Anya Ashe

Saturday, 16 January 2021

A message for all my readers - Let's hope that 2021 is a much better year that 2020. My best wishes to you all. Stay safe and healthy.

Wednesday, 15 May 2019

Two New Books

My two books of short stories are available as E-Books or Paperbacks from Amazon and are entitled:

Return Ticket to Cusco and Other Short Stories

(all of which were originally published on this blog)

Return Ticket to Cusco is the sequel to A Ticket to Cusco, and can be read as a standalone story, or alternatively before or after its predecessor.

The other short stories in this volume include:

Windmills in the Mist - raises the question of whether or not there are witches in Frinton-on-Sea

The Orta Conspiracy - A tale of murder and intrigue based around the spectacular Italian Lakes.

The Child Entertainer - A piece of nonsense about a boy who suddenly discovers that he has magical powers.

Lost in Lombardy - A kidnapping in Italy, but for what purpose?

Three Perfect Examples of Murder plus Three Short Stories

(three of these stories have never been published before - not even on this blog)

Three Perfect Examples of Murder - not just one, but three murders, which left police forces in different parts of the UK confused. Did they have a serial murderer on the loose, or were these copycat killings?

New Partners - Taking chances can result in serious consequences.

A Local Investigation - How would you feel if, when you came out of hospital after recovering from a serious illness, you found that your home had been demolished and you had lost all your personal possessions? This is exactly what happened to Dee.

Le Garçon - A romance, for a change!

I hope you enjoy reading the new stories

Monday, 7 April 2014

Spring 2014 Update

Hippos in Zululand

"Watching Us - Watching Them!"

We’ve been having a great time so far this year:

- spent nearly a month in Malta where the temperature got up to 21° C

- had a lovely time with our grandchildren in Austria

- enjoyed a visit to our daughter in Eton/Reading

as well as partaking of many walks along the seafront in Frinton-on-Sea where it was windy and cold!

I have still not started on my short stories, but I do have a plot in mind for the first one which will be a follow on to ‘A Ticket to Cusco’ – perhaps it will be entitled ‘A Return Ticket to Cusco’.

The question is what will I do with it once it’s written – it certainly won’t be published as a paperback book.

Saturday, 8 February 2014

A New Year

Lodore Falls Hotel for A Fairytale Christmas

Now all Christmas and New Year celebrations appear to be a long way in the past, and probably by now many New Year’s Resolutions have been forgotten, I have decided to plan what to do next – perhaps a little too late, but you never know what’s around the corner.

My husband and I celebrated Christmas at the Lodore Falls Hotel, standing on the banks of Derwent Water in the Lake District (UK), and we had a wonderful time. It was all perfect even though the water rose in the Lake to such an extent that our car had to be moved out of the car park on Christmas Eve because there was a threat of flooding.

My Christmas Marketing Campaign went well, and I received a lot of positive responses to the distribution of bookmarks. Now I will have to think of something different for next year!

In the Spring, I will be handing out bookmarks in Valletta in Malta, in order to advertise the fact that books are available from Meli Bookshop, 52 St Lucia Street, Valletta, and then in the Summer, I hope to arrange another book signing at Caxton's Books in Connaught Avenue, Frinton-on-Sea, in the UK.

In the meantime, I am considering writing short stories for a change.

Best wishes to everyone and enjoy 2014.

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

Christmas Marketing

I would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year, and to let you know that my Christmas Marketing Campaign includes providing everyone with a bookmark containing information about all three of my books.

Please email me if you would like a bookmark.

Example Bookmarks

Books are ideal presents for friends or family members who enjoy a good read.

Suitable for those who enjoy reading murder mysteries set in foreign lands, my books double as travelogues with the added spice of an opportunity to solve ‘Who did it?’ along the way.

They also combine murder with an insight into the problems currently being experienced in diverse parts of the world.

‘A Ticket to Malta’ includes the issues arising from illegal immigrants landing on their rocky Mediterranean shores.

‘A Ticket to Zululand – The Place of the People of Heaven’ concerns illegal poaching of endangered species in South Africa plus political intrigue.

'A Ticket to Cusco – The Land of the Inca’ covers the need to preserve Peruvian historical sites against a background of drug smuggling, prostitution and children being forced to commit illegal activities.

Tuesday, 12 November 2013

Kindle version is now available!

A Ticket to Cusco - The Land of the Inca
Kindle Version

After what seems like another marathon of emails backwards and forwards between my publisher and myself, at last all three books are available as paperbacks and for the Kindle. They can be found on Amazon.

From being told initially that the Kindle version was ‘in hand’, it then progressed through various stages until ultimately my publisher informed me that they were not able to upload a Kindle version because the book was in the wrong format. This was a peculiar excuse because ‘A Ticket to Cusco’ was in the same format as that of ‘A Ticket to Zululand’ which they had already managed to upload to Amazon.

Therefore, I did the upload to the Amazon site myself and am now happy with the result.

The only difference you will see is that the Kindle versions for ‘A Ticket to Malta’ and ‘A Ticket to Cusco’ have different covers to the paperback editions. This is because the publisher restricts the use of the covers to their published editions only, despite the fact that the photographs that appear on the covers of all my books were supplied by myself.

On a lighter note, we enjoyed a wonderful holiday in Lake Garda, Italy, recently, and below are some of the amazing sights we saw there.

Limone

Perhaps I'll write a book about it!

Lazise

The rooftops of Sirmione

Hotel Marconi, Sirmione

Garda

Saturday, 5 October 2013

My Third Book is now available!

At long last, ‘A Ticket to Cusco – The Land of the Inca’ can be purchased from Amazon for £12.60 with free delivery or direct from the publishers, Authorhouse for £12.95 plus a delivery charge of approximately £2.07.

Alternatively, in the near future, a Kindle version will also be available from Amazon for £2.55.

Once again, I must apologise for what may appear to be a high price for a paperback, but this is because the system used for self-published books is ‘print on demand’ rather than arranging for large numbers of the books to be printed in advance of sales. However, for those living locally in Frinton-on-Sea I do have some copies which I can sell for £9.99 each. Alternatively, I could post a copy to you, but I have checked and the postage charge will be approximately an additional £2.60.

I am hoping to arrange a book signing in Caxton Books in Connaught Avenue, Frinton-on-Sea, shortly, together with possibly another one in Malta via the Meli Bookshop in Valletta. Also, I am planning to offer talks on Self-Publishing to Book Clubs, etc. So watch this space for further information.

However, please remember that I will personally sign copies any books that you purchase, and add a special message should you require. Perhaps you might like to consider a book as an appropriate Christmas present for a friend or member of the family this year. Do please contact me to arrange this.

When the warden ‘lost’ his car keys

Extract from a letter sent to The Times of Malta, 17 July 2012

Is a Fire Engine Necessary?

Concern over safety at firework launching sites.

The Civil Protection Department (Malta) is “very worried” that, to cut costs, village feast organisers do not always ensure that fire engines are on standby when fireworks are let off, as the rules demand. If the aerial displays are longer than 15 minutes, the law requires that a fire engine is on site, according to CPD operations manager . . . who pointed out that this was not always the case. . . .

It costs about 300 Euros to have a fire engine on site for a minimum of three hours on Saturdays and Sundays and less during the week. But Pyrotechnics Association President J… C… said that this was “never the case” as having a fire engine on site was not a choice. He did point out, however, that “similar” bowsers, with a hose and nozzle, were used to save money, the cost being considered high, particularly during the week when paying for a fire engine was “not worth it” due to the small amount of fireworks. “I do not understand why we cannot also use these over the weekend, on the eve and on day of the feast,” . . . Asked if using a bowser meant breaking the law J… C… said there was some leeway, adding the displays barely exceeded 15 minutes during the week.

. . . Over the weekend, fires broke out in Qrendi and Manoel Island when burning petards dropped on vegetation . . .

Information taken from article by Fiona Galea Debono, The Times of Malta, 2 July 2012.

Comment: During the summer months in Malta, there is barely an evening goes by without the sound of some fireworks being set off somewhere. Each week, a Festa will be celebrated in at least one town or village on the island with petards (fireworks consisting of loud bangs and some silver stars) being set off during the week (morning and evening on occasions) leading up to the main display that will probably take place over the following weekend.

“News from Malta”

“Black Day for Scammer”

A Cameroonian confessed to conspiring to take part in a black money scam in which gullible victims are led to believe black paper can be turned into hard cash.

J… B … T …, 41, was found with items used in the scheme after the police were tipped off about him.

The scam involved dousing black paper in iodine then placing it into a bag which, unbeknown to the victims, already contained a 50Euro bank note. This is extracted to give the impression that the black paper had, in fact, turned into real money. More black paper would then be offered in return for a large amount of cash.

Magistrate . . . handed down a six-month jail term suspended for four years.

Information taken from The Times of Malta, 23 June 2012.

Illegal Hunting is a problem in Malta

Police are still investigating the downing of a model spy plane, an act suspected to have been carried out by hunters, but the lightweight aircraft is still missing.

The jablo radio-controlled plane weighing around half a kilogramme and equipped with a high resolution camera belonged to a German-based anti-hunting group that was using it to flush out illegal hunting activity on private land.

It was blasted out of the sky on Thursday in the vicinity of Żonqor Point in Marsascala and according to police sources the plane has still not been found.

The €2,000-camera plane had been hit a first time a day earlier but the damage was minimal and could be repaired. The second time round, the plane dropped out of the sky.

Hunters have described the spying action as “a cheap and despicable publicity stunt”. ...

Information obtained from The Times of Malta, 2 May 2012

How a Parking Situation can get out of hand!

With parking space at a premium (in some towns on the small island of Malta) it’s no wonder that arguments sometimes break out over the precious commodity. But a particularly heated one ended with a Maltese driver and his Polish counterpart being charged in court yesterday.

On Saturday, a Polish tourist and his wife, accompanied by two friends, found a spot right in front of a Pastizzierija. However, their car was actually around the corner so the wife and two friends stood in the space until her husband went to fetch it. At that point, a Maltese man (Mr D...) turned up in a white Renault Megane and told them to get out of the way ….. saying that the parking space was his. He then reversed slowly into the space and hit the woman’s leg, causing a graze and bruise, the Polish tourist’s wife claimed.

Testifying, the Police Inspector said it was Mr D... who in fact filed the first police report claiming that following their argument, he saw the Polish tourist scratch his car, causing €750 in damage. In the arraignment yesterday, the Polish tourist pleaded not guilty to causing the damage, threatening Mr D... and breaching the peace. Mr D... on the other hand denied slightly injuring the wife of the Polish tourist and threatening her husband.

Both the accused were granted bail against a personal guarantee of €10,000 each. The Polish tourist was allowed to go back to Poland but was ordered to return for the next sitting in June. He was warned that a European Arrest Warrant could easily be issued if he did not return. The case continues.

Information taken from The Times of Malta, 1 May 2012

'Typically Malta'

Road works on the Mellieħa Bypass and Marfa Road, which are being reconstructed as part of the European Ten-T projects, are expected to continue until the end of 2012.

Traffic is being diverted via a narrow, one-way road passing by Popeye Village with congestion being the result. In particular, commuters from Gozo are stating that their average journey time has increased by 15 to 30 minutes.

An alternative route is to go through Mellieħa, but the Mayor has banned non-residents from entering his town. The Council have stated that the decision, approved by Transport Malta, was taken because drivers were not following diversion signs correctly, creating congestion and an “inconvenience to residents”.

Now commuters are asking whether the Council has the right to hire traffic wardens to set up roadblocks and check drivers’ identity cards, and only allow Mellieħa residents to enter the town, particularly during the morning rush hour. The question is whether Mellieħa has opted out of the Schengen agreement; an agreement which abolished internal borders and enabled free movement between a large number of European countries of which Malta is one.

The Gozo Business Chamber has received complaints from members who have missed flights and important meetings because of traffic jams, which sometimes last more than an hour, and even the shopkeepers in Mellieħa are not happy because they are losing trade.

This is Malta!
The above information has been obtained from The Times of Malta, 13 May 2012.