The Autumn Newsletter

͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌     ͏ ‌    ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

My Autumn Newsletter is a little later than anticipated, as I’ve been working on the final edits for Degrees of Affinity. Book 3 in The Tarnished Crown Wars of the Roses series. They are with Sapere Books now and all ready for publication on 17th October 2025. Degrees of Affinity will be available through Amazon on Kindle, Amazon Unlimited, and as a paperback. I’ll let you know when I have some stock of my own. Click here or on the image below to pre-order your copy Now I can resume writing Book Four and Isobel and Rob will be able to get on with their lives. Good luck with that, I say. I wonder what my characters would say if they knew what I had in store for them? Autumn arrives in Dorset It’s that time of year in Dorset when the garden takes on all the warm notes as if it has been storing the sun ready to burst into autumnal glory and help ease us into winter. I have been so busy with edits and writing that I didn’t notice an abundance of apples, pears and quinces gently ripening. As a result, I am now making jams and jellies, pies, chutney and fruit cheeses in a bid to preserve the glut. In a couple of weeks, it’ll be time to make apple juice after our first attempt last year proved so successful. Like deadlines, harvest creeps upon us. Five years after planting a quince tree, it has finally borne fruit. I’ve always wanted to make quince cheese. It’s a bit of a misnomer because dairy products have nothing to do with it. Known as membrillo in Spain, marmelada in Portugal, and pâte de coing in France, this confection made of the paste of quinces is an absolute delight when paired with cheese (yes, the dairy version) or with charcuterie. In some Mediterranean countries, it is eaten as part of breakfast, in others, it is given at family celebrations. In my family, we need no excuse to eat it and do so at every opportunity, but it is difficult to source and expensive when we do. My main reason for making it, though, is its long history. Appearing in recipes from the medieval period, quinces were well known long before that, although probably the fruit was imported until the first quince trees were grown in English gardens. I bet Isobel would be raring to give growing them a go. Quince cheese (or quince paste) is not a difficult product to make and I’ll be posting a recipe on the website at some point. On tour with Jude Simpson I’ve just been to see the wonderful JUDE SIMPSON perform her latest family show. I first saw Jude in her one-woman song, poem, and word-smithing sketches a few years ago in Cambridge, so was thrilled to see Dorchester included on her tour this year. So if you like Lynley Dodd’s Hairy MacClary From Donaldson’s Dairy, then you will love Jude Simpson’s A Noise Annoys family show. If you know of any primary-age children who enjoy a fast-paced, interactive, highly entertaining, incredibly witty and, shhh, ed-u-ca-tio-nal show, then don’t miss A Noise Annoys. Jude is on tour this year and in 2026. Find out where, here. N.B. I might be long past my primary years, but I no less enjoyed the immensely clever, joyful and engaging rhymes and song. Age is no bar to fun! Book Review I was delighted to be given an advance copy of a new book by S.C. Skillman, Paranormal Gloucestershire (Amberley Publishing). I was happy to read and review the book given it is a mine of information. Here’s part of my review: ‘What I particularly enjoyed is the balance Skillman maintains: the stories are chilling enough to raise goosebumps, yet always grounded in place and history. This isn’t just a collection of ghost tales; it’s a map of memory and imagination, showing how the past still echoes in Gloucestershire’s landscape. It seems the county has more than its fair share of haunted pubs and inns, so for those taking a copy of Paranormal Gloucestershire on paths of discovery, there will be no shortage of watering holes along the way. Skillman has an eye for detail which places the supernatural within its historical context and sets Paranormal Gloucestershire in a league of its own, while remaining very much on par with her other books in the series. Thoroughly researched and engagingly written, there is much here for both the mildly curious and the avid ghost-hunter alike.’ Click the Amberley Publishing link to buy directly from the publisher. Also available on Amazon. A week in Guernsey It’s been a long, busy summer, and by the time September came, we were ready for a break. A week in Guernsey wasn’t meant to be a research trip, but true to our past performance, we investigated every nook, cranny, and antiquity to be found. The weather proved tricksy, so I had to postpone a visit to Alderney and a chat with author Alistair Forrest until a more benign sea-state. However, a visit to Sausmarez Manor produced a different opportunity. A small group of us gathered in the hall for a tour of the manor. On one of the bannister finials, a finely carved greyhound guarded the stairs. In general conversation — I can’t remember exactly how it started — I murmured something about greyhounds and Richmond in somewhat unflattering terms, only for the woman next to me to flash a comment in return in which the phrase Jockey of Norfolk rang loud and clear. That was it — we were off. It turns out that we share a keen interest in Richard III. Such is the way of things. It made my day. Looking ahead… So what’s afoot in the next few months? Christmas! I hear you cry, some, no doubt with an edge of panic. Fear not, there’s time enough to get everything done in the 11 weeks left to go, or that is what I tell myself. Meanwhile, I have a deadline to meet. Yes, Book Four in The Tarnished Crown series — Legacy of Steel — is due for submission early next year. Christmas panic has nothing on getting the next 60,000 words written when you’re busy herding chickens…. Will I make it on time? Stay tuned for the next newsletter! Claire x View email in browser C.F.Dunn. Author of History, Mystery, and Suspense update your preferences or unsubscribe