oh what a great afternoon!

My day definitely got better.

Lovely delivery driver rang me to say she guessed I’d been caught in the traffic jam and she could come back at lunchtime if I hadn’t already rearranged delivery (Heather’s just brilliant – but sadly I was already booked for my talk).

So I did my face (first time I’ve used liquid foundation and maybe I should’ve had a trial run…), swapped everything over to my racing car Radley bag (on a whim), and looked anxiously out of the door, awaiting the taxi in the snow.

Got out of taxi, crossed road, fell flat on face and skinned my knee, concerned elderly lady hobbles over to enquire if I’m all right. (Very sweet of her. I was soooo glad there were no teenagers about to laugh at me.) Limped to M&S, picked up copy of Evening News (Rowan did me proud there, too), had coffee, and braved snow to library. Cold, wet, stinging knee, and all glamour had gone out of the window…

And then it was time for my talk. (That's me by the screen - thanks, Sarah, for taking the pic.) The library (as always) looked after me really well. I had lots of people round the table, ready to hear my talk. And it was indeed a crash course – a brief rundown on the UK-based M&B lines, the important parts of a romance novel (character and conflict), structure (beginnings, middles and ends), and the biggest reasons for rejection slips and how to avoid them (lack of emotional punch being the key one there). I was pleased with myself for sticking to my timetable and only overrunning by two mins, but because wonderful DH was sorting the school run for me I was also able to stay a bit longer… just as well, as there were lots of questions. Thank you VERY much to the attendees for making it such an enjoyable session, and to Sarah Salmon for being an excellent host.

So then I booked my taxi, picked up dinner from M&S, bumped into lovely local BBC presenter Karen Buchanan outside the Forum and had a quick chat with her (it’s such a boost when someone says, ‘When’s your next one out? I’m dying to read it’ and you know they mean it, not just being polite). Snowed like mad all the way home (very glad I decided to be wussy and take a taxi), and then DH and the kids arrived two minutes after I did. Littlest and I compared grazed knees from falling over (I won), and then she ate half my birthday chocolates to make herself feel better. (This was with my knowledge, I should add!) (And I know I wasn’t supposed to open them until tomorrow. I had a horrible morning and I needed them... And if there was a box on your desk that said 'Hotel Chocolat', could you resist? Really??)

And so back to work...