The VIP Readers Club

by Michael Campling

Hello

“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.”

― A.A. Milne

I hope you're keeping safe and well. Apologies for the delay since the last newsletter. I feel as though I've been particularly disorganised of late, but I'm pleased to be discovering some surprises as I work on the upcoming Devonshire Mystery.

After getting into a muddle in the middle of the first draft, I came to a series of new realisations about the story. The book is now taking on a life of its own, so I hope to make faster progress with the second half of the first draft.

In the newsletter I have another brief snippet with a longer version on our site, and there are some featured photos. I'm also trying out the new polls feature on my ko-fi page, and I'll pick one respondent to win a free ebook of their choice.

But first, here are some words of thanks:

Cheers!

A heartfelt thank you to these lovely people who have sent me a mug of tea. I'm raising a mug of Earl Grey in honour of these recent supporters:

Tamara, Charlie & Kathy, Jen, Pauline, Gladeyes, Carmen, Mary, Mary Anne, Dario

plus regular supporters: Alonza and Lara.

Thank you all for your kind words and support.

Want to join them?

Keep me Writing with a Mug of Tea

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You can now get weekly summaries from my website. They're simple but they're free and you can unsubscribe at any time:

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Featured Photos

I was fortunate enough to have been given a helicopter ride experience for my last birthday, but since my birthday is in October we waited a while to book it.

I’m happy to say we picked a perfect day to enjoy it.

Afterwards, we stopped at Exmouth for a walk along the coast before returning home.

Despite having lived here for well over 25 years, we’re still finding places where we stop and say, “I can’t believe we’ve never been here before.” The photo below is from the Wray Valley Trail which was made on the route of the Victorian railway that ran from Newton Abbot to Moretonhampstead. 

The above are taken from a larger collection on my website, and the images there are larger, so they're worth a look. You'll need to sign in or register to see each set in full, but as you probably know by now, membership is free:

View more photos on my website

A Very Advanced Snippet

This is a very early draft. Most writers don’t share first drafts at all, but I’m happy to share it with members of the site, and that means you’ll need to register or sign in, but here's a taster.

Prologue

The Reverend Gregory Southgate stood alone in the Parish Church of St Raphael, the sole place of worship in Embervale. This parish is only one of the four that he serves as vicar, but he often lingers here when his regular duties are done for the day. Of course, all of God’s houses are equally splendid, but there’s something about this small but elegantly proportioned church that speaks to his heart.

Outside, the sun had set at last, the pale light of the evening finally fading. The days were growing longer as spring tightened its grip on the landscape, but the day had been a cold one. There’d been talk of a storm, and though the ancient stone walls had stood firm against the elements for centuries, the roof was a different matter, and the wind was already whistling and whining through the rafters high above him.

Read the rest of the Snippet

Prizewinning Poll

Ko-fi have recently introduced a poll feature, so I thought we'd test it out by giving you a chance to see what you'd like to see more of in the VIP Readers Club.

I won't be able to see who voted, so please leave a comment (no matter how short) on the poll and I'll pick a random winner and announce it in the next newsletter - they'll receive a choice of one of my ebooks for free (so long as they look for their name and claim it).

Have a go at the poll

What's Next?

I'll be interested to see what the poll reveals. I like the idea of writing some more content, perhaps a wry look at the world written in an entertaining way. Lord knows there's enough trouble and strife to read about - it's hard to avoid it - but perhaps I can at least try to provide a warmhearted alternative.

I'll be working away at the new mystery, of course, and I hope to share another snippet. I'll endeavour to be quicker with the next newsletter.

I hope to get a little more organised, but in the spirit of A.A. Milne, not completely.

All the best.

Until next time, happy reading and take care.

Mikey C

PS: would you like more content or to get in touch?

Please visit my website and comment there or join our Facebook group. Alternatively, you can reply to this email but you'll get a much faster response on the site or in our Facebook group.

My website: michaelcampling.com

Our facebook group: VIP Readers Club

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