Holidays...

are wonderful things! About to start my writing day at the very civilised hour of 11.15 - this is much more my time of the day than my usual rising time! I know the week is going to fly past - they always do - but this morning it has been really nice to take things slowly. Hoping this week to sketch out the basis of the christmas story for this year because I don't want to leave it all thill the last minute. It is hard, though, turning your thoughts towards Christmas in October - I find that once I start thinking 'Christmas' it takes over and I'm too much of an Autumn lover to want to hurry it away! Resisting the temptation to head Scotland-wards as well this week: we're planning a possible trip in May next year to ride on the 'Jacobite' steam train and maybe revisit Killin -I might actually get onto the island this time!

Getting On A Bit...

It was my birthday on Friday, which inevitably meant cake. It was excellent cake - or actually cakes - lovely cupcakes with strawberry icing and sparkly sprinkles - and they were completely delicious. And then there was the wonderful Lemon Meringue Pie my sister-in-law made me. And the delectable cakes which had come back from Spain in my brother's suitcase... I'm not expecting good things out of this week's weigh in!

Grouse and Partridge re-writes are going slowly. Very slowly. In between confidence crises and other demands on my time, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm barking up the wrong tree entirely by even imagining there'd be an audience. I know when I start thinking like this, I need a holiday!!

Seasons of Mists...

This is the entrance to the MacNab Burial Ground on Inchbuie, taken when we were there in 2007. I've only just got round to transferring photos and files to my lovely new laptop and so the next few posts will probably have Scotland pix to accompany them!

I love October, probably because I'm an Autumn baby. And so far, October's been rather good, with a trip to Birmingham to see the wonderful ballet 'Cyrano' and some really lovely sunshine.

I'm working hard at weekends to re-edit - and in places completely rewrite - SCOTCH MIST. When I re-read it this summer with my critical hat on, I could see some very big mistakes which needed addressing. It's been quite fun to do and I'm hoping the work so far is an improvement on the original. I'm still scared at the prospect of sending it to anyone, but I've realised if I don't no one's going to come and knock on the door to demand it! The 'usual suspects' have been egging me on to do something about it for months now, and if no one actually wants it, I won't be any worse off than I am now, will I???

Had a disappointment with the last batch of books from Lulu.com. Usually they are of a very high standard and are beautifully finished, but the last parcel I got looked as if it had been rushed through: there were three books which I felt were sub-standard and they'd got the order wrong (right on the invoice, but the invoice didn't match!) However, I cannot fault their customer service who offered a refund or a reprint and were very apologetic. I'm sure it was a blip and nothing more...

I'm still getting requests for copies which is very gratifying: so far I've sold 187 copies between the three titles which I find quite amazing!

Still largely cake-free, I'm afraid, but I did manage to sneak a slice of Druckers' delicious Apple Cake in Birmingham. It's cake of the week by default, but it would have won the award on its own merits anyway!

I'm back!

Hello. Did you miss me? Or is that a silly question... ?I'm not quite sure what has happened to the time since my last post, except that it has brought me a new lap top, super fast and all shiny, with all the letters clearly on the keys and no bits that fall off whenever I put it away! Just getting my head round all the bits and pieces at the moment - it seems to have a mind of its own.

Grouse and Partridge have had a good summer. They've been away to lots of exotic places in people's luggage and have even had their photos taken being read in odd places. Their readers have been very kind in their comments as well, which is lovely because I was quite scared about the response this one would get. I haven't been able to read it myself yet - I don't feel distant enough from it and I'm frightened I'll just sit and spot the mistakes!

The highlights of my summer were a wonderful week in Suffolk, where I was struck with inspiration for something I want to start writing in the new year and where I tasted possibly the best crab salad known to humanity in Aldeburgh, and my dash up to Edinburgh where I caught up with a school friend I hadn't seen for ages and MET IAN RANKIN! More of that later...

I'm on a health kick at the moment, trying to lose some of the pounds I piled on while writing Scotch Pine. I'm having mixed results so far, but the upshot of it is that proper cake is firmly off the menu for the time being. However, it wasn't off the menu for the summer, so for the next few weeks my cake recommendations will be retrospective ones! Best I can manage at the moment is Weighwatchers Carrot Cake slices - at a point a slice, they're gorgeous and not too naughty! (If a bit on the small side...!)

The Leaning Tower of Paper

In case you've ever wondered, this is what the accumulated rough drafts of three novels looks like - 22 inches in height and - shortly after I took this photo - all over my study floor, when the table decided to tip over. It looks a bit like a giant angel cake because I use different colours of paper for each complete draft. That way I don't mix up different versions of the same book. This is all three books - the final drafts are kept safe elsewhere - and all this needs recycling somehow... As you might have gathered from this, I've spent much of the first two weeks of my holiday trying to find the house beneath the clutter and junk which accumulated during the time I was writing SCOTCH PINE. Finally, I feel as if I've got my house back but I'm ready to stop being domesticated and be creative instead!

It has been a busy few weeks for other reasons too. I spent a very interesting day at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival 'Creative Thursday' for writers and came away with at least one good idea for Grouse and Partridge as well as the determination to try and see if I can get an agent interested in the first book. It needs some re-writing, but I think I could face having a try at untangling it for a new audience. I'm also determind to stay a little longer next year and indulge in some of the excellent author events they arrange.

And this week I spent three days in London, indulging in theatre (including the wonderful production of La Cage aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre, starring Philip Quast and Roger Allam who are two of my very favourite actors anyway! I can't recommend it too highly - it was inspirational!) shopping for art and craft materials and visiting the John William Waterhouse exhibition at the Royal Academy. I also drooled over the Crime Fiction Department of Hatchards bookshop in Piccadilly - it's wonderful! - and saw a fantastic photography exhibition at the Photographer's Gallery off Oxford Street. More on this in the next post, I think!

Best cake? Found in the Royal Academy Restaurant, without doubt. They called it 'Orange and Almond Cake' but to my mind it was more of a marmalade orgy on a plate, dripping with syrupy orange pieces. Huge portions, went down well with a large (strong!) Americano...

Ride your Motorbike to Work day!

Apparently, today is Ride your Motorbike to Work Day, which will please Grouse. As I don't have a bike, and couldn't ride one even if I did (I'm not much good at balance!) I went to work on the train as usual. However, it's nice to think lots of people did ride to work. I got very excited the other day when I spotted a Bonnie (in emerald green!) in our local service station - a most handsome beast!

Speaking of handsome beasts, SCOTCH PINE has been duly delivered into the hands of those who requested a copy. It's strange to think that so many people I know are taking it on holiday with them this year! I haven't been able to bring myself to read it yet - I'm waiting till I can face it like a book, rather than something that needs another edit!

My summer hols start in two days and for the first time in six years, I'm not in the middle of a writing project. I'm really looking forward to six-and-a-bit weeks of doing very little at all. Fingers crossed for some nice weather. I'm going to Harrogate to the Crime Writing Festival and then to Edinburgh to see Ian Rankin at the Book Festival so it won't be an entirely non-crime fiction holiday and I have a pile of reading waiting for me!

Best cake of late - something rather delicious in the Bakewell line in the Imperial War Museum at Salford Quays - a truly amazing building and a really good - and entirely free - day out! Drover would have liked it! We were in Salford for the final 'fixture' of the ballet season - got to wait a bit for my next fix! I love Salford Quays.

THEY'VE ARRIVED!

All present and correct and the pages seem to be in the right order so I can start breathing again. There's nothing quite like taking multiple copies of your very own book out of their cardboard box for the first time. Even though you know exactly how it is supposed to look, it still looks different as a book rather than a huge pile of typed pages. Glancing through it last night I was just amazed I'd written it all. It's so pleasing. Just hope everyone likes the contents now...