Revisiting my NZ/UK Trilogy

Except for those outstanding ones that acquire classic status, most modern novels lapse into obscurity within a few months of publication. This is a pity because they might well remain readable for years to come. The huge number of new books being released every day is one reason for declining sales. Another is a lack of ongoing marketing and, in common with many other authors, I feel uncomfortable with self-promotion. But there are times when it has to be done, so this post is about the revival of some of my earlier work.

Ten years have passed since I began my self-publishing career through Amazon kdp, with a short novel called Carmen’s Roses. Encouraged by its success I went on to write two sequels, Blue Moon for Bombers and The Windflower Vibration, published separately and then as a combined set called Three Novellas. To mark their 10th anniversary, and in the hope of reaching a wider readership, I am now reissuing them as low cost e-books on multiple channels through the Draft2Digital platform.

The first book Carmen’s Roses is set in Devonport, the Auckland suburb where I live. It is a story of mystery and romance which touches on some deeper themes. The narrator, Iris, is leaving the English winter to take a holiday in the New Zealand sunshine, with the intention of completing her recovery from a serious illness and making amends for a shameful episode in her past. But the shock of a sudden death, the shadow of an old love affair, and the onset of ominous new symptoms threaten to destroy her hopes of happiness and healing. The book, described by one reader as an “Interwoven tale of love, mystery and more than a touch of the paranormal'” received 5-star reviews on Amazon, for example “Jennifer draws believably on her medical background and in this story weaves a very tangled web indeed”.

The second book, Blue Moon for Bombers, is set in England in 2007, when an old man in his hospital bed is haunted by memories of serving with Bomber Command in World War Two. Meanwhile back in his country home, the continuing fallout from his wartime trauma leads to rising tension among the two younger couples who are marooned indoors by the summer floods. With testimony from an unexpected visitor, and some guidance from the spirit world, the family’s secrets are revealed and the emotional wounds begin to heal. Again, the reviews were positive: “Excellent strong plot … like a Victorian novel set in modern times” “Brilliant ending”.

Thirdly The Windflower Vibration, with action split between Takapuna in New Zealand and Malvern in England, continues and weaves together the stories from the first two books. A man dies while swimming off an Auckland beach, and a woman who witnesses the event becomes involved in its aftermath. Was the death due to natural causes hastened by medical malpractice? Or was it one strand in a complex web spread over two hemispheres and two centuries? Although I think this book is equal in standard to the previous ones it gained less attention, perhaps because it deals with characters in later life – just one 5 star rating, no reviews.

Rereading my three novellas recently I felt they deserved a new lease of life. So if you haven’t seen them before, please have a look at these ebooks, and some of my others, through this link. There are print versions on Amazon too.