I’d better be quick, as it’s 7.30 pm, and I haven’t even started the six pages of Chapter Three which I am scheduled to write tonight.  So far – frantically paw at any wood in sight -  I am keeping to my timetable, which I have stuck on the end of the bookcase behind me.  True, I got to the end of Chapter One and woke up the next morning realising that it was all wrong and that I would have to rewrite it entirely, but given that this usually happens when I’ve struggled as far as Chapter Seven, I’m taking it as a good sign, and feel as if I’ve saved myself at least six chapters of angst.

I had a lovely weekend in London, which was looking at its best at the end of May.  Went to the Chelsea Flower Show and bought a ridiculously large pot of the palest of pink lavender, which I then had to carry on the tube in the rush hour, not to mention all the way back to York, but it turned out to be an amazing icebreaker.  Everyone commented on the beautiful smell – free aromatherapy for tired commuters – and forgot to avoid eye contact at all costs, so it was all positively uplifting.  I suspect the glorious sunshine and the fact that it was Friday and a long weekend might have helped, but I am claiming most credit for plant power.

Actually, I was in London for research purposes (just in case any tax inspectors are reading this) as the current book is set there.  I thought Freya could work on the foreign news desk of a newspaper, which just happens to be the last job I had in London, but as this was some time ago now, I had a happy time wandering around with a friend discussing what she would be wearing, where she would live, the kind of bars she would go to, etc. etc.  I also had a moment of inspiration as we went past Chelsea Town Hall on the bus – cue Chapter Eight (or possibly Nine).   The crux of the plot is Freya winning a free honeymoon which she sees advertised in a magazine for brides planning their weddings.  I’d thought that this might involve a bit of poetic licence, but when I steeled myself to buy one of those magazines (pretty embarrassing at my age, I can tell you) what should I find but … a ‘win a honeymoon’ competition!  And they say romance has nothing to do with real life!