I have learnt to dread visiting the publishing house, which is a shame because it was once a place where all my dreams seemed to have come true.

Lenny, the designer assigned to my book, is what someone could uncharitably call a bearded cockney prig. But I never would, because I am far too nice. He sits at a cluttered desk in a gloomy office as far from the main entrance as possible. I imagine he requested to be located here, and if he didn’t then management hastily moved him. But, as these difficult types so often are, apparently he is good at his job.

He bends over a large sheet of paper with a soft pencil, and at first I think he is sketching useful ideas. Then I see it; a man hanging by his neck, his black tongue lolling out like something I saw on Nothing Toxic. “So, do you have any ideas for the cover?” he asks indifferently.

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The quiz answers prove he is a right stick-in-the-mud. Or, in his case, stick-in-a-vest. He definitely won't qualify to embark on phase one. What that is I have yet to discover.



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Following on from my last post about packing away Christmas decorations, if anyone is wondering what to do with all the Christmas cards that they have just taken down, you might like to have a look at the card recycling page on the Woodland Trust website. They are hoping to encourage people in the UK to recycle a massive 100 million cards this year, between Jan 2nd – 31st. It's easy to do – just take them along to your nearest Tesco, WHSmith, Marks & Spencer or TK Maxx and then bask in the knowledge that a) you have avoided committing a Crime Against the Environment by simply throwing them away, b) you have contributed to the planting of 24,000 new trees, and, finally, c) when, in years to come, your small offspring, their innocent eyes wide and shining, stare up at you and ask, 'What did you do to help prevent global warming, Mummy/Daddy/additional parent or guardian of indeterminate gender?', you will be able to say happily, 'I recycled with the best of them, my child, I recycled.' Make this heartwarming vision a reality by visiting www.woodland-trust.org.uk/cards


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Was delighted to see my poem, Beyond the Stars, published in this month's Writing Magazine as the third prize winner of the space travel poetry competition. Hurrah! And even more delighted to see the adorable Alison Chisholm (who really is very adorable and just the sort of person you want to cuddle and have a lovely cup of tea and a long chat with) describe the poem as the product of a "sadly deranged mind", but one laced with the essential "glow of wry humour". Lord H almost choked over his porridge this morning when he read that - and actually thought it summed me up fairly accurately. He claims he's been trying to tell Spouse Line this for years. Hmm, I must check the phone bills more often ...

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Now there's a title you don't get very often. Would be a great set of ideas for a short story, I'm sure. Would probably have to involve time travel though. Anyway, I've spent some of the day - not as much as I intended - editing more of Luther's Ambassadors for Goldenford, but have only managed to get to Chapter 15 on page 82. Still, about halfway through now, so that's something.

I've also been struggling with web hosts - again. Deep deep sigh ... Now neither Zen nor UK Hosts appear to be talking to each other, and so I have written a severely stroppy email to everyone asking why I, as the customer, have to be running around like a demented postgirl (virtually) delivering messages when they could just as well simply pick themselves off their arses and speak to each other to sort it out. And yes, I did put it something like that - but that's the polite version ...

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I have spent hours and hours on a new feature on The Short Review site: a list of the short story collections that are scheduled to be published in 2008. I had never seen such a list and I thought it would be interesting, for me, for other short story writers, and for those who love to read them. You can find it here.

Frankly, I was astonished at what I found. It took a lot of work - I went through Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk with a fine tooth comb because when I did a search for “short stories” hundreds of results came up but I had to check each one and many of them were not actually short story collections. (Not sure how Amazon’s search algorithms work!) But it was wonderful because I found hundreds of collections of all flavours.....

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No more twilight tourism for a while, and after my morning stint I'll be off to town with my flask and butties.

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Well, would you look at this? I've made it past the first post. Whatever happens next, I am at least not doomed to be a one-post wonder. The next goal is to get into double figures, and then maybe we'll look at setting some slightly more ambitious targets...

We're now three days into a new year, and three days from the official end of Christmas on January 6th – Twelfth Night, or Epiphany. All Christmas decorations are supposed to be taken down by midnight on that day, or else... I'm not certain what exactly is supposed to happen to you if you fail to meet this deadline, I only know that it is, without doubt, Very Bad Indeed.

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My cheeks are red and tingly. My legs ache a little and my fingers are only just coming back to life and/or thawing. And I am very happy. I love walking. Especially when the weather's a little white and crisp - almost cutting. I love the rough stillness of being in a place where there are no other people; just trees and birds and grass. I love the merciless iced wind that knives; and the kestrel who didn't seem to mind it one bit.

I am happy that I've taken this extra time off. I am beginning to relax.

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Have spent a very enjoyable day editing Jay Margrave's Luther's Ambassadors for Goldenford. Heck, but Jay is certainly the queen of the dark historical novel - am loving it so far! Can't wait for it to be published later in the year. All those twists and turns in the life of Anne Boleyn - fabulous. I am now up to Page 52 of 162, and the start of Chapter Eleven. Not bad going in editing terms. It's far, far easier using Track Changes, which I have decided to do from now on ...

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