The prayer seeker and other matters

Back to work this week but, due to the astonishing weather conditions, not for long. I managed to get everything up to date - or as near as darnit - on Monday and Tuesday, but then I woke up to a white and icy world on Wednesday, so worked from home. We'd assumed we wouldn't be able to get into the office that day - as the weather forecast was so horrendous - so took stuff with us to do. And what a lot of snow there is. I have to say though that it's been lovely having Lord H at home during the day for longer - we can have lunch together and all sorts of stuff. Just like the 1950s, you know. Not that I remember them of course - perish the thought! I fear though that the weekend weather looks to be no better than today or yesterday, so I shall have to brace myself for a possible train journey and general slog in on Monday. Assuming the University is fully open by then - we're working with essential staff only at the moment, as the campus and indeed most of Guildford is not pleasant. Whilst at home, I've finally got round to updating my job description - something I promised the boss I'd do by ... um ... December (whoops!) - and I think I now have something that more or less corresponds to what I do. But who can say? My brain goes blank when I have to think of such matters, sadly.

Other unexpected events have happened this week. I've started to write what I can only describe as a spiritual novel - about one man's journey to rediscover his more religious past. So yes, before anyone asks, that does make it personal. After a fashion. And I've found in my writing life that I can best express my own truths through the mouthpiece of a male character, so I make no apologies for that. It's simply the way it is. I'm calling it The Prayer Seeker. This time I've decided to blog it as I write, so you can find the first section (sensibly called The Beginning) here. Any comments or suggestions for improvement are very welcome. I'm rather feeling my way on this one.

Keeping to writing matters, I'm also rather pleased to see that my PLR (Public Lending Right) statement - which pays you for how many times your books are borrowed from libraries - tells me that 163 copies of Thorn in the Flesh were unaccountably borrowed between June 2008 and June 2009. Which gives me the grand total of £10, hurrah! Hey, I'm not knocking it - it's five times more than I earned the year before. I shall spend it wisely.

I've also finished the edits to The Gifting and have sent it back to my editor for her comments. I've added in what I hope will prove to be greater depth to Johan's character while I've been doing it, so all this agonising and long-drawn-out trawl to self-publication has been in that way at least useful.

Anyway, I hope everyone is keeping warm in this weather and not doing anything foolish. Stay well.

Anne's website - the snow queen of Surrey