It's been a busy week of theatre, a welcome break before returning to Mallorca to attack the ninth draft of Best Kept Secret, the third in The Clifton Chronicles series.  I'll be away for three weeks working on the manuscript, so to all those kind people who keep enquiring, no, I'm afraid I can't write any quicker, and the book will be out in hardback in early March next year. The answer to the other question that keeps arising, is also no, I haven't got a clue as to what will be in volume four, and in fact I don't even have a title yet.  As the first Test match against the West Indies opens on Thursday, I'll write the odd blog or tweet while I'm away, as I always find watching cricket a relaxing break between writing sessions.  Thank you again for all your emails and tweets.

Today, The Sins of the Father, second volume of The Clifton Chronicles, will be published in the United States and Canada, a nervous moment for any author. However, far more important: yesterday, my wife Mary published her own wonderful pictorial book, The Story of The Old Vicarage Grantchester. Her first book on the subject was called Rupert Brooke and the Old Vicarage; the second book is more about the history of the house, which dates back to 1685, along with illustrations and photographs, some 150 years old. For Mary, this has been a labour of love, a majestic hobby, but the result shows her infinite love of our home in Grantchester, and its remarkable 400 year history. The highlight being not only that the First World War poet, Rupert Brooke, lived there, but The Old Vicarage Grantchester, arguably his most celebrated work, is a tribute to the home he loved as much as we, his caretakers, do. The Story of The Old Vicarage Grantchester can be purchased by downloading the order form, and all profits will be donated to The Rupert Brooke Society.

Click here to download the order form