New Brendas

Two large parcels have just arrived at our door! My hardback and trade paperback copies of 'Hell's Belles' - the fourth in my Brenda and Effie Mysteries from Headline. The finished books look exceedingly handsome - thumping great thick things with lovely spot laminate on the cover. So lovely to have them at last and they'll be in the shops and online pretty soon, I guess. Imminently!

This time there are few new additions to our cast of characters. We begin the book with a young woman called Penny, arriving in Whitby in search of a new life. She's a Goth girl who's ran out on her terrible husband, and she's hooked herself a job at the Hotel Miramar. She has no idea what she's getting herself into. Especially with a film crew arriving in town in time for Hallowe'en, which will see the culmination of their shooting a hellish movie remake at the Abbey... Their leading lady, Karla Sorenson, Classic Screen Queen of the Vampire Flick, is a complete nightmare in more senses than one.

I can't wait to hear what people make of this fourth trip into the world of Brenda and Effie. It's important to point out, too, that you can start here, with 'Hell's Belles'. That's true of all the books, actually. Each one is a new jumping-on point. That's important to me. I think it's great to reward long-term readers with fun and flashbacks and clues and so on - but I like to think that anyone can join in reading at any point.

Through Penny Danby's eyes, 'Hell's Belles' gives us a new view-point and a new slant on some of Brenda and Effie's doings...!

Also in the post today I received a lovely letter from Joanna Tope, the actress who played Brenda on our Radio 7 serial a couple of years ago. She was also the original voice of the Bride, back in the 1998 Radio 4 short story. Of course, when BBC Audio recently decided they wanted to create an unabridged audiobook of the first in the series, 'Never the Bride', I suggested straight away that they ask Joanna. She has such a wonderful take on Brenda's voice. Gentle and funny - but with all that darkness and mystery between the lines.

So, this morning I get a nice letter from her, telling me that she's been in Bath all week having 'enormous pleasure' being Brenda once more for BBC Audiobooks. I hope she won't mind my quoting her here, when she says: 'It was such a joy to spend many hours with Brenda and the gang; loving the poetry, philosophy and hilarity of the piece.'

Six months until it comes out! Should be worth the wait!

And in the meantime - for me - it's back to the hard work on the new book...