Welcome

I'm so glad you've found my blog! This is where I share what's going in my life, and where you'll usually find the most up-to-date information on my latest releases. For more detailed information on my books, check out my backlist. And be sure to check out my contest page so you don't miss out!

Margaret

seperator

Sunday 30 January 2011

Midnight jottings

A funny thing happened to me last week. Funny ha ha, not funny peculiar.



I've mentioned before that I always keep a notepad and pen by my bed. Well, one night a piece of conversation came into my head and I knew I had to write it down. I always write in the dark for fear of waking my DH. I line my thumb up on the side of the pad and move it down as I write so that I know where each row starts. It's never let me down. The rows might be a bit crooked but I don't overwrite anything.



That night it didn't work. But not in the way you might think.



My pen ran out! I had the first line very clear, the second faded a little and by the third and fourth I could read nothing. I hadn't even pressed on hard enough for an imprint.



And I can't remember what I wrote!



The moral to the story is - always use a pencil.

Friday 28 January 2011

Castles















Today I'm travelling to Wales. These are photos I took of the ruins of Montgomery Castle which was built in Norman times. The views were truly gorgeous once we'd climbed up there.

Tuesday 25 January 2011

Heroes and heroines

I've been trawling through photos of gorgeous men and their equally as attractive counterparts looking for inspiration for my H&H. Nothing yet. Perhaps I'm being too fussy. I really ought to keep a folder on my computer. I have the odd one or two but they're ones I've already used and I don't like using them again in case I inadvertantly write the same description. I never used to use photos - I let my imagination run riot. And it hasn't done me too badly all these years. How times change!

Monday 24 January 2011

Flowers and things


I'm posting another photograph this morning because this was the one that inspired the flowers on Friday and I meant to put it up then. I have this picture as my desktop at the moment (I keep changing them) and it was taken in the Isle of Wight around Easter time last year. The primroses were snuggled in a hedgerow and not visible unless you were looking for them - but aren't they beautiful?
I'm busy at the moment doing character studies for my new hero and heroine. I have an outline for a story but it will need a lot of development before I send a synopsis off to my editor. I don't even have names for them yet.


Friday 21 January 2011







I thought I'd post photos of flowers today - something to brighten up the frost and fog that we have around this morning.


I spotted this field of poppies from the motorway some time last year and persuaded my husband to get off at the next junction and go find them. The photo doesn't really do them justice.



The pansies and crocuses were taken in my garden.

Wednesday 19 January 2011

News

Not so good news. My editor doesn't think my latest story is achieving its potential and has suggested I put it aside and start something new. So it's back to the drawing board. On hindsight, the fact that I didn't carry on at a pace with the rest of the story while waiting to hear from her should perhaps have told me that I hadn't quite hit the mark this time. Perhaps it was having my wonderful holiday in Florida and then Christmas that affected the flow. At least that's my excuse!

So it's back to the drawing board (another name for my plot file)

And I'm off to my Art Group now which will give me inspiration in a totally different way.

Monday 17 January 2011

Disappointment

Still waiting for news from my editor so the writing went very slowly last week. About 2000 words in the whole week! I usually do that in a day - when it's a good day, that is. And today I shan't do much as I have a chiropodist appointment this afternoon.

We were expecting delivery of a new fridge freezer on Saturday, waiting in the whole day, finally phoning to find out where it was, to be told the order had been cancelled!!! By whom? No one knew. And it certainly wasn't us. To add insult to injury they claimed to now have none in stock. We had ordered it by phone and paid by credit card - but had that been cancelled too? No! They promise to deliver when they have new stock next week - but no way. We have cancelled this time and ordered it from somewhere else. But I'm keeping a check to make sure they cancel the credit card payment.

Having got that off my chest I'm going to sit down with a strong cup of coffee and spend quality time with Robynne and Kendel. I know they won't do the dirty on me.

Friday 14 January 2011

Orkney







Todays photos were taken in the Orkney Islands which are a group of islands lying off the north eastern tip of Scotland. They have a magnificent history and during World Wars I and II the Royal Navybase at Scapa Flow played a major part.






We spent a holiday there a few years ago and what surprised me most was the lack of trees - possibly because they are very windy islands . Nevertheless they are beautiful in their own way.


The first of the photos is the airport!!!












Wednesday 12 January 2011

Slowly, slowly...

It's a quiet week so far. The writing's going slowly - very slowly - I'm always afraid to really knuckle down and get on with it when I'm waiting to hear whether the first chapters meet with approval.

Last night I cleaned out my sewing box - which was absolutely bulging. I threw half of the stuff away, old buttons, bits of trimmings, bias binding, etc. Stuff you keep just in case! The lid will close now and it's all tidy again. But for how long? I used to do a lot of sewing, I made all of my own and my children's clothes, but I'm afraid I don't do very much these days.


Monday 10 January 2011

The waiting game

The first three chapetrs of Robynne and Kendel's story, together with a synopsis, have now gone to my editor. Fingers crossed she likes it. I'm going to catch up with a few jobs around the house while I'm waiting to hear from her - although I might do just a page of writing each day so that I can keep it alive in my head.

Our bedroom badly needs redecorating so I have colour charts propped up on pillows trying to decide which colour I like. At the moment it's in shades of green which has always been my favourite colour - but I think it's time for a change. Maybe browns, or maybe - I've been thinking about this - one wall in a deep purply berry colour. The thing is it's not a very big room and I don't want to overpower it. What are your favourite bedroom colours?

Friday 7 January 2011

Foto Friday






Well, here we are, the first Friday of 2011, and as promised here are the first of my photos
taken during the recent snow we had here in England.







Isn't this tree absolutely gorgeous?

Below is the same area without the snow and is home to hundreds of deer. Although you can visit and never see any. This was a lucky photograph.

Wednesday 5 January 2011

Working Wednesday

I finished chapter three yesterday - and now I need to work out the rest of the plot in more detail before I send these first chapters to my editor. I preferred it when I used to let the story develop as I went along - I don't like plotting - things always changed anyway.



Wednesday is usually my art morning - but I had a phone call last night to say that the heating has broken down in the hall where we go - so no painting today. Which means I can get on with my writing. After I've been out to post some letters, and after I've ironed the washing I did yesterday! I was late getting up as well - due to a late night staying up to watch a James Bond film. I'm not a particular fan of James Bond but my DH likes to watch them and I hadn't seen that particular one so I joined him.



Don't forget Friday is now Foto Friday - so I plan to upload one of my 'snow' photographs. I'm glad the snow's gone now and hope it does't come back. It's actually raining today and it's not very warm - except here in my nice cosy study.

Sunday 2 January 2011

New Year Plans

That's it, another year over. A brand new year to look forward to. With all the hopes and aspirations that go with it. Last year I vowed to blog every day but it didn't work, so this year I'm aiming at three days a week.



Motivating Monday - when I hope to tell you my plans for the next five days.



Working Wednesday - a report on my progress.



Foto Friday - I have hundreds of photographs on my computer so I thought I would share some of them with you.



So - as it's Monday today my plan is to finish my third chapter and get it off to my editor. I'm actually struggling with these first chapters so I hope it doesn't bode ill for the rest of the story.



On the wall in front of me as I work is a quote by John Steinbeck - which says:



Write as freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or re-write until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on.



Mmm! Rewrite is an excuse for not going on! I rewrite a lot, I like to correct as I go along. Maybe I should change? Just get everything down swiftly.



How about you? What is your writing process?