2024 AUTUMN NEWSLETTER

Hello Lovely Readers!

I am typing this newsletter from my couch (see below photo) where I’m currently stuck after having had major knee surgery four days ago. Some of you might recall that in January this year I had a skiing mishap which resulted in a truly messed up knee! Not only did I break two bones, tore meniscus on both sides of my knee but I also ruptured my ACL. After one set of surgery in January I was told I could do without an ACL and worked hard on rehab and building up a strong knee again. However, it turned out that advice was wrong and my knee never felt right. It has been unstable and keeps dislocating so on further advice I opted for ACL reconstruction and some further repair work on the meniscus. I am really hoping this will enable me to get back to all the activities I enjoy. Except skiing. I’ve hung up my boots for that, so no more careering down mountains for me!

I know that I’m now in for twelve more months of rehabilitation, on top of the eight months I had already done, but I’m prepared for that, and looking forward to improving my fitness again. For now, I have to be patient and the Game Ready machine (in the picture) pumps iced water around my leg hopefully reducing the swelling and certainly numbing the pain!

I am about to start editing my fourth novel (more below) and am so grateful that I am able to work with the knee trouble and that I’m not a roofer or gardener which would be much more of a problem. What I have been able to do in the days since my operation is lots of reading which has been a wonderful distraction. Being an author has the perk of being sent advance copies of new books and I have read some fabulous ones in the last few days. I will just mention the last three I’ve read here which I think deserve special mention!

The one I’m reading in the top picture (and closely observed by my cat) is the wonderfully emotional The Everyday and Far Away by Jacqueline Jones, due to be published in May 2025. It is the story of Ernie and his granddaughter, Nina. Ernie has dementia and Nina is struggling at college with ADHD. As someone who has a mother with dementia, I wasn’t sure about the subject matter as it is very painful, but this story is so utterly beautiful and life affirming, I cannot recommend it highly enough. But do have some tissues handy. I defy you not to need them.

Next up is Frances Quinn’s The Lost Passenger and is the story of Elinor, trapped in a loveless aristocratic marriage in Edwardian England. When she has the opportunity to take her little son on the inaugural voyage of the wonder ship, The Titanic, she jumps at the chance. Out of the tragedy comes an opportunity for a new and very different life amongst the poverty and chaos of Lower East Side, New York. But always behind her is the dark shadow of truth about who she really is, and the terror of the consequences of being found out. Utterly addictive and transportative writing from one of my favourite authors! The Lost Passenger is out February 2025.

Last but not least is The Paris Dancer, by Nicola Raynor who is a new author to me, but this definitely won’t be the last of her books that I’ll read! Nicola is a beautiful writer and this story is told with such compassion and emotion, it is a truly moving tale. Set in wartime Paris and modern day New York, it is a love letter to dance, as well as a multi-layered story of love and loss, grief and forgiveness, and inspired by a true story. This book will be published in February 2025.

Do pop a pre-order in for all of these books! They are really great reads.

I can’t believe it is already nine months since The London Bookshop Affair was published! It has been lovely to receive messages from readers who have enjoyed the book and I have been lucky enough to see lots of people in person at events at bookshops and libraries. I’m always happy, too, to come to bookclubs close to where I live, or to do zoom chats with bookclubs if anyone wants to learn more about this, or any of my books, or the stories that inspired them. Just drop me a line if this is something you might be interested in.

In the event you haven’t already got your copy of The London Bookshop Affair, to make it easy, I’ve included the link to order for the US here, and Canada here, or you will find it in your local bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Costco, Walmart and other retail outlets. In the UK, you can order at Bookshop.org here, Waterstones here or Amazon here. For Australia and New Zealand, here or here.The book is also now out in France and Holland.

Fortunately my year has not all been sitting on a sofa! I was very lucky to visit New York for a week during the summer. I went with my two girls and we had the most fabulous time, cycling in Central Park, visiting museums, taking in a Broadway show (the fabulous Hell’s Kitchen) and hanging out for an evening at Ellen’s Diner. What an amazing place! It wasn't all play though! I was there to do some research for my next novel and it also gave me the opportunity to meet with my wonderful editor, Liz, at the beautiful HarperCollins offices in the City (see the pictures). It was a true thrill to see my books on Liz’s shelves, and also to see them on sale in Barnes & Noble and on library bookshelves! I’ve been a published author now for four years, but it’s always still a pinch-me moment to see my books in bookshops, and one I doubt that will ever get old!

I also had a fabulous week in Ireland (what a wonderful country - I can’t wait to go back!) where we went with some friends to walk the stunning coastline of The Devil’s Causeway (see the photo at the bottom of this newsletter). The knee sort of held out for three days of walking but I would love to go back sometime for more! My husband and I then drove south to the gorgeous town of Westport which is packed with history, beautiful scenery and the friendliest people. It is also home to one of my favourite independent bookshops in the world, Tertulia, which you must visit if you are ever in the area. Not only is it packed with fabulous books, sofas, a wonderful children’s corner, loads of events and the best coffee, but the clientele and the owners, Neil and Brid, are the loveliest people you could meet. Do pay it a visit and buy a book or two! Needless to say, my suitcase was much heavier on my return journey.

It would be remiss of me to finish this newsletter without telling you something of my current book project, which, now it has been officially announced, I can tell you something about! It is called Book of Forbidden Words, and is rather different to my other books, having two timelines set four hundred years apart! It is a story of the power of words and the printing press, of book banning and fear of new ideas. Here is a little teaser for you:

1552 Paris: Against a background of religious upheaval, the printed word is helping to spread new ideas amongst common people, threatening the power of church and state and unleashing a wave of book burning and heretic hunting. When frightened ex-nun, Matilda Angiers, arrives one day at Charlotte Guillard’s famous print works in Paris with a manuscript she hopes Charlotte will print for her, neither woman knows just how far the powerful will go to prevent this from happening.

In 1953 McCarthy-era America, bored English housewife, Lily Bennett, unlocks the secrets of a 400-year-old manuscript, naively publishing them as her own work. But the past begins to echo down the years as neighbours, friends, then official authorities, begin to turn against her.

The stakes couldn’t be higher, when, 400 years apart, three extraordinary women are caught up in worlds where the spread of ideas are feared and every effort is made to suppress them. With each facing accusations of treason, what will be their fate, and that of the manuscript itself?

Inspired by a real encrypted manuscript and people from the past, I can’t wait to share this story with you. Book of Forbidden Words will be published in early 2026.

Now, I must get back to my exercises and my editing, so until next time, keep well and keep reading!

With much love,

Louise xx