Best Valentine’s Ever

At least, since 14th February 1979…

Ryan, my then boyfriend, had failed his Uni exams the year before, purely co-incidentally three weeks before the end of summer term, at around the time we got together. He’d gone back home and found a series of jobs while waiting for permission to retake the year, and somehow we scraped together enough cash to have weekends together every couple of weeks.

Valentine’s Day that year was on a Wednesday, and in some kind of fit of unsual and slightly perverse romanticism we arranged to meet and spend a couple of hours together on Crewe station – half way between us.

I’ve always been a snippy person and when he showed up carrying a single red rose, I snapped. ‘Oh, please,’ I said. ‘Don’t you know by now I’d rather have a book?’

An old lady who was watching us couldn’t help but tell me off. ‘You’ll regret that in the future, young lady. If you two last…’

She was quite wrong, as it turns out. Today will be our forty first (sharp intake of breath!) Valentine’s Day and although there’s never been another rose, there have been lots of more creative and surprising treats, although not always on this date. We’ve never thought love should be celebrated only once a year.

But he’ll be hard pressed to beat this year’s Valentine, as it’s the day Red Dog Press announce that they will be publishing my second novel, The Witch House.

In fact he says he isn’t even planning to try, but I’m sure he’s only joking. Probably.

So I’m really thrilled and excited that Red Dog Press are publishing The Witch House.

If, like me, you are addicted to crime fiction check out the Red Dog website and sign up to their newsletter – in which they have just welcomed me to the Red Dog Kennel!

Here’s the link to join their Readers’ Club and get a free ebook!

And please do go and Like the Red Dog Facebook page to read their lovely welcome message.

I am completely delighted they found room in the kennel for me. It’s not the first time I’ve been in the doghouse, but it’s the first time I’ve been in such a delightful one with such good company,

Ann

P.S.

I didn’t get a Valentine this year – instead Ryan gave me this gorgeous book announcement gift – a simple amber and jet necklace. I may be a lapsed witch, and I was only ever initiated to the first degree, but I am still a little bit pagan at heart. I’ve always loved amber and jet – these naturally magical fossilised substances, which symbolise sunshine and the darkness, day and night, God and Goddess, and life and death.

It fits perfectly with my novel, and back in my witchy days I desperated lusted after one. I reckon the novel qualifies me, even if the degree of initiation doesn’t. And I was never one to follow the rules.