We had a few technical problems with the blog over the summer, which meant that my August blog didn’t appear, but I did write it, I promise!  I have to admit I was rather hoping that I could think of it as God’s way of telling me not to pursue the blogging side of life, but no, it appears things have been resolved.  Curses.  Now I will have to think of something to say …

It seems a long time since I actually did any writing.  I had a few straightforward revisions to do on the last manuscript (I’d overdone the heroine’s initial misery at being dumped by the love of her life, apparently, and I had to change a reference to the hero wearing long johns, which while practical in a ruined Highland castle were deemed not romantic enough) so got those done before I went off on my holiday, sorry, research trip.  I have to say, having done three books on the trot, I was very glad to go away and forget all about writing for a bit.

As it happens, though, we did quite a bit of plotting while bobbing around in the wonderfully warm sea or with our feet up on the balcony rails, whisky in hand.  Diana came up with the ideas while I bleated about emotional conflict.  Of course, ideas that seem fantastic after a couple of whiskies can seem less convincing in the harsh light of day, and I often have a lot of trouble remembering what seemed so brilliant the night before, so this time Diana jotted down notes as a kind of “stream of consciousness”.  I am looking at them now and hoping I can decipher it all – I do remember it all seemed very funny at the time!  I would really like to write a more light-hearted book next time, especially as it will be my 50th, but fear that emotion is the name of the game at the moment.  To be honest, I feel as if I’ve had enough emotion to last me a lifetime this year, so I hope I can at least lighten up a bit.  I’m ready for a bit of fun, in fiction as in life!