Imogen Clark's Blog
April 1, 2026
March 2026
Is it just me or has March raced by at a most ungainly speed? And why was March so speedy when January literally crawled along, and yet they both have thirty-one days? Time. It’s a mystery to me!
Anyway, here we are at the last weekend in March regardless. Ilkley is looking lovely with all the blossom out on its main boulevard (although don’t let the blue sky fool you – we had snow flurries here yesterday!) And this picture features my local independent bookshop which is interesting because . . . (and it’s almost as if I think about this)
Book News!. . . I will be having a launch evening for my new novel Late in the Day at The Grove Bookshop in Ilkley on Thursday 16th July.
I really enjoy these evenings. Mike, the shop manager asks me searching questions about the book which I do my best to answer, a read a bit of it and then answer questions from the audience too. Then we raise a glass, I sign some books and we set my book off on its journey.
If you would like to come then tickets will be available online a bit nearer the time but please stick the date in your diary.
I will also be speaking at Filey Literature Festival on Sunday 10th May and at Telling Tales in Chorley on Wednesday 17th June. Tickets for both are available online.
What am I writing?This month I’ve been editing the Imogen book for 2027, currently titled Seven Days. It’s set in the South of France and so it’s been odd reading about heat and swimming pools and cicadas while the temperatures are close to freezing outside. True escapism.
I went to France to research the book last summer and over the coming months I’ll share some of my photos of places that went on to become locations in the story. Here’s one, just to give you a taste.
At the same time, I’ve been thinking about my characters for the next book which I will be starting to write shortly. This one will open in 1985 and the characters will be a similar age to me. I had so much fun writing Impossible to Forget along a similar time line so I’m very much looking forward to writing this one too.
The next Izzy book. The House Sitter will go to my editor next month. I don’t have a publication date for that one yet but when I do you’ll be the first to hear.
Finally in this section, thank you to the members of The Margins Clubs and my Book Café who took the time to answer my Covers Questionnaire. The responses have been invaluable and I will be sharing them with my publisher as we work on my future covers.
Where have I been?After my epic trip last month, I’ve been a little closer to home in March. I spent some time in Wells-Next-the-Sea editing and was treated to a couple of spectacular sunrises. However, they’re getting a bit early even for me so I suspect I won’t see many more for a while!
I went to the theatre a couple of times. I saw magician, psychological illusionist and all round genius Derren Brown in his new show Only Human which left me slack-jawed as I tried to explain what I’d seen. Amazing. Even if you can work out what he did, the ‘how’ of it remains a mystery.
I also saw Cynthia Erivo in a one woman production of Dracula. That was very clever as well but not quite as scary or menacing as Dracula should be – which actually suited me as I’m such a wuss.
Coming up in April I have a trip to Croatia to see my son dance in Sleeping Beauty and then a Writers’ Retreat in Wales with the wonderful crime writer, Sophie Hannah. More of both of those next month.
What have I read?Lots to choose from this month as I had a bumper reading month but here are my four recommendations.
First is A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by MK Oliver. Lalla has stabbed an intruder who she found in her house. This inconveniently clashes with her young son’s birthday party but that’s okay. She’ll just keep the sitting room door closed, tell the children they can’t go in there and clear up later! This sets the tone for the whole book, an hilarious romp around middle class suburbia, with plenty of twists and turns and a protagonist in Lalla who you just can’t help but love.
Look What you made me Do by John Lanchester takes another pop at the middle classes but again is very cleverly done. Recently widowed Kate stumbles back to her book group only to hear them discussing a new hit TV show which seems to be based on her marriage. She is devastated, assuming that her newly dead husband must have been having an affair and shared all their intimate secrets. But the solution to the mystery is far more complicated that than. I loved the deliciously dark characters who you hate but have to admire.
In Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven we do indeed meet the Newmans, a real live all American family who have starred in a popular sitcom for two decades. However, this is the 1960s and the world is changing but the show is not. When the family’s patriarch and the scriptwriter Del, is indisposed his wife Dinah takes on the formidable task of trying to get the show to its end-of-series finale. They have no script, no sponsor and no support from the studio but Dinah is determined to show what she can do. This is such a heart-warming book with a great cast of characters and I particularly enjoyed that none of its messages are laid on with a trowel.
Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash is about the super-disfunctional Flynn family. Mother, father and three teenage daughters are wonderfully drawn but I particularly enjoyed the girls; one is dating a former soldier, one is being groomed into extremism and one is a genius who doesn’t really think like those around her. They all get caught up in a sinister criminal conspiracy and uncover the truth with great humour. The book opens with a reference to there being too many gnats and then any word containing ‘nat’ is spelled with a ‘g’ throughout. I reported the first one as a spelling error in the ebook . . . and then I realised!
And that’s your lot for this month. If you can’t wait until next month then why not follow me on social media. You’ll find me on both Insta and Facebook as Imogen Clark Author.
I hope you have a lovely Easter and I’ll be here again at the end of April. Until then, happy reading.
Best wishes,
Imogen.
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March 10, 2026
February 2026
Hi there.
I know this says February at the top and we’re actually in March but I’ve been longer away from my desk than I anticipated. More of that later.
Angkor Wat at sunrise
Book News!The biggest piece of news is that Late in the Day has got a cover and I’m delighted with it. Creating a cover that says what you need it to is super-hard and my publishers have tried a number of directions for my books over the years. This is the first one that I’ve had a hand in myself. I love that it has a feeling of something being not quite right – the broken window pane and the knocked over cup, as well as that shadow which gives a the sense of someone being there but not seen. And then the flower in bud and the sunlight all suggest the positivity that I hope are trademarks of my book.
Unfortunately, the delay in getting to this point has meant that the publication day has been pushed back to 7th July but you can still pre-order HERE.
What am I writing.I have just put the final full stop on the next Izzy Bromley book which will be called The House Sitter. I’ve very much enjoyed writing this one and I have a great collection of characters for you to get to know. I’m not sure when it will be out yet but as soon as I know, you will be the first to hear.
On Monday, I start the edit for the Imogen book for 2027. This is the one that’s set near Antibes in the South of France and is currently titled Seven Days although I don’t know if that title will stick.
As you know, I’m not a fan of the edit process although obviously I understand how important it is. I much prefer writing the first draft and the challenge of creating something from nothing. However, my current editor has twenty-five years experience in the industry so I really value her input. Plus, she is a joy to work with so I’m almost looking forward to it. Ask me again when I get the notes!
After that, I will start writing the next Imogen book. I have the bare bones of the story. It will have a timeline from the 1980s to the present day and will be set in the UK and Africa (I think.) At the moment, it’s not much more than a concept in my head but I trust my process and all being well, by the time I start to write in May I will have a clearer idea of what I want to say.
Where have I been?This month I had a real adventure. I’ve been to Cambodia and Vietnam, including a wonderful eight days on the Mekong River. I haven’t been to mainland Asia before so there was a lot to take in. As well as enjoying several of the temple sites around Angkor Wat, we visited local farms and villages and saw various cottage industries including silk production, brass and copperware and rice paper making, all by hand.
I also visited the ‘Killing Fields’ and the prison where many of the Cambodian people were tortured by the Pol Pot regime. As you would expect, that was extraordinarily moving and we met one of only two remaining survivors from the prison. His life was spared by the Khmer Rouge because he knew how to fix the typewriter when it broke.
After that we sailed on into Vietnam. Post-war economic recovery has been stronger in Vietnam and the contrast between the two countries was apparent as soon as we crossed the border. We saw lots of floating fish farms along the edges of the river and we visited a bustling market with all manner of foodstuffs on display ( not all of it entirely palatable.) Again, we saw temples and enjoyed a couple of days in Saigon. We went to the Cu Chi Tunnels where we learned how the Viet Cong lived underground to escape and confuse the US troops.
Getting home was a bit of a challenge given the situation in the Middle East and so our trip was unintentionally extended by a couple of days and we eventually got home via Shanghai rather than Dubai but we did make it back.
It was a fascinating trip and whilst I have no immediate plans to incorporate it into a story, you never know how these things will re emerge via my imagination.
If you’re interested in more photos, head over to my Instagram page.
What have I read?First up this month is Love Iris by Elizabeth Noble Two very different families run into each other at the care home where their elderly relations are staying. Tess has a secret and is wanting to confide in her grandmother who no longer always recognises her and Gigi wants to turn her life upside down but doesn’t know who to talk to about it. It’s a gentle story that doesn’t go anywhere remarkable but is no less lovely for that.
This Book Made me Think of You by Libby Page is another gentle read. Tilly Nightingale’s husband dies but before he does he leaves instructions for the local bookseller to send Tilly a book a month for a year. Each book is chosen to help her recover from his death. Again, it does what it says on the tin and there are no surprises but it is a lovely read.
The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery is a cosy crime set in a stately home in 1910 just as Halley’s Comet is passing over the earth and all manner of destruction is predicted as a result. Whilst the family and staff are shut into the house to stay safe, a murder is committed and it falls to junior butler Stephen and Miss Decima, the foul-mouthed octogenarian sister of the Viscount to work out what is going on. It’s sharp and funny and very enjoyable.
Finally, The Eights by Joanna Miller is about the first women to attend Oxford University in 1920. The four very different women meet when they are allocated rooms on corridor eight and the novel follows them as they navigate their bumpy path through the university with all the difficulties you might anticipate. The women are beautifully drawn but the historical detail about the university and the rules applied to its female students will make your hair curl.
That’s everything for this month. Thank you for being here and reading to the end! And if you signed up to be in my team of early readers you should have had an email from me yesterday. If it didn’t hit your inbox please check your junk folders.
Until next month, keep reading.
Imogen.
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January 28, 2026
January 2026
I hope 2026 has kicked off well for you and is heading in the right direction. I seem to chasing my tail a bit but then I’d be bored if my tail stayed still so I’m not complaining. I took this beautifully tranquil image in Wells-next-the-Sea when I was there this week. And breathe . . .
I have news of something new and exciting that you might want to get involved with this month but first let’s have my
Book News!I hope you noticed that Izzy Bromley’s fourth book, The Glamp Site, came out last weekend. Readers seem to be enjoying it – it’s review average is 4.4 out of 5. ‘Michael’, a reader on Amazon, said.
“I read this new book in a few hours. I thoroughly enjoyed the learning and growing of the characters. I very much enjoyed the story.”
which I really like because, despite the book having a pink cover and people constantly trying to tell me that I write ‘Women’s Fiction’, anyone can enjoy my books. It’s out now in paperback and ebook from Amazon. It’s also coming in audiobook but rgw audiobook people are a law until themselves and so we have to wait for that. However, if audiobook is your thing, as it is mine, then it’ll be well worth the wait as Imogen Church narrates and brings the characters to life in her own inimitable style.
Turning now to Imogen books, I had a meeting with the publishers this week about the cover for Late in the Day which is proving to be particularly troublesome! You can preorder but the cover remains a tightly-guarded secret!
I have now delivered the book for 2027, working title Seven Days so we will begin editing that very soon.
What I’m writing.Hot on the heels of The Glamp Site, I am currently writing another Izzy book, The House Sitter. I’m about halfway through the first draft and as with all the Izzy books I’m having a great time. I can’t tell you too much so far but it’s about Lucy, Gerald and a motley crew of pets.
I’m hoping to finish writing that in March and then it will go off to the editors whilst I get on with editing Seven Days. And after that it’s onto the next Imogen Clark. I’m still doing a lot of pondering about that but the current working title is We Were Three and it’s very loosely based on something that happened to me about a quarter of a century ago.
Here is something new for In the Margins (the newish name for this newsletter). Those of you who have been here a while will remember that I used to ask for early readers of my books. I stopped asking when so many of the early reviews were rejected by Amazon. It seemed like a big ask to get you to read and then not have the review appear.
However, I gather this is something that no longer is an issue and so . . .
I am looking to build a small group of dedicated fans of my books who would be able to read an early copy of each book and, if they felt they could, post a review on Amazon and Goodreads on publication day. There may also be other tasks, such as responding to cover ideas and title suggestions.
If you would be interested in being part of this team then please reply to this email. I am thinking of doing this via a Facebook group so if you don’t use Facebook please say so in your email.
Where have I been?Well, 2026 has got off to a great start. I have already been to Zagreb to watch my son dance in The Nutcracker. They had a huge dump of snow the day we left so I was sad that we missed that but at least our travel wasn’t disrupted.
Then last week I was in Wells-Next-the-Sea writing and plotting (although not too much plotting as you know I’m not very good at that!) It rained all week so I didn’t get out walking as much as I’d have liked but here are a few snaps of each trip.
First, Notes on your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach. I very much enjoyed and recommended here her first book, The Wedding People and so expected something similar for her second but it is very different – much darker and without the humour. I enjoyed this one too but give due warning not to expect more of the same. This is the story of Sally, growing up very much in the shadow of her elder sister Kathy. When tragedy hits, Sally finds herself thrown together with Kathy’s super-cool boyfriend in ways that her family finds hard to understand. An interesting and sad coming of age story.
Wreck by Catherine Newman is the sequel to Sandwich which I recommended last year. Rocky is still juggling the demands of her young adult children and her elderly father but she also becomes obsessed with a horrible accident which befalls her son’s classmate and has a perplexing medical issue that no one seems able to solve. Newman is able to capture the trials and tribulations of the mid-life woman in ways that made me laugh out loud whilst also being so very poignant.
Magpie by Elizabeth Day is a twisty turny tale about relationships. Marisa and Jake are happy and expecting their first baby and then Kate moves in and life changes. Marisa knows that something isn’t right but she can’t quite work out what. But then we hear the story from Kate’s point of view and everything changes. And there’s the most toxic mother-in-law you’re ever likely to meet. Delicious.
Finally, The Family Holiday by Elizabeth Noble. Charlie rents a big house in the Cotswolds so that his family can join him to celebrate his 80th birthday. His children and their spouses, children and step-children all arrive bringing food and secrets with them and we get to watch them unravel as the holiday goes on. It’s a lovely gentle read.
And that’s it for this month. Next month I’ll be travelling across the last weekend so the newsletter will be late. I hope you don’t mind.
Don’t forget that you can follow me on Instagram HERE and Facebook HERE and if you’re interested in joining THE MARGINS CLUB then reply to subscribe here.
Have a fabulous February,
Imogen.
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January 19, 2026
The Glamp Site is out now!
Hello you lovely people!
Today is the day! My new Izzy Bromley book, THE GLAMP SITE, enters the world all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. It’s available NOW in ebook, paperback and audiobook – with the wonderful Imogen Church narrating again. (The audiobook may follow shortly – sadly, that bit isn’t in my hands – but it should be everywhere you listen very soon.)
THE GLAMP SITE is a warm, feel-good story about fresh starts and finding your people and is the perfect escape for a wintery Sunday.
If you are able to buy or borrow it today (it’s also in Kindle Unlimited) that would be fabulous. Early support – sales, page reads and reviews – makes an enormous difference, and I’d love to see this book follow the others onto the bestsellers’ lists.
Here’s the link to get your copy. I really hope you enjoy meeting Emily, Joe and the rest of the Fox Gill Farm gang.
Thank you, as always, for being so wonderfully supportive.
(Izzy!)
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January 6, 2026
December 2025
Merry Christmas to you!
I hope you’ve had a lovely break and are preparing for whatever kind of New Year’s Eve floats your boat. My preferred type is very quiet. I can’t remember the last time I was actually awake at midnight. I‘d rather see the new year in early in the morning of the 1st.
This year, I’ll be in Norfolk as 2026 dawns which will be the first (but hopefully not the last) time that will happen.
Before I get started with this month’s news, a special mention to ANNE GOODE! You won the giveaway after emailing to tell me that your favourite of my books is In a Single Moment but I haven’t been able to get hold of you. Please email me and I can arrange to post it to you.
BOOK NEWS!Well, my forthcoming book still has no cover but it does have a new title! It will no longer be called Model Conduct and now it is Late in the Day and is available to pre-order HERE. I think I’ve mentioned before how important pre-orders are to authors. This is because it reminds the internet elves to show the book to lots of readers across all the different platforms which means that new people can find it, and that pleases the publishers! So if you can preorder then that would be wonderful.
‘But what is the book about?’ I hear you cry perfectly reasonably. Well, here’s the blurb.
When Harriet Carmichael leaves her husband, she is determined to begin again: new home, new life, a chance to live on her own terms.
A life drawing class seems harmless enough, until she finds herself drawn to Mac, the charming but elusive model.
Her adult children disapprove of her every move, and when Mac—significantly younger and apparently homeless—moves in with her, their suspicions reach fever pitch. Yet there is an undeniable spark between Harriet and Mac, one that makes Harriet question what she truly wants from this new chapter.
While her family is convinced she’s being manipulated by a conman, Harriet longs to believe in his genuine affection. But she has secrets of her own, shaped by experiences she has never dared to share.
So, if that sounds like something you might enjoy, please consider pre-ordering.
And talking of pre-orders, don’t forget that the new Izzy book, The Glamp Site, that I mentioned last month is out on January 18th. You can pre-order that one too!
WHAT AM I WRITING?Nothing! Having finished writing the Imogen book for 2027, I have downed tools until the new year when I will start on the next Izzy book. I’ve not been dragging my heels in the gap between books though. I’ve been doing a bit of a rebrand!
My website has had an update. You can see it HERE and I’m gradually working my way through all the various social media platforms making them match. My newsletter has a new title too because I wanted it to feel more like something exclusive for you all, rather than just a generic kind of newsletter.
You may recall that last month I asked you to complete a short survey and I’m delighted to report that the responses were all very positive. You seem to like what I’m doing and I will try and incorporate the suggestions you made into future monthly letters.
WHERE HAVE I BEEN?This month I was in London three times in two weeks! The first was for my publisher’s Winter Party which was great fun. It’s always lovely to meet up with fellow authors for a good chat.
Then I saw The Importance of Being Earnest with Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell which was very good. And then I saw my daughter as the fairy in Sleeping Beauty which made me very proud.
Just after Christmas I will go to Zagreb to see my son in The Nutcracker which I’m looking forward to very much.
WHAT HAVE I READ?I read some fabulous books in December. Here are my favourite four.
My favourite book of the month (and quite possibly the year) was My Friends by Frederik Backman. I love all his books but this one is outstanding. It made me laugh out loud often – I was listening so there was a lot of random laughter in the street – but it also made me cry. It’s the story of four teenagers trying to survive their challenging home lives. Where the adults continue to let them down, their friends are always there no matter what. There is so much to commend this book that I don’t really know where to start. You just have to read it for yourself.
The Correspondent by Virgina Evans is another cracker. Told entirely through letters, it’s the tale of Sybil Van Antwerp who has been writing letters all her life, using them as a way of avoiding actually talking to those she loves. As she enters old age, she realises that she has relationships she needs to mend before it’s too late – but how to start. She reminded me a little of Olive Kitteridge, her bark being most definitely worse than her bite.
Murder at Gull’s Nest by Jess Kidd is the first in a new cosy crime series. The investigator, Nora Breen is a former nun who leaves her closeted life to investigate the disappearance of her friend from a seaside guest house. The guest house is filled with an eclectic mix of characters who are being bumped off one by one. I have read all Jess Kidd’s books because I love her quirky style and her witty characters and there’s generally an element of magical realism too. I’m looking forward to the second instalment.
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood is about Thomas who ekes out a living collecting shrimp from the bay where he lives with his mother. He wants more from his life but can’t see any way of changing anything until a stranger arrives with a promise of Hollywood with a film set in the very bay that Thomas knows so well. It’s a short, literary novel and beautifully captures desperation and then hope.
And there you have it! Goodbye to 2025.
It’s been a great year for me and my books. I reached my two millionth reader, Reluctantly Home hit a quarter of a million sales, I was shortlisted for the Kindle Storyteller award – five finalists out of around twenty thousand entries- Impossible to Forget was the eighth biggest selling book of the year in Italy and I signed a new three book deal with my publisher.
This is due in the main to you, my readers, and I can’t adequately express how grateful I am to every single one of you. I feel very honoured to have such amazing support behind me and I hope that we will move through 2026 together too.
Have a fabulous New Year’s Eve and I’ll see you all at the end of January, if not before.
Best wishes,
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December 11, 2025
November 2025
Hi
I hope you’re well and that you’ve had a lovely November.
This month’s newsletter has a HUGE GIVEAWAY prize in it so please make sure you read to the end to find out how to enter the draw.
Last weekend, I was in Wells-Next-the-Sea in North Norfolk for the Christmas Tide festival. This photo shows Santa coming in by boat to a huge fireworks display. It was wonderful and I’m already feeling very festive as a result.
Book News.First, you may have seen on my social media that I’ve just hit 2,000,000 readers for the books published by Lake Union. This is such a proud moment for me. It’s been seven years since my first book came out with Lake Union and I’ve loved every minute. The fact that people read my books never fails to astound me and I want to say thank you to you for being one of them. THANK YOU!!!
My big news this month is that the next Izzy Bromley The Glamp Site has a cover and a publication date! It will be on sale on 18th January in paperback, ebook and audiobook (although there have been delays beyond my control in getting the books on to Audible. They are all on Spotify and various other audiobook distributors however if you’re having difficulties getting hold of them.)
So here’s the cover – a world exclusive preview just for you, my newsletter subscribers! ‘And what it is about?’ I hear you cry. Well, you can be the very first to learn about that too.
Emily Brancaster is a success – just ask her.
With an award-winning London beauty salon and plans to expand her business empire, her life is glamorous and glossy. But when her husband’s family sends out a distress call from their struggling pig farm in Yorkshire, Emily and Adam head north to try to help.
Emily arrives with a bouncy blow-out, white wellies and a belief that she can fix anything — but the down-to-earth farmers don’t take her, or her ideas, seriously. And beneath the shine, Emily is determined to prove she’s more than the fluffy airhead they think she is.
With her in-laws unconvinced and the village up in arms about the proposed changes to their way of life, Emily must decide whether to run back to London or fight for her vision of Fox Gill Farm.
Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Heidi Swain and Beth O’Leary – a funny and uplifting tale about resilience, community and finding where you truly belong.
My publishers and I are still not much further forward with the cover for the forthcoming Imogen Clark book although I do know that it is to change title and will no longer be called Model Conduct. As soon as I know more I will let you know but it is still there to pre-order despite its lack of a title or cover!
What am I writing?I am still working on Seven Days but I have been writing it in Novel November. This is a personal challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Usually I would write around 30,000 words in a month so it’s required some hard work on my part to keep up with the daily count but I can report that I did finish on time.
Having to write at speed is an interesting experience for me. It makes me keep going when I would usually stop because I’d finished my word count for the day, and I have come up with ideas that I perhaps wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t been putting that pressure on myself. I think it also makes me a braver writer – although it remains to be seen whether what I’ve written in Novel November has made it into the final book when I deliver it to my editor at the end of January!
Where have I been?Well, after all the excitement of Mount Kilimanjaro last month, I have had a far quieter month than usual with only a couple of trips to Wells. I did do some walking around here though. The autumn colours were spectacular.
Ooh, I’ve read some cracking books this month. Here are four of my favourites.
In Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy a woman washes ashore on a remote island after a storm. There is only one family living on the island, there to look after the world’s largest seed bank. But the island is being reclaimed by the sea and the family is keeping secrets about what has happened there in the recent past. It’s a mystery and a love story and a tale about sacrifice and I highly recommend it.
One of Us by Elizabeth Day is about power and corruption and the damage it does, both to a family but also, through politics, to a nation. The book has hints of Brideshead about it with an ordinary boy being drawn into an extremely wealthy and not very pleasant family. As an adult, Martin has grown resentful of how he was picked up and then dumped by his erstwhile best friend Ben and then he sees a way to take revenge. Fascinating and compelling.
Little Wing by Freya North is about a woman who has never really found her place in the world. When Nell’s mother develops Alzheimer’s and starts to deny that she has a daughter Nell is devastated but an odd discovery sets her on the trail of a decades old mystery that will help her understand everything. On the way she meets some wonderful people who help her uncover who she is. It’s set in London and the Outer Hebrides and I wanted to head north to those islands the whole time I was reading – I still do.
Finally BitterSweet by Hattie Williams is a book about coercive control masquerading as a love story. Charlie is a young and naive PR officer at a publishing house and falls in love with an esteemed author, once a favourite of Charlie’s long-dead mother. All the warning signs are there in Charlie’s secret affair with Richard Aveling but despite Charlie’s friends trying to help her, she cannot see how harmful the relationship is until it’s too late. It is a beautifully written story about vulnerability – intense and unflinching.
Over the last few months I have been working on branding and my website and as part of that I’d like to ask you about this Newsletter. So if there’s a section that you always skim over or something that you wish I included then here’s your chance to tell me. Just complete the survey and let me know. (It’s very short.)
Start SurveyGIVEAWAY!And finally – drum roll please! The Giveaway!
When I announced on Facebook about the 2,000,000 readers thing, one of my readers suggested that that might be a good excuse to have a giveaway. She was right and so I’ve put together a gift box filled with lots of lovely things in it which I will post out to the lucky winner. (I’m afraid it’s limited to UK addresses only as it’s too big to send abroad.)
If you would like to be entered in the draw to win then just reply to this email and tell me your favourite of my books (either Imogen or Izzy) and I will randomly generate the winner from the entries. The Giveaway will close on 15th December so that I can send the box out before Christmas. Good luck!
And that’s everything for this month. Please remember to reply to my survey and to enter the Giveaway if you’d like to win those goodies.
In the meantime, keep reading.
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October 31, 2025
October 2025
Hi there
There I am – on top of the world! Well, on top of the world’s highest freestanding mountain to be more accurate, but more of that later.
How are you? I hope your Autumn is going well and that you’re enjoying all the wonderful colours. It’s all pretty spectacular here in Yorkshire.
Book News!It’s been a quiet month for news. I didn’t win the Kindle Storyteller Award for which I was one of five shortlisted authors, and I was away for the ceremony too, so I sent my lovely daughters in my stead and they had a wonderful evening chatting to my author friends on my behalf. I was super-proud of them.
The next Izzy Bromley book, The Glamp Site is now being edited and the cover designed. Early comments about the book are positive so that’s encouraging. I’m not sure when it will be out yet but as soon as I have a date I will let you know.
I am also waiting for the cover design for Model Conduct, the next Imogen Clark book. We have a publication date for this one – 12th May 2026 – and it’s available to pre-order HERE.
Here is the book description to give you a taster of what it’s about.
When Harriet Carmichael leaves her husband, she is determined to begin again: new home, new life, a chance to live on her own terms.
A life drawing class seems harmless enough, until she finds herself drawn to Mac, the charming but elusive model.
Her adult children disapprove of her every move, and when Mac—significantly younger and apparently homeless—moves in with her, their suspicions reach fever pitch. Yet there is an undeniable spark between Harriet and Mac, one that makes Harriet question what she truly wants from this new chapter.
While her family is convinced she’s being manipulated by a conman, Harriet longs to believe in his genuine affection. But she has secrets of her own, shaped by experiences she has never dared to share.
As buried memories rise to the surface—along with a friend she thought lost forever—Harriet must weigh her heart against her judgement. Is she finally ready to reveal who she really is, or is she making the biggest mistake of her life?
This is the book set in Cirencester which I was busy researching this time last year. It’s amazing how quickly time flies.
What I’m writing.I’m about a third of the way through writing Seven Days, a family drama set in the south of France. At the moment all the characters have something they aren’t telling the others and so I’m really enjoying the intrigue of it all. Now that I’m back from my big adventure I plan to crack back on with this and hope to have most of it written by the time we get to Christmas although it isn’t actually due to be delivered to my publisher until 1st February so I have a little bit of wriggle room.
After that, I have an idea for another Izzy book but it’s very vague at the moment. When I get some time, I’ll think about it a bit more but it’s always good to have something simmering away on the back boiler whilst I focus on more immediate projects.
Where have I been?This month I have been to Africa – to Tanzania specifically to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and what an adventure that turned out to be. I don’t think I had the first clue how hard it was going to be when I first talked my friends Alex and Sarah into coming with me but I think that has to be a good thing because otherwise we would never have done it.
Most of the walking was challenging but beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed the ever-changing landscape. It was very cold a lot of the time. It was -10 (14º Fahrenheit) one morning when we got up, with ice on the inside of our tents and I spent a lot of time taking refuge with my kindle in my sleeping bag where it was warm, but it was only really the last day that nearly did for me.
We set out for the eight hour trek to the summit at midnight and so climbed for the first six hours in the dark. Then we slogged our way to the top with available oxygen at less than 50% of that at sea level. It took all the energy you could muster literally to put one foot in front of the other. I have never had to work so hard.
But we made it and we are very proud of our achievement. I have been raising money for cancer research after my brother-in-law, Neil, died last Christmas so if you feel you can donate the link is HERE.
Here’s a snapshot of the trip.
Well, not much to be honest. A lack of time and some huge novels have meant that my reading has been very slow this month but here are a couple of suggestions.
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman is the fifth book in the Thursday Murder Club series and I very much enjoyed it. The characters feel like old friends and this one has Osman’s trademark humour and lightness of touch in spades. It’s a great mystery too.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir really isn’t my usual genre. A manned spaceship is sent into the darkest universe to find a solution to a problem that will destroy earth but only one man survives the trip and when he gets to his destination he finds an alien life form also trying to solve the same issue. The relationship that grows between the two is as touching as any story you’ll read and the science part was fascinating.
Circle of Days by Ken Follett is about how Stonehenge might have been built. Obviously we can’t know the truth but the book envisages a group of characters who have the vision and the determination to make it happen. I found the story compelling and wonder how close Follett really was to the way ancient man lived. It all seemed highly plausible to me.
Finally some non-fiction. You Didn’t Hear this From Me by Kelsey McKinney is about the art of gossip, why and how we do it and what it tells us about who we are. From Picasso to the playground, from Hollywood to The Traitors, I found this an interesting insight into one of the things that makes humans human.
And that’s it for this month. In November I will be working on my website so hopefully we’ll be ready for the big reveal in the next newsletter and hopefully I’ll have a new cover or two to share as well.
Until then, keep reading.
To get this newsletter straight to your inbox. Please sign up here
The post October 2025 appeared first on Imogen Clark.
October Newsletter 2025
Hi there
There I am – on top of the world! Well, on top of the world’s highest freestanding mountain to be more accurate, but more of that later.
How are you? I hope your Autumn is going well and that you’re enjoying all the wonderful colours. It’s all pretty spectacular here in Yorkshire.
Book News!It’s been a quiet month for news. I didn’t win the Kindle Storyteller Award for which I was one of five shortlisted authors, and I was away for the ceremony too, so I sent my lovely daughters in my stead and they had a wonderful evening chatting to my author friends on my behalf. I was super-proud of them.
The next Izzy Bromley book, The Glamp Site is now being edited and the cover designed. Early comments about the book are positive so that’s encouraging. I’m not sure when it will be out yet but as soon as I have a date I will let you know.
I am also waiting for the cover design for Model Conduct, the next Imogen Clark book. We have a publication date for this one – 12th May 2026 – and it’s available to pre-order HERE.
Here is the book description to give you a taster of what it’s about.
When Harriet Carmichael leaves her husband, she is determined to begin again: new home, new life, a chance to live on her own terms.
A life drawing class seems harmless enough, until she finds herself drawn to Mac, the charming but elusive model.
Her adult children disapprove of her every move, and when Mac—significantly younger and apparently homeless—moves in with her, their suspicions reach fever pitch. Yet there is an undeniable spark between Harriet and Mac, one that makes Harriet question what she truly wants from this new chapter.
While her family is convinced she’s being manipulated by a conman, Harriet longs to believe in his genuine affection. But she has secrets of her own, shaped by experiences she has never dared to share.
As buried memories rise to the surface—along with a friend she thought lost forever—Harriet must weigh her heart against her judgement. Is she finally ready to reveal who she really is, or is she making the biggest mistake of her life?
This is the book set in Cirencester which I was busy researching this time last year. It’s amazing how quickly time flies.
What I’m writing.I’m about a third of the way through writing Seven Days, a family drama set in the south of France. At the moment all the characters have something they aren’t telling the others and so I’m really enjoying the intrigue of it all. Now that I’m back from my big adventure I plan to crack back on with this and hope to have most of it written by the time we get to Christmas although it isn’t actually due to be delivered to my publisher until 1st February so I have a little bit of wriggle room.
After that, I have an idea for another Izzy book but it’s very vague at the moment. When I get some time, I’ll think about it a bit more but it’s always good to have something simmering away on the back boiler whilst I focus on more immediate projects.
Where have I been?This month I have been to Africa – to Tanzania specifically to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and what an adventure that turned out to be. I don’t think I had the first clue how hard it was going to be when I first talked my friends Alex and Sarah into coming with me but I think that has to be a good thing because otherwise we would never have done it.
Most of the walking was challenging but beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed the ever-changing landscape. It was very cold a lot of the time. It was -10 (14º Fahrenheit) one morning when we got up, with ice on the inside of our tents and I spent a lot of time taking refuge with my kindle in my sleeping bag where it was warm, but it was only really the last day that nearly did for me.
We set out for the eight hour trek to the summit at midnight and so climbed for the first six hours in the dark. Then we slogged our way to the top with available oxygen at less than 50% of that at sea level. It took all the energy you could muster literally to put one foot in front of the other. I have never had to work so hard.
But we made it and we are very proud of our achievement. I have been raising money for cancer research after my brother-in-law, Neil, died last Christmas so if you feel you can donate the link is HERE.
Here’s a snapshot of the trip.
Well, not much to be honest. A lack of time and some huge novels have meant that my reading has been very slow this month but here are a couple of suggestions.
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman is the fifth book in the Thursday Murder Club series and I very much enjoyed it. The characters feel like old friends and this one has Osman’s trademark humour and lightness of touch in spades. It’s a great mystery too.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir really isn’t my usual genre. A manned spaceship is sent into the darkest universe to find a solution to a problem that will destroy earth but only one man survives the trip and when he gets to his destination he finds an alien life form also trying to solve the same issue. The relationship that grows between the two is as touching as any story you’ll read and the science part was fascinating.
Circle of Days by Ken Follett is about how Stonehenge might have been built. Obviously we can’t know the truth but the book envisages a group of characters who have the vision and the determination to make it happen. I found the story compelling and wonder how close Follett really was to the way ancient man lived. It all seemed highly plausible to me.
Finally some non-fiction. You Didn’t Hear this From Me by Kelsey McKinney is about the art of gossip, why and how we do it and what it tells us about who we are. From Picasso to the playground, from Hollywood to The Traitors, I found this an interesting insight into one of the things that makes humans human.
And that’s it for this month. In November I will be working on my website so hopefully we’ll be ready for the big reveal in the next newsletter and hopefully I’ll have a new cover or two to share as well.
Until then, keep reading.
To get this newsletter straight to your inbox. Please sign up here
The post October Newsletter 2025 appeared first on Imogen Clark.
September 30, 2025
September 2025
Hi there
Look at this glorious view! It’s the River Wharfe, mere steps from my desk, and when I took this on Friday morning the water was perfectly still, reflecting the sky and the trees beautifully.
However, the river doesn’t always look like this. Earlier this week it was a raging brown torrent after heavy rain. Apparently, it’s the fastest rising and falling river in England which is why when we get a flood warning I take note. The water won’t rise as far as my house but if the river breaks its banks I can’t get into Ilkley without a boat!
Anyway, less geography and more books. I hope your autumn has started well. Mine has been busy so far (more below) but let’s start with . . .
Book NewsI have some very exciting book news but unless I get an email before this goes out giving me permission to spill the beans then I can’t. Sorry! (How annoying of me is that?!)
I’m also waiting for the cover for my next release, Model Conduct but I don’t have that to share yet either so the Book News section of this Newsletter is looking pretty paltry.
What am I writing?This month I’ve been writing Seven Days, the Imogen book for 2027. I’ve written almost a quarter so far and I am starting to get into my stride with it. I have six main characters and they all need to be crafted with their own personalities, desires, secrets and stories. One of the things I love about writing without a plan is how the characters come to life on the page. By the time I get halfway through the first draft I will know them well enough to know how they’ll respond in any situation I put them in, but at this stage they can still surprise me and regularly do.
Now, do you harbour writing ambitions of you own? If so then why not join me in November and take part in NovelNovember. This is the descendent of Nanowrimo which some of you may have heard of and is new for 2025.
The idea is that you join a community of writers, both new and experienced, to write 50,000 words in November. Whilst that isn’t quite enough for a whole novel it will get you almost to the finish line and is sometimes the kick you need to get started. You may even catch the writing bug.
Signing up is free. Through October, you will be sent tips on plotting your book and have the chance to meet lots of other writers. Then, in November, we write. You can join in writing sprints, attend Q&A sessions and webinars on writing craft with lots of wonderful guests authors. I’m not sure how connections will work as yet but I’ll be there as imogenclark so look out for me.
Where have I been?This month I spend a wonderful week in the Trossachs in Scotland, walking and writing. I’ve never been to that part of Scotland before and was delighted by how easy it is to get to somewhere that feels so very remote.
As well as the walking and writing, I also went to a whisky tasting. I was the only one there who hadn’t had whisky before and I’m not sure I’m a convert but at least by the end I could taste the subtleties of each region’s produce and understood a lot more about the whisky making process which is always interesting.
I also spent a couple of days in London. The primary purpose was a celebration with my editor and her boss of my new three book publishing contract. Whilst I was there I also went to see The Great Gatsby at the theatre and also went to a couple of wonderful exhibitions. You can see some of my photos HERE.
Finally, I was in North Norfolk walking with a friend. We had mixed weather but got lots of miles under our belts. The contrast between the countryside in Scotland and Norfolk couldn’t have been more marked but they are both so beautiful in their own separate ways.
As you might remember, all this walking is a training of sorts for next month’s big adventure, the scaling of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. More of that next month but I am raising funds for Yorkshire Cancer Research so if you’d like to help then the link is HERE. Asking for sponsorship always feels a bit icky but it’s a really wonderful cause and every little helps.
What have I read?First this month is The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer. Greer is a smart but shy college student whose life changes course when she meets forthright feminist Faith Frank. Encouraged by her childhood sweetheart Cory and best friend Zee, Greer creates a life working for a small but earnest magazine and then for Faith’s charity. However, can her ideals stand up to the rigours of real life? Interesting and touching.
Zelda’s Cut by Philippa Gregory is one of the most unusual books I’ve read in some time. It most definitely isn’t the usual historical fiction that you might expect from this author. Isobel is a serious writer, writing serious books that are well reviewed but make no money. However, with an ill husband to support, she needs cash and so, together with her literary agent, she embarks on creating a whole new personality, Zelda, who then writes what turn out to be bestselling blockbusters. However, the plot gets darker and the complications of being two people at once get more profound as the story goes along. The book stayed with me after I closed the cover.
Paper heart by Cecilia Ahern I enjoyed very much. Pip lives with her parents and the daughter she had as a teenager but her status in the household ranks somewhere below the hamster. She lives her quiet existence, not challenging anything and secretly creating poems and tiny origami girls in her room. Then an astronomer from the local observatory teaches her to look up and Pip’s life changes entirely. This book is classic Cecilia Ahern and is just lovely.
And it’s the season for the big hitters so I can’t finish without mentioning The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith, not least because it too me much of the month to finish it. The eighth in the Cormoran Strike series (and please don’t start with this one if you haven’t read the others – you have to begin at the beginning), the plot is as complicated, twisted and ultimately satisfying as the ones that come before. I have to say the ‘will they/won’t they’ storyline which consumes the two main characters is wearing very thin for me but I can forgive the author that because the rest of the books are so compelling.
And that’s it for September. Thank you, as ever, for reading to the end and for supporting me with all that I do. I am more grateful than you could ever realise. And do keep an eye open for my big news!
Until next month, happy reading.
To get this newsletter straight to your inbox. Please sign up here
The post September 2025 appeared first on Imogen Clark.
September’s Newsletter
Hi there
Look at this glorious view! It’s the River Wharfe, mere steps from my desk, and when I took this on Friday morning the water was perfectly still, reflecting the sky and the trees beautifully.
However, the river doesn’t always look like this. Earlier this week it was a raging brown torrent after heavy rain. Apparently, it’s the fastest rising and falling river in England which is why when we get a flood warning I take note. The water won’t rise as far as my house but if the river breaks its banks I can’t get into Ilkley without a boat!
Anyway, less geography and more books. I hope your autumn has started well. Mine has been busy so far (more below) but let’s start with . . .
Book NewsI have some very exciting book news but unless I get an email before this goes out giving me permission to spill the beans then I can’t. Sorry! (How annoying of me is that?!)
I’m also waiting for the cover for my next release, Model Conduct but I don’t have that to share yet either so the Book News section of this Newsletter is looking pretty paltry.
What am I writing?This month I’ve been writing Seven Days, the Imogen book for 2027. I’ve written almost a quarter so far and I am starting to get into my stride with it. I have six main characters and they all need to be crafted with their own personalities, desires, secrets and stories. One of the things I love about writing without a plan is how the characters come to life on the page. By the time I get halfway through the first draft I will know them well enough to know how they’ll respond in any situation I put them in, but at this stage they can still surprise me and regularly do.
Now, do you harbour writing ambitions of you own? If so then why not join me in November and take part in NovelNovember. This is the descendent of Nanowrimo which some of you may have heard of and is new for 2025.
The idea is that you join a community of writers, both new and experienced, to write 50,000 words in November. Whilst that isn’t quite enough for a whole novel it will get you almost to the finish line and is sometimes the kick you need to get started. You may even catch the writing bug.
Signing up is free. Through October, you will be sent tips on plotting your book and have the chance to meet lots of other writers. Then, in November, we write. You can join in writing sprints, attend Q&A sessions and webinars on writing craft with lots of wonderful guests authors. I’m not sure how connections will work as yet but I’ll be there as imogenclark so look out for me.
Where have I been?This month I spend a wonderful week in the Trossachs in Scotland, walking and writing. I’ve never been to that part of Scotland before and was delighted by how easy it is to get to somewhere that feels so very remote.
As well as the walking and writing, I also went to a whisky tasting. I was the only one there who hadn’t had whisky before and I’m not sure I’m a convert but at least by the end I could taste the subtleties of each region’s produce and understood a lot more about the whisky making process which is always interesting.
I also spent a couple of days in London. The primary purpose was a celebration with my editor and her boss of my new three book publishing contract. Whilst I was there I also went to see The Great Gatsby at the theatre and also went to a couple of wonderful exhibitions. You can see some of my photos HERE.
Finally, I was in North Norfolk walking with a friend. We had mixed weather but got lots of miles under our belts. The contrast between the countryside in Scotland and Norfolk couldn’t have been more marked but they are both so beautiful in their own separate ways.
As you might remember, all this walking is a training of sorts for next month’s big adventure, the scaling of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. More of that next month but I am raising funds for Yorkshire Cancer Research so if you’d like to help then the link is HERE. Asking for sponsorship always feels a bit icky but it’s a really wonderful cause and every little helps.
What have I read?First this month is The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer. Greer is a smart but shy college student whose life changes course when she meets forthright feminist Faith Frank. Encouraged by her childhood sweetheart Cory and best friend Zee, Greer creates a life working for a small but earnest magazine and then for Faith’s charity. However, can her ideals stand up to the rigours of real life? Interesting and touching.
Zelda’s Cut by Philippa Gregory is one of the most unusual books I’ve read in some time. It most definitely isn’t the usual historical fiction that you might expect from this author. Isobel is a serious writer, writing serious books that are well reviewed but make no money. However, with an ill husband to support, she needs cash and so, together with her literary agent, she embarks on creating a whole new personality, Zelda, who then writes what turn out to be bestselling blockbusters. However, the plot gets darker and the complications of being two people at once get more profound as the story goes along. The book stayed with me after I closed the cover.
Paper heart by Cecilia Ahern I enjoyed very much. Pip lives with her parents and the daughter she had as a teenager but her status in the household ranks somewhere below the hamster. She lives her quiet existence, not challenging anything and secretly creating poems and tiny origami girls in her room. Then an astronomer from the local observatory teaches her to look up and Pip’s life changes entirely. This book is classic Cecilia Ahern and is just lovely.
And it’s the season for the big hitters so I can’t finish without mentioning The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith, not least because it too me much of the month to finish it. The eighth in the Cormoran Strike series (and please don’t start with this one if you haven’t read the others – you have to begin at the beginning), the plot is as complicated, twisted and ultimately satisfying as the ones that come before. I have to say the ‘will they/won’t they’ storyline which consumes the two main characters is wearing very thin for me but I can forgive the author that because the rest of the books are so compelling.
And that’s it for September. Thank you, as ever, for reading to the end and for supporting me with all that I do. I am more grateful than you could ever realise. And do keep an eye open for my big news!
Until next month, happy reading.
To get this newsletter straight to your inbox. Please sign up here
The post September’s Newsletter appeared first on Imogen Clark.
