News and Reviews

Newsletter

DECEMBER - 2025

Hi (or should that be Ho Ho Ho)

Did you spot the deliberate (!) mistake in the last newsletter, which I referred to as the November edition when really it was the October one. In the interest of continuity, I'm calling this the December Newsletter, which makes it seem I'm sort of ahead of the game rather than struggling to keep up. 

I had a very different month in November. The two book signings in the first half of the month went very well. At Waterstones in Bury on the first day of the month, I had my best day ever, selling 70 copies of The Moorstone. A big thank you to Dave and Ben for hosting the event in their prestigious new store in Mill Gate Shopping Centre. It's worth another look  ....

The following Saturday in the Costa cafe in the main Tesco in Bury, saw another successful day with 42 books sold, and £84 donated to the Costa Foundation charity support. I really enjoy my Costa visits where, the coffee and cakes apart, I've made a good many friends among the regular Saturday shoppers, In fact only about one third of the people I meet are potential new readers, the other two thirds is split between those who have already bought a book and those who have said they don't want one. So it's a case of diminishing returns, but continuing enjoyment.

The second half of the month I spent in Scotland with my brother, Geoff, mostly at his cottage on the Isle of Skye. My main purpose for the visit was to take him for an appointment at Fort William hospital. It's the nearest one to where he lives and is 140 miles away. And we faced the worst weather of the season so far to get there and back. The roads were deadly in places, but the scenery was fantastic. Here Are some examples of the latter:-

Geoff and I are big Hercule Poirot fans and watched a number of episodes while I was up there. One in particular we like is The Mystery of the Blue Train. This was a special service, which ran from Paris to Nice for well over a century before being discontinued in 2003. Like the Orient Express it was strictly for the very rich with its opulent private compartments and lavish dining carriage featuring lace tablecloths, candles, caviar and popping champagne corks. Watching that episode, I remarked how much I would enjoy a train journey, just for a change, not having travelled by rail for a very long time. It proved to be ironic and supportive of the expression 'Be careful what you wish for.' Heading home via Inverness Airport a few days later, my late evening flight was cancelled , leaving me with an eight hour train journey the following day. I did enjoy it in fact, but the catering fell a little short of The Blue Train.

Actually, I really enjoyed the bacon bap.

Whilst waiting in the departure lounge prior to the cancellation, I spotted this little item I decided to add to my Christmas list.

A 50 year old Macallan Red, price £49,999. It's good that they managed to keep the price a fraction under £1,000 per year. It always begs the question, what do you do with it when you buy it? 

And speaking of my brother, I shared with you a few months ago the news of the publication of his first book. The Alphabetical Zoo was a single poem of around 30 verses featuring some wonderful illustrations, describing 26 animals in the zoo, each beginning with a different letter. It's proved a real winner, and his second much bigger book, WELCOME TO ALPHADALE, out this month, follows the same theme, this time covering different aspects of village life with the same alphabetical progression.. Check it out - I promise you it's very special!

On the subject of books, I'll be back in circulation in December at the following venues, signing copies of The Moorstone:-

Saturday 6 December from 10.30 at T G Jones in the Trafford Centre

Sunday 7 December from 12.00 at the same place

Friday 12 December from 10.00 at the Costa Cafe in the maun Tesco in Prestwich

Saturday 13 December from 10.30 at T G Jones in Altrincham

Friday 19 December from 10.00 at the Costa Cafe in the main Tesco in Bury

If you're around at any of the above times and places, drop by and do a bit of Christmas shopping. And if, like me, you do a lot of your shopping online, The Moorstone and all my previous four books are available via Amazon, Waterstones or my website

 www.michaelknaggs.co.uk where you can get signed copies with no P&P to pay..

End of commercial and it only remains for me to wish you a very Happy Christmas and a successful, safe New Year.

All the very best for now, and thank you for staying in touch.

Best regards

Michael

Recent NEWS AND Reviews

‘I really enjoyed reading this debut novel from Mike. I was captured immediately & found the book to have a thought-provoking theme. It kept me interested throughout, so much so that I spent a whole day around the pool on holiday with my head immersed in the book! (Only surfacing for a cool beer.) Now I am looking forward to a sequel...or there will be a riot!’ - Amazon Reviewer

'I've just finished your first book, Catalyst, and can't wait to get hold of the next book. Very difficult to put down. I'm an avid reader of murder mystery novels but found this one so different. The balance of story, dialogue and description is brilliant. Well done you for a super novel!' - Sheelagh Taaffe