Strawberries, missing people and story success

Managed an early shopping expedition to Godalming today as there's really no time in my action-packed day tomorrow. I attempted to stock up on Dead Sea soap at the health shop but they had none, although the search was made more complicated by the fact that the poor temporary lad in charge couldn't find the shop lights. Neither could he work the cash till so I had to pay for my £1.95 Tea Tree soap alternative by card. Poor chap - you'd think they would have briefed him before throwing him to the wolves. I hope he survives his day. I also renewed my various prescriptions at the doctors, though I had to go back this afternoon to collect them as the pharmacy were out-of-stock this morning. I wonder if I should have asked for the Dead Sea soap from them as well? Too late now, I fear ...

Here's this morning's meditation:

Meditation 107

If I’d been told
that after a holy war

I was ordained
to die

I wouldn’t be
quite so keen

on summoning the troops
as Moses is.

I really do think Moses should have been a tad more cunning about the whole "fight now and die immediately afterwards" thing. A little forward thinking never comes amiss when it comes to God, especially amongst the prophet classes ...

For the rest of the day I've scratched out my 1000 words to Hallsfoot's Battle, thus bringing me into the middle of the 109,000 range now. Mind you, it was bloody hard work. I mean, after you've send one enemy soldier into the great hereafter, what the hell do you do for an encore? Best bring the mind-executioner in more fully, I feel - he can usually think of something horrible and obscure to do. Hmm, that's the trouble with these dang authors, isn't it? They always blame the characters for their own screwed-up minds. Ah 'twas ever thus.

I've also written a comic erotic poem about strawberries. Well, it's so nearly the season and some poor punter has to do it, so it may as well be me. It even rhymed, Lord preserve us. Whatever next? Ooh and other fun writing news is that First Edition Magazine say that the response to my interview in their May edition has proved very positive, and they've asked me to offer signed copies of a novel or two for a competition they're running in June. Gosh, that's hugely exciting, and I'm very grateful to be asked. I only hope somebody enters. Last time I ran a competition for one of my novels (on my blog), only two or three wonderfully kind people took pity on me and sent in an entry, so that was rather high on the embarrassment stakes for sure. I hope that First Edition have more success with it!

Keeping on the writing theme, I'm pleased to say that Perpetual Magazine - who will be showcasing me as their featured poet in May/June (heck, did I mention that this week already??) - have also just accepted one of my Bible stories, The Rock, for publication as well, so that's a much-needed double-whammy dose of good news, hurrah! Thank you again, Russell.

Tonight there's a programme on TV about missing people, so I absolutely must watch that. It's a terrifying and fascinating subject. I think one day I'll write something about a missing person, but not for a while. One of my old schoolfriends went missing a long time ago during my first year as an undergraduate and I can remember the police coming to my college to interview me. It was all very surreal and I remember being totally confused and very blank about it. Probably shock, I suppose. Thankfully, she was found safe and well after a couple of days, but she never really talked about it and eventually we lost touch. Lordy (says she with the ice-cold heart of a writer), that's probably my plot, Carruthers.

Today's nice things:

1. Poetry
2. Writing Hallsfoot
3. First Edition's competition plans
4. Short story acceptance
5. TV - sort of.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website - having slightly peculiar ideas about fruit