Well, I never thought I'd enjoy writing this so much. Or that anybody would (apparently) read it. But I do keep being told by people that they "love" my blog; and having promised myself and my publishers and my lovely publicity person, Georgina Moore, that I'd do it once a month, then I guess it's time to hit the keyboard again. In fact I'm hitting it a bit late. I'd specially like to thank all the lovely people who wrote on my Facebook page to say they enjoyed it.
And of course, who write to say how much they like my books. This is always such good news; as I'm always saying, writing is pretty solitary and on a bad day (plenty of them) I do feel I'm only writing for me and the dog. So--please--keep on reassuring me! We writers are very insecure.
I haven't actually written much of the new book this week, as I was asked to write an article for the Daily Telegraph about Mr. Rochester (of Jane Eyre) who came top in a poll of fictional heroes . As I fell in love with Mr. Rochester aged 13 or thereabouts, and have loved him ever since (along with Rhett Butler and Max de Winter of Rebecca) I couldn't resist. It was altogether a very interesting list, with the classics featured heavily (Mr.Darcy and Heathcliff) but Rupert Campbell Black, Jilly Cooper's wonderful hero, was there too. I now have a new ambition: to have one of MY heroes featured in a poll. My special favourites are Miles in Old Sins and Sebastian in the Lytton trilogy; not sure if they can compete with Mr. Rochester though!
The Wimbledon Bookfest came and went; very succesfully and thank you to everyone who came along to it. I was completely thrilled to meet June Whitfield again; we were together many years ago on a radio programme called "Quote Unquote" and I can tell you, she is a total star, witty and fascinating as well as terribly nice.
My Girls Night Out culminated in a very drunken dinner party at my house, attended by my wonderfully funny and glamourous fellow Girls Night Out-ers, JoJo Moyes and Jessica Ruston and a few other people in the business, including the aforementioned Georgina Moore, who makes me laugh almost more than anyone I know and who can make the most exhausting publicity tour fun.
I did feel extremely ill the next day; but recovered enough to interview Sadie Jones, the author of The Outcast and Small Wars. She's an incredible new talent on the literary scene; I can't recommend her books highly enough. Incredibly moving and very very atmospheric.
I'm now off for eight days' holiday in Spain with the Dear One; it's part research, as Barcelona is figuring in the new book. It's such a boost for a plot when it moves around the globe: and for me following it! |But seriously, whole new storylines seem to happen, just because I'm in a different place; it's all part of the odd thing of plots taking me by surprise, and being shaped by the characters, where they are and what they're doing. In due course you, as well as I, will find out what takes place in Barcelona! I hope!
Penny V
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