Getting out more

I've been spending a lot of time typing in the attic recently, and have noticed I've started talking to the cat. No disrespect to Albert, but I'm not sure it's healthy. I think maybe I need to get out more. 


Last week gave me two opportunities to do just that. On Thursday I spent the day in Oxford with my publisher.

My publisher's rather impressive front door.

We discussed plans for a school tour to coincide with the publication of 15 Days Without a Head, then had lunch with the publicity team, my editor and my agent. A definite improvement on sandwiches in the kitchen with the cat.

Friday morning found me stumbling out of bed at four-thirty to catch the 6am train to Birmingham for a Writers in Schools day at the MAC, organised by NAWE. I managed to stay awake and do some work on the journey, and arrived in time to have breakfast with the squirrels in Cannon Hill Park. (Where's Johnny Morris when you need him?)

Judging by his eyes, I suspect this fella was on his way home from a big night out 

On the train home I finished reading The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan. Page-turner is an over-used phrase, but in this case, entirely deserved. A superbly paced thriller with some nice twists and well-rounded characters – I couldn't get to the conclusion fast enough. The Long Weekend deals with child abduction and abuse, but the subject matter is handled deftly, so that the threat feels horribly real without any explicit content. Although the reader doesn't witness any actual abuse, we know it has happened and see the very real consequences in the transformation of the characters. Recommended, but not for younger readers.