I found myself in a right slump yesterday. I think the combination of my recent sun stroke with subsequent loss of appetite, and the ill-timed deaths of a close friend and family member, could all be taking its toll. I feel exhausted, depressed, and generally quite down and deflated about everything. Perhaps my impending cruise holiday will be just the tonic the doctor ordered, but that seems ages away from where I sit.
I couldn’t be bothered eating yesterday but knew I should eat something. I walked into the work canteen and not even the Thursday macaroni and cheese was enough to tempt me. I browsed about and stopped off at the salad bar. I was tempted. I chose mixed lettuce with chicken, peppers, red onions, black olives and cherry tomatoes, all dressed in balsamic vinegar and topped off with sesame seeds. Not bad for £2.80 and surprisingly filling, but was neither satisfying nor enjoyable without an appetite to crush underneath it.
Would you believe I’ve even gone off coffee and dairy products? The thought of a glass of cold milk used to fill me with joy, but now all I remember when I pick up a carton is the smell of curdled chunks stunk in my nostrils after vomiting my last glass of milk during the height of my sun stroke.
Apologies if you were eating while reading that.
Can’t be bothered writing any more. I spent my evening lying in bed wishing my life away.
Fiction
* Complete writing Baccara Burning
* Re-submit any all rejected/recalled short stories
* Enter a couple of writing/poetry competitions
Poetry
* Write at least one poem per week (0/5 - 28/52 overall)
* Work on new chapbook
Editing
* Stay on top of RR submissions
* Start preparing RR issue 8 for September
Freelance
* Try and get a couple of gigs to review for late July
Web
* Do more work on amalgamation of web design and freelance writing websites
Marketing and Promotion
* Publish July newsletter
* Prepare August newsletter
* Prepare July GDR Review
* Prepare August GDR Plan
* Keep website(s) up to date
* Look for Stella marketing ops
* Bring Podcast ideas to life
* Bring YouTube ideas to life
* Record MIS sound bites
Reading & Learning
* The Butt by Will Self
* Dixie Dust Rumors by Devon Ellington
* Sisters in Time by Ginger Simspon
* The Plague by Albert Camus
* The Papers of Tony Veitch by William McIlvanney
* Man in the Dark by Paul Auster
As the title says, I’m back but not for long. I think I’m just about ready for a break.
My weekend away turned into a bit of a nightmare. Just as things had started off so well after travelling down to Newcastle on Thursday evening, when we arrived in Blackpool, the weekend was turned on its head when we arrived to discover our favourite bars were all closed up. We battled on through extremely hot and sunny conditions, and had a good first day.
On Saturday morning I awoke with what I assumed was just a hangover. I fought through it and we had another great day, though I started to feel somewhat sickish by the end of it. By Sunday morning the realisation of what was happening to me had revealed itself. Our sunshine drinking over the two days had left me with a severe dose of heat stroke.
I was constantly vomiting, my skin was burning yet I was shivering cold, my head was sore, and all I wanted to do was sleep. We cancelled the rest of the trip and I headed back home one day early, and was delighted to see my bed at 4pm on Sunday afternoon. I never awoke again until 7pm on Monday night.
I spent most of Tuesday morning in bed, and only got up to go and see Laura’s P7 school show in the afternoon. It was exhausting and I still felt quite woozy and very dehydrated. I took the family out for dinner to celebrate Laura coming to the end of her primary school career, which was the first proper thing I’d had to eat since Saturday morning.
Yesterday I was back through in Glasgow for my Aunt Rita’s funeral. Rita, my mother’s sister, died last Sunday and was cremated in a small service for family and friends at Glasgow’s Linn Crematorium. It was the first time I’d seen either of my cousins, William and Rhodes, for several years, and while it was good to catch up and swap mobile numbers, it was heartbreaking to see them mourn for their mother only two years after their father had passed.
It was also the first time in a long time I had been with my mum, dad, and two sisters, so we went for a family meal in the Clockwork Orange Pub on Glasgow’s south side. Removing the circumstances of our gathering, it was a pleasant and enjoyable evening on one of the most humid nights I ever remember their being in Glasgow.
In summary, it’s not been an easy few days. I’m on holiday next week and to be honest, it can’t come quick enough now. Here’s my June GDR Wrap-Up.
Fiction
* Complete writing Baccara Burning - not complete but good progress in a busy month
* Complete 3rd draft of Greener is the Grass - never got started
* Write two new flash/short stories - done
* Re-submit any all rejected/recalled short stories - partially done
* Enter a couple of writing/poetry competitions - done
Poetry
* Write at least one poem per week (0/4 - 28/52 overall) - not done
* Decide on chapbook to go with and kick project off - done
Editing
* Stay on top of RR submissions - not done
* Start preparing RR issue 8 for September - not done
Web
* Complete amalgamation of web design and freelance writing sites - did some work on this; moving in right direction now but not top priority.
* Complete transfer and updates for B&B client - done
Marketing and Promotion
* Publish June newsletter - done
* Prepare July newsletter - done
* Prepare June GDR Review - done
* Prepare July GDR Plan - done
* Keep website(s) up to date - done; lots of updates with Stella release
* Stella Marketing Plan (book reviews, etc.) - done; extremely busy with this!
* Eternal Press Launch Day on 7th June - tiring! seems to have been a success; got lots of extras and spin-offs out of it
* Stella Blog Tour - seemed to be a great success; got lots of extras and spin-offs out of it
* Bring Podcast ideas to life - no time to do, but ideas drafted
* Bring YouTube ideas to life - no time to do, but ideas drafted
* Record MIS sound bites - not done
Reading & Learning
* The Butt by Will Self - IP
* Dixie Dust Rumors by Devon Ellington - IP
* Sisters in Time by Ginger Simspon - IP
* Decide on holiday reading for July - Auster, Camus, McIlvanney
Non-Writing
* Keep diet going (-4/14lbs as at 17/3/09) - no idea where I am with this at the moment but feeling ok
Things That Turned Up
* Got several offers of interview and book reviews about Stella out of other promos
* Covered another gig for NotW
Submissions Made
* The English Teacher to Enigma Mag
* Middle Age to Poetry Rivals (comp)
Outstanding
Slick - two publishers
Several short stories out on sub
Successes
Although slow this month due to other important factors, the work I have done on Baccara Burning was good. The main central event that this month was about was the release and promo tour for Stella, which seems to have gone very well.
Failures
Could still have done more. I budgeted a lot of time for promo, but at the end of it al I could always have done more and the writing was what suffered. Often hard to know where the tipping point is.
Today, I’m delighted to welcome fellow Eternal Press author and romance writer, Cate Masters, to Freedom from the Mundane.
Cate’s short stories and flash fiction has appeared at Eternal Press (2009), Wild Child Publishing (2009), Freya’s Bower (2009), Shadowfire Press (2009), The Battered Suitcase (2008), The Wild Rose Press (2008), A Long Story Short (2008), Dark Sky Magazine (2008), Cezanne’s Carrot (2008), The Harrow (2006), Flesh from Ashes (2005), Quality Women’s Fiction (2005), Phase, and The Writer’s online edition.
In 2005, Pennwriters awarded her second place in its annual Short Story contest. Her freelance articles have appeared in The Sentinel, Carlisle. A fifth novel is slowly making its way from her head onto paper. She currently lives in central Pennsylvania with her husband, three children, Benji the dog and their dictator-like cat, Chairman Maiow.
Instead of the standard blurb at this point, here’s Cate’s awesome book trailer for her new book, available from Eternal Press now…
Interview with Cate
Hi Cate – great to have you on Freedom!
Thanks so much, Colin! Glad to be here Across the Pond with you! (Wish I could be there literally – someday, maybe…)
Please tell us a little about your new book.
I’d love to! My novella, One Soul for Sale, is one of my favourites. It’s actually a light-hearted treatment of the age-old “sell your soul” tale, though Madelyn’s motivation isn’t money. She’s an artist who wants to live the artist’s dream and spend her days creating. When she lists her soul on uBuy, two forces battle for her soul. She assumes the winning bidder plays for the Dark Side, but he’s so gorgeous, she almost doesn’t care. The end contains a few twists, and Madelyn’s a stronger person for the experience.
It’s a little unusual in that I wrote it in present tense, third person. I only know of one other story written that way – Ian McEwan’s Saturday (Soul was long completed when I learnt this). I hoped present tense would better engage readers in the action as it unfolds. Maybe that was Ian’s thinking too.
Where did you find the inspiration for One Soul for Sale?
Inspiration’s a tricky thing, isn’t it? I like Neil Gaiman’s explanation of where he gets his ideas – a little shop downtown. But sometimes, when I’m lucky, stories will formulate in my head of their own accord, and it’s my job to simply write. One Soul for Sale was one of those. Probably after I read of someone attempting to sell their soul on eBay, then I applied the old ‘what if.’
Is paranormal your favourite genre to write in? Why do you like it?
I do love it. Urban fantasy more than any other, although I write across a spectrum of genres. Why? Because you’re reading about an apparently normal, everyday situation, then wham! Nothing is as it seems to be, and you’re off on a great literary ride.
How do you go about creating your plots?
I’m pretty much a pantser. I begin usually with an idea of where I want to end up. Sometimes there’s a rough outline, but very rough, so my characters have lots of room to play. They’re a bit devilish sometimes in attempts to hijack a plot, but unless the tangent gets too extreme, I usually follow. They know much better than I do.
When new characters come along, how much time do you spend “getting to know them”? Do they develop and surprise you as you write?
I flesh them out as much as possible. I like stories with quirky secondary characters with fully developed arcs of their own. It adds a nice extra layer or two to a story. Yes, sometimes they surprise me with details I wouldn’t have initially suspected.
John Irving posts the final paragraph of a novel in progress on the wall next to his desk, so even if it takes him 6 years to write it, he always something to aim for. How do you go about keeping a focus on a novel you are writing?
Oddly enough, I find that not placing complete focus on one story helps me better see the broader picture. Working on a few at a time also prevents writer’s block, because if I become stuck on one, I can switch to another story while I puzzle out what’s holding me up on the other.
What is your typical writing day like?
Before work, I’m on the computer about two hours emailing, blogging, social networking. After work, I check emails quickly, then switch to my laptop for writing (or revising, or edits). I stop long enough to make dinner, then I’m back at writing until sometimes 8 or 9 at night. On weekends, unless I’m compelled to run errands, I write as long as possible.
Do you write to music?
No, I’m very much in my head when I write. If I play any I tend to block it out anyway, otherwise I’d get too caught up in it. In addition to writing, I’m a fanatic about my music.
How much does television and movies influence your writing?
Hopefully not much. Few TV shows hold my interest and lately, I haven’t watched nearly as many new movies as I’d like.
Have you ever written yourself or a close family/friend member into a story but kept it hidden?
Never. I’m a big believer in karma, and I don’t believe in writing for revenge. What I like to use are names of those I know, or very limited character traits. It’s fun to throw in things that have special meaning to me, but never in a harmful way.
Describe your muse as though it were a person.
About 5’5”, brown hair, brown eyes. Not much to look at on the outside, but inside, she’s all effervescence and sparkling light.
How would you define success as an author? Cash, fame or recognition?
Interesting question. It’s evolved as I’ve evolved as an author. Initially, I aimed for getting published, and had some success with literary magazines and webzines. But after the stories were out there for all to see – crickets. I received zero feedback, and zero cash. So I realigned my sights for e-presses, and it’s been great to see my stories released. March of this year saw the first, so I’m just now getting in some reviews. So far, very good! Eventually, though, I would like to be able to make a living from my writing. It’s the basic writer’s dream.
If the Writing Genie could grant you a single writing wish, what would it be?
Lately, I’ve been wishing someone (a genie would be great for this) would invent a USB port to connect my head to the CPU so I could download stories in full. I’m a very visual writer, the story’s playing like a movie in my head as I go, so sometimes it’s a challenge to get all the elements on the page.
What else are you working on?
About ten other stories (give or take), with about fifty other premises jotted down that I hope to live long enough to develop. Again, across a wide spectrum of genres.
Who are your favourite authors and books?
Wow, too many to list. All-time favs include Michael Chabon, Neil Gaiman, TC Boyle, Margaret Atwood, Charles D’Ambrosio, Tom Robbins… this could take all day, so I’ll suffice to say there are hundreds of others. (Can you tell I’m no good at picking favourites?)
What are you reading now?
Stardust by Neil Gaiman, Justin Gustainis’ Black Magic Woman and Nightwatch by Sergei Lukyanenko. Reading’s a luxury right now because I’ve been writing pretty much every spare moment. My TBR list is extremely long.
Competition
Cate is going to give away a free PDF copy of One Soul for Sale to a randomly selected commenter who tells us what s/he’d be willing to sell his or her soul for! You have until this Sunday 28th when Cate will select the winner, who will be announced here on Monday 29th.
Good luck everyone, and thanks Cate for being such a fantastic guest. And don’t forget you can purchase One Soul for Sale at Eternal Press or in print from Amazon.
Tomorrow I’m on the road for a few days on my annual trip to Blackpool with my best mate. While I’m gone, please make welcome the awesome author (you really should buy her book!) Cate Masters.
Yesterday I could hardly concentrate on anything at work what with my weekend of fun and frolics impending. I had plenty to tie up though, so the day still went pretty fast. Well, that and the fact I left at 3.30 and walked out into the blazing sunshine yet again.
This morning my author copies of STELLA arrived and they look fantastic! As I write this, though, I’m all packed and ready to head off for my 18th annual trip to Blackpool. 18 years we’ve been re-enacting the same trip; same hotel, pubs, seats in pubs, meals, you name it. It sounds sad but as the Mafia say, it’s our thing!
On Friday you can win a copy of the STELLA e-Book by visiting the Bleeding Espresso, a great blog run by Michelle Fabio. I’ll try and logon at some point to answer any questions but can’t promise.
Many thanks to Diane Parkin for having me over at her blog yesterday. If you missed it, head on over for what was an in-depth look at the development of STELLA.
Today I am feeling rather polarised. On one hand I am excited about my impending trip to Blackpool with my best mate, a trip we have re-enacted faithfully for the past 18 years. And on the other hand, I am mourning another death, this time, a family one.
I couldn’t mention it in yesterday’s blog post because not all my close family aware, but my aunt on my mother’s side passed away on Sunday morning. It’s another blow, and having been through the process of being told—accepting the death—waiting for news—attending the funeral, already this month, it comes with a heavy emotional tag.
Yesterday was as hot a day in Edinburgh as I think we’ve had this year. It was roasting, and not a day to be stuck in the office working. Thankfully, I wasn’t on the BAU shift so after starting the day at a cheery 10am, I was able to work out the doors at 3.30pm. The delightful wonder that is flexi-time.
I went straight home and stripped off, then after cooling down suitably, jumped into a pair of shorts and went out into the back garden. I let the bunnies out for a run and did some gardening until the girls got back home, and quite naturally, enjoyed the glorious sunshine.
In the evening I tidied my office, organised my anniversary meal with Gail for August (we’re going to The Witchery for our celebratory meal), made everyone’s dinner, wrote a chapter on BACCARA BURNING, and continued reading a couple of e-Books I am working through.
None of this was particularly enjoyable in my stuffy office, but one could only work for so long outside as it was. In the space of about 10 minutes, the sunshine was blocked out by cloud, which then sank to the earth on the most dramatic way. At one point we looked out of the window, and he clouds were drifting by so fast it actually looked like fine sheets of rain. Dramatic stuff, and so it remained throughout the night.
Today my priorities are to get everything organised for the weekend, do a bit of reading if possible on my friend’s e-Book, write some more on BACCARA BURNING and prepare the newsletter for next week. Oh, and I really should find a new desk at the day job because Dave is sitting far too close for my liking!
Check me out today over at the blog of freelance writer, photo journalist, and long-time cyber buddy, Diane Parkin!!! I’ll be answering questions all day after what was a very different and interesting interview to do, so please check it out.
I seemed to be running late by at least 90 minutes to the rest of the world yesterday, and not once did I come close to catching up.
I had intended on being in the office by 7am, but never woke up until 8:30am. When I realised the time I bounced out of bed and logged on, because yesterday was the first day of ticket sales for this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival.
To my utter disappointment I was unable to get through either online or over the phone, and by 9:30am I had to stop to start getting ready for work. The plan was to shower and dress in quarter of an hour, call a cab, and be in the office for 10 so I could re-start trying to get those treasured tickets I was after.
Only, the taxi never came. They sent three different cabs before one finally showed up, meaning I never made into the office until half past 10. I thought my chances were screwed by this point, but eventually, after much browser refreshing and URL typing, I finally managed to get onto the booking system.
I worked my way through my list of events, entered my card details, and hit the PAY button. Result! For the third year in a row I managed to bag tickets for every one of the events I had pulled out of the festival programme.
I never realised at the time, but all of my events are squeezed into the first 9 days of the festival. The rest of the time I have earmarked for networking, promotion, and any other events that still have tickets I may want to attend. Here’s my list of events - It’s going to be a great August!
Kate Atkinson Sat 15/08/2009 11:30 AM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE Iain BanksMon 17/08/2009 6:30 PM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE Alan Bissett & Ewan MorrisonMon 17/08/2009 8:30 PM at: PEPPERS THEATRE Ian RankinTue 18/08/2009 8:00 PM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE Neil GaimanWed 19/08/2009 4:30 PM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE William McIlvanneyThu 20/08/2009 3:00 PM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE Griff Rhys JonesFri 21/08/2009 1:30 PM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE The Art of the Short StorySat 22/08/2009 5:00 PM at: SCOTTISHPOWER STUDIO THEATRE Alexander McCall SmithSat 22/08/2009 6:30 PM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE Irvine WelshSat 22/08/2009 9:30 PM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE Will SelfSun 23/08/2009 6:30 PM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE Quintin JardineSun 23/08/2009 8:00 PM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE Frank SkinnerSun 23/08/2009 9:30 PM at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
With all my attention diverted towards book festival tickets, I forgot two vitally important things I had to do this morning.
First, I forgot to make the draw for the winner of the free copy of STELLA over at http://catemasters.blogspot.com. I did this in the evening, and am proud to say a copy of my new book will be winging its way via e-mail to Loretta Canton.
The other thing I forgot to do, which was way more embarrassing, was to send in the copy for a guest blog spot I am on today. Having had all well to write it I wanted to make sure it was as close the remit as possible, then forgot to send the damn thing in with all that was going on. It all worked out in the end, and I’m delighted to say that you can find me over at Diane Parkin’s Blog.
One thing that did come in on time was the approval of my own author web page by the kind people at Amazon. Click here to check it out.
And finally, better late then never, those cheeky little scamps, the penguins of Edinburgh Zoo, now have their very own web cam to show off to. Click here to watch the penguins in live action!
There’s still time to win a free copy of STELLA over at Cate Masters’ blog. You have until 8pm EST to head over to http://catemasters.blogspot.com and leave a comment. In reality, I’ll be asleep at that time (1am BST) so I’ll do the draw first thing tomorrow morning.
I’ve had a great weekend. After Friday night out to see The Beat, I was up in the morning to write the newspaper review. I got it sent off but because of the timing of the gig and the Oasis and Take That dominance of the Scottish live music scene this week, it only made it to the online edition. Click here to ready the review.
Gail and I were at a 30th party last night in one of the bars in the Corn Exchange Village. We had met one of Gail’s pals first in Au Bar and sank a few pints, the highlight of the evening being the sight of women screaming and standing on chairs as a wee mouse invaded the bar. It eventually dived towards the kitchen as though it had suddenly remembered where home was. The look on the woman at the next table who had just finished her steak pie with potato wedges was priceless.
The party was your typical family & friends bash, with lots of people who didn’t know each other but a damn good buffet and not a bad pour of Guinness either. It was such a nice night outside we spent the bulk of the party out in the beer garden even after sun-down. We got home around 2am.
This morning I got a Father’s Day card from Laura – it had a pint of lager on the front (she knows me so well) – and a massive 390g bar of chocolate. Laura and I headed off for a Daddy-Daughter Day in town, not quite sure at first where we were going, but we covered a lot of ground by the end of it.
We started off in the George Street branch of Waterstone’s, where I bought my holiday reading and got Laura a book she also wanted. Then we went to my favourite coffee shop where Laura treated us both to a cappuccino, hot chocolate and pastries.
The weather was so nice we went for a walk, taking in Princes Street (or what’s left of it), The Mound, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, Victoria Street (where I found a shop that sells Jamaican Blue Mountain – you beauty!!) the Grassmarket, and then stopped off for 99’s in Princes Street Gardens by the fountain.
After some lazing about in the sun we jumped a bus to Corstorphine and had lunch in a God-awful McDonald’s, only justified to myself because Laura likes them. I felt like shit after eating my Big Mac, so I doubt I’ll ever have one of them again. Ever.
We stopped went into Pets At Home to check out the rabbits they have in, and it was the same two mini-lops they had the last time. It’s a real shame because they’re absolutely gorgeous wee bunnies. I bought some supplies for Mopsy and Pippin then we headed home.
Back at the ranch Gail made some home-made lasagne for evening dinner, which went down a storm, then I cracked open the bar of chocolate with some fresh coffee. Now that’s what I call a Father’s Day!
There’s still time to win a free copy of STELLA over at Cate Masters’ blog. You have until tomorrow to head over to http://catemasters.blogspot.com and leave a comment.
Things were somewhat more relaxed in the office yesterday. I’m still spinning plates but made good progress with some work. I took a slightly extended lunch (for me – 20 mins) in the canteen with a copy of The Guardian and a plate of pork chow mein with peas. Very nice.
After work I headed to Hamilton’s Bar in Stockbridge for drinks with my friends Linda and fiancé Paul. Gail arrived around half past six and after some introductions we had a few more bevies. After several pints Paul abandoned his DIY plans for the evening and I talked them into joining us at the gig we were going to.
It was my first time at the HMV Picture House in Edinburgh. It’s a converted theatre, similar in design to the Academy’s a la Glasgow, Brixton et al. It’s got a great stage and atmosphere and I predict it’s going to become the premier venue for bands over and above the likes of the Corn Exchange, which is a dire live music venue.
There’s not much I can say about the support band whoever they were, but The Beat were pretty good. After a poor choice to open with Stand Down Margaret, they played all their usual and most popular tracks with a couple of newer ones thrown in.
My favourite Beat track, Too Nice To Talk To was cut short after the most awful feedback invaded the auditorium, which really pissed off Ranking Roger who had to do an impromptu sound check in front of a live audience. That aside, their act was as good as ever and it was great o see such a good turn out for them in this, the 30th anniversary of 2-Tone.
There’s been some big bands playing in Scotland this week – Oasis, Take That to name two – so space in News of the World is somewhat limited, but after penning my review earlier I spoke to the editor who told me it will likely be used in the paper’s online edition.
I’ve got a 30th birthday party tonight and some things to do around the house, and there’s a slight hangover impacting me after the Guinness I consumed last night, but I’m still hoping to find time to do some work, which they way I’m feeling, will be better than nothing.
Yesterday’s blog tour stop over at Cate Master’s was a great success. Cate gave me a special interview plus the spot came with a free giveaway of a copy of STELLA. It’s open until Sunday so you can still be in with a chance of winning, you only have to point your browser to http://catemasters.blogspot.com.
Day job yesterday was totally manic. I seem to have hit a rich seem at the moment and am juggling several projects all at once, moving them all towards successful completion as well as being on what we call the BAU shift, i.e., it’s my week for dealing with all the regular tasks, daily system problems, and admin stuff.
When you feel yourself in the groove like that, being able to absorb everything that’s thrown at you, produce quality work and answer every single question that’s thrown at you, it gives you a great buzz. It’s not dissimilar to the feeling you get when you’re writing and you hit an almost out of body phase, where the words just come, you’re working on auto pilot, and anything that the characters throw at you, you can handle. There’s a great sense of satisfaction and relief when it’s over, mind you, and it takes quite a while to relax and come down off it.
The mate I was supposed to be meeting for drinks in the evening cancelled on me. He’s going through a bit of a marital crisis at the moment and he needs another man’s view on life and some support, so I’m pressuring him already to rearrange. It’s a case of must do rather than feeling obliged, because there’s a lot at stake and I love them both dearly.
That left my evening rather spare. I didn’t need a dinner because I’d gone for lunch myself in the work canteen. Thursday’s are macaroni & cheese day, and the trick is to wait until later in the lunch slot to go down because they throw the stuff on your plate instead of sticking to the rations. I had a massive plate of the stuff with chips (to provide my tummy with a lining since I thought at the time I was going to be out drinking), and sat and read The Guardian in a corner of the canteen. Think I might do that more often; most relaxing.
I’m still working on the draft for a blog spot I’m on next week. It’s rounding itself into a more coherent piece but it wasn’t easy, such was the size of the remit; enjoyable though, and a good challenge. Also got some editing done on that final short story I have going through the processor.
A friend and writer I spent some time with at last year’s book festival returned an email I sent him. He’s jacked in his day job to take sabbatical year doing various writing and publishing courses, as well as working on some projects. He’s also just completed the first year of the Diploma in Creative Writing and Literature at the OU. It’s a brave move but he’s done it before so I have faith.
We’ve arranged to meet for beers if not before August, certainly while the festival is on. He’s one of the few people I can talk to sensibly about writing instead because he isn’t living in dreamland like so many writers I meet seem to be. You know the ones; he actually does it instead of talking about how great it’s going to be when he’s famous. We had some great in-depth discussions about writing, publishing and books last year so I’m looking forward to meeting up with him again.
Plus he likes to drink so we’re a good match there also.
Today I MUST finish up all my outstanding work - day job and elsewhere – then tonight (straight after work actually) I’m off for drinks then to see The Beat who are playing at the HMV Picture House in Edinburgh. They’re a 2-tone band also touring for the 30th anniversary, and while I’ve seen them many times before I’m looking forward to some good skanking. I’m also writing it up for News of the World but it might not get used due to space issues this week. Fingers crossed.
Wondering what the image at the top is? If you’re fed up of the political mess the country is in just now, the get behind the campaign to put make Boris Johnson the next Prime Minister of the Great Britain. As the camapign slogan goes, “can you imagine the fun?”
I’m a guest of the rather wonderful Cate Master’s today. This is a special interview with lots of new information and a giveaway, so go check her blog out at: http://catemasters.blogspot.com.
We have new neighbours. They’ve moved into the adjoining house and have made their presence felt. As a result, I’m not their biggest fan.
Thankfully they are only renting. The bloke who bought the house to develop it had it up for sale, but with the credit crunch, the sign changed from FOR SALE to TO LET a couple of months ago.
The new family – two adults, 1 YA, 2 kids - moved their furniture in by hand in a series of cars last Friday – at MIDNIGHT. Outside my window were God only knows how many people, arguing over the best way to carry the wardrobe in the door. What was wrong with the furniture already in the house is beyond me, but they obviously need the storage. I lay unable to sleep and listened to them clattering up the stairs and walls, loud chattering, and music blaring. Wonderful.
The other day I came home from work and they’d tipped a huge bucket of white paint over part of the front of their garden, the pavement outside their house and onto the street. The kids and family pets got it all over their feet and dragged it up our driveway, and the cars have left tyre marks up and down the road. They’ve showed no sign of cleaning it up. Wonderful.
Every night, late at night, cars come and go from their house. They aren’t quiet people either and I’ve been woken up after midnight a couple of times in the last week alone. Last night they were renovating; hammers, shouting, kids screaming – until way after 11pm at night. Wonderful.
They are the neighbours from hell.
If you found yourself nodding in agreement as you read the last passage, there’s a chance you might be racist. You see, the new neighbours are Pakistani, and mentioning this issue has become a bit of a faux pas for some people in my street.
“Don’t say Pakistani out loud” or “Don’t mention them they might hear you” - I don’t like them for the reasons detailed above, NOT because they’re Pakistani.
I don’t like them because they’ve pissed me off by being anti-social, NOT because they’re non-white.
I don’t like them because they are only renting the property whereas I OWN my home, and that means they don’t have the right to treat the street like a dumping ground for toxins, NOT because their homeland sponsors terrorism.
There. Said it.
Over at the day job I had a good day managing to beat two major deadlines with my workload. Tired when I got home, though, but Gail made a terrific dish of tortellini with garlic bread for dinner, which perked me up.
In order to have bookmarks for my STELLA promotion, I ordered a bunch of cards from the same place I got my flyers and other material. They were much wider than I anticipated, though, so I spent last night creating a new one with two images down its length, and will cut them up using a guillotine before distributing.
This took me much longer than I intended, though, because merging the two images dropped the resolution to the point the bookmarks looked awful. I got it done eventually, but as I said, it took me ages to get it right.
Today, I have to finish up an article for a blog tour spot next week, post more promo material, polish BRIEFS, and if possible, get some work down on BACCARA BURNING. I’m meeting a friend tonight after work so won’t have time to do anything else.
I hung out my washing last night because it was nice and warm, but windy. When I woke up this morning it had been raining for what could only have been several hours. My shirts and shorts were still hanging on the line when I left for work, drookit and pathetic looking.
I kicked yesterday morning off by writing a short story I had the idea for a couple of weeks ago, then let languish when STELLA took over almost everything I thought about and did. I got it finished and the first draft isn’t bad at all. It’s only 1200 words and the draft is pretty good, so it shouldn’t take long to polish up at all.
I got the various STELLA competition prizes sent off to their respective winners; various selections of postcards, leaflets and fridge magnets, all emblazoned with STELLA’s front cover and promo words.
Yesterday was pretty taxing at the day job. Lots of deadlines are up this week and if I can make them all I’ll be in good shape for my holiday, and can then come back refreshed with nothing hanging over me. My work is to take another interesting upwards curve after a recent meeting with my manager, and the work needed for this will kick in once I get back. The first year my team had in this department was satisfying and rewarding, and by all accounts, the next one is going to be even better. All I have to do is work my arse off but its there if I want it.
I fell asleep for an hour or so after dinner, such was my level of fatigue. I could hardly keep my eyes open travelling home on the bus and then a walk through Leith, so after a big plate of sausage and mash I was ready to collapse.
I did manage to get some email work and minor promo catch-up done late on, but my eyes were too sore from looking at monitors all day to be able to read the e-books I’m working through for critiques/reviews at the moment.
I’ve only got until Sunday to select what I want to do at this year’s Edinburgh Book Festival, because the tickets go on sale first thing Monday. If I could bag Sean Connery last year I can surely get to the ones I need to this year.
Last year’s book fest was the best I had attended. In hindsight I went to too much but by doing so I discovered where there are likely to be overlaps in content. This year I intend on doing less workshops and more interactive events, less high-profile author talks and more lesser-known and challenging seminars.
The social aspect of last year’s festival was what really made it for me—the cherry on the cake, if you please. I hope to carry that on and have already started lining up some interesting meetings. Promotionally, expect to see my postcards lying around as I boost my new book to a whole new audience of readers.
Today, as the rain chucks it down like it’s going out of fashion, I sit in work and ponder if I can make today any easier, if the rain will stop, and if I will be able to have the energy and time to write over lunch and when I get home.
STELLA received a wonderful review from romance author, Ginger Simspon, over the weekend. This is the first official review of my new book and I’m delighted it was so good! Click here to read.
If you missed it, please pop over and have a read of my guest blog at Love, Romances & More, where I discuss the pleasures to be gained from writing to music. It’s already prompted some interesting comments.
Despite being on the bus into Edinburgh at 6:45am yesterday morning, I still managed to get gnarled up in tram works and traffic chaos. A Glasgow bus had broken down westbound on York Place, but with half the road already dug up it meant traffic was down to an involuntary single lane. When we finally got passed, the driver was so flustered he missed my stop, but alas, was kind enough to drop me off further along the road.
I wasn’t feeling my best by the time I got to work. Truth be told, I was feeling rather pissed off with life even before I’d left the house. These feelings usually cement themselves after a long weekend of being on standby and having to work. I get pissed off watching other people having a good time and me not being able to do anything. Not even the curry I made on Sunday night helped, because the family rushed into the kitchen, wolfed it all down then buggered off back to the telly again.
But when I look at my week ahead I have to ask myself, “what’s your problem, dude?” STELLA is getting good reviews, The Book Festival tickets are about to go on sale, I’m having beers on Thursday night with a good friend, I’m on News of the World business when I go to see The Beat on Friday, and on Saturday I’m going to a 30th birthday party.
Looking further ahead next week will see my 18th annual trip to Blackpool with my best mate, and shortly after I’ll be away on a Mediterranean cruise. Things are never quite as bad as they seem, I suppose.
I finished polishing another short story today: SAMSON THE GREAT is now totally done. I also continued work on BRIEFS and dedicated some thinking time to BACCARA BURNING; I can’t seem to get past this little hurdle so I’m trying to hear the characters. They’ve gone a bit quiet – think I might stir them up.
I finally got my website client sorted out with her transfer and finished moving her to her new hosting company. I told her I wasn’t billing her and that I would foot the costs seeing as it took so long to get sorted.
I’m delighted to advise that my guest blog went up today over at Love, Romances and More. In it, I talk about the pleasures to be gained from writing to music, so pop over and have a read, and if so inclined, leave a comment.
The STELLA blog tour is still on over at Lara Stauffer’s Ramblings of a Suburban Mom - go and check it out if you haven’t already!
I ended up having the house to myself last night, as Gail and Laura stayed over at a friend’s house after the Leith Carnival. But with the place to myself and boredom already having set in, I didn’t take advantage as I probably should have.
I had to work this morning anyway, signing onto the company network at 7am and then several times afterwards when I was called out. It was a broken sleep that led to me drifting in and out of dreamland until the girls got back at lunchtime. I was in a bad mood as a result (of having to work not them coming home), and it wasn’t until a strong cup of Java and a couple of bacon rolls had been dispensed, that I was able to pull myself out of it.
With sunbathing on the cards for most people today, I decide to stay in and work on my netbook in front of the TV; watching, Only Fools and Horses, of course. If’d sat in my office today I wouldn’t have achieved anything, but such is the freedom of having this netbook meant I could write on the couch, coffee next to me, and the TV on low.
I edited SAMSON THE GREAT almost to completion, and got some good work on BACCARA BURNING done during the course of the day. Very pleased with BACCARA actually because I’m at the join where the story moves from Italy to Scotland and there’s more tension between Randolph and Stella than I thought there was going to be.
I made a nice dinner of chicken tikka masalam with nan bread in the evening, and took my netbook into the kitchen afterwards to write some more.
I received my copy of the Edinburgh Book Festival programme of events yesterday and it looks delicious. I’ve not had a proper chance to digest but after a quick glance, top of my wish list will be Neil Gaiman, Val McDermid, and all the other usual Scottish suspects. I am most delighted to see that William McIlvanney is coming to Edinburgh, which will mean I will finally get to sit down and have that drink with him—or at least have that long-awaited meeting.
Until tomorrow, I hope you all had a spiffing weekend. That’s spiffing, by the way, not spliffing.
I thought I would try something different for a change this weekend – a Saturday evening post. Put it down to the flexibility of my desire to experiment, though the reality is, I’m bored and need to something to do. Writing a blog entry seemed like a god idea followed by some reading. So here’s part one.
I’m not sure what happened to my guest blog over at Love, Romances and More today; everything was sent in on time but the publicity for the event was showing for a different author, and she didn’t have a clue what an of it was about. Some wires have been crossed somewhere, but as it stands nothing is up for the 13th as of yet. I’ll post news when I have it.
The STELLA blog tour is still on over at Lara Stauffer’s Ramblings of a Suburban Mom - go and check it out if you haven’t already!
I was up early this morning doing day job work – overtime so no complaints. Nipped up town afterwards to run some errands and take my regular time out for a coffee and pastry, before heading back home in time to visit the Leith Carnival. The weather reports said rainy showers were due about 1pm and boy were they right. We had only been there for 20 mins when the heavens opened and we had to take shelter in a nice Jamaican woman’s gazebo.
I trooped back home and got changed, and after a quick lunch and an hour waiting to see if the rain was staying off, I decided to head back down. No sooner had I left the house I could hear thunder on the horizon. I made it half way through the carnival, stopping to watch a band on stage called Streetcar – the same band that played at my wedding no less – when it began to rain again. It got heavier so I walked back home and arrived back at the house drenched yet again.
I decided on an afternoon nap and when I woke up the girls still weren’t back so I had dinner – cheese on toast, very satisfying (not!) - then got my netbook out. As I type this I’m watching Only Fools and Horses wondering what to do with the rest of my evening. I have a fresh coffee beside me and a chocolate muffin so things aren’t all too bad.
I have to get up mega early again tomorrow for more day job overtime, then I think I’ll pop into town and get supplies for the bunnies. Still got lots to do elsewhere so I’ll see if I can get through any of it tonight. Maybe some editing, maybe some reading, maybe – who knows.
Here’s a slideshow, albeit rather bland, of today’s Leith Carnival.
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