Dear Readers,
Happy New Year!
And thank goodness Christmas is over. Not that I didn’t enjoy it at the time, but
sherry trifle and meringues and cream can do a lot of damage!
With storm Carmen lingering, I think this has been one of
the worst bits of weather we’ve had here in Charente Maritime for quite a
while. Didn’t stop me getting out
there, though. I’ve cleaned my boots at
least three times, dried out numerous coats, hats and scarves most indecorously
on radiators and had the tumble dryer going for hours at a time. Still the rain comes down and the wind
whistles.
It’s nice to spend more time writing, as things return to
normal. I’m heavily into a second edit
of my Alice Candy novel (Book Two), which is covered with notes and suggestions
from my tireless and shrewd editor, who cares about my book more than my
sensibilities (thank goodness).
Everything makes more sense when I read her comments. And, slowly but surely, I see my manuscript
turning into something more like a ‘finished’ book. I still have no title or cover – the most frustrating jobs for
me. Really impossible. I have a wonderful professional cover
designer to produce the artwork, but it’s my job to provide ideas. A big font, a catchy title and a couple of
shiny symbols: a country house, a painting, a speeding car. How to show the reader what kind of book it
is, without ending up with a cliché?
It can wait a while longer.
The interior has me hooked for the time being.
In the meantime, there are distractions: a trip abroad
for one son during his gap year, driving lessons for another and a wedding day
to help plan for my daughter. All
thrilling in different ways. And
expensive! Looks as though we’ll be in
thrift mode for a while, which I kind of welcome after the excesses of the past
weeks.
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