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| | I'm almost too embarassed to write this. Two weeks ago I finally managed to get Angel Hell on line. Took a while, but hey it's done. Also Angel has been revised it's better, sexier and if you bought the first one, I'll send you another for free! So mail me and let me know. Got to dash am not feeling good, self inflicted hangover I'm afraid but then at least I know I will improve!!! |
| | Finally I can truthfully say I am near the end of the misery that has been the completion of Angel Hell. May be I should have realised from the title! I have had to rewrite one scene probably 40 times now however now I am happy. It works the mercenaries live to fight another day and I haven't resorted to the James Bond plot line tactic, you know the one where instead of killing him for some reason they tie him up and fire a laser at him whilst the baddy strokes a cat and give him plenty of time to escape. So two weeks I reckon. Hopefully Bernard will be available to do his expert editing and as I already have the cover done I shall load it soon. Thank you for being patient!!!! |
| | Grovel, grovel, grovel. No blog, no book, no LIFE! Sorry hit a miserable and busy patch. Been focussing on mind bending weight loss strategies (exercise, exercise, exercise) and have not been writing. I have only dared to write this because I have just started re editing again and I would like to think it is actually starting to work. Sorry! When I am closer down the road I will let you know. I'm going to bite the bullet - more like Christmas now for book three. Well at least you've got an idea for a present! |
| | This is the end of a very late lunch hour. I lied about the donut I got licorice instead. So what's new? I'm in the process of editing book three. I know it is taking forever but it is coming. On a better note the cover has been done and it is FANTASTIC. I cannot get over quite how brilliant these people were. Not only did they do it immediately they did precisely what I wanted. So check them out - Etica Press - really cheap compared to many of them out there and I can truthfully attest they are very effective. Anyway you will be able to see it soon enough however (now comes the excuse) the reason why I am being so slow about getting Angel Hell out there is that I have been trying to get fit and lose some weight an uphill struggle I may add! Three years ago I stopped cycling to work when we moved to this dreadful office in the city. Since then I have put on 24, yes 24 pounds!!!!!!! So 6 weeks ago I started a fitness drive. I am doing Pilates 2 times a week, belly dancing once a week, kettle bells up to 3 times a week, bouncing on a trampoline up to 3 times a week, plus working out on my power plate once a week. I also have a hula hoop - ten minutes each night and I have been trying to go for a walk once a week of at least five miles culminating this weekend in walking Snowdon. I have also cut down on my alcohol intake (max allowed twice a week.) So no doubt you are all expecting that I am now at least 20lbs lighter - wrong. I lost 8lbs then put 3 back on last weekend whilst climbing Snowdon. Can you bloody well believe it? Talk about traumatised. Needless to say can you all now understand why I am so tired and have had no time whatsoever for writing. I am either at work, wobbling or desperately trying to sleep! Aaaargh! |
| | I know, I know I am not writing my blog as often as I should. Okay I am not writing my blog at all! I've been really busy honest! And really bored! You try writing a blog when actually all you feel is exhausted and dismal! So I am going to go out buy a really big donut and then come back and tell you all. Promise! |
| | Sorry, a million apologies. Book 3 - Angel Hell is complete and my dear pals Michelle and Paul are perusing it as we speak so that when they have finished it they can have a good laugh and point out the error of my ways. Not sure though perhaps if Paul could be the man at times he didn't know that dresses had skirts and that mines could be plural! Hmm, yes you are right as demented as me. So should be about a month I am getting my head around what i want on the cover, and need Paul to load it for me so that you can purchase away my beauties! I will let you know in truth if they like it. It is different to both of the other two except for the characters of course. I will spill all soon and of course you will get a little taster on the website! Keep in there and you shall be rewarded! |
| | Not much to report guys. Sorry I know book three is dragging a bit. Not had much time and have been working my socks off which has made me tired, ratty and not in the right frame of mind. Needless to say it hasn't done much for my communication skills but hey it's not like I have a world wide audience that is hanging on every word is it? Nope thought not! Anyway I promise it is building slowly and surely but I'll be honest I am trying to keep out too much bad language and gratuitous sex and violence however when you are writing about Hell's Angel's hmm - difficult. Saying that the Angels I knew years ago actually were pretty polite but then my language is so appalling I probably didn't notice. So another 50,000 words to go - don't flinch i have written 91,000. I am taking a week off after the bank holiday so should have at least four clear days of peace to do some serious writing. Then I shall try and get it to Michelle and Paul by September for them to slate or approve! So hang on chaps by Christmas it should be all yours! |
| | I may be making some headway folks. Yep long long story but have met someone who works for a publishers AND she likes my books. The plan is that she is going to help me with the presentation of my books and recommend them to the chief editor. So.....may be? Watch this space! |
| | This place is getting more like England by the minute. Today it is pouring down and cold, yesterday it was glorious. Perfect weather for me though. I have managed to write quite a lot today although my biggest problem is that I really am struggling to sleep. I woke up at two this morning despite walking at least five miles yesterday and having a swim, which meant I only got four hours last night, three the night before. And of course I have lost some time which I haven’t caught up yet. My eyes have so many bags under them, I look about 90. I also feel about 90 and I am struggling to concentrate… Anyway I have found the most amazing shop (at least for me). It’s an organic supermarket stocked with every imaginable food, plus homeopathic and health store goodies and medicines. Needless to say I have spent a fortune in there and bought so many potions if I don’t sleep tonight I will die of homeopathic overload. May be it’s because I haven’t been drinking! Not touched a drop since the plane and don’t feel like anything which is definitely a result.
And continuing with the England theme, the paper (the one they deliver free outside the door every morning) could be written in London – they have problems with unusual, out of season weather, falling house prices, builders going under, they are protesting about tax on fuel and inflation is climbing steadily. One thing that did make me laugh was an extensive article in the sports pages about how better off the European cup is without the overpaid, talentless no hopers that comprise of the England team (their words). They reserved some of their most virulent scorn for Steve Maclaren saying that after being in line for the title of worst most useless manager of all time, allowing him to be a pundit was like asking Mother Theresa to review the Golf. Couldn't agree more!
I could get very fat around here. I don’t think I have ever seen so many different types of restaurants in one street and they all look good. They even have a place that makes ice cream and you can choose what bits you want mixed in with it plus what type of cone etc. etc. I have had one so far but it was so enormous and so good I have banned myself from going anywhere near the place!
Needless to say where this place is nothing like England is in the fact that the service is great and everyone is friendly and very polite. And where it is nothing like the US is that everyone walks.
I am beginning to believe that Sunday was a particular aberration, apart from the tramps that roam everywhere and constantly root through bins the place is now filled with ‘normal’ people. I’ve even seen a few stars – the girl out of Ugly Betty was in Starbucks sat at the next table. I hadn’t quite made my mind up that it was her when someone asked her for an autograph. But then she didn’t write Ugly Betty so may be it was someone else!!! There was also a man off some cop program CSI five or something like that who got out of a limousine and I banged into him because I was craning my neck trying to check out some bikers who were roaring past. Anyway, he didn’t seem too impressed especially as I think I smacked him in the balls and then I know that I definitely stood on his toe as I tried to move on. I thought at one point his bodyguard (or may be his driver all I know was he was big) was going to dismember me but then once I pointed out I was a famous authoress – okay once I dived into the mall and ran into the toilet – he gave up.
Now I shall sign off. My epistle awaits!
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| | I've arrived via Zoom and got an Indian Taxi driver who couldn't speak English! Don’t be too excited about me putting pen to paper so to speak, this was the final stage of the master plan of me staying awake until it goes dark! Stage one was having a shower, getting changed and having a wander. Stage two was write a mail then go to bed. Stage three was wake up at 1:00am and not be able to fall asleep again! Vancouver may be beautiful, the mountains are spectacular, the outskirts green, the houses lovely - but not this bit! It’s a cross between Soho, Brixton and Southend - full of Asians, Asian shops and restaurants, Hispanic corner boys with slouching pants and caps, hard looking white men with tattoos and attitude and girls that look like they’ll do the splits for a bag of chips and spit in the street afterwards. There are tons of restaurants, coffee shops and ice cream parlours around there are also hundreds of oaps in polyester and bum bags (although I think they are all staying at my hotel.) The beach (called English Bay) is two blocks away, the sand quite rough and full of shale and it seems everything is banned on it – blow up beds, surfing, dogs, alcohol, swimming outside of designated areas. As given the fact there are tramps rummaging about in bins and people tearing up and down on bikes and skateboards, whilst others do pressups and ‘mock’ fight, I am wondering why they bothered, I think a bit of floating around on a lilo pissed could go some way towards redeeming the place!
About four blocks to the right of the beach is a huge park but I’ve only skirted the outside – despite the fact that this whole area seems to stay open all night I think that unless I have an armed escort it is likely I’ll be in by 9:00pm at the latest!! And in case I forgot I am about three blocks from Vancouver’s Gay community so there are also loads of men walking round holding hands and kissing.
The hotel is a result at least my room is as I haven’t got a room I’ve got a suite – it’s almost as big as my flat – in fact the living room is much bigger! I’ve also got a fully fitted kitchen, a small balcony and the bed could house most of the people on the floor. I’ve also got free wireless and my phone is charging okay.
Somewhere amongst the 38 floors there’s an indoor Olympic size swimming pool and steam rooms etc, it boasts three restaurants (one Kosher so home from home) and there is a mall attached to it with a supermarket, chemist, jewellery shop, grock shop and I can also get my teeth fixed if I want. I’ve already had a bit of nightmare already in that having carted my ergonomic keyboard all the way it decided not to play when I plugged it in. I was about to throw it out and seek out a new one tomorrow when I noticed that the troubleshooter software the one I had used to tell me how to go about fixing it, had also told me that the batteries were fine and fully charged even when I had removed them. So two new batteries later it is now working again!
Anyway now I am fading fast – I have seen about four Hells Angels already but now I have bought a map (not an ordinance survey one I am afraid) I am going to discreetly seek them out tomorrow (sort of).
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