The Kill Fee available to pre-order

If you loved reading about Poppy and her friends in The Jazz Files you will be delighted that book 2 in the series, The Kill Fee, is now available for pre-order. It will be published in September (UK) and November (USA).

“Do you know who that is, Poppy?” asked Delilah
“I do indeed.”
“So what does it feel like to be in the arms of an assassin?”

Poppy Denby’s star is on the rise. Now the Arts and Entertainment Editor at The Daily Globe, she covers a glamorous exhibition of Russian Art at the Crystal Palace. During the exhibition a shot rings out, leaving an injured guard and an empty pedestal in the place of the largest Fabergé Egg in the collection. The egg itself is valuable, but more so are the secrets contained within – secrets that could destroy the royal families of Europe.

Suspects are aplenty and Poppy, her editor Rollo, and the other staff of the Globe are delighted to be once again in the middle of a sensational story. When they are offered a ‘kill fee’ to drop the story, they know they are onto something explosive. But soon the investigation takes a dark turn when someone connected to the exhibition is murdered and an employee of the newspaper becomes a suspect. The race is on to find the egg before the killer strikes again…

Pre-order your copy here!

15/07/2016 0

The Peace Garden and the Soweto Riots 40 years on

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising – 16 June 1976. That infamous point in history, when black school children demonstrated for the right to be taught in English, forms an integral part of my literary thriller The Peace Garden, about a young English girl who befriends a South African political exile. If you would like a ‘novel’ take on how that day 40 years ago impacted one family for three generations, this is the story for you. Click here to get the book The Peace Garden

Hector_pieterson — Hector Pieterson being carried by Mbuyisa Makhubo. His sister, Antoinette Sithole, runs beside them.

16/06/2016 0

Inspiring Women – Fruit and Holiness

I know it’s already more than half-way through May, but I forgot to post this at the beginning of the month! Writing pal Claire Musters and I have contributed daily readings to the May/June Inspiring Women Everyday devotional booklet, published by CWR. Claire explores the theme of holiness in May and in June, I share ideas about how to apply the fruit of the Spirit to our daily lives.

You can buy the booklet in ebook or print here Inspiring Women Everyday

20/05/2016 4

The Peace Garden

In all of the buzz around the autumn release of The Jazz Files I almost missed this lovely review of my ‘first child’ The Peace Garden. It’s a romantic thriller cum coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of Apartheid. Although it came out in 2011 people are still buying and reading it. It’s a special book to me as – although it’s not autobiographical – it contains so much of my feelings about living in South Africa, and England. Thank you Belinda for a thoughtful review. The reviewer, Belinda Chaplin, is a South African living in Bosnia so knows a bit about being a ‘stranger in a foreign land’. Read The Peace Garden review here.

17/12/2015 0

The Jazz Files is launched!

Well it’s finally happened. The first book in my 1920s mystery series, Poppy Denby Investigates, has hit the shelves. If you’re in the Newcastle upon Tyne area on Friday the 25th at 7pm, do drop by Waterstones near the Monument for the official launch party. There will be live jazz, a free glass of bubbly and 1920s costume! Oh, and a chance to hear me read a chapter from the book. If you are in the UK, but not in the area, books are now available to order through your local bookshop or from various online retailers.

In Australia you can order through Booktopia

In New Zealand from Fishpond

In South Africa you can pre-order the paperback from Takealot.com or get the e-book today from Amazon.co.uk (at least I hope you can. If not, you will have to wait until it becomes available in the USA – see below).

In USA – I’m so sorry my darlings, but it is only being released in the USA on 28 November! However, if you really can’t wait – and who would blame you if you couldn’t? – you can order from the UK Amazon site and have it shipped over. It’ll get there long before the 28 November! Amazon.co.uk

If you would like to read more about Poppy Denby and her world, please visit www.poppydenby.com

22/09/2015 0

A cracker of a crime thriller

A lovely review of The Peace Garden from the Bookaholic ‘A cracker of a crime thriller’

‘This is a book on two levels. At its most basic it is about a young girl who sets out to investigate why plants are going missing in an English suburb. This seemingly simple premise leads to an exciting thriller which takes the reader on a roller coaster ride. It plays out in both England and South Africa. This is during the apartheid era and the depiction of life for black South Africans during this time is superb. The characters are well rounded and come across as real. The reader can almost palpably feel the anger emanating from Thabo, a young Black teenager. Natalie, the main character is also real and the reader sees her grow and develop throughout the book.

The settings also play a large part in the book. They are beautifully drawn and the reader can imagine them perfectly. Veitch Smith contrasts them and then skillfully pulls them together.

Fiona Veitch Smith is an excellent writer and I look forward to reading more from her. This is a book I can highly recommend.’

Click on the image of the book below or in the right-hand menu to buy it.

17/09/2015 0

Category: writing