Brazil, damp floors and A Discovery

Current work: nonfic; MH duo book 2
Listening to: Del Amitri
Reading: Next on TBR pile

I don’t speak Portuguese, but my (somewhat rusty) grasp of Spanish/French/Italian means I can work out the gist of things. Anyway. I was just checking which of my books were out in Brazil. (OK, so I was procrastinating a tad.) And then I noticed that there were reader comments and ratings. As in five-star ratings. Wow. The readers say my stories are warm and realistic; one in particular loved the ending of In The Gardener’s Bed (am v pleased as that was one of my own favourite endings – that’s The Pregnancy Ultimatum, for US readers). And they seriously loved Breakfast at Giovanni’s. I especially enjoyed the ‘PS – Gio is mine’ from one of the readers. This is the kind of thing that really warms a writer’s heart. To my readers in Brazil, I would like to say obrigada.

Today, the loss assessor is due to come and take moisture readings. He did say last week that he’s 99% sure the flooring will have to come up. I have a feeling that today is the day that decision will be made. The idea of my lovely kitchen looking and feeling like a building site again, for weeks and weeks and weeks… Aggravating, upsetting, but far from the worst that has been thrown at my family this summer.

Anyway. My Discovery.

I’ve always been a bookaholic. As a child, I read the entire children’s section in our village library (and it was quite a big space). Some of the authors I really loved were Alison Uttley (especially The Country Child), Philippa Pearce (who hasn’t bawled over A Dog So Small?) and Penelope Farmer. I loved Charlotte Sometimes. As Madam is almost at the end of the Jane Blonde series (and I’m looking for books for a 7-y-o with very advanced reading skills, but which are emotionally suitable for her age – oh, and she likes a fast-paced read) I was thinking about introducing her to some of my childhood favourites. So I Googled Penelope Farmer. Which is when I discovered that she has a blog. It’s a great read, and she sounds like a thoroughly lovely woman. The sort I’d like to meet in a café for an afternoon and do what writers do – talk a lot, drink a lot of coffee and eat a lot of cake.

(Oh, all right. It’s what this one does, anyway. But I happen to know there are several people who read this blog who have done precisely that with me. Cake. Ice cream. Italian food. I am a woman of simple pleasures... which unfortunately involve lots of calories. Must Try Harder on the weight regime. After the school hols.)

good things come in threes

Current work: fiction and nonfiction
Listening to: Sandy Denny

Yesterday started off with a bit of a wobble – turned the PC on when I got home, and was shocked to see my screen had turned red. Uh-oh. Loose wire or something more sinister? Had a quick panic: the idea of having my PC in with the tecchy guys to sort a graphics card, when I have lots of work to do in the next 6 weeks, is scary in the extreme. (I even rang my lovely tecchy shop. Who laughed and said, stop worrying as it’s most likely to be a dodgy wire… take them ALL out and put them back in. So I did.)

Relief: it was indeed a dodgy wire. So that was the first good thing: computer was OK.

Next, the post arrived, with a copy of Strictly Legal from Brazil. My first translation from there, so I was really chuffed. And then I moseyed over to the Harlequin website for Brazil, and discovered that In The Gardener’s Bed is also coming out there. (Dear tax inspector, please may I go to Rio…?) Here are the covers – which are definitely different:


And then I had a phone call from Waterstone’s (as in the branch that used to be Ottakar’s, which threw the launch party for my very first M&B, A Baby of Her Own). Would I go and do a signing? (Sure.) And a talk? (Err… how long?) 30 minutes. (Eek!) We’ve agreed that I’m going to do a reading. With a difference: because it’s the Norfolk Almanac of Disasters, I’m going to get people to give me a day and I’ll tell them what happened on it… So there we go.

Lovely start to the week. And I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but I’m going to see the Tutankhamun exhibition for my birthday, with DH, the kids and my best friend (booked the tickets on Friday night) so that’s lovely too. And I booked our family tickets for the panto. Was tempted to book Kate Rusby for me, but the available seats aren’t that good. (My fault for leaving it so late.) Am also temped by the Mediaeval Baebes – the Playhouse is very small so it’d be great. Then again… (Had it been Kathryn Williams, I wouldn’t even be dithering: I would’ve bought my ticket the day the box office opened. And I would dearly love to see Sheryl Crow…)

Plan for today: guitar this morning, then meeting a friend for lunch, and the PRESMA (pre-school music association – I’m a trustee) AGM tonight. And in between sneaking in some work.