As the year ends, it’s time to reflect a little. It’s now 15 years since I wrote my first murder mystery, CAPABLE OF MURDER and I wonder at the changes that have occurred in that time. For instance, cell/mobile phones were not so readily available, and phone message machines still used tapes to record. I mention these because landline phones and message machines were involved in the stories. Now they seem rather quaint, and I wonder how younger readers will react when they have no knowledge of the technology of the time.

It also made me think about some interviews I did after the publication of my first books and how I would answer the same questions about my writing now when I have six books published. What might have been valid then might not be now – or tomorrow. However, I submit an interview I did some years back which may – or may not – be of interest to you.  
https://fairdinkumcrime.com/2011/04/16/fair-dinkum-bakers-dozen-5-brian-kavanagh/

And Seasons Greetings, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all and hopefully, Peace on Earth to all.

Brian Kavanagh

WEBSITE

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY 
FOR CHRISTMAS. 🎅
To celebrate my amateur sleuth, Belinda Lawrence's visit to Canterbury at Xmas time, I'm gifting copies of her cozy mystery
A CANTERBURY CRIME. 
Enter and enjoy the fun, and hopefully you will be enjoying her adventure soon.
Merry Christmas and Holidays to All.
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/213687-a-canterbury-crime
AUTHOR LINK reviews and details: http://beekayvic.tripod.com/id27.html
Enjoy the  video:

HEADS UP!
A GoodReads Giveaway
starts in two days.
http://beekayvic.tripod.com/id27.html

New Promo Video

For readers who may not know my Belinda Lawrence cozy mystery series, I've prepared a new Promotional Video which gives an introduction to Belinda and her adventures.
With Christmas and the holiday season drawing near, I think readers will find the books ideal reading for the beach, the pool, or by the fireside. Amazon and Goodreads have reviews of all six books, so please check them out and decide if you think Belinda is for you. 👿
Take a minute to watch the and enjoy the Promo Video.
Best wishes to all....

AMAZON: http://tinyurl.com/z86cav6
AUTHOR: http://beekayvic.tripod.com

A snippet from my new Belia Lawrence cozy mystery 
ILLUSION OF DEATH. For 2017. 
Keep watching MY BLOG for more details and publication details.:-)

“Did you notice some of the blood had dried?” said Hazel, as she added a dollop of sour cream to her bowl of deep ruby Borsch. It was the night after the discovery of the body. The group had all been interrogated and fingerprinted and advised that no one was to leave the city while awaiting further questioning and the result of an autopsy. 
“Meaning he’d been wounded before the blow that killed him?” said Belinda, topping up their glasses with a vigorous, crimson Shiraz. 
“Yes. So, he was being held captive.”
“And whoever held him captive had tortured him.”
“But why?”
Belinda shrugged. “Who knows?”
Hazel toyed with her soup spoon, making circles in the Borsch.
“Tortured him and then killed him?” she asked.
“Assuming it was one person did both.”
Hazel glanced at Belinda. “You think there was more than one?”
Belinda pushed her soup bowl away. Suddenly she didn’t feel hungry. “It’s possible. After all, the group…”
“You mean someone in the group is guilty?”
“Well, it was hardly a robbery gone wrong. The fact he was tied up proves that. And it seems no one in the group had seen him for some time, just assuming he was on holiday.”
“Or so they say.”
Belinda nodded. “Right. One of them could be lying.”
“Or all of them?”
“If so, why?”
“Unless there’s something about his private life that they and we don’t know?”
Belinda grinned. “Really, Hazel. Life isn’t always like some of the books you read. What was it, Fifty Yards of Gray Flannel?”
Hazel gave a deprecating smile. “There are stranger things on earth, you know. But seriously, was he involved with someone in the group? Was there conflict between them?” 
Belinda took a sip of wine. “It’s possible. But I think there’s something else.”
(C) 2016 Brian Kavanagh
https://kavanaghsmysterybooks.blogspot.com.au/

I'm excited to be interviewed by Amanda Howard about my writing cosy, English village mysteries. It was a pleasure and an honour for me. I'd like to you read the interview and let me know your thoughts and reaction. Every good wish to all. :-)
New Interview

AUTHOR LINK

Documentary series

About  ten years ago I produced a video series which shows the history of statues in London, I will be, from time to time, adding episodes, but today I start with Episode One: Wonderland. I hope you enjoy the videos and also book trailers for my Belinda Lawrence English village mysteries. All my book details are on my website.
http://beekayvic.tripod.com


IN STONE & STEEL EP ONE from Brian Kavanagh on Vimeo.

KILLING TIME

If you don't already know Amanda Howard let me introduce her. Amanda is a writer of real crime books as well as fiction. This link is to her blog site, which I think you will find entertaining and informative. 

Seek it out and enjoy.

BK

KILLING TIME BLOG

Amanda on AMAZON

CONTINUING WITH BELINDA

Continuing on with 'how I met Belinda Lawrence in the tiny Somerset village of Midford (Milford in the books)' I have made a short video that reveals the village, accompanied by an extract from the text of Capable of Murder. The house and village are real; the extended garden is fictional. I hope you enjoy the video. Let me know what you think, BK
 

Meeting Belinda

I first met amateur sleuth, Belinda Lawrence in December 1975. Let me explain. A good friend of mine, Ian, had been living in London for some time and had met up with his father’s sister who lived in a small cottage in the even smaller village of Midford near Bath in Somerset. Subsequently, his aunt died, and he inherited the cottage.

And so it was I visited him and stayed at the cottage that Christmas. During the 1970/80’s I travelled to Europe regularly and often stayed at the cottage. I got to know the history of the area and of the cottage in particular which is believed to have originated around 13th century as a Cobblers, one room structure, that now being the Long Room. Later it and the few other cottages became the centre of a Religious movement. After the creation of the Church of England the properties were sold off and in Victorian times Ian’s cottage was employed as a girl’s school. Part of that structure had been pulled down, but Ian's Grandparents bought the cottage in the 1920's and their daughter, Ian's Aunt lived there until her death. The area around the village is fascinating; Midford railway station served the village until 1966 when Dr Beaching closed many branch lines. The village appears in the opening shot of the English comedy film The Titfield Thunderbolt.

Nearby is the one public house in the village: the Hope and Anchor which is on the main road leading into the village, adjacent to the railway bridge. Also nearby, and of interest to me was Prior Park Landscape Garden surrounding the Prior Park estate south of Bath and designed in the 18th century by the poet Alexander Pope and Lancelot Brown more commonly known as Capability Brown, the great English landscape architect. The garden was prominent in defining the style known as the "English landscape garden".

I had been reading about Brown and his creative work and the fact, apart from his rolling landscapes, he did create some small gardens. When I visited London each time, I stayed in Richmond, Surrey and discovered that at Ancaster House on top of Richmond Hill, Brown received a small payment for works to the modest garden at the gates to Richmond Park.

Another small Richmond property, one long gone by redevelopment was a house in Hill Street. Work in the film industry was beginning to dry up for me (that’s a story for another time) and I was exploring the idea of writing a mystery novel, mainly to keep myself active until the telephone rang offering work. It didn’t. So over a period all the above elements began to ferment in my mind. The fact Brown created relatively small gardens intrigued me and that detail alone saw the origins of Belinda Lawrence. Drawing on Ian’s inheritance of the cottage and determining the chief protagonist in my book was to be female, a swift transsexual operation occurred, creating a young Australian woman who unexpectedly inherits a cottage and the remains of a mysterious garden which becomes the central point of the story. To be continued… AUTHORS PAGE:

Back Again

I've decided to revive my Blog Site, which for some reason, I've neglected. I thought it best to give the background to amateur sleuth, Belinda Lawrence and how she came into being, as well as some of my own background as a filmmaker and author. So, over the next few weeks, I will detail our adventures and news of Belinda's new book, AN ILLUSION OF DEATH. Keep watching and if you have any questions, please let me know. Good wishes to all. BK