Printers, postcards and prickles

Well, gosh. Across the pond, Maloney's Law has now been sent to the printers so all I'm waiting for at this point is (a) publication and (b) to hold a copy in my hot little hand. Double gosh. Goodness me, how English my emotional response is. Inside however, I'm screaming and hanging out the bunting. I'm hoping that Maloney will sell more copies than my other books have but, most of all, I'm hoping readers will get something out of it. I know I certainly do, no matter how many times I read it through.

Back in the working world, I am still staring at the Personal Tutors' handbook and worrying about the concept of "mapping". I've produced something - in fact two somethings - but Lord only knows whether it's right or not. Still, my lunchtime reflexology session made everything seem right again - and I even fell asleep in the middle. It set me up for this evening's brief pop into see Gladys. Good to know I'm still her Most Hated Visitor, even though she does soften slightly at the sight of the birdseed I bring for her table. It strikes me that big publishers are very much like Gladys indeed - perhaps I should put birdseed in my next novel submission? It's a thought anyway.

Meanwhile, I'm reeling from the shock of reading tomorrow's Team Away Day agenda. I blanked out at the third word, which was "strategy" and by the time I got to "future development plans", I think I'd lost the will to live. I hope the day itself isn't going to be as dry as the agenda - thank God I ordered ice cream for lunch. I suspect we'll need all the refreshment we can get, and more so as apparently it's going to be a scorcher.

Oh and my postcard from Portugal finally arrived in the office - one month after I sent it. Must have gone by river bus then. My how everyone laughed. But not as much as they laughed at the sight of me attempting to store a particularly long package on the windowsill and getting the cactus attached to my forearm. Bugger. Thankfully Carol sped to the rescue with scissors and a ruler and beat the thing back. What a heroine. I was deeply moved, so moved in fact that I've resorted to verse:

Office Incident Number 101

Just when I think
everything is running smoothly

the cactus I've forgotten
bites my arm with elongated teeth

and won't let go.

It takes a pair of scissors,
one ruler and two friends

to dislodge the beast.
And they say I'm prickly.


Tonight, I think I'll do some more to Hallsfoot's Battle. I'm not entirely sure what the mind-cane is going to do to Talus (poor boy), but I'm sure I'll think of something.

And here's a late entry haiku, as I forgot it yesterday:

The hot blue dawn melts
amongst the night's slow blossom.
Autumn woods drift by.


Today's nice things:

1. Maloney going to the printer
2. Reflexology
3. Writing.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website
Goldenford Publishers