Hello from Western Australia! I have just crawled blinking out of the Writing Cave (YES!!! I finally got to "The End!") and am finally starting to catch up on all the
things I've been neglecting in the past several weeks while finishing the latest book...
I find that life goes completely on hold when I'm desperately trying to finish a manuscript as I'm at the keyboard from morning till night, only stopping to eat & sleep... The house becomes a pigsty, the husband becomes a lot thinner whilst I become a lot fatter (yes, even the eyebrows get bushier!)... BUT it's done now! The completed (double) manuscript has been sent off to my team of beta readers for feedback, and I am now reclaiming my waistline, getting back into personal grooming and my poor husband has finally had a proper home-cooked meal 😉. And I'm finally getting a chance to send you a hello! I must say, I received so many enthusiastic emails from readers after my last chatty newsletter that I was really surprised and touched! Here are just a few: ❤️
"I wanted to tell you that your last newsletter was a joy to read. The description of the food was so interesting. Everything looked delicious. Being a cat lover, I loved the picture of Muesli on the
suitcase!" "Of all the authors I follow, your newsletter is by far the best and most fun! Always read them all and enjoy them thoroughly - I love the way you chat about different topics, your sense of humor and the colorful pictures." "So good to hear from you. Your newsletters are always good to read, almost as good as a fudge mystery."
"I loved reading this!!! I can imagine the foods you had. I love various foods. I live in Midland, TX... thanks for this precious newsletter that put a smile on my face." "This was one of the best author newsletters that I have read in a long time. Thank you, and I am so thankful for your husband's recovery and your time with your mom. I have always supported Taiwan, but now think I would like to visit Taiwan." I try to reply personally to as many messages as I can but I just wanted to say again: thank you! ❤️ You know, my "natural" way of writing (& talking!) is a very chatty, personal style where I share lots of
stories and photos. I'd always worried about that because we're often told as authors to keep our newsletters as brief announcements about book releases and sales and nothing else... but that feels so cold & business-like to me and I've always struggled with that style. So it was incredibly reassuring and heartwarming to receive all these messages telling me how much you enjoyed reading my emails. And you know what? It's made me decide to "just be myself" - and to continue writing more in my natural style, especially as so many of you seem to LOVE the travel anecdotes, the "food porn" 😉, the personal stories and photos. So from now on, I'm going be sharing more "fun stuff" in each newsletter. ** But don't worry - I will put all the book news first at the top of each newsletter so those of you who are only interested in that can ignore the rest! So without further ado
(says the person who just wrote 6 paragraphs - haha!)
I'm so elated to have finally finished writing the finale to the Bewitched by Chocolate mysteries. OMG, the completed manuscript came in at a staggering 170,000 words!! 😲 That's almost 3 times the length of most average cozy mysteries - it's essentially almost 3 books - no wonder it's taken me
months and months longer than I'd anticipated!
(OK - I wasn't quite writing on a typewriter...
but at times, it certainly felt like it ! 😜) The manuscript has now been sent to my team of beta readers for their feedback, after which I will be making revisions to story/characters based on their suggestions... and then the manuscript will go on to my editor, before coming back to me to do the edits... and then it's sent out again to my 2 proofreaders (I have a British one and an American one to cover both sides of the Atlantic! 😉) before coming back to me once again to do all the final
corrections...! So it's still going to be a while yet before the book(s) are ready for release, especially as it's such a long manuscript(s) this time that all the stages will take longer! But I will keep you posted on the progress and I'm hoping that the books will be ready for release in early summer
(June!) In the meantime, it's a great opportunity to catch up on the earlier titles in the series if you haven't read them all yet. Here's a link to the books on Amazon: Bewitched by Chocolate mysteries (7 books)
** NOTE: The Bewitched by Chocolate mysteries will be leaving the Kindle Unlimited (KU) library
catalogue on the 14th of April and will no longer be available to borrow after that time. You will still be able to purchase them as usual, of course, but you will no longer be able to borrow & read them with your monthly KU subscription. So if you're a KU subscriber
and haven't read all the earlier titles yet (or you've been meaning to try the series) - this is your last chance to borrow them while they’re still in the subscription programme. If you've purchased the titles outright, then don't worry - they're yours to read and re-read and
enjoy for as long as you like! 😊
What about the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries & the English Cottage Garden Mysteries? Will there be more
books? For all the readers who have been emailing me, asking anxiously about these 2 other series... don't worry, I do intend to continue writing these and there will be more books. However, as I think it's important to only write when you have good inspiration for a story, I don't plan books to a set schedule. As soon as I come up with a strong idea for the next book, then I
will add to each series. 🙂 ** If you haven't checked out these 2 series yet, here are the links! Oxford Tearoom Mysteries (12 titles) English Cottage Garden Mysteries (6 titles) Foreign editions/translations news... I have also been busy behind-the-scenes working with my French and German translators to
put the finishing touches to the next new release in each language (Book 11 of the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries - known as "Un soupçon de lait" in French and "Mord süß-sauer" in German). They should both be releasing in the next couple of weeks but you can pre-order either of them now! And in the meantime, for any French fans who prefer to buy from bookshops, the previously released two volumes in the Oxford Tearoom series (Books 9 & 10) are now available in all good bookstores across France, through my partnership with French publisher City Editions.
We're heading into autumn here in Australia (thank goodness the heatwaves & bushfires of summer are over!) and - dare I say it - finally getting a hint of chill in the mornings, which means that I'm starting to crave something warm and cosy for breakfast... and that usually means oatmeal! Yup, porridge is what I eat most mornings, except during
the hottest months of the year: old-fashioned rolled oats cooked in water until creamy (not milk - eeuw - can't bear the "skin" that forms on hot milk!! 😝) - and flavoured with just a tablespoon of honey (I like it quite plain). And you know who else enjoys a bit of porridge in the mornings? Muesli! Yes,
it's the oddest thing for a cat but she goes crazy for oatmeal. She sits patiently by my chair at the dining table, like a little dog, waiting for me to finish eating and then she begs to lick the bowl clean! She only does this for oatmeal - nothing else.
We've asked our vet about this odd behaviour and he suggested that cats sometimes enjoy the taste of "fat", such as found in milk - but I don't use milk, only plain water, to cook my porridge, so it doesn't make sense. Besides, she's not interested if I'm just having normal cereal with milk. I'm convinced that Muesli has a sweet tooth and enjoys the taste of honey in the gooey porridge clinging to the sides of the bowl but the vet was adamant that cats don't have "sweet taste buds" and so cannot taste anything sweet (I just don't believe him!). Anyway, it remains a mystery! What about you - what's your favourite breakfast to have on a chilly morning? Do you like porridge too? (And does anyone else have a weird cat who loves oatmeal?? 😜)
Speaking of oatmeal, when we travelled to Copenhagen last year, we found a quirky little chain of cafes which serves nothing but all kinds of porridge! Called GRØD (which
means "porridge" in Danish) - the cafes feature a mouthwatering menu full of traditional Danish porridges with a modern twist, accompanied by delicious toppings such as creamy almond butter, salted caramel, crunchy roasted almonds and crisp Danish apples. This is porridge as a fine art, I tell you! (But without
the crazy fine dining prices 😉) I never knew a bowl of oatmeal could be so beautiful... or full of so many interesting textures and flavours!
You can also have other breakfast favourites like: "overnight oats with apple juice, cinnamon, chia & pumpkins seeds, topped with almond butter, fresh apples, roasted coconut and rhubarb compote" - or you can even build your own. And they also feature "porridge" dishes from around the world, such as Asian congee, Indian daal and Italian risotto - which make lovely savoury bowls for lunch and dinner. (You can take a peek at the menu here: https://www.groed.com/en/menu) So if you're ever visiting Copenhagen, you must check out one of the GRØD cafes! There are several all over the city - the branch we went to was in Christianshavn, a quirky neighbourhood on the south side of the river, criss-crossed by canals and waterways, and filled with picturesque Danish houses. It has a bohemian, down-to-earth vibe and great foodie destinations, as well as several interesting sights and attractions.
My favourite spot in Christianshavn was the Church of Our Saviour - a beautiful Baroque church with a 48-bell carillon that plays delicate melodies daily. But what got me really excited was climbing to the top of the church's serpentine spire tower... because the last 150 steps
are EXTERNAL!! Yes, you read that right. The steps wind around the outside of the tower and it is a pretty hair-raising climb, although the experience and stunning views across the royal city of Copenhagen are worth it!
OK, I have to admit - I chickened out on the last 100 steps. I only made it halfway up the external staircase... it was just a bit too scary up there, clinging to the outside of the tower, with the wind buffeting you and only one hand on a rail for security! 😜
But still, it was a thrilling experience and I highly recommend it if you're ever visiting the Danish capital. You do have to be relatively fit (there are 400 steps to
the top!) and not suffer from claustrophobia, as the ascent can be very narrow in places, squeezing past the wooden beams and enormous church bells. (Probably not ideal if you have a fear of heights either!) But I promise it'll be one of your most memorable travel experiences! Oh - and the church happens to be on the corner of the street where the GRØD cafe is, so it's really handy - you can pop in for a bite before or afterwards (maybe afterwards, because climbing 400 steps with a belly full of oatmeal is not to be recommended... I speak from experience!! 😅) (And now I feel like I really want to write a mystery set in Copenhagen - haha!)
Finally, for all the "kitty people" here... I forgot to share this in my last newsletter when I was telling you about my trip back to Taiwan to visit my mother over Christmas & New Year. While out and about in Taipei (the capital of Taiwan), we met this gorgeous 10yr old American Shorthair tabby called Vaga... Don't you think he looks just like a stuffed toy? 😍
You often see British Shorthair cats but I've never seen an American Shorthair in real life, only in books! Vaga was out for a walk in the local park with his owner and enjoying all the attention from passing admirers! You can watch our little encounter here...
** If you missed my last newsletter and would like to read it, you can see it HERE Well, I hope you enjoyed the stories & photos - let me know if you like this new
newsletter format!
Thanks for reading - talk soon!
Hsin-Yi
(H.Y. Hanna)
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