Heavens, how time flies!

We have our charity number now for Words for the Wounded. We have a larger team - Penny Deacon another author who took over from me at the Yeovil Literary Prize and Matt Pain who is an extreme marathon sportsman who also writes.

The good news this weekend is that Writers' Forum will be publishing the winning entries in their magazine. Totally thrilled by this, and thanks to Carl, the editor.

Great thanks too, to Dick my husband who is in the last stages of putting together the website. What a star as it is an all singing, all dancing effort which accepts entries on line.  It would have cost far too much to get someone else to do it, and Words for the Wounded would never have happened.

We are at the stage where we are gathering up patrons: Military and arts.

And sponsors and we'll take them from anywhere.

It's just a question of plodding on, ticking off the jobs as we go.It will all work out.

We intend to launch and open for entries on November 11th for obvious reasons. We close to entries on 11th April, and winners will be announced on 6th June, the anniversary of D Day. Or that's the plan so far.

What else has been happening?

Maeve's Afternoon Delight is finished. My agent loves it, so does the editor at my old publishers but with publishers virtually closing their mid list it's a bit of a dead duck I think. We will wait until Sept/Oct and then decide what to do if I don't get a contract. I think I might just put it onto ebook myself and sell it through my website and Amazon. This is a perfectly respectable course of action these days, so all you aspiring authors out there, remember this.  Also remember that ebooks are outselling print by 20%.  This will increase and so will the independence of authors.

I will be putting the first chapter on the blog and website and if anyone want to read on then they can buy it as an ebook for very little.

I am still doing my afternoon twice a week at the charity shops but this will become less once the charity gets underway. What a brouhaha anyway. Sadly the volunteers at one of the shops have been invaded by some newbies who have formed a clique and are causing all sorts of trouble by writing and complaining about other volunteers when they have no grounds. It is worthy of a novel. Perhaps I will be the one to write it.

I am researching another novel, set back in pre-WW2 and concerning the Fascist movement in the UK. The research is chilling and fascinating. Whilst researching this I will start Lady of the Leylandii which has been stewing for ages. I love Audrey Simpkins already, bless her heart.

What about the Olympics? How great has it been. Dick and I took Mabel the five year old grandchild to BT Live in Hyde Park and the atmosphere was tremendous. We are going to watch the paralympic marathon and line the road as we have been unable to get tickets for any of the Olympics. Not to worry, the TV coverage has been great.

I have a mid summer resolution - to keep this up to date. So I'll be here again in a week.

The first day of my new blog

I've been toying with a blog for some time now but think I must get cracking as I have a new project Words for the Wounded, the charity Tracy Baines and I are launching.

For a while we've been concerned about our troops with their life changing injuries, but the Remembrance Service last year firmed up our determination to do something. We are grandmothers, mothers and writers.

We know how we would feel if anyone in either of our families was wounded in the way that our troops are being wounded.

We are writers, and have confidence in the power of the word. Words can move mountains.

So we have harnessed words to raise money for the rehabilitation of our wounded troops. We know that out there are many people who have a story to tell, whether it be fiction or fact. We know that out there are many children with stories to tell too. So, very soon the website will be completed and our writing prize will be launched. We hope that non writers and writers alike will enter. Keep your eyes on the blog and I'll let you know the details.

Here  I am, happy as a sandgirl in a suburban village near High Wycombe. We are near two daughters, and another is not too far away. It does save rushing up from the West Country where we lived for over 20 years because of my husband's work commitment. We LOVE it here. Half an hour from London so I am in and out of art galleries with lots of new friends, and old ones. I was at school in Guildford and lived in Worplesden as I was growing up so have linked up with my best friend from school and my first child's godmother. It's totally wonderful. Like being in a sweetie shop.

Now, onto other things. If anyone is in the West Country in April come to the Brympton Festival. There will be many writers and publishers attending. The lovely Sarah Challis will be talking, and Sophie Duffy who was a winner of the Yeovil Literary Prize will be explaining how she did it. I am talking at a Literary Lunch, and it would be great to see you there. Find details on www.brymptonfestival.co.uk

If you've never been to the Winchester Writers Conference then come!  It is www.writersconference.co.uk
I am taking a course and giving a talk, as well as many one to one sessions.

I am reading Why we Run by Robin Harvie. It's excellent. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is the next on the list.

Ah well. On with the 13th novel. After a very very prolonged sabbatical during which I founded and ran the Yeovil Literary Prize to raise funds for the creative arts of the Yeovil area and ran the Yeovil Community Arts Association I have found I have the germ of an idea which is growing nicely. Up to Chapter 5 and I still like Maeve, the main character. Bless her cotton socks. It will be good to be with her for a while.