This blog is about all things writerly, and it's the way I deal with the things that happen to me as part of the writing life. So I have to write about this, even though there are things I can't talk about yet, because this is definitely part of the writing life and definitely something I didn't find so easy to deal with. Alrighty, here goes:

Over a 24-hour period at the beginning of this week, I won three prizes in three short story competitions.

Crazy.

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What a great week we have just had in Blackpool! The weather was good - only a sprinkling of showers and one heavy downpour - the rest of the week was brilliant sunshine. Blackpool is definitely a 'happening' place; loads going on there and plenty to do and see. Hubby and Eldest Grandson loved it, too. Not quite sure how I ended up going on the Pepsi Max Big One on Pleasure Beach - it is 210' at its highest point. The 'G' force on the first downward sweep is short but very VERY intense! Afterwards, Eldest Grandson and I stood underneath it and wondered how we'd had the guts to do it. I must say in the obligatory photograph which is taken randomly as you start to drop, Eldest Grandson looks terrified whilst good ol' granny (ie - me) has a somewhat inane grin on her face. I actually think that grin was petrified into place because it didn't leave me until we were safely back on terra firma.

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Have spent most of the day working on Hallsfoot's Battle and am now at the grand total of 21,500 words. Or thereabouts. I've just got to the telling of the First Gathandrian Legend, which is basically Gathandria's creation story. So that's proving challenging to make up as I go along, for sure. Fun too. Annyeke and I are hoping this will be the first stage in helping Simon to come to terms with who he is and what he can do with the mind-cane but, really, it's anyone's guess just now.

I was also really pleased to see that my poem, The Death of Marat, is included in Issue 18 of the Equinox poetry journal. And I'm among some great company too. I think it's the best poetry magazine I've had the pleasure of reading for a long, long time. Bloody hell, I might even subscribe, if I can find the energy for it. I particularly enjoyed offerings from Nigel Humphreys, Navkirat Sodhi, Andrew Geary and Barbara Daniels. Thought I'd best name-drop in advance, just in case they become hugely and justifiably famous later, you know ...


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The first time I read a novel written in the present tense, I felt annoyed and cheated. I was about 12 and it was a wonderful author whose other books I loved, so I excitedly turned to the first page… only to find it written in what seemed like a really weird way. My response was - well, I can’t remember exactly, but it must have been the mid-eighties 12-year-old square’s equivalent of “WTF??”


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Lovely to see Thorn in the Flesh on the Bristlecone Pine Press website today (see full post for links), and I also managed to do some marketing last night, so I’m hoping that raises interest in the eBook. Don’t miss out!

At work, I’m trundling through the minutes of yesterday’s meeting – interest levels are low at the moment due to (a) total exhaustion and (b) impending holiday, but I’m doing my best. Am also attempting to set up a staffing rota for the first of our new students’ events in early September, so here’s hoping I drum up some enthusiasm for that also. Eventually. Not to mention that I need to proof-read the new Mentors’ Handbook before I leave tonight ...


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Hi All,
After 10 years of procrastination I have decided to follow the dream and start writing. So hap hazardous and hasty, why not jump in the deep end and join this site.
So please excuse my attempts to pose as an experienced writer. But I hope you all enjoy my babble. May be one day it will be a book. After not reading the instructions properly I have just realised my full name is readable to all. Well that is so me, crazy and deranged.
Another bright and beautiful day – in the hustle and bustle of life. The alarm clock was completely ignored this morning; the tone is far to smoothing. Felt like a lullaby rather than wake up cool. But alas this morning was a good one– we managed to get out the house in good time – without being soap dodgers.. Yes we all washed, not that it helped as by 10am my armpits were offensive and I was unarmed –no body spray in my bag. I spent the rest of the day with my arms clasped tightly to my sides. I did not notice any sideward glances from my colleagues so by lunch time I did wonder if it was just my hormones sending me into smell paranoia. PMT’s are great every all five sense are at level 10 and I feel like an explosion waiting to happen.
Still on the food and money diet and managed to spend the morning enjoying my selection of fruit and nuts. It is actually starting to feel good. By 4pm my stomach was talking to me, screaming for naughty food. “Just one chocolate please”. A Mars a bar, it was lovely and disappeared rather too quickly. But I only spent £1 today and completely eroded the thought of buying a new bag at the wholesale next to the office, so all good.
Time flew as it does whilst being a 9-5 lemming. Before I knew the get home rush for phase two of life was on. The blue collar head was put away and single mum head on. What dinner do you create for two animal loving, vegetarian children that hate vegetables? Err salad (again), with a few nuts to make it look good and of course their staple diet garlic bread.
Children – well there is always entertainment. Today’s episode was the bully and the tooth. In fact our friendly bully has been the episode for the past week. Today he managed to give my son an extra forehead by pulling away the chair from beneath him. Great lets phone the play centre, they can have full force of my PMTS. A phone call later and all the Tension in PMT’s were gone and my two kids grinned with that go mum go look on their face.
My diet clearly out of the window – I continued my binge of naughty food. My son and I danced as we dived into our Victoria sponge cake (and that was after my two chocolate biscuits). It’s not me it is the PMT’s. Anyway, then pup – out comes J’s first baby tooth. So the tooth fairy is coming tonight. She has not been at our house since Lex’s last tooth fell out a few years ago. Although I am not sure if she would want to visit again – my daughter wrote her a letter asking why she only left £1 and not £2. In my day 50p was a miracle. Kids of today huh.
That was all she wrote – as after a few doing my charka CD I passed out- well until now.
Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Up bright and early this morning for my second ovarian tumour marker blood test, which I’d booked for 9am. Actually I was there early and they just slotted me in, so at least I got that part over soon, hurrah. While I was there, I reminded them that my holiday starts on Saturday and ideally I’d like to know results and what the next stage will be before I go. The very sweet and chatty nurse suggested I ring in late this afternoon or tomorrow to get the results, which I will do – though of course that doesn’t take me any further forward in terms of what happens next, if that’s what’s needed. I also gather from the first results letter that they’re intending to bring my October scan forward as well, but as yet I don’t know to when. UPDATE: not great news, I'm afraid: my blood test is higher than the first one was (up is bad and down is good), so they're referring me to the Royal Surrey for further investigation. Groan. Sounds rather like a police operation to me ... I shall presumably await a letter telling me when I'm due to stand trial (as it were) once I'm back from holiday. Hey ho ...


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So, where is all this going? Is it because I want to be a legend in my family way down the line? I would be reaching back at them through eons; imagine something from a space movie, kids doing biography projects or some kind of social history through the ages like The Flip-side of Dominic Hide. Actually, I just caught a repeat of that last week…must look for the second part on BBCi before it’s gone, but it might’ve been on another channel, in which case I’ve probably missed it. That character’s reason for going back in time to 70s London is to study bus routes!


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Rather a rough night last night, Carruthers – couldn’t sleep at all, so got up at about midnight and did some sudokus. Eventually had an hour’s sleep on the sofa and then woke up again with a stiff neck at about 2am and went back to bed. All my dreams lately have been focused on lions and tigers and such like stalking me and trying to get into whichever house I am hiding in. Hmm, doesn’t take an analyst to work out that one then!... I did think I might try to face the buggers next time I dreamt it and see if they’re as bad as I fear – which sometimes works – but I haven’t so far had the balls to do it ...


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read my mystery fiction in my first series

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