This picture is of the beautiful roses my son's girlfriend bought me as a thank you when she was staying with us last week. Aren't they lovely?
Today is the first of 17 days off work. I'm so excited to have time off, even though I do love my job, so that I can spend more time with the family, read, relax and ultimately finish the first draft of my book. I'm already up to 121k words and still have to write the final couple of scenes, but I know that after edits it will come down under the 120k words I want it to be and then I'll be able to send it off to the RNA NWS for their report.
I was up at 6.30 this morning. I know, you'd think that as it's my first day of the holidays that I'd at least stay in bed for a while, but once I'm awake, I'm ready to get on with things. So, the laptop was switched on at 7.30 and instantly a chainsaw started revving (do they rev?) and cutting down the elderflower hedging from the nextdoor property over looking the field behind us. So noisy and so much for a couple of hours of peace before I have to get going with other things ie hairdresser for daughter, visiting parents, shopping, etc.
Nevermind, Grumps is thrilled to have me at home, even if it does mean that I spend a lot of the time tapping away at my laptop.
12 comments:
Best of luck with the RNA NWS! Do you write contemporary fiction or historical romantic fiction? I'm currently reading Fanny Blake's What Women Want and enjoying it although, thus far, it's been fairly predictable: three women, three different life/love problems, one a divorcee, one a widow, one married ... and how their friendship is 'tested.' It is nicely written and entertaining enough for me to want to finish it.
I see you are reading Hothouse Flower. I really enjoyed that, it was well above-average. Similar are the novels of Kate Morton and Rachel Hore, both of whose books I have loved.
The roses are gorgeous!
Good luck with your NWS submission. I'm sure Grumps will help. :)
margaret - thanks for the good wishes. I write both historical and contemporary fiction and am enjoying working on the historical at the moment.
I'm glad you enjoyed The Hothouse Flower and can't wait to read it. I haven't started it just yet, but it's sitting waiting for me to do so.
shirley - they are, aren't they?
Thank you. I'm sure he'll be a great help, or maybe not ;)
Debs - have you written mainly for the short story and serial market until now, and what you are submitting is your first novel? Or have you had a novel published? I would always be interested to read what you have written, but I don't buy the women's magazines that feature short stories (Take a Break; Woman's Weekly; My Weekly) although I have friends who are regularly published in WW and MY.
Margaret P
Always such a luxury to have 17 (!) days stretching ahead of you to use as you please. Hope your holiday is a good mix of laziness and moving along on some of the big projects.
A pet peeve of the summer is all the gardening/lawn power tools. How they disturb the peace.
Enjoy your time for writing, Debs - good luck with the NWS, and I do hope you get some peace! Lovely roses.
Have a fabby time away from work and good luck with NWS. Sopend plenty of You Time! x
Happy writing time Debs a d enjoy your holiday. Sure Grumps wll love having you there. x
Those roses are lovely. How nice of her to give you them. =o)
Good luck finishing up your story and definitely goo luck with the edits. I'm hip deep in those right now and... well... ugh.
Have a great holiday.
galant - I haven't really written many short stories and am just finishing an historical romance set in WW1. I've loved writing this book, especially the research.
faye - there's still work being carried out next door, sigh. Hopefully they'll finish soon.
rosemary - thank you, I'm nearly finished the first draft and will then have to start editing it before sending it out.
pauline - it's bliss to have so much time off and now I just need to get a few jobs out of the way so I can start relaxing fully.
flowerpot - thank you. He's dozing in the chair next to me right now :)
B E Sanderson - thank you, they are beautiful, aren't they?
Good luck with your edits, I hope they go well.
ooh, I do hope you have success with this WW1-set novel! I have so enjoyed the books of Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs series) which are set just prior to and then post-WW1, plus the two crime novels set just post-WW1 by the American mother-and-son writing team going under the name of Charles Todd, and inter-war books such as The Novel in the Viola (well, that is pre-and-during WW2.)
Margaret P
galant - thanks very much. I'm looking forward to reading The Novel in the Viola too.
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