Dear Reader,

DARK PRAYER NOW AVAILABLE!

I have written books for fourteen years but I still can't take a proper promo pic. My fingers are obscuring the title, but the book I am holding is my new novel, DARK PRAYER. I am happy to say my beleaguered heroine is finally ready to face the world! DARK PRAYER is now available in the format of your choice — hardback, paperback or ebook. The link below will take you to Amazon (US), but you can order the book worldwide at other online— or brick-and-mortar outlets too.

My heroine is a little muddled, and at times a little crazy, but of all the characters I've created over the fourteen years I've been a writer, I believe she is my favourite. If you enjoy her company, may I ask you a huge favour? Please share on mighty Amazon and Goodreads, and on blog sites and at book clubs. This kind of word-of-mouth is hugely important to a writer. I know, of course, how time-consuming it is to leave feedback and I very much appreciate you going to the trouble.

Free bookplates and downloadable poster

Should you wish to receive a signed bookplate, please access the link below and then scroll down to where you will be directed to place a request and fill in your mailing address. Once I receive your request, I will post the bookplate to you at no delivery costs (up to five plates). If you do not live in the UK, allow up to two weeks for delivery.

I love my jacket cover for DARK PRAYER! If you do too, and wish to have it as a poster, you can download it for free on your computer and then take the file to your nearest printer or photo shop and have them print it for you. Click below.

More book news

I've received messages from readers over the past couple of years complaining that some of my novels, especially WINDWALKER, was not available as ebooks. Please note that all my books — with the exception of one — is now available in digital format. The reason for the delay was that I had been engaged in drawn-out negotiations with my publishers to retrieve the rights to my backlist.

Screenwriting

There has been a three-year gap between THE KEEPER and my new book, DARK PRAYER and many of my readers have told me to stop being lazy! In my own defence, I was working hard -- but I was busy with a different kind of writing.

Three years ago I managed to sell a movie script to Relativity Media and since then I have been commissioned by other producers to write two more scripts.

Why did I not send out a newsletter to broadcast the news? Or blog about the experience? Well, the rules for screenwriters are a little different. You are a writer for hire and you are not allowed to talk about the project until such time as the studio or the producers give you the green light. This only happens once the project moves out of development into pre-production, or even full production, which can sometimes take years.

Furthermore, as the majority of commissioned scripts never get made into a movie , you may never receive that greenlight. There is an entire community of screenwriters who pay the mortgage, the dental bills and send their kids to college without ever seeing their work translated to the big screen. I have to admit I was clueless about any of this when I started out.

But one of my scripts has now actually moved from development into pre-production. Yeah! The producers have put it out-in-the open on their website and I can therefore speak more freely. I've been very busy writing a screenplay based on the New York Times best-selling novel, THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McLain. It was a huge honour to have the opportunity to adapt this excellent book for film but it was also a truly nerve wracking experience! Adapting a 350 page novel to fit into the straitjacket of a 120 page script, is challenging. The last thing I wanted to do was to alienate Ms. McLain's fans by messing up a beautifully written story and producing a clunky adaptation.

But in-between biting my fingernails, I also had great fun writing it and so far everyone attached to the project seems happy. For those of you who haven't read the book yet, it tells the story of Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson in Jazz Age Paris.

And that's it! Thanks for reading, and thanks very much for your interest and support.

Cheers
Natasha
www.natashamostert.com