It's been a while...

Hello! Sorry it's been so long since my last email but I have been locked in my writer's cave working on a totally new project - but more of that later. How's things? It's incredible how quickly this year is galloping by. I can't believe it's almost three months since I was writing to tell you about the release of Missing on the Moor. The book has been a huge hit with Riverdale fans and has been number one in its category in the UK Amazon chart on more than one occasion, which makes me very happy indeed…

If you have read Missing on the Moor and have five minutes to spare to post a review on Amazon it would be brilliant. I love hearing what you think about Poppy's adventures and reviews are so important for us indie authors. Some readers have already been asking when Book Seven will be out. My aim was to have it ready for publication in May, and things were going according to plan until I had a call from my agent with the news that the Scandinavian publishers who have translated five of my books into Norwegian, Finnish and Swedish, were looking for a stand-alone pony book and was I interested in pitching an idea. Opportunities like that don't come along too often and when they do you have to grab them with both hands. So I spent a weekend scratching my head, plotting a story and dreaming up an entirely new cast of characters - both people and ponies.

They liked my idea and asked to see the completed novel, so I had to put Poppy and Cloud to one side and concentrate on the new book. I'm happy to say that after a lot of hard work I met their end-of-June deadline with a couple of weeks to spare. I've fallen head-over-heels in love with the new characters and can't wait to introduce you to them all. Not least the equine hero, a beautiful black Percheron called Cassius.

The good news is that the book is also being published through Amazon both as an ebook and paperback. I did take a break from writing for a family visit to Devon. Although it was a whirlwind trip we managed to squeeze in a day on Dartmoor. I feel so close to Poppy and Cloud when I'm on the moor and always come away feeling really inspired. I even met a mini-Cloud!

Whatever happens, there'll be a new Riverdale adventure later this year. So that's my news. I'd love to hear yours. And in the meantime... Happy reading! Amanda