taking a quick breather

Current work: finished my revisions (at last) – now I have proofs and final readthrough/printout of nonfiction to do, plus the Medical Christmas Duo
Listening to: various
Reading: Judith Lennox, All My Sisters (haven't had time to read since Friday... the book isn't dragging but my schedule is!)

Finally finished my revisions yesterday and I’m taking a breather today, aka taking my dad out for lunch and putting the Christmas wreath on my mum’s grave – 21 years this Christmas, and although certain people are going to look at my schedule and the line that says ‘current work’ and think about telling me off, maybe I should remind them that it’s December and I need to be busy.

I admit I probably overdid it on Monday, though. Normally I do my shopping at the end of October and it’s all wrapped by mid-November. However… I did my shopping online this year, and the retailer for my biggest order let me down badly, so on Monday I had to lug heavy baskets around and queue up. (I think Marks and Spencer owe me Antonio Banderas for all that extra stress.)

But I’m taking the half-full view. The good things:

1. I walked over 18,000 steps so that will make up for my bad eating (read: excess chocolate) this weekend.
2. My lovely, lovely, lovely best friend emailed me to tell me to stop stressing and offered to help me with the wrapping (have I mentioned lately how wonderful she is?).
3. I went into WH Smith just as they’d finished putting the December books on the shelves, and they gave me a lovely position for BOTH of my books. Yay. (And of course I was sad enough to take a picture. The thrill of a new book on the shelves never, ever goes away. And note what it says under my books - pure reading pleasure. That's exactly what I hope people get from my books.)

Then yesterday lovely Fiona Harper told me she’d been to QS and saw our books there on the special promotional deal. Even better, as my nearest QS is 40 minutes away, she’s let me borrow her photo to display here. (Thank you, Fiona.) So if you have a QS near you and you want a treat – go in, spend £15, and you get a lovely gift of either Breakfast at Giovanni’s or Fiona’s Blind-Date Marriage (which is an excellent read).

And while I was in my guitar lesson yesterday, I had a text from my accountant cousin, whose client happens to be QS, telling me that he’d just walked into their reception and seen this huge display of my books...

Other than that, yesterday was spent finalising my revisions. With my dodgy takeaway last week followed by the kids’ tummy bug and Christmas celebrations and the million and one things that I’ve been sorting out (am trying to be assertive and tell people they have to wait until I’ve done my book… but they’re being more assertive back and I end up agreeing to do stuff and I need more sleep), it’s been a bit of a struggle. I also can’t work in such a messy office so I’m going to have to do something about my desk later today. I also need to get things in the post, so if you are expecting something from me I apologise profusely and you should get it very soon.

Quick reminder – there’s a competition to win a signed copy of The Doctor’s Very Special Christmas over at the Medical Romance Authors’ joint blog this week and another one here this week to win a signed copy of my other December UK release (question: what’s the title?).

And tomorrow I’ll be talking about another competition – something really exciting, so watch this space!