Month: July 2025

Summer news – 2 things!

/ Caron Allan / 6 Comments

I hope you’re all having a fabulous summer–you parents are probably already counting the days to when the kids go back to school, though, right? I remember the first day back when I used to sit and just listen to all that silence… bliss!

Welcome to all the new subscribers–there have been quite a number of you just lately – thank you so much, and I really hope you enjoy your free book. And a warm welcome back to you stalwarts who have been with me for a few years now, thank you so much for your continued support and interest.

I just have two quick things to tell you this month–I’m keeping it short (about time, I hear you say…)

1. Guess what? I’m now ‘officially’ cancer free!!!!!!!!!!! Woo!!!!!!!!! After almost two years of really tough times, we finally got the good news from my oncologist a couple of weeks ago. I can’t take it in, it still seems unbelievable. Hopefully I will start to enjoy my new freedom from hospital appointments, treatment, endless tests and checks, and just… well, get on with my life. Trips to the hospital comprised 75% of my social life–I have no idea what I’m going to do with all that free time now. Here’s a pic of the top of my head – I’m ecstatic to have hair again, it’s soft like a baby’s and a bit curly – though rather greyer than I remembered! (Yeah but my skin’s still awful!)

2. My new Dottie Manderson mystery is out on the 6th September. It should have been two weeks earlier than that, but a few things have  prevented me from meeting that deadline. And it seemed better to put the date back by two weeks than a few days. So that’s Midnight, the Stars and You – book 8 of the Dottie Manderson mysteries coming out on the 6th September 2025. If you’re desperate for something to do, you could head to this page on my blog and find out more about the book, and if you’ve got a few dollars/pounds/euros burning a hole in your pocket, preorders for eBooks are available here. Pre-orders are not available for paperback, hardback or large print paperback but I promise you they will be available on release day in September.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for the encouraging/uplifting messages you’ve sent me in the past, helping me to get through the dreaded Big C. I really appreciated it.

 

Marsali Taylor’s An Imposter In Shetland #blogtour #ANIMPOSTERINSHETLAND

/ Caron Allan / 4 Comments

About ‘An Imposter in Shetland’:

When an internet lifestyle influencer arrives on Shetland to document her ‘perfect’ holiday, the locals are somewhat sceptical.

Joining a boat trip to the remote islands of St Kilda with sailing sleuth Cass Lynch and her partner DI Gavin Macrae, the young woman seems more concerned with her phone than the scenery.

But when it’s time to leave, there’s no sign of her. Despite mounting a desperate search, she’s seemingly vanished without trace – from a small island in the middle of the sea.

As a puzzling investigation gathers pace, there are more questions than answers – and uncovering the truth will reveal dark and long-hidden secrets…

Review:

5 stars!

I absolutely loved this book. It was good to catch up with some favourite characters from previous books, not just our protagonist Cass, but her lovely boyfriend/partner/cat daddy Gavin, a detective inspector with the police, and their sailing colleagues and Shetland pals, Magnie, Donald, and Inga… not to mention the cats!

Wouldn’t it be lovely to be in that sitootery right now with a cup of coffee and a chocolate digestive or two, with this book on your lap but really it would be as if it was a play going on in front of your eyes…

Add a cast of intriguing characters – some local, some visitors, a range of ages and experiences, yet all with a common passion for sailing around the Shetland isles, visiting the famous island of St Kilda along the way. Cass is teamed up with some trusty sailing colleagues to head up the trip. Then as always in this series, there is the constant challenge of the natural elements – human against the wind and the waves, Cass is teaching youngsters how to find their way at sea.  There’s an ‘influencer’ who keeps herself to herself – has she planned this? Is someone out to harm her? Questions and layers emerge as the story progresses, and like me, you’ll be trying to solve this case before Cass and Gavin do!

You’ve got to read this book! I’ve read them all and this is even better than the last!

The Blog Tour

Check out these other brilliant blogs and social media pages which are featuring this book this week:

kaz loves books 

miriam drori’s blog

bookaddict twylie

jo fenton’s blog

vicarious living

donna morfett andrews

writers block

anita d hunt

mason’s menagerie

bookaholic

val penny’s book reviews

bookmark and stages

sheena macleod all about books

celtic connexions

Author Biography

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland’s scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland’s distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women’s suffrage in Shetland. She’s also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.

Links

Facebook

Website

Amazon Author Page 

To Buy

 

Ain’t Misbehavin’ – a 1930s caper story

/ Caron Allan

This one is still in the planning stages – and will not be out for quite some time – I won’t begin writing it until next year! But I’m soooo excited about this story, I’m hoping it will be fun and fairly light-hearted. It’s all about con-artists getting away with it – or will they?

Did I say planning? Yes, that’s exactly what I said. And that is odd – because I am notoriously resistant to planning – I’m a pantser, or… I was a pantser. I’ve carefully planned this book well in advance, which is very unusual for me. I can’t wait to see what happens!

 

The title is from a Fats Waller song that was very popular around that time, and I am grateful to author Jane Tulloch for the suggestion when I was struggling for a title! Thanks Jane!

Meanwhile here’s a couple of cover ideas I’m considering. I always make my cover first before writing a book – it helps me to get an idea of what the book looks like, gives it an identity in my mind and gets my thoughts going in the right direction. I’ve gone for the current trend of cream background with a border, and text ‘on the wonk’. Who knows, that might be out of vogue by the time this book sees the light of day, but we all need a starting point, don’t we?

Let’s hope this is a caper that will work out well for all concerned!