Greetings from my attic in the Blue Mountains.
Here in Sydney, we welcomed in the new year with our traditional, but much shorter and more subdued fireworks, ‘Covid 19 style’. No million plus spectator crowds lining Sydney Harbour, no spectator vessels jostling for the best vantage points, no popping champagne corks in front of the Opera House, but still a stunning display. Most of us watched the event on TV as we sent some spectacular fireworks images and New Year’s greetings around the world to celebrate hope, and a new beginning.
You will be pleased to hear that we have a lot of exciting things planned for this year. We will not allow the gloom hovering above our world get us down. On the contrary, I believe this is a time to be positive and to deliver some good news and entertainment that will make it easier to cope with the challenges that will no doubt come our way, and help us get through this. As far as I am concerned, I will try to do this through the world of books and send Jack Rogan – that incorrigible rascal – and his mates along to cheer you up a little!
And yes, a new book is on the way as well! Because of Covid 19 and the various lockdowns, I have spent most of my time last year up here in my attic in the Blue Mountains – writing – supervised by my feathered friends who are never far away when I work in the garden which is very close to a World Heritage National Park where these spectacular birds reside.
As you can imagine, there hasn’t been any overseas travel, nor will there be any this year either. However, some exciting ‘local’ trips are planned, and I will tell you a little more about this in our HOOKED on TRAVEL segment below.
One more important matter about last year has to be mentioned here:
I am pleased to tell you, that the release of the Lost Symphony in December has surpassed all expectations! The book has become an overnight #1 Bestseller on Amazon US and several other countries, with several hundred excellent reviews to ‘spread the word’ about the series. Needless to say, this would not have been possible without your wonderful support and participation in our book launch campaign. Therefore, once again, a big THANK YOU! to you all.
As a new book has just been added to the series and we are beginning a new year, we have updated and redesigned our website and social media banners. Here’s a little preview of the one we are proposing to use. Please let me know what you think of it, and how it resonates with you.
Does it convey mystery, style, originality, and most important of all quality? Would it tempt you to find out more about my books and the Jack Rogan Mysteries series?
Your opinion is important, and every voice counts! After all, you are part of the team! I look forward to hearing from you.
Before we turn to another segment, there is something I would like to share with you now, because I know that many of you will find this of interest. A short while ago, I recorded a Master Class on self-publishing as part of an adult education program. What surprised me was the enthusiastic reception of the program, and the many emails I received asking questions about this, obviously highly relevant, topic. For that reason, I decided to include the video here, and you can see for yourself:
As this is our first newsletter of the year, I thought that a brief summary of what we are planning to do in 2021 is warranted. We will return to our usual, and very popular, segments like Hooked on Classics, and Crime of the Month soon, but with a much more condensed Hooked on Travel segment.
The first one – planned for June – is the legendary ‘Ghan,’ one of the great train journeys of the world. It will take us from Adelaide in South Australia, on a three day, 3000 kilometre journey across the entire continent to Darwin, and you are coming with me!
Along the way, we will visit such exciting places as Alice Springs in the red centre of the continent, and then further towards the tropical north, we’ll take a boat safari along the spectacular Nitmiluk ( Katherine) Gorge and explore this ancient site.
