I finished From This Day , read it, then didn't like bits of it, so went back and did some major editing. It is, I hope, now done. I will read it right through tomorrow, and then it will be proofed. That is, if I like it. That is, if I don't read it and think, "This is terrible ." I am praying that this will not be the case and that next week the book will be uploaded to Amazon, and then I will start plotting out Book 3 in the series which will be Lydia's book, to round it up to a nice three-book series, but of course, there will be more books afterwards.  In fact, I'm already pondering what will come next! ~ Maddie.  

I was in a charity shop today, perusing the CDs and DVDs as I love to do, when I spotted a Christmas album from Neil Diamond. I've never been a Neil Diamond fan as such. I don't think my parents were either. But I do love Christmas albums, so I bought it and of course, when you buy something, you have to try it out.  So I've been playing this Christmas album, while I've been working on the edits to From This Day , and the album is just delightful. There is actually a song I didn't know called "You make it feel like Christmas." A lovely song, too.  Now, it is only May, and Christmas is months away, but why wait? A definite hit for the Summers playlist in December! ~ Maddie.

Excerpt time! To background this excerpt, Katie has admitted in the hearing of her boss's lawyer that she thinks said lawyer, James, is pretty hot. And, to her mortification, James had been in ear-shot and heard it. Here's the excerpt: Katie double-checked they couldn’t be heard. “No, thank goodness. So far so good. I don’t think word has gotten around but then if it had, that would have been yesterday. It would be old news now. I hope.” “Then I wouldn’t worry about it,” Camille dismissed. “Considering Jenny from Accounts said the hottest guy on the planet was that rapper who was young enough to be her grandson, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” “Except there’s a difference,” Katie said as she hung her coat on the hook, “between some guy you’ll never meet and your boss’s best friend who you do meet. Frequently.” Katie glanced over at the closed door of Danny’s office. “However.” She smoothed her hand down her skirt. “As long as James Rutherford doesn’t come in today, or t...

Good grief, its nearly half-way through the year. Lamenting that is a sign of getting older, I suspect. Along with the health thing. You know what I mean. You catch up with your siblings you haven't seen for a while and its all about the health. I just spent a week with my brother who was a bit of a heavy drinker in his younger days with a not-great diet and has done an incredible 360 to the point of being obsessed. On the plus side, even though he came to stay with us, he did his own cooking. Bought his own food. Which was actually pretty neat, much as I like cooking. I have to admire him for doing that, making such big changes in his life, but he did have a health issue he wanted to correct. Not a big one but all the same, he did it and lives an incredibly healthy life.  Anyway, it was great seeing him and going out with him, and doing some walks and visiting museums and being tourists, and so on. But it did mean that once again, it was ten days where no writing got done. Not tha...

Just an update on  From This Day , the story of Katie from Bluebell Road. I am looking tentatively at a May 15 release date. (Random pic of a book, below.) Here's an excerpt from early on the book: “YOU WILL JOIN us?” James said forty-five minutes later as Katie set the bag on the desk. He was leaning against the window, his back to the very uninspiring part of London the office overlooked.  “Yes, join us,” Danny said belatedly, although he didn’t look terribly happy. James gave her an encouraging nod. She said, “I left mine on my desk.” “Then bring it in.” Danny reached over to study the containers. “Do it for your boss,” James said, gesturing to Danny. “He’s beginning to lose his mind.” “Lost it when I said, ‘I Do’,” Danny muttered. “Never get married, Katie. Never, ever, ever.” James rolled his eyes and she said, “Okay, I’ll get my lunch.” She stepped outside where Camille was back at her desk. She looked up and demanded, “What’s the atmosphere like? What are they doing?” “...