Wednesday, August 15, 2007

the t-word

Current work: pics and notes for new nonfiction;
Listening to: Pink Floyd, Echoes
Reading: The Boss’s Wife for a Week, Anne McAllister

Wrote the MX outline; here’s hoping my ed likes it, as it’s due in the end of next month.

Nice post: Dutch copies of Strictly Legal and German copies of Her Honourable Playboy.

And as it was pouring with rain, I didn’t think the kids would appreciate being dragged round churches. So I spent the day doing the thing I loathe: tidying my office.

Started by sorting out my overflowing shelves. Originally I had all my M&Bs together with my nonfiction on the top of the bookcases – looked impressive, but then I ran out of room. So at the moment I’ve got just the paperbacks on the top of the bookcases, and all the translations (one copy of each, in book order) in the bookcases (having moved some of my fiction around first). Even double-shelved, I’m up to two full shelves (i.e. four single shelves). Maybe I need a Kate Hardy bookcase… Anyway, I have a boxful of books to put on the shelves upstairs in my ex-office (now known as my spare copies shelving), and a boxful of duplicate translations to give to my local library.

DH was a star and helped me when he got home – did the shredding, moved the boxes of books, got me a box for my proofs (which I filled and which needs to go in the loft). So everything’s neat and tidy (tidier, anyway) and… my ‘personal bookshelf’ looks kind of shrunk. There are still over 60-odd books on said shelf (and the equivalent of two whole bookshelves, excluding translations) so it’s still an achievement… but I suppose I’m having an attack of Impostor Syndrome at the moment. Chasing my tail, getting nowhere (aka waiting for revisions on the last Med and getting twitchy, and I can never settle to a new M&B until the old is done and dusted - I must get my head round this and switch between projects, the way I do with nonfiction, or I'll end up with stupid deadlines again).

Watched James Bond with DH last night (great special effects) and then thought I’d read the first couple of chapters of Anne’s book. Yeah, right – try the whole thing… there’s always a detail in Anne’s books that really strikes me, and in this one it was Spence’s grandfather’s ring. Fab setting, too. I want to go and stay in a bure treehouse with a waterfall shower…

Interview with local paper this morning. Do I make cookies? (Problem: I have no willpower and I don’t want to wreck the unofficial diet which is doing v nicely – 6lbs so far – this is to do with trying to take more exercise.) And I have to hoover up as Byron decided to roll on the rug in the living room and cover it with dog-hair. And I’d better slap on some make-up and look a bit less scruffy than I usually do.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Well done for tidying your office-- does that give you a great feeling of satisfaction and control that just makes you want to sit down at your beautifully tidy desk and write??!! (I'm trying to imagine what that would feel like!)

I'm with you on the revisions vs new book thing. I've bought the new notebook, sketched out some vague ideas, but my head won't fully engage with it until it's said goodbye to the last book... by which time I'll be in a panic about deadlines again. Sigh.

And well done on 6 lost lbs too! That's fantastic!! I say skip the baking (but that perspective may be coloured by my own experience of local paper interviewers. They don't deserve nice biscuits!!)

Anonymous said...

Hi Kate! I read Anne's book all in one go last night too...grrr...that woman is too good a writer and I'm going to that treehouse with you! Bags the shower first... x Abby Green

Diane said...

Whoo - well done on that weight loss. Six pounds. Brilliant.

Good luck with the interview. I bet it went swimmingly.

Fancy Sheffield in October? (See DP blog.) Ooh, actually ... might be half term week ...

Michelle Styles said...

I find it easier to get started on a new book before I have revisions as then I am far more objective on the revisions. HOWEVER after I do the revisions, I find my new book goes quicker.

Shelfari is currently a good distraction. I am enjoying filling my cyber shelves with books. The only problem is that I keep finding books that I really need to buy! But 2000 years of British food by the English Heritage just sounded too good to pass up.

Donna Alward said...

Kate - just wanted you to know I finished THe Cinderella Project and posted on the 10 000 book challenge blog (We call it research).

Cheers,

Donna

Kate Hardy said...

India - er, no, it doesn't. Filing overload *g*

I did the baking because my local journos are really nice and we spent as much time laughing as we did talking. (I've sent the leftover ones to work with DH so they are Out Of Temptation's Way.)

Abby - wasn't it fab?

Diane - thanks, and it did. It is indeed half term week, so apologies. (I will make Sheffield at some point, though. The summer's just disappeared.)

Michelle - hmm, I might give that a try. And I will dip a toe into Shelfari (I still have your email). On foodie history books, I assume you've come across Maggie Black? I also have the English Heritage 17th-century one which is good. (There should be a hazard warning about talking books with me as I'm a SERIOUSLY bad influence - you ask Kate Walker.)

Donna - thank you SO much for your lovely comments on the blog - made my day. (And if that made you fan yourself, wait until you get the roof garden in Mistress on Trial...)