The Rushford Times - A weekly newsletter from Jodi Taylor

Sent on Wednesdays to paid subscribers and Fridays to free subscribers

This week we have:

• Jodi writing about her recent trip to France and The Great Recovery Job

• Jodi Taylor answers - Do you plan character arcs in advance or do they evolve as you write?

• Win a SIGNED hardback and one-of-a-kind signed print when you pre-order A Family Affair by Jodi Taylor

• Bad Moon is a Kindle 99p/99c deal for June

• JUNE - GUESS THE BOOK COMPETITION

• Short Story of the Month: A Perfect Storm

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

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Fun Times in France

Well, I’m back. I know I’m in England because today is cool, grey and very wet. I feel rather responsible, actually – I spent most of my trip suffering temperatures of 34 and 35 degrees and telling everyone that I was English and never happy unless I was being rained on. And now look at the weather.

Many thanks to everyone who sent me their best wishes – the festival was everything people had told me it would be. Knights practising their swordplay – they offered me a go and I would have loved, legitimately, to be able to lay about me with a dangerous weapon, but sadly I had to go off to a panel and talk sensibly. There were books and authors everywhere – the authors were wonderfully friendly and didn’t seem to mind me massacring their language, and I absolutely adored the book covers – full of movement and colour. I particularly liked that they print an image on the edge of the pages as well. Loads of people were in costume – including a man with horns and wearing a thick fur coat. I think he was a character from a favourite French fantasy novel but he must have been baking.

And then, just as I think everyone was on the verge of heatstroke, the heavens, literally, opened. The rain came down in buckets. Of course, you couldn’t hear yourself speak in the tent. The ground was so hard that it couldn’t absorb the water and there were lakes everywhere. People were being rescued.

And just to lower the tone of the piece – and probably not that important in the scheme of things – but I managed to have cheese with every meal. Every restaurant had a different cheeseboard and trust me, I sampled every single one of them. All the food was good – authentic Quiche Lorraine was my favourite. As Hazel said, ‘Nothing like the omelette in a pastry case we get in England.’ And French chocolate isn’t bad, either.

Most gobsmackingly – I’m not sure that’s a word but it is now – I was astounded at the number of people who recognised me and were familiar with the books. Nearly everyone began the conversation with, ‘I read your first book, loved the humour, and bought all the others,’ so I have to pay tribute to translator Cindy Colin-Kapen who so cleverly retained the spirit and the humour of the original English. Humour doesn’t always translate to different countries and I’m pretty sure the world is frequently baffled by the things that make us Brits laugh our socks off.

And finally, massive thanks to everyone on both sides of the Channel who worked so hard to make our visit such a success - Isabelle, Evette, Charlotte, Eva, and Lou. And a special thanks to the two wonderful Eurostar attendants who took one look at us as we emerged from the rugby scrum that is the Eurostar queueing system and recognised two women in desperate need of wine. Merci beaucoup, guys.

Looking ahead – the next thing on the horizon is A Family Affair, out in August. I think there’s to be an event at Waterstones, Gloucester, to mark its publication, so please come along if you can. We can talk cheese.

And in September we have The Great Recovery Job at the Leonardo Hotel, Cheltenham. 19^th September 2026. Tickets are available now.

There will be:

Margaritas to drink

A reading from A Family Affair

Book signing

A buffet

Interactive gameplay

Safe cracking

Stolen artefacts to recover

Mysteries to solve

Margaritas to drink

I’m looking forward to seeing you there. As Karin says – The Timeline won’t save itself.

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Jodi Taylor answers - Do you plan character arcs in advance or do they evolve as you write?

In this video, Jodi answers the question: Do you plan character arcs in advance, or do they evolve as you write? She shares insights into how characters develop across The Chronicles of St Mary’s series, whether stories are carefully planned or discovered along the way, and how unexpected moments can shape a narrative.

Filmed live at Stevenage Library, this fascinating conversation offers fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into character creation, storytelling, and the craft of writing memorable protagonists.

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Win a SIGNED hardback and one-of-a-kind signed print when you pre-order A Family Affair by Jodi Taylor

Everyone’s favourite time-travelling bounty hunters are back in A Family Affair, the twisty and hilarious new Smallhope & Pennyroyal adventure!

We are offering one lucky fan the chance to win a hardback copy of A Family Affair and a one-of-a-kind A4 art print, both signed by Jodi Taylor herself.

To enter the prize draw, simply pre-order your copy of A Family Affair in any format, from any UK retailer of your choice, and upload your proof of purchase via the link below. You’ll be automatically entered. Good luck!

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Bad Moon is a Kindle 99p/99c deal for June

CLICK HERE for UK CLICK HERE for USA

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JUNE - GUESS THE AUDIO BOOK COMPETITION

Guess the book and character 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 character 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.

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A Perfect Storm - available for Kindle and is included in The Long and Short of It anthology

caption...

Max and her colleagues are facing an unusual challenge—one that doesn’t require them to jump through time but is no less chaotic. Thanks to the world’s most misguided publicity campaign, a film producer is on his way to St Mary’s to avail himself of their services. Equally eager to secure a contract for his next three films, Dr Bairstow instructs Max to ensure all goes well. Or else.

Also involved in the drama is David Sands’ latest book – a time travel story – which bears just a teeny tiny resemblance to St Mary’s and which Max is to suppress. Or else.

Unfortunately, nothing at St Mary’s ever goes to plan, and Max and the team soon find themselves at the centre of a series of disasters entirely of their own making.

From Professor Rapson and his megaphone antics to exploding rocks, legendary pub crawls, superheroes and the world’s largest bacon butty, chaos reigns. The appearance of Angus, one-third of a particularly messy love triangle, only adds fuel to the fire, ensuring that the week at St Mary’s is definitely one for the record books. Just not in a good way.

Jodi Taylor says…

‘Oh yes. Calvin Cutter – bless him. His one-sided telephone call to Marge, his PA, as she’s trying to have her baby in peace was so much fun to write.’

No jumps but “some people are perfectly capable of endangering life and limb by staying quietly at home” (Authors’s note).

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