Dear Readers,
All About You
Now for my chance to thank all of you. If you are reading this, then this video is for you. Some are mentioned by name, others are implied, everyone is included in one way or another. I hope that you like it:
Usually, I give everyone virtual flowers, but this time it’s … well, you’ll see (or have seen). If you didn’t get the ones you like, just let me know for future reference. And if you didn’t get as many as others, then you can safely assume that yours are the more luxurious.
What Next?
Well, Book 9 has already begun. While I wait for it to percolate, I am turning my attention to the long and winding road of the audiobook project. My computer is undergoing an upgrade, and that may solve the recording issues I have had in the past. A kind reader has also offered to help me. If I am successful, then I shall relate the entire saga to you (although not in Old Icelandic).
I also have a couple of little field trips to make to bring you some photos I believe you will enjoy. There is a story attached to that too. With Yuletide approaching, I am, accordingly, thinking about a treat for that occasion. So plenty on the go. Meanwhile …
Happy viewing,
Holly
PS If you want to start the series now:
Available on Amazon
Paperback, Kindle
and Large Print
Dear Readers,
It is time to revive the tradition of first-chapter readings with that of Amanda Cadabra and The Nightstairs. The last one was way back in the autumn of good ol’ 2019 for Book 4, Amanda Cadabra and The Rise of Sunken Madley. (If you need the transcript, please see below the video once you’ve clicked on the image below to get to it.) And here it is …
Why’s That?
And thus you rightly enquire. Well, it’s partly been due to technical issues, and I like to produce the very best sound quality I can for you. However, I found a compromise this time which I hope you will find satisfactory. The second reason is to do with time and energy 
resources at this stage of the launch process. Producing 10 minutes of narrative with visuals takes about 12 hours. What?
How Come?
I doubt that the most seasoned voice actor could read aloud for 10 minutes without needing retakes, and that is a status to which I am yet an aspirant with the rest of the journey still to make. Then there are the sound tests. When the script has been read (by me), next comes the editing, cutting, splicing, and even re-recording. The words fixed, then the music fore and aft needs to be blended in.
Vision
So much for the soundtrack. Now we come to the visuals. Images need to be sourced and edited. Next, they need to be lined up and matched with the words of the chapter. Finally, the credits have to be added.
Now, in many cases, the images will be in the public domain, which means they do not require attribution. In other words, I don’t have to credit them at all. However, I know from personal experience how much expense, time and effort goes into producing a beautiful image. These photographers generously share the fruits of their efforts and artistic skill. I feel the least I can do is say thank you. It feels good to say thank you, doesn’t it?
Treat for Launch Day: 99c or 85p or …?
To celebrate the launch, the previous sequel, Amanda Cadabra and The Hanging Tree will be priced at just 99c (85p or 1.32 CAD or 1.50 AUD and so on) for the weekend. So that is my little gift to you. And if you know anyone who’d like a taste of the series for a modest outlay please do pass on the news.
Next?
So this is the last stop before Launch Day, on Sunday 13th November, that grand station where the train is festooned with autumn flowers and the necessary vegetables. (With ideas for the next book already in the pipeline, it is but a temporary halt.) Time to prepare the video and a pretty Facebook post about the 99 offer for the Day. Back soon …
Happy Pumpkin (or Pineapple) Time,
Holly
PS If you want to start the series now:
Available on Amazon
Paperback, Kindle
and Large Print
Dear Readers,
It is with excitement, exhilaration and exuberance that I bring you a visual taste of the new
Amanda Cadabra sequel
. Every trailer is a journey, and I would like to share the essence of this one with you before I hand round the popcorn, part the red velvet curtains, and strike up the Might Wurlitzer (movie theatre organ). Or you can skip ahead and press play. It’s all good. Here it is, just in case:
The How
I wrote in the spring with the launch of the previous sequel about the process of creating a trailer video, but for the benefit of new readers, I’ll briefly recap. It takes upwards of 20 hours to create a 1-minute video. And fair enough, that probably does include a small percentage applied to the making of tea, which is essential both for the creative juices and sustaining the video-maker through those long hours, script-writing, clip, still and audio selection, editing them, composing them, adding the captions, splicing together the soundtrack, adjust visual and audio to synchronise, testing and adjusting.
‘Why Does it Take You So Long?’
I hear you ask, and rightly so. One of the main reasons is budgetry. When the Amanda Cadabra series is munificently minting it, I shall have the leeway to have an account with the biggest and best stock photo, video and audio libraries. Within minutes I will have downloaded all I require. And one day, I shall. However, if I’d had that straight off the bat, how I would have missed out. And here is how …
Small Budget Pays Dividends of An Unexpected Kind
When you start out as a fiction writer, nothing prepares you for the richness of the emotional journey. From where do these riches come? From you, dear readers. Not just the moving encouragement and appreciation that sends me over the moon. But how many times, just at a point where I have been flagging ever-so-slightly in the end process of producing a book, has a comment, message or email from one of you, some of whom I am privileged to call friends, arrived and lifted me lightly over the hump. But there’s more.
In order to create the best possible film experience for you, I try to compose the video from as many clips, rather than just stills, as possible. And from where do these come? Well, some come from free stock libraries, bless them, but what I want may not be there, and so I go to that great public forum for entertainment and enlightenment: YouTube. I say ‘public’ because anyone can watch them. However, each video is intellectual property, which means it belongs to someone, whether a private amateur or seasoned professional. So if you want to download and use a video, you need permission. Not just because it’s the law and the honourable thing but because this is where the true gold is to be found.
Saying Please
Let’s take a real example from this trailer. My favourite footage of the English countryside is aerial, taken by a camera on a drone. Filming this way is expensive, is hedged with legalities and requires a high level of skill, adjusting to weather conditions, especially wind speed, knowing how fast to travel, when to pan, or bank. The footage then needs to be edited. So when I find my desirable clips, I need to contact the copyright holder, and this is usually an individual. I can do this in the YouTube comments, but they may not see my message. Consequently, I hunt for email and dispatch my request for permission to use a few seconds of their work, and explain who I am and what it would be for.
At this point, please allow me to stress, the photographer is under no obligation to open my email, read it or reply. All you can do is write and … wait. Well, as you have seen, or will see, there are three video clips here taken by drone and one handheld. Out of four, how many would respond?
The Results
The answer is: within hours, all four got back to me, freely offering permission for me to use their creations for the new trailer, even wishing me well with the project, and taking an interest in seeing the finished product. Their generosity warmed my heart. Four delightful exchanges that I would have missed if I’d simply been able to enter the vault of a stock video account and press the download button. So although they are listed in the trailer credits, I would like to pay tribute to Andy of Drone UK, Yorkshire Drone Tours, David of DavideoVisits and Your Time To Relax. Each of them has a channel on YouTube, so if you enjoyed the few seconds of their work, please hop on over, sample the delights of their collections, and if they give you pleasure, press ‘like’ or ‘subscribe’. Little things mean a lot.
Music, Maestro?
Ah, yes, the soundtrack. The theme tune for our heroine’s village of Sunken Madley is by that talented Australian and outstandingly generous composer Aaron Kenny. His work is of such splendour that every piece he writes makes the world a more beautiful place. Aaron has provided a wide range of short pieces and has placed them in the public domain for anyone to use. His English Country Garden is the sound of Sunken Madley.
I have included other pieces by Aaron in the soundtracks for my trailers and other videos, but for something fresh for the dramatic parts of the video, I looked further afield and found the right fit with a piece by Jason Shaw of audionautix.com. Jason allows anyone to use his music, requesting only that they credit his site, which is a very small ask for creations that require such musical gifts and digital expertise.
Saying Thank You
Most of the images I use come with a license of some description, so you don’t have to attribute them, but it feels good to give the photographer a little time in the spotlight. In the process of doing so, you discover new gem
s they have taken and new websites that offer free or modestly priced photos and videos. These amateurs and professionals come from all over the world and have access to sights that it would be expensive to visit but to in-the-moment photo opportunities that no money can buy. Every one is a sweetshop!
As for the final result, it is not just to give you a taste of the book but a way of providing a little treat which is a thank you, both to you readers who have been with me from earlier on the journey and those who have just joined our merry band. So I very much hope that you enjoy it. If you see it on YouTube or one of the other social sites you like, please do share it with any friends who might enjoy it too. Spread the love, because everything I create for you is made with it.
Next Stop?
In the workshop: the video with a voiceover of me reading Chapter One of Amanda Cadabra and The Nightstairs with, what I hope you will find to be, pleasing visual accompaniment. And after that? (Dramatic music, please) Launch Day!
Back soon, dear readers.
Happy November,
Holly
PS If you want to start the series now:
Available on Amazon
Paperback, Kindle
and Large Print
Dear Readers,
I promised you I’d tell you as soon as I knew myself. So here it is: just 7 days from now:
What is the Surprise?
I hear you ask. Quite right. To help any readers who would like to catch up with the series so far, Book 7, the previous one, Amanda Cadabra and The Hanging Tree, will be 99c for the whole of the launch weekend. So if you know anyone who’d like a taste of mystery and magic for very little outlay, please pass on the news.
Six Impossible Things Before Launch?
You may be wondering why this exciting announcement is coming so close to the launch day. The reason is that a total of six essential ingredients had to be in place first. I’m sure you can guess the first two: the manuscript for the Kindle/e-book edition and the cover for that. Relatively simple? Well, the former involved our venerated editor Kim and the VIP beta readers. Once they had busied away, and I had incorporated their admirable recommendations into the script, then it was ready to go? Almost. I’ll come back to that, if I may.
For the Kindle cover, Daniel had to work his magic, and I had to supply spend many hours finding costume, furniture and architectural image references to help him realise our vision. So ebook cover and script done?
They could have been, but I wanted to give you more on the day than just the ebook.
Touchy-Feely
For me, nothing beats the reading experience of actual pages that I can turn with my fingers. So, once the ebook manuscript was completed, off it had to be shipped to Daria, our formatter. Daniel went to work on the paperback cover, which means adding the spine and back. Neither of these is a quick job. They require several proofs from the professionals and detailed feedback from me each time. Furthermore, in the course of her formatting, it was possible that Daria would turn up one or two tweaks that needed to be applied to the ebook, and so it proved.
The Other Two
As I was planning to do a special price for Book 7, I wanted it to look as beautiful as possible. Because of time constraints, we had yet to be able to implement a couple of final tweaks, so Daniel fine-tuned the cover of the ebook and then the paperback editions. As soon as he’d finished, it was time to fix The Date. Six impossible thing in the bag. I didn’t want to 
wait a day more than necessary, and a Sunday launch is something of a tradition for the series, so … 13th it is. And if you’re curious, here are all the ways in which that number is auspicious!
If you’re well ahead of the game and looking for presents for the Winter Solstice and associated music, lights and pretty trees, then the paperback of the new sequel might fit the bill for a friend who loves a cozy mystery. Having said that, I’ll have another suggestion for you nearer the time.
The Lineup?
On Tuesday, there will be the launch of the trailer for Amanda Cadabra and The Nightstairs, on Thursday, the Chapter 1 read-aloud video by me, leading up to the book release on Sunday, with a short video for your entertainment, and the 99c offer for Book 7 for the entire weekend.
Thank you for sharing the excitement with me. And if you’d like to help, please share this article or any of the pre-launch posts on the Holly Bell Facebook page. I hope you know how much I appreciate your support in all its wondrous forms.
See you on Tuesday.
Happy Sunday,
Holly
PS If you want to start the series now:
Available on Amazon
Paperback, Kindle
and Large Print
Dear Readers,
The moment has come, ladies and gentlemen, to drop the veil, to part the curtains, to open the box and reveal in all its, what I hope you will think is, glory. Here is the full cover of the new Amanda Cadabra cozy paranormal mystery sequel! (Ta-daa)
The Artist
Now, I can introduce you, if you don’t already know about, the artist Daniel, and give you a little peep behind the scenes at how he is able to create such visual wonders. First, Daniel is Daniel Becerril Ureña, Bachelor of (Digital) Arts (BA) and Animation, about to complete a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Oriental Painting. Daniel’s quest for knowledge, perfection and artistic development has spanned the globe, taking him from his home in Mexico across to Europe and over to Seoul in South Korea. Here are a couple of clips of Daniel at work.
If you’d like to see more (for interest or, indeed, to watch and learn), you can find Daniel’s work here:
Cover Story
This cover, in a sense, began earlier this year when I saw … First, allow me, please, to provide some context. This is how we work. I send Daniel a detailed synopsis of the story. (Once I know what it is!) Then after a little percolation, Daniel sends me 6-8 sketches. And the better he gets, the harder it is to choose just one. They are dazzlingly beautiful, and I feel profoundly moved looking at them. Somehow he brings the characters to life on the page, and, I think you’ll agree, Daniel has Tempest down to T!
For the last book, Amanda Cadabra and The Hanging Tree, there was one sketch that I immediately wanted for this new 
sequel. In fact, it inspired a scene at the climax of the book. That was a first. A sort of creative reverse-engineering event.
So, when it came to the cover of this book, I mentioned this to Daniel, who adapted that particular image for this tale and included that in the 6 sketches. And much as I still love it, there was another that I thought you would like even more. All I can say is, see if you can guess what the scene was when you read the new book. Oo, and please let me know, in the comments, on Facebook or email me (my favourite).
Feedback so far on this cover:
‘I like it!’ ‘Loved it!’ ‘Love it.’ ‘It looks fantastic! Daniel has done a great job.’
I hope that you enjoy seeing it just as much.
What Next?
Coming up: on Sunday the launch date will be announced. After that: the trailer. This will be a video about 1 minute long to further whet your appetite. I am also planning to read aloud and record the first chapter. As I say, that’s the plan. We shall see. But thrilling times are afoot.
After that, there’ll be the launch day video and Letter to Readers to prepare. I promise to announce the date as soon as I know what it is. All I can say at this point is ‘soon.’
As I write this, I live in hourly expectation of the arrival of the edited manuscript from Kim. This is, in a way, a breathing space, in that I am away from the text, to write to you and to create some accompanying images for your pleasure. Off now to conjure the aforementioned visual delights. Back soon.
Happy November,
Holly
PS If you want to start the series now:
Available on Amazon
Paperback, Kindle
and Large Print
Dear Readers,
Feeling Peeky?
Time to peep inside the wrapping. Here is a glimpse at the cover of the new Amanda Cadabra sequel, which, as you now know, is entitled Amanda Cadabra and The Nightstairs. If you missed the last Letter, where the identity of the aforementioned flights of steps was expounded, you can catch it here.
I would like to mention the brains, talent and drawing implements behind this image: our cover illustrator Daniel Becerril Ureña hailing from Mexico and completing his Master’s degree in South Korea. All I can say is, wait till you see the whole thing!
Drama!
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, we have had a little Drama. So, my projects for the day were to write, find, edit and create images for the Letter to Readers for the Title Review. This process takes hours because only the best words and pictures for you will do. A great deal of tea is involved, you may be sure. I also needed to dispatch virtual heralds to the remaining VIP beta readers who may not have seen the memo. An enthusiastic response was received and the parchment scrolls delivered wherein was writ the Tale of Amanda Cadabra and Ye Olde Nightsteiren.
Heroism and a Happy Ending
Now, in the midst of this, I discovered the presence of adversaries at the castle walls (a page on the website was redirecting to another site). I alerted the captain of the guard (tech support for the server), who at once mustered his forces. Meanwhile, a noble burgess (esteemed reader), Mistress Pat Sciarini, in the neighbouring town (Facebook page) espied an infiltrator and sent word (all pages redirecting). At once, I informed the captain, and within the hour, all enemy forces were routed and eliminated. The castle defences were reinforced, and pennants flown joyfully from the walls once more.
What a heroic tale! What it highlights is how valuable it is when you, dear readers, if you spot a scurrilous incursion, let me know. If any other pages here go somewhere that doesn’t look right, please send up a flare, light the beacon, or dispatch the homing pigeon. That way, I can instigate dispatches to have all restored forthwith.
By the way, if you are one of my precious subscribers, be assured that your details are held in the allied stronghold of Fort Mailchimp, whose walls are unbreachable.
By the end of the day, the Letter to Readers for the title reveal bloomed here, the VIPs had the manuscript, and peace reigned once more in Castle AmandaCadabra.com.
Coming Up
The previous day there was also a Drama, but that led, and will lead to, treasure, which I intend to excavate any day now.
Meanwhile, I hope you’ve enjoyed your first peek at the cover of Amanda Cadabra and the Nightstairs. Next, (you guessed it) the full cover reveal. (Dramatic orchestral music).
Back soon.
Happy viewing,
Holly
PS If you want to start the series now:
Available on Amazon
Paperback, Kindle
and Large Print
