Counting my blessings

It's Mother's Day and my eight year old woke me at 7am with the declaration, 'It's seven o'clock!' Possibly this is what her teacher refers to as her 'concise approach to factual information' which, we are told, probably means she's going to be good at science.

I am giving thanks for the return of my writing vibe. I managed to get down 2,000 words of an entirely new novel on Friday, being the second book in the planned crime series. I've settled on a format that means I can relax and enjoy the process, which is vital at this stage. Thanks also to my support network of writers (you know who you are) who enthuse, inspire, assist and generally lend power to my writing arm when I need it most. A special mention to the wonderful crew at Fiction Workhouse under the tireless stewardship of Vanessa Gebbie, who is never less than generous with her time and talent.

Finally, a sigh of grateful relief for the change of novel I am reading. I have put aside When will there by Good News? by Kate Atkinson (too chick-litty for me, I'm afraid) and taken up the far more robust and rewarding Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith, whose description of a character's smile 'staggering back' to his face made me grin hugely.