Fiona Walker's Blog

The fields outside my study window are once again a-bleat with lambs that sound so child-like, I keep rushing outside on a wave of maternal instinct. Once there, the hedges are bubbling with birdsong, and the garden is a pomade of sweet scents.

I *so* love spring!

All of which makes me doubly grateful that I’ve finally delivered the latest Village Detectives novel after a difficult six months. Last autumn, my partner Sam broke his leg badly. His right thighbone was already full of plates and pins from a horse fall way back in the nineties that ended his eventing career, and this time it needed to be completely reconstructed, Bionic Man style. It was a big op. Poor Sam’s recuperation has been slow and painful. I’ve covered for him as best I can with my nurse’s cap plonked on top of the many hats Sam usually wears, although it’s been a terrific juggle with precious little time for uninterrupted writing.

As a result, writing dastardly deeds in Inkbury was far trickier than usual. Through November and December, I worked mostly in frantic snatches on my laptop in the mum-taxi/ambulance whilst waiting for teenagers to come out of schools and clubs or Sam to emerge from hospital appointments and physio. January was taken up rewriting these ‘carpark chapters’, which were frankly bonkers. In February, I thought I had a first draft, only to review it and change my mind completely about whodunnit. Thank goodness Sam started driving again in March, meaning he could reclaim the early-morning teen runs and I could return to the witching hours of my familiar late-night writing shifts. That transformed everything, and the last few weeks marked a joyfully exhausting nocturnal romp to the (all-new) end.

The Little Black Book Killer will be coming out in October. In it, Juno and Phoebe once again join forces to solve a village mystery, this time to uncover why Inkbury’s most pugnacious entrepreneur has been found dead in the cricket pavilion, and what that might have to do with the dating app Juno’s just signed up for.  With old rivalries, buried secrets, lonely hearts and a killer on the loose, it’s another fun-packed puzzler and available for pre-order HERE.

I’m now enduring the nail-biting wait for edit notes – of which there will be plenty, I’ve no doubt – and trying not to overthink the usual anxious maybes: maybe I should have made it darker, maybe I could have added in some horses and men in breeches, or those sexy elves which are all the rage in fiction. Then again, maybe I should just take May’s gorgeous canvas as inspiration for the next instalment, blossom floating down while the sap rises, and the welcome sight of Sam setting off at a brisk limp to forage wild garlic, Nordic poles clacking (because crutches make him feel old). He insists he’s almost ready to get back on a horse again.

And I’m already raring to write another book. If it features broken legs, sheep and bluebell woods seamed with pungent wild garlic, you’ll know why.

I’m excitedly strapping on my digital roller-skates to announce through my virtual megaphone that a brand new Fiona Walker novel is out today, published worldwide by the brilliant Boldwood Books.

The Poison Pen Letters sees the Village Detectives back in action in leafy Inkbury.  Filled with colourful characters and dastardly deeds – plus plenty of tantalising twists and a sprinkle of romance – it is the perfect toasty escape as the nights draw in.

When crime writer Phoebe receives an invitation to her own funeral, she has no intention of taking it lying down. She and her husband Felix are straight on the case, along with old friend and neighbour Juno and pub landlord Mil. But before they know it, the postman drops dead on Phoebe’s doorstep, and the whole village is caught up in the drama.

Phoebe strongly suspects the culprit is close to home, but Felix is convinced it’s somebody from his wife’s past, possibly from their madcap London dating days (which some readers may remember from my ‘nineties romcom novel Kiss Chase). Meanwhile, Juno is investigaing the back-stabbing village book club, and Mil has skeletons of his own in the cupboard.

The Poison Pen Letters is available in hardback, paperback, eBook and audio. Starting at just £1.99, it’s a bargain of a reading treat. Please click below to find out how to buy.

And if you haven’t already read The Art Of Murder, they make the perfect double act!

I am eternally everyone who buys and reads the books in The Village Detectives series, and if you can find the time to review them – even just clicking a star rating at the end – that makes a world of difference too. Please share the news, tell your friends, gift them to crime-loving rellies and send up a wish for Disney+ to commission a series asap.

Finally, don’t forget you can subscribe to my publisher’s dedicated Fiona Walker cosy crime newsletter, which will soon be featuring an exclusive Village Detectives Christmas short story, as well as regular news and giveaways.

I’m delighted to reveal the gorgeously deadly cover of the second novel in The Village Detectives series, The Poison Pen Letters, which comes out on 8th November.

Phoebe and Juno are back with a new case, and it’s perplexingly toxic! There are plenty more sinister goings-on in beautiful Inkbury, alongside new friendships, family fracas, animal antics and village high jinks. Here’s the blurb…

We regret to announce the tragic death of Phoebe Fredericks…

When crime novelist Phoebe opens the post and receives an invitation to her own funeral, she’s horrified. Not least because the date of her death is marked as tomorrow.

Deciding it’s nothing more than a prank from an enemy from her past, she determines to put it to the back of her mind.

But the next morning, when her completely infuriating postman (who likes to think himself her no.1 literary critic) rings her doorbell, a parcel of poisoned pen-nibs explodes in his face. Forced to confront the fact her correspondence is more RIP than RSVP, Phoebe realises someone must want her dead.

Together with the newly-formed Village Detectives – Juno, Mil and Felix – Phoebe resolves to find out who is behind the poison pen letters before they strike again, and her fate is signed, sealed and delivered!

The Poison Pen Letters will be published in eBook, hardback, paperback, audiobook and large print, so it’s perfect to gift as well as guzzle. Print versions can be pre-ordered right now by clicking below, and the audio link will follow soon.

If you haven’t yet read The Art of Murder, that’s also available in all formats and is just a click away; simply follow this LINK.

There’s lots more info about Phoebe and Juno’s new adventures in The Village Detectives section of this site. To hear first about upcoming books in the series, and receive exclusive offers and content, please subscribe to the Boldwood Books Fiona Walker newsletter by clicking on the envelope below and following the instructions.

If you want to ask anything about The Village Detectives or my other books, you’re also welcome to get in touch via the Contact page or leave a comment below; I always love to hear your thoughts. And I’m enormously grateful to all of you who have already bought The Art of Murder, especially for the lovely ratings and reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and social media – they make such a world of difference!

My first novel, French Relations, was published on 7th July 1994, which makes it thirty today. Shocking to realise that it is now older than I was back then.

I started writing it in my early twenties to pass the time whilst recuperating from illness, returning from a hectic London house-share to my parents’ Berkshire cottage for a break. What began as a short story grew to 800 pages over the course of a year’s feverish writing, interspersed with part-time work at a local saddlery.

The book has a vast cast of characters, all gathering in a gorgeous turreted cream manoir in the Loire Valley for a family holiday that culminates in a riotous al fresco party. Amid the suncream and apéros, Citroens and Chablis, my heroine Tash falls head over heels in love…with the wrong man. It was a pure escapist joy to write, two parts Jilly Cooper to one Jane Austen and a quarter Gen X daydream.

Mine was a star-crossed publication journey. The first agent I submitted it to loved it; the first editor she shared it with also loved it. Before I knew it, I was in Hodder and Stoughton’s Bedford Square boardroom being introduced to the team over champagne and canapes. I was signed for two more books and, as the cliché would have it, I ‘never looked back’.

Except I do look back quite often, especially now that the publishing world is so different. And I’m continually stunned and humbled by how lucky I was to get my break the way I did.

My introduction to life as an author came in a haze of two-bottle lunches in Bloomsbury and glamorous nights out wooing key buyers in the Café de Paris or partying with booksellers in swanky hotels. The publicity my debut received was amazing, although in my naivety I didn’t appreciate how rare it is for a new author to have a full-page photograph in the Sunday Times magazine or be interviewed on Woman’s Hour. I just went with the flow and loved every minute.

Looking back, I can see how kindly I was treated for being so young, particularly in an era when few writers emerged in their twenties, fewer still in commercial women’s fiction. These were the years before Bridget Jones slid down her fireman’s pole to spark the Chick Lit revolution. Publishing was still entirely analogue: no internet, no Amazon, Kindle, social media, blogs, metatags, algorithms or TikTok trends. Just page-turners, thumping good reads…and giveaways.

Hodder gave away a pair of espadrilles with every hardback of French Relations sold out of a ‘dump bin’ (the glorious name for the now-outdated promotional cardboard bookshelf displays offered to bookshops for certain titles). The warehouse soon filled up with footwear and, much to their alarm, poor booksellers found themselves asking each customer’s shoe size to go with their summer read. It drove them mad, but it worked; copies of French Relations raced out of shops as fast as those woven soles could carry them.

By the time I celebrated my own thirtieth birthday, I’d written half a dozen more novels, including a sequel to French Relations in which Tash got together with the right man. I’d also toured and promoted around the world, met a host of amazing authors, sold over a million books and had the time of my life.

That was more than half a lifetime ago. The perks may be far fewer these days, but I still write exactly as I did then – often late at night, fuelled by caffeine, typing ever more addictively and feverishly as deadlines approach, borrowing from real life, falling in love with my cast, and giggling at with glee when funny moments land. And the fictional parties are just as riotous, although confess I bump off the odd guest now. (But only the really annoying ones).

I’d love to one day return to that dreamy cream manoir in the Loire to see how they’re all doing. Meanwhile, I will never underestimate how lucky I was to find myself in the right place at the right time thirty years ago and to have enjoyed such a lucky run.

Bon anniversaire, French Relations. Thank you for starting it all. Je croise les doigts pour que je fasse un retour (meme si je dois tuer pour le faire).

May has come as a delicious shock because I’ve barely looked up from writing since February. Then, earlier this week, I delivered the second Village Detectives novel – out in November, yippee – and realised that Spring’s finally sprung, the greyhounds were out in the garden sunbathing, and it’s publication month already.

First Country Secrets is romping out in paperback today, and later this month, the Village Detectives spring into action in The Art of Murder, which will be published across all formats on Monday the 20th.

I’ve had two unopened boxes of author copies waiting on a table behind me all week, which I was vaguely saving for an ‘unboxing video’, but life is too short, as are my unmanicured nails. I’m sure you’d rather read the books than see me wrestling with packing tape, shrink wrap, and scissors. Instead, I’ll inbox and photograph them for this blog, including those pre-requisite pimp-my-pet paperback shots.

Done! And I’ll offer a giveaway soon, so watch this space. But if you don’t wish to trust the fickle hand of fate – or the disorganised multi-tasking of Walker – you can order Country Secrets in paperback by clicking below…

…and to pre-order The Art of Murder in paperback or eBook, audio and even a lovely hardback, please click below.

And don’t forget you can sign up for Boldwood’s Fiona Walker newsletter HERE (they’re far better organised at giveaways).

I’ll be back with more about Juno and Phoebe’s return soon!

To subscribe to this blog, please fill in your email below:

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With my life of crime now in full swing, I’m thrilled to share the cover of the first book in the Village Detectives series, The Art of Murder. Isn’t it drop-dead gorgeous?

The Art of Murder comes out on May 20th. You can pre-order a copy by following the link below.

Meanwhile, the clever team at Boldwood Books has created a Village Detectives newsletter that will offer free giveaways and exclusive content. To sign up for that – and automatically enter into a draw to win a signed paperback – please click the link below.

I’ll be posting more here soon about both The Village Detectives and The Comptons, so please keep checking back or subscribe below for automatic updates when there’s a new blog post. It’s going to be a busy year, and I wouldn’t want you to miss anything!

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I’m delighted to have book news to share! The first of my Village Detectives series is coming out in May 2024.

Reuniting to solve mysteries whilst navigating midlife mayhem and a generous dollop of late-blooming romance are two of my all-time favourite heroines, Phoebe Fredericks from Kiss Chase and Juno Glenn from Snap Happy. I’ve always wanted to bring them back, firmly believing that a romcom’s happy-ever-after is only ever a beginning. Having also always longed to write whodunnits, this is the perfect opportunity to combine two characters I love and a genre I adore with all the usual romping rural Walker fun.

My new partners in crime are the wonderful Boldwood Publishers, who I’ve admired from the get-go. They’re a dynamic, award-winning and frankly brilliant bunch whose egalitarian approach to publishing is a breath of fresh air.

You can read more about the Village Detectives on this website by following this LINK.

To pre-order the first in the series, The Art of Murder, click HERE.

I’m ridiculously excited about next year and can’t wait to reveal the new Fiona Walker series, with two books in store for 2024 (yes, two!). Alas, I can’t say much yet because – like novelty socks, perfume and the latest Jamie Oliver – my surprise must stay under wraps until after Christmas. But I think it’s safe to divulge that it involves two of my all-time favourite characters reuniting. Here’s the mood board:

I’ve always loved the idea of revisiting those first 90s heroines who careered into the bestseller lists with their chaotic love lives, flat shares and dilapidated cars. In my head, they’ve rioted on like far-flung friends, growing up alongside me. Occasionally I get away with namechecking one, although sadly Tash and Hugo’s brief appearance in the Comptons never made it into print. To bring back a favourite heroine as the main protagonist is heaven; to reunite two is pure joy. Cue another mood board:

More details soon, I promise.

Meanwhile, the Comptons trilogy may be complete, but I haven’t left the villages or characters behind, I promise. Country Christmas tested the water for shorter, snappier episodes, and I’m delighted by how well it’s been received so far. There will be more novella instalments to come, following Petra and the Saddle Bags through further adventures, along with Pax and all at the stud, plus Carly, Ash, Kit and a host of four-legged friends. As readers have pointed out, there’s a lot still to find out…and there’ll be plentiful twists on the way.

If you haven’t yet read Country Christmas and would like to, you can download it to Kindle HERE, or order a paperback HERE. There’s also an audiobook and even a gorgeous little stocking-filler of a hardback. And fear not should you find this blog long after the turkey leftovers have been served; why not be a rebel and read it on a sun lounger?

Roll on 2024…! Before that, may your festive break be glorious and filled with love. Here’s my virtual Christmas card, with all my very best wishes:

Ding-dong Merrily on the Village Green!

I’m terrifically excited to announce that this year, the Comptons villagers are starring in a festive special.

The fairy lights are glowing, the carol singers are practising their harmonies, and snow is forecast. When Petra is tasked with finding a donkey for the annual Nativity Procession, she enlists the help of The Saddle Bags. With new romance sparking and old flames rekindling, what could possibly go wrong?

This little book is the perfect bite-sized mince pie introduction if you’ve yet to try the Comptons series and a merry return if you’ve already enjoyed them. It won’t give away any Country Secrets; the scene is Country Set and County Lovers will be kissing under the mistletoe. There are no puns quite as bad as that in Country Christmas, I promise – my editor strikes them all out with a red pen – but there is a wealth of heart, laughter and light-up Santa hats.

The novella is an Amazon exclusive, available on Kindle and in paperback, along with a stocking-filler-sized hardback edition, and an Audible Audiobook is following later this month, narrated by Olivia Coleman yours truly. You can read more about Country Christmas by clicking this LINK, or buy a copy here:

I’ll share news of other forthcoming books here soon, amongst which two of my favourite heroines from previous bestsellers are set to stage a come-back. Meanwhile, it has been a rollicking joy to deck Compton Magna on boughs of holly, and I hope that this novella will lead to many more featuring the village and characters old and new.

As always, I’m eternally grateful for all the support and encouragement I receive from this blog and from my social media shares. Your replies, reviews, messages and shout-outs are invaluable. Thank you!

It’s publication day for Country Secrets, and as always I’ve prayed for star-sparkled celebrity endorsements for my latest bouncy British romp. Failing that, I’ve made them up. This summer there was just one place to turn: Barbienheimer.

A big thank you to all the wonderful readers who continue to buy and borrow my books, who send me kind messages egging me on, who encourage others to discover me by leaving reviews on Amazon, Goodreads et al, and by sharing and tweeting your enthusiasm during my rare and nervous forays onto social media. Above thank you for reading my books in the same spirit they are written, with irrepressible, escapist joie de vivre. (Also a generous tolerance for puns and the occasional long sentence). You are my pink hearts, yellow roller skates and nuclear fission.

To read more about Country Secrets, please visit the book’s dedicated page HERE, where you can also find a sample chapter and links to purchase.