One Little Month...

(As Hamlet says in the play!) till publication day! The first draft was finally finished last night - or, more accurately, in the early hours of this morning - and I'm now embarking on big revisions to slim it down and sharpen it up. Not sure what to make of it yet... just pleased I found a way to knit all the bits together! This is the bit I really love - it's much more fun editing than writing! The publicity machine kicks in next week and I'm merrily telling everyone there will be a product by June 21st so I'm going to have to get my head down! Another ballet packed weekend, with Birmingham Royal Ballet in Durham for 2 days - off to King's Lynn on Saturday to catch them there too! Stunning performances of two of my favourite ballets and an introduction to one I hadn't seen before. They're magnificient! Frantically reading Donna Leon's Brunetti books at the moment - devouring them on the commute to work! Having only recently come back from Venice I can imagine it all vividly and her 'hero' is a really lovely bloke who (as a refreshing change!) has a reasonably stable home life and a family who aren't entirely disfunctional! Really admire her pared down style! Half term looms on the horizon - thank goodness for holidays! Best cake: going to cheat - it was a pudding - Rhubarb and Gooseberry Fool at Oldfield's restaurant in Durham. Divine...

The Countdown has started!

Yes! I'm about three thousand words from the end and so I've bitten the proverbial bullet! 'SCOTCH PINE' will be available from midnight on June 21st - the 'longest day' of the year in the UK seems to be an appropriate birth date for a book that is the longest in the series and which has been so long in the writing. Having a countdown timer works wonders for focusing the mind: forty days doesn't seem very long at all! There's a lot still to do, but I'm confident we can meet the deadline. Keep checking back for the latest information! Had a brilliant day on Saturday, managing more than 5,000 words and then going out in the evening to see Eddi Reader in concert - she was wonderful, accompanied by the amazing John McCusker and Boo Hewerdine - a real treat. Her Robert Burns CD was partly responsible for my Burns fixation back in 2005 and her music has been playing in the background while I've written all three books. Her new album is lovely. I left feeling uplifted and recharged! Best cake of recent weeks was the cherry and almond scone - still warm - at Milkhope in Northumberland. It pains me to say it, but it would've given Mary Enbryte's offerings a run for their money...gorgeous!