This Writer's Life...
I survived
I had to give blood this morning. Shock, horror. Okay, so I didn't actually give it. I let them have just enough to check me out. I know, I know. One day, I'll be in a horrific chain saw accident, and I'll get to the hospital to find they're out of spare blood. "Sorry," they'll say, "but there are too many wimps in the world and we have no blood."
I'll do most things for a cup of tea and a biscuit but, unfortunately, giving blood isn't one of them.
…
That film!
So you all want to know what I thought of War Horse, don't you? What can I say?
Oddly enough, I wasn't terribly impressed. It depicts an oh-so-quaint England that I'm not sure ever existed, from the prettiest Devon village imaginable to the sweeping moors. The sunsets and the huge skies are out of this world - literally. Some of the sequences are brilliantly filmed but I was reminded of …
And finally...
…I may get to the cinema this evening. I'm in the process of having a stone floor laid in my kitchen but, assuming all goes reasonably well with that (and what can go wrong? ha!), Cinderella will go to the cinema.
You may remember that I couldn't decide whether to see Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows or J Edgar. So what am I seeing this evening (floor permitting)? That's right. War Horse.
…Just another manic Monday
I have that Bangles song stuck in my head this morning. You know the one… "I wish it was Sunday, 'Cause that's my fun day, My I don't have to run day, It's just another manic Monday…"
I have a lot to do today - errands to run, a final check on copy edits for Dead Calm, a To Do list the length of the M1…
Before I go, I need to point you in the direction of this: Cats as Fonts from It's a Crime (Or a mystery…)…
Love is in the air - apparently
I have to admit that today's Google Doodle is super cute and I love Pretty Woman and Love Actually as much as the next person. That said, I've reached the conclusion that I'm simply not romantic. I wonder if it's an age thing?
This morning's exchange with the man of my dreams went like this:
Me: God, is it that time already? Oh, happy Valentine's Day. (fumble around in near darkness for card and hand it over)
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Things I've learned this week
They say you learn something new every day. Is that true? I think it probably is. Here are a few things I've learned this week.
1/. Facebook can make me smile:
2/. Walking on packed ice covered in snow is easier for humans than dogs.
3/. Garden birds, especially robins, are pigs when it comes to cheese.
4/. Talking of pigs … there are 86 calories in a McVitie’s dark chocolate digestive biscuit. …
Ads to leave you speechless
In our house, we have conversations that go like this:
Me: "I need a shelf putting up in my study."
Nick: "Well, don't make too much mess. Make sure you Hoover up after yourself."
Me: "Ha, ha. Very funny."
or this:
Me: "I need some logs bringing up from the garage."
Nick: "Do you? If I were you, I'd make two trips. They're quite heavy."
Me: "Ah, you're a shining wit."
Which probably explains why I've never paid much attention to feminism. …
The novella
Sorry I wasn’t around last week. I was busy working on the edits for Dead Calm (coming to a device near you in June). I’ve struggled with this story for some reason and I can only imagine that the length is causing me problems. I’ve had hundreds of short stories published and a fair few full-length novels but this is my first novella. A short story is a comfortable, succinct 2,500 to 5,000 words long. …
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