I apologise for neglecting this diary in November – however, the truth is, it was rather an eventful month. 

First of all my wonderful editor asked me to make some changes to A HIGH MORTALITY OF DOVES. It may be interesting for those of you not involved in the publishing industry to learn that the publication process takes so long. Even though the book won’t be out until next November, everything such as getting the story perfect, copy editing the manuscript, writing the jacket copy, designing the cover and proof reading takes an awfully long time!

 At the same time as I was wrestling with these changes, my son, his wife and their cat and dog came to stay with us as they’d just bought a house that badly needed renovation. It was lovely to have them here (and help them with their work...painting cupboards, cleaning etc) but it proved to be a bit of a distraction from writing. And the one thing you need when you’re writing a book is time to think and concentrate.

Here is one of our house guests (gorgeous apart from the muddy paws!!): 

The third event that threw me off course was my husband’s accident – he lost part of a finger while he was cutting wood and had to be rushed to hospital. So, all in all November was...er...busy! (Incidentally, he’s making a good recovery.) 

Having said all this, I did manage to fit in a night in London to attend a meeting of the Detection Club where Martin Edwards (author of the Lake District mysteries and the excellent Golden Age of Murder) was inaugurated as President, replacing Simon Brett. With his great knowledge and passion for the traditions of the crime genre, I can’t think of a better person than Martin to take on the role and follow in the footsteps (and don the robe) of G K Chesterton, Dorothy L Sayers and Agatha Christie. Here's one of me at the ceremony:

I also took part in a lovely crime evening at York Library with Mari Hannah. It was great to be in York again, the setting for my Joe Plantagenet books, and it was lovely to meet the readers and library staff. I’m also grateful to Chris Titley, editor of York Mix, who interviewed Mari and I so capably. 

Now I have to announce a special treat – a little Christmas present for all my readers. THE CHRISTMAS CARD LIST - a seasonal locked room mystery for Wesley Peterson to solve - can be found at The Crime Vault:  http://www.thecrimevault.com/exclusives/the-christmas-card-list-an-exclusive-short-story-from-kate-ellis/

 Happy reading and may I wish everybody a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year.