• Jodi Taylor - What I’m Reading Right Now

• Jodi Taylor answers - What originally inspired the concept behind The Chronicles of St Mary’s? at Stevenage Library

• Out of Time is a May Kindle Monthly deal - just 99p or 99 cents

• NEW EVENT: The Great Recovery Job Is Coming…

• The Jodiworld Website: Reborn

• Time Police Writing Competition - Regulation 847.6 Has Been Breached read the entries

• April audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• Short Story of the Month: The Great St Mary’s Day Out - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

The Ending Writes Itself - I was so intrigued by this title and the accompanying blurb. A group of writers are invited to a remote Scottish island by – they think – the world’s most famous author, Arthur Fletch.

On their arrival, however, the excited writers are met with the news that Arthur Fletch died four weeks ago, leaving his hugely anticipated final book only half-completed, and they – the writers – are invited to finish the book. A competition. At stake is a fee of £1 million sterling, plus another £1 million advance on a three-book contract from the world’s leading publishers.

I can’t tell you how I sat up on reading that. Two million pounds! And then made a note to have a word with Hazel and Headline. Well, you never know your luck, do you?

Not surprisingly, each of them – a husband and wife writing team, a horror story writer, a romantic novelist, a Sci-Fi guy, and a YA author- immediately set to work.

Well, wouldn’t you? Two million pounds!

The surprise is that these authors are not themselves famous, well-known, or even particularly successful. They’re what’s known as mid-list. They’re not dreadful, but not leaders in their genre, either. Given it’s the world’s most hotly anticipated last book, you would think Arthur Fletch’s agent and editor – both of whom are managing the contest – could do much better, wouldn’t you?

So why haven’t they?

What is the point of all this?

Sorry, I can’t help you with that because I haven’t finished the book yet – I have to get the Halloween story, Who’s There? – off to Headline this week.

So, obviously, I’m not going to finish the book this week, but I can’t wait to find out what it’s all about. I already have my own theory.

There are mysterious doors and secret passages. The lights go out at just the wrong moment. And someone’s just fallen down the stairs. Complete with a manual typewriter and we all know they’re not light so that’s not going to do her any good at all.

And more good things ahead. Next up on my reading list is Band of Others by MH Foster, the third in the Gentle Apocalypse series. Closely followed by the latest in the Flavia Alba series, There Will be Bodies; T Kingfisher’s Wolf Worm; and Massacre at Market Middling by P J Fitzsimmons.

Oh – and Daggerbound is due in August – the next book in T Kingfisher’s Swordheart series – a favourite of mine. And The Player in the Game – Book 3 of Karen Baugh Menuhin’s Alexander Wolfe series comes out in July.

I don’t know if anyone’s noticed but sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day for all the reading we want to do.

Update on the Kitchen Windowsill of Death. It’s carnage here – like an Agatha Christie murder mystery on steroids. I started with twelve lettuces. Two died thirty seconds after I potted them on. One keeled over last week and one is not looking at all well. The bodies are piling up faster than they did in And Then There Were None – and I’m now down to eight. Whether any of them will live long enough to be eaten by me remains to be seen.

Happy Reading!

Jodi x

Leave a comment

Jodi Taylor answers - What originally inspired the concept behind The Chronicles of St Mary’s? recorded at Stevenage Library

Out of Time is a May Kindle Monthly deal - just 99p or 99 cents

The Great Recovery Job

An immersive, interactive heist experience set in the world of Smallhope & Pennyroyal

Event Date: Saturday 19th September 2026
Venue: Leonardo Hotel Cheltenham

Expect intrigue, puzzles, suspicious characters, and a timeline in serious jeopardy…

You will take on the role of Recovery Agents, tasked with retrieving priceless historical artefacts, solving clues, and thwarting a series of audacious thefts. Failure is… not recommended.

And presiding over it all:

Jodi Taylor will be there throughout the event and will be giving an evening reading from Smallhope & Pennyroyal: A Family Affair — with the opportunity to purchase a hardback first edition and have it signed.

Ticket Details - CLICK HERE to buy now

• Price: £60

Your ticket includes:

• Full immersive event experience

• A large and varied buffet (with dietary needs catered for)

• Reading from Jodi Taylor

• Book signing opportunity

• And yes… margaritas are promised

With space for just 150 attendees, this is set to be an intimate, high-energy, gloriously chaotic event.

Buy tickets now

Discounted hotel room rates will also be available ~ booking codes will be sent after ticket purchase.

The Jodiworld Website: Reborn

The site is now live at jodiworld.co.uk, and it’s your new hub for everything Jodiworld 2027 and beyond.

A few important things to know as you step through the portal:

• You will need to create a new login ~ previous logins won’t carry over

• You can toggle between light and dark mode using the widget at the bottom of the page

• The Scarab icon at the top will always return you safely to the Home Page

• The Obelisk icon at the bottom will whisk you neatly back to the top

We’ve designed it to be intuitive, immersive, and just a little bit magical ~ a digital extension of the Jodiworld experience itself.

You can now register your interest for Jodiworld 2027 directly on the site by logging in (with a new login and password).

Memberships for Jodiworld 2027 will be released in late Summer 2026 ~ giving you plenty of time to explore the new site and begin planning your return to the chaos.

Visit the website

CLICK HERE to read the entries

APRIL - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

The Great St Mary’s Day Out - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Astonishingly, Dr Bairstow has declared a holiday. Even more astonishingly – he’s paying for it.

Needless to say, there are strings attached. They have to record the 1601 performance of Hamlet, with Shakespeare himself in the role of the Ghost.

It doesn’t go well, of course. With Dr Bairstow and Mrs Mack turning a simple visit to a street market into a public brawl, Professor Rapson inadvertently stowing away on a vessel bound for the New World, and Shakespeare himself going up in flames, it would seem that Max, of all people, is the only one actually completing the assignment.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘I challenged myself to get the words “Dr Bairstow” and “selfie” in the same

sentence. Challenge accepted!’

Buy now from Bookshop.org - UK USA

• Jodi Taylor - Insomnia

• Jodi Taylor Book Recommendation - The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell

• Out of Time is out in paperback on 23rd April 2026

• Time Police Writing Competition - Regulation 847.6 Has Been Breached read the entries

• April audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• Short Story of the Month: The Great St Mary’s Day Out - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

I’m accustomed to getting up at two am in the morning because there’s a piece of dialogue running through my brain that I just have to write down. Now. Immediately. Before it all fades away. Because thoughts in my brain have the life expectancy of a frog in a blender. I have to pin them down there and then or they are gone forever.

I’m actually writing this at 2:16 AM on Tuesday the something of April – seriously, do I look like someone who knows what day of the week it is? At least I think it’s Tuesday. It was Monday when I went to bed and I slept for one hour and forty-five minutes and then I spent about an hour thinking about Time Police 7 so yes – Tuesday.

It’s the small hours anyway, there are no lights on anywhere, no traffic, and it’s dead quiet and I’m feeling like the only person in the world.

Insomnia is lonely but at least I put mine to good use. If I ever slept more than three or four hours a day I wouldn’t be half as productive. I keep a pad by the bed and scribble ideas, or doodle, or, when things get really bad – get up and start moving the furniture around.

I don’t mean like a poltergeist or anything – I mean rearranging, I’ll start with a chair and then the coffee table and then another chair – I do have two chairs! – and then rearrange my bookcases, and then fire up my laptop and write up my notes and ideas, toy with the idea of taking up painting again, have another cup of tea, watch the sun come up, and then fall heavily asleep for an hour or so, and wake up feeling dreadful. I’ll have a shower, answer the phone – it doesn’t matter at what time I shower, Hazel invariably calls when I’m in the middle of it. She says it’s a gift. I stare at the damp ring on the carpet, make another cup of tea and get on with the day.

None of that really seems normal, does it?

It’s just that my brain never stops. It actually wakes me up and says, I know how you can get Max out of her latest predicament. You’ll need to rewrite all of Chapter Three and most of Chapter Four, so get cracking.

And I have to do it if I want any sleep at all. I’m writing this in bed, and then I’ll type it up and send it to Hazel because she once told me she keeps her phone by the bed and it will chirp or light up or something and that will be two of us wide awake then.

Maybe not. Seems a bit selfish.

I bought some cheese today. From Stroud. It’s called Three Virgins. The cheese not Stroud. I’ve no idea why it’s called Three Virgins but it’s very nice. My sister-in-law swears by Baron Bigod. An award-winning Brie made by a British company. Me and Gromit – we like Wensleydale – The Prince Among Cheeses.

Yeah – it’s 2.36 in the morning and I’m writing about cheese.

Bloody insomnia.

Jodi x

Leave a comment

PS: very much looking forward to seeing some of you at the event at Stevenage Library next Monday 27th April. There are still a few tickets left if you’d like to come. I will be signing books there too.

Click here for tickets

The White Octopus Hotel by Alexandra Bell💙📚

I’ve just finished this book and don’t quite know how I feel about it which, I think, is good. We should all have a bit of a shake-up every now and then. To close a book and then have to spend some time thinking about it is no bad thing.

The White Octopus Hotel is very nicely written and who doesn’t love a perfect hotel that gives you everything you need – including the appropriate clothes to wear for the day, a comb that actually ‘does’ your hair for you, and the perfect lipstick.

It is not, however, a particularly cosy read and the twin themes of grief and regret entwine the story rather like the octopus tentacles that crop up everywhere.

I came away enchanted, bewildered, and thoughtful. I’d love to hear the views from other people who have read it.

Leave a comment

Buy now on Amazon

“I was intrigued by this one, mostly because I thoroughly enjoyed the books in this series, but the Welsh setting was a clincher that gave me many laughs, as I live in Wales. The author managed to keep the stereotypical characters to a minimum, and the Welsh phrases were just enough detail. I find the ability to write different plot elements and characters and keep them engaging is awesome. If this is the last, then it certainly makes a superb ending.”

Five-star Amazon review

Order from Amazon

Order from Bookshop.org

CLICK HERE to read the entries

It’s time for another fun writing competition. This time we want you to invent the TIME POLICE Regulation 847.6, then write the incident that caused the rule to exist.

Tone: Deadpan bureaucratic logic meets total time-travel disaster.

How It Works

1. Write Regulation 847.6 (overly specific, official sounding).

2. Write the timeline incident that forced the Time Police to create it.

3. Show the chaos escalating logically but absurdly.

Style Guidelines

• Formal report tone

• Ridiculous problem treated seriously

• Increasingly specific details

• Bureaucracy making everything worse

Your Entry Should Include

• A named officer or department

• A time-travel mistake

• Escalation into disaster

• The creation of Regulation 847.6

Recommended length: 400–800 words
Minimum: 200 words
Maximum: 1,200 words

Example Regulation

Regulation 847.6: Officers are prohibited from scheduling overlapping historical revolutions without prior clearance from Administrative Chronology and a completed Form 847.6-C (Revolution Sequencing).

So get your thinking caps on, write your regulation and then a short report explaining why it was created.

The prize will be a £50 gift card from Bookshop.org

Closing date is 30th April and the winner will be chosen by reader poll from 1st - 12th of May with the winner announced in the May 13th newsletter.

CLICK HERE to enter

APRIL - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

The Great St Mary’s Day Out - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Astonishingly, Dr Bairstow has declared a holiday. Even more astonishingly – he’s paying for it.

Needless to say, there are strings attached. They have to record the 1601 performance of Hamlet, with Shakespeare himself in the role of the Ghost.

It doesn’t go well, of course. With Dr Bairstow and Mrs Mack turning a simple visit to a street market into a public brawl, Professor Rapson inadvertently stowing away on a vessel bound for the New World, and Shakespeare himself going up in flames, it would seem that Max, of all people, is the only one actually completing the assignment.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘I challenged myself to get the words “Dr Bairstow” and “selfie” in the same

sentence. Challenge accepted!’

Buy now from Bookshop.org - UK USA

• Jodi Taylor - news and reviews

• Jodi Taylor Book Recommendation- The Terror of Tannery Lane by MRC Kasasian

• Out of Time is out in paperback on 23rd April 2026

• New! Time Police Writing Competition - Regulation 847.6 Has Been Breached

• April audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• Short Story of the Month: The Great St Mary’s Day Out - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

I went to see Project Hail Mary last night (CLICK HERE to watch the trailer). Another staggeringly good book from Andy Weir made into another staggeringly good film. Nothing was as I’d imagined it in my head, especially Rocky and his spaceship. I’d imagined Rocky as more of a giant horseshoe crab, but his spaceship was a hundred times more beautiful than anything I’d imagined.

Even though I knew what would happen, the suspense was still there, and I was as emotionally invested as I was with Matt Damon and his potatoes. Ryan Gosling does a great job, but for me, Rocky was the star of the show

I’m not going to give the plot away just in case there are people who haven’t seen or read it, but I was encouraged to see Andy Weir’s involvement. I think author involvement really makes a difference. I still remember the dreadful attempt at Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch series. You have to admit it takes skill and dedication to make the worst adaptation ever out of some of the best books ever

And finally, something fairly dull but quite important to me. I’m a member of the Society of Authors and they, in conjunction with a few other organisations, have launched a Human Authored scheme. This is a register of books by human authors and is being compiled for those who want the choice of AI-free material.

The register will contain details of books that have no contribution by generative AI. The creativity is all human.

I’m currently in the middle of registering my own books. Even though it’s only for books published after 2020 at the moment, I have to register every ISBN for every format, and it’s taking me a while. Hence, only a short contribution this week.

The good news, however, is that I’ve nearly finished both the Halloween and Christmas short stories, and I’ve been able to pick up St Mary’s 15 again - Well That Could Have Gone Better.

Max is, rather like the author, literally all over the place in this one. Actually, just like the author. On finishing this, my next task is to dispose of the remains of the latest victim of the Kitchen Windowsill of Death. Yes – another formerly perfectly healthy plant has bitten the dust. I’m down to just the baby lettuce now. There were twelve – two are dead, and another one’s looking very dodgy. The casualty list will be updated next week.

Take care and probably best to stay away from my kitchen windowsill.

Jodi x

Leave a comment

PS: Congratulations to Joy Wright, winner of the St Mary’s Incident Report Competition. I read all the entries and really enjoyed them. I hope you will have fun with our next competition - details below.

The Terror of Tannery Lane by MRC Kasasian

MRC Kasasian is on fine form with this latest murder mystery, featuring his latest heroine, Lady Violet Thorn.

Lady Violet is unwillingly involved when she overhears a young woman accuse a sinister married couple of murdering her parents and living in their house. When the police refused to believe this young lady, Lady Violet takes matters into her own hands. Her investigation includes breaking into the house at the dead of night – not standard behaviour for Victorian ladies – and stumbling across some unexpected bodies.

I’ve always enjoyed MRC Kasasian’s books. His first series featured the eccentric Gower Street detective – Sydney Grice – together with his assistant and biographer, March Middleton and are excellent murder mysteries.

Read more...

“I was intrigued by this one, mostly because I thoroughly enjoyed the books in this series, but the Welsh setting was a clincher that gave me many laughs, as I live in Wales. The author managed to keep the stereotypical characters to a minimum, and the Welsh phrases were just enough detail. I find the ability to write different plot elements and characters and keep them engaging is awesome. If this is the last, then it certainly makes a superb ending.”

Five-star Amazon review

Order from Amazon

Order from Bookshop.org

It’s time for another fun writing competition. This time we want you to invent the TIME POLICE Regulation 847.6, then write the incident that caused the rule to exist.

Tone: Deadpan bureaucratic logic meets total time-travel disaster.

How It Works

1. Write Regulation 847.6 (overly specific, official sounding).

2. Write the timeline incident that forced the Time Police to create it.

3. Show the chaos escalating logically but absurdly.

Style Guidelines

• Formal report tone

• Ridiculous problem treated seriously

• Increasingly specific details

• Bureaucracy making everything worse

Your Entry Should Include

• A named officer or department

• A time-travel mistake

• Escalation into disaster

• The creation of Regulation 847.6

Recommended length: 400–800 words
Minimum: 200 words
Maximum: 1,200 words

Example Regulation

Regulation 847.6: Officers are prohibited from scheduling overlapping historical revolutions without prior clearance from Administrative Chronology and a completed Form 847.6-C (Revolution Sequencing).

So get your thinking caps on, write your regulation and then a short report explaining why it was created.

The prize will be a £50 gift card from Bookshop.org

Closing date is 30th April and the winner will be chosen by reader poll from 1st - 12th of May with the winner announced in the May 13th newsletter.

CLICK HERE to enter

APRIL - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

The Great St Mary’s Day Out - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Astonishingly, Dr Bairstow has declared a holiday. Even more astonishingly – he’s paying for it.

Needless to say, there are strings attached. They have to record the 1601 performance of Hamlet, with Shakespeare himself in the role of the Ghost.

It doesn’t go well, of course. With Dr Bairstow and Mrs Mack turning a simple visit to a street market into a public brawl, Professor Rapson inadvertently stowing away on a vessel bound for the New World, and Shakespeare himself going up in flames, it would seem that Max, of all people, is the only one actually completing the assignment.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘I challenged myself to get the words “Dr Bairstow” and “selfie” in the same

sentence. Challenge accepted!’

Buy now from Bookshop.org - UK USA

• Jodi Taylor - The Kitchen Windowsill of Death

• New! Time Police Writing Competition - Regulation 847.6 Has Been Breached

• NEW! April audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• NEW! Short Story of the Month: The Great St Mary’s Day Out - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

The Kitchen Windowsill of Death.

I don’t know if I’ve actually mentioned the Kitchen Windowsill of Death before – if I haven’t then let me introduce you to the Kitchen Windowsill of Death – the place where plants go to die. There have been battlefields with fewer victims and less carnage than my kitchen window sill. So far, we’ve seen off four cyclamen, two poinsettias – I’ve still got one left – I’m pretty sure it’s dead but it just doesn’t know it yet. Where was I? Yes – together with a couple of basil plants and a clump of supposedly indestructible lemon balm.

The only thing that has ever survived unscathed is a rather pretty purple orchid and that’s only because it’s artificial. I’m expecting it to go down with plastic rot any moment now

Matters came to a head today. I bought a fresh-baked cottage loaf and a big purple daisy plant from the market. Fear not – the fresh-baked cottage loaf is severely depleted but thriving. The plant, however – different story. Thirty minutes after being tenderly unwrapped and set out on the KWOD and told to behave itself, we had major wilting. An hour later we had petal fall. Now, two hours later the leaves have gone limp and any moment now it’s going to pass peacefully into the next world.

It’s not as if conditions on the sill aren’t ideal. It’s a big bay window with glass on three sides so there’s plenty of light. Not a lot of cooking actually takes place – let’s not go there – so the temperature is fairly constant and I’m at a complete loss to explain the massive number of casualties to date. House plants, flowering plants, tomatoes, lettuces, herbs, Christmas plants – it’s just one long, sad, silent promenade of death. My kitchen windowsill is horticulture’s answer to the Bermuda Triangle.

I’m considering a scientific experiment. Two bowls of fruit. Identical bowls – identical fruit. One will be placed on the KWOD and the other in, say, my bedroom, which has the same aspect so the experiment will be fair to both. I think it will be interesting to see which one lingers longest. Or, in another and completely unrelated experiment – how long the fruit will survive without being eaten.

PS – It’s only just occurred to me – suppose, just suppose, it’s not just the windowsill but the whole kitchen that is lethal to life. In which case my reluctance to embark on culinary adventures has probably saved my life. Supposing an average of three meals a day – and setting aside the normal culinary hazards I face on a daily basis – exactly how long would I have lasted? I might have gone the same way as the poinsettias some years ago.

I’ve always maintained cooking is bad for your health and it’s gratifying to be proved right.

Jodi x

Leave a comment

It’s time for another fun writing competition. This time we want you to invent the TIME POLICE Regulation 847.6, then write the incident that caused the rule to exist.

Tone: Deadpan bureaucratic logic meets total time-travel disaster.

How It Works

1. Write Regulation 847.6 (overly specific, official sounding).

2. Write the timeline incident that forced the Time Police to create it.

3. Show the chaos escalating logically but absurdly.

Style Guidelines

• Formal report tone

• Ridiculous problem treated seriously

• Increasingly specific details

• Bureaucracy making everything worse

Your Entry Should Include

• A named officer or department

• A time-travel mistake

• Escalation into disaster

• The creation of Regulation 847.6

Recommended length: 400–800 words
Minimum: 200 words
Maximum: 1,200 words

Example Regulation

Regulation 847.6: Officers are prohibited from scheduling overlapping historical revolutions without prior clearance from Administrative Chronology and a completed Form 847.6-C (Revolution Sequencing).

So get your thinking caps on, write your regulation and then a short report explaining why it was created.

The prize will be a £50 gift card from Bookshop.org

Closing date is 30th April and the winner will be chosen by reader poll from 1st - 12th of May with the winner announced in the May 13th newsletter.

CLICK HERE to enter

APRIL - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

The Great St Mary’s Day Out - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Astonishingly, Dr Bairstow has declared a holiday. Even more astonishingly – he’s paying for it.

Needless to say, there are strings attached. They have to record the 1601 performance of Hamlet, with Shakespeare himself in the role of the Ghost.

It doesn’t go well, of course. With Dr Bairstow and Mrs Mack turning a simple visit to a street market into a public brawl, Professor Rapson inadvertently stowing away on a vessel bound for the New World, and Shakespeare himself going up in flames, it would seem that Max, of all people, is the only one actually completing the assignment.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘I challenged myself to get the words “Dr Bairstow” and “selfie” in the same

sentence. Challenge accepted!’

Buy now from Bookshop.org - UK USA

• Jodi Taylor - The Bucket List

• The Sands of Time anthology has raised £1452.22 for Scope

• Free short story - The Coo of Warning

• The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition - ta dah! the winner is Joy Wright with Boudicca’s Breeze

• NEW! April audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• NEW! Short Story of the Month: The Great St Mary’s Day Out - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

The Bucket List

I was in the post office today, sending off a truly colossal box, jam-packed full of chocolate eggs. For my two granddaughters. Trust me, there was enough chocolate in that box to guarantee a sugar rush that will last until next Christmas and beyond. How their parents will love me. I think it’s fair to say I won’t be winning the Granny of the year 2026. Again. Nor last year’s either. Apparently, my nomination must have been lost in the post

It was while staring vacantly around the post office, I was impressed by the range of their merchandise these days. I’ve grown accustomed to stationary supplies, writing implements and so forth. And when they branched out into greetings cards, yes, I could see how that was related, but now we have packets of garden seeds - fruit and veg

You can just imagine the scene, can’t you? To be read in a broad Yorkshire accent. ‘Now then, Edna, I’m just off down t’ post office for me brassica seeds.’

And alongside the seeds – perfume! What? There’s even a large notice inviting customers to try before they buy. Leading to the next stage of the conversation, ‘All right James – and while you’re buying your brassicas at the post office can you bring me back some Chanel No 5. Or Opium, if they’ve got some in this week.’

Madness, I tell you. Madness.

Anyway joining the queue, I found myself alongside the greetings card spinner and I noticed a card where two elderly ladies were discussing their Bucket List

I don’t have a Bucket List. I am entirely without a desire to climb Everest, plant a tree, sing at the Albert Hall, cook a meal from which people can walk away afterwards, meet the Dalai Lama, sail the Atlantic in a bucket – you name it, I have absolutely no desire to do it.

And then I had a brilliant idea – I wouldn’t have a Bucket List – I’d have a Phucket List (spelling adjusted so as not to cause offence.) I would make a list of all the things I definitely didn’t want to do and had no intention ever of doing. Ever.

Jodi’s Phucket List.

Housework – I do housework twice a year. The longest day and the shortest day, because I feel very strongly that my house should be clean for Christmas.

Cooking – well, that’s not going to surprise anyone. Cooking seems such a waste of microwaves and easy to open packets.

Drive – there was a family intervention. Apparently, I’m hurting the ones who love me.

Read Thomas Hardy – Yeah, not a chance.

Eat/drink cabbage/garlic/milky tea – Yuk.

Sunbathe – Four minutes and I look like an overcooked tomato.

Respect our leaders – Nope, never going to happen. Not in a million, zillion years. A bunch of inept half-wits whose talents are in no way commensurate with the size of their egos.

Travel – I get carsick, seasick, air sick and train sick. I only need bicycle sick and that’s a full house. I wonder if you can get walking sick – which brings me neatly to my next phucket.

Exercise – my doctor said I should walk for half an hour a day, minimum. I told him my flat is very small and no matter how slowly I walk from my bedroom to my living room it’s not going to take me thirty minutes to get there. I think, he thinks, I live in Blenheim palace.

Grow old gracefully – Yeah, fat chance. My great Aunty Dolly lived in a residential home and every afternoon they gathered around the TV to watch the horse-racing. With a couple of bottles. They had an account with the local bookie and once a week someone went in to settle up. That’s my idea of residential care.

So there we are. I only composed that list twenty minutes ago and look – I’ve ticked off all of them already. For a guaranteed sense of achievement, why not compile your very own Phucket List?

Jodi x

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Many thanks to everyone who has purchased The Sands of Time anthology which contains the winning entries from the David Sands writing competition.

So far the book has raised £1452.22 for Scope - here is their message of thanks:

How your donation helps

This year, over 3 million disabled people will turn to Scope for support. It is because of the generous gifts from people like you that we can continue to provide practical and emotional support, through our Helpline, employment support services, family services and Disability Energy Support, making sure that we are there whenever someone needs us.

The book is still available in paperback and ebook formats - CLICK HERE to buy a copy

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Click here to read The Coo of Warning

The winner is….

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed and voted in this competition - it was great fun and there were some excellent entries.

The winner is Joy Wright and they have won a £50 gift card from Bookshop.org

CLICK HERE to enjoy Joy’s winning entry - Boudicca's Breeze

Watch out for a new competition next week.

APRIL - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

The Great St Mary’s Day Out - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Astonishingly, Dr Bairstow has declared a holiday. Even more astonishingly – he’s paying for it.

Needless to say, there are strings attached. They have to record the 1601 performance of Hamlet, with Shakespeare himself in the role of the Ghost.

It doesn’t go well, of course. With Dr Bairstow and Mrs Mack turning a simple visit to a street market into a public brawl, Professor Rapson inadvertently stowing away on a vessel bound for the New World, and Shakespeare himself going up in flames, it would seem that Max, of all people, is the only one actually completing the assignment.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘I challenged myself to get the words “Dr Bairstow” and “selfie” in the same

sentence. Challenge accepted!’

Buy now from Bookshop.org - UK USA

• Jodi Taylor - Pre-prison ramblings

• The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition - it’s time to judge the entries CLICK HERE to vote

• LAST CHANCE TO ENTER! March audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• Short Story of the Month: Ships Stings and Wedding Rings - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

Well, here I am in the enviable position of having finished A Family Affair – edits and all – just Zara to record it now, I think. So that’s all done and dusted.

The fifteenth St Mary’s book – Well, That Could Have Gone Better – is coming along. I think I’m going to make the deadline.

I’m making good progress with the Christmas story – Twelfth Night. I’ve done the usual thing – written the end, and then the beginning, and now I just need to get to grips with the middle bit. Or the plot, as my editor will insist on calling it – so that’s a good start.

And I’m in credit with all my Substack contributions, so – yeah – all in all, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. Until …

I spent Tuesday grappling with my boiler. No hot water for eight days. I wasn’t stinky, or anything – well, I didn’t think I was. People weren’t reeling backwards holding their noses, which, I think, is quite a good sign – and because I’m innovative and inventive, I was doing clever things with kettles and washing up bowls and wet wipes. Anyway, two boiler man visits later, they came to the conclusion it wasn’t the boiler – it was the meter. I had one of those old, black, radio-controlled things, and it wasn’t switching from night to day properly. Or even at all. Literally two hours later – many thanks, Octopus – meter man was knocking on my door, and only an hour later I was smartmeter woman. Ta -da!

Let’s not start that again.

He left – in a cloud of my gratitude and thanks – leaving me to anticipate a long hot bath and unguents. Which was the moment the little smartmeter display told me I had a message.

Willingly embracing this magic new technology, I tapped on read, and it told me I now owed Octopus £1881.00. And I’d only had it for twenty-five minutes.

I like to think I’m fairly resilient, but it was a nasty moment. I know energy prices are rocketing, but even so … To cut a long story and several blistering emails short, the engineer had transposed the readings from my old meter, and my supposed debt has been wiped. Phew! Not that I would have paid it anyway. I was already envisaging cancelling my direct debit, fighting off bailiffs and being hauled off to prison while defiantly singing Dame Ethel Smyth’s The March of the Women.

I mentioned this to my poor editor when she rang, and she informed me that, actually, they do allow you to write in prison. In fact, with all that wonderful publicity, it’s usually a sure-fire route to bestsellerhood. Looking back on the conversation, she actually seemed very keen for prison to happen, but I’m sure that’s just my imagination.

Anyway, the point of her telephone call – and all these boiler-related ramblings – was for her to ask me if I would like to write a short story for Halloween. Nothing massive – only about twenty thousand words. By June.

Well, obviously, that was out of the question with these other projects still outstanding. To say nothing of my crying need for immersion in hot water. With unguents. I opened my mouth to decline, politely, because my mother likes me to tell people I wasn’t raised by wolves – and it came out as, ‘Yes, I’d love to.’

Sometimes I think Bolshy Jane isn’t the figment of my imagination; I tell people she is.

So there you are, folks. An extra short story this year. I’ve no idea about what or where or when or why. Or even the title. I do know it will be a Team 236 story, and things won’t go well. Other than that …

PS – As you were on completing A Family Affair. Not one hour later, another round of queries from the proofreader. Back to the typeface.

PPS – The Halloween short story might be titled Who’s There? On the other hand, it might not. What is life without a little suspense?

PPPS – The army has just marched past. I’m not sure in what context. I’m not going to get any work done today, am I?

Jodi x

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It’s time to judge the entries! Hurry, you’ve only got a week to help choose the winner…

The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition - please read all the entries CLICK HERE

Judging is by a reader poll from 25th March, and the winner will be announced on 31st March. Please CLICK HERE to vote

MARCH - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Ships Stings and Wedding Rings - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Buy now from Bookshop.uk - UK USA

A loaded gun has been left behind in ancient Egypt and it’s up to Max, Peterson and Markham to get it back as quickly and as quietly as possible. Before it goes off and kills someone. Leaving them with the more than tricky task of trailing their colleagues but always remaining unobserved. The slightest misstep and they’ll be up to their necks in paradoxes.

There are the usual perils and problems – the heat, the dust, the insects… and then Max inadvertently poisons Mr Markham.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘This is what happened when I was bored and there wasn’t anything on TV and I was reduced to reading the small print on a can of WD40.’

• Jodi Taylor - A failed cottage pie or a brand-new culinary invention?

• Jodi Taylor’s Book Recommendation: Flint in the Bones - The first book in The Norwich Map Runners Series, by Eva St John.

• The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition read the first entries

• March audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• Short Story of the Month: Ships Stings and Wedding Rings - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

Seriously – how does this happen? How is it even possible? I’m just gobsmacked. More than gobsmacked, actually, but I don’t know the word for more than gobsmacked.

Gobsmacker? You’re gobsmacked but I’m even gobsmacker?

Not important right now.

The facts.

Lunch – I made Cottage Pie and when I took it out of the air-fryer it was soup.

SOUP!

What?

How can that even happen? How could I take mince, chopped carrots and leeks, brown them in the wok because I couldn’t find the frying pan, season well, cover everything in mashed potatoes, dot everything liberally with butter and brown in the air-fryer for 30 minutes and end up with soup?

Well – brown for twenty-six minutes actually, because I was both hungry and impatient.

Was that where I went wrong?

I carefully removed it from the air-fryer using a tea towel because the oven gloves were in the same place as the frying pan.

Was that where I went wrong?

The Cottage Pie looked fabulous, with a lovely golden-brown crust and gravy bubbling around the edges. I grabbed the fish slice fully intending to cut it in half and lay a thick slab of deliciousness on my plate …

Soup!

I had to find a spoon and ladle it out of the dish, discovering, too late, that you can’t serve soup on a plate. In the end, I found a bowl, which, believe it or not, was in the same place as the oven gloves and the frying pan – and literally poured the cottage pie into it.

At this point, I should say it was delicious. Truly scrumptious. I’ve invented a new soup and trust me, it’s streets ahead of my Leek and Potato effort, which, in addition to being grey and inedible, turned the plug rusty. Frankly, it took the shine off me, as well. I’ve more or less avoided soup ever since.

It was so delicious that when I’d finished, I went back for the other half, which was actually intended for tomorrow. Well, that was never going to happen. Not now, anyway.

I drank the second portion as well, and it was as good as the first.

I have absolutely no idea what went wrong. I’ve made this dish hundreds of times before. I’ve burned it. I’ve forgotten it and left it in the oven for a month. I’ve forgotten to put the meat in, but never before has soupocity been an issue. If anyone has any helpful suggestions for:

A) preventing this from ever happening again

B) identifying where it all went wrong, or

C) marketing this exciting new food stuff

Then please give me a shout, and we’ll get rich together.

Jodi x

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Flint in the Bones - The first book in The Norwich Map Runners Series, by Eva St John.

I bought this some time ago, and I don’t know why I didn’t get around to reading it sooner, because I really loved it. The plot is very different – a mixture of time travel, police procedure, magic and murder mystery. And it’s great to see urban fantasy set somewhere other in London. I now have an overpowering urge to visit Norwich.

Poor old Norwich has experienced some sort of magical and temporal cataclysm, resulting in different people from different time periods suddenly being dumped in the present which, since there’s no warning, can result in a wild ride for its inhabitants. And a bit of a shock for the actual occupants of an old house who can suddenly find twenty other people all claiming to live there.

The characters are vivid and very well drawn and I loved the dog, Harry.

I never liked to give away too much of the plot but police detective Eliza Barnaby manages to fall foul of a couple of rather unpleasant London magical practitioners and finds herself seconded to Norwich to bring back an escaped and homicidal renegade magician who manages to confuse Eliza by saving her life.

There’s magic, wolves, Puritans – as irritating today as they’ve always been – bad tempered sheriffs, nuns, the Lady Julian, and an engaging Springer spaniel.

Book two – Fire in the Flint – will be out on the 26^th of March – so not long to wait – which is just as well because I’m not famed for my patience and I can’t wait to find out what happens next – and there’s even a third book – Blood in the Maps – published on the 26^th of November this year, so lots to look forward to. Both these titles are available for pre-order.

Buy now on Amazon

The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition - to read entries so far CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to enter. Closing date is 24th March 2026. Judging will be by a reader poll from 25th March with the winner announced on 31st March

MARCH - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Ships Stings and Wedding Rings - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Buy now from Bookshop.uk - UK USA

A loaded gun has been left behind in ancient Egypt and it’s up to Max, Peterson and Markham to get it back as quickly and as quietly as possible. Before it goes off and kills someone. Leaving them with the more than tricky task of trailing their colleagues but always remaining unobserved. The slightest misstep and they’ll be up to their necks in paradoxes.

There are the usual perils and problems – the heat, the dust, the insects… and then Max inadvertently poisons Mr Markham.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘This is what happened when I was bored and there wasn’t anything on TV and I was reduced to reading the small print on a can of WD40.’

• Jodi Taylor - A Day in the Life of St Mary’s – the inspiration behind the chaos

• Jodi Taylor’s book recommendation - The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

• The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition read the first entries

• March audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• News of a new short story - The Coo of Warning

• Short Story of the Month: Ships Stings and Wedding Rings - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

A Day in the Life of St Mary’s – the inspiration behind the chaos.

I don’t really need inspiration – I find everything chaotic. I’m the one for whom the system always goes wrong. People stand in front of me and swear blind this particular catastrophe has never ever happened before. Not in the whole history of the world. Until I turned up.

I’m the person for whom the turnstile jams on the underground. I’m the one who, while trying to do something technical involving QR codes, phone and laptop suffers a simultaneous failure of all three. Something else that apparently can’t possibly happen. Well, I have news for you, sunshine.

And disasters don’t come in threes – they come in multiples of threes. Always.

For instance – and no names here because this was an actual day in my life –

I was passing the offspring’s bedroom when I heard him talking to his bedside lamp. I went in and you know how, sometimes, you’re not sure whether they are actually ill or just have a maths test later that day. He was ill. A temperature of about three hundred and fifty, scarlet, sweating, and quite delirious.

I tried to call for help. No response. I shot next door, got my neighbour up and we drove to the medical centre. They had no idea what was wrong with him and there was a great deal of discussion over whether to admit him or not. In the meantime, I was dealing with a sulky boss who didn’t like women because they always prioritised their family over their work obligations. Anyway, they let us go home with lots of instructions about keeping him – the offspring, not the boss – calm and quiet.

On the return journey, we pranged the car. Not hugely but it’s not what you need on a day that’s already going badly. Fortunately, the offspring was asleep and never stirred.

Back home, I stretched him out on the sofa because we lived in a tall narrow house and I didn’t have the energy for all those stairs. He was fast asleep and neither of us had eaten and it was now about 3.00pm so I thought we should have something to eat.

I set fire to the chip pan.

Yes, I know.

Actually, I had a bit of a rep for this sort of thing – someone once refused to live next door to me, would you believe? – but, trust me, I was magnificent. I kept my head and did all the things you’re supposed to.

I soaked and wrung out a tea towel and tossed it onto the flames. What they don’t tell you is that the kitchen fills – instantly – with thick, black, acrid smoke that blinds you, makes you cough and you can’t find the door. Which I’d closed so as not to disturb the slumbering offspring because I am a good mother. Honestly.

Again, I was magnificent. I dropped to the floor, located the skirting board and crawled around until I found the door. I opened and shut as quickly as possible so the fumes wouldn’t disturb – or kill – the offspring, and crawled out onto the front lawn where I lay for a while, having a bit of a cough.

Stage 2 of the accepted procedure – this was quite a long time ago – the offspring did survive to achieve adulthood – is to clash together two dustbin lids and shout, ‘Fire! Fire! Fire!’ Which I duly did.

Absolutely nothing happened. Nothing at all. Eventually I gave up dying on the front lawn and crawled back inside to open all the windows and start thinking up my cover story.

Incidentally, I saw my neighbour the next day and she asked if everything was all right because there had been a hell of a lot of noise coming from my house yesterday.

Anyway, the point of me maundering on is to give an example of the inspiration behind the chaos of St Marys. A lot of my life – suitably fictionalised – has found its way into the St Mary’s books. The first aid exam when Max chucks a bucket of icy water over Izzie Barclay actually did happen! And some other stuff, too,

And no – not the incident when the car hit the tree. Shame on you.

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Sometimes, especially if I’ve been a bit busy, it’s good to pick up old favourites. At the moment it’s Lord of the Rings – which I haven’t read for decades and it’s really interesting to compare my mindset in 1972, which was when I first read it – to now. I am not the same and neither is the book. Which is really interesting.

I’ve just ordered The Eyre Affair – on Kindle, sadly because print gives me some problems. It’s the first of the Thursday Next series and, I think, the best.

I remember I first read this when I was working for the Library Service in North Yorkshire and I was excited by it because it was so different from anything I’d read before. And another one not set in London.

One of my colleagues in the School Library Service was also a huge fan – she actually had an Eyre Affair sweatshirt which I really, really coveted. We spent hours discussing plot points and arguing. She preferred The Nursery Crimes Series but I’m a Thursday Next girl through and through.

The story was so out-there – I just loved it – imagine being at an airport or railway station and popping your money in a vending machine and getting a Shakespeare sonnet.

Or – and this is my favourite part – the description of the audience-participation performance of Richard III. Picture an entire audience shouting:

‘WHEN is the winter of our discontent?’

And Dick the Turd roaring:

‘NOW is the winter of our discontent

Made glorious summer sun by this son of York ‘

and everyone in the audience putting on their sunglasses and looking up at the sun. If they’d performed Shakespeare like that at my school then it probably wouldn’t have taken me years to get around to appreciating him properly and not lumping him in with Thomas Hardy and boiled cabbage.

Read more...

The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition - to read entries so far CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to enter. Closing date is 24th March 2026. Judging will be by a reader poll from 25th March with the winner announced on 31st March

MARCH - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Ships Stings and Wedding Rings - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Buy now from Bookshop.uk - UK USA

A loaded gun has been left behind in ancient Egypt and it’s up to Max, Peterson and Markham to get it back as quickly and as quietly as possible. Before it goes off and kills someone. Leaving them with the more than tricky task of trailing their colleagues but always remaining unobserved. The slightest misstep and they’ll be up to their necks in paradoxes.

There are the usual perils and problems – the heat, the dust, the insects… and then Max inadvertently poisons Mr Markham.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘This is what happened when I was bored and there wasn’t anything on TV and I was reduced to reading the small print on a can of WD40.’

• Jodi Taylor on What Am I Writing Now?

• Jodi Taylor’s Karen Baugh Menhuin book reviews and author interview

• The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition read the first entries

• March audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• News of a new short story - The Coo of Warning

• Reader Question from Goodreads

• Short Story of the Month: Ships Stings and Wedding Rings - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

What am I writing now?

Well – this, obviously.

I call it productivity and everyone else would refer to it as procrastination. Procrastination occurs when I reach a point where I don’t know what to do next or what the characters are thinking or where the storyline is going and why did I take up writing when, at my age, I could – indeed should – be lying on the sofa with something expensive from Hotel Chocolat and a good book.

Actually, I do that anyway but for heaven’s sake don’t tell Hazel.

OK – let’s rephrase, shall we?

What should I be writing now?

That’s an easy one to answer. I’m always completely on top of what I should be doing. Actually doing it is usually another matter.

In order of deadlines, then:

A St Mary’s short story for Substack – The Coo of Warning. Keep your eyes peeled on 1^st April.

An outline of TP7 for my poor long-suffering editor. Who frequently has to cope with telephone calls during which I hurl word-salad at her for fifteen minutes, ending with, ‘So what do you think? Hello? Hello? Are you still there?’ The outline is due at the end of next month.

The Christmas story – tentatively entitled Twelfth Night. Yes, I know it’s only February but such are the demands of the publishing profession. At least it’s not August. It’s very hard to write snow and cold and holly and turkey when anointing your sunburn and trying to work out how to switch on the aircon. Twelfth Night is due quite soon and I really ought to be getting on with it. And I will … I promise.

I’m continuing with the next full-length St Mary’s story – Well, That Could Have Gone Better. There’s a lot of discussion over whether to include the Well or not. I tell everyone I’m just a simple author and do as I’m told. SM15 is due at my publishers in September – which, I’ve just realised, isn’t that far away, so don’t just sit there, Taylor. Pick up a pen.

That’s all the official stuff. I’ve also started an unofficial Regency Romance although I had to put that away back in the summer and concentrate on the day job. That one’s called Snowbound and one day I’ll get to finish it.

Then there are the weekly snippets for Substack which are great fun and serve a useful purpose in helping me retain my sanity. Although there will be an occasional gap in my weekly output which usually means I’ve been engulfed by words and can’t find my way out. If that happens just send chocolate. Or Matt Damon. Or a working version of Windows Eleven. What the hell are you playing at, Microsoft? Or Matt Damon.

Anyway, that’s my next six months sorted. And with a trip to France to appear at the Imaginales Festival in May (28th-31st) and another to Stevenage Library in April (27th). Hazel has the dates. People do tell me things – or they tell me they tell me things – but most of it just goes in one ear and out the other. A skill I perfected in infant school.

And now … on with the Christmas story.

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Two books this week, both from the pen of Karen Baugh Menhuin.

The Caxton Manor Murders by Karen Baugh Menhuin and Matilda Swift

The Belmont Affair by Karen Baugh Menhuin and Nicki Mason.

I first encountered Karen Baugh Menhuin when I discovered her excellent Major Heathcliff Lennox series. Of which I think there are sixteen or seventeen books, so plenty to get your teeth into.

This new series is very similar, being set in the same period – just after World War I – and against the classic backdrop of well-staffed country houses. The unconventional hero – Alexander Wolfe – is an ex-spy who served in the war and is now retained by the Home Office in the form of Lord Hector Sommerton who certainly doesn’t believe in sending his people into the field fully briefed. Or sometimes, even briefed at all.

In both books Wolfe is called in to investigate murders that, in addition to being mysteriously suspicious, have complicated diplomatic situations to be untangled as well, providing Wolfe and his team – the enigmatic but likeable James Fox, the endearingly enthusiastic valet Dicks, and a mischievous terrier Wilf – with seemingly unsolvable problems.

These stories are less light-hearted than the Major Lennox tales but none the less enjoyable.

The third in the Alexander Wolfe series – The Player in the Game – is available for pre-order and will be published on 14^th July this year.

Author interview with Karen Baugh Menhuin

Let’s start with the traditional opening while I struggle to get my brain in gear. Why and how did you begin writing?

I came to writing late. I was sixty when I started. At the time, I was helping my husband finish his autobiography. I was working with him on structure, setting out chapters, tightening passages, sorting phototgraphs, and somewhere in the middle I realised I’d always wanted to write a book myself. Not vaguely. Properly. So I did. There was no master plan. I simply sat down and wrote the sort of mystery I enjoy reading – traditional, complex, character-led stories, set in the 1920s. I didn’t think too hard about it. I just kept going until the book was finished. What surprised me was how much fun it was. The discipline didn’t frighten me. The research delighted me. The characters rather took over. One book led to another, and before long I had a series on the go. It turns out it was the right decision. Starting at sixty meant I didn’t waste time wondering whether I should or not, I simply got on with it. And I’ve been getting on with it ever since.

Read the full interview

The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition - to read entries so far CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to enter. Closing date is 24th March 2026. Judging will be by a reader poll from 25th March with the winner announced on 31st March

Hi Jodi, absolutely love the COSM series, they’re both hilarious and amazing. No misses I dont think! I wanted to ask whereabouts the Time Police/Ballad novels fall in your recommended reading order? I’m planning on reading all three series this year (again), and wondered about the best way to amalgamate them. Thank you for all the laugh out loud moments so far! Can’t wait for the next one!

Thanks for your question. I think I'd recommend all the St Mary's first, ending with The Good, the Bad and the History, because that's when Matthew decides to join the Time Police. You can then move smoothly into Doing Time when he's actually just completing his training and becoming a member of Team 236. Smallhope and Pennyroyal dance in and out of both series but I think I'd read that one after the Time Police. Not least because the second S&P book is out this year. A Family Affair. So you'll be nicely caught up.

Discover Jodi's Goodreads page

MARCH - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Ships Stings and Wedding Rings - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Buy now from Bookshop.uk - UK USA

A loaded gun has been left behind in ancient Egypt and it’s up to Max, Peterson and Markham to get it back as quickly and as quietly as possible. Before it goes off and kills someone. Leaving them with the more than tricky task of trailing their colleagues but always remaining unobserved. The slightest misstep and they’ll be up to their necks in paradoxes.

There are the usual perils and problems – the heat, the dust, the insects… and then Max inadvertently poisons Mr Markham.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘This is what happened when I was bored and there wasn’t anything on TV and I was reduced to reading the small print on a can of WD40.’

• Jodi Taylor on Bookshop.org

• A new writing competition - The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition

• News of a new short story - The Coo of Warning

• Reader Question from Goodreads

• February audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• A Symphony of Echoes is just 99p or 99 cents this month on Amazon

• Short Story of the Month: The Very First Damned Thing - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

I’m very excited to announce that my books are now available through that very excellent website Bookshop.org. - also available in the USA CLICK HERE

They’re all there – and very smart they look too. Shame the author’s such a shambles but never mind – and are available in both eBook and paperback formats.

But – and this is the best bit – for every book sold a percentage is donated to THE INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP OF YOUR CHOICE!!

There’s a pre-order facility, featured Books of the Month, a Read, Recycle and Redeem programme and much more besides,

Hazel says she will post the website link so you can click with confidence. Seriously, you post one link to one surgical support store and the world never lets you forget it.

Happy browsing!

Leave a comment

Where you choose to buy your books can make a real difference. Purchasing Jodi Taylor’s print and ebooks through Bookshop.org is a simple way to support not only your favourite author but also the wider community that helps books and readers flourish.

Every purchase contributes to independent bookshops. These are the places that recommend beloved series to new readers, create beautiful displays, host events and keep a genuine book culture alive on the high street. By choosing Bookshop.org you help ensure that these shops continue to thrive.

You still receive all the convenience of online shopping. Print books are delivered straight to your door, and ebooks are available to read on your device, but your money goes towards real bookshops rather than large corporations.

A strong network of independent booksellers benefits both authors and readers. When bookshops are supported, they can champion backlist titles, hand-sell favourite authors, and introduce new readers to long-running series. This helps writers like Jodi reach more people and continue creating the stories we love.

You can even choose which bookshop to support. If you have a favourite local shop, it can receive the profit from your order. If you do not, your purchase still contributes to a shared fund that is distributed among independents.

In short, you pay the same price, enjoy the same ease of ordering and at the same time help real bookshops, real people and the future of the books you love.

Buy from Bookshop.org UK

Buy from Bookshop.org USA

The St Mary’s Incident Report Competition

Sharpen your pencils and get your brains in gear — it’s time to file a St Mary’s Incident Report. We’re inviting you to invent your own character, from any department and document a jump that went slightly off the rails in full official style, complete with all the dignity, detail and barely concealed chaos such reports require. Your entry should be 800–1,200 words and must feature one real historical figure, one entirely unexpected object and the immortal phrase: “This was not my fault.”

We know how much you enjoy the formal format and the inevitable escalation from “minor complication” to “catastrophic development,” so this is your chance to let things go gloriously wrong. Submit your report to the proper authorities and remember — clarity, accuracy, and plausible deniability are everything.

The prize will be a £50 gift card from Bookshop.org

CLICK HERE to enter. Closing date is 24th March 2026. Judging will be by a reader poll from 25th March with the winner announced on 31st March

Jodi has been busy and written a new story that’s exclusive to Substack subscribers. The Coo of Warning will be released on April 1st to paid subscribers and April 14th to free subscribers.

Hi Jodi. Have recently listened to all your current Chronicles books and I was curious as to whether you are avoiding any specific time periods, such as religious times (Christ, etc) or whether you have these pegged for the future? Are there any historical periods that you will categorically not let Max venture into? Thanks in advance.

Hi - what an excellent question and yes, you’re right. I am avoiding anything with a religious theme. In What Could Possibly Go Wrong, a character asks if confirming the crucifixion actually took place would be more or less catastrophic than proving it didn’t. In my first book I had Dr Bairstow saying there are places to which they would not go - Jerusalem during certain periods, Mecca, Medina, Bethlehem and so on. The conversation was edited out in the interests of keeping the word count down, but it’s a self-imposed rule I intend to abide by.

I’m also trying to minimise the risk of inadvertent paradox by not allowing them to jump back to any period less than one hundred years in the past, so as to minimise the risk of killing a grandparent. And also because I don’t regard anything in the last hundred years or so as actual History. I always think if it’s that recent then it’s a memory, rather than History.

Sorry, I’ve bored on for rather longer than I intended. Hope this answers your questions.

Discover Jodi's Goodreads page

FEBRUARY - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

The Very First Damned Thing - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Ever wondered how St Mary’s came to be? This story follows Dr Bairstow as he embarks on the ambitious and seemingly impossible task of founding the St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research. As part of his strategy for official recognition and the funding that comes with it, Dr Bairstow takes a team of civil servants to witness the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. During the battle, they find themselves caught in the chaos of one of history’s most decisive battles and witness first-hand the brutal reality of Napoleon’s final defeat. With that secured, Dr Bairstow can set about recruiting the first generation of St Mary’s historians, security, and technicians, assembling a team that will define the institution’s unique blend of academic brilliance and bloody-minded recklessness.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘I think I’d written more than four or five books before I wrote this prequel. I don’t know why I was suddenly overwhelmed by a need to go back to the beginning but I did. Normally my overwhelming needs involve chocolate. I always say to people – don’t read this one first. Get a couple of books under your belt first otherwise some of it might not make sense. Which assumes the rest of it does…’

Buy now on Amazon

• Jodi Taylor introduces author M.H. Foster

• Author interview with M.H. Foster

• February audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• A Symphony of Echoes is just 99p or 99 cents this month on Amazon

• Short Story of the Month: The Very First Damned Thing - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

This week I’m delighted to introduce an author interview with M H Foster, author of the Gentle Apocalypse series that has very quickly become a favourite of mine.

Two books so far:

· The Demon Overlords Retirement Plan.

· Love, Politics and Other Acts of War.

With the 3^rd book – Band of Others on pre-order.

It’s always fascinating to read of other people’s writing processes. Writing is quite a lonely business filled with self-doubt, procrastination and cheese, and it’s always good to have an insight into the way other people work. To be able to say, ‘Yes I do that.’

Or, ‘That’s interesting. I might give that a go.’

Or the inevitable, ‘Oh God, everyone’s so much better than me. I should find something else to do.’ I see a lot of that one at 3:00 in the morning

Incidentally, if anyone has any foolproof writing tips, please feel free to share them on this Substack.

Anyway, here’s the interview and many thanks to M H Foster.

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Author interview with M.H. Foster

What inspired you to embark on a writing career, and how did your journey as an author begin?

I don’t think there was one thing that inspired me to embark on a writing career. A number of experiences provided the push to get me started.

A friend of mine had just published his first novel. I was impressed that he managed to find time despite his busy schedule. It made me wonder why I couldn’t at least try. I’d been thinking about writing for a long time and always had one excuse or another for why I couldn’t do it just yet.

I was also feeling stagnant at work and in life. Not because work wasn’t interesting or I was dissatisfied with how life was going. I just felt like I wasn’t learning anything new and life was sort of entering a holding pattern.

I began by writing short stories each week. Eventually, I came across Reedsy Prompts and saw a short story prompt (“Write about a second chance or a fresh start.”) that resonated with me. I entered the contest, one thing led to another, and I ended up writing Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan.

It took a lot of discipline to complete the book, but it also brought me energy, a fresh perspective on things, and characters that could help me navigate my thoughts and feelings.

It hasn’t been long, but it’s been a fun journey.

Can you describe your writing process? Do you follow a structured outline, or is your approach more organic?

I consider my approach to be structured. I do not have formal writing training so keeping things organized helps me a lot. That being said, the most important part of my process is letting the characters drive the story instead of forcing them into unnatural actions.

For each chapter, I begin by listing the main points (events and dialogue) that would logically occur based on the world setting and characters. From there I write notes that expand the overarching brushstrokes into more detail. Finally, I take these notes and write the entire chapter.

I don’t usually have a clear idea of what will happen when I sit down to write. I think about the scenario or setting and then respond as if I were Willem or the character in question. These actions then drive the story forward organically. Sometimes I am surprised at what happens.

In my mind, my character exists in some corner of the multiverse. I’m simply writing down what actually happened to them. From that perspective, I feel like my writing is more like a dutiful recreation of events.

Overall, my structure exists so that I have a regimen I can follow with discipline. This helps me write consistently each day, and frees my mind to let the story tell itself.

I try not to pressure myself too much to write but I do set clear goals. Every time I sit down to write I try to make sure I complete the entirety of the task. Whether it’s scoping out the main points, filling in detailed notes, or writing out the full chapter, I usually do it in one sitting. Structure really helps in this case. By writing the main points and then filling in the details before writing the full chapter, I find that I save a lot of time and frustration.

This doesn’t mean I don’t throw away what I’ve written on occasion. For example the main points I write initially and the detailed notes often deviate substantially.

By writing the main points and the notes before finally writing the chapter, I’ve essentially written each chapter three times. This makes it easier to just write ideas down without worrying if it will be good as I always know that I will have a chance to fix it as part of the process. I find that this reduces the rate of failure substantially.

One thing I would suggest new writers consider is using AI as a tool for ideation, brainstorming or research. It’s really easy to give up and think that an idea isn’t any good, or to be too embarrassed to share it with someone. Or you just might be writing—like I often do—way too late in the evening and have no one you can bounce the idea with. You might also need to find out more about pickles and farming and need a quick data dump. In these scenarios, I think AI can be quite useful.

Which authors or books have significantly influenced your writing style and thematic choices?

I would say David Gemmell, Christopher Nuttall and John Scalzi had the most influence on my writing style and thematic choices.

In particular, I found Gemmell’s themes of redemption to be encouraging, and his characters inspiring despite their flaws. This directly led me to think about my characters as flawed individuals with possibly horrible pasts who still deserved a chance at a future with community and loving relationships.

Scalzi’s writing is incredibly creative while always following the underlying logic of his worlds. I try to follow his example. When I write, I always try to ask myself whether what happens is possible within my world’s logic or if I’m just writing a scene for its own sake without considering the whole book. Scalzi is also incredibly funny and his sense of humor has definitely been an influence as well.

Nuttall’s novels and their commentary on politics and economics have had strong influence on how I write. They’ve helped me flesh out the backdrop of the world my characters exist in. If I’ve done a good job ensuring my worlds have their own character from a political and economic standpoint, it has a lot to do with Nuttall.

How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life, and what strategies do you employ to maintain this equilibrium?

That’s a good question. I don’t think I have managed to balance writing with other aspects of my life to the extent I would like. Sometimes I feel like I get too engrossed in the world I am writing to the detriment of my relationships and work. However, I have tried my best to include my friends and family in my writing process. They aren’t bystanders, they are active participants.

Making sure I am not on the journey alone and I share the process has been the most effective way of maintaining equilibrium for me.

What challenges have you encountered in your writing career, and how have you overcome them?

The challenges I’ve faced in my writing career primarily stem from my own sense of insecurity. I constantly wonder if my stories are interesting or entertaining at all, or if I am just filling the world with garbage. Every time I begin writing after a long day I wonder if I’m wasting time and effort that I should be spending elsewhere.

I don’t think I’ve overcome my insecurity. I think I’ve just accepted that it’s a permanent companion. In a way, that’s made writing easier. It’s a constant reminder that I have a long journey ahead of me and there’s lots to learn and improve on and I don’t need to be weighed down by the expectation that I am any good. My insecurity helps me be fully comfortable that I have lots of room to get better if I just try harder a little bit more every day, even if excellence will always seem out of reach.

Friends and family have helped a lot in this area. They reminded me that it’s the journey that’s important.

The list of things I find challenging is long, but I’d like to focus on one that I think is particularly silly yet somehow managed to occupy a great deal of my brain.

Print book sizes. How do you decide? I found myself paralyzed with indecision. What if the book was too tall and wide, and as a result looked too thin and not worth picking up? What if I made it too small and then it’s so thick that people don’t want to try? It took me months and support from friends to help me choose. (They didn’t laugh at me. Too much.)

Could you share insights into your current or upcoming projects that you’re particularly excited about?

I’m currently working on books 3 (Band of Others) and Book 4 of A Gentle Apocalypse. Willem’s journey is a long one that’s just beginning and I’m learning lessons with him along the way.

In addition, I am finalizing Book 2 (Warmage) of my Janissary Series, which will be published on March 10th. This series is quite different from A Gentle Apocalypse. It’s darker, more military fantasy driven with a more serious tone.

There’s also another idea for a more modern setting that I’ve been noodling around in my head. Do hotels and demons sound fun? I don’t know yet. Too many thoughts floating around. I think I’ll let the character tell me the story once I put the first words down.

How do you handle periods of writer’s block or creative stagnation?

When I feel stuck I write short stories that take place somewhere in the world of Demon Overlord. It might be part of a character’s history, or something totally unrelated. Because Willem has lived for so many incarnations as Galornus Prime, there’s almost no limit to the possible experiences he’s had. This gives me a lot of freedom to just write without worrying about impacting my story plot. (Most of these stories will also never see the light of day so that helps too…)

The other method is structural. I write notes on what happens in a chapter. Even if they seem bad, I just keep going until the entire chapter’s outline is done. More often than not, some part of these notes gives me a new idea. I think the biggest problem is stopping. Once you lose forward momentum, it’s really hard to begin again.

What advice would you offer to aspiring authors navigating the path to publication?

Don’t stop. Ever. Keep writing. Even the worst sentence, the most boring idea or the dullest description you create has moved you forward. There is no such thing as wasted time on the journey. You can always go back, re-read it, and laugh at yourself. There’s some value in that.

How important are book reviews to you?

Extremely important. I read them constantly. This can quickly spiral into self-doubt, and I think it may not be a very good habit but I doubt I’m going to stop. That being said, I think the vast majority of reviewers are trying to be constructive and encouraging.

I wish I could respond to every review. I wish I could talk to the reader and ask them about the book. Even negative reviews, when they explain why, can be encouraging. They help me understand what I could improve on.

Leave a comment

LINKS:

https://www.patreon.com/mhfoster
https://x.com/fostermh613

Read Jodi’s review of The Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan CLICK HERE

FEBRUARY - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

The Very First Damned Thing - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Ever wondered how St Mary’s came to be? This story follows Dr Bairstow as he embarks on the ambitious and seemingly impossible task of founding the St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research. As part of his strategy for official recognition and the funding that comes with it, Dr Bairstow takes a team of civil servants to witness the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. During the battle, they find themselves caught in the chaos of one of history’s most decisive battles and witness first-hand the brutal reality of Napoleon’s final defeat. With that secured, Dr Bairstow can set about recruiting the first generation of St Mary’s historians, security, and technicians, assembling a team that will define the institution’s unique blend of academic brilliance and bloody-minded recklessness.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘I think I’d written more than four or five books before I wrote this prequel. I don’t know why I was suddenly overwhelmed by a need to go back to the beginning but I did. Normally my overwhelming needs involve chocolate. I always say to people – don’t read this one first. Get a couple of books under your belt first otherwise some of it might not make sense. Which assumes the rest of it does…’

Buy now on Amazon

• Jodi Taylor’s: Edit Hell

• Jodi Taylor Book Recommendation: The Will of the Many by James Islington💙📚

• Author interview with Jacqui Collier

• It’s time to vote for the winning Valentines Day poem - CLICK HERE TO VOTE

• February audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• A Symphony of Echoes is just 99p or 99 cents this month on Amazon

• Short Story of the Month: The Very First Damned Thing - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

Sorry – nothing major from me this week – I’m in well over my head with A Family Affair edits and the deadline is looming.

I don’t know if it’s the incessant rain, or the fact that my only social interaction over the last fourteen days has been with the Lloyds Bank Fraud Department, post-Christmas blues, or that I’ve just finished the last of the Christmas cheese, but the world seems a very gloomy place at the moment. Or possibly it’s just me drenched in despair and everyone else is gambolling away like spring lambs and cartwheeling for joy in the streets

A quick look outside to verify. Umbrellas. Dog cocking his leg. A lot of illegal parking. Supermarket delivery van. Oh wait – that’s me. Thank goodness – now I can have lunch. I can edit or I can shop – I don’t seem capable of doing the two simultaneously

I’ll get back to you next week when, hopefully, I’ll have emerged triumphant from Edit Hell.

See you then.

Leave a comment

Jodi Taylor Book Recommendation: The Will of the Many by James Islington💙📚

This is a book with a lot going on. Set in the Republic of Caten – the equivalent of Ancient Rome – the story follows the adventures of Vis Telimus, an ex-prince of Suus, a country invaded and occupied by Caten. As a fugitive Vis must do whatever he can to avoid coming to the attention of the authorities. Something he significantly fails to do. As with every hero worthy of the name, Vis attracts trouble wherever he goes.

Adopted by a high-ranking Caten family, he is sent to the Academy – a rigorous educational establishment where not every student survives. His task, set by his adoptive father, is to discover the facts surrounding the mysterious death of his father’s younger brother. Difficult enough you might think, given that he must keep his identity a secret from everyone at all costs, but he is also being blackmailed by a group of rebels who know exactly who he is and will not hesitate to use him for their own ends.

Prince, fugitive, student, hero, spy, surrounded by enemies and always alone – will Vis survive?

This is a tense, well written and consistently exciting tale – the first I’ve read by James Islington. I haven’t quite finished The Will of the Many – at 640 pages it’s not a short book – but I have already ordered The Strength of the Few – the sequel, because I really want to find out what happens to Vis Telimus.

Buy on Amazon

Have you enjoyed this book too?

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Author interview with Jacqui Collier

What inspired you to embark on a writing career, and how did your journey as an author begin?

I have been writing fiction and non-fiction since I was very small. At school I was the person who wrote the scurrilous gossipy stories that got passed around - I remember reading “she flicked her hair obnoxiously again” and everyone in the lunch room shrieking with laughter as they knew exactly who was meant. That was the first time I realised I could make people laugh with words, not just when I fell over. (I fell over a lot.)

I trained as a journalist but wound up working in publishing for a while before going to university. I worked for years on the student union newspaper while studying English and Publishing, before deciding Publishing was not for me, and abandoning it entirely. I then got myself a graduate job publishing a weekly staff newsletter, writing and producing the entire thing. I really need to stop listening to my own gut feelings.

Read more...

IT’S TIME TO VOTE FOR THE WINNING POEM

We were delighted to receive so many entries to this competition. We asked for a Valentine’s Day Poem with rhyming couplets written to any figure from history.

Please CLICK HERE to read all the poems and then CLICK HERE to vote.

The winner will be announced on St Valentine’s Day and will received a framed copy of their poem.

FEBRUARY - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Results for January’s clip: the book was A Bachelor Establishment and the speakers were Mrs. Elinor Bascombe and Lord Ryde. A winner has been selected at random and contacted by by Jodi’s publishers. I’ve been advised that, for personal data best practice, we are shouldn’t announce the name but they have a signed copy of Out of Time winging their way.

A Symphony of Echoes is just 99p or 99 cents this month on Amazon

Buy now on Amazon

The Very First Damned Thing - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Ever wondered how St Mary’s came to be? This story follows Dr Bairstow as he embarks on the ambitious and seemingly impossible task of founding the St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research. As part of his strategy for official recognition and the funding that comes with it, Dr Bairstow takes a team of civil servants to witness the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. During the battle, they find themselves caught in the chaos of one of history’s most decisive battles and witness first-hand the brutal reality of Napoleon’s final defeat. With that secured, Dr Bairstow can set about recruiting the first generation of St Mary’s historians, security, and technicians, assembling a team that will define the institution’s unique blend of academic brilliance and bloody-minded recklessness.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘I think I’d written more than four or five books before I wrote this prequel. I don’t know why I was suddenly overwhelmed by a need to go back to the beginning but I did. Normally my overwhelming needs involve chocolate. I always say to people – don’t read this one first. Get a couple of books under your belt first otherwise some of it might not make sense. Which assumes the rest of it does…’

Buy now on Amazon

• Jodi Taylor’s: Maple Syrup and Origami – not a match made in heaven

• It’s time to vote for the winning Valentines Day poem - CLICK HERE TO VOTE

• February audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• A Symphony of Echoes is just 99p or 99 cents this month on Amazon

• Short Story of the Month: The Very First Damned Thing - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

Maple Syrup and Origami – not a match made in heaven.

I stink of maple syrup. I don’t know how – well, yes, I do know how – I’ve just gluttoned my way through a stack of pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.

I have form in this area so, trust me, I was very, very careful with the syrup because that stuff can be lethal.

Anyway, we’d been out for a family lunch and I found myself next to my great-nephew. At least, I think he’s my great nephew – I don’t mean I just snatched a random kid off the street – I mean he’s the son of my nephew, so, yes, I think that makes him my great nephew. He’s a lovely lad, five years old and he was teaching me origami.

In the interests of full disclosure – he’s absolutely amazing at it. I’m not. I’ve been cackhanded all my life and origami has now publicly highlighted my many deficiencies in that area.

We were making a paper spinner – something that involved six pieces of different coloured paper, together with industrial strength folding.

It started simply enough. Fold in half, then quarters, then two triangles, then more triangles, then peel back, then insert Flange A into Fold B while standing on one leg and whistling Old MacDonald Had a Farm. He was quite happily working alongside me – fingers blurring with the speed of his folding. I did my best – honestly – but while he managed to produce a multi-dimensional, multi-coloured miracle of elegance and dexterity, mine looked like a table mat that had been run over by a muddy bus.

No one said anything – they never do – and that somehow makes it worse.

But, dragging myself back to the maple syrup – fortunately the food arrived before the family witticisms could gain full momentum. Every single one of my family fancies themselves as the Oscar Wilde of Hurtful Comments – and so, in self-defence, I got stuck into my pancakes.

I was very careful because as we all know, maple syrup can be pretty lethal in the hands of an amateur.

Lunch accomplished without major mishap, great nephew and I resumed our origami fest. Right from the off something didn’t feel quite right and when endeavouring to insert the spinny bit on top of the paper base I found myself unable to let go.

In short – I was adhered.

Naturally the family sprang into immediate action – uncontrollable laughter, pointing, hurtful comments, photos – seriously, a ban on families can’t come soon enough for me.

I went to brush my hair out of my eyes with my free hand only to discover that that was quite liberally coated with maple syrup as well. And now the stuff was in my hair. I panicked – who wouldn’t? – and tried to rub it off on my jeans and guess what. And then it was on my chin. And my elbow. And the table. And the origami spinny thingy showed no signs of letting go.

Obviously, no one had a wet wipe. Despite the fact that it’s mandatory for all adults escorting any child under the age of 18 to carry at least one (1) full pack each – not a wet wipe between them. Just lots of cruel mockery and shrieks of Don’t you dare come anywhere near me.

I myself maintained the glacial calm for which I am legendary throughout three counties. Seizing someone’s glass of water – no, I didn’t stop to ask, so sue me – I dipped a napkin therein and began emergency rescue action.

Hands first obviously. Then chin. I decided my hair could look after itself even though I was pretty sure I looked like Mary in that film. (You know – the one where she has a tuft of stiff hair – although I don’t think she used maple syrup – I didn’t really understand that bit but, apparently, there was quite a resemblance.)

Then my elbow. Then the table. Most of the cutlery. Then the great nephew who was alternately regarding his own hands and hysterical relatives with equal horror. Until… finally… I was allowed to rejoin the human race. Not that anyone will come near me even now in case we all end up glued to each other like that fairy story whose name I can’t remember.

And let’s not get started on the smell …

Leave a comment

IT’S TIME TO VOTE FOR THE WINNING POEM

We were delighted to receive so many entries to this competition. We asked for a Valentine’s Day Poem with rhyming couplets written to any figure from history.

Please CLICK HERE to read all the poems and then CLICK HERE to vote.

The winner will be announced on St Valentine’s Day and will received a framed copy of their poem.

FEBRUARY - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Results for January’s clip: the book was A Bachelor Establishment and the speakers were Mrs. Elinor Bascombe and Lord Ryde. A winner has been selected at random and contacted by by Jodi’s publishers. I’ve been advised that, for personal data best practice, we are shouldn’t announce the name but they have a signed copy of Out of Time winging their way.

A Symphony of Echoes is just 99p or 99 cents this month on Amazon

Buy now on Amazon

The Very First Damned Thing - available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

Ever wondered how St Mary’s came to be? This story follows Dr Bairstow as he embarks on the ambitious and seemingly impossible task of founding the St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research. As part of his strategy for official recognition and the funding that comes with it, Dr Bairstow takes a team of civil servants to witness the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. During the battle, they find themselves caught in the chaos of one of history’s most decisive battles and witness first-hand the brutal reality of Napoleon’s final defeat. With that secured, Dr Bairstow can set about recruiting the first generation of St Mary’s historians, security, and technicians, assembling a team that will define the institution’s unique blend of academic brilliance and bloody-minded recklessness.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘I think I’d written more than four or five books before I wrote this prequel. I don’t know why I was suddenly overwhelmed by a need to go back to the beginning but I did. Normally my overwhelming needs involve chocolate. I always say to people – don’t read this one first. Get a couple of books under your belt first otherwise some of it might not make sense. Which assumes the rest of it does…’

Buy now on Amazon

• Jodi Taylor’s - I’ve Been Cooking

• Coming soon - a new FREE St Mary’s short story St Mary’s Goes Corporate

• Entries to the Hearts Through History Writing Competition

• Jodi Taylor Book Recommendation: The Shadowed Blade by Lexi Conyngham💙📚

• NEW audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• Short Story of the Month: Roman Holiday - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

I’ve been cooking

Yes, I know, but fear not, the kitchen still stands. As do I. This is very definitely not, repeat not, a repeat of the Leek and Potato Soup debacle.

I’m becoming more adventurous. Today’s challenge was Slow-Cooked Smoked Gammon. The method was slightly more complex than I’m accustomed to – I rubbed the joint with brown sugar, placed it carefully on a bed of the same – using both hands – switched on the slow cooker and then waited for three and a half hours. I passed the time by peering anxiously and occasionally whipping off the lid and giving it a swift poke.

It also led to the following WhatsApp exchange with the brother who can cook.

Me: Do I need to turn the bacon over?

Him: Do you mean in the slow cooker or the air fryer?

Me: Slow cooker

Him: No need to turn it over.

Me: Bugger. Too late.

Him: Never mind. Let me know how it goes.

Me: Smells great. Do I do anything with the cooking juices afterwards?

Him: No – they’re too sweet for a stock or marinade and the ham will be juicy enough without a sauce.

Me: Oh.

Him: What?

Me: I’ve been drinking mine.

Him: Sigh.

For those still interested, both the stock and the bacon were very tasty. And, apparently, it’s quite difficult to burn stuff in a slow cooker.

Next week is roast chicken in my new air fryer. I have chicken, chicken seasoning, and chicken scissors standing by. Watch this space.

A quick update – things are going well with Matt Damon. He’s made himself comfortable in the armchair in my bedroom, and the relationship is progressing well. He listened in respectful silence as I spoke wisely and wittily on the theory and practice of trickle-down economics, current weather patterns, how to cook gammon, and the importance of warm feet.

However, I was absolutely right about needing to work on my relationship with Alexa. In a somewhat frivolous mood the other day, she instructed me to enquire what she, Alexa, thought of my hair. Naturally, I did as commanded. She informed me it was a good day to wear a hat. Not sure what to make of that. I may have to threaten her with unplugging.

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What happens when Thirsk University tries to make St Mary’s go corporate?

Enjoy this free St Mary’s short story from Jodi Taylor - it will be sent to all paid subscribers on 1st February and free subscribers on 15th February.

Subscribe now

We have started to post some entries to the competition. CLICK HERE to view the entries so far. A poll will run from 4–12 February to choose the winner, who will be announced on Valentine’s Day.

It’s not too late to enter - entries close on 31st January!

Hearts Through History Writing Competition

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re delighted to announce a brand new writing competition created especially for fans of Jodi Taylor. CLICK HERE for more information.

Jodi Taylor Book Recommendation: The Shadowed Blade by Lexi Conyngham💙📚

I’ve just finished The Shadowed Blade by Lexi Conyngham – the latest in the Hippolyta Napier series. The series is set in a small Scottish village in the 1840s. Hippolyta is the doctor’s wife and, frankly, the 19^th century’s answer to Joyce Barnaby, and always manages to be on hand when someone meets an untimely end.

This time the action centres around the temperance movement, a member of whom is found impaled upon an enormous claymore. And then a second member is stabbed to death in a dark lane. What on earth is going on? The village of Ballater is normally fairly divorced from events in the outside world, but with earthquakes in Stirling and social unrest throughout the country – the outside world is there with a bang.

This is an excellent murder mystery – the characters are well-drawn and believable and the setting is impeccable. Lexi Conyngham’s creation of time and place is always first-rate.

Check out her other series as well. The Orkneyinga and Murray of Letho are my favourites and highly recommended.

Have you enjoyed this book too?

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Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER - the winner will be announced on 1st February.

Roman Holiday - ideally read or listened to between A Second Chance and A Trail Through Time. Available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

In Roman Holiday, the ever-adventurous historians of St. Mary’s find themselves amidst the political intrigues of Ancient Rome in 44 BC. Tasked with observing an infamous moment in history, they inadvertently become embroiled in Julius Caesar’s domestic affairs—specifically, the delicate situation of housing his mistress, Cleopatra VII, under the same roof as his wife, Calpurnia. As tensions rise, the team encounters a series of unexpected events, including attempted murder, stampeding livestock, a bowl of venomous snakes, and a minor riot. With their characteristic blend of wit and chaos, the St. Mary’s crew must navigate the perils of ancient politics and ensure history remains unaltered.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘This is the embarrassing one. I wrote it because I couldn’t work out how to operate the door in my offspring’s flat, so I was trapped. All day. I wrote almost the whole story in one day. Ten thousand words, people! And everyone laughed at my predicament because children today have no respect for their elders.’

Buy now on Amazon

• Jodi Taylor’s - Writing Dilemmas

• Entries to the Hearts Through History Writing Competition

• NEW audio clip competition - guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

• Short Story of the Month: Roman Holiday - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

OK – here’s the thing.

I’m head down working on St Mary’s 15 which will almost certainly be entitled – That Could Have Gone Better. And it’s the usual problem.

I’m about 45,000 words in and suffering what I always think of as the Awful Phase.

The story’s awful.

It doesn’t hang together. In fact, it’s rubbish.

The characters are being difficult.

Should I scrap it all and start again?

Or perhaps take up a different career? Is 73 too old to start again?

Could I learn to cook?

Or should I do nothing? Just slob around all day and work my way through Amazon’s entire catalogue. No more staring at the screen clutching a mug of cold tea. No more waking up at 3:00 AM to write a couple of paragraphs of dialogue because I know I won’t remember them in the morning even though I won’t be able to get them out of my head and go back to sleep.

I could actually get my walls back. I could hang pictures on them like a normal person instead of pasting up bits of paper, plot notes, maps, reminders and cryptic notes in different colours whose significance I obviously can’t remember now.

Before anyone panics – this is perfectly normal for me. I start a book full of enthusiasm. The first 30,000 words are wonderful and I’m already rehearsing my speech for a major literary award as I write.

From 30k to 60k everything goes wrong. Every time. You think I’d be used to it by now, but no.

From 60k to 90k things pick up a little. Perhaps it’s not so bad after all.

From 90k to 120k it’s OMG – stop writing. It’s too long. There’s far too much story in this. And it sags in the middle. Just stop writing now.

From 120,000 words to 12,002 words – which is me typing The End, there’s a huge sense of relief. Let’s just hope people like it.

This is my life, people.

Or, I could just spend my time watching daytime TV and eating giant plates of toast.

Except that I know the voices in my head won’t let me go. Damnation! Hazel always says I’m not to mention the voices in my head and I forgot so please don’t read that last bit. Sorry, Hazel.

What is the point of all this whinging? I hear you ask.

So back to the thing that’s the thing. In every book there’s always a scene I particularly want to write. In Out of Time it was the Callen/Hay scene. Usually, when this happens, I keep it back until I’ve nearly finished the book as a kind of reward for working hard and getting the story completed. That nearly always works.

But I’ve been wondering whether it might be better to write it now and using it to inspire me for the rest of the book and get me through the Awful Phase.

Reward or inspiration?

Your thoughts?

Leave a comment

We have started to post some entries to the competition. CLICK HERE to view the entries so far. A poll will run from 4–12 February to choose the winner, who will be announced on Valentine’s Day.

It’s not too late to enter!

Hearts Through History Writing Competition

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re delighted to announce a brand new writing competition created especially for fans of Jodi Taylor. CLICK HERE for more information.

Guess the book and characters speaking for your chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time

Put your knowledge of Jodi’s books to the test with our audio clip competition. Listen carefully to a short extract and see if you can identify the book and the characters speaking for a chance to win a signed copy of Out of Time.

Audiobooks are hugely popular among Jodi Taylor fans, bringing her stories to life through distinctive voices, character-driven performances, and immersive narration. For many readers, audiobooks offer the perfect way to enjoy a favourite series while commuting, walking, or relaxing. They make stories more accessible, flexible, and engaging than ever.

Tune in, trust your ears, and see if you can name the book and the characters behind the voices.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER - the winner will be announced on 1st February.

Roman Holiday - ideally read or listened to between A Second Chance and A Trail Through Time. Available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

In Roman Holiday, the ever-adventurous historians of St. Mary’s find themselves amidst the political intrigues of Ancient Rome in 44 BC. Tasked with observing an infamous moment in history, they inadvertently become embroiled in Julius Caesar’s domestic affairs—specifically, the delicate situation of housing his mistress, Cleopatra VII, under the same roof as his wife, Calpurnia. As tensions rise, the team encounters a series of unexpected events, including attempted murder, stampeding livestock, a bowl of venomous snakes, and a minor riot. With their characteristic blend of wit and chaos, the St. Mary’s crew must navigate the perils of ancient politics and ensure history remains unaltered.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘This is the embarrassing one. I wrote it because I couldn’t work out how to operate the door in my offspring’s flat, so I was trapped. All day. I wrote almost the whole story in one day. Ten thousand words, people! And everyone laughed at my predicament because children today have no respect for their elders.’

Buy now on Amazon

• Jodi Taylor’s - Fitted Sheet Trauma

• Hearts Through History Writing Competition

• Jodi Taylor’s Book Recommendation:

• This week in History: How Elizabeth I’s coronation in 1559 shaped the monarchy

• Short Story of the Month: Roman Holiday - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

Fitted sheet trauma

I am screaming – inside and out.

Fitted sheets.

Bloody fitted sheets.

Actually, I’m exaggerating. That should be fitted sheet singular because I’ve only got one. But one is enough.

Everyone in whose life fitted sheets play even a very minor role, will know exactly what I’m on about

Bloody, bloody fitted sheets.

And no, I don’t feel any better for that comparatively mild outburst. For a full appreciation of my struggles, you should have been here an hour ago. That was the moment when, frustrated beyond endurance at my inability to find more than two corners, I was forced to fight my way free of the easy-care, cotton-mix rhombus I’d erected around myself.

Emerging successfully – hello again world. Did you miss me? – and determined to master this malevolent life form, I gave the thing an almighty great shake – the fitted sheet equivalent of switching it off and then back on again – and prepared to resume my search for those elusive corners.

Unfortunately, I didn’t notice I was actually standing on the thing at the time of the Great Shake and I very nearly yanked myself into the middle of next week.

Yes, let’s forget time-travelling pods, shall we? All you actually need for an unscheduled jump to the middle of next week is a fitted sheet and let’s face it, most of us have got at least one of those We could all be whizzing up and down the timeline clutching My Little Pony bedlinen.

The Time Police would be shouting, ‘Lay down your fitted sheet, get down on the ground and surrender.’

Smallhope and Pennyroyal would be gathering up acres of fluffy pink flannelette as evidence, prior to getting their dockets signed and authorised

Except that won’t happen because fitted sheets, like small humans under the age of three, cats, and my hair, are virtually unmanageable. You’d set your coordinates for say the Court of Charles II, flap your sheet and you’d open your eyes to find yourself sealed up in a particularly malodorous cholera pit in eighteen hundred and something or other. And all because of bloody bollocking fitted sheets. I actually ended up laying the thing out on the floor, crawling all over it while cursing the malignant gods of bedlinen, and I still couldn’t find all four corners.

Seriously, there’s got to be a better way. It’s bad enough that my lack of spatial awareness abilities are showcased every Christmas when I present friends and relatives with lovingly-wrapped but bizarrely-shaped Sellotape-encased objects that defy the basic laws of physics – now scale all that up, multiply by five, stick a nought on the end and add in your birthday and you get just the vaguest idea of the magnitude of my fitted sheet-related struggles. There’s got to be a better way. Men have walked on the moon, for God’s sake.

And no, I’m not feeling any better for that rant – let the screaming recommence.

Leave a comment

Hearts Through History Writing Competition

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re delighted to announce a brand new writing competition created especially for fans of Jodi Taylor. CLICK HERE for more information.

This Week in History: How Elizabeth I’s coronation in 1559 shaped the monarchy

On 15 January 1559, Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey, an event that marked not merely the accession of a new monarch but the beginning of one of the most consequential reigns in British history. The coronation took place at a moment of profound uncertainty. England had endured decades of religious upheaval, dynastic anxiety and political instability under the later Tudors, and Elizabeth inherited a kingdom deeply divided in faith and fragile in its international standing.

Elizabeth’s coronation was carefully stage-managed to project continuity, legitimacy and reassurance. As the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, her claim had once been questioned, yet by 1559 her position was secure enough for her to present herself as the embodiment of lawful succession. The ceremony blended traditional Catholic ritual with carefully chosen elements acceptable to reformers, foreshadowing the religious settlement that would define her reign. This instinct for balance became one of Elizabeth’s defining traits as monarch.

Read more...

Roman Holiday - ideally read or listened to between A Second Chance and A Trail Through Time. Available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

In Roman Holiday, the ever-adventurous historians of St. Mary’s find themselves amidst the political intrigues of Ancient Rome in 44 BC. Tasked with observing an infamous moment in history, they inadvertently become embroiled in Julius Caesar’s domestic affairs—specifically, the delicate situation of housing his mistress, Cleopatra VII, under the same roof as his wife, Calpurnia. As tensions rise, the team encounters a series of unexpected events, including attempted murder, stampeding livestock, a bowl of venomous snakes, and a minor riot. With their characteristic blend of wit and chaos, the St. Mary’s crew must navigate the perils of ancient politics and ensure history remains unaltered.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘This is the embarrassing one. I wrote it because I couldn’t work out how to operate the door in my offspring’s flat, so I was trapped. All day. I wrote almost the whole story in one day. Ten thousand words, people! And everyone laughed at my predicament because children today have no respect for their elders.’

Buy now on Amazon

• Jodi Taylor’s - New Year Message and News

• Hearts Through History Writing Competition

• Jodi Taylor’s Book Recommendation: The Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan by M H Foster💙📚

• This week in History: Joan of Arc: From a Village Birth to a Legacy That Changed France

• Short Story of the Month: Roman Holiday - a chance to discover some of the St Mary’s short stories

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

Well, here we are again – the end of one year and the beginning of another. Happy New Year, everyone.

Highlights of 2025 – Jodiworld. It was lovely to see everyone again. I met many old friends and made lots of new ones, too. Highlights for me – chatting to Zara Ramm, and Caimh McDonnell, singing We All Stand Together at the end, and the incredible Talent Competition. I’ve been chatting with Karin and the planning for Jodiworld 2027 is moving along apace; she is close to being able to launch memberships and the website and hoping to have all this in place by early Spring. So keep your eyes peeled.

What else?

Ah, yes. There are other things in the pipeline. Would you like them chronologically or in order of excitement?

So – order of excitement it is, then.

I’ve been invited to France. No, I can’t believe it, either. I’ve been invited to attend the Imaginales 2026 festival - one of the biggest – if not the biggest – fantasy festivals in France. I’ve never been asked to appear at an actual festival before and I’m really looking forward to it. All courtesy of my French publishers – Hervé Chopin – who have done such an amazing job with the Chronicles of St Mary’s and are now working their way through French translations of the Time Police as well. If anyone finds themselves anywhere near Épinal (on 28th - 31st May Hazel adds), it would be lovely to see you there. I will also be doing a signing session in the bookshop “Le Hall du Livre” at 6:00 PM in Nancy on 28th May (Hazel adds).

And sometime in April – and Hazel has told me the dates but I forgot to write them down so I’m just saying sometime in April at this stage. I’ll cunningly ascertain them later on before she realises what I’ve done – sometime in April, I’m off to Stevenage Library. There will be more details nearer the date, but I’ll be delighted to chat to anyone who wants to pop by. (Stevenage Library on Monday 27 April at 7pm - Hazel adds)

What’s happening with the latest book? Well, I’ve just about finished the edits for the second Smallhope and Pennyroyal Story – A Family Affair. It’s gone back to Headline for copyediting and proofing and will be published on the 6^th of August 2026. As always, those two were great fun to write and I really hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Things do get into a bit of a tangle for them!

Plus – I’ve made a start on That Could Have Gone Better – St Mary’s 15 – due at Headline this October so I’d better stop messing about and get cracking. That one will be out next year. There’s a hell of a lot of research required for this story so I have folders full of notes, charts, maps, and timelines strewn across the floor, to say nothing of whiteboard paper plastered all over the walls. A sheet unpeels occasionally and drops to the floor, frightening the living daylights out of me.

Headline have also asked me to put together my thoughts for Time Police 7. No title as yet and my main concern for that one is that there’s so much story I want to tell that I may have to split it in two and have a Time Police 8 as well.

And I need to turn my attention to the next Christmas Story because Headline will be wanting that soon. Another St Mary’s story, I think. I’ve had a few ideas.

Other than all that, my time is my own – most of which, I suspect, will be spent working my way through a box of Hotel Chocolat that is – I kid you not – the size of an aircraft carrier. Seriously, you could land a jump jet on it and have room to spare. I’m regarding it as a personal challenge. Approach slowly – don’t lose your head – just two or three at a time – they’re very rich – let 2026 be the year of restraint … oh sod it – I’m going in.

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Hearts Through History Writing Competition

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re delighted to announce a brand new writing competition created especially for fans of Jodi Taylor. CLICK HERE for more information.

The Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan by M H Foster💙📚

I don’t know why I picked this up. Possibly chocolate overload has caused my brain to shut down because I have no memory at all of buying this book. However, there it was in my TBR list so I got stuck in.

It’s absolutely delightful. What an unexpected treat. The Demon Overlord in question, bored with annihilating his enemies and causing various apocalypses, decides to retire and settle down. Four hundred and forty-four reincarnations have left him with a desire for the simple life. A future filled with vegetable growing and goat keeping. Appropriating the body of Willem Porter, he retires to the village of Lower Middleton, anticipating rural tranquility and an unending supply of healthy, homegrown vegetables.

Well, obviously, that doesn’t happen, and the tale of how Willem copes with interhuman relationships, village life, uncooperative turnips, taxation, children, and Prometheus the goat is hilarious. And clever. Everything Willem does turns to good. No matter what his intentions, everything has a happy outcome. This can be very disconcerting when you’re a Demon Overlord – even if you are retired.

This is a very understated book. The humour is subtle and the characters well fleshed out. And there’s a sequel which I shall definitely be reading because I can’t wait to find out how the Demon Overlord tackles his next challenge.

Buy on Amazon

Have you enjoyed this book too?

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This Week in History: Joan of Arc: From a Village Birth to a Legacy That Changed France

On January 6, 1412, in the small village of Domrémy, a girl was born who would later alter the course of French history. She became known as Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc). Raised in a peasant farming family during a period of prolonged conflict, she grew up in a border region heavily affected by the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. France at the time was politically divided, militarily weakened, and partially occupied by English forces and their Burgundian allies.

At around thirteen years old, Joan reported experiencing religious visions and hearing voices, which she identified as those of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret. According to her later testimony, these voices instructed her to support Charles, the dauphin of France, and to help drive the English out of French territory. While extraordinary, such claims were not entirely outside the religious framework of the time, and Joan remained steadfast in her belief that she had been given a divine mission.

In 1429, after repeated attempts, Joan was granted an audience with Charles VII, who had yet to be crowned and faced serious challenges to his legitimacy. Despite her youth, illiteracy, and gender, Joan impressed both clerical examiners and royal advisors. She was permitted to accompany French forces, wearing armour and carrying a banner, and quickly became a powerful symbolic leader. Her presence helped inspire French troops and contributed directly to the lifting of the Siege of Orléans, a critical turning point in the war. Soon after, Joan escorted Charles to Reims, where he was crowned king in July 1429, fulfilling one of the central objectives she claimed had been revealed to her.

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Roman Holiday - ideally read or listened to between A Second Chance and A Trail Through Time. Available in Kindle and Audiobook formats - also included in The Long and Short of It anthology

In Roman Holiday, the ever-adventurous historians of St. Mary’s find themselves amidst the political intrigues of Ancient Rome in 44 BC. Tasked with observing an infamous moment in history, they inadvertently become embroiled in Julius Caesar’s domestic affairs—specifically, the delicate situation of housing his mistress, Cleopatra VII, under the same roof as his wife, Calpurnia. As tensions rise, the team encounters a series of unexpected events, including attempted murder, stampeding livestock, a bowl of venomous snakes, and a minor riot. With their characteristic blend of wit and chaos, the St. Mary’s crew must navigate the perils of ancient politics and ensure history remains unaltered.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘This is the embarrassing one. I wrote it because I couldn’t work out how to operate the door in my offspring’s flat, so I was trapped. All day. I wrote almost the whole story in one day. Ten thousand words, people! And everyone laughed at my predicament because children today have no respect for their elders.’

Buy now on Amazon

• Jodi Taylor’s - You’ll never guess what I got for Christmas!

• Author interview with Eva St.John - author of The Quantum Curators and The Norwich Map Runners series

• Jodi Taylor’s Book Recommendation: The Murder at the World’s End by Ross Montgomery💙📚

• This week in History: 29 December 1170: The Murder of Thomas Becket

• December - Book of the Month: The Something Girl, Joy To The World and Storm Christopher

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

You’ll never guess what I got for Christmas!

Oh – sorry, where are my manners? I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. I really should have led with that because it’s polite. Having apologised, I normally go on to say I was raised by wolves, but every time I do that, my mother comes around and gives me a good talking to. So I’m not going to.

But back to my Christmas.

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it but I do have a bit of a crush on Matt Damon. The Martian, We Bought a Zoo – great music, The Great Wall and countless others – I’m there for all his films. Mug of tea, slab of chocolate only slightly smaller than the coffee table – that’s me all set to go on yet another Mattfest.

Anyway, contrary to my oft-expressed opinion, it would appear that my family actually do listen to me! Occasionally. Who knew? Because ripping open a small and apparently innocuous package what do I find?

Yes, you’re right – Matt Damon. Well done. What was your first clue?

You have to blow him up first. (Don’t start – all the jokes have already been made, the comments uttered, the gestures gestured. No one can possibly have anything new to contribute.)

A great deal of blowing later … will you stop laughing … Matt is inflated and all ready to go. I swear I will throw buckets of cold water over all of you if you don’t calm down. He’s taken up his rightful position in the armchair in my bedroom where I anticipate sparkling dialogue and intellectual chats on the burning issues of the day. Chaperoned, obviously, by my other big pressie – Alexa. So that’s three of us in there now.

So far, Alexa has read to us, played some white noise – not sure why but hey, who cares, given us a Minion fanfare, done the Scaramouche Scaramouche thing, performed a chapter of Out of Time, and established the square root of 1,467,834.114598. Which, admittedly, took her some time. In fact, she came out with the answer at about 4.30 this morning and frightened everyone to death. Unlike the absolutely no trouble at all Matt, I feel Alexa and I might need to work on our relationship.

So, anyway, best wishes to everyone for the upcoming New Year. Matt and I will see you very soon.

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Author interview with Eva St.John - author of The Quantum Curators and The Norwich Map Runners series

What inspired you to embark on a writing career, and how did your journey as an author begin?

I own a bookshop and found that customers kept asking for suggestions for a local walk. After a while of scribbling directions on scraps of paper, I decided to pull everything together to write a walking guide. From there, I decided to try writing fiction as well. I’ve always loved telling stories, so I thought I would give it a go.

Can you describe your writing process? Do you follow a structured outline, or is your approach more organic?

I try to follow a plot. I certainly know how a story ends - mostly. But sometimes it’s a single scene that grabs my attention, and then I build a story around it.

Which authors or books have significantly influenced your writing style and thematic choices?

I don’t know that any writer has influenced my writing style, that’s such a tough question, but if I could throw a sentence together the way PG Wodehouse can, I would be delighted. His prose is so light and delivers whopping great punches that have me laughing out loud.

Thematically, I was first captured by Asimov. I loved his ideas and puzzles, and then I discovered Le Guin; her ability to question the human condition was eye-opening. Those were my first great loves and I have always been a voracious reader of speculative fiction in all its genres.

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The Murder at the World’s End by Ross Montgomery💙📚

As you can see, I’m still on the mass slaughter at Christmas thing – and I thought I’d give this one a whirl. I haven’t finished it yet but it’s pretty good so far.

Set in England 1910, Halley’s Comet is on the way – the population is reacting with its usual calm good sense – and everyone is preparing for the end of the world and the annihilation of all life. The World’s End of the title is an island frequently cut off from the mainland – obviously – and Tithe House is the scene of the murder. To protect the residents from the comet’s supposed poison gasses, the owner, an eccentric aristocrat, has ordered the house to be locked, the windows boarded up and everyone, guests and servants alike, to be sealed in their rooms. Until the danger has passed and they can begin new lives

Naturally, at some point in the dark night, the owner is murdered. Crossbow bolt through the eye – as per Harold at Hastings, apparently.

The police are ineffective so solving the crime falls to an irascible old lady – oh, how I identify – together with her maid and Stephen, the second footman.

I’m really enjoying it so far. Give it a go and see what you think.

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This Week in History: 29 December 1170: The Murder of Thomas Becket

On 29th December 1170, one of the most shocking acts of violence in medieval European history took place within the walls of Canterbury Cathedral. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury and the most senior churchman in England, was cut down by four knights while attending to his ecclesiastical duties. The killing reverberated far beyond England, reshaping relations between church and crown for generations and leaving a permanent mark on medieval political thought.

Becket was not born a rebel. The son of a prosperous London landowner, he rose through ability and royal favour to become Chancellor of England under King Henry the Second. In this role, he was loyal, efficient and worldly, vigorously defending royal interests and living in a manner befitting a powerful courtier. When Henry secured Becket’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, he expected a trusted ally who would support his efforts to bring the English church more firmly under royal control.

The transformation that followed surprised and infuriated the king. Becket embraced his new role with uncompromising seriousness, adopting an austere lifestyle and defending the autonomy of the church with unexpected ferocity. The central issue was jurisdiction. Henry sought to limit the privileges of the clergy, particularly the right of church courts to try clerics accused of serious crimes. Becket resisted, arguing that ecclesiastical independence was divinely sanctioned and essential to the moral authority of the church.

The dispute reached a crisis with the Constitutions of Clarendon in 1164, a set of royal customs intended to define the limits of papal and ecclesiastical authority in England. Becket initially appeared to accept them, then withdrew his consent, claiming his conscience would not allow it. The breach with Henry widened into open hostility. Accused of financial impropriety and contempt of royal authority, Becket fled into exile in France, where he remained for six years.

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December - Book of the Month: The Something Girl, Joy To The World and Storm Christopher

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• Jodi Taylor’s Christmas Message

• Jodi Taylor’s Book Recommendation: Ring The Bells by C.K. McDonnell💙📚

• This week in History: Christmas Day 1642: The Birth of Isaac Newton

• Dates for your diary - 2026

• December - Book of the Month: The Something Girl, Joy To The World and Storm Christopher

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

A Christmas video message from Jodi Taylor

Update on the Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree is dead. Never to rise again.

The new plug completely failed to solve the problem.

It is now an ex-Christmas tree.

No flowers please.

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Ring The Bells by C.K. McDonnell💙📚

Another brilliant book by one of my favourite authors. It’s Christmas time and Grace, the office manager, has high hopes for her carefully organised office party.

Alas – this is not just any Christmas party - this is the Stranger Times Christmas Party. Brace yourself for the unexpected.

A demonic Santa Claus.

A ghoul who has not yet learned not to crap in the corner.

The wonderfully awful Vincent Banecroft.

The policeman with the thing in his head.

The perpetually-stoned Manny and his passenger.

The talking dog – arguably the most normal character in the book.

If you’ve read the previous books in the series then you’re in for another treat. And if you haven’t then start with the first one - The Stranger Times. Trust me, you’re in for a real treat.

The action takes place over the build-up to Christmas. Sinister grottos, indoor snow, and a whole ton of magically influenced Mancunians. As Max herself would say – what could possibly go wrong?

Settle down with a glass – no, a bottle – of Vincent’s special non-alcoholic wine and enjoy a wonderful seasonal read. Exciting, funny, and very occasionally, absolutely heartbreaking.

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This Week in History: Christmas Day 1642: The Birth of Isaac Newton

On 25th December 1642, in the quiet Lincolnshire countryside, Isaac Newton was born in the hamlet of Woolsthorpe near Colsterworth. England was then in the grip of civil war, and few could have imagined that this frail infant, born prematurely and not expected to survive, would come to transform humanity’s understanding of nature more profoundly than almost any other individual in history.

Newton’s early life was marked by instability and solitude. His father had died before he was born, and his mother remarried when Newton was still a child, leaving him in the care of relatives. This sense of isolation shaped a temperament that was inward-looking, fiercely independent and intensely focused. At the King’s School in Grantham, Newton showed early signs of mechanical ingenuity, constructing sundials and small working models. These interests were not yet signs of genius, but they revealed a mind drawn to order, measurement and the hidden principles governing the physical world.

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Publishing dates for 2026:

23/04/2026 - Out of Time paperback edition

6/08/2026 A Family Affair - book 2 in the Smallhope and Pennyroyal series is published in hardback, audio and eBook

25/12/2026 - Christmas Day short story - titled to be announced.

December - Book of the Month: The Something Girl, Joy To The World and Storm Christopher

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• Jodi Taylor’s tree troubles

• An exclusive extract from Murder at Martingale Manor - this year’s Christmas Day short story

• This week in history: Cromwell Takes Charge: The Day England Tried a New Kind of Power

• Author interview with Jack Bale

• December - Book of the Month: The Something Girl, Joy To The World and Storm Christopher

  There’s plenty to read this week and you can see everything on the blog too. CLICK HERE for the blog.

OK – if we could all pay attention, please, because this is a little complicated.

Some of you will have seen the photo on my Facebook page of my lovely Christmas tree this year. The pretty silver one, beautifully decorated by me. The Symphony in Silver as I like to call it

Unfortunately, the very next day – no, you haven’t been Whammed so don’t panic – the tree stopped working. I switched it on and absolutely nothing happened. The lights, which are an integral part of the tree, had stopped working for some reason and without them, basically, it’s just a silver stick. Words cannot convey my distraughtness.

However, I am not without resource and unearthing a couple of sets of fairy lights (battery operated) I draped those over the tree. The effect is not anywhere near as stunning as the original lights but it’s better than nothing.

I grumbled to various brothers as and when I encountered them, and, under strict supervision of one of them, I unplugged the tree, plugged it in again, and when that failed, I jiggled the cable – but in a technical manner. It wasn’t just any old cable-jiggle, you know. But all, sadly, to no avail.

Anyway, today a random brother turned up, bearing a plug. I have to say I didn’t think it would work because it was a different colour to the old plug but apparently that’s not the way these things function. Who knew? There was muttering and plug changing and dramatic switching on – you know what a meal blokes always make of these things – and – magical moment – the tree lit up. Success! I was actually conscious of unfamiliar feelings of gratitude towards him. But, however, this is me and nothing is ever that simple.

Firstly, the lights were flashing on and off – not something they’d ever done before and we were unsure whether this was intentional or a precursor to incineration.

Matters were further complicated when we discovered it wasn’t the tree lighting up at all but the fairy lights I had festooned it with as an emergency measure. Which is a little bit concerning because, as I’m sure I mentioned, the fairy lights are battery operated.

There followed intense fraternal discussion and to be strictly accurate, a fair amount of recrimination as well, most dating back to an incident in 1958. The details of which I am not prepared to divulge. The gist of the discussion, however, was that the tree now is very probably live, electrically speaking. This is not a Good Thing, apparently. I have been instructed to leave it alone for God’s sake and not to poke at it with wet fingers.

A new plug is on order – thank you, Amazon, and is due to be delivered tomorrow although the brother won’t be around due to an unfortunate encounter with his dentist. I’ve been instructed to ring him before I attempt anything electrical and then should the plugging-in result in a flash, a bang and prolonged silence on my part he will pop round and unplug everything before the building catches fire. According to him this will bring sibling standards of care to an unprecedented new level and render him eligible for the Brother of the Year Award. Apparently.

Watch this space for an update and a live (ha ha) update on the Christmas Tree Crisis of 2025.

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Exclusive Extract from Murder at Martingale Manor

Let’s be very clear about this. None of it was my fault. It wasn’t my idea to take a holiday. Yes, all right, it seemed a good decision at the time, but holidays never end well for me. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been persuaded to do something that is supposed to be good for me and ended up running for my life.

This particular holiday was no different. Blame Leon. I did.

‘Half an hour with the patient,’ said Nurse Hunter. ‘No longer.’

She closed the door behind her.

‘Well,’ said Leon, regarding me with his head on one side. ‘Just look at the state of you.’

This remark was not as incomprehensible as it seemed. I’d just returned from a stint in the future, working with – not for – the Time Police. It hadn’t gone well. Not for me, anyway. Hence Leon’s remark about the state of me.

I waved this aside. ‘All in the past. Well, the future, actually.’

He sat down at my bedside and began to rummage through my fruit bowl, which consisted of two apples and a banana rudely arranged by Markham and Peterson. Both of whom, you’d think, would be mature enough to be above that sort of thing.

Leon sighed. ‘Who shot you this time?’

I rather resented the this time.

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CLICK HERE to pre-order from Amazon

This Week in History: Cromwell Takes Charge: The Day England Tried a New Kind of Power

On 16 December 1653, Oliver Cromwell accepted the title of Lord Protector and stepped into one of the most unusual roles in British history. The country had executed its king only a few years earlier, Parliament had torn itself apart, and the political experiment known as the Interregnum was close to collapse. Cromwell’s new position offered a bold answer to a question no one had ever had to solve before: how do you run a nation that has removed its monarchy but has not agreed on what should replace it?

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Author interview with Jack Bale

Welcome to Jack Bale…

What inspired you to embark on a writing career, and how did your journey as an author begin?

My journey as a fiction author began late in life after 25 years in publishing. It started with the unsettling question : what if the voice inside your head wasn’t yours?
The answer to that question became Merlin’s Game, in which the character of Jean-Patrique was born and the consequences of his inner struggle has serious consequences for those unfortunate enough to be in his life. The character took control, and the writing began to flow while I was on a winter holiday in Mallorca, and eventually the plot extended to some of my other favourite locations around Europe.

Read the full interview

December - Book of the Month: The Something Girl, Joy To The World and Storm Christopher

CLICK HERE