Magic moments
Some moments are special. Like the one where you turn a corner and are confronted by Rhododendrons in bloom, or are surrounded by butterflies while walking the dog. Both happened to me this week. Some Adonis Blues too. But the moment that really felt special was when I first held a copy of Blessed Assurance […]
Tapas and the Edwardians
I spent a very enjoyable day cooking tapas last week. A day away from the pressures of pension scheme funding, book publication and the rest and an opportunity to learn a new skill. I was on a one day course at the Abinger Cookery School and the dishes I produced included braised octopus and chorizo, […]
Pebbles, poets and potatoes
I was musing on poets and publication as I walked the dog between Goring and Ferring at the weekend. This stretch of coast is not only home territory for two of the main characters in the book, Anne and Liza, but familiar territory to me and it struck me that a knowledge of place can […]
Typesetting, and a world of music
Another busy week as we inch closer to publication. The latest stage in the process has been the typesetting. Another task I’m glad not to have to do myself, although I did have to check it through and approve. Fortunately, not much needed changing and we’re now onto the next stage – full print jacket […]
Friendship
I was going to write about something completely different today but I had news this morning that Stuart, an old friend, had died and it seemed inappropriate to write about anything else. I have of course been musing on friendship anyway as it’s a major theme of my book but the friendships in the book […]
Edits and launches
With some relief, I finished checking through the edits on Blessed Assurance and moved on to other things for a few days. The editing process was a revelation. An immense amount of work, most of it by Andrea the editor rather than by me, though I still had to go through her thousands of edits […]
Networks of writers
As publication date looms I’ve found a whole world of author networks and channels to work through in getting the book noticed. Some of these are very commercial but many are enablers and supporters. I’ve recently joined the Alliance of Independent Authors which means I can tap into the experience and knowledge of many others […]
Inspirations
As I approach publication of my novel, I’ve been thinking about some of the people who have helped me to get this far. Friends who have become writers. Friends who have supported and mentored. I thought I’d write a little about some of them. Where better to start than with Lynn Ruth Miller. I met […]
The thrill of making progress
Exciting times. The cover for my novel has now been agreed – as shown above – and it’s starting to feel real. I’ve booked the rooms for launch events, applied for temporary licenses so people can enjoy a glass of wine while I waffle on, and made a number of other small steps towards the […]
Kindergarten and beyond
There was a girl at my primary school who would stick her fingers in her ears and talk nonsense when anyone tried to disagree with her. There was a boy who would storm out of the room if there was someone there who’d upset him. Reading this morning’s news it seems the girl is now […]