Dear network,

Hope you’re all keeping well and having a good summer (or winter, if you find yourself “down south”).

It’s been a busy few months for me, hence the lack of news updates, but here’s a short summary of the spring and summer thus far.

My latest book, Wayward Wanderings, is still winging its way to new countries and even new continents, hopefully landing in South America as we speak. It’s currently “enjoying” a stint in customs in Montevideo, Uruguay.

With the exception of two books that were returned to me after a 4-month stay with the Swedish customs (Brexit, oh Brexit!), all books sent off have safely arrived.

If you haven’t got your copy yet, but would like to get one, do drop me an email for details of my summer book special!

This offer is for newsletter subscribers only and will not be available via my website. Shopping via the website is of course also possible at the normal price:

https://amhellbergmoberg.co.uk/shop/

I’m pleased to say, more shops and libraries here in the UK are now stocking several of my books and I’m hoping they will soon be available in Sweden too – details to follow.

Currently, I’m putting together a review section for my website. Many thanks to those of you who have sent through reviews/comments already. If anybody would like to contribute, please drop me an email and feel free to include book photos as well (seeing where my books end up is always great fun, unless they’re on a rubbish heap, in a bin or a shredder!).

As well as tapping away at a keyboard, I sometimes give talks and do author events when the opportunity presents itself. This summer is turning into “public speaking season” – both good fun and a little nerve-wracking, after multiple lockdowns have meant a dire lack of live events. In June I did my first online author talk and reading for one of my local libraries, as part of the Lambeth Readers and Writers Festival. In July this was followed by my first live event since October 2019, held at Newham Poetry House in East London. The event was called Writing with an Accent (part of Newham Word Festival) and focused on authors writing in a second language (or more than one language). Getting back into doing live events is an absolute joy and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting people and sharing some of my fiction after a good six months intensely focused on my travel writing. The Newham Poetry Group does regular events and if you’re London-based, I encourage you to check them out: http://www.newhampoetrygroup.com/

I may be working with them again later in the autumn.

As you can tell, there is a certain lack of actual fiction news in this fiction newsletter.

“How’s the novel going?” you might be asking yourselves. Well, I have to admit it’s been side-lined by a flurry of exciting public speaking gigs, including the two above-mentioned events and several more over the summer and autumn (in London, Sweden and possibly Scotland – pandemic permitting – details to be published on my website when dates are finalised).

After 15 years of living in the London Borough of Wandsworth, I have at long last started getting involved with the local council’s arts and culture projects. Call me slow, but with such a strong travel focus on my work in the past, I didn’t really think to shift my emphasis to events done locally – until the pandemic came along and changed everyone’s lives and many people’s livelihoods. I’m hoping to get more involved in local projects throughout 2021.

Wandsworth Art Profile:

https://wandsworthart.com/profiles/anna-maria-espsater-pen-name-am-hellberg-moberg/

Finally, to add to the somewhat random nature of freelance life, I’m currently in the midst of cooking for what I’m hoping will be a delicious, travel-inspired South American cookbook.

Hope you all have a great summer (OK, and winter down south) and do feel free to get in touch with your thoughts and comments.

All the best,

AM Hellberg Moberg