BOOKWORMS AND VILLAINS

November 2023: So Book 13 is underway while book 12 is with my proof-reader - I know, I can't stop writing these bookshop stories in between work and fun. 'The Breakfast Club at The Secondhand Bookworm' takes place three weeks after the 'Apocalypse at The Secondhand Bookworm'. Nora and Co are preparing for the Re-Opening of The Secondhand Bookworm as well as the opening of The Book Grub book café next door and The Secondhand Bookworm, too - spoilers! I'm continuing themes and developing themes, introducing new characters, bringing back old characters and have a new storyline amidst the daily Breakfast Club - Georgina is missing! Meanwhile, as I write I am enjoying dipping in and out of my copy of The Breakfast Club 1984 movie for lots of references and nods towards the film. In the midst of it all, Nora and James are planning their wedding Georgina's old school friend Grant Shermer has arrived and rented out a room above the soon-to-open Book Grub Café for h

  While editing and reading through the finished first draft of Apocalypse at The Secondhand Bookworm last week I decided to transfer a sub storyline that runs through it, placing it over in book 14. This meant carefully removing all mention of it and all scenes relating to it throughout the whole book. It ended up being the transferal of about 14,000 words. I'm very happy having done this as it means I have an additional theme for book 14 (Comic-Con at The Secondhand Bookworm) that can be hinted at in the next two books and also now the focus is sharply honed in on the End Times books from the Doomsday Compound and the arriving bookshop Armageddon. Currently I am now reading through the whole manuscript once more before I send it through to my very kind proof-reader so that it is ready to share on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. Once Apocalypse at The Secondhand Bookworm (book 12 in the series) is finished and available to read, I shall continue working on book 13 - The Breakf

  The Knucker of Worthing Museum I recently came across some photographs I took of a Knucker in Worthing Museum a few years ago. I first learned about Knuckers and Knuckerholes, which are unique to Sussex, from a regular bookshop customer, Rosalinda, when I ran a bookshop in Arundel for 10 years. She was seeking a particular book and asked about it every time she popped in (I never did find it - I left almost 12 years ago!). I decided to include mentions of Knuckers and Knuckerholes in my bookshop novels, most especially Winterland at The Secondhand Bookworm (book 11 in the series). It was very atmospheric and interesting to do and has made me want to write a separate book about the actual Knucker I mention in my bookshop novel. Tales of ancient dragons and legends are always fun. Hopefully one day I will have some inspiration and time to delve into some fantasy writing. Meanwhile, Winterland at The Secondhand Bookworm is available from Amazon on kindle and in paperback worldwide.

Reading through Chapter One of  Apocalypse at The Secondhand Bookworm Having completed writing book 12 in my The Secondhand Bookworm series of novels (set in an English bookshop), I am now reading carefully through the first draft, making corrections and editing the story, making sure it flows and builds correctly, and checking continuity. I find this very difficult because I read and work very fast. I get excited and impatient and want everything done as quick as possible! This is probably because I want to share the story desperately so can be in a haste to get everything done ASAP. But I have two weeks before my proof-reader returns from her Northumberland camping trip so I will be patient and thorough so it ends up as a very good read for all! Chapter One is unique and quite amusing. The book and the story opens by setting the scene for one of the main running themes of this book as Georgina and Nora travel in the bookshop van to the recently closed Doomsday Compound. The theme of

 Book 12 in The Secondhand Bookworm Series Apocalypse at The Secondhand Bookworm The series continues with an interesting theme in book 12 when the local Doomsday Cult closes and its diverse leaders Bo and Peep are arrested for fraud and emotional mockery. Spencer Brown, a regular at Nora's bookshop in Castletown, is in charge of removing the various doomsday cults and groups, their belongings and their library from the sprawling End Times complex. Georgina, to Nora's dismay, has agreed to purchase as much of the library as she can. Nora has a very bad feeling about it all. Fun ensues with the Cult of Cthulhu, the Vampires of Eden, the Monks of Remorse and many more groups who had gathered in expectation of the impending doom get wind of what's taking place. Since Bo and Peep had a nifty little clause that meant they became the sole owners of all literature in the compound, they're selling it to help fund their trial. This means an onslaught of crazies to The Secondhand

  Knuckers and Knuckerholes (of Sussex) Knucker is a dialect word for a sort of water dragon, living in knuckerholes in Sussex, England. The word comes from the Old English nicor which means water monster and is used in the poem Beowulf. Unique to Sussex, these bottomless ponds remain cold during the hottest of days and are said to be homes to strange beasts. I included an Ice Knucker in book eleven of my series of novels set in an English bookshop, having mentioned them several times before in previous novels. Book 11 in the series: Winterland at The Secondhand Bookworm A tale of a local water dragon in a bottomless pond in the Duke of Cole's estate become more than just a story, with the vengeance-filled determination of James' cousin, Sir Robert Knightley. Cara has written and illustrated a book about the local legend and Nora faces a great terror when confronted with a madman, the ice knuckerhole and the Duke's cousin bent on harming James. Twists, turns and action in t