Dear Visitor,

Well, I did try really, really hard to get the updates done by the first week in April, but I guess this is the second week in April, not the first. I don’t suppose any of you actually expected me to succeed, anyway.

Just a word to any of you reading this who are on the mailing list – I had a number of mailing-list letters returned to me this month, so if you haven’t had yours, that’s why. Those of you who have had the letter will know that you are still getting short shrift (whatever that is) at the moment, because of Number Thirteen, and indeed, the only point in getting it at all was that you got my bit of news in advance. Since I am about to announce it to the world at large, those of you whose mailing failed have missed nothing, but if you still want it, drop me an e-mail, and I’ll try again.

So…the news. The news is that shortly after I posted up my February/March newsletter on the website, I discovered that Death in the Family (the US edition of Births, Deaths and Marriages) had made it on to the New York Times hardback fiction bestsellers list. It crept in at number 35, and it crept right back out again, but for a week, I was officially a best-selling author. The worst best-selling author, I grant you, since there are only 35 books on the list (and that only because they’ve extended it), but I was there, and I was punching the air with some small satisfaction. Whooping with quiet gratification. Turning mildly pleased cartwheels. I was, as we literary types say, gobsmacked! I hope everyone who bought it enjoyed it, and if you are one of those people, thank you very much indeed.

This month’s competition winners have been notified – I had another big entry, which is great fun. I hope to be offering some special prizes in a couple of months or so, so keep your eye on it. This month, the winners will get a signed first US edition of Death in the Family.

I’m afraid that’s it for this month – Number Thirteen is leering at me, so I have to go. I sincerely hope that by next month I will be in a position to chatter on aimlessly about nothing in particular, but for now it’s nose to the grindstone and shoulder to the wheel and all that. We best-selling authors have a responsibility to our public, you know…

Love,
Jill

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