A new book series ... and a new car project.

We've been prepping a new book for publication in early Sept this year and I'm especially excited about this as it's set in Aotearoa, NZ. The Corrector is an action-packed revenge story featuring reluctant hero, Evin Hart. It's been fun getting my chompers into a new round of settings and characters. You'll be hearing more about this as the launch date in Sept 2025 approaches. I'm currently writing the follow-up and keep your peepers primed for an upcoming cover reveal.

Hold your horses. Where's Cal Nyx? Don't worry. She's simmering on the back-burner while the new series gets established. Trust me, Cal Nyx 4 is in the works.

Mmmhmmm, little work needed here...

The recent series of Mystery in the Library events promoting the Ngaio Marsh Awards presented several lovely get-togethers of readers, libraries and authors. It's special to connect with the folks who actually read your books and also to meet other writers because part of the gig is that we write in isolation and don't get that many opportunities to join up. I love the Ngaio's MITL events for these reasons as well as their singular promotion of NZ crime writing.

When I've not been tapping away on the writing projects, I've been banging away outside on a car revival. It's another classic. It's called a "project" as some of it was in boxes when it arrived. Lotta work to be done. The car was partially dismantled and has sat in various garages for many, many years. But I'm chipping away at it and I view these efforts as play. It's my reward after writing which I see as my work. The creative effort of imagination to produce a daily word count is both draining and invigorating. I feel good when I'm done but I'm literally bursting to get away from the screen and do something physical and practical rather than cerebral. Having said that, reviving a 55-yr-old piece of machinery without squillions of dollars also requires flexible thinking and inventiveness. Parts need refurbing or replacing or finding a random work-around to pass the eventual compliancing process, which is way more rigorous than a warrant-of-fitness for roadworthiness.

One of these things is not like the other.... Yup, bumper frame on top has had a bit of a nudge. Out comes the blowtorch and hammer.

The head-gasket on the engine block needs replacing, the clutch and brake hydraulics need updating, there are numerous bodywork repairs, wiring hanging loose everywhere and various parts in boxes that need to be put back on. I've already had the blow-torch out to heat and remove rusted and corroded brake lines. I'm planning a video of the day I try to fire the engine up.

Figuring out missing pieces and the provenance of original parts when the vehicle began life in the US, is a sleuthing exercise. As a friend commented recently, who needs Sudoku? Yup, every day brings challenges. I'm elated when I get a part off or dismantled intact. I watch endless YouTube videos for guidance and join the ranks of others doing their own repairs.

It's been pointed out to me that I'm a dying breed. Modern cars can't be repaired. Everything is throwaway. I think of the embodied energy in the forged and machined pieces that combine to make a classic car and I'm compelled to love them back to life. They were built to last a long time, in another era. Soon, no one will remember how to do this stuff. Yes, fossil-fueled cars are well on the way out but I don't currently live in a city or on a bus route so I need reliable transport and I find modern cars boring, expensive and unreliable. Anyhoos. I'm gradually ticking off jobs and doing what I can to bring this old beastie back to life. I'm old, my cars are old. We're all on the way out.

Bury me in my ute. Lol.

#workingclassartists #crimefiction #butch4femme #DIYclassiccarresto #lgbtqreads #sapphicfiction