Happy, Happy November 1

Current work: PM job
Listening to: Justin Currie
Reading: Sarah Morgan, The Magic of Christmas (hope to start it tonight, anyway)

November 1. All Saints’ Day.

It’s a very special day for me for two reasons.

First of all, it’s my gorgeous girlie’s birthday. She’s seven today, but it seems like yesterday that I was holding her for the first time in hospital. She was actually due on my mum’s birthday (next week) but was born a week early because I had an elective section. (Not because I was too posh to push – I had a really difficult first labour and, with another back-to-back baby, didn’t want to repeat it. My midwife and consultant agreed.) I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she has blue eyes like my mum’s (genetically speaking, my eyes should be the dominant colour).

Here’s my baby – one of my faves from when she was a toddler – and my mum. I wish they’d had a chance to meet. However, I’m not going to be maudlin. Today is a celebration day.




















I might add that Madam was utterly delighted with her Radley handbag. She scared her dad by saying, ‘Now Mummy and I can BOTH go shopping with our Radley handbags…’ (Great idea, honey – shall we start in Monsoon or M&S? And we need to go to Waterstone’s and…)

Secondly, it’s my anniversary with M&B. A double anniversary, actually. I started my first M&B Medical Romance, A Baby of Her Own, a little under 7 years ago – on Christmas Eve, at my baby’s bedside, when she was in with bronchiolitis. By coincidence, M&B accepted the book on my baby’s first birthday and published it on her second. (This story usually makes my editor go all misty-eyed, and I guess I need to retell it tomorrow over lunch.)

So I’ve officially been an M&B author for six years today – out on the shelves for five – and I’ve just delivered my 32nd book; starting #33 (first of a duo) on Monday, and discussing #35-40 with my editor and agent tomorrow. (These figures are starting to get a bit scary.)

Plan for today: paracetamol, school run, very quick trip into town (got paid yesterday, yay), more work on PM job and email some of the queries to my author, school run, see doctor (because I’m driving DH mad with the cough), and go out to dinner.