Mary Louisa Locke's Monthly Newsletter
May 2024
Dear Reader,
The massive remodel of all three of our bathrooms has started and will continue off and on through the next three months. Lots of getting ready since the first project is the master bath, which meant we needed to vacate our bedroom and figure out how to consolidate everything in a small guest room and one bathroom. Perfect time for also doing a major purge and decluttering of the whole house. However, it appears I rather over did it, and now I am nursing several more injuries. Between the disruption of workmen in and out of house and sounds of hammering and sawing, and my injuries, I finally threw up my hands and decided that at least for the next month I was going to be “on vacation” from any work, the first real vacation of any length of time I’ve taken since I started writing and publishing in 2009.
However, the silver lining is that I discovered a box in the attic, which my father had given to me after my mother died in 1987, that contained all the letters I had sent my parents between the fall of 1967, when I went off to college, and 1982, just before my daughter was born. I wrote at least twice a month, if not more often, and my plan is to spend my “vacation” reading these letters and sharing with the readers of my daily newsletter some of my impressions. So, for those of you who became adults at the same time, or are simply curious about me (smile) you might find this is a good time to sign up for this daily newsletter and reminisce along with me. This post might be a good place to start.
I am continuing to discount audiobook versions of my books, and for the month of May, you can find Dandy Detects, The Misses Moffet Mend a Marriage, and Mr. Wong Rights a Wrong discounted to 99 cents each on Chirp and Spotify.
Mystery Recommendation:
The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner
London, 1816
Cavalry captain Gabriel Lacey returns to Regency London from the Napoleonic wars, burned out, fighting melancholia, his career ended. His interest is piqued when he learns of a missing girl, possibly kidnapped by a prominent member of Parliament. Lacey's search for the young woman leads to murder, corruption, and dealings with a leader of the underworld. At the same time, he struggles with his transition from a soldier's life to the civilian world, redefining his role with his former commanding officer, and making new friends--from the top of society to the street girls of Covent Garden.
Book 1 of the Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries is currently Free on Amazon.
A reminder of my Ebook Perma-free books:
Maids of Misfortune: A Victorian San Francisco Mystery (Book 1) This first book in the series permanently free and you can get it on Kindle and all other Retailers.
Between Mountain and Sea: Caelestis Series (Book 1) This first book in the series permanently free and you can get it on Kindle and all other Retailiers.
For more information about either my mystery or science fiction series, check out my website. For daily information on my journey as an indie author trying to age gracefully, check out my newsletter, An Aging Author’s Daily Diversions.