Clare Havens

'The streets were dark with something more than night…' Raymond Chandler

Writing

June musings

Thoughts from my June newsletter…

I have been reading a diverse selection of books this month including Michael Morpurgo’s ‘Song for Mrs Pettigrew’ which intersperses fact and fiction and which I absolutely loved. I got the book out of the library but will be buying my own copy! Michael Morpurgo’s book explores ideas of loss and belonging, a theme also prevalent in Kate Morton’s novel, ‘The Distant Hours‘. A character in this book mentions the word Seledreorig, Anglo-Saxon for ‘sadness for the lack of a hall’, a sense of lack of belonging, lack of home. As someone who has moved around the world to live in different cities I can identify with this feeling.
‘The Anglo-Saxons had a gift for sadness and longing… Seledreorig… sadness for the lack of a hall… there’s no word like it in the English language, and yet there ought to be, don’t you think?’ To read more, subscribe to my monthly free newsletter in the bar on the right.

Writing

Great Constable Site

I have recently discovered a site that features images of many of John Constable’s paintings. Anyone interested in seeing more of the work of this wonderful artist and especially the landscape of what came to be known as Constable Country – the inspiration for my Constable Country Mysteries series, should take a look here.

Writing

Wonderful review from Virginia McKenna!

The wonderful actress and founder of the Born Free Foundation, Virginia McKenna, has written a lovely review of The Bellamy Bird! This is such a thrill for me as I absolutely see Virginia in the role of Violet, the beautiful matriarch of the Bellamy family. The other delightful connection is that The Bellamy Bird refers back to Arthur Ransome’s classic book Swallows and Amazons. In the film version of the book, Virginia played the children’s mother, Mrs Walker, and the character Titty was played by the lovely Sophie Neville, who has also been incredibly supportive of The Bellamy Bird. I feel very fortunate to have connected with both of these talented women. Sophie is also an environmentalist, raising funds and awareness for the Waterberg rhinos and community. Please take a moment to look at both projects which are so near to Virginia and Sophie‘s hearts. Sophie is about to undertake a challenging horseback safari to raise much needed funds so please consider supporting her! Two inspiring women!

Here is Virginia’s quote:

A delightful,  intriguing and action-packed children’s adventure story, filled with suspense, that all grown-ups will love too!’

and here is Sophie’s:

Who wouldn’t love to find they’d traveled back in time and were able to solve the mystery that changed family fortunes! If you’ve loved ‘Swallows and Amazons’, ‘Just William’ and Agatha Christie’s Poirot stories, this book is for you. It’s charming and would make a great present for young readers, I’d say from the age of about 9 to 90.

Writing

Tailor Made available for pre-order!

Tailor Made, the third book in the Constable Country Mysteries series is available to pre-order at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble and other outlets! The official book launch is Leap Year Day – aka Feb 29th 2016. Click here to visit the book’s page on Amazon. Reviewers should contact me via my Facebook Page to request a review copy!
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Kate Summers, owner of the Constable Country Tearooms in the picture-perfect village of East Trimley, is asked to help when Jamie’s mother Maggie Williams is at the receiving end of some threatening behaviour. Is someone trying to force her to sell her farm? And what is this about a newly discovered Constable sketch? Detective Vicky Allard is soon on the scene, working with Kate to untangle a web of deception and lies.

‘Havens creates a perfect cozy mystery that had me guessing until the end. I loved the neighborhood, characters, the twists and turns, and how even the most charming little towns hold the darkest secrets’ – Bestselling author Bella Street.

Writing

This sounds like it could be as interesting as the Serial podcast…

Following in the footsteps of the Serial podcast which looked at the cold-case file of a murdered teenager in the US, the BBC’s Radio 4 is examining the case of a murdered girl and is apparently getting lots of leads even after all this time – amazing. The Serial podcast has led to an appeal hearing for the man who has been serving a sentence for the death of the American teenager. Let’s hope this new Radio 4 examination helps shed some light on what happened to Elsie Frost.

Writing

New 5 star review for Still Waters!

Brenda, a Goodreads Librarian, has posted a lovely review of Still Waters on Amazon and Goodreads – thank you Brenda!

I thoroughly enjoyed Still Waters by Aussie author Clare Havens, which is the second in the Constable Country Mysteries cosy series. The novel has a great plot with mystery woven through a story of family, hope and love; and entwined with greed, secrets and lies. I am really looking forward to the third in the series and have no hesitation in recommending Still Waters highly.

Writing

Sophie Neville, Titty from Swallows and Amazons, reviews The Bellamy Bird!

Such a lovely thing, to receive a five star review on Amazon.co.uk for The Bellamy Bird, from actress Sophie Neville, who starred in one of my favourite films, Swallows and Amazons, which was based on the book of the same name written by Arthur Ransome. Sophie says:

Who wouldn’t love to find they’d traveled back in time and were able to solve the mystery that changed family fortunes! If you’ve loved ‘Swallows and Amazons’, ‘Just William’ and Agatha Christie’s Poirot stories, this book is for you. It’s charming and would make a great present for young readers, I’d say from the age of about 9 to 90.

Several of Arthur Ransome’s books were set around rivers in Suffolk and Norfolk close to where I grew up and this is the same area I write about in my Constable Country Mysteries series. A lovely connection!
Writing

Still Waters, sequel to Writer’s Block is out now!

Still Waters, the second in my Constable Country Mysteries series, is out now on Amazon! Please don’t forget to leave a review!

Kate Summers, owner of the Constable Country Tearooms in the English picture-perfect village of East Trimley is looking forward to celebrating the holidays with her new partner, Patrick Collins, and his two grown children when Patrick’s financial advisor is found face down in their frozen lake. Detective Vicky Allard draws Kate into the investigation into missing money and dark secrets and Kate finds that the most normal of people can be capable of the darkest crimes. Still waters run deep…

Praise for Writer’s Block from bestselling author Bella Street:
‘Havens creates a perfect cozy mystery that had me guessing until the end. I loved the neighborhood, characters, the twists and turns, and how even the most charming little towns hold the darkest secrets…’