Current work: tidying the bearpit; admin
Listening to: Dire Straits
Reading: Carol Townend, His Captive Lady (she's on my autobuy list for a good reason... her books are great. Enjoyed this one as there were fleeting visits from former heroes and heroines - and especially because it was set in East Anglia, including a real life character I 'know' from my studies of local history. She really got into the head of the hero, who was just gorgeous...)
Finally finished the book yesterday – a whole month after I’d planned to finish it. Fingers crossed that the next book will have a smoother run. No sick kids. No sick husband. No school holidays. No blips with Dad. (Shall I ask for the moon and stars, while I’m at it?) Normally, when I finish a book, I get a feeling very similar to the baby blues; this time, I just need a nap. I am expecting revisions (and you can bet your life it'll be over the conflict), but I'll deal with them when I get them.
Today is a day for clearing my head and tidying my office. I know I have delights aplenty on my desk, in the shape of unopened Jiffy bags. (Another volume of Pevsner. Yummy.) But I do need to clear surfaces so I have space to think. And revise my to-do lists. And make a start on my taxes. And make sure my PLR/ACLS stuff is all up to date.
I’m in London tomorrow, so Thursday will be a chilling-out day, printing out manuscripts and parcelling things ready for the post/finishing up any admin not done today.
And Friday… Friday, I have the joy of starting the Venice book. (This will be my 40th Mills & Boon, would you believe?) I do know roughly where it’s going, but I prefer working from a longer outline, so I will enjoy plotting it on the train journey. As my new PC has a working soundcard, I can scribble longhand rather than peer myopically at the PDA (bright outdoor light is not the best place to work on it) and dictate via Dragon on Thursday.
It does help, having the house to myself and Kleptodog. He is in disgrace, as he absconded with one of my shoes yesterday morning. (I possess more handbags than I do pairs of shoes - and I don't have that many handbags. So actually, it was a bit of a problem.) I couldn’t find it in the garden or anywhere in the house; gave up, wore my boots for the school run, and enlisted help from the kids after school. Son found it behind the sofa in the music room (aka spare bedroom/my ex office). Duh. Should’ve thought. Where does dog sit and wait for me to come and fetch him when he's shut himself in, convinced that doggy thoughts will transfer themselves into my head? (Does he not have the wit to bark?)
It appears that Kleptodog is taking out his new haircut on me. Which is grossly unfair, as I’m not the person who gave him the doggy equivalent of a pudding bowl haircut: silly ears and even sillier, untapered, tail - take him for a walk, and you just can imagine the other dogs sniggering, 'Hair cu-ut.' (You need to do that in a Newman and Baddiel 'History Today' way. Which is still one of my fave comedy pieces ever.)
Enjoyed Ashes to Ashes last night - I think the writers have drawn Alex more sympathetically, this time round.
14 comments:
Hurrah-ing along with you, Kate!
Poor Byron! If I had a dodgy haircut I'd probably want to steal a nice shoe and lie down in a dark and cosy place with it too.
Congrats, Kate!
Laughing at the Byron incident. Yesterday Monty fetched one of my slippers and took it out into the garden. When I retrieved it (and isn't than the wrong way round?)he went to get the other one, then fetched both of Andrew's slippers as well. Evidently he was trying to tell me something...
Hooray on finishing the book!
And yay thaty ou are starting your glassblowing Venice book on Friday. I am really looking forward to that one!
The revisions will be ones you can cope with.
And I agree the writing of Ashes to Ashes is better this time. Alex is just written better. She has hope which is something she didn't have the last time.
Yay on finishing the book!
Jan - it's a very dodgy doggy haircut (sorry, couldn't resist that one...)
Nicola - laughing at Monty, too. Yes, it's definitely the wrong way round!
Michelle - glad you're looking forward to being grilled. :oD
(And I think it's going to be stained glass rather than glass blowing... but even so I still need to do that glassblowing trip.)
Alex is much more part of the team, this time - it feels as if she's been accepted and also that she's accepted them - I liked the fact that Chris comes to her for advice on wooing Shazza.
Nell - thanks!
Best of luck with the office tidy. Back in control VERY soon! LOL.
Superb news that the book is done! Congratulations. Not much of a break before diving back into the the fray again. But what a fray!! Yummy Italians, glassblowing and Venice. Have fun!!!
Lots of love,
Mags xxx
Congratulations, Kate!
Hope the desk is nice and clear now. ;o)
Ray-Anne - er, I avoided it *g* Going to do it today - and then, as you say, back in control!
Mags - thanks! Venice is on hold (because I had a major lightbulb which means it has to move... and expand... oh, dear) but am very excited about the other new book (which was meant to be in three books' time: ah, the heady power of being able to move things about...)
Thanks, Shirley!
Er... no, it isn't, but it will be in a couple of hours time...
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