Wonderful new website!

Bloody hell, but my new website has actually gone live. Sound the trumpets and begin general huzzahing!! You can see it here. I’d be delighted if you felt able to pop in and leave me a message via the contact form! And while you’re there don’t forget to admire Lord H’s stunning nature photography, which appears with some of the poems and on pages of novels with no front cover. Yet. So huge thanks to Lord H for designing and inputting it all – though I did work out how to do changes towards the end of the process, you’ll be relieved to hear … - and a thank you to Zen too for finally getting it live. (Of UK Hosts, we will of course say no more).

This very exciting news has also come at the right time as it’s stopped me mulling over the horrors of the first Monday of the year – Mondays are bad enough without having a whole year-full of them to look forward to after all. To cap it all, I was late in – no excuses; I simply couldn’t get myself organised to leave the flat on time. But this morning I have been making up for this cardinal sin by clearing out my emails and preparing more papers for the glut of January meetings ahead.

At lunch, I popped into see Gladys in hospital – she’s looking physically better, thank goodness, but still very confused and unhappy – old age is a terrible thing when you’re ill. Or maybe it's just a terrible thing full-stop. Sigh. And I shall no doubt spend this afternoon getting twitchy about what changes John will be asking me to do to The Gifting.

UPDATE on this: actually he hated it. And I have to say he didn't say it in a particularly pleasant way either. Though bizarrely for the first time ever, I don't mind on either count. Perhaps my writerly confidence is somehow growing after all?? Oo-err, missus! His main complaints were that it's not commercial enough, he doesn't like the MC (well, I didn't write it for him, to be honest, so I'm not terribly traumatised by that) and it's too romantic. Um, I feel - if I dare say it! - that the proverbial plot has been well and truly missed, as I've never been commercial. That is the whole point of me and my stuff!! I am not commercial. I don't write sympathetic men and there's nowt wrong with romance either. Still, it's not an entirely unhelpful critique, as he has at least made some suggestions for improving other aspects, which I am happy to do, and he did admit it was well-written. But it's a relief that this time I'll be able to have responsibility for The Gifting myself, whether it ends up self-published or taken on by a small publisher - I feel more at ease that way, to be honest. And the other good thing is that it takes away the hanging deadline of having to get it back to him for further mauling, ho ho! It took him long enough the first time round really, hush my mouth ... Ooh, isn't it time to mention my new website again? – it's here - still!

Tonight, I am trudging round Tesco’s stocking up on supplies – I swear that there is absolutely no food in the flat. How did that happen??? I have obviously taken my eye off the domestic ball and am hereby (hereby? hereby??) reaping the whirlwind. My, how I love a cliché glut – it does so cleanse the system. And (did I mention my new website? Ah yes, I thought so …) I have sent flowers to Lord H at work today to thank him for all the slog he’s put into designing and setting the site up. So I hope they arrive before he leaves! You can usually rely on Interflora, mind you. UPDATE - they did, hurrah!

Tonight, I’m planning to smile in a sad obsessive person way at the website (in case you’ve forgotten it by now) and maybe watch some TV. Possibly. If there’s time ...

And I've just finished reading J Philip Newell's Echo of the Soul. It was something of a trudge really. I think it could have been cut by at least half - maybe I'm just not spiritual enough but it did feel as if he were saying the same things over and over again until my brain seized up. And, though I surprised myself for thinking this, the constant quoting of poetry didn't help - it just didn't fit the points being made. Or perhaps it was all too deep for me??

Today’s nice things:

1. Hey, guess!!
2. Feeling strangely relieved that I can now deal with The Gifting myself
3. Lord H!

Anne Brooke
My wonderful new website - here!
Goldenford Publishers