Rock'n'Roll Murders on Amazon

I always enjoy writing my books and this one was fabulous to write.  It is set in 1959 which, as well as evoking memories, also needed plenty of research.  Everything from the 'pop' scene to fashions.  For example, Elvis was doing his military service, Cliff Richard's backing group was called the Drifters, David Whitfield and Ronnie Hilton were the British crooners of choice.  And, of course, there were the fashions.  As young people didn't earn much, fashion was a bit limited.  Men mostly wore trousers (in the summer flannels) and shirts but the young women were luckier.  Full skirts, pleated skirts and dresses, pinafore dresses, strapless tops and shorts.  The popular men's haircut was the DA with the bubble cut being favoured by women.

In those days the police still patrolled on foot, the police car of choice was the Wolseley and, of course, the blue police boxes were still around - shades of Tardis!

As well as being able to purchase downloads of the book, there are also a few available in library section which can be borrowed.

Sales of Homicide in Hampshire and all of the Cleo Marjoribanks Mysteries are still going strong, the latest being Murder in Mitcham Parva.  Many thanks for the lovely comments about them.

As they say - watch this space for more information!

And did you know that you can download the Kindle APP? 

The Cheap Flights Experience

Having just experienced my first flights on a 'cheap flight' airline, I am not impressed.

I'm sure that for a short business trip that only needs an overnight case they are fine.  Unfortunately, as there is a charge per suitcase in the hold, people are taking their cases on as hand baggage.  Many years ago I bought a small wheelie to use as hand baggage and was told that it was too large and had to be checked in.

Once upon a time you were only allowed to take a small piece of hand baggage.  Now cases and bags over that maximum size are being allowed on board.  It just doesn't make sense.  I met a business gentleman who only had an overnight bag.  By the time he got on board there wasn't room for his small bag so that had to go into the hold - and he had to pay for it.

I did have a quiet chuckle when we arrived back at Gatwick.  The 'plane did not connect up to the stand so we had to take staircase down from the 'plane, walk across the tarmac and climb up a staircase.  Picture it - all those people too mean to pay for their 13/14kg weighted cases struggling with those staircases.

One answer is for airlines to add the £10 to their fares and not charge for luggage to go into the hold.  The airlines will gain financially and passengers will have an easier time.

Alternatively limit the size and weight of cases being used as hand baggage.

Return to Palma, Mallorca

One thing I didn't expect on my first night was a huge fireworks display to greet me, but that is what I got!  I was lucky enough to have a room overlooking the harbour at the Hotel Costa Azul. 

 Of course the fabulous display wasn't really for me.  It was to celebrate Palma's patron saint - St. Sebastian.

 During the 1970s I worked in Mallorca for Cosmos as a Hotel Rep - sometimes called a courier.  The best bit of the job for me was guiding.  My first summer I was based in Alcudia in the north of the island where, due to a lack of official guides, we also guided the day trips so I got to know the island very well.  For the whole of my stay in Mallorca I guided the evening tours which made for very long hours.  No, I never again want to eat barbecued chicken!

 Strolling around Palma brought back to many memories.  The 'coach park' - a tract of land near the Cathedral in those days - is now paved over and is a part of the park in front  of the Cathedral which is mirrored in a vast lake.

 I wandered along to Plaza Gomila which was once the centre of night life with loads of restaurants and the entrance to Tito's Night Club.  That is where I saw some truly historic  performers - Bertice Redding who made me cry with her rendition of 'When a Man Loves a Woman' and that heroine of the French Resistance, Josephine Baker.  Even at the great age she then was the performance was spine tingling.

 Then of course there was that night during my first season when I lost the coach.  We came out of Tito's with all of the other coach parties, but no amount of searching produced our coach.  Eventually we were the only people left.  Obviously drastic action was needed.  I found taxis to take us back to Alcudia.  The coach driver's excuse?  He had a cousin in Palma and went to dinner with her family.  Yes, well, if you believe that.....

 In later years I was based just outside Palma in San Agustin and worked at a hotel called the Jumbo Park - the name was changed in the 1980s.  My favourite night off was to go into Palma for dinner at a Chinese restaurant (made a change from 2* hotel food), then to Rikki's Bar, followed by a drink and chat in the nightclub owned by Los Valldemossa (they who first recorded Viva Espana!).  From there it was down to Paseo Maritimo to a disco at the Palas Atenea.  Not so much to dance but to drink and chat to a friend (honestly, that's all he was) who worked at the bar.

 No, I'm not a kiss and tell kind of woman but I did kiss a lot of Spaniards - among others.

 Yes, I did enjoy the 1970s in Mallorca even if they did end with the years of the Lager Louts.  Which, of course, is why I left to go and work on a cruise ship in the Caribbean and have been addicted ever since to cruises, but that's another story.

Books, books and Books

At the moment my life seems to be full of books.  And I'm not just talking about the half-a-dozen or so that I get each week from the library.  (My reading matter is mostly crime with a few historical ones thrown in for good measure.)

I recently finished writing another crime novel which has turned into a police procedural so there is a lot more work to be done on that.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can get some help from my local police.

In the meantime I am reading through the manuscript of another of my books so that I can prepare it for electronic publishing on AMAZON.  This is also a crime novel but with a large dose of nostalgia as it is set in 1958 - a time I remember well as I was still in my teens.

As if that isn't enough, I have begun writing another book. This is especially for 'Cleo' fans as it features the colourful heroine of "Homicide in Hampshire".

So far as the two e-published books are concerned (Homicide in Hampshire and Writing Can Be Murder), the December sales figures are now in and both sold well.  Many thanks to all of you who bought them.  And, of course, I hope you enjoyed them.

Do remember that you can also download these books onto your computer, I-Pad (Apple), Kobo (W.H.Smith), Nook (Barnes & Noble), Sony e-Book or Diesel eBook, via Smashwords.

www.smashwords.com/profile/view/barbarabothwell

www.amazon.com
www.amazon.co.uk

Easter - already?

On checking the figures for www.thetravleditor.com I see that people are beginning to read my Easter-related articles.  Which has got me thinking about the seasons and shopping.  Have you seen that Easter Eggs are already on sale?

In the UK we are still in midwinter, but spring clothes are appearing in the shops, in spring it will be summer clothes and so on.  With our unpredictable weather we don't want to buy new clothes pre-season.  Which is probably why most clothes end up 'on sale'.  I suspect that the 'sale' prices are what should be the 'right' prices.  If you get my drift.

What always amused me when I lived in Florida was that Buyers - especially for the large companies - never took the temperatures into consideration.  Imagine temps in the 80s (26c) and 90s (32c) and shops trying to sell winter woollies and fun fur coats.  I expect people living in the northern States shiver even more in the winter when summer clothes go on sale.

Crazy.

The Easter articles I mentioned?  One is about a Spring Festival in Slovenia, another is only loosely connected to Easter - it is about the Samba Schools of Rio (great pictures of samba dancers).  The third is an Easter one and tells of the Parades through Florence on Easter Sunday which is on April 8th.

In a couple of week's time I will be in Palma, Mallorca - where I lived for many years.  It will be interesting to see the changes.   

To read these three articles log to www.thetraveleditor.com/authors/6261/Barbara_Bothwell/ 

Happy New Year!

I do hope you all had a good 2011.  Looking back on my year, as my regular followers know, it was a very busy - and enjoyable - one.

I electronically published two of my crime novels which are both selling well.  For those who haven't read about them they are called "Homicide in Hampshire" and "Writing can be Murder".  Both are available at:  www.smashwords.com/profile/view/barbarabothwell which has it in all formats, including download to computer but does not have an Amazon format.  I can see from the charts that it is particularly popular on APPLE I-PAD.

For Kindle users the books are available on www.amazon.com and www.amazon.co.uk. (as well as other Amazon versions).

As well as writing books I also managed to fit in some travel.  In the UK I visited Norwich, the Ironbridge Gorge, Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and even went Swan-upping.  My overseas trip was to Croatia to visit Dubrovnik, also taking the opportunity to travel further south into Montenegro and east into Bosnia & Herzegovena to see Mostar.

Those of you who follow me on www.thetraveleditor.com will already have read about those trips.

My first trip in 2012 will to Palma, Mallorca, a city I used to know well as I lived and worked there for seven years.  Rather like seven years in Tibet except that I worked as a hotel rep for Cosmos.

Wishing you a very Happy, Prosperous and Healthy New Year.

The Christmas Season

Some of my best Christmas's were, of course, those of my childhood.  About two weeks before Christmas my parents would put up the decorations and the weekend before the big day we would all decorate the large tree in the lounge.

Usually a set of grandparents would stay with us and sometimes an aunt and uncle.  I enjoyed all of the spoiling - what child doesn't? - but I particularly loved it when my Uncle Ron (Dad's brother) and his wife came.  This was because Ron was a super pianist and played the latest songs and the golden-oldies.  I could have sat and listened for hours.  Probably did!

Christmas wasn't so much fun once I grew up but memorable ones include a Caribbean cruise.  No, not as a guest, but as a crew member who ate in the restaurant with the clients and joined in the evening's entertainment.

Sometimes I take a city break as there are fewer tourists around.  Among places I have visited are Brussels, Bruges, Malta and Lisbon.  I remember in Lisbon taking a stroll along by the river enjoying the sunshine and seeing a lady sitting on her own - knitting.  At first I felt sorry for her then realised that, like me, she was probably enjoying Christmas Day in her own favourite way.

We often read or hear the pundits expounding about single people being lonely at Christmas.  I suspect that most, if not all of them, aren't single and don't realise that not ALL singletons are lonely.  Everyone has their own ideal of the Christmas holiday. 

Sometimes I like a quiet one at home.  This year?  I have 300 pages of the manuscript of another crime novel to work on.  I'm really looking forward to that.  Will I e-publish it?  Of course. 

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year.

[Illustration:  The Creche at Grand Place in Brussels]