Hi everyone, it’s been a few months since I last posted on here, the reasons for which I’ll come to later.
Well, “The Magus of Sicily” came out on July 3rd and reviews thus far have been overwhelmingly positive. Which is a relief. The Mirror, Mail and Financial Times all really liked it and – most importantly – feedback from readers has been wonderful.
And, as I said, that was a relief. I confess I was nervous about this one. Not because I’m not proud of the book – I am – but because after eight books in a series I was worried about holding on to my readers or, as I wrote in the acknowledgements, having them throw the book across the room once they realised Nathan wasn’t in it.
So thank you all so very, very much for the feedback. And – if by chance you were one of those who threw it across the room – don’t worry. I’m actually in Sicily at the moment but, confusingly, working on next year’s Venice novel and, yes, Nathan, Fede, Gramsci et al will be back!
And now, sadly, I come to the reason for the lack of recent posts. As those of you who follow me on the socials will know, my mother died at the end of June. It was peaceful and without suffering and for that I am grateful. It was also not unexpected; but nevertheless nothing can ever quite prepare you for the late night phone call from an all-too-familiar number…
I have my lovely cousins in the South of England who, like Caroline, have been an immense support to me. But Mum was my last living relative on that side of the family and my last living relative in Wales. I am the last Jones now. That’s a lot to get my head around. It also means that the rhythm of my life which, since dad died, has been three weeks in Venice followed by a week in Wales has now changed. Things will be different now. That, too, is a lot to get my head around.
She never got to see “The Magus of Sicily”. To be honest, she was too physically frail to read by the end of her life. But she knew what I did, and would always ask about how I came up with plots and ideas (answer : you walk around Venice and something will come up). She always asked after Caroline (if she wasn’t there – she also visited a lot) and Mimi (who, sadly, she never got to meet except via photos).
“The Venetian Masquerade”, book 3 in the Nathan Sutherland series, came out back in 2019. The dedication reads :-
For Mum and Dad, with love.
It took me many years to find la strada giusta.
Thank you for your patience
Six years on, and I still mean that. Diolch, dad. Diolch, mam.
Philip Gwynne Jones 
My sincere condolences on the death of your dear Mum. My sister and I are the last members of our Yorkshire family, with no next generation still alive, so we can understand your feelings of strangeness.
As for the new book, well, you know that I loved it and it will be added to my Read Annually list. Of course, I look forward to the next Venetian book too!
With kindest regards,
Kathi
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Thank you so much Kathi. I really appreciate that.
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Dear Philip,
It’s very good to hear from you. I’m following the Beers of Sicily series in Bluesky, and noticing the lack of breakfast follies recently…..
I enjoyed The Magus and look forward to its continuation. Your publisher must be encouraged by the reviews and I assume the sales as well. Has anyone noticed the switch from the first person? I found that the change in voice meant that if I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have guessed that The Magus was by Nathan’s author. This is meant as a compliment. (I may have said this before. It feels familiar.)
Being the last Jones must understandably give you pause, although I don’t think the Welsh are in danger of running out of Joneses any time soon….. And as I said at the time you announced her death, your mother must have been very proud of you, and she – and your dad – must have loved the dedication to them in Masquerade. La strada giusta indeed.
I do hope you and Caroline are having a splendid holiday in Sicily, although I don’t know how you tolerate the Italian summers. I was in the Cotswolds for a few days last month and it was hotter than Spain – with duvets still on the beds. Victoria is a wonderfully temperate climate. We get agitated when the temperature rises above 25C or falls below 5C…..
With all good wishes, and the hope of seeing you both next March.
Elaine
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Thank you Elaine, you did comment on the switch to third person and I absolutely took that as a compliment. It was one of the things I thought I needed to do to distinguish the book from the Venice series and – although I could have kept a split first-person narrative – I thought that would become annoying, switching every chapter!
Italian summers can be hard work but I’m getting better at them. There is, at least, a nice breeze coming off the sea. And I’m sure there’ll be more photos of breakfasts to come…
Thanks for all the good wishes – and yes, hope to see you next March!!
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Hi Philip, Sorry to hear your sad news. I have read all your fiction so far and they have all been ‘good reads’: I’ve always been fascinated by Venice (I’ve visited once & would love to go again but circumstances are against me) and the inclusion of a cat with character is the icing on the cake. Sicily is on my bucket list, so I was happy to read your latest book – obviously you’ve left some intrigue with the key characters that will develop in later tales. Whatever, please keep up the good work. Best wishes, Robin Robin Leveridge in Somerset
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Thank you Robin – I really, really appreciate that. Warmest wishes, Philip.
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