A bit from Kate

Lots more glass-half-full stuff, yesterday. In fact I’d say my cup overfloweth right now). Firstly, while I was at guitar last night (rearranged from Tuesday when Madam was off), DH and the kids decided to get me a pressie to mark my milestone book. DH knows I wear very little jewellery – my wedding ring, my watch and a necklace is about it. So he decided to get me a silver necklace (because I don’t wear gold and because silver is for 25). They came home with a teardrop-shaped topaz set in an oval – very delicate and pretty.

And it stayed dry for son’s school trip (to the Broads – these are medieval peat diggings which have flooded and makes a rich habitat for wildlife – he came home with a bunch of Norfolk reeds tied for thatching, and is now v enthusiastic about one of our historical industries) and for Madam’s sports day.

Nipped into the post office on the way back from school. ‘Here she is! That was you on our billboard last night, wasn’t it?’ Um… ye-e-es. (So that’s two billboards with me on it. And probably some in Taverham and Drayton. And if they were in the city as well… oh, boy. I should add, these billboards are the ones you see advertising local news. They’re up for one day only. So it’s not in the same league as having a proper poster advertising your book – that’s on my ‘one day’ ambition list. But it’s a start.)

In other news, one of my publishers has been saying very nice things to my agent about my photographs. (This is the one who’s just agreed the new book.) Good… my advance from my last book for him will be going on a new camera with a better zoom and a wide-angle lens so I can take a wider range of shots for the next book. And I get to do the cathedral bosses. Yay. These are the ones mentioned in my current MX, so expect some cross-pollination between my books.

Heard back from my ed on the MX. Relatively minor revisions, and I am SO RELIEVED. (And I get to keep my day trip to Norwich, which is sort of touristy but so tied into the emotional conflict it would've been a bit hard to unpick it... Devious, moi?) Had it been another book like the last MX, especially given my ongoing dental trauma (which is not finished yet, by a long way!), I’m not sure I would have coped that well. But my ed actually likes my hero. The rest is plainer sailing.