Archive for July, 2007

July 28, 2007

me, the lobster murderer

Posting quickly while my parents take the Fecklet for a walk…I went to visit Kathy Love on Thursday for the night and had a brilliant time with her and her family and her little girl.

Who knew when we were buddies in our kindergarten trip to the Rumford Zoo, that we would be sitting in her mother’s kitchen over thirty years later, eating Chinese food, drinking beer, and talking about life and our books while our kids slept in the next room.

Anyway I’m back in the bosom of my family, trying to write my book, and we’re having lobster tonight. The lobsters are in a styrofoam cooler in the kitchen waiting to be boiled alive. I would feel guilty if they weren’t so yummy.

Will respond to the comments below but thank you everyone for your concern and also Ashley, I will check out how to get my books in Singapore!

July 25, 2007

in Maine

I’m sorry.

I went to Maine and didn’t mention it on this blog, and then made my friends worry because I hadn’t posted for ages.

I’m fine–I’m great, actually. My family have all been thrilled to meet the Fecklet and aside from the at-times hellacious teething, he’s been having a wonderful time. I had all of last week off from writing and now I’m attempting to catch up a little bit, and also attempting not to worry because I am nearly 10,000 words in and my hero and heroine have not yet encountered each other.

Maine is beautiful, the flight was tiring but all right, my family are all well, and word from Reading is that my house has not yet flooded (we’re on a hill, but my windows leak sometimes).

(Then again perhaps a good flood would get rid of those ants and slugs.)

I haven’t yet chosen the name for my hero’s band. It’s really hard and there are a lot of good suggestions. Maybe he’ll tell me himself once he makes another appearance on the scene–hopefully soon.

I will be back…though my parents’ internet connection is very slow and I can only get on it at night when the Fecklet is sleeping.

July 15, 2007

help!

The hero of my next book, THE HONEY TRAP, is a former rock star called Dominick Steele. I picture his band sort of rocklike, but not too hairy or dark or tattooed, and Dominick, the lead singer and bass player, was a total heartthrob when the band was at its height about five years ago. Then they broke up and Dom’s life went downhill.

Anyway, I need a name for their band, which is now defunct. Any ideas?

If I use your idea I’ll send you a copy of the book when it comes out sometime in 2008…

July 14, 2007

ANTS

We have an ant colony underneath our fridge.

I’m trying very hard not to think about whether my food has seemed particularly crunchy lately.

July 12, 2007

396

My writing goal every day is 1000 words, squeezed in while the baby is sleeping or when he’s at the child minder’s (or with his dad, when his dad is at home, which he isn’t this week). Sometimes I have to stay up late to get them done; sometimes I finish that much while the Fecklet has his morning nap and I can therefore watch TV or read in the evening.

Today the baby only napped for twenty minutes in the morning. He wanted to play, full of energy: he discovered the waste paper bin, tipped it over, emptied it, and chased it all over the floor. In the afternoon we had to run errands. Got back in time for tea and for playing and bath; then, unusually, he didn’t settle down to sleep at bedtime but instead cried for an hour, needed cuddles, needed singing, needed Calpol. He’s teething and has the tail-end of a cold, and this has made his eczema flare up, too.

Energy, teething, virus, skin: I’m exhausted and have managed 396 words. I’m calling it good and going to bed.

July 11, 2007

slug war

This morning I found evidence that a slug had been in our kitchen overnight.

Tonight, I have lined everything with salt. A thin line on the windowsills, around the sink, near the door, across every trail I found.

I await the carnage.

July 9, 2007

Go see Anna.

another great step for literacy

Someone’s discovered the joy of reading.

Or, more likely, the joy of pulling the books off the shelves, drooling on them, and chewing their corners.

July 8, 2007

an inspiration to us all

There is no better expression of total, all-encompassing effort than a baby who is trying to poop.

July 7, 2007

first bit

Yesterday was my last day at school, and my first day writing this new book. It’s a Little Black Dress with the working title The Honey Trap, and it’s due in November (Editor, if you read this, fear not, it will be done).

I’m not always pleased with my first paragraphs as they first come out, but I’m ridiculously happy about the first bit of this book:

Please, at least let him be tall.

Sophie Tennant stood just inside the doorway of the bar, scanning the room. She’d never seen her date in real life before, but she knew he was brown-eyed, thick-set, balding, and a scumbag.

If I only knew what happens next…

July 5, 2007

eye candy

My photo uploading plug-in has been fixed so here is a treat for you all. Tom Welling* without a shirt on.

Yowzer.

*Superman in Smallville

July 4, 2007

independence

Happy fourth of July! I’m always homesick on this day.

I wrote about independence on Romancing the Blog today.