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!