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VERONICA HELEY started in crime…

…and has now happily returned to it with
not one but two series of gentle detective stories.

The Ellie Quicke Mysteries reached number ten, and was published in the summer of '09. This was Murder In House, in which Ellie was asked to find a girl who may or may not have gone missing of her own accord. Ellie's dreadful daughter Diana has now decided to get married again - but that will be another story, not available till the summer of 2010.

Meanwhile the new series called The Abbot Agency is going well. Widowed Bea Abbot runs a domestic agency which does not, repeat not, deal with murder…but occasionally finds itself doing just that. The fourth story, False Pretences, came out in December '09, and another will be ready for the end of 2010.

If I’ve counted correctly, False Pretences was my 64th book to be published, though they haven’t all been gentle crime. Along the way I’ve written a quartette of contemporary romance/suspense stories in the Eden Hall series, some historical fiction and many books with a Christian background for children of all ages… including Stories of Everyday Saints, which has proved a useful resource book for people working with children. I’ve learned how to write playlets, story-boards for cartoons and of course how to produce book reviews, articles and the odd short story – some of which appeared in the Methodist Recorder in 09. The early Ellie Quicke stories are now being reissued by Ostara, and audiobooks are also available of the books in the detective series.

I enjoy giving talks and workshops about writing, and served time on the committee of the Association of Christian Writers. I attend Pitshanger Methodist Church, run their bookstall and am a member of their prayer group. I’ve been married to a probation officer for forty something years, and we have one married, musician daughter.

For fun I read anything and everything. I’ve been a member of a book reading club for forty years. I enjoy meeting friends for coffee, I garden, I play patience with real cards…and think about stories I haven’t yet had time to write.

Free Bookmarks

I’ve had some rather nice bookmarks printed up with my photo on, and I wondered if anyone would like a signed one? If so, would you send a stamped, addressed C5 or DL envelope, not to me, but to the following address:

Veronica Heley Bookmarks,
30 Athelstan Drive,
CHARD
TA20 2HY
England

Only one bookmark per envelope. Correct return postage or the request falls into the ‘Cannot Collect from the Post Office category’. Wrong size envelope, ditto. For the information of those of us who still think in inches and not centimetres, a C5 envelope is the one in which you put an A4 sheet folded in half, and measures 9”x 6” or 22.9x16.2 cm. A DL is the one in which you put a three-times-folded A4 sheet, and measures 8”x4” or 11x22cm.

website by Mark Porthouse
© Veronica Heley 2008