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Newsletter February 2023



Hallo, and welcome to the first newsletter of the year. And there's been a fair amount to mention, so I'd better crack on!

First, as some of you will know, last year I had a sudden shock. I was persuaded to have a health check when one of my brothers had a cancer scare - it's something that can be hereditary, so we other brothers were advised it was a good idea. Off we toddled, and the day after, I was surprised, while walking the dog, to get a call from the doctor's surgery asking me to go in. I was assured that I didn't have cancer - but I did have high cholesterol and diabetes.

It was naturally a relief to hear that I was not cancerous, but I was surprised to be told in no uncertain terms that I had to go in to discuss the diabetes urgently, as in within the week. Unconvinced that there was anything wrong, since I had no symptoms, I asked for a second blood test to confirm the first. And that did indeed confirm the diagnosis.

Basically, as confirmed with eye damage, I have been diabetic for at least ten years, which was an enormous surprise. At the same time, since I had the undivided attention of my general practitioner, I mentioned a slightly odd sensation in my little finger. He diagnosed (correctly, as it happened) a trapped ulnar nerve.

So, after all this, I had to have a major lifestyle and diet change for the diabetes, and then last month went in for surgery on my arm. I also had to go for laser surgery on an eye - which was then cancelled because that issue appears to have largely improved. And now I'm controlling the diabetes really quite easily. Sadly it does involve avoiding all carbohydrates, so no more big pasta dishes, rice dishes, quinoa, couscous, pizzas or breads - or beer. Those last three hurt! However, if I can keep the blood sugars down, I can control the diabetes. Already, after the last twelve months of low carb diet, my blood sugars have reduced to normal and healthy non-diabetic ranges, even after halving the medication. So all is good. With luck, if this continues, I will be able to cut out the drugs completely.

That, then, is the health side. It's been interesting, but it has also given me a new project to look at.

This is a podcast, based entirely on diabetes. I was astonished to learn that I had such problems. As I mentioned, I had no symptoms whatsoever, and in fact thought that I was particularly healthy, since I walked every day, tended to have what I thought was a healthy diet (plenty of rice, pasta, couscous, vegetables, and no sugary sweets or puddings), and, again, had no symptoms. These things don't necessarily mean the victim doesn't have diabetes, though. So it struck me that my own diabetic experience may well be of use and interest to others. I'll be looking into that as soon as I have some spare time. Podcasts are a different way of doing things, and it may be better to stick with YouTube for now. I'll have to see.

Anyway, let's get back to work.

The Last TemplarThe Merchant's PartnerA Moorland Hanging

Last year was good, with Canelo republishing The Last Templar and The Merchant's Partner in paperback form. They're now releasing A Moorland Hanging, and if sales go well, they'll be looking to add more of the original series to their printed formats.

This year is proving to be a seriously hard working one - again!

I started the year with a deadline of end of January for one book - Jack Blackjack's latest outing, the 8th in his Bloody Mary Tudor series. However, that's had to be put back to the end of February, because of the operation on my elbow (cubital tunnel release - you can look it up). I wasn't allowed to type or work with that arm for over three weeks. It's working well now, and I'm back to up to 5,000 words a day, and driving again, so with luck this book will be in with the editor in time, along with apologies for the delay and the less-than-perfect quality of the final draft - luckily my editor is a lovely and very generous-hearted lady! As things stand today (February 16th) I have a couple of thousand words to write, and then it's back through the whole typescript and check, edit, tie up loose ends, weep, retype ... the usual stuff.

However, finishing that book will mean ... I have to crack on with editing the next one.

This is a book I wrote during lockdown, and it's been sitting waiting for some major editing for a while. It is a story set in 1920s Shanghai, and I love it. The atmosphere of that city, when China was struggling, weakened by civil war, the threat of Japanese imperial expansion, and still reeling from the imperial wars against the European powers. The loss of face, the shame, the easy availability of guns post the Great War, the banditry, the enthusiasm of many Chinese to take advantage of the special conditions which evolved in the Shanghai Municipal Council (this was never part of the British Empire, although the French occupied zone was absorbed into the French Empire), led to this city being one of the most glamorous, wealthy, fast-growing cities in the world. But that wealth came at a price.

Torrio and Capone at the same time were running their prostitution, drink, drugs and gambling empire in Chicago. Shanghai was similar, but with more gangs. For example, in terms of prostitution, in Chicago it was reckoned that one in every four hundred and thirty people was involved in the sex industry; in Shanghai it was one in every one hundred and thirty. Desperate White Russians fleeing the Bolsheviks, Chinese fleeing one or another warlord, drugs, guns, booze, gambling and prostitution all led to Shanghai having a reputation as a hard city to control, and resulted in one of the most forward-thinking and effective police forces in the world. I love the story of the officer exchange program organized between Chicago and Shanghai. The swap was arranged, but within the week the hard-bitten Chicago officers demanded to return home. Shanghai was too dangerous for them!

Once March is out of the way, that book must be completed. It's all written, but the publisher is not happy about its length. It is currently some 135,000 words, and they want it cut down to below 120,000. That should be perfectly feasible, but may involve losing a couple of scenes. At least I'll be coming back to it very fresh, and will be able to see where cuts can be made. And then, with luck, the book will find some buyers.

Portrait of a Murder

In April I have the first in a new series being published. This was a lighter-hearted story. I had the idea twenty-odd years ago for a crime series based on an investigator who was an artist, but sadly no publisher (or agent) was interested. Still, it appealed to me because it meant I could make use of a portrait painter's ability to look behind the mask, and see the person's true nature. I always liked that idea, and thankfully my new editor at Severn House loved the idea. She bought Portrait of a Murder, the first in the Art of Murder series, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it's reviewed when it's out in April.

At the same time as it comes out, I have to write the second in the same series. Which will be fun, but I'll have to crack on with it in a hurry, because that is due before the end of July - and then I'll need to write book nine in the Blackjack series too. Meanwhile I still have book 33 in the Last Templar series to go back and edit. From all this, you may be able to guess that I have a fair bit of work on this year. I had been planning to take a holiday with my wife and travel to see family in New Zealand to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, but sadly that looks unlikely now.

October seems to be the month that I have to concentrate on other things. Back in 2019 I was asked to be the expert on a Smithsonian tour, Mystery Lover's England. It was really daunting, not least because I only had two weeks to prepare (short notice because the original expert was forced to cancel), I was also hosting one of the most senior executives in the organisation. However, it was enormous fun (if exhausting) and I got a lot from it. Last year I was asked to host two tours, both of which were wonderful. The guests were enthusiastic, fun to be with, and it was just a great week both times - and even more exhausting! This year I've been asked to do the tours again, with slight modifications, and I'm looking forward to them. Apart from anything else, I think I will be using the theme of an expert on a guided tour as part of the basis of the next Art of Murder story.

Apart from all this, there are speaking engagements at local libraries and bookshops, I am helping create a new literary festival, and also I've started a short story competition for a local college. It's all go this year, as I said!

So, if you don't mind, I'll return now to the last pages and edits of book 8 in Jack Blackjack's latest story - and try to think up a clever, witty and imaginative title for it. So far, nothing has grabbed me, sadly!

All best
Michael Jecks

North Dartmoor
February 2023




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