Large Print, Reviews and Frankfurt

[Pauline Rowson]

I received the large print edition of The Suffocating Sea, the third in the DI Andy Horton series of marine mystery crime novels last week, and it looks good. This will now be on sale on line or to order through bookshops, and also available on loan through libraries. In addition, The Suffocating Sea is available as a talking book, which can be bought as a download or in cassette and CD format, or on loan through the library service. And, of course, it is also available in paperback and hardback.

Reviews
The reviews are back on Amazon.co.uk along with the ratings, (they disappeared for a while because of a technical glitch). I didn't mind losing the bad reviews (and yes there are some, of course) but not the good ones. Bad reviews are to be expected, what one person thinks a killer read another considers 'tripe' and some people like to be controversial on the Internet (that's a polite way of expressing it). Perhaps getting bad reviews is a sign that your novels are beginning to become better known so should be welcomed? It's a thought anyway. I recently had a very entertaining e mail communication with a writer ( not of crime) where we compared our worse reviews. Anyway, whatever the reviews say on any web site, I am glad that Amazon has sorted out their technical glitch.

Frankfurt Book Fair
It’s the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair this week, and this year I won’t be going, although my novels are on the Frankfurt Book Fair web site with details of the rights available. It looks as though it might be a lively book fair in terms of protests. At least five groups, including Tibetan activists, have registered with the city to carry out protests. Let’s hope everything goes off peacefully!

I am looking forward to the London Book Fair though in April 2010, which I will be attending. I know it seems a long way off, but the time flies past. By then I’ll have a new Andy Horton published called Blood on the Sand. Can’t wait to see the cover design.

Back to this week though, and on Thursday I’m giving a talk and book signing at the 60+ festival being held in Portsmouth, UK. I will be at Portsmouth Central Library on 15 October at 2.30pm.

Apart from that it’s on with the writing. Andy Horton number six is coming along nicely.