Currently reading

I have several books on the go, as one does, but on the fiction front it is this paperback copy of 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff which I found the other day at an SPCA charity shop.

I was actually pretty happy to find it. I've never read it before (did I see the movie? I can't recall but I don't think so) but it just suited my mood, something that is, as the quote on the cover says, "a delight from cover to cover." I shall probably finish it in the next day or two.

On the writing front, it's all go with The Heart of Matthew McLeod for release early Feb. I am doing a final edit and I am pretty happy with this story. In a future blog post I'll write on this novel as I began it around six years ago and I would go back to it, fiddle with it, then leave it. It seemed too hard for some reason, and I was tempted to just ditch it but I persevered, even if I could have written half a dozen new books in the time it took to get it right. But 'right' it is, I hope, and it will be on the internet shelves in a few week's time!

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Wet weather

It is starting to get cooler, praise be. There was a heap of rain one day this week, and by the time I got to work I was damp, to put it mildly. Soaked is overstating it but uncomfortably wet. Have you ever tried to dry off your trousers with a hair dryer? I would have been there forever! If only, I thought, I had a spare anything at work, like a skirt even, but no. Nothing to change into. There was only a pair of pantyhose in case I ripped them, although I had stuffed spare socks and boots in my bag so I could have dry feet at work. It is worth noting that the very next day I went to work, I had completely forgotten that thought about spare clothes altogether and did not take spare anything for future weather events. In fact, I only remembered as I was thinking about writing this blog post. Hopeless. Given I’m trying to keep up my walking part-way to work to get in a good 40 minutes/steps, I should take along spare clothes to keep in my locker just in case. It really was uncom...

Two new books coming soon

It's been a while since I posted but I've been busy. I've been working on two new books. Shock! One is the next book in the Dating Daisy series, and also the next book in the Clearlake County series. Two new books!! I can hardly believe it myself, and I am enjoying them both. I'll reveal the cover for the new Daisy book soon!! In the meantime, well and truly into winter here in New Zealand. Even now, I'm got super warm socks on, and a scarf. If the nights are freezing, its out with the hot water bottle. And how good is a hot drink on a cold day? Life's simple pleasures.

My latest obsession

I have recently been a bit obsessed with the practice of junk journalling. Junk jouraling! I love it so far. Its been around a few years and seems to have taken over a bit from from the scrapbooking of yore, but the thing I like about it is you use up all your stuff that is lying around. You can use all your rubbishy bits and pieces of paper and things. I like the tutorials of a lady called Leah with a channel called Thrifty Day , and I've had a go at it and I kind of really like doing it. Sometimes I feel a bit out of sorts (I blame hormones... or perhaps it is, rather, the lack of them!) and so I decide to cut stuff up and stick it on a page and I feel better. Therapeutic! I also think that because it is play and there are no rules and you can be as messy as you like, and start again if the page looks like utter rubbish, well, it is just so good for you. It's like being a kid and let's face it... we got to do all the cool stuff when we were kids. Why not , now we're ...

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