Freedom From The Mundane

What’s The Problem, Dude?

Image: Mel Blanc

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.