Being Lucy Diamond

A week of two halves

2010-05-28T12:39:00.002Z

Hello hello hello

I've had an unusually rollercoastery week this week *pauses to wipe brow*. Some things have been unbelievably ACE... like the fact that Sweet Temptation is NUMBER ONE in the Heatseekers chart this week (that means it's just outside the official Top 50) - woo-hoo! I am so utterly chuffed. It's still only on sale in Tesco at the moment, so I am also a little bit - actually quite a lot - in love with all those Tesco shoppers who've picked up a copy. Mwah. Thank you, Tesco shoppers. You're great. I hope you like the book. (And if you do, 'Hens Reunited' is currently in a 3 for 2 offer in Tesco too...)
I've already had some lovely emails from complete strangers saying they've read it and enjoyed it, which makes me feel really happy. And one week today, Sweet Temptation will be on sale everywhere else which is great news. So that has all been WONDERFUL.

Slightly less wonderful has been my battle with the current work-in-progress. Honestly, I have never agonised so much about a book before, NEVER. I don't want to sound melodramatic or pretentious (much), but I have just been tearing my hair out over how I could get it to work. It started off as a one-person narrative but then a few months ago, I decided to add in another storyline from a second main character, hoping to weave them together. The storylines and characters were quite different, so the idea was that they would complement each other and then tie in beautifully towards the end. Well, that was the plan, anyway.

Unfortunately, tying the storylines together has been way more difficult than I thought. I tried all sorts of things to bring my characters together in order to justify having a double narrative, but really, I was scraping around to make the common ground work. Although each time I was able to find a temporary solution to the problem, I knew in my heart that something still felt wrong. It just didn't quite work. Deep down, I knew the second narrative had been a mistake.
As I was writing it, I kept imagining my editor expressing doubts, and even worse, the scathing reviews if anyone read it in its current messy state. It was starting to get longer and longer, more and more out of hand. It wasn't right. "Keep it simple," my agent said. Good advice.

So, yesterday I took a deep breath and cut out the second narrative. All 25,000 words of it. Yes. That's 25,000 words, all gone. And yes. I did nearly cry.

BUT... even though making the cut was awful, it wasn't long before I felt so much more positive about the book again, and relieved that I'd finally faced facts, gritted my teeth and removed this second character. I know it was the right thing to do. I've now mapped out the rest of the book for my one remaining character and it works a million times better. And even though cutting out that second character was painful, I have put her aside, perhaps for book 6. It's a good story, just not one that works with my original story.

So there have been deep breaths and sighs, as well as the cheers and smiles this week. Never a dull moment... but I feel as if I've got my head around this novel now which can only be a good thing. I guess it shows that when there's a voice telling you that an element of your novel doesn't work, it's important to listen to that voice, rather than sticking your fingers in your ears and saying 'lalalalala can't hear you' which is what I've been doing for the last few months!

Have a good bank holiday weekend everyone, anyway. I'm off to the Hay Festival to do a few children's book events which should be a laugh. Let's hope the rain stays away this year...

Like Bees to Honey - Caroline Smailes

2010-05-20T01:00:00.003Z

Like Bees to Honey, the new novel by the extremely fabulous Caroline Smailes is out this month - in fact, it's on sale on Amazon right now (click HERE to buy yours). I've already got a copy which I can't wait to get stuck into. Not only does it look absolutely gorgeous, the plot sounds fantastic, and just from flicking through, you can see there are all sorts of interesting, quirky design details inside. I think it's going to be a corker.

To celebrate publication, Caroline and her publishers have organised the coolest blog tour I have ever seen. Below, you'll see a funky little widget that opens up chapter 27 of the book. The other chapters are scattered around different blogs, so you have to follow a blog-trail to read through. Sounds like the best kind of treasure hunt to me. So what you need to do now, is go to Caroline's blog for the start of the trail. What are you waiting for?

Open publication - Free publishing

The next chapter can be found here. Happy reading!

Competitions and reviews and stuff

2010-05-17T09:01:00.003Z

Hello all,
The sun is shining down here in Bath today.... hurrah! Spring is back, and so are my fitflops!

I am still busily writing the new novel but AT LAST I feel I have turned a corner and know what the hell I'm doing with it. Phew. I felt as if I was stuck on that awful mid-novel this-is-rubbish hump for a long time, which was slightly alarming. The only thing now is that I think the book is going to turn out quite a bit longer than I'd originally expected. Usually, I work to a rough 100,000-word frame, but this time, it's looking like it's going to have another 20,000 words or so...yikes. I'm hoping to pass the 80,000 word mark this week though which will be A Good Thing.

My big exciting news is that Sweet Temptation is now on sale in Tesco! HURRAH! It's not published anywhere else yet, as Tesco are doing an exclusive from now until the beginning of June. I'm really chuffed as it's the first time they've taken any of my books; it feels like a big vote of confidence which, let's face it, is always rather lovely. Unfortunately there isn't a Tesco near us but because I am such a saddo I am going to make a special journey to Bristol just to see my little book there for myself. (I know. I am tragic. Just humour me!)

If there's not a Tesco near you either, then you could still win an early copy via the lovely Caroline, who is running a giveaway on her blog, right here. There's a review of the book too and a guest post from me, about how I came to write this particular book (blog magic has a lot to answer for.) It's very generous of Caroline as she has a book out herself this month, Like Bees to Honey, which sounds amazing. I'm a bit excited about taking part in her blog tour to promote it, so come back here on Thursday to see what's happening!

What else can I tell you? There's a nice review of Sweet Temptation on the 'Heard it in the Playground' site here, and it's in Good Housekeeping this month too, along with an article about friendship by me. Good Housekeeping have called the book 'an uplifting celebration of sisterhood' - how nice is that?!

One last link to pass your way, just before my head explodes with all this me-me-me stuff. Stephanie, who writes the Bah! to Cancer blog is running a Bah! Brilliant Book Bonanza, which is an online giveaway of uplifting reads. Have a look, there are some corkers up for grabs.

Right, that's it from me for now. Better do some actual book writing, I suppose...

Competition

2010-05-05T15:50:00.002Z

Hello, hello, hello...
Not a proper blog post (shock!) but I just wanted to flag up this competition on the Heard it on the Playground website. You can win a copy of Sweet Temptation hot off the press!

I can't believe it's nearly publication day... I should receive my author copies any day now and can't wait to get my mitts on them. The book's coming out in Tesco first on May 13th (that's NEXT THURSDAY!) and then everywhere else on 4th June. Exciting!

Otherwise I've had my head down, immersing myself in the new novel like the diligent little author I am. I'm hoping to crack 75,000 words by the end of next week which will make me very happy. More soon...

(Nearly) Perfect Weekend

2010-04-18T13:32:00.003Z

Helloooo! It is a gorgeous day here in Bath, bright hot sunshine, and clear blue skies. Have had to come in for a bit actually, as I can feel my skin tingling from the sun.
I've had a fab weekend so far. Yesterday, eldest daughter and I started the day with a morning run as we are both training for this summer's Race For Life. Well, I say we are 'both' training, but she could probably run it backwards with a a few bricks strapped to her back, she is already so fit and speedy. We had our first practice run last week and it ended up being quite embarrassing, with her streaking ahead, stopping every now and then to shout, "Come on, Mum, hurry up!" while I was wheezing and panting in her wake. Yesterday was better although there were still a few 'face like a tomato' comments from all three kids when we got back. Daughter, of course, still fresh as a daisy. "Mum, I think maybe you should do some training on your own before we go out again," she said. Yes, all right, all right!

Anyway, once I'd got that out of the way, we drove to my mother-in-law's house for lunch... and then drove back, sans enfants! Yes, for the first time in almost two years (since our two-day honeymoon in fact), Lovely Husband and I had a night away from the kids. Hurrah! Obviously I do adore them and love them and treasure them but ooohhh... a night off... BLISS. Particularly weird to be having a night off here in Bath - never done that before. Not just the not-needing-a-babysitter thing, but also, having the house empty when we got back. Empty bedrooms. No little snores. No pattering feet (and bellowing arguments) in the morning either. But anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself.

As if the no-kids thing wasn't exciting enough, we'd only gone and booked ourselves onto a hot air balloon flight. Yes! I know! And it wasn't raining or anything! The balloon took off from Victoria Park and I must confess, I hadn't really thought about the mechanics of how it would all work, I kind of assumed we'd just rock up to the park, scramble into a basket and off we'd float. But no. There were 16 of us who were going on the flight and first of all we had to unroll the balloon, so that it was spread right out on the grass. Then he picked some volunteers, two to hold the 'crown lines' whatever they were, at the top of the balloon, two to hold open the balloon as it was filled with air, and two to operate the fans, which blew in the air to inflate it.
I was picked to hold one side of the balloon's 'mouth' open which involved wearing some huge red suede gloves(nice), then standing on one of the cables at the base of the balloon and holding up some of the opening. A guy was on the other side doing the same thing, so that between us we had made a rectangle opening. (are you with me so far?) It was really hard work with the fans blasting out the air and the balloon pulling me about (especially my foot), and then even harder once the flame burner thingy went on and started shooting hot air into the balloon. (You can tell I am a scientist at heart, can't you? Just so technical with my details.) It was so cool watching it inflate though. The pilot walked right into the balloon and was checking strings and cables and things inside, and I could peer around the edge to watch him. It was such a beautiful piece of engineering, like looking into an amazing building, a huge concert hall or arena.
Once the balloon was full, we had to climb quickly into the basket (the balloon won't wait for you, you know!) and then we lifted off surprisingly fast. There was barely any breeze so we drifted really slowly over the centre of Bath, which I didn't mind at all actually, as I loved looking down, trying to identify all the crescents and hills... and our road, and the kids' school! Because there weren't any planes flying, we had permission to fly higher than usual, up to 3,000ft so that we could catch some breeze. It was so quiet up there, so dreamily peaceful, looking down on the rest of the world.
We cruised slowly along for an hour or so before finally landing in a field to the surprise of some fighting pheasants, then having some champagne. One of those really really memorable experiences. Then phoned the kids to say goodnight and my 7-year-old asked, "Did you see the ash cloud?" He sounded really disappointed when my husband told him no, we hadn't actually gone that high!

The kids are due back in half an hour... I can't wait to see them. Apparently they have been 'little angels' for Grandma. Just time for a last sunbathe/Sunday paper sesh before they come home. Hope you've all had a good weekend too x

Happy holidays

2010-04-15T13:52:00.002Z

Almost at the end of the school holidays unfortunately... have had a really lovely, chilled fortnight. So nice to have sunshine after the long, cold winter... we have had the paddling pool out in the garden and even the barbecue which has been fab. Bought the barbecue last summer but didn't get to use it once, so it was good to christen it with a few sausages at long last!

Unfortunately, there hasn't been a huge amount of writing done recently. Novel 5 is now up to 57,000 words and I have been tearing my hair out over it - getting tangled up in different storylines and probably trying to pack too much in. Fingers crossed it all comes right in the second draft. May have to wield the red pen and scalpel to knock it into shape.

Much more exciting is the fact that Sweet Temptation is off at the printers... yay! German and Dutch rights have been sold already which is brilliant news. Hurrah! I really can't wait to see finished copies now... it is just the best bit of the whole process when the box arrives and you get to hold an actual copy of your book in your hands for the very first time. And with a bit of luck, seeing them will inspire me to finish the next book... here's hoping!

Spring, paragraphs and Moomins

2010-03-16T09:06:00.003Z

Hello again, and how are we all doing? Hopefully Spring has sprung in your part of the world - it's another lovely sunny morning here in Bath, hurrah. Eldest daughter's daffs (potted up at Brownies last year) are finally blooming little yellow trumpets, the crocuses are out, the tulips have pushed up tall green leaves, and there are the first signs of life on the magnolia tree: tiny furry buds. (I love magnolia trees. We only have a small 'Stellar' in a pot but my dream house (wherever that may be) will definitely have a huge magnolia in the garden absolutely dripping with those gorgeous creamy-pink flowers. Oh yes.)

The novel is still coming along, slowly but surely. I am up to 42,000 words now, and have been aiming for 2,000 words a day this week and last, just to keep it ticking along. Of course, that will go out of the window next week, as I've got to switch onto the second draft of a children's book, and need to come up with a new synopsis for something else... and then of course, the Easter holidays will be looming and NO WORK WILL BE DONE. But anyway, this week, I'm aiming to get as close to 50,000 words as I can. I always feel better once I've hit that halfway point.

Book-wise, I've just finished reading The Group by Mary McCarthy for my book group. I could have sworn I'd read this before back in my student days (I think it is that kind of book), but when I came to start reading the other week, it was completely unfamiliar. (This has happened twice to me lately. I was convinced I'd read 'A Patchwork Planet' by Anne Tyler too, largely because it had been sat on my book shelf for years and I just assumed I must have read it at some point. I hadn't though. I think that's what you call a senior moment, which is a bit worrying, seeing as I am still 39. Doesn't bode well for my old age, does it?) ANYWAY. So it turned out I hadn't read The Group after all, and I must confess, I started reading it, feeling very disappointed. The cover has glowing quotes from Sarah Waters, Marian Keyes, India Knight, all saying how wonderful they think it is, and at first I thought I must be reading a different book. It felt really heavy-going, I couldn't keep track of who the hell everybody was and, REALLY ANNOYINGLY, the design and layout is awful, frankly, with page after page of dense, solid prose, with hardly a paragraph break in sight. Perhaps this is very shallow of me, but I find that sort of page layout really off-putting. Even when there is dialogue, there was no paragraphing, the speakers just run on from each other in one great lump. Call me an old fart, but I JUST DON'T LIKE THAT.

Anyway (she says, hurriedly breaking up a rather long paragraph), once I'd got over my fit of pique and got to grips with who everybody was, I did really enjoy it. In fact, it's the sort of book that you want to re-read, so that you can appreciate the early chapters more, knowing what you do about the characters by the end of it. Lots to talk about too - a perfect 'book group' book.

I've just started reading 'A Tale of Two Cities' which I've definitely never read before. I'm finding that quite heavy-going too - maybe I was tired and befuddled by my streaming cold (did I mention my streaming cold?), but I had to read the first few chapters twice over before I could make any sense of them last night. Happily I am interspersing Mr Dickens with lots of eldest daughter's books, all in the name of research. I would really like to write a slightly older children's novel for girls next, mainly because my eldest is too old to read the books I'm currently writing and I miss being able to try them out on her and get her feedback. I've got an idea for a book anyway, but have told myself I need to research the market, so have been thoroughly enjoying myself snuggling up with all her recommendations. She is loving it too - "Mum, you must read THIS" etc, although she is terrible for spoilers - ie, "Have you got to the bit where she.... yet?" I have to put my hands over my ears: "Don't tell me ANYTHING!"

Finally, as a treat to us all, I'm reading 'Finn Family Moomintroll' to the kids for their bedtime story. I read it a couple of years ago to eldest daughter and son, and now I'm reading it to son and youngest daughter, although eldest keeps joining us to listen. It is one of the most perfect books for children, and I am enjoying it every bit as much as they are.

Right... nearly 9.30 and I'd better crack on with the novel. Time to throw in some major angst and drama, methinks... with plenty of paragraph breaks, of course!

Keep on running

2010-03-12T12:35:00.002Z

It was the Bath half-marathon last weekend which was fab. There's something really mesmerising, I think, about watching thousands of people running along together, some seasoned pros, of course, who steam along at incredible paces (the freaks), some nervous first-timers who don't even know if they can make it the whole way around, people in Scooby-Doo and Superman costumes, ballet tutus and full make-up, others who run with a pack of mates, all cheering each other along. There are so many stories and so many dramas - the pain, the triumph, the blisters... it's like a microcosm of the human existence, man. Well, maybe not, but all the same, I find it fascinating - and awe-inspiring - to watch.

I am not a natural runner or an athletic type by any stretch of the imagination (ha! a nation sniggers) but I've been inspired to go out running a couple of times this week after seeing the marathon runners and envying them their stamina. I've also been inspired by Eddie Izzard's marathon challenge too - have you been watching the programme about him? Amazing. How did he DO that?

I guess running a marathon is a lot like writing a novel. All those hours spent training (or writing), the highs and lows, the will-I-get-to-the-end? angst, the pain and the anguish when it's not looking good, the soaring joy when you turn a corner and realise you can see a way through to the end... Gosh, I'm being very deep and meaningful here today - sorry. I don't know what's come over me. Am I making any sense?

I've had a wobble over the novel-in-progress recently anyway. I felt like I was going in the wrong direction, so took a deep breath and cut loads of it out. (Ouch.) Then I had a panic about how my word count had plummeted and an oh-shit-I-am-never-going-to-finish-this! freak-out. (Heeeeeelp!) BUT today I think I've turned a corner. Now I feel I'm back on track. I just have to keep plodding along, like Eddie Izzard, one foot after another, one word after another... and have a little faith that I'll get there in the end.
Let's hope there's a silver foil blanket and a Lucozade waiting for me when I make it. Or even a bottle of champers...

How Did That Happen?

2010-03-03T14:09:00.002Z

Oh my goodness... I have left the blog neglected and dusty for a whole MONTH! How rubbish am I? I have been kind of busy though, honest, not just lazy. In fact, in February, I went to Norwich, Cornwall, London, Coventry AND Leicestershire for various trips, all of which were work-related, so that's my excuse. I'm back in sunny, nearly-spring-like Bath and am not going anywhere for a while. Phew.

So... what's the goss? I suppose I'd better tell you mine first. The new novel is coming along, slowly but surely. Part of the reason I was in Cornwall was for a research trip - the whole family were there at first and we investigated various places I want to write about (she said cryptically), and then they all buggered off home, leaving me in a cottage, writing furiously for three days. It is amazing how much work you can get done when you don't have the distractions of children, housework, Facebook etc. I wrote 18,000 words in three days! So that was a bit of a result. I felt so LONELY by the end of it though, I was desperate to see my kids and husband, absolutely aching to see them, if that doesn't sound too melodramatic. We had a lovely reunion on the platform at Bath train station though, children flinging themselves at me from all angles, awwww... Five minutes later, I was telling them off about something, but you know, it was nice while it lasted!

I went to London last week for two meetings - one with two children's book editors, for whom I'm writing a new series (did you like that 'for whom', by the way? Just call me Victorian Gentlewoman) which was fantastic - we were brainstorming plot ideas for the last three books in the series, and I came away feeling v inspired and like a proper creative person. Then I met my children's books agent for lunch and a catch-up, which was also extremely nice and I found myself rashly promising her a full synopsis for a new children's novel by the end of the month. Eek. Better think up an idea fast.

Afterwards, I'd planned to go to the Van Gogh exhibition at the Royal Academy, but when I got there it was absolutely heaving, with a massive queue. So I went to Fortnum and Mason instead, as it was raining and I was curious. WOW. Have you ever been there? I never had before but I think it is my new favourite shop. The Easter Egg displays were just amaaaaazing (do NOT take a child in there unless you are prepared to say "No, you can't have it" at least 700 times) and ooh, everything, actually, was just beautiful. I went up to the 3rd floor to the 'Gentlemen's Gifts' section as my husband's birthday is coming up, to find tables of solid silver compasses, snazzy cufflinks, silk ties, bowler hats (I'm not joking) and a sales assistant wearing a full-on suit. Unless he was one of the customers, of course. Fabulous. Obviously I bought nothing, but all the same: fabulous.

Reading-wise, I was lucky enough to be sent a proof of Tess Stimson's new one - What's Yours Is Mine. I started it last night and it is so, so good - brilliantly written, great characters, lots of clever bits that make you think twice. It's out in April so look out for it, I'm sure it will be another whopping hit for her.

Right, better go, 2,000 jobs to do before school kicks out in half an hour, and it's the dreaded swimming lessons to be a taxi service for too. More soon. Well, sooner than a whole month, anyway, I hope... x

The novel awaits...

2010-02-01T10:39:00.002Z

Hello, I hope you're all having a good Monday morning and aren't too chilly/hungover/plagued by Monday-morning-itis. It was very frosty here this morning first thing and is still brass monkeys in my little office. I am pressing myself against the pathetically lukewarm metal side of a plug-in radiator as I type. Brrrr.

Today's the day I return to my new novel - Novel 5 as it shall be catchily known henceforth. Hurrah! Well, let's hope it's a Hurrah, anyway. I haven't worked on it for weeks - haven't even looked at it since way before Christmas as it's been one thing after another, deadline-wise, lately. But now... it's all gone quiet for a while so February is going to be the month where I start galloping along with the story and write loads and loads and loads. You wait. There are scribbled notes scattered around the bedroom/my handbag/the living room with various plot points I have thought up while I've been getting on with other stuff so now I just need to gather them all up, recycle all the ones that are completely nonsensical/illegible, type the rest of them into my notes document, then read through the pages I've already written and get cracking. That's all.

Somehow or other though, it's already gone half-part ten and I've only just sat down at my desk. Somehow or other I managed to pop round to two different friends' houses after the school run this morning, and have also nipped to the shop and bakery for various purchases. And for some reason I'm writing a blog post about getting started when I really should be digging out my red pen and editing the work-in-progress, and - yeah, getting started, basically. Funny that, isn't it?

I am a bit scared about reading through the manuscript as it stands to be honest. I lay awake last night worrying that I was going to read it all and decide that it was utter crap and I'd have to start again. What if I start turning the pages and I've done a Shining-esque All-work-and-no-play-makes-Sue-I-mean-Lucy-a-dull-author? Oh Gawd. I'd better not put it off any longer. Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!

Why I Love Wonderful Wednesdays

2010-01-28T13:47:00.003Z

Back when we were ankle-deep in toddlers and babies, my husband and I shared the work/childcare duties between us. He would work three days a week and I would work two, and whoever was not officially working would actually work even harder by looking after our three little babes. It was a pretty frazzling time, looking back. Nobody had enough sleep and the days were filled with non-stop domestic dramas of scraped knees, tantrums, tussles and bottom-wiping. I had barely five minutes to myself, constantly looked like death warmed up and felt as if my brain had melted to a useless sludge.
Obviously it wasn't all bad. There were loads of really good bits too that I wouldn't have missed for the world. The triumphs of first steps, first words, first teeth. All those cuddly bedtime stories. Making dens or cakes or castles... Some days when we went down to the beach or the park or even just a friend's house, and everyone was happy and healthy and being cute and lovely... well, they were awesome. Brilliant. I felt happy to be alive and so lucky to be a mum. Just... knackered.

It won't always be like this, Lovely Husband and I would console ourselves, in the evening when the darlings were finally all asleep. Imagine, when they're all out of nappies! Imagine, when they all sleep through the night! Imagine, when they're all at school. Life will go back to normal! Except what if... what if we both carried on working part-time and HAD A DAY OFF TOGETHER EVERY WEEK?

Well. Do you know what? That's just what has happened. The children are all at school between Monday and Friday, but do Lovely Husband and I both work between Monday and Friday? No, we do not. He works four days a week and I do too. So that means since Youngest Daughter started school back in September, every Wednesday has been fun day. It is sooooooo brilliant! Even if we do boring things like stripping wallpaper or cleaning the house, it's just us two! How fantastic is that?
Yesterday was the jewel in the Wednesday crown so far. We went to the Thermae Spa here in Bath and oh my goodness, it is so lovely. I'd never been there before but I will definitely go back. And as we lay there in the roof-top pool, the water steaming around us as we gazed over the Georgian chimneys and roof-tops, we said, We've earned this. And that was a good, good feeling.
Bring on the next Wednesday!

..Talking of jet planes...

2010-01-26T13:33:00.002Z

Went to see Up in the Air last Friday night, the new George Clooney film. Have you seen it? It's fab - great, sparky dialogue, unexpected plot twists, and of course GEORGE in all his soulful-eyed glory. Mm-mmm. I thought it was going to be a schmaltzy feelgood romcom but was proved wrong - it's actually quite melancholic and edgy. Great. Also saw Revolutionary Road on DVD over the weekend - phew, it's brilliant but very intense. So well acted and shot, the sort of film that makes you feel wrung-out afterwards.
My guilty-pleasure-viewing lately has been slightly less cerebral... American Idol! It's the first series I've ever watched and I had mistakenly thought it might be a bit humourless and po-faced. Wrong! It's hilarious and for all the right reasons. Loving it!

What else have I got to report? Must think of something, otherwise you'll assume that all I do is sit around watching the big and small screen. As if! Oh yes, I went up to Bingley last week to visit my prize-winner in his school which was great - a long trek (more sitting around albeit on a moving train) - but well worth it.

Writing-wise, I've just about finished a new children's book which means I've got some time to get back to my next novel. I can't wait to get stuck into it again - I've had loads of other deadlines to work my way through this month so I haven't even looked at it for weeks and have had loads of new ideas as to how to develop it and bung in a few minor storylines (I have a notebook full of scribbles to show for it!). I'm up to about 15,000 words so far, so I think I will print that lot out, edit and change stuff around, and then carry on with some new chapters. That's the plan, anyway...

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

2010-01-20T10:29:00.002Z

Ha! Can you tell I've been practising my guitar? I can play 'Leaving on a Jet Plane' AND 'Streets of London' now you know. Simon Cowell is going to be knocking on my door any day, you wait. (And telling me to stick to the day job, no doubt...)

Anyway, the 'all my bags are packed' line is relevant today as I'm off on my travels. Not leaving on a jet plane, though, more like leaving on First Great Western, heading north, north and a bit further north. In fact, over the next few weeks I'm going to be going north, south, east and west which is all rather exciting. Today, I'm off up to Yorkshire. A while ago, my children's publisher ran a kids' writing competition where one of the prizes was an author visit from me. (Call that a prize?!) And the winning writer's school is up in Yorkshire, so that's where I'm off to today. The only thing is, it takes 5 hours to get there on the train... eek! My ipod is fully charged and ready to take a serious hammering, plus I have 97 books to keep me going. Or something like that.

Then next week I'm heading...er... east to London for a glam publishing party. VERY excited about that although have the usual worries about disgracing myself in front of famous people etc. (Will give you a full blow-by-blow report, obviously.)
After that, I'm off eastwards again, this time to Norwich with the lovely Veronica Henry, as we're doing a New Romantics gig there on the 10th Feb in the central library. Come along, ye folk of Norwich! Everybody welcome. I will post the time etc once I know what the hell we're doing.

Finally, during half-term, I'm going south AND west (bit of a cheat but humour me) down to Cornwall for a holiday - I mean, intensive writing retreat. My new novel is set down there and obviously I need to do some serious research into the beaches, the restaurants, the hotel spa - ahem. Well, I can't write ALL the time, can I?

Now to pack my things for this school event. Werewolf mask - check. Plastic giant squid, fairy wand, spooky plastic skull, rubber snake - check. You think I'm kidding, don't you? All I can say is, if anyone tries to nick my luggage, they're in for a big surprise...

Hibernating

2010-01-18T09:51:00.002Z

It's always a bit tempting to imagine hibernating at this time of year - especially if you feel as Monday-morning-ish as I do today. Right now, I'd like nothing more than to go back to bed and stay there for the rest of the day. A duvet, a thermos of tea and a pile of books - that's all I'd need. Oooh... it's so tempting... especially as I've got some great reads waiting for me up there.

I'm currently reading Virginia Woolf's Selected Diaries . Before Christmas, I read Susan Hill's brilliant new book Howard's End is on the Landing which I can't recommend enough - the perfect book-lover's book, about the year Susan Hill spends re-reading her old novels rather than buying new ones. Every other page I found myself scribbling down a title that I wanted to read, so brilliantly does she describe them, and Virigina Woolf's diaries is one such book.

So far it's wonderful. VW is very candid and deliciously spiky - ie there's a fab line about Katharine Mansfield, something like 'It is a great shame that one's first impression of Katharine Mansfield is that she stinks like a civet cat which has been walking the streets' ! Ooh Virginia - don't mince your words. It's a great big fat book anyway, and absolutely fascinating. I've only ever read Mrs Dalloway by VW before, and that was years ago, but now I'm reading her diaries (and having watched The Hours again on TV the other night) I want to have a bit of a Woolf-fest and immerse myself in her books.

In complete contrast, I've been sent a juicy-sounding new novel called 'Players' by Karen Swan which sounds very Jilly Cooper-esque, lots of frothy fun. Perfect, in fact, for hibernating with under my duvet....

Not today, though. Must be self-disciplined and sensible. I have work to be getting on with: namely a new Kitten Club book to be writing. And the house is a mess, and I've got all my accounts paperwork spread out on the floor that I need to go through and.... Well, there's always something, isn't there? Maybe if I work really really hard and get lots of writing done now, I will treat myself with a little pre-school-pick-up hibernation later...

New arrivals... and departures

2010-01-15T09:23:00.002Z

Did I mention that our family has expanded? No?! I can't believe I forgot to pass on the big news. Our family of five is now a family of... well, twenty-something. Ish. I can't actually count them all off the top of my head.

No, don't worry, I haven't suddenly produced twenty-tuplets or whatever the multiple birth moniker is. We have pets!

The first new addition to the family arrived in October, coinciding neatly with eldest daughter's ninth birthday. It's a little brown and white hamster called Biscuits. (She does look rather like a custard cream, truth be told, although much cuter.) She is very sweet but unfortunately for us, brilliant at escaping. Any chance she gets, she's sneaking out of the cage and is off on an adventure. The kids all adore her and are already planning treats for her birthday (AUGUST!). I like her too so we're all happy. Although I'm not sure I really am going to make her a hamster food birthday cake, as I've been asked.

The next collection of pets arrived just before Christmas. Some friends had been given a fish tank and some tropical fish a year or so earlier and decided they didn't actually have room for it any more, so did we want it? YES! was the answer. So we inherited a tank with about ten neon tetras and some rummynose thingymabobs (not their actual name), and then we took the kids off to Bath Aquatics and they each chose a new fish to join the merry gang. Eldest daughter chose a Siamese Fighting Fish (named Scarlet), son chose a stripy fish (called Stripy) and Youngest daughter chose a strange brown eel-like thing that goes around eating all the algae off the rocks (named, rather incongruously, Violet). Lovely husband chose a silver angel fish (Angel) and two orange and black striped things (William and Blake). I chose four male guppies that are forever scrapping. (Tuh. Men, eh?) They don't have names because we keep getting them muddled up.

So that's all been rather exciting... until last night when unfortunately we found Scarlet lying lifeless at the bottom of the tank. Oh God! I felt so awful! What did we do wrong? We didn't dare break the news to Eldest this morning as I didn't want to send her off to school in tears (and I know there will be tears), so I will have to tell her this afternoon. Meanwhile, it's farewell to poor Scarlett. Rest in peace, little fishy.

2010-01-13T10:37:00.002Z

Hello! And how are we all doing?
Can you believe that it's been so long since I was on Blogger that I couldn't remember my own password and was locked out? (Yes, actually, you slacker, the nation replies.)
Sorry for being so crap. The problem was, after months of resisting temptation because I knew it would mean endless distractions, I gave in and joined Facebook. And Facebook is much easier to update than a blog, isn't it? You only need one perky little sentence here and there. And you get to play Farmville too! And waste hours of time sending stupid messages to your mates - genius!

But anyway. Being serious. New Year's Resolution number 29: resurrect the blog. Give it the kiss of life. Prod it a bit. Write something on it, dammit!

Tick! Well, that was easier than I thought. I've got more resolutions though. 1: get fit again. Yes, that old chestnut. As well as resurrecting the blog today, I've also resurrected my fitness coach. Or rather, My Fitness Coach, the Wii game that bullies you into leaping around your own living room until you are completely out of breath. I did a workout this morning and embarrassingly, it had been so long since I put on my tracky bottoms that the elastic round the top had perished and I had to keep hoicking them up. (Resolution 1a: get some new tracky bottoms.)

Other resolutions... practise the guitar. Lovely Husband bought me a guitar for Christmas! Yay! And despite the trauma of having to cut my left fingernails down in order to play it, I am really enjoying it. My repertoire consists of 'He's Got The Whole World in his Hands' (a mighty two chords to learn) and... Well, that's about it, so far. Still, if the writing all goes pear-shaped, it could be my next career move, busking on the streets of Britain.

Talking of writing... I've got a new book out this year. Hurrah! It's called Sweet Temptation, and is all about the best things in life: love, friendship and cake. I was just about to post an image of the cover but don't seem to have one saved to my computer. Tell you what, here's the Amazon link so you can have a look. What do you think?

I'm writing the next one now - my FIFTH novel, wow, it feels amazing to say that. It's set down by a beach so I'm finding it a bit tricky, with all this snow on the ground, to write lovely sunny beach scenes. Luckily I have booked a holiday - ahem, I mean research trip - in order to help me with that!

Right, I'd better go. School is closed today and there's an ominous silence in the house which is never a good thing. More soon. x

We have a winner...

2009-08-07T07:37:00.002Z

A panel of international judges deliberated over the entries to my limerick competition last night. (Oh, all right, my husband and some friends over from New Zealand.) They marked each limerick, awarded points after great discussion and finally picked a unanimous winner.

What's that? You want to know who it is?
You want to know who won that amazing parcel-of-books prize?

Oh, okay.

Here goes.....

Keep scrolling down....

I can almost SMELL the tension.....

Nearly there.....

I'm happy to announce that this year's winner is..... PAT POSNER!

Pat! You've won! Send me an email with your address asap and I'll pass it on to the lovely kind people at Macmillan who will pack up the humungous parcel of goodies and send it to you. Congratulations! Round of applause for Pat, please. And a big thank you to everyone else who entered. I did love reading your fantastic limericks and it was a very close-run thing.

Finally, it just leaves me to say that TODAY is the official publication day of Hens Reunited. Please wish it a safe and happy journey into the bookshops and customers' hands! And if you end up with a copy yourself, I hope you like it.

That's all from me for a while...

Competition #2

2009-07-30T19:20:00.003Z

Okay, this is the big one... the one with the huuuuuuge prize that is well worth winning before you go on your summer holidays. To celebrate the publication of Hens Reunited, I'm delighted to announce competition number two... where you - yes, YOU! - could win a teetering tower of books, all kindly donated by those lovely people at Pan Macmillan. The books that one lucky winner will receive are:

Pictures of You by Jane Elmor

In the Heart of the Canyon by Elisabeth Hyde

Housewife in Love by Alison Penton Harper

I Remember by Noelle Harrison

The Love of My Life by Louise Douglas

Guernica by Dave Boling

Devotion by Nell Leyshon

The Lady and the Poet by Maeve Haran

50 Ways to Find a Love by Lucy Ann Holmes

Beachcombing by Maggie Dana

(Click on the link to see each book's Amazon page where you can find out more.)
(Is this exciting or WHAT?)

So, what you do you have to do to win such a fabulous prize? Well, I'll tell you. All you need to do is to write a limerick which includes the words HENS REUNITED LUCY and DIAMOND (in any order). Yes, all right, I know it was a similar competition last year and clearly I am totally unoriginal, but you were all so bloody brilliant at writing limericks last time and, more to the point, I had such a good laugh reading them that I couldn't resist giving it another go. So here we are!

The rules:
1) The competition closes at 6pm British Summer Time on Thursday 6th August.
2) You can leave your entry in the comments box, or, if you feel shy, you can email it/them to me: lucy at lucydiamond dot co dot uk.
3) The judge's decision is final
4) You can enter as many times as you wish
5) Usual terms and conditions apply
6) To be a true limerick, the words at the end of the first, second and fifth lines need to rhyme, with a different rhyme at the end of the third and fourth. Here's an example:
There was a young lady from Ickenham
Who went on a bus trip to Twickenham
She drank too much beer
Which made her feel queer
So she took off her boots and was sick-in-em

But I'm sure you can do a classier limerick than that, can't you? Can't you?!

I hereby declare that competition #2 is.... open!

In stock!

2009-07-29T08:54:00.002Z

Oooohhhhh the excitement! Hens Reunited is now in stock on Amazon. This means I am currently unable to do any work, obviously, because I keep having to check its sales ranking. (A rather lame 27,000 as I write... but hey, it's early days.) It's not officially in the shops until August 7th so this is rather excitingly early. Go, Hens, go! And go, blog-readers, go - and while you're going, do me a favour and tell your mates about it! (Please.)

Other news:

Have just finished The Children's Book by A S Byatt - fabulous, wonderful, enthralling. My book of the year so far without a doubt. (Yes, it's flawed, particularly the ending in my eyes, but don't let that put you off.) A big fat treat for the summer.

My lovely editor (hello lovely editor) has given a resounding thumbs-up to Novel 4, or Sweet Temptation, as I must start calling it. Hurrah!

School holidays going great so far - swimming, Ice Age 3, lots of playing and remarkably little fighting.

It's all good! (Now I just need to finish a new mermaid story before I go on holiday and life will be complete... only two writing days left until the end of August so I've got to make them count, eek!)

Drum-roll please...

2009-07-27T09:20:00.005Z

After DAYS of suspense, HOURS of nailbiting, whole MINUTES of agony, I can now tell you that the results to my anagram competition are in. The judge has made his decision, and all votes have been counted and verified. Oh no, hang on, that's not right. I've got a bit of paper with the anagrams typed up and my husband has scribbled 1,2 and 3 on anyway.

Just to recap, the competition was to make an anagram from the letters in the words 'LUCY DIAMOND HENS REUNITED'. And without any further ado, I can now announce that in third place, and due a virtual pat on the back and a loud "Hurrah!" is ...

last-year's winner Pat Posner for her anagram: 'Um! Nice horny lads tied nude'

A bonus commendation for rudness, as my husband put it. Well done, Pat!

Next in second place, in for a virtual pat on the back and an even louder "Hurrah!" is.....

the lovely Karen Clarke for "Disenchanted mouldy urine"! Karen, I know you thought you should get your coat but no! The judge said it made him laugh, so you're my worthy runner-up!

Now for the big one. The winner of the Lucy Diamond anagram competition 2009 is...

*isn't this exciting?!*

the lovely AND talented Lily Sheehan for 'Lured into mid saucy hen den'!
Congratulations Lily! If you could email me your address (email me on lucy at lucydiamond dot co dot uk) I will put a signed copy of Hens Reunited in the post to you asap. Well done!

Stay tuned as I've got another fab competition coming up very soon, just as soon as I've blagged a good prize in fact! xxx

Competition #1!

2009-07-22T07:47:00.002Z

Are you feeling brainy? Creative, perhaps? Maybe just plain old lucky... well, good news! I'm starting a competition today and YOU could be the winner.

You might remember last year, I ran a few competitions to celebrate Over You being published, and oooh, it was very exciting (well, it was for me, anyway). So now that I've got a shelf full of copies of Hens Reunited, I thought I'd do the same again. The prize this week is.... drum roll... a signed early copy of Hens Reunited, deliverered to your front door, waaaay before it hits the shops on August 7th and anyone else can get their hands on it. (I know, I know, calm yourselves if you can.)

All you have to do is come up with an anagram using the letters in the following words: LUCY DIAMOND HENS REUNITED. That's ACDDDEEEHILMNNNOESTUY if it makes life any easier. You've got until six pm this Sunday evening (26th July) to leave your entry in the comments box. As before, when the competition closes, I will print out all the entries anonymously and ask my completely impartial husband to judge the best. I'll post the winner's book on Monday. Usual terms and conditions apply blah blah.

Clear as crystal? Excellent. Let the anagramming begin!

Books!

2009-07-17T13:37:00.006Z

The rest of my author copies arrived today. Here they are!

I am so so thrilled. Nearly as thrilled as I am about this, the cover of the Turkish translation of Over You:

It captures the essence of the book perfectly, wouldn't you say? And yes, that is super-sparkly-silver on the dress. Love it!
(sorry, not sure how to turn picture round, you will have to tip your head on one side for full appreciation!)

Have a good weekend everyone...

It's Here!

2009-07-15T15:52:00.002Z

A wonderfully satisfying thump of post falling through the letterbox today... especially as the thump was from my first copy of Hens Reunited. Oooooh! It is so lovely and exciting seeing your own book for the first time and this is my favourite one yet. Hurrah! If I was a bit cleverer I'd display a photo of me holding it in my own fair hands (kissing it even) but sadly such a complex technical feat is beyond my (pathetic) capabilities, so you'll just have to use your imagination.

Only a few weeks now until publication, I can't wait to see it in the shops. And I must think up a few competitions for you lovely blog-readers to celebrate. Stay tuned for some excellent prizes. You could be a lucky winner!

It's very timely, this copy of Hens arriving today as I've literally JUST finished my edit of book 4. I'm going to read it through one last time on Monday and then send it off to my agent and editor for their thoughts. Gulp...

Living it up, living it down

2009-07-10T11:51:00.004Z

Oh. My. GOD.
I had such a showbiz night last night. It was the Pan/Picador sales conference in London and I went along to their drinks do afterwards. I had been really looking forward to the evening, right until I saw the guest list earlier this week - the guest list which included Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay, Andrew Marr, Tara Palmer-Tompkinson, James Herbert, Martine McCutcheon and many many more.... and then I was absolutely filled with terror. OHMYGOD. All those famous megastars... and me. I was convinced I would disgrace myself in some way or another - either falling off my high heels at James Cracknell's feet, or getting nervously drunk and managing to accidentally flash my pants at Jeffrey Archer, or being unable to stop myself from staring and pointing like the village idiot.

I don't know about you, but I find the idea of walking into a crowded room alone, not knowing many people in there, quite nerve-racking. Terrifying actually - that was the bit I dreaded most, having to rock up there on my tod, hoping to see a familiar face (who wasn't out-of-my-league famous preferably.)
When I walked into the party last night, (heart pounding, oh-my-God-just-spotted-Clive-James), I was pounced on by lovely T from the editorial dept whose first words were "Come and meet Tara Palmer-Tompkinson!"
I know I keep saying oh-my-God in this post and I don't want to be repetitive, but really, this WAS an oh-my-God moment. It was totally surreal being introduced to TPT (who looked amazing) but she was so friendly and nice that once I got over the initial shock, it was fine - oh, and get this, she said she liked my shoes! (I was too embarrassed to say that they came from Next though!) So that was a good start to the evening at least...

I was quite excited to see Dwight Yorke was there - I'm a Villa fan don't forget - and I'm afraid I embarrassed myself a bit by asking for his autograph. I know, I know - bit of a tragic fan thing to do - but I couldn't resist. (I pretended it was for my dad but I think I might just have to keep it for myself.)

I also met Martine McCutcheon who was absolutely lovely and soooo beautiful, Lucy-Anne Holmes whose book I so loved and who felt an immediate ally, Emma Kennedy, William Horwood, oh, lots of people. And I even managed not to do any inappropriate flashing/falling over/staring and pointing. Oh all right, I did do a BIT of staring and pointing, but I promise it was discreet staring and pointing...

This morning, I was back to my normal life. School run, washing machine to load, packed lunch to make etc. It all feels a bit of a dream now...

PS James Cracknell VERY handsome in the flesh. Quite wish I HAD fallen at his feet now. Maybe next time.

The perfect hen night...

2009-07-05T12:01:00.002Z

"I've been playing with all the Playmobil mums," youngest daughter told me today. "They've been having a hen night."

"Oh, that's nice," I said. "What did they do on their hen night?"

"They ate lots of chocolate. Minty chocolate."

"Did they do anything else?"

"Then they did some dancing."

"Anything else?"

"Then they read lots of books and went home to bed."

Now that's my kind of hen night...

Heroics

2009-06-29T07:55:00.004Z

It's always rather shocking when real life suddenly spins off its ordinary route and takes a more dramatic turn, isn't it? Shakes you up a bit. Makes you think about the what-if and the what-could-have-been in a surreal, did-that-actually-just-HAPPEN? kind of way.

We were coming back from a weekend in Brighton last night on the M4 when all of a sudden a tyre blew on a van about 100 metres ahead of us. The van skidded and swerved and then just flipped right up into the air and overturned, crashing down to land upside down across two lanes. I was still in absolute oh-my-GOD shock but my husband was amazing. He pulled over, stopped the car and got out. "Call an ambulance!" he yelled and sprinted up the motorway to help.

That was his instinct - run and help - while I was in this sort of stupor, stunned, fumbling to get my phone, dialling 999 and still trying to process what had just happened. There's something horrible about calling the emergency services - I've only had to do it a few times and it's one of those highly charged, intense experiences that feels like a dream. I just kept thinking, I bet the driver has died. Surely they can't have survived, the way that van slammed down like that. Is it going to burst into flames? Oh my God, I'm going to see a dead body. I don't want the kids to see a dead body... - and all the while trying to be coherent, saying that the accident had happend just before junction 7 on the M4, no, I couldn't see any smoke coming from the van, I'm running up there now to have a look...

My husband and another guy had managed to get the driver out through the (smashed) window of his door and incredibly, he wasn't hurt at all, just shaken up (understandably). Fire engines and paramedics arrived and dealt with everything brilliantly and after half an hour or so, we were on our way again, all a bit twitchy about what we'd just seen.

I couldn't get over the way my husband reacted though - just running over to help without a second thought like that. I don't want to gush or be melodramatic, but I do find that truly heroic and brave - and just so good. My instinct was far more cautious - I was worried about the van blowing up and I didn't have that same strong urge to spring into action, to run. But he did and even though he shrugged it off a bit later, saying it wouldn't have been so heroic if the van had burst into flames and he'd been injured, the fact was that he didn't consider himself while he was sprinting up the motorway, his basic urge was just to get to the driver. The kindness of strangers is a wonderful thing. I'm dead proud of him.

Funnily enough, I wrote the opening scene of a possible new novel the other day which concerns the business of heroism. It's good dramatic stuff, isn't it, someone saving a complete stranger's life, but somehow it's much easier to write about than go through...

Missed the boat

2009-06-24T07:55:00.004Z

Remember in my last post I was whinging about turning 40 next year and wondering how I could pack some exciting things into my last thirty-something year? Well. WELL! Turns out I am behind the times. Way behind. There are already masses of blogs out there, it seems, all dedicated to people with great lists of impressive, adrenalin-pumping things to complete before they're 40. One woman with such a blog appeared only to be thirty-two, I was stunned to see. Thirty-TWO! Why is she worrying about turning 40 now, for goodness' sake? Can't she just be grateful that she's only thirty-flipping-two and get on with it??

Anyway, it seems I've missed the boat with my turning-forty musings. Clearly I should have been setting myself exciting challenges for oh, at least the last five years instead of shambling along through my thirty-something decade and wasting all this time on unimportant stuff like motherhood and work and wondering who's going to win Britain's Next Top Model (please not Sophie). Giving myself one paltry year to cram in the proper stuff is just no good.

So... moving on... time to get organised and plan all those crucial things I ought to do before I'm 50, then...

1. Stop caring about stupid lists
2. Grow a beard
3. Call someone 'young lady' - oh, wait, I already do that frequently to my own daughters
4. Give up on dieting and allow myself to become disgracefully fat
5. Learn to walk in high heels
6. Embarrass my teenage children at all times.

...and those are just the start of it. I'm sure there are many more exciting treats in store for me. I'm actually quite looking forward to the next eleven years now. Lots of fun in store. Bring on the forties!

Parties

2009-06-22T08:26:00.003Z

Went up to London last week for the Usborne party, celebrating their 'five years of fantastic fiction'. I've done (or nearly done) two twelve-book series with them now, so have worked long and hard with various editors there over the years. It was ace to catch up with the editors and marketing people I know there, but also meet some of the designers and other members of the crew too, as well as - best of all - my illustrators for the two series, Jan McCafferty and Maria Pearson. I was really looking forward to meeting them as they are both so talented, and it's been soooo exciting seeing my characters really come to life with their fabulous artwork. And I'd never actually met them before then, only exchanged the occasional email about PLR etc. So did I manage to restrain myself from gushing about how brilliant I think they both are? No, of course not. Never mind...

It was a really good night but oh my God I was in agony by the time I got home - all that standing around in stupid uncomfortable high heels to blame. Had to take them off once I got out of the party and walked to the tube station in my tights, oh I'm just such a lady, you know! (Seriously though, how do other women do it? I am amazed that anyone's pain threshold can be so high.)

Went to a friend's 40th on Saturday which was an equally glam affair - lovely people all in their finery (flatter shoes for me this time though), a seemingly endless stream of bubbly and clinking glasses, gorgeous canapes and birthday cake, the birthday girl herself looking utterly fab in her minxy black dress and new birthday shoes... the sort of party I could never manage to throw myself, basically (but lovely to soak up someone else's goddessery).

Actually it's got me thinking... it's my birthday next week too and I'm going to be thirty-(whisper it)-nine. Gulp. Just one year left of being in my thirties! I need to make myself a list of things to do before I turn forty, things that only a reckless, fun-loving thirty-something can get away with... I need to exit my thirties all guns blazing and slip into the big 4-0 with the satisfaction that yes, I rocked the thirty-something decade to the max.
So, if you've got any ideas or suggestions, leave them in the comments box!

Reading Delights

2009-06-18T12:11:00.002Z

Is it really two weeks since I last blogged? How did that happen? I have been too busy enjoying myself in the post-first-draft cocoon of bliss, clearly. (Don't hate me for it, the angst and moaning will return when I come to edit the thing next month, no doubt.)

I have been having a rather lovely time anyway, floating about feeling stress-free and cheerful, now that Novel 4 is done (well, awaiting some work, but you know. Done, for the time being.) I've started thinking about future novels - I've got a couple of ideas in mind - and even though I had planned not to do anything about it until September, this morning I found myself writing the first few paragraphs of something new. I just couldn't help it - I thought of a great opening line while I was going to sleep last night, and just wanted to start the scene before I forgot. Felt quite excited about it...

Lovely Milla (hello lovely Milla) asked in the last set of comments how I go about 'growing' ideas for a new novel - and at this stage, it's as if I (oh God, this is going to sound dead pretentious, I apologise) - as if I am 'listening' out for them, as if my ears are pricked up for juicy storylines and characters. It feels like my mind is totally receptive and I'm letting myself tune into various elements of a story - for instance, particular scenes that would be good, themes, a character who comes to me. So at the moment, I'm just scribbling down fragments as they pop into my head, and hope that by the time I come to start writing, proper, I can assemble a coherent narrative of them.
Does that make any sense at all? I'm not sure it does to me either, but there you go. It's hard to explain.

Had a lovely treat this morning anyway as I used my Reading Spa voucher at the fabulous Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights, one of the independent book shops in town. It was ace. First, a consultation - well, good old chat, really - with the manager Nic about the kind of books I like and don't like (over a cuppa and some absolutely delicious cake), plus I had a list of authors I had never tried but felt I should and didn't know where to start - ie PG Wodehouse and Iris Murdoch (no, never read anything by either - shame on me etc.) Then he went off and after a bit of discussion with the other members of staff, came back with a huge pile of books they thought I might like. I got to sit in this big comfy armchair in the 'Bibliotherapy Room' browsing through and making my selection. Talk about my idea of bliss. This is what I chose, if you're interested:

PG Wodehouse - The Code of the Woosters
Iris Murdoch - The Sea, The Sea
Carson McCullers - The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Jhumpa Lahiri - Interpreter of Maladies
Anita Shreve - Bodysurfing

What do you think of my list? Have you read any? I could have spent a fortune in there, and there were definitely a few I'd go back for another day. Joy!

HUZZAH!

2009-06-03T15:34:00.002Z

I have just typed those wonderful words 'The End'... as I've finished the first draft of Novel 4! Woo-hoo!

I am so so happy and so so pleased, you know... it totally needs an edit but that's cool, I've got plenty of time for all that red-pen malarkey. The main thing is the story's all there in black and white, word after word, sentence after sentence, page after page after page...

It's a great feeling. I'm definitely having a drink tonight. Cheers!

Fifteen books

2009-06-01T08:25:00.003Z

I was tagged by the lovely Jessica Ruston on Facebook recently to post a list of fifteen memorable books. And being lazy - I mean, extremely smart - I thought, hey, there's a blogpost in this. Here's my list and the intro:

Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes...

Okay so here goes with mine, in no particular order:

1. Catcher in the Rye
2. To Kill A Mockingbird
3. The Bell Jar
4. Trainspotting
5. Lord of the Flies
6. Danny the Champion of the World
7. The Wasp Factory
8. Our Mutual Friend
9. The Magus
10. What A Carve-Up
11. The Colour of Memory
12. Rebecca
13. For Whom The Bell Tolls
14. The Edible Woman
15. Claudine At St Clare's

I felt a bit stressed trying to pick THE ultimate fifteen - I'm sure I've missed out loads I should have put in, but hey. That's what 'Edit Post' is for, right?!

Try it yourself - let me know what your fifteen are!

Good news!

2009-05-29T08:12:00.002Z

Do you remember, way way way back back back through the mists of time, I wrote this post about a picture book text I'd been working on?

Well. Well! I had a very (very very very) nice phone call yesterday afternoon to say... that somebody wants to publish it! Yes! Somebody wants to turn my little story into a book with real actual beautiful colour artwork to illustrate it!

It's a publisher I haven't worked with before, but one I really rate (as a parent AND an author) so I am utterly utterly thrilled and excited. Haven't signed a contract yet so I don't want to jinx it by going into too much detail now... but I WILL just say that I'm particularly pleased because the story came from my son having bad dreams and me trying to think up weird ways to stop them... so there's a personal connection for me which I really like. And ooooh I am just dead excited wondering which artist they will suggest to illustrate the story, and imagining all the different kinds of styles in which it could be done. Hurrah!

Other news... it's been half-term here this week and a very chilled one we've had too. We've had long lie-ins every morning, hung out in our pyjamas quite a bit, been to the park, had friends round, played with Playmobil, made a marble cake, been swimming, watched Night At The Museum (the first one - ace) and the kids have had a jumble sale (or 'jungle sale' as my youngest keeps calling it) where they've sold their toys to each other (strange, but it kept them entertained for ages!)
I'm working today and I'm back on the new novel - yay - and have cleared the decks of other work so that I've got the whole of the next two weeks as well to devote to it. I don't want to tempt fate but I'm hoping to *whisper it* finish the thing by then.... fingers crossed!

Getting E(a)rnest

2009-05-21T07:46:00.002Z

So I finished For Whom The Bell Tolls last night and all* I can say is WOW. Absolutely fantastic - it took my breath away. Everyone goes on about Hemingway's 'deceptively simple' prose but it's true - the writing is very plain yet beautiful, and somehow or other you are just pulled into the head of the main character and really feel as if you're there, in a pine forest during the Spanish Civil War, hearing gunfire and horses screaming as you wait for the fascists to attack. Who can you trust? Who is going to betray you? Who is going to survive? And all the while the tension is just building building building towards the finale - will the guerillas blow up the bridge? Can they escape? Surely there can't be a happy ending? Honestly, during the last 40 or so pages I was unable to speak, answer the phone, do anything except sit tensely reading, practically holding my breath as I made it to the end. I don't want to sound pompous but... it's a masterpiece. (My only quibble is that the edition I read (Arrow) is absolutely full of typos - on almost every page there's a missed word, or a misspelling or a comma instead of a full stop... really bloody annoying!)

Still, that aside, the book is probably the perfect pre-read to Guernica which is next on my list. That was neatly done, hey? (I'd love to pretend it was because I 'theme' my reading but in reality it was pure coincidence.)

Better start doing some work now. Inspired by Hemingway, I'm going to write some raw, honest, 'deceptively simple' prose of my own now... about mermaids. Hmmmm - this should be interesting...

* Not strictly true, as it turns out.

Changes

2009-05-19T11:50:00.005Z

Youngest daughter starts school in September (eek) and I'm all too aware that after nearly nine years, the kids-at-home era is drawing to a close for me. That is a long LONG time to have spent most of the week at baby yoga, Tumble Tots, a million coffee mornings, infant ballet class, swimming lessons, gym tots... and that's just the stuff outside the home. There have been many many fairy cakes baked, many finger paintings daubed, many dens built, many Hama bead creations ironed, countless stories read, half a ton of PlayDoh squished... I could go on. But the point is, it won't be going on for much longer. Ohhhh, I'm sad! But also... kind of excited. I have turned down so much work in the last few years, turned down a lot of festival events and school visits too, because I've chosen to spend the time with my kids instead. Come September, though, with all three of them out at school, I'll have so much more time to myself... I can't believe it. Who fancies going out for lunch, then?!

(We went into school last week, youngest daughter and I, to fill in some forms and to have a one-to-one chat with one of the reception teachers, as part of their starting-school procedure. My daughter was unusually quiet, a bit overwhelmed by it all, I think.
"Is there anything you want to ask the teacher about school, while we're here?" I prompted.
She thought about it carefully, then spoke. "What colour are the walls and ceilings in the classroom?" she wanted to know.
I was SO glad she'd come up with such a crucial, insightful question. I can tell she's going to go a long way, that one...)

Talking of school visits, I did a couple on Thursday for the Federation of Children's Book Groups, as part of their 'Share-A-Story Month' launch. I went to two schools and spoke to 240 kids at each one... berloody hell, talk about crowd control. It was quite - okay, VERY - loud, especially when I got them all to do troll noises - oh yes, and a bit of gratuitous screaming, too. The poor teachers were wincing but I think the kids all enjoyed themselves. Sold over 100 books too so that was brilliant but my God it was knackering, and I was soooo ready for that glass of wine when I got back. I don't know how teachers manage it. Respect!

So tell me... what are you reading at the moment? Anything good? I'm halfway through 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' by Hemingway at the moment - trying to better myself with a heavyweight book, see - and am finding it surprisingly enjoyable. I bought it ages ago but kept putting off reading it, because I thought it might be a bit grim and serious and maybe too boys-own for me, but it's actually very readable, and lots of the dialogue is *gasp* brilliantly funny and sarcastic.
Have naughtily just ordered a load more stuff from Amazon - The Children's Book (couldn't resist), Sarah Waters' new one (a pre-order) and, becacuse I love him and he makes me laugh, Jonathan Ross's book. That should keep me quiet for a while...

And into the closing stretch...

2009-05-09T15:59:00.003Z

Woohoooooo! After a few fabulous writing days, I'm galloping towards the end of Novel 4, and God, it feels great. Just one chapter left to write for each of my (three) heroines, plus an epilogue, and then it'll be time for that magical can't-be-beaten moment of typing 'The End'. Ahhhhh!
It's a way off being finished-proper, obviously; once I've reached 'The End' I'll want to leave it a few weeks to stew, and then pull it apart in an edit, but most of the meat is on the bones now and I'm sooooo happy about that. I really like wrapping up all the storylines and dishing out the happy endings, and I need a good juicy come-uppance for a super-bitch character too, not sure what yet, but she's definitely gonna get it...

Anyway, I've got all sorts of treats lined up for myself when I finish it - I'm going to use my 'book spa' voucher at Mr B's (lovely independent book shop in town), I'm going to buy myself a new bead for my bracelet, oh, and I think a nice bottle of bubbly might be in order too, don't you?

It's all very timely, I must say, this book-finishing, because an excellent new character has popped into my head this week, and she's looking like she'll make a fab (and funny) heroine for another book. Hmmmm...

Talking (writing) of books, I've just started The House at Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse, which I'm enjoying. Fabulously atmospheric so far, I suspect much creepiness to come. Lovely stuff. Am currently eyeing up The Children's Book by AS Byatt which I spotted in Waterstones this afternoon, oooh, just the most beautiful cover, I almost bought it for that alone...

It's hen party-tastic in Bath today, hordes of girls in L-plates, tiaras and matching T-shirts all out on the prowl. I have to restrain myself from tipping them off about Hens Reunited, out in just 3 months now, you know!

Being Romantic

2009-05-02T17:55:00.003Z

Off I went to gorgeous Richmond on Thursday for the New Romantics' launch at the town hall that night and oooh, it was a fabulous do, if I say so myself. There were four of us on a panel - me, Kate Harrison, Jojo Moyes and Veronica Henry - talking romance and relationships, as well as reading excerpts from our books. We had a fab audience - about 70 or 80 people, according to the library manager - and there was a great atmosphere, with lots of laughs. A roaring success, all in all, hurrah!

Parcels

2009-04-24T08:56:00.003Z

Oooh.... don't you just love parcels? The knock at the door, the what-could-it-BE? excitement, the frenzied unwrapping, the "Ooh, look!" denouement... What's not to like?
I've had some lovely parcels in the last few days. The page proofs of Hens Reunited have come through which is v exciting - so nice to see all my words set out in proper pages rather than in my bog-standard Arial 12 on tatty sheets of A4. It gives me a little frisson, the realisation that my story is actually going to be a REAL book... and not too long to wait now!

I've also been sent a big parcel of books from my editor which, I must be honest, is even more exciting than the page proofs. She sent:

The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
I Remember by Noelle Harrison (love this cover!)
Pictures of You by Jane Elmor
and Guernica by Dave Boling which I've read so many brilliant things about (and also has a fab cover).

So that will keep me quiet for a while... As will the third parcel I received, completely out of the blue, which was two bottles of Cuervo Margaritas which we sampled last night.... delish. We also tried out a salsa dancing DVD (in the name of research) which was so bad it was hilarious - a dead cheap one-take production where the presenters kept fluffing their lines. All together now... One, two, three... Five, six, seven!

Rockets

2009-04-22T12:26:00.002Z

This is not my story to tell, but it really made me laugh, so I'm just going to tell it anyway...

My husband took the kids to the park the other day and was pushing the four-year-old on the swing. "Can I have a rocket, Dad?" she asked.
A 'rocket' is a really hard swing-push that my husband has devised over the years of parenting which involves him holding the swing back really high then basically dropping it while somehow managing to run underneath it. Cue screams of delight from the kids, cue me having to hold my breath for fear of injuries/whiplash etc.

"Okay, you can have a rocket," he said. "Ready.... whoosh!"

A bit more swinging took place and then, "Dad, can I have ANOTHER rocket, please?"

"Okay, another rocket coming up," he said. "Ready... whoosh!"

A bit more swinging, and then, "Dad, can I have a different sort of lettuce now?"

Bless her...

Lightly grilled

2009-04-17T08:12:00.005Z

The burning questions asked by our children this week are:

The 8-year-old: Mum, in real football matches, are players allowed to pinch each other’s bottoms?

The 6-year-old: Can we play in the garden with real knives?

The dog-obsessed 4-year-old: Dad, your dad has died, hasn’t he? (Yes.) He used to be my granddad, didn’t he? (Yes.) And now Grandma lives with Olly (a dog), doesn’t she? (Yes.)
Pause, and then, sympathetically: Dad, maybe Olly can be your dad now?

On the subject of questions (can you BELIEVE how smooth a segue that was?) I went to London Town yesterday to be interviewed and FILMED for this children’s writing competition I’m helping judge. Five of us authors have started off a story and the competition is for kids to write the rest of the story. There are really good prizes for the kids including a school visit from the author in question! (So please, if you live somewhere really beautiful like the Lake District or Cornwall, persuade your child to finish my story, so I get a chance to go there.)
Anyway, I felt a bit nervous about being filmed. I just hate hearing my own voice on a tape and I was quite sure that on film I’d be even more of a spanner. Still, I had my confidence-boosting new dress on (a bargain in the White Stuff sale) plus a load of slap, so I felt as prepared as I could be. However, while eating lunch beforehand, I managed to drop a blob on tuna mayo on my new dress (which left a mark) and then, just before the interview itself, I noticed there was a tiny hole in the back of the dress. So much for confidence-boosting, then. Ahh well. Sometimes you just have to face facts: I am not and will never be one of those chic, immaculate types. Which is a shame.
The interview itself… hmmm. I think I wittered a lot, quite incomprehensibly most of the time. Great. They are going to edit the whole thing way down though at least… hopefully I managed one coherent sentence out of it.

Afterwards I went for a cuppa char with the lovely ladies at Pan. It was so nice to have a chat and discuss publicity ideas and to get a brand spanking new cover proof of Hens Reunited. Hurrah! Very exciting. (Mind you, back to the subject of burning questions, eldest daughter has just walked in and picked it up. "Ooh! Ladies' bottoms!" she exclaimed. "Mum, why has your new cover got ladies' bottoms on it?" Sigh....) I did also get an extremely NICE question while at Pan yesterday, one of the best questions in the world in fact: “Would you like any books?” I had to stop myself from whipping out a bin bag and saying, Yes please, fill ‘er up.
So that was all very lovely and I even had time for a bit of shoe shopping before I had to get my train. I managed to rein myself in at a mere two pairs which felt quite restrained, the good mood I was in.

Nearly the end of the school holidays now, and oh, I have enjoyed them so much. Largely because the kids get their own breakfast these days if we leave out the cereal packets on the kitchen table the night before, and ohmyGod that little bit of extra time in bed is worth any amount of sweeping up spilled Shreddies later in the morning, believe me.

Now that I’ve got that little lot off my chest, it’s down to work for me: back to the new novel to try and up that word count. Have a good weekend everyone.

I've Lost That Blogging Feeling...

2009-04-13T09:55:00.003Z

Pathetic slackness on the blog front lately, I apologise. We've just been away for a few days in the Highlands where Best Mate and her family live now... wow. It is amazing up there. Huge skies, vast empty white-sand beaches, glittering lochs around every corner, brooding heather-covered hills with swathes of pine trees.... okay, so I sound as if I'm writing the copy for the Highlands Appreciation Society, but really, it was stunning. And we had gorgeous weather too the whole time we were up there. I reckon that whole 'It always rains in Scotland' line is a myth, you know, to stop tourists flooding the place and wrecking it for the locals. We went to two different beaches (Dornoch and Polin, if that means anything to you) and it was fabulous, especially Polin which we had pretty much to ourselves. Lit a fire, toasted marshmallows, made dams and castles, even did a bit of paddling (not me, too much of a wuss). And in the evenings, we drank far too much booze and ate far too much chocolate, so all in all, it was pretty blooming perfect.

Happy Easter!

Talking about books again

2009-03-25T12:55:00.004Z

Back to Oxford again yesterday for an event as part of the Lit Fest's 'School Days' which went really well. I met some lovely friendly authors there and had a very lively audience who were just fizzing with imaginative ideas. I love it when the kids come up to me afterwards and say they want to be authors, or they're going to write stories, or they've thought up a great title, or whatever. Very satisfying.

On the train going in yesterday morning, I finished reading Wife in the North which I absolutely loved. It's so funny and moving and well-written - so honest, too. I was sorry to finish - especially as I didn't have anything else to read on the way home. Trauma or what. Obviously I remedied that asap with a swift trip to Borders and bought fellow New Romantic author Veronica Henry's new one - Just A Family Affair. Ooh, I'm hooked already, it's fab.

I am really looking forward to doing some writing again now - it's been great going off and doing these events this week and last, but now I am dying to get back to writing stories rather than talking about them. I've hit the 60,000-word mark in Novel 4 and that feels like a good point to stop and read through the whole thing so that I can pick up any loose threads I may have forgotten about, so I have printed it off and it's sitting there ready for me to get stuck into it on Friday. But for now, I'll have to get on with the edits for Secret Mermaid book 7 before playgroup and school pick up....

Home and Away

2009-03-22T20:04:00.002Z

Hello, hello, hello and sorry, sorry, sorry... it has been ages since I last blogged. Still, I've got plenty of good excuses including a long weekend in Wales and a small-but-exciting author tour of various Oxfordshire libraries speaking to hundreds of children (and getting them all to make loud troll noises and scream at various parts of my stories - am now slightly deaf as a result). Anyway it all went really well - stopped off at lots of gorgeous rural villages, met some lovely librarians who were all passionate about getting books to children, stayed in a hotel in Oxford and oohed and ahhed at the gorgeous old buildings, got taken out for a nice dinner... oh, just non-stop good stuff really, although I was very very tired at the end of the ninth hour-long event and am full of renewed admiration for teachers. How do they do that crowd control thing all day, every day?
And ooooohhhh it was just so lovely to come home on Thursday and see my children and husband again. I was beginning to ache for them, I was missing them so badly. My youngest has basically refused to leave my side ever since, I have become a mummy-slave to her, and only Mummy will do when it comes to teeth-brushing, hand-holding etc but frankly I am delighted to be so adored, to be honest, and don't mind at all.

In fact, I am feeling greatly adored today, it being Mothering Sunday - I know it's only a matter of time before I swing back to being general servant to the kids (my usual appointment) but today I have felt mightily appreciated, what with the cards, breakfast (and newspapers) in bed, flowers, chocolates, cake... even a flashing 'Best Mum in the World' badge. Yes, I did say flashing. Multi-coloured, too. No expense spared for me, you know.

Right... off to make a dent in those chocolates and loll about indulgently before Lost. Hurrah!

Words and pictures

2009-03-13T09:24:00.003Z

Back in the olden days, when I was a lowly skivvy - I mean editorial assistant - at Random House, I decided that writing picture books was surely the easiest way to make money on earth. All you had to do was bash out a few words - a few hundred, tops! - and then an artist would do all the hard work. Best of all, you'd get the same sort of advance as someone writing thousands of words worth of fiction. What was not to love?

Only... over the years I've realised it's actually not that easy. In fact, I've found writing picture books to be tantalisingly difficult - the Holy Grail of children's books. Sure I've written lots of TV tie-in picture books (that's different) but only ever had one proper picture book published (here it is) and countless rejections for my efforts.

I haven't tried writing one for a while but am working on a new one right now, which I feel quite excited about. It has come back to me twice from my agent already with advice to cut, cut, and cut some more, and to think visually rather than as a fiction writer, leaving room for the illustrations to tell the story just as much as (if not more than) the pictures. BUT the idea is good, she says, so I need to keep trying. It is a delicate art, I have come to realise, shaving a line here, giving the artist space there, making every single word count - rather like painting in miniature. I am grafting on it every bit as much as a longer children's story, pruning, polishing and perfecting.
It started off at about 2,000 words (which is ridiculously long for a picture book) and is now about 600. I feel like I am nearly there... fingers crossed!

Mad March mare

2009-03-12T09:08:00.003Z

Sorry... I have been a bit slack on the blogging front lately, am having a mad March in a headless chicken, running around frantically sort of a way. Roll on relaxing April, I say.

I'm off to Oxford next week for THREE WHOLE NIGHTS away from the kids... I have never been away from them for so long, so I feel a bit strange about that. I am this year's 'Reader in Residence' at the Oxford Literary Festival (don'cha know) which involves me doing nine hour-long library events over three days. I'm launching my new Secret Mermaid series so will hopefully give that a good start and lots of publicity but I think it's going to be pretty knackering, and I'm sure I will be crawling back home at the end of it. Having said that, I do feel quite excited about a) going back to Oxford (I lived there for about a year ten years ago) and b) staying in a hotel! It's the little things...

Kate Atkinson

2009-03-07T09:28:00.005Z

Went to see Kate Atkinson as part of the Bath Literary Festival last night. She is definitely one of my favourite authors, I think I wrote a post last summer about how When Will There Be Good News? is the only book which has ever made me burst into tears with shock (and if you've read it, I'm sure you know the bit I mean). Birdsong and a couple of other books have seen tears running down my cheeks whilst reading but this was the most intensely anguished a book has ever made me feel. Now that's a sign of a bloody powerful writer, I reckon.

Anyway, she was just so interesting and inspiring last night. So funny and quick-witted and articulate, I really warmed to her, especially as she said when writing a novel she's always convinced it's rubbish. (I can relate to that.) And I was surprised that she's not a plotter kind of author - especially when you think how tightly wound her plot threads are. She says she knows her starting point, and where she wants to end up and the fun part is the middle where you find out how it all happens. (I can relate to that too, although I don't know if I could ever describe the writing as 'fun'. Mind you she did also say that she finds writing very tedious!) The interviewer asked if her characters 'lived' in her head, whether she heard their voices speaking to her and, after a perfectly timed comedy pause, she replied, "Oh, no. Because hearing voices in your head... well, that's called madness, I think, isn't it?"

She read a passage from When Will There Be Good News? - it's the chapter where Reggie and Ms MacDonald are introduced - and at first everyone in the audience was laughing away at all the funny bits. But then, by the end of this piece, she got to the bit about Reggie's mum dying and my God, the room just turned completely pin-drop silent. I think that's amazing, the way she can flip from comedy to pathos so smoothly.

Feeling guilty as I have to work today to catch up on deadlines but am so inspired by last night, I'm going to make sure every word I write is brilliant. Well, here's hoping anyway...

Reading aloud

2009-03-03T14:20:00.004Z

It's the Bath Literary Festival at the moment, and last night I went to see Rose Tremain, Helen Dunmore and Jane Gardam being interviewed by Sara Davies (Radio 4) at the Guildhall. Wow and wow again. What a stellar line-up - all so inspiring to listen to, and absolutely fascinating when talking about their research methods, and how ideas come to them. During the intro, Sara Davies pointed out that two of them had won the Orange prize, one shortlisted, two had won the Whitbread, one shortlisted, two had been shortlisted for the Booker... between them, they'd been on every major literary award list. I think that calls for another wow actually.

Jane Gardam made everyone laugh with her tip for budding authors: "Never - NEVER - set a scene on a train. Somebody will always write in and tell you that actually, the 5.15 from Manchester doesn't go to York, and you can't change at Carlisle for the Glasgow train or whatever..." And they all had different views on research - Helen Dunmore says she needs to know absolutely everything before she starts, so that it's like being able to walk around a room in darkness and know exactly where everything is. Rose Tremain disagreed slightly - saying she likes to have a fifth of her 'room' visible but prefers to leave the rest for her imagination to fill in. She made a good point about how you have to draw a line with research because if people feel as if they're reading a text book, you've killed your novel...
Lots of discussion about short stories v novels too. Rose Tremain said she loves it when she gets a new novel she knows she's going to enjoy because it's like curling up with the most wonderful companion who's always there for you to turn to whenever you want. But a good short story should pierce you, Helen Dunmore added. It should be perfectly constructed, every word in the right place, a jewel. (I'm paraphrasing all of this, my memory is hopeless.) All extremely inspiring anyway.

Anyway, I had an event of my own today, although not quite the glamour and glitter of the diamond-chandelier-decked Guildhall. I went to talk to a junior school not far from here, just a half-hour assembly talk as part of their World Book Day week celebrations. "How many children will it be?" I asked the teacher on the phone yesterday. "250," she said. Gulp. All at once! They were great though - laughed in all the right places, got excited about writing stories and had loads of questions. And it did feel quite something to be speaking to so many children at once and the room being absolutely dead quiet, all eyes upon me... Well, most of the time, anyway....

Dear Tooth Fairy...

2009-03-02T09:08:00.002Z

Best tooth fairy letter EVER discovered under son's pillow last night:*

Hello Tooth Fairy
My name is Tom, what's yours?
Please can you give me £5.50. I am saving up for a DS. You have got to reply or I will chop your head right off and by the way you smell.
All my love Tom xxx xxx

...seems to be written in his big sister's handwriting. Hmmm.... I suspect a stitch-up!

* obviously never to be alluded to in front of him if you know us, I don't think I was meant to see it!

Shouting

2009-02-27T17:49:00.003Z

I've had quite a few discussions with youngest daughter (aged 4) about quiet voices and SHOUTY VOICES this week. Of course I am glad that, as the youngest of three, she is not a down-trodden little pipsqueak who gets overlooked and daren't stick up for herself but all the same, I can't help wishing she wasn't quite so bloody-minded and LOUD.
There have been rather a lot of conversations like this:
Me: Holly, get your shoes on, it's time for playgroup.
Her: No.
Me: Now, please, we're going to be late.
Her: NO.
Me: Holly, just do it, please, without shouting.
Her: I AM NOT SHOUTING!
Me: Stop arguing and put your shoes on!
Her: I AM NOT ARGUING!

It cracks me up, that 'I am NOT ARGUING!' Most of the time.

Bookworm

2009-02-18T10:42:00.003Z

I've been caning it through lots of books lately - don't know why, perhaps a combination of crap telly and many Nights In recently, but I'm making a considerable dent in my always-towering To Be Read pile and very enjoyable it's been too. I was lucky enough to be sent an early copy of White Is For Witching by Helen Oyeyemi which has one of the most beautiful gothic covers I've seen - even the spine looks gorgeously and perfectly designed. I hadn't read anything by her before but she writes like a dream. (Sigh... and she's so young too... really trying not to be jealous...) I've written a review of it here if you're interested anyway.

Then, by way of complete contrast, I read 50 Ways To Find A Lover by Lucy-Anne Holmes which is out in April. My lovely editor sent me a proof and I can honestly say it's one of the funniest books I've read for a long time. It's based on the author's blog and is the story of Sarah Sargent who, crushed when the bald bloke in her local turns her down for a date because he'd rather watch the Narnia DVD, sets up a Spinsters Quest blog in the hope of finding the perfect man. She goes speed-dating, signs up to a dating agency, tries 'the older man' and visits a fetish club all in the name of a blog challenge and details everything in brilliant and hilarious detail. Honestly, it's fantastic, totally unputdownable, and is just going to be massive. You heard it here first...

Now, by way of another complete contrast, I'm reading The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry which is very good. Reminds me of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox in so much as there's an old-lady-wrongly-locked-in-mental-institution-for-years element and I'm dying to find out how she ended up there. And I've also just treated myself to The Writer's Tale by Russell T. Davies which looks wonderful. And great research too, of course... ahem...

Half-term here so had better go - the house is ominously quiet which means there is no doubt some silent carnage and wrecking going on!

OFFICIAL: Romance alive and well

2009-02-15T09:28:00.006Z

(subtitle: Things that make you go Awwwwww)

Feels very odd to be sitting here on a Sunday morning (not a time I am usually at the computer) but I have wangled a day's work today in exchange for treating my husband and kids to seeing Bolt at the cinema later. I have soooo much work to do, it is really stressing me out, so we have negotiated a few Sundays here and there so that I can catch up. It's either that or youngest daughter has to have extra childcare and, even though she's four, I don't want her to have to go anywhere except playgroup. She starts school in September so I need to make the most of her while she's still little and at home. (Can you believe it... from September there will be no kids at home in the day for the first time in nine years! I'm not quite sure how I feel about that... a bit sad, to be honest, but also quite excited at the prospect of all that freedom again.)

Anyway, before I get stuck into this book I need to finish, I'm just warming up my typing fingers (and brain... am slightly hungover after lovely dinner out last night) with a quick post-Valentine post. I've called this 'Things that make you go Awwwww' but I know that for some people, too much mushy stuff makes them go 'Ewwwwww', and if that applies to you, you'd better look away now.
I am firmly in the first camp, though - the Awwwwws - and obviously many fellow Bathonians are too. We went up to see the Sham Castle yesterday, a fab old folly up on a big hill near the university. The kids were charging about through the trees and generally spoiling the romantic mood for all the hand-holders up there - and then my eldest daughter discovered a bag which had been hidden behind a tree. "Please do not move - secret Valentine surprise!" someone had written on it. How sweet is that?? I'm not sure what was in it - I forbade my daughter to open it (even though I was dying to know) but presumably it was some lovely gift that a romantic person was planning to spring on their unsuspecting beau. Forward planning! Fabulous.

Then, as we were heading back over the fields, we saw a young, rather sweet-looking couple - and he was shyly carrying a wicker basket, obviously planning a picnic up there (even though it was cold and vair vair muddy.) Bless!

And then, as we drove home, someone had spelled out 'Happy Valentines Day Bear' one letter at a time on posters pinned to the trees along the road. I mean... you've gotta love these romantics, haven't you? They really go for it. My cockles felt thoroughly warmed, I can tell you.

PS Car music update - Best of Jimmy Cliff yesterday. I am quite enjoying this, forcing my kids to listen to 'proper' music for a change.

PPS Villa v Everton this afternoon - a nail-biter, I'm sure. Come on, you Villa!

PPPS Have reached ten work-outs on the Wii Fitness Coach so have a 'Physical Challenge' in store from it later. I'm scared.

PPPPS Don't forget to check out the New Romantics website - I am sooooo excited and proud to be a part of it!

PPPPPS Can you tell I'm not really in a working mood? It's Sunday! It feels so wrong. But needs must. Here I go...

Love is in the air...

2009-02-14T11:44:00.003Z

Happy Valentines Day, one and all. Hope you are feeling the lurve!
If you're in a romantic kinda mood, may I suggest this as the perfect place to go? Enjoy!

Brrm brrm

2009-02-12T17:20:00.003Z

Great excitement in the house today. Huuuuuge. We have a new car!

Well... I say 'new', although obviously I mean new-to-us, rather than brand-spanking-smell-that-newness-new but hey, it's a mere three years old this one, as opposed to ten and a half, like the decrepit banger we've just got rid of. I am soooo not going to miss that knackered old thing. Breaking down on the M5 ("we're all going on a summer holiday... oh, no, we're not, actually"), the engine cutting out repeatedly on cold days, the strange (and worrying) noise the clutch had started to make as you changed gear, feeling that any moment the beast was going to give up and conk out somewhere really impractical. I am not a keen driver at the best of times but it was really starting to bug me, the way you had to sit with the engine running for five minutes before you could go anywhere, just so it would be warm enough not to splutter and die in the middle of the road whilst turning right into the A4 (yeah, cheers for that, you stupid unreliable lump of metal).

But those days are gone. Oh yes! Now we have a silver-gold Xsara Picasso (or 'beige' as it says rather more prosaically on the sales sheet) with... wait for it... a CD player. "Can we have Best of Girls Aloud on the way to swimming?" eldest daughter shrieked as she got in from school, sprinting up to her room to retrieve it. Oh God, the arguments, there are going to be such terrible arguments from here on in, I can't even bear to think about them.
Before, in the Old Crap One, we had a tape player or the radio. Boy, am I glad to see the back of those Horrid Henry tapes, now relegated to the living room. I love a bit of HH, don't get me wrong, but we all know all the stories off by heart now. (I still laugh at the hypnotist one though, and "I'm a nudey! I'm a nudey!" has become a favourite bath-time catchphrase, thanks to Rude Ralph.) And oh yes, good riddance to the awful Sleepytime lullaby tapes we've had since the kids were all babies, and Kipper, and the Large Family... Goodbye, the lot of you. And farewell, old car. We've gone all posh and beige now, I'm afraid.

Mind you, I haven't actually driven it yet. You wait, I'll have crashed it by the end of the week, distracted by the heated Girls Aloud versus Rainbow Fairy CD arguments. Anyone know where I can get a soundproof bubble to fix onto the driver's seat?

Books, telly and books

2009-02-10T13:34:00.003Z

Exciting parcels arriving today... 20 copies of Prince Jake and the Dungeon of Doom in paperback (out next month and looking wonderfully purplicious) and two copies of Oliver Moon and the Potion Commotion in Armenian which was extremely exciting. Ooh, hurrah, it still gives me such a thrill to rip open precious parcels containing beautiful new books wot I wrote.
IN FACT, I know this might sound unbelievable, and as if I'm making it up in order to sound a more competent blogger than I actually am, I did take some photos of my office the other day in which you can see with your own eyes piles and piles of the beautiful new books along one wall. Or at least you would be able to see them with your own eyes if I could only find my bloody camera. Someone, obviously not me, has put it in a remote, neglected corner of the house (I'm afraid there are many of those) and I can't put my hands on it right now, but I will, I will! And then, if I can just manage to remember how to move pictures from my camera to this here blog, I will have some actual real-life pictures on this blog to break up my inane wittering. That would be good, wouldn't it? Don't hold your breath though...

Talking of children's books, as I was, did you see that wonderful Michael Rosen programme on BBC4 the other night? Wasn't it a heart-warmer and isn't he fab? I just loved seeing those 'I hate books' boys reading to younger boys at the end of it - what a brilliant idea. And that woman in the library - I thought she was going to cry at the hordes of children who were now streaming in to borrow books. Fabulous. (On a less cerebral note, did anyone watch America's Next Top Model last night? OMG. First series I've ever watched this programme and I am LOVING it! The bitching! The posing! Benjy Ninja or whatever his name! Sheena and her are-they/aren't-they boobs! Goddess Tyra and her words of wisdom! The screaming! And Isis... oh, it's ace. Favourite new Guilty Pleasure.)

Back to books before I skidded off to Trashville... I have had a new cover image for Hens Reunited emailed to me today and it's great. Really like it. I think there's some tweaking to be done with the title lettering but other than that, I have a cover!

Now...what did I do that with that bloody camera??

Some hurrahs at last

2009-02-05T08:37:00.003Z

Right! Onwards and upwards etc. All (just about) well here, the injured one improving daily and definitely on the mend. Hurrah!
We've had our heaviest snowfall overnight so the world looks beautiful. Hurrah!
I'm having a Get-Fit Feb in an attempt to blast away the lingering Christmas love-handles and am really into my Wii Personal Trainer. Hurrah!
And I've stopped panicking about how I'm going to get all my work done by making myself an extremely strict schedule which allows no time for daydreaming and looking out the window. Hurr- Oh.

I've just read Engleby by Sebastian Faulks - anyone else? What did you think? My thoughts went like this: Hmmm, not very keen on this protagonist, bit of a creep, and how come he's got so much money and a car if he's meant to be a working-class student? As if. Don't believe it.... Ahh, okay, so we're meant to think he's a creep, mmm, and a pretty unreliable narrator.. Ooh, liking it now, that makes it much more interesting. So are we meant to assume that...? Yes. I think we are. I think he did. That is really horrible. He is scary! Please let nothing bad happen to Charlotte.... Oh, right. All confirmed. That's a bit early, isn't it? How is this going to end? Hang on, I'm not interested in this bit. This all reads like filler. Please let there be a big twist at the end, rather than it petering out. Please let there be a great big twist that I didn't see coming... oh. The end.

So, good in parts but petered out to nothing, in conclusion. I wish the last 50 pages or so had been cut out, frankly. (Sorry, Sebastian, if you read this, I know nothing, obviously.)

I've just gone through the copy-edit of Hens Reunited - exciting! - and have hopefully combed out all the repetitions and mistakes... I could fiddle around tweaking it for ever, but must rein myself in and stop. No cover yet but I like the sound of what they're planning... I'll post it here as soon as it's been agreed on.

Right, nearly 9 o'clock so must crack on with the new novel. Must try to get to 45,000 words by the end of Feb... do you think I can make it? Place your bets.

Catching up

2009-01-28T12:58:00.003Z

Sorry for the silence... things have been a bit shit here lately. I'll spare you the details but let's just say there have been some scary A&E visits, tears, sleepless nights and general angst - you get the picture. Anyway, I think everything will be all right now, thank goodness, so normal life is returning gradually.

Back to the positive stuff: I'm working on the new novel today and it feels blissful to be back on it, I am really enjoying writing this one. It's another three-hander and I'm in the middle of my favourite character Lauren's latest chapter - she's really spiky and a bit of a cow, actually, although there's a heart of gold buried in there somewhere.... anyway, she's great fun to write. I'm hoping to crack the 30,000-word mark by school pick-up time... wish me luck.

I'll write a proper post soon, honest...

Fan Mail

2009-01-14T10:48:00.002Z

One of the nicest things about being an author is getting lovely emails and letters from complete strangers telling you they liked your book. I am always really touched and flattered that someone who doesn't even know me has made the effort to get in touch... I have to try my hardest to hold back from gushing too much when I reply.
If you're new to the blog (hello!) you might not know that I also write squillions of children's books under my real name, Sue Mongredien - and so I get lots of brilliant emails and letters from children too. I must share this corker I've had recently from a little girl. The letter ends "Well done, Sue, you have written a lot", and then she's included a whole sheet of questions. These go as follows:

How do you write a lot of books like that?
Why do you choose to write them books?
Why do you like them books?
Why did you want to write them books?
Do you like them books?
Why are you writing them books?
Do you like them books?
Are you going to write more of them books?
Why are you writing them books?
Are they exciting, Sue?
Are they great books?
Are they interesting?

If you read them all out loud, it's like something from the Fast Show. Bless her for asking. Yes, Leah from Lincoln, I love them books, and I hope you do too!

The End of the Chocolate Orange, and Mr Y, too

2009-01-13T13:18:00.003Z

I finished the last piece of my chocolate orange last night - so I can hereby announce that Christmas is definitely over. *sigh* (I'm saying this as if I've heroically made one single chocolate orange last from Christmas Day until now, but perhaps just to reassure that it is really me typing this, and not some health-freak impostor, I'd better add that AT LEAST four other boxes of chocs have also been scoffed during that time.) I'm starting to get a bit fed up of winter now. Can we have spring early, please?

Still, on a cheerier note, I started this month's book group book last night - it's The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas. Oooh, I'm enjoying this one. I loved it as soon as I picked up a copy in a book shop and saw those elegant black-edged pages and that funky cover. And once I began reading, I was hooked in immediately and have been completely bewitched ever since. It is so well-written and intriguing and the author must be some kind of bloody genius to have put it all together... loving it.

Right, an hour and a bit left while my youngest is at playgroup, must get on with some work while I can...

Greetings!

2009-01-11T12:45:00.002Z

Hello world! I am back. So, how are things?

I am very well, cheers, although have so much to report since last August (eek!) that I'm going to cop out pathetically and not even try to tell you the half of it. Apart from to say thanks for all your lovely wishes and that the wedding was fabulous. Happiest day of my life. Brilliant, loved it all, and never knew being married could be such fun. Hurrah!

So... I know what you're wondering. Tell us about the Lucy Diamond merchandise, you're thinking. We need to buy some! Give us details immediately for God's sake!
Well, I'm sorry that this is post-Crimble and therefore uselessly too late for that perfect niche gift, but if you're in the mood to treat yourself, you could do a lot worse than to buy yourself a splended print of a gen-u-ine Lucy Diamond cover. You think I'm joking, don't you? You think I'm making it up as I go along. Well, I'm not. Have a look here if you don't believe me...

Oh, okay, you've rumbled me. Different Lucy Diamond. She's the original, the Lucy Diamond who wrote lots of children's bible stories in the seventies. I'm just the new pretender who nicked her fabulous name as my glamorous (well, I think so, anyway) pseudonym. But I kinda like the print, I have to say. I know it's a 100 squid so bloody expensive in these miserable credit crunch days but I might have been tempted to splash out if they'd only put poor old LD's name on the cover, where it rightfully should be. Give that author some credit, I say, she churned out loads of those Ladybird bible books, they could have named her at least.

Anyway, I belive you can also get a print of the 'Shepherd Boy in Bethlehem' cover, if you're interested, or one of Moses. And yes, yes, yes, I did stumble upon these when shamelessly looking myself up on Amazon, it's a fair cop.

Writing-wise, I have finished the second draft of my third novel, Hens Reunited and that's about to go off to copy-edit which is always a bit exciting... makes it feel like it really is going to turn into a REAL, ACTUAL book, rather than stay as a mere figment of my disturbed imagination. And I'm about a quarter way through novel 4 which I am enjoying enormously.

And reading-wise... I have just started The Beacon by Susan Hill, which I got for Christmas - signed, first edition, thank you very much! It's brilliant - such clean, spare prose and I was sucked into the story almost from the first page. Just what the hell did Frank DO that has pissed everyone off so much? I am on tenterhooks, waiting to find out.

So... tell me all. What are you up to, what are you reading, and who is going to win Celebrity Big Brother for God's sake?

Eating my entire wedding

2008-08-23T15:32:00.006Z

Oooh, look everyone. A box. A box just delivered by the postman, for me! But what's inside?

Some midnight-blue tissue paper...

And....

Oh my goodness! Shoes, and a bag and a present... as biscuits!

Hold on, there's more. There's more, I tell you!

A wedding cake, wedding dress, hearts, flowers... I can't believe it! How yummy and gorgeous and fabulous! All from my lovely LOVELY publishers!

I'm going to eat my whole wedding - that's if I can fight my kids off, of course...

PS Are you impressed, btw? This if the first time I have EVER posted photos on my blog. Not that I'm technologically challenged or anything. Or a bit dim. I just find such things quite scary and tricky. But these biscuits needed to be seen before I scoff the lot, so I made a special effort!

Treats

2008-08-22T08:04:00.003Z

I forgot a key Happiness Reason from yesterday's post:

6) The Olympics. I am sooooo enjoying watching/listening to all the events, especially as Team GB are doing so brilliantly. I have already mentally given myself two weeks off for the 2012 games and will be parked on my sofa watching the lot. Can't wait!

Anyway. I had a fab day yesterday. Lovely train journey making notes for the meeting (trying to think of brainy things I could say) and reading My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier (haven't read it for at least 20 years, couldn't remember the ending at all, loved it) and then went here for tea and cake with my editor and the publishing director which was extremely nice (I can recommend the carrot and coconut cake...mmmm....). I do love how, working on children's books, you can have really in-depth conversations about the storylines which must seem completely mad to anyone eavesdropping. Ie yesterday we were discussing mermaids' magical powers, an evil baddie mermaid, and shrinking all the whales of the oceans down to miniature size. Completely bonkers. I so hope somebody was earwigging on that lot.

Then I had a couple of hours to kill before I could get the first off-peak train home. What a shame. I just had to go to Oxford Street and do some shopping. I know, it's a hard life. I made a beeline for TopShop and then H&M (ahhh, H&M, how I have missed you) and bought two tops for about 5p. Then hit the huge lovely Borders where they had a gratifyingly large pile of copies of Over You, yay, and where I treated myself to the new Kate Atkinson . I don't usually buy hardbacks (too expensive/too heavy to read in bed or cart around in a bag), but I loved her last two so much, I just couldn't hold back today. Naughty. But nice.

I read A Room of One's Own on the way back. Shamefully, I had never read it before but I thought it was fantastic. The first chapter was a bit odd, but after that, it was brilliant, surprisingly humorous and chatty, and very inspiring, especially the rousing last chapter. So here I am this morning, in my own room, and feel as if I'd better crack on now... and write something about shrinking whales and baddie mermaids. Perhaps not quite what Virginia had in mind, but hey. I'm enjoying myself. Have a good weekend everyone xx

Happiness, happiness, the greatest gift that I possess...

2008-08-21T08:04:00.004Z

I'm feeling very cheerful this morning. (Look away now if you're in a bad mood.)

Here's why:

1) Over You has its first review on Amazon - and it's an absolute corker, five stars no less. Whoopeee!!

2) The sun is shining (I know! I can hardly believe it myself!)

3) I'm off to London today for a meeting, (the one with cake, hoorah), and because of stupid peak-time rip-off fares etc can't get a train back until 7pm. That gives me at least two and half hours' hanging around in London time where I will be forced to shop. Daaamn.

4) I received a huge box of advance copies of my new children's series this morning all about cheeky Prince Jake ... and they're hardbacks, darlings!

5) Did I mention the cake and shopping?

Loving LoveReading

2008-08-19T11:16:00.003Z

Oooh! ChrisH has just let me know that Over You has made the LoveReading top ten! Have a look... it's straight in at number seven, my lucky number. Hoorah for the LoveReading downloaders (and thanks, ChrisH)! Still no Amazon reviews yet though...

Other news... not long till the wedding! I am so excited. Bought some lovely new make-up this morning and a few other bits and bobs including a pair of emergency flat-ish silvery sandals today in case my wedding heels get the better of me. Have got the dress, beautifully shortened, got the rings, confetti, cars booked, the bridesmaids all set... Now I just need some beauty sleep instead of anxiety dreams about being late/wobbling off wedding heels/LP not turning up etc...

Catching up

2008-08-11T15:37:00.004Z

Sorry for the paucity of blog posts recently...feel busy busy with the school holidays and wedding stuff at the moment.

The book signing was great on Saturday - thanks for all your nice words. It was pouring with rain all day but the shop was still busy and I sold lots of books to lots of nice people. I had an email from the shop this morning saying it was the most successful Saturday signing they've had for a long time, sales-wise, so that's brilliant news and made all the nerves etc beforehand seem worthwhile.

I've had some really lovely emails and texts from people who've read Over You - thank you, thank you, thank you. They mean so much to me. It is so nerve-racking waiting to hear what people think of your book(s), I've had a few wobbles of self-doubt and angst this time ("I'm not a real writer... I've got away with it so far but it's only a matter of time before someone realises I'm actually crap..." etc.) Terrible. So thanks again if you've read it and sent me a nice message - I really appreciate it.

I've also had some feedback from one of my new children's book proposals - I'm going to London next week to discuss it with my editor in a meeting (with cake, I do believe, which always oils the wheels of creativity for me) so that all sounds very promising. She said she definitely definitely wants this new series (six books, whoopee) but wants to discuss it further before I write up a formal proposal. Which is obviously fine by me.

Better go and start making tea for the masses. Have a good week, everyone!

Novel 3 has left the building

2008-08-08T08:11:00.003Z

Hoorah. Just sent off the first draft of Novel 3 to my agent. It was SUCH a good feeling to press 'Send' and let it go. So now I'm in waiting limbo for a while, crossing my fingers that he likes it. Am also in waiting limbo on two new children's projects - a follow-up series with one publisher (have sent them the synopsis of a possible book one of six) and some sample writing and a synopsis with a new publisher. Oooh. I quite like getting a raft of stuff out there but it does mean I turn into a bit of a mad email-checker/ phone-pouncer until I get feedback.

It's my book signing tomorrow - WATERSTONES, MILSOM STREET, BATH, 11AM-1PM - and I'm feeling really nervous. Don't want to do it any more. Am sure it will be an embarrassing disaster with tumbleweed blowing around my ankles. Aaarrgh. The only thing that will get me through it, is that LP and I are going to choose our wedding rings afterwards. And - almost as important - the wedding cake. So by 1.15 I know I will be really cheerful again. I am clinging on to that thought.

I've had a nice mention on LoveReading - "Lucy Diamond is definitely one to watch" they say. How fab is that!!
Have a good weekend, everyone...

Pavement pounding

2008-08-06T07:46:00.003Z

I read somewhere that at Abi Titmuss's recent book signing, only three people showed up.
Eeek. That is so going to be me on Saturday, when I do mine, I just know it. What seemed like a good idea at the time will see me all alone in the corner of Waterstones, with kind, pitying looks from the staff, being completely ignored and shunned by customers. I'll have to text LP and beg him to please come in and pretend he doesn't know me, and.. Oh, the shame.

The thought of such a scenario has prompted me to take to the streets with a sack-load of fliers, advertising the event. I've learned from my mistakes last year and have gone out to pound the pavements in trainers this time rather than high-heeled boots, but am still experiencing the same traumas with bristly draught-excluder letterboxes, the fear that a mad dog is going to bite my fingers off and the paranoia that someone's going to fling their front door open while I'm there and say, "Take this litter away with you!"
It's quite a strange business, going to door after door and trying not to be too nosey about it. When I spy a front room lined with books, I think, Yes, you can have a flier. Whenever I see someone in the front room, even if they're not looking at me, I avoid that house, for fear of the above. Gates are a pain, so are steps, so are long drives.
I'll be out again tonight, though. If it means avoiding the three-book signing shame, I'll do it...

The results!

2008-08-03T19:04:00.004Z

Sorry to be a bit late posting this... only back from Dorset a few hours ago and there have been kids to feed, bath and put to bed, and bits of wet tent to drape around the house... Yes. It rained. Again. "It always rains when we're camping," my son said gloomily as woke up to loud pattering sounds yesterday morning. Ahh well. We still had a fab time.
Enough about all that, anyway. I've got the result of the limerick competition to announce!

All week, entries have been pouring in to the comments box. In fact there were 28 limericks in all, which is brilliant, I reckon. Thanks to everyone who entered... you are all worthy poets and should give yourselves many pats on the back.
But there can only be one winner. And, if you remember, that winner stands to receive a whopping great parcel of books from those lovely generous people at Pan. As with the anagrams,
I have typed up all the entries anonymously and given the list to my Lovely Partner to judge. And, as before, he picked out a shortlist of those limericks he liked best.
So, without any further ado, I can now reveal that in third place is...

the extremely fabulous Clare with this:

I'm feeling all bothered and blue
I can't seem to get over you
A diamond would help
(I mean it, don't yelp)
Or even a topaz would do.

And in second place is...

the rather foxy Lily Sheehan with this:

You promised you'd always be true
Now I'm trying to get over you
You promised a ring
With a diamond setting
But all I got was hullabaloo

So now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The winner of my limerick competition is...

*someone get that drum-roll going, for goodness' sake*

the incredibly talented Calistro with this:

There was a young lady called Sue
Who wrote a great novel or two
Her words sparkle like diamonds
Her characters aren't shy ones
So buy "Any Way..." and "Over You".

Round of applause for Calistro, please! Very well done indeed. Calistro, please email me at lucy AT lucydiamond DOT co DOT uk with your address and I'll make sure you receive a scrummy parcel of books. Hoorah!!

It's in the shops!

2008-07-31T19:06:00.004Z

Must be brief as LP has just nipped to the offy to get us a bottle of vino and a DVD but I just had to report that MY BOOK IS OUT THERE!!! I was in London today for a lovely lunch meeting with my children's book agent and managed to squeeze in 3 book shop visits to see my new book out there on the tables. I went to two of the WH Smiths in Paddington and the Borders in Charing Cross Road, and there it was, looking lovely on the 'Buy One Get One Half Price' tables. It should be in Waterstones too and other book shops, and Asda are selling it as well. Whoopee!!

I was surprised how overwhelmed I was to actually see copies in REAL shops (not just in my imagination). I didn't think it would be so exciting as when Any Way You Want Me was published and I saw it for the first time. I thought that would be a one-off burst of excitement, never to be repeated. But I was trembly all over again and had that must-pinch-myself feeling, that my book was really there, in a proper shop that sold stuff, and random people who didn't even know me might pick it up and read it... Oh, just such a fabulous, wonderful thought.

Good luck, book. May you fly off the shelves and tables into lovely readers' hands all over the country...

Must just finish by saying that tomorrow is the LAST DAY of my limerick competition so time is running out. Go on, have a last bash at it, the prize is so brilliant, remember, a whole big parcel of books...just what you want to see you through the summer. We are off camping for the weekend (it has just started to rain here...ha ha... ) but I will get LP to pick a winner on Sunday night so will announce the results then. Have a good weekend everyone xxx

Partners

2008-07-30T09:26:00.004Z

I have got a new perfect partner! Well, all right, not me, then - but Over You has. On Amazon. (Keep up!) My perfect partner for Any Way You Want Me changed a few times at first, then it was Brown Owl's Guide to Life by Kate Harrison (fabulous) before changing again to The Yorkshire Pudding Club by Milly Johnson (also fabulous). So I was chuffed with my perfect partners there, but what would be my new one for Over You?
Well.... I've just had a look and it is... Coming Up Next by Penny Smith, as in Penny Smith from GMTV! How exciting! I feel a bit dizzy at such proximity to celebrity and am almost tempted to write her a gushing email saying, Ooh, we're perfect partners, you and me - but will restrain myself. For now, anyway. Because that would be a bit sad, really, wouldn't it?

Talking of perfect partners, I had a fantastic creative bath last night with my real-life Lovely Partner (no, we're not talking about Penny any more). You know how it is, fellow authors, sometimes you find yourself in a narrative cul-de-sac, wondering, what the hell is meant to happen next? (Or maybe that's just me?) Anyway, my solution is to do some plot-busting in the bath with my loved one plus a fierce G&T for inspiration. You should try it. Not with my loved one, though. He's taken.
Seriously, though, there is something about being there in hot water and bubbles (a bit pissed) that seems to get the old storylines going. (Gawd - don't even go there with the double entendres please.) Now I just have to decipher all the notes I made last night to see if the ideas are really as good as we thought they were at the time...

Squeak piggy squeak

2008-07-28T19:12:00.005Z

The school holidays have started here (at last) so blogging may be a bit sporadic over the next few weeks as I am likely to be out and about with the bairns. Today we went pig-spotting around town - we've got a map to tick off the porkers and managed about 18 today. I love the pigs, will miss them when they all get auctioned off in autumn. The kids are all really into the idea, so that was a very enjoyable (and free!) start to the holiday.

And then when we got back this afternoon, I was declared "best mum in the world" as the Nintendo Wii was delivered - yes, the one that I was supposedly waiting until Christmas to buy. Ahh well. Bar a weekend's camping in Dorset we're not actually having a holiday this summer what with the wedding already costing us a few bob etc, so I thought there might be some rainy days where we needed something to do... Oh all right, then, I couldn't wait any longer. It's ace. Hoorah for the Wii!

Drum-roll please...

2008-07-26T18:17:00.002Z

So, the phone lines have closed, the votes have been counted and verified, and...
Oh, sorry. Came over a bit Davina there.
What I MEANT to say was... we have a winner of the anagram competition! It was a close call, I can tell you, very high standard. My completely unbiased partner was judging the entries and out of almost 40 fabulous anagrams, he drew up a short list of three.

In third place with Acrimony, you love dud is the very lovely Calistro

In second place with I luv you: condom ready! is novel racer Captain Black

And in first place....

With Randy? Could I move you? is.....

*drum-roll please*

... PatP from Write up the Hill !

Congrats, Pat - you've been picked to win my prize - if you email me at lucy AT lucydiamond dot co dot uk and let me know your address, I'll post you a signed copy of the book. Well done!

Oh, I did enjoy that. Now... who's going to have a go or two (or three...) at my limerick competition, then? See below for details....

Another competition!

2008-07-25T07:43:00.004Z

So... this is the final day of the anagram competition. At the last stroke of midnight, I will be declaring the competition closed, and copying out all the entries for my Other Half's perusal and judgement. Oh all right, so I'll probably do that in the morning, but you know. Trying to add a bit of drama to proceedings etc. I will announce the winner tomorrow evening anyway, I hope your nails can withstand the tension.
If you are mourning the end of this wonderful competition and feeling a tad blue that all the fun and hilarity is all but over... stop! Do not despair! There is ANOTHER competition to launch today to celebrate the almost-publication of Over You... and the very generous Pan's people have donated a splendid bundle of books - feast your eyes on this lot:

My Vintage Summer, Jane Elmor
Tan Lines, JJ Salem
The Hakawati, Rabih Alameddine
The Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton
Proof copy - Love All, Elizabeth Jane Howard
A Set of the new Picador Shots
The Birds, The Bees and Other Secrets, Frances Garood
An Accidental Light, Elizabeth Diamond
The Morality Tale, Sylvia Brownrigg
Touching Distance, Rebecca Abrams

Wow. How good is that? What a prize! I am especially jealous of that new Elizabeth Jane Howard proof copy - I may have to arm wrestle the winner for that one...

So, anyway...now that I've whetted your appetite, here's what you have to do. This time, I'm looking for limericks please, and the only rule is that your limerick has to contain the words 'OVER', 'YOU' and 'DIAMOND' in any order you like (you can even throw in a 'LUCY' if you're feeling very clever).
You've got a whole week to think up a good one... closing date is Friday 1st August (which just so happens to be...PUBLICATION DAY!) As before, I will type up answers anonymously and ask my other half to choose his favourite. The power that man has at the moment... I hope he can take all this responsibility I'm loading onto his shoulders. And usual terms and conditions apply, judge's decision final, blah blah.
Sorry but I think I'll have to restrict this to UK entries only as it will cost a small fortune to post a parcel of books that size overseas. (But do have a go anyway if you feel creative!)

Right... I think that's all I need to say. Over to you!

What's it all about, then?

2008-07-23T08:45:00.003Z

Well, it looks like this season's Amazon-rank-watching has begun... yes, they're now showing Over You as in stock, hoorah! Very exciting to think of those pre-orders whizzing off to their new homes now... and people actually reading the book... gulp.

So, I'd better tell you what it's all about, then, hadn't I?

I started writing this novel after a brilliant weekend in London with two of my best friends. The three of us had lived in many rented flats together in London back when we were twenty-somethings in such glamorous locations as Tulse Hill and Harringay all the way to the delights of Kings Cross (obviously we told everyone we lived in Islington though). And then, one by one we moved away from the big city, settled down, went travelling, had kids... you know.
Now we live miles from each other (sob) so the three of us arranged a weekend reunion in London for old time's sake. It was so strange and yet familiar revisiting our old haunts - Camden, Upper Street, Hackney - a really peculiar feeling of the past and present colliding. I kept expecting to see people we'd hung out with at the time, ex-boyfriends, old work colleagues, ex-housemates - and then reminding myself, Oh yeah, I don't live here any more...

ANYWAY. It struck me as a great start to a novel. What if a woman met up with two old friends in a similar way... and a secret was revealed that shattered everything she'd once believed in? What if the friendship wasn't actually how she'd seen it at all? And what if stepping back into the past meant that the present became tarnished and spoiled?

You'll have to read it now, to find out what happens, won't you... unless you win my anagram competition, of course, which is still running until Friday - see below. (And by the way, I've got another competition starting next week in which you can win a lovely Fiction Package from those gorgeous people at Macmillan. All will be revealed on Friday...)

Oh, and two more things: my new Bridalwave column is out here...
And the funniest comments thread ever seen on the internet is here...

Great Summer Reads

2008-07-22T10:17:00.002Z

I've been asked to take part in an author promotion that Waterstones are running here in Bath. They're asking all the local authors to nominate their favourite book, and to write a short piece about it - I think there's going to be a display of them at the front of the shop which is quite exciting (especially as the local authors' books will be up there in the display too - result!).

My choice is The Magus by John Fowles. I find it so hard to pick an absolute favourite as so much depends on mood etc, but this has got to be up there as one of the books I have most enjoyed reading and it sprang to mind (sprang? sprung?) as a Great Summer Read, worthy of that front-of-shop place. I remember being dazzled by it first time around, mesmerised by the twists and mysteries, never quite knowing what to believe or expect next. When I think of it now, I think of bright blue Greek island skies, heat, intrigue and illusion. And I know I did that (rather dangerous) reading-whilst-walking-along-the-street thing with it, loath to put it down - which is always a sign of a fab book. I'm reading it again now and feel swept along by it already.

So... what would you have picked? What would you recommend? Which book would you want up there in the front of Waterstones as a book that you'd love others to pick up and read?

Oops

2008-07-21T09:01:00.002Z

Oh no! I was just flicking casually through one of my author copies of Over You (it is very nice to flick casually through one's own book, I must say)...and on the very first line I read, I spotted a typo. Aaaarrrgh.
It's in the Acknowledgements page, so pretty much the first page you come to. Bollocks.
Free signed copy to the first person who can tell me what it is....

It's in the bag. (Well, technically, a box.)

2008-07-18T07:39:00.003Z

A large resounding HOORAH, if you please. I have finished my third novel. Yay! Such a good feeling to get to the last scene, I felt utterly giddy with excitement and joy. Drank bubbly, ate pizza and watched Juno on DVD last night to celebrate. Hey, I know how to live it up (even though the film made me cry - the birth bit - always sets me off, that kind of thing).

Anyway, I've printed it out, all 344 pages of the beast and stuffed it in a box for a few weeks to stew gently before I come back to it for the edit. AHHHHHH! And relaaaaaaaax.

Meanwhile, competition entries are flowing in thick and fast, there are some real corkers coming through. Have you entered yet? See post below for details if not. Come on - have a go!

Competition

2008-07-17T07:47:00.004Z

Ooooooooh.
Ooooooooh!
Something very exciting has just happened. A box of books has just been delivered... my author copies of Over You!!! And oh, they look really gorgeous. Really. I'm not just saying that because they've got my (fake) name on the front cover. The back is this lovely dreamy green colour and mmmm, the spine looks gorgeous, with my (fake) name really clear. I can't stop looking at them, THEY ARE SO LOVELY!

Now. As I am over-excited and generous, I'm going to do a giveaway, right here right now. Is it too soon to start giving copies away? Sod it, I'm in a good mood.
So what you have to do is come up with the best anagram of LUCY DIAMOND OVER YOU. That's not too hard, is it? I can spot loads of juicy words already - LOVE, EVIL...um... DEAD... VILE.... Hmmm. Was this a bad idea?
Anyway, you can either leave your entries in the comments box, or if you feel shy, email them to me at lucy at lucydiamond dot co dot uk. You've got until next Friday (25th July) to come up with one! To make things fair I will type out all the entries then get my Other Half to pick his favourite one so there will be no bias. And I think I'm meant to say the usual terms and conditions apply too. I will post the winner a signed copy of the book!

Go on, get creative. May the best anagrammist win!

Today I am mostly...

2008-07-15T19:27:00.002Z

Stressed. I found out that a festival event I've signed up to do is a whole hour long. That's sixty minutes of me on a stage in front of an audience of kids. Heeeeeeellllppppp!

Overwhelmed. Just finished reading The Outcast and it's bloody fantastic. Can't believe it's her first novel - just so good. Beautiful uncluttered prose, huge emotional depth, and such fragile, damaged characters it's almost painful to read. (Do wish the blurb on the back hadn't given away quite so much though.)

Apprehensive. Going back to the dressmaker who's going to shorten my wedding dress tomorrow. "Can't possibly do anything until you've got your shoes," she said last time before trying to flog me several pairs. "Of course, people do tend to spend hundreds on their wedding shoes," she went on when I turned them down. She is sooo going to look down her nose at MY wedding shoes, they only cost a tenner in the sales. Ho hum. Trying not to care...

Knackered. Running up hills on the treadmill. Ooer. Gruelling or what.

Excited. Finished copies of Over You are in and winging their way to me! Whoopeee!

Busy busy busy

2008-07-13T18:12:00.003Z

Cor....busy old weekend. A good 'un though. First stop, London on Saturday to meet up with some of the Novel Racers! How exciting...and how enjoyable to chat to so many people whose lives I've followed online for months and months. It was fab putting faces and voices to blog names, and so nice to chat to so many fellow writers about...well, all kinds of interesting stuff, actually... And then JJ nearly made me cry by handing out cards and Waterstones vouchers to me and Kate for starting the whole thing off... very lovely and unexpected. Just a shame that time flew by so quickly and I had to be a Cinderella and leave first...gutted!

Out in the evening to a friend's 40th birthday party in town. Had a really fab night, lots of laughs and dancing and beer. On the way home I realised that it was a year to the day that we'd moved to Bath...and it felt really apt to have had a great night out with lots of new friends to mark the occasion. Hoorah.

Today, went for lunch with a really good friend of my mum's and her husband who happens to be a very famous author. We were sitting in the back garden enjoying the sun and a cup of tea when the garden gate opened and this woman walked in. "My son is such a fan, I hope you don't mind, we've driven all the way from London to see you, can I bring him in to meet you?"
What a cheek, honestly! Sunday afternoon too. So rude and out of order and actually a bit creepy-stalkerish. But the very famous author was incredibly polite, signed various things, had his photo taken etc. Apparently this is the first time it has ever happened which is something, I suppose. But all the same...I wouldn't be very happy about that!

One, two, three

2008-07-11T07:41:00.003Z

I couldn't sleep last night. I was fizzling about all kinds of things. Number one: the fact that I'm going to meet some of the Novel Racers in London tomorrow! I am so excited and a bit scared too. The last time I went on one of these blog-meet things it was quite unnerving walking through the door and actually seeing all these real, live people I'd chatted to over the blogs. Great, though - I loved it. And it will be so nice to finally meet a bunch of the Novel Racers after all the many virtual coffee mornings we've shared... the angst, the triumphs, the writer's block, the mutual cheering-on support and encouragement. Make mine a large white wine please.

Number two thing that stopped me sleeping: I had a cracking day on the novel yesterday. Isn't it fabulous how a good day's writing can give you such a buzz, such a massive rush of excitement? I was soooo chuffed with how well it had flowed, 4,500 words knocked out and they all came so easily too. I hate those days where you feel you are hauling sentences from your brain with tweezers - painful and laborious. So now I'm past 85,000 words and today I'm going to finish off one of my big plotlines (I have three). Just one juicy final scene to write and then that particular character's story is done. Done, I say! Then only two chapters and an epilogue to go... I can almost see that finish line now.

Number three: I finished The Road Home and couldn't stop thinking about it (in between everything else). Fabulous. Fabulous. Fabulous. There's something so convincing about the way Rose Tremain writes, you really feel as if she's been there, a migrant worker coming to Britain, struggling as a kitchen assistant and asparagus picker and everything else. I could have done with a slightly longer ending but maybe that's because I just didn't want the book to be over. Can't say better than that. Next book to be read is The Outcast - and I'm ashamed to say, I opened it up to flick through last night and my first thought was, "Oh good, nice big writing". Tsk tsk.

Down to work now, I'm going to get straight into my juicy finale scene for Character 1. Yum.
Have a good weekend, everyone - and look forward to seeing some of you tomorrow!

I can, and I will

2008-07-10T07:53:00.004Z

There is an acute case of end-of-term-itis rampaging through the house right now - all three kids are tearful, bad-tempered and over-tired. And we still have a whole two weeks to go before the school holidays! Eldest daughter is headachey and hot this morning and normally I would have kept her at home but she was so desperate to take part in the school concert today, I caved in. I'm not used to hearing "But I really WANT to go to school!" - I find that a bit freakish, personally. I'm sure I never uttered those words as a child. Anyway, she's gone, bless her. But what's the betting I'll get a phone call from the school in an hour's time asking me to trudge down the road and pick her up?

As for me, I need to make this last term-time fortnight count big-style...I'm determined to finish the novel-in-progress before the end of the month. Determined! I thought I'd manage it by the end of June but got so tangled up trying to hammer out one of my backstories, it didn't quite happen that way. But now... Now I am surging towards The End again, full steam ahead, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!

PS Everyone go and say happy birthday to Clare today. Because she's worth it.

The Raining Sky

2008-07-09T10:23:00.004Z

Ahh...what lovely summery weather we're having today. (If you're reading this from a country far far away, I'm being sarcastic. It is lashing it down and set to be this way the entire day. Great.) Seems all the more grey and miserable somehow as we watched The Sheltering Sky last night on DVD. Wow. Have you seen it? Visually it is stunning - all those miles and miles of rippling golden dunes with impossibly blue skies, scorched earth, stone fortresses, leggy lurching camels - all so foreign and different. Star Wars land.
At first, as we watched, LP and I were ruing the fact that we hadn't travelled around North Africa together (in fact we haven't done any proper travelling together - we have covered almost all the continents separately on big travelling stints but have only ever had holidays together, not set off for months at a time (and obviously that ain't gonna happen now)). By by the end of the film we weren't quite so keen to dust off our backpacks, funnily enough... Great film though. I find John Malkovich a bit creepy (sorry, John, if you ever read this) but he was very good in it. Definitely Debra Winger's film though - she was brilliant. And oh, how I wish I had such a fabulous throaty laugh.

Anyway. Back to the real world. I am reading The Road Home by Rose Tremain at the moment which I am loving - she is such a fantastic writer who makes every detail and exchange of dialogue utterly convincing and seemingly effortless. It's one of those books where you sit down to read a bit and suddenly find you are 100 pages further through the book. Great characters and story. I'm hooked.

Lots of other interesting books in the TBR pile at the moment - I've got The Outcast and The Gathering (like everyone else) which both look brilliant, Hearts and Minds by Rosy Thornton, The Delivery Room by Sylvia Brownrigg (I read a proof of her new one, Morality Tale, which was very good) and Everything You Ever Wanted by Rosalind Wylie... phew, I need a week off to get stuck into that lot, I think.
What's next on your TBR pile? Tell me, tell me...

Smashing

2008-07-07T18:49:00.003Z

Down in the kitchen first thing this morning, braced for the usual rush of making kids' packed lunches, breakfast all round, large cuppa for me, large coffee for LP etc, opened the fridge door to get the milk and... SMASH! The shelf in the door dropped clean off, along with all the jars. Chilli sauce bottle smashed, chilli sauce and broken glass everywhere. Too half-asleep to even swear luckily but that was the only silver lining to be had.

Back for tea after daughter's gymnastics at 5.45 this aft, braced for the usual rush of making the tea, nagging about vegetables, bossing into pyjamas etc, opened the fridge door to get a courgette out and... SMASH! Down fell that bloody shelf again, along with all the jars. This time it was the mayonnaise jar that shattered everywhere. Mayo and glass everywhere. Couldn't rein back the swearing. Children's eyes lighting up at bad words like little candles.

I bet this never happens to Nigella. Ever.

Pandas, iguanas and Lego cake

2008-07-06T17:10:00.003Z

Son's birthday party on Saturday - we took him and some of his muckers to see Kung-Fu Panda at the cinema, followed by lunch in town. I thought it would be a stress-free antidote to last year's nightmare (12 boys in our house, five days before we moved, what a stupid idea of mine and yes, the longest two hours of my life as they all turned feral within two seconds of their parents dropping them off). But this year's effort was pretty easy as parties go - the film was ace although afterwards all the boys were keen to do lots of kung-fu at any given moment, all the way out through the cinema, along the street, crossing the road (I had to get a bit stern about that) and then along to Las Iguanas. Chips and Lego cake all round (not MADE of Lego, just decorated with little Lego people fighting each other (son's orders)) and the job was done. Lovely. That's birthday season over for us now until October, so a few months' respite...

Meanwhile, I am gearing up for the launch of the new novel - I am doing a signing at Waterstones in Bath on 9th August (feel free to arrange your West Country holidays around that date!) and sorting out some competitions for this here blog and elsewhere - with prizes and everything - so stay tuned... On the children's books side of things, I am saying yes to all sorts of other events - two festivals so far, three school visits in the offing, and two bookshop signings. Get me, eh, publicity whore. Or not, actually, I am saying yes to them all but then going into a kind of denial and pretending none of them are really going to happen. My head is too full of wedding detail right now to stress about anything else which is actually quite lucky really...

Domestic Goddess in Training

2008-07-04T08:08:00.003Z

I nearly managed a post about what a domestic goddess I am these days. Nearly. I was doing so well, too, having whipped up four loaves of bread so far this week (edible, and everything) with my fancy new machine, and a batch of fairy cakes yesterday, ready for my son's party tea today (he's six today - another celebration! All go around here, you know). Once the kids were all in bed last night, I even made his cake, a yummy chocolatey one. God, I'm good, I was thinking. I am totally in this domestic goddess groove, I just need a Cath Kidston pinny and a halo to complete the look.

Then. Then I had a nice G&T and watched Heroes (evil Sylar is BACK!) before deciding to make the icing for the yummy chocolatey birthday cake. I blame the gin. I was just melting the cooking chocolate in the microwave (it's okay, Nigella does it) when I smelled a horrible smell.

Yes. Plastic bowl in the microwave. With a new molten bottom (sounds like a toiletry range) and chocolate dripping everywhere.

*sigh* Like I say, I blame the gin. So close...but no floral pinny for moi. Shucks.

Perfectly lovely

2008-07-01T09:34:00.003Z

Birthdays rock!! I had such a nice day yesterday. Lovely home-made treats and prezzies from the kids (no horses though... youngest daughter's present was a vaguely horseshoe-shaped bangle but how she made the connection that it might be a real horse, I fear I will never know) and some brilliant treats from LP including one of these deckchairs and a breadmaker. Went shopping in the morning and bought myself a top from my favourite clothes shop and then had lunch with LP and youngest daughter in town...party tea in the afternoon (hula hoops, candles on the cake, Happy Birthday To You, party blowers etc), then down the pub in the evening... perfect. Only 364 days to go before the next one!

Right...must do a bit of work now before I am too tempted to get some of my home-made bread and fall asleep in my lovely new deckchair....

The last day of being 37

2008-06-29T10:41:00.003Z

I am 38 tomorrow. Somehow that seems a lot nearer to 40 than 37, doesn't it? At 37 you can kid yourself that you are still mid-thirties but somehow, with just one extra year in the mix, it's the start of the slow slide to 40. Aggghh.

Am not feeling too chipper about that, especially as I've got a monstrous hangover today. LP and I celebrated 11 years of Being Togevver yesterday and went out last night to celebrate. Went to Demuths, a veggie restaurant in town which was tasty but a bit healthy and worthy for my liking. When I go out to eat, I want to feel as if I'm having a treat. I want potato. I want cake. I had neither of those last night, but quite a lot of lettuce. Not much good for soaking up the alcohol, lettuce. Still, we had a lovely night, reminiscing about all the ace times we've had, all the places we've been together, and of course my excellent chat-up line which started the whole thing off: "I've always fancied you" - short and to the point, I'd say (if rather slurred). And I was about to fly off to Bangkok two days later, so I thought, what the hell, might as well. Anyway, it did it for me - any singletons out there, I'd recommend giving it a try.

Right, off to lie on the sofa now with a cup of tea...

Back-handed compliments from my seven-year-old daughter

2008-06-26T07:52:00.003Z

Part 9718, in an everlasting series:

Daughter [having watched me blow-drying hair, her head tilted on one side, her eyes pitying]: Your hair is definitely growing longer, Mum. By the time you get married, it might even look nice again!

Me [crushed]: Thanks, love... [weeps into mirror]

Moving swiftly on... here's another meme, this one from the lovely Leigh:

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Living in Brixton with the LP, working at the BBC, going out every night and having lots of disposable income (sob)

Five things on your to-do list for today:
Write next chapter of Novel 3
School pick-up
Cook tea
Sit and have a beer in garden with LP once kids are in bed
Heroes

What are three of your bad habits?
Losing my temper
Losing my marbles
Losing the car keys

What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Oh, don't get me STARTED...

What are some snacks you enjoy?
Cadbury's Fruit and Nut
Kettle Chips
Grapes
Cheese and Marmite sandwiches

What were the last five books you read?
The Secret Shopper's Revenge - Kate Harrison
The Accidental Wife - Rowan Coleman
Seizure - Erica Wagner
Mothernight - Sarah Stovell
Daughters of Jerusalem - Charlotte Mendelson

What are five jobs you have had?
Shop assistant
Barmaid
Seed-planter
Editor
Subtitler

Five places that you have lived?
Nottingham
Leeds
Oxford
London
Sydney

Okay, I'm going to tag Clare, Girl With A Mask, Pacha, Calistro and L-Plate. Over to you, ladies...

Meme - authors

2008-06-25T10:23:00.002Z

It's all me me me me meme meme these days. I've been tagged by Michelle and Leigh for memes so here goes. Michelle's first, which is all about authors.

1. Who is your all-time favourite author, and why?
Oh, impossible to answer. I would happily read anything by: Jonathan Coe, Kate Atkinson, Julie Myerson, John Fowles, Margaret Atwood, Esther Freud, Dickens, George Orwell... too many to list. I am generous with my favouritism!

2. Who was your first favourite author, and why? Do you still consider him or her among your favourites?
Enid Blyton, without a doubt - great characters and plots, lots of humour and adventures, and of course, happy endings all round (apart from the baddies who ALWAYS got their come-uppance). And now that my seven-year-old is ploughing through everything Enid she can get from the library, I'm quite enjoying dipping into them again myself...

3. Who’s the most recent addition to your list of favourite authors, and why?
I really enjoyed When We Were Bad by Charlotte Mendelson. Fabulous.

4. If someone asked you who your favourite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth? Are there any you’d add on a moment of further reflection?
I guess the list I gave to the first answer, if that isn't too lazy of me!

Feel free to tag yourself if you want to... Leigh, I'll get to yours tomorrow!

Not a real horse

2008-06-24T11:50:00.002Z

It's my birthday next Monday, and the first thing my three-year-old said when she got back from playgroup with LP at 12 was, "I got your present, Mum, but I'm not going to tell you what it is!"
"Oooh, how exciting," I said, knowing full well how tricky she finds secrets, especially secrets about birthday presents or cakes. "I bet it'll be a lovely surprise."
Her eyes lit up. "It IS a surprise. It's a secret!"

Over the table at lunch time just now:
Daughter: Can I give you your present, Mum?
Me: Well, let's wait until it's my birthday next week. That would be best, wouldn't it?
LP: And remember, we're not going to tell her what it is, are we? Because it's going to be a surprise!
Daughter (a bit gutted - clearly DESPERATE to reveal all): Mmmmmm. (Moments later, cryptically): It's not a REAL horse, is it, Dad? Mum's present. It's not a REAL one.

Either she's a fantastic bluffer or there's some hideous china horse from the charity shop coming my way on Monday. The mind boggles...

Ooer

2008-06-24T10:09:00.004Z

I have been asked to appear at Cheltenham Literary Festival.*
I have said yes.
I am not sure which of those two statements is scarier....

* for my children's books, not the Lucy Diamond stuff. Eeek.

Hen night

2008-06-19T19:25:00.001Z

Just to say...it's my hen night this weekend, so excuse me while I go a bit quiet on the blog (and loud on the town) for a few days...

The Sound of Music

2008-06-19T08:11:00.002Z

I'm feeling a lot more chipper today after a laugh last night with LP trying to decide which music to play at our wedding. We're tying the knot in a big old barn in the countryside, so anything goes.

"Right, we need something that everyone can listen to while they're waiting for the actual marrying bit to start," I said.
"How about The Clash?" LP suggested, sticking on Safe European Home.
"Well, you know, good choice and everything, but I'm not sure our aunts and the more senior guests will enjoy it that much..."
"Oh, they'll love it! All right, how about some reggae? Who could not love Toots and the Maytals?"

Indeed. Meanwhile, I'm trying to think of something brilliant that I can make my entrance to - tottering up the stairs with my dad, trying not to fall over in front of everyone. I'm quite tempted to pick 'Fat-Bottomed Girls' by Queen or something tongue in cheek to make everyone laugh but then remember how the vows go on about what a solemn occasion this is blah blah. So maybe not. I'd really love to walk in to 'Walking Barefoot' by Ash - ahh, I just love that song, it always makes me so happy, but I don't think I'd be able to stop myself singing along at full volume, like I always do. Hmmm. Karaoke queen is perhaps not the right look for a bride.
So maybe 'She Bangs The Drums' by the Stone Roses, another of my all-time faves...but then I would be tempted to do a stupid dancing walk to it... oh, decisions, decisions!

I really think it would be a laugh to have 'Fiesta' by The Pogues as our 'first dance' - you know, it starts off all slow and moody, then turns into a danceable riot and we could go mad to it, but LP is adamant that he doesn't want to do a first dance, so better not....

Ahh, so there you go, planning a wedding is fun after all! Sod the table confetti, let's get some good tunes going, and it'll be great.

Jitters (and moaning)

2008-06-17T13:09:00.003Z

I've had a case of Wedding Jitters recently. Bad dreams where it all goes wrong, the works. I blame the dressmaker I went to see the other week (she's taking up the hem of my dress). She started asking all these questions like, Who is doing your make-up? (Um... me?), What are your shoes like? (Um...dunno) and How will you be wearing your hair? (I don't bloody know!)

I ended up feeling really crap for not being the type of person that maps out every single minute detail months in advance. I am more of your make-it-up-as-I-go-along types. In novel writing and life.
Too many decisions to make! Too much organising, when I barely have the time to brush my hair in the morning, let alone think about how I might want to do it in TWO MONTHS time!! I mean... seriously...
I don't know. It all seems a lot of money and FAFF and I'm not sure it'll actually change anything whatsoever about my relationship with LP. I'm kind of wishing we'd gone for a registry office job now with two witnesses dragged off the street, then a pint in the pub. We're not doing a Wayne n' Colleen style extravaganza by any means (although if OK magazine offered to cough up £2.5m I might be tempted to shift the whole thing to Italy), but even so... having to make decisions about how we want the napkins folded and what sort of glitter we want sprinkled on the tables at the reception...arrrgghh! I don't know! I don't really care either!

I poured my heart out to Nice Neighbour yesterday. "If I'd known it was all going to be such a palaver, I think I'd rather have stayed happily unmarried," I moaned.
"But you've got all those things to look forward to!" she replied, shocked. "Like... changing your surname and..."
"I'm not going to change my surname," I interrupted.
"Oh," she said.

Sorry. Moaning. Trying hard not to. It's just doing my head in a bit...

A book splurge

2008-06-14T15:38:00.003Z

I dragged the kids into town today for some Father's Day purchases and accidentally found myself stumbling into a book shop while I was there. Well...you know how it is. I've been VERY good lately, haven't bought a book for ages so I had a little splurge.

First up was the lovely Kate Harrison's new book, The Secret Shopper's Revenge - with the most gorgeous slip cover I've ever seen on a hardback. It's a bag - how cool is that! I am lucky enough to have had a sneak preview of the first few chapters which are fab, but have been left dangling with anticipation ever since. This one is definitely going straight to the top of the TBR pile!

Next... The Gathering by Anne Enright. It's the next one for our book group. I've heard tell from another book group that everyone struggled with it but had the best conversation about it EVER. In fact, apparently they came to the conclusion that they hadn't just read the book, "the book had read them". Spooky! So that was enough to make me want to read it on its own.

I also bought the new Rose Tremain one, The Road Home. I really like her books - always very stylishly written and about such a wealth of different subjects. I didn't even read the blurb to find out what this one's about, just bought it. (Well, you can't hang around when you've got kids in tow, after all, the days of slow bookshop browsing are gone for me, I'm more of a heat-seeking missile in there these days, zooming straight to the ones I have to buy...)

I also wanted Garden Spells after its rave review on Trashionista the other week but it seemed to have sold out. So my son suggested making up the 3 for 2 with the new Captain Underpants book for him. And then, of course, I found myself suckered into buying all the kids a new book each. So rather a lot of spending, all in all. But what price on a good read? I have just read Rowan Coleman's new one, The Accidental Wife, and would have paid double for it, it was so brilliant.

So I'm looking forward to many happy hours reading that lot. In between cheering on Holland, of course. The lads in orange have only gone and done it again, last night, haven't they?! Why didn't I put my money where my mouth is at the start of the tournamet and put down a whopping great bet??

Backstory wrestling

2008-06-11T13:25:00.002Z

It's the final of The Apprentice tonight...hooray!!
But I'm going to miss it, as I've got book group tonight...boo! Not boo to book group although I must confess I didn't like this month's book very much (ended up skimming the last third, never a good sign) but boo to missing out on a Britons-united-on-their-sofas event. It's not the same watching it on tape, is it? You need to be there, oohing and ahhing with the nation as Surallan points the finger for one last time. I'm just going to have to watch it as soon as I stumble drunkenly into the house tonight, I don't care how late it'll be, and I don't care that I'll have a school run in the morning, I need to watch it before some big-gob spills the beans tomorrow and tells me who got hired. I want Claire to win although I quite like winking Lee too. And Alex is very sweet, I find myself wanting to ruffle his hair. Even Helene's all right. Ooh, it could go to any of em. Excellent!

What a saddo I am. Enough of my telly witterings. I'm working on the novel today, have just passed the 75,000 word mark which is good, and feel like I've finally pinned down the backstory for one of my main characters. It has been troubling me, especially as it is CRUCIAL to the plot. I have tied myself in knots, inventing all sorts of complicated traumatic experiences for the poor women, but have decided to red-pen them all in favour of a more simplified version that will hopefully justify some of the weird things she goes on to do. Cryptic, eh. I have been getting bogged down in it though, so am hoping that I've got it straight at last. Right - better get back to it before I change my mind again...

Rambling stream of consciousness

2008-06-10T07:40:00.004Z

Brrrr. Had a nightmare last night that I was at a fancy dinner with hundreds of people, and suddenly it was announced that I would be giving a talk on the similiarities between Mary Poppins and Elizabeth Barrett Browning starting...NOW! I had a sheaf of papers in front of me and was shuffling through them, trying to find the things I wanted to say but it was torture, my mind was blank, my notes were gobbledegook and I was waffling all kinds of nonsense about Mary Poppins to fill the silence (nothing at all about Elizabeth BB, obviously). It was a relief to wake up - except it wasn't, really, as my youngest daughter and son were having a loud argument about ten centimetres from my head about whose turn it was to sit on a particular chair in the kitchen for breakfast....arrrrggghhh... I think the Mary Poppins debacle was slightly preferable on reflection.

Onto cheerier things - hey, what about Holland last night then? Hup, Holland, Hup, as I now know to say. Oooh I bet there are some sore Dutch heads this morning. See? A bit of Lucy Diamond magic goes a long way. I am doing all right with my predictions so far, I have to say, thrashing LP in our competition by a mighty three points. Not the same, though, is it, when the England players are all lagering it up on Wayne Rooney's stag do rather than... well, all right, rather than going out on penalties to Germany....

Onto even cheerier things... We're off to a Wedding Meeting this morning. How exciting! We haven't been back to the place we're getting married since we booked it so I hope it's the rural gorgeousness I remember and that it hasn't actually transformed into a small back yard with barbed wire fences and broken glass underfoot complete with snarling Staffordshire bull terriers straining on ropes, baring their teeth. Last night, I was going through the documents we need to send back to the registrar for the service and got really annoyed to be honest. All that 'Who gives this women away?' rubbish - I mean! So bloody medieval. If they dare ask that in my service, I will be forced to shout, "No bugger, thank you very much!" in response. Gawd. I can see it now, me with my hands on my hips, finger wagging, tearing a strip off the registrar. Excellent. Am looking forward to it already...

Who ate all the pies?

2008-06-06T09:03:00.003Z

I can't believe Euro 2008 starts tomorrow! I haven't even got a colour wall chart or anything with the fixtures yet. I've had to print one off from a website, but it isn't the same.
So, who are we all supporting then? It's got to be Holland for me. In a parallel life, I would have lived in Amsterdam for a while. (Actually, I said the same thing about Barcelona too the other day. Maybe I need a few parallel lives.) And almost every Dutch person I've ever met has been fab (apart from the prat who.... Ahh. Never mind. Ancient history.) And also I like their kit. Lekker ding! as I believe they say. *ahem* LP is supporting Sweden. How about you?

Right then.... matches tomorrow. I'm going to say the Czech Republic will beat Switzerland 1-0 and Portugal will beat Turkey 2-1. But what do I know? Feel free to disagree, shout "WHO ARE YER?" and point at me if you want. LP and I are going to have a little competition between us so I shall keep you updated (unless I start losing really badly in which case I will pretend to have forgotten all about it).

Onto more cerebral things...have you seen the Picador blog lately? They're offering us, mere blog-readers, a chance to put questions to the marvellous Tim Winton. As you know, I'm a fan, so immediately felt a bit excited at the opportunity. Trouble is, I go all pathetic when amongst famous people. I can't speak properly, I just sort of mumble at them, and all I can think about is OMG You Are Really Famous! etc. Even when offered the chance to post a question on a blog to someone famous, I am blushing and turning to fluff, and just want to say, "You're great, you are, ooh, I really like your books". Pathetic. In a parallel life, clearly I would be asking something really in-depth and clever from my Amsterdam townhouse, something that would really impress him. But in this life... Sigh. Maybe I should ask him who he's going to support in Euro 2008, and be done with it?!

Achey-breaky arse

2008-06-05T16:09:00.003Z

Ooooh!!! I am still aching all over from yesterday. Bloody exercise. I couldn't get to sleep last night because every time I moved, a new bit of me started to hurt. Just as well then that I've been sat at my desk all day today, in my nice comfortable padded chair...

For the first time in weeks, I've returned to Novel 3. Hoorah! I've been feeling guilty for not having the time to tend to it lately but that's all going to change and I'm definitely DEFINITELY going to finish it this month. Quite good to have such a break from in it in some ways though, as I have just read through the whole ms as it currently stands, all 72,000 words of it, and have been able to work on it much more objectively. And - phew - I have thought out how to solve a big plot problem in the process, too, something that was nagging at me as not working very well previously. So I am chuffed about that. Now I just have to do the repair work, drip in some juicy clues to make the whole thing more mysterious and... oh yeah, finish it. Well, I'll start tomorrow. Prepare to see that word count soaring, oh yes.

Have got to go and cook tea now (all action round here, you know) so will sign off by letting you know that my latest Bridalwave column is here...

Is this what you call a mid-life crisis?

2008-06-04T13:14:00.004Z

Ouch.

Seriously, ouch. My arse feels as if it's been whacked by a bag of spanners. Owwww!

I've just got back from my first go at Gymnastics, if you're wondering. It was quite surreal. I did handstands! Headstands! Trampolining! Cartwheels! Running and jumping off a trampet thing! It was like being a kid again, really exciting and quite scary. Must confess, I nearly bottled going there this morning. And if I'd known just how bloody good the other women there were going to be, I probably wouldn't have gone. I was expecting the standard to be pretty low, to be honest. A few forward rolls, a bit of mucking about on the trampolining etc. But no! All quite serious. And some women there were doing backflips! Handsprings! Round-offs, whatever the hell they are. !!!!! Now that's what I call bloody impressive, especially as everyone was a thirty-something mum.

But there's something about doing a handstand as a thirty-something mum that feels very daring. And exciting. And very out of the ordinary - it's not all that often I find myself upside down these days. And yes, you bet I'm going to use this as material in a book somewhere or other....

Right, just off to practise some cartwheels down the garden, anyway... *

* a complete lie

The worst start to a day ever?

2008-06-03T09:03:00.003Z

Oh dear. Life feels very difficult this morning. Was woken by a scream of outrage from eldest daughter because the tooth fairy had forgotten to collect her tooth and leave a nice shiny pound coin in its place. D'oh!!! Tooth Fairy alias was too busy drinking wine and reading last night to remember. I am a failure at motherhood. Rubbish.

Then the screams came from me as I realised we had another nit nightmare upon us so had to wash and comb offspring's hair with gallons of conditioner and nit comb before school, meaning lateness on school run. Gross. I am a bit itchy too to be honest... Sometimes it's disgusting, living with children. Where's Malory Towers when you need it??

I am quite scared about what's going to happen next, you know. If I don't blog again, you'll know I've been eaten by a pack of gigantic headlice...