After much hand-wringing and some discussion with friends and colleagues, I made a tough decision and sent a particularly heavy edit back to the author yesterday. It was taking me too long and I couldn't really do it any justice, as I was struggling to work out what the author was trying to say on... Continue Reading →
Chicken rustling
I had a relatively productive day yesterday. I stuck to my schedule and kept on top of the household chores. I did some writing work, a blog post, and some editing work. And I was able to finish work on time, or not long after. This morning I managed my first two Pomodoros on Catch... Continue Reading →
Starting a new editing job
I didn't have chance to do any writing on Thursday evening, as the poet had band practice and I had to do the shopping. So we had a quick tea, and then we both went out. The band had a new PA system they wanted to set up, so it was a slightly later than... Continue Reading →
Book review: The Mistress of Pennington’s
This feature is in association with NetGalley. The Mistress of Pennington's, Rachel Brimble Thanks to NetGalley and to Aria for an advance copy of The Mistress of Pennington's by Rachel Brimble. I quite liked this story. It was like a twist on the Mr Selfridge story. I found that the department store came to life... Continue Reading →
Still windy, still working offline
We had a relatively still night. When the wind drops, it's actually fairly mild – currently around 11 degrees Centigrade, but with plenty of sunshine during the day. However, at around 7am, the wind started to pick up again, and we can expect winds of up to 51 miles per hour by mid-morning. So I... Continue Reading →
Writing without power or internet
We're in the midst of another massive storm here in the UK and my internet connection keeps blowing out – on the phone and on the broadband. Fortunately, I can still do a lot of work when this happens, I just can't submit it or collect any new stuff. On Monday, for example, while we... Continue Reading →
Fitting my own work in somewhere …
We had another long weekend, this time for my birthday. And this time, it was more of a chilled, relaxing time. We saw the poet's mum on Friday evening, and we saw my mom yesterday. On the way home from seeing Mom, we nipped to Brueton Park in Solihull, where we had a picnic and... Continue Reading →
Book review: The Body in the Dales
This feature is in association with NetGalley. The Body in the Dales, J R Ellis Thanks to NetGalley and to Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of The Body in the Dales by J R Ellis. I really enjoyed the setting of this novel. As an adopted Yorkshire lass, I have some idea how... Continue Reading →
More lovely publicity
The Cadbury book has certainly stirred up some interest. Not only did I get a photo-splash in the Daily Mail, but after I posted last time, the Daily Telegraph also featured the book! I am absolutely over the moon. See the Daily Mail feature here. See the Daily Telegraph feature here. There are others popping... Continue Reading →
Timing
I was feeling overwhelmed last week, and started to steadily work through my outstanding piles of work. One of the jobs I did was send out a book proposal on Friday. I already knew the publisher was interested in the topic because we had discussed it, and others, a few weeks ago. But they'd asked... Continue Reading →
Getting out of the doldrums
I was feeling a tad overwhelmed this time last week when I posted about the various piles of work I had. But sorting them out and discussing it with the poet really helped. The first thing I did was finish the big proofreading job that was already in. That was completed yesterday and I nipped... Continue Reading →
Getting organised – so many piles of work!
Today I thought it might be a good idea to get myself organised. I have so many different projects on the go, it was time to weed some out. But before doing that, I wanted to put them into their own individual piles. Here is how my current Work in Progress (WiP) is looking (sorry... Continue Reading →
My (new) fat year: weeks 4 & 5 – changes
I am very gradually weaning myself away from the diet culture that only seems to benefit the diet industry by generating a lot of income for them and a lot of spending for me. Don't get me wrong. I have medical conditions that *do* have certain dietary requirements, as do other people. What I'm talking... Continue Reading →
My (new) fat year: weeks 2 & 3
The more reading and research I do, the more I realise that losing weight shouldn't be the main objective. Plus, my doctor assures me that I'm not worryingly overweight. However, I do feel that I should lose some weight, if only for the benefit of my knees and hips. And my digestive system. I'm not avoiding... Continue Reading →
Hard copy versus electronic copy proofreading
I don't normally edit or proofread on screen. I find I miss things and, anyway, reading hard copy exercises different eye muscles (apparently). So I usually print my editing and proofreading jobs off so that I can carefully work on the hard copy and then transfer the edits to the electronic version. I can also... Continue Reading →
A distraction-free week
I've had a very busy week, but it's been a good one. I've been working at a desk in the corner of the living room away from distractions on the computer, such as the internet, Facebook, playing games, etc. A while ago I turned off email notifications on my mobile phone. At first I was... Continue Reading →
52 books in 52 weeks: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. Here is book 44. Save the Cat! has been the last book on screenwriting that screenwriters will ever need since 2005, and then there was another, and another ... until there were five books using this tried and tested method... Continue Reading →
My (new) fat year: week 1
Four years ago, when we were preparing to get married, the poet lost around 2 stone (24lb) and I lost about half a stone (7lb). At our first weigh-in of the new year last week, the poet had gained half a stone (7lb), and I had gained about a stone (14lb). 😳 Last Monday we switched,... Continue Reading →
Week 1 didn’t go well
I started the year with great plans to catch up with the backlog and crack on with new stuff. (Wow, I got a dropped capital.) (Hmm, not sure if I like it or not.) It hasn't gone well so far ... I've checked the job boards every day, but nothing has taken my fancy -... Continue Reading →
My (new) fat year
Readers of Tales from Baggins Bottom will remember an old regular feature, My Fat Year. They may also remember how I yo-yo'd so much between losing and gaining weight despite trying several commercial diets that many suggested having some blood tests. I've had those blood tests, numerous tests in fact, in a bid to find... Continue Reading →
New Year, New Start
Welcome to a shiny new year. What are your plans for the coming months? We had a decent, relaxing holiday, with a very busy first half and a very lazy second half. The Saturday before Christmas was perhaps our busiest day. This was the day we went out and did ALL of the Christmas shopping.... Continue Reading →
Have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year!
It's been a fair week where I've finally organised myself and my work again. I've managed to write at least one blog post a day, and on Thursday I spent time on two blogs as well as some gig list work. I've given the blog a bit of a facelift, and I've learnt how to... Continue Reading →
Review: The Blinders, Social Bar, Doncaster
On Wednesday, we went to see Doncaster band The Blinders, as guests of the venue, the Social Bar, Doncaster. The Blinders were supported by Calva Louise, who opened the event. and were greeted by a packed audience. This punkadelic 3-piece is now based in Manchester, but they haven't forgotten their roots, often returning to play their home town.... Continue Reading →
Just messin’
Today was supposed to be the start of the new regime. I was going to have a good long look at the work I already have in and the work I already have planned and then I was going to put it into some sort of order. So far, I've updated the diary for the... Continue Reading →
I can see the end of the year from here … (*list alert*)
Looking back, it seems to have been a busy year with not a lot achieved. But then I remember that I had a book published in November, which I was still writing in April and indexing in October, we moved house (in the hottest summer on record for England), we lost 4 of our chickens... Continue Reading →
52 books in 52 weeks: How to Plan, Outline and Write Your Novel in 30 Days
I set myself the goal of reading and reviewing 52 writing guides over the year. It's actually taking two years, but here is book 43 anyway. How to Plan, Outline, and Write Your Novel in 30 Days is the latest guide from Amy Deardon. And I have to say ... it's possibly the best book... Continue Reading →
Book review: The Road to Grantchester
This feature is in association with NetGalley. The Road to Grantchester, James Runcie Thanks to NetGalley and to Bloomsbury for an advance copy of The Road to Grantchester by James Runcie. I'm a big fan of Sidney Chambers, so it was great to be given this opportunity to find out what led him to Grantchester. First... Continue Reading →
Back to normal … ish
We had planned on visiting my mom at the weekend, but the country was battered by storms last Thursday, and most of Saturday was spent rebuilding the greenhouse. I'd already spent time on Thursday and on Friday looking for bits that had blown off. But we live on the edge of a cornfield opposite a... Continue Reading →
NaNoWriMo comes to an end once more
Congratulations to all of my fellow NaNoWriMoErs who hit their target this year. Commiserations if you didn't reach your target, but don't worry. I failed for far too many years to mention before finally finding my NaNoMoJo, and now I've won 4 years on the trot. Well done to everyone who took part. It can... Continue Reading →
NaNoWriMo 2018 – day 29 (oops, I did it again!)
Well, I made it. Despite taking several days off, including an unplanned additional 6 days sick, I reached the finish line once again with a total of 50,270 words. I still have a way to go. The novel isn't finished and I'm going to keep it up. But after years and years of failing at... Continue Reading →
NaNoWriMo 2018 – intermission: days 22 – 28
We had a very busy weekend with Monkey Dust playing both Friday and Saturday evenings. Two very late nights on the trot automatically mean two very late lie-ins the next day too. I also had a massive proofreading job I wanted to finish, and I ended up finishing it at the gig on Saturday evening... Continue Reading →
NaNoWriMo 2018 – days 20 & 21
I didn't mean to take another day off. But yesterday I did a new assignment and by the time I got home something else happened to distract me from my writing: My book was published! The book was supposed to be published next year some time, but we did so well getting it ready, publication... Continue Reading →
We interrupt this broadcast …
I am delighted to announce that my book A History of Cadbury is now in stock. You can buy the hardback direct from the publishers at Pen & Sword or you can buy it from your favourite book dealer. It's currently only available as a hardback, but the paperback will follow in the usual due course.... Continue Reading →
