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 Taylor’s - New Year Message and News
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 6th 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.
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.
Have you enjoyed this book too?
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.
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.’
Something else for the diary. July sees the release of a film version of the Odyssey, directed by Christopher Nolan, starring some chap called Damon, Matt. Probably quite a lot of Greek Athlete-type physique, too.
For those with different taste in eye candy, it has Zendaya in it.
😉😍
Have to love some HC. Any rumours that my purchases have single-handedly been responsible for putting the founders' children through university...okay, are probably true. I did consider bringing a big box to JWII and handing it over at the book signing, but I was worried it could seem like bribery. What are your feelings on bribery?