Bookshelf

Since we're living in France, English language books are hard to come by, but luckily there's an enterprising Brit who has opened up a book exchange about 60 miles away. So we have a day out at the local market, swap books (50 cents a book if you take books back to exchange, 3 euros each otherwise). So we now have books to read for a week or two, and I got an oyster opener in the market so that Himself can open oysters without maiming himself.

Wish I liked oysters ~ they are virtually no calories, but since they look like snot, there's no way I could swallow one, ever. Prawns and langoustines, now, fantastic, but sadly I'm allergic to crab. Also to moules, but since I loathe them anyway (fishy rubber bands) no loss there. I've just eaten a very frugal lunch because I need (oh, how I need!) to lose some weight. The trouble with French life is that Lunch is Important. When Himself was working I'd often skip lunch, or just have a Ryvita, but now he's retired, it's a daily ritual. And there's baguette, and Breton butter, and cheese, and wine ~ which is why I need to lose weight. I also don't exercise enough. Sigh.

Wenesday between the eyes

This is so embarrassing ~ I'm half way through editing my own book, and found myself sniffling at a sad bit and ~ even worse ~ wondering what happens next. I mean, I wrote the damn thing!

Still, half way through the final edit (thank God) and on course to get it off my hands before I go on holiday next week.

Now: fetch in the laundry and chicken for tea!

Fed up with editing

I'm wasting my time ~ I should be editing my historical novel (I may have found an agent :) !) and I'm blogging instead.

I normally love editing, but I've done this particular book so often (for my PhD) I'm almost fed up with it. Still like it and have faith in it, but I've been overcome by terminal laziness.

Sigh.

That's all folks ~ gotta get back to work.

Being a children's author...and growing up!

No. 1 daughter tells me that I have to blog every day, but time has got away from me totally this month, due to visit of No. 2 daughter, which has been great. We've beached, eaten, walked, cycled, eaten, eaten, eaten. Diet starts Monday.

Time for a whinge: I've been a fairly successful children's author for many years now ~ some 24 on the shelves, with four or five more finished and ready for publication. However ~ because my publisher is Welsh, and small, although enthusiastic and growing, their publicity budget is small, so my sales are, quite frankly, fairly crap. And the other thing is, I seem to be sitting in this little pigeonhole marked "Children's author: do not release into adult fiction". Well, fine, except that I've written this great, big, historical novel that earned me a PhD and I can't get anyone to read it. Actually, I tell a lie. One publisher did, loved it, wanted to publish it, but moved so slowly that there was a change of editor ~ who didn't like big historical novels, so four years on I got it back and was sitting on square one again. Agent: read it, loved it, but passed it to her colleague to read, who also loved it but wanted me to rewrite it, take out most of the historical detail (!) and Welsh stuff and put in more sex. "No market for historical novels"; "why should we want another historical novelist when we've got Philippa Gregory etc etc." I tell you, it's soul detroying. But I'm not giving up, so there!

Watch this space...

croesofruitbat

Well, this is something new! Getting blogging, my daughter says, get into the Century of the Fruitbat, Mum ~ so here I am. Blogging.

I'm a writer: children's novels, picture books, poetry, you name it, I've had it published. Daughter says, five minutes out of your life, Mum. Well, we'll see.

I've got three gorgeous daughters, three equally gorgeous grand-daughters, one long-suffering husband and a dog that's adopted me. I live in France.

Anyone out there?