Both my kids complaining this morning that it’s still a week before we go on vacation as if they don’t live full time in an all expenses paid inclusive resort every day where all their needs are catered to. The vacation is for ME, kids. 😂

I meant crocuses, not snowdrops. I confuse the two. It is Wednesday and I am tired. I make no apologies

It’s finally happened. Here in the Frozen North it’s always late coming, but today I saw my first snowdrops of the year. Always the first flower to show its face and hint at the still-distant but ever-approaching end of winter. Hurry up spring! You are my favourite season.

We made it to February!
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This is a busy month for me. Lots of writing to finish up, a sojourn to our haunted Manor House in Wales for a cosy getaway and much cooking on the Aga.
January was long but good habits were formed, and were carrying that forward. What are your plans for the month ahead?.

Murder murder murder! (To quote a great movie, Hot Fuzz).
Who doesn’t love a good locked room mystery? This is my next read, though as I’m in a self imposed writing deadline.
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Are you a fan of murder-mysteries?
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(As always, swipe away to see the cover non-reversed. Versed?? Who knows?).

Lovely morning here on the hill, and unseasonably warm for January today, though this could quite literally be the calm before the storm, as Storm Eowen is due to hit my country any minute now. Tie down your wheelie bins!
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A storm is a good excuse to stay in at the weekend and write anyway 😁.

Just a little self promotion for new readers who may not already be part of the Erlking family. Here’s what to expect in each book so far of the Changeling Series, published by the lovely @joffebooks .
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Book six is WELL underway, the pages are piling up. Hope you’re excited to return to Erlking.
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January is a lonnnng cold dark month. So the only thing to be done about it is to try and make it cosy.
Here’s a book that might help with that. Get under a blanket in front of the fire and enjoy. It will be February before you know it!

Yes I misspelled Holmes…

How is it already January the 49th?

Another weekend done. Fun Sunday here cooking bao buns and Korean KFC, having friends over for dinner and all getting excited about the upcoming trip to our haunted Manor House next month. The sheep also arrived on Fahy Farm hill. Satisfying Sunday.
Hope yours was fun?

King slaps. The Crimson king was cooked, chat.

Thin Air by Michelle Paver is chock full of chilly atmosphere and ghosts. Set in 1935, five men set out to conquer Kangchenjunga,encountering ghosts, haunting memories and spirits of the past. The higher they climb, the darker it gets.
threaded expertly with intrigue and bone-freezing spooks.

Cold enough to freeze the carrot off a snowman,but things are warming up on the author front. Working through the last half of the current novel and had contact from past collaborators looking to rekindle a shelved project. Might make a few snow angels while I mull over the pluses and minuses.
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Happy birthday to my (other) One True Love. #bowie

In 2025, don’t just normalise saying ‘no’ as a whole answer and setting boundaries. Normalise screaming it in a guttural roar like a death metal Nordic troll.

Absolutely this! Nothing nicer than seeing one of my books unexpectedly pop up on my social media feed. It’s like a jump-scare, but fun ☺️

Exclusively video game soundtracks for me, and skip to the ‘boss battle impending’ track when I get to the laundry

If you need a good accountant I can put you onto mine. They’re wonderful at tax avoi….i mean, ensuring all expenses are accounted to the fullest 👍🏻

Your hair looks badass today. Yes, all of you reading this! Great hair day everyone *round of high fives*

This is how my Other Half asks me to pick up pizza on the way home. I am eternally grateful I married a fellow nerd

Handy resolution for 2025. Nurture the people who are the wind beneath your wings and disassociate from the people who are the birds in your propeller

Have spent the night lying down with my OH listening to music we knew when we were both 17. Makes the 17 year old that still lives inside you just below the surface float to the top. Magical. Music is strange alchemy.

Comparison is the thief of joy x

I am due to go to Wales next month , and I am trying to get in some semblance of healthy shape, but this is being undercut by the fact we still have a haul of biscuits to get through. I did consider sharing them with the birds in the garden but…nah.

How do you cope with leftover Christmas Treats?

Any British bookish folks out there? Want to build a small army to talk about books while arguing about cream and jam on scones and the correct way to queue. (Bonus points if I can add you on insta/threads too)

After a holiday season of sitting static on the sofa like a chicken nugget, halfway through some tentative sit-ups, my back made a series of noises like rapid popping bubble wrap, and my lower back pain is gone. Soooo satisfying.

New year, same old me.

A haunting tale about loss and grief all set in the wintry snows of the French Pyrenees during a snowstorm.
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Is there a chillier way to start the month? Have you read any good ghost tales set in the snow?

Huzzah! We got snow.
Not a huge amount, but it’s still pretty and full of January prettiness.
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#snow #snowfall #landscape #landscapephotography #landscape_lovers #countryside #rural #england #jamesfahy #jamesfahyauthor