Heide and Iain’s Newsletter

Comedy fiction and general silliness

 

 

Heide: Hello, {{ subscriber.first_name | capitalize() or "friend" }} 

it’s been a busy week for us. We’ve just launched our latest book. Oddjobs 5 came out on Friday 5^th February on Kindle and paperback… Iain, is the audiobook version out yet?

Iain: Ah, I was going to say something about that.

Heide: That sounds suspiciously like “no.”

Iain: That is correct but it’s a “no, but…” I’ll explain more in a bit.

Heide: So, some of our newsletters subscribers won’t have read any of the Oddjobs novels. Can they just leap in with the latest novel?

Iain: Almost certainly not. I’ve just been chatting to our audiobook narrator, Matthew Lloyd Davies —

Heide: So, there will be an audiobook?

Iain: I’ll explain in a bit — I was chatting to him and he’s just pointed out that nearly every character from the first four books pops up in the opening chapters of Oddjobs 5. Best to start with number 1.

 

 

Heide: One thing we’ve not been able to do for the launch of this book is have a launch party. Not a physical one.

Iain: No meeting with other people allowed at the moment. No leaving the house except for essential journeys.

Heide: I wondered what you’ve done to celebrate the launch?

Iain: Hmmm. I got my first COVID vaccination jab on Wednesday. Does that count?

Heide: Hardly.

Iain: Because I work part-time at a hospital school, I got called up to have the vaccination. I was a brave boy. Unlike this poor gentleman I saw on the internet recently..

Iain: And they gave me a sticker too for being brave. What have you been doing recently?

Heide: I have been keeping myself sane by playing with sewing machines at the weekends. I was highly delighted that I finally succeeded in re-wiring the motor and lamp for this 1936 Singer 201 and it works beautifully.

Iain: You know about electrics?

Heide: I know how to learn stuff off the internet, yeah...

Iain: Not quite the same thing, but do continue.

Heide: So I made an elephant from some old velvet curtains. It’s a great job except for the ear placement, which is sort of critical for an elephant.

Iain: Anything else?

Heide: I wanted to make a bag out of cat food pouches, so I did that too.

Iain: Surely there are more sensible things you could do with your time.

Heide: Like what?

Iain: Possibly anything.  Something I’ve been doing recently is listening to audiobooks. And, without meaning to, I’ve listened to two books that have a lot in common with our Oddjobs series.

 

The Stranger Times by Caimh McDonnell

In which a woman finds herself working on a chaotic local newspaper that specialises in reporting UFO sightings, ghostly hauntings and other weird stuff, including demonically possessed toilets. And, of course, they get caught up in a real conflict between the magical forces of good and evil. Very similar sense of humour to us.

 

The Jennifer Morgue by Charles Stross

The second book in his Laundry Files series which is essentially the tentacled horrors of HP Lovecraft meets the gizmos and action of a spy thriller. In this book, clearly inspired by James Bond, there’s all manner of techno-babble and tensely dangerous situations. Highly recommended.

Heide: You’ve given them both five star reviews?

Iain: Absolutely. I always give a review to things I like.

Heide: And things you don’t like?

Iain: Tough one. Usually only if I’ve been mis-sold something or it’s actually rubbish. Just been and checked. The last thing I gave a poor review to was a set of wireless headphones I bought for my daughter and which lasted a week. You know, stuff that people need to be warned against buying.

Heide: So about the audiobook for Oddjobs 5…

Iain: I don’t think we need to warn people against buying it.

Heide: No, you were going to say something about it.

Iain: Ah, yes! Well, Matthew Lloyd Davies is recording it right now AND he’s running some sessions on Zoom this week (08:30am to late morning, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) where people can pop on and see him in his booth recording it.

Heide: Sort of like peering at him through the window?

Iain: If you like, or seeing the process of how an audiobook is put together. I joined him this morning and got to see how he records and edits the book. And he does ALL the voices.

Heide: And if our newsletter subscribers want to pop in and have a look, they just click on a link?

Iain: This link!

 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87968597474?pwd=RWMzMWFpSE85bUJRYzNzUVZHSUtDZz09

 

Meeting ID: 879 6859 7474

Passcode: 431745

 

 

 

ALL THE LINKS:

 

Heide and Iain’s website: www.pigeonparkpress.com

The Comedy Kitchen: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2098850213744767/

Clovenhoof Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Clovenhoof-Books-285544508177333/

Oddjobs Discussion page: https://www.facebook.com/OddjobsBooks/

Our books on Amazon (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B008GK6RX0

Our books on Amazon (US): https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B008GK6RX0

E-mail us at: info@pigeonparkpress.com