things going horribly wrong. I didn’t have to use my imagination quite so much for that one!

The illustration for my story Caramel Shortbread in the April edition of Take A Break’s Fiction Feast would be making me really hungry, except that it was my birthday yesterday. My lovely husband made me a really nice, and really huge, chocolate brownie cake. He rarely bakes (it was the third time ever) but he did an excellent job.

It was a double celebration for me as the day before I finished the second draft of my next crime novel. I took the day off writing for my birthday, and will have a few more days away from the novel (Disguised Murder in Little Mallow) before the next draft. I like to work on something else between drafts as that gives me some ‘distance’ and helps me see what I actually wrote, not what I meant to say!

Talking of doubles, I have two stories in that magazine. The other is called Baggage. It’s about handbags, and relationships. Caramel Shortbread is also about relationships, as well as living up to the title.

If you’d like to know more about me and my writing you may like to sign up for my occasional newsletter – you’ll get a free short story if you do, and can unsubscribe at any time.

To fry is to cook in hot fat or oil. Americans refer to chips as a fries (and crisps as chips). Getting fried can be a slang term for being cheated or sunburned.

Fry are also baby fish. I’m sure there are some in this reservoir.

I’m delighted with the latest review for my novel Acting Like A Killer. I’m currently nearing the end of the draft of my current work in progress, another murder mystery and this has really motivated me to get those last couple of chapters written and the editing under way.