Never one to break with tradition…..there’s a side story with regard to my enthusiasm for Susan Macneal’s writing.
The first of the Maggie Hope spy mysteries, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary, (which I highly recommend) is fiction but based in fact. The author was fortunate enough to have had several interviews with Churchill’s private secretary before her death. The book is about a ‘typist’ who was relegated to a menial job because of her gender. She was actually educated in mathematics and cryptology and could easily have fitted in with MI-Five (British CIA) but for her being a woman.
I was so taken by Winston Churchill’s pets having the run of the war offices….and how Susan wove this little fact (with many others) into her story so deftly. At the time I was looking for lighter material to round out my collection
of short plays for the classroom. An idea came to me of Mr. Churchill noodling away in front of his easel and Nelson, his cat talking to the audience; telling them something about the times that they lived in, an anecdote or two about the Prime Minister and of course, listening patiently to Mr. Churchill’s comments about the world at large.
July 1st, the fourth and newest book in the Maggie Hope series will go on sale.
To promote not only the new book but my Blog, the folks at Random House have invited me to do a BOOK GIVE-AWAY! Easy to enter but remember it is for a signed, paperback of ‘The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent’ only and you must have a US mailing address.
Like my page (writeratplay) on Facebook, like Susan’s page https://www.facebook.com/susaneliamacneal?fref=ts, and follow us on Twitter. Return to the post and comment ‘Book Give-away – Done’.
We will announce the two winners around July 2nd.
Did you miss my interview with Susan? Click here
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DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS!
In addition to my twice weekly blog I also feature an interview with another author once a month. So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers’ special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create! Dean Koontz 
will be interviewed by me June 28th in a two part sensational visit with this suspense-thriller mega-star.
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