News and Views
Posted on: 16 July 2026
Newsletters are valuable for novel writers, yet I struggle to stay current with news, often relying on social media to announce book sales.
My knee reconstruction surgery date has been eagerly awaited since March 2025 After a long and difficult wait, I will be admitted to the hospital in August. There are many ways that pain can influence your mental state. I struggle with remembering things and organising myself to write, especially when I should be working on my new novel. I could say it was a sign of my age, but I don’t wish to submit to that old excuse, and instead, I felt the need to update my followers on what has been happening in the world of Lin Treadgold’s writing year. Hopefully, you will find this helpful and be able to use the information contained here. Instead of blaming age, I’m updating my followers on my writing year while the mood is there.
I’ve spent the first four months preparing for a trip to Scotland. It was worth the long journey from Devon to Dundee. We did this in stages, via Northamptonshire and Newcastle, stopping off to visit family on the way. We stayed in Scotland for almost a month.
The views were breathtaking, complete with the typical yellow broom and gorse bushes at every turn. I made a journey to Strathpeffer, which is where the ATS posted my mother during WWII. I decided that, as it was an ‘out of the way’ village, it was ideal to write it into the story in my latest novel, The Trail to Freedom. I inquired about hotels earlier this year and successfully convinced Strathpeffer Radio, a popular local station, to dramatise a chapter from the book detailing events from 1943. This led to me having the chance to do a book signing on the Old Victoria Station platform. I felt a particular sense of nostalgia, picturing my mother’s initial visit to this charming spa village, which was then bustling with soldiers. The Ben Wyvis Hotel was amazing, with its grand architecture and stunning views. Maintaining its untouched, old-world charm, we ate in the room I pictured as the former ballroom. Despite his disabilities, I’m sure my dog, Dylan, enjoyed his last holiday, which, sadly, was this one. We met with old friends, and as luck would have it, one of them had recently undergone knee surgery, allowing me to share insights with him.
The book signing event went well. I sold many books and made a profit. It was worth the journey, and later I did another book signing in Strathpeffer at the hotel. This was slow to start,
but ended up with the sales of ten more books. I proved that advertising works well, as lots of people turned up for the event. Mind you, I had to work hard making posters and taking my books all the way to Scotland despite the luggage and an old Jack Russel dog asleep on the back seat.
My story opens in the charming seaside town of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, nestled along the rugged Yorkshire Coast. Returning to my hometown, I’ve enjoyed rekindling friendships with familiar faces. During my brief visit, I managed to sign books at the local bookshop, selling eight more within an hour. We had lunch with friends and stayed at The Gisborough Hall Hotel, where I met Lord Gisborough, who is now in his late nineties. When I was a driving instructor, one of my employees taught his son to drive. So we had a lovely conversation about art and memories.
Of course, everywhere I went, I made sure I had my business cards with me. These are so important if you are a self-published author and want to show the world you exist. Whenever you mention you are an author, people are naturally impressed and always want to enquire further about what you write. It’s very easy to produce a card with a QR code link to your website if you want to do business.
I returned home and three weeks later spent a long weekend in Poundbury, Dorset. It’s worth a visit if only to see the architecture. Léon Krier was the lead architect and master planner of Poundbury. Appointed in 1988 by the then-Prince of Wales, the Luxembourg architect designed the experimental town’s layout based on traditional architecture and New Urbanist principles. (Google). The town feels like a historical throwback, featuring immaculate Georgian and Italianate buildings made of gleaming white Portland Stone. I hope these structures will gradually darken with age. Many comments were that the town was lovely, but very odd. I likened it to The Stepford Wives. The thought of automatons shopping under porticoes comes to mind. The shops possess a distinctive, hidden quality. However, the hotel, or what is classed as the pub, was lovely. There are no road markings or adverts in the streets, and the roads seem empty like a ghost town. Queen Mother Square is delightful, especially in this recent heatwave, where you can sit outside and enjoy the best food. If I had been a food writer, I could probably have done just as well around Dorchester, writing about the restaurants.
So, we returned home, and to be quite honest, I’ve hardly done any writing due to the heatwave and arthritic pain. I have to pace myself, and as long as the royalty payments from my publisher are favourable, I must be doing something right.
Please do get in touch if you have questions.
