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 - 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
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.
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.
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.
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
'Knock, Knock.'
'Who's there?'
'I'm glad'
'I'm glad who'
'I'm glad Jodi writes her own endings'
Can't wait for the Hallowe'en ending.
NO spoilers here, but can report Band of Others was every bit as marvelous as its two predecessors. I absolutely adore these books and am so grateful you recommended Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan!!!!