Writing update and leaping fish
When I last left you, I was buried in edits for my next book (provisionally titled Too Nice? and out in August). So what’s happened in the last week?
- I finished the first round of edits and sent them gleefully back to my editor with a huge sigh of relief. The first round is the hardest, in my experience, with chunks being added, deleted, moved around. Next, if I’ve done my job properly, will be the line edits. If I’ve moved the wrong chunks into the wrong place, or done an Ernie Wise (the right chunks, just not necessarily in the right order…) it’ll be first round, take 2.
- I’m back writing The Christmas Book (aka The Christmas Hotel). To date my word count stands at 28,000 and, according to my haphazard outline, I’m just over half way through the story. Some has been written outside on the patio. Sitting in the sunshine, writing about romance at Christmas – it’s a tough job, but I’m manning up to the task.
And the leaping fish?
We have eight Koi, six we’re enjoying watching grow and two (Mahrez and Vardy. No I didn’t name them. Yes, my husband is a Leicester City fan) we’re enjoying even more, watching the big buggers dashing round the pond.
Mahrez has recently taken to leaping out of the water in a dolphinesque manner, though with slightly less style. By the time I’ve grabbed my phone to record his antics, he’s had enough, so you’ll have to take me on trust. We were chuffed to think we had the only magical dancing Koi, until we looked it up on line. Apparently Koi start to leap out of the water during the mating season, when the males chase the females. So perhaps Mahrez is actually a girl, and there is a beautiful romance going on in our pond.
Or perhaps he’s keen to be a youtube sensation. We’re buying hoops next week. Watch this space.