Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat,
Please put a penny in the old man’s hat…
Remember that? If you don’t, you’re not as old as me. A lot of people aren’t as old as me! On the book front, I’ve finished the first draft of the next, and I’m currently polishing it up before sending it off to editor Ciara on December 3 for her verdict. I’ll warn her not to send it back to me before January, so I can turn my attention to other things between now and Christmas – and there are plenty of other things to keep me busy. I have a children’s book to tidy up, and a couple of other picture book ideas floating around in my head, and my house is still a Christmas-free zone (pic shows my favourite ornament, which a pal gave me years ago) and I’ve barely begun shopping for gifts – as usual I’m clueless about what to get for whom, I’m the world’s worst gift buyer – and I also have the six cakes to ice, which is every bit as much of a chore as it was to bake them. Ah well, it’ll all get done like it always does, and I’ll definitely put my feet up on December 26, as I’ll be cooking most of the dinner on the 25th for my folks and a few family members. My sneaky plan is to escape to the holiday cottage a few days after Christmas and hunker down there for a few weeks as I get to grips with whatever edits will be needed on the new book. Publication next June – did I mention that? Seems far away now but I know from experience that once January and February get going, the months will flip past at an alarming rate.
As ever, don’t hesitate to get in touch through the Contact page if there’s anything you want to ask, or share. In the meantime, take care until next month, and Happy Christmas to you and yours. In the words of the late great John Lennon, let’s hope it’s a good one: we could all use a good one this year.
love

