I’m very, very close to the end of the second draft of my novel, “Murder by Starlight”. 99,000 words down, about 2,000 to go. I can’t bear to stop. When I get to THE END I will have a coherent novel. There will still be things to fix, but unlike the first draft I won’t have things like: [Write a scene here in which they quarrel and stop speaking] People…
This morning I went to sign off for the month as an self employed. I tried to do it on Friday, but Social Security said I needed to sign off at the tax office first, and they said I needed to make an appointment, which I couldn’t get until today. When I got there at 9:10 I had to queue while another lady got a huge pile of papers rubber…
Yay! I’m back at Rivendell for the weekend. Only I have to say it’s not as good as last time. It’s better! There are kittens and I’ve got wi-fi, which is why I can upload this post. This time, the place is petty full.We all had a BBQ last night. As so often happens with BBQs, we ate far later than expected, but we had a good time. I love…
Most churches on La Palma have nativity scenes. The custom here is to put baby Jesus in at midnight on Christmas Eve, during midnight mass. (I think this is a general Catholic custom). On Christmas Eve I was guiding an excursion from a cruise ship which included the lovely church at Las Nieves. And there was a kitten keeping the spot warm for Jesus. If I remember rightly, nativity scenes…
I took a mini-break to stay at my friend Alison’s new B&B in the Caldera. It was marvelous. How could any writer now be inspired by a spot like this? Rivendell is a good name. It’s “a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.” And here’s the view: I arrived later than…
Woman’s Weekly magazine run workshops for writers and I’ve drooled over the adverts for years. £79 for a workshop always seemed like rather good value, but of course when you add in flights from La Palma and a London hotel, it was a non-starter. But I managed to plan the holiday around one, and I went on my last day in the UK. It was great, and I learned a…