Writing, tornados and chickens down Wexico Way!

I know I’ve been a bit lax in getting a new post up in my blog, but I haven’t been taking a long siesta down Wexico Way, honestly! Life has been pretty hectic with lots of family commitments not to mention the great excitement of my baby Nate finally finding his walking legs (proud Mummy alert) and the arrival of chickens to our front porch.
Yes, I did just say chickens! Vanessa, Nana and Leah as they are now called, named by my daughter Amelia who is in enthralled by them.
I have no idea who owns the chickens, but they are as regular as clockwork and turn up every morning and brazenly stroll up to our porch and take roost before giving us a rousing rendition of that old dawn classic Cock a doodle do!
I’m sure a local farmer must own them but they seem to have taken a liking to the H residence. And despite the poop situation on our porch, I’m finding myself growing fond of good old Vanessa, Nana and Leah. Now if they’d only oblige with some eggs while visiting I’d be most appreciative!

I digress, as I often do! Despite the distractions of life. I’ve been writing furiously getting book no 2 ready for submission to my agent Tracy.
Version 1 I actually wrote while on maternity leave with my daughter two years ago and at the time I thought it was a pretty decent first draft. But on closer inspection I realised that post pregnancy happy hormones had completely altered my whats good or bad taste antenna! Actually looking at some pictures of my post pregnancy wardrobe only confirms that very fact.

So I’ve been working on draft 2 and it’s all finally coming together. I’m in my creative zone now and reckon I can get this book ready by the end of this week. Then the fun begins – editing! But also that’s where good friends come in. Get your pens ready ladies. Two friends have been getting previews of what I’ve written each week and its been amusing me no end to hear their comments.
‘What exactly do you have against commas?’ One friend asked.
And from the other, ‘Whats the Craic with your love affair with the space button?’
Guilty as charged! Thank God for spell check and friends with a good eye for detail!

Thankfully, along with their quite frankly smart comments about commas and spaces, they have both been also reassuring me that they are loving the book. And that is something that has been worrying me no end.
I was blown away by the response that BGR has received and is still getting. But I’ve been questioning myself late at night about this new book. What if I am a one trick pony? Us writers and our feckin fragile egos eh?
So the other day I was beside myself with excitement when I was chatting to one of my friends who is reading the new book. (Ok I know, she’s a friend but still…..)
She said, wait for it, ‘I think that this book is ………. Better than BGR!’
Cue said author with extremely fragile ego falling to floor weeping with relief. Or something close to that.

This new book is about Sarah. She’s a lot going on in her life as her husband has recently disappeared into thin air and while trying to look after her three children, juggle the mounting bills and find her missing husband, she’s also trying very hard to hold onto her sanity as she has started to see an angel called Edward who tells her she’s psychic and needs to start using her gift to help others.

It’s great fun writing it and I’ve loved having a couple of baddies in this novel. In BGR cancer was the big baddie, in this the baddies are of the flesh and blood variety!

I had a slight set back late last night. I spent the day writing and continued when the kids were asleep in bed. And then all of a sudden at 2.30 am whilst in mid sentence the electricity went. The tornado winds finally arrived in Screen and whilst the wind and rain ravaged the outside of our house, my computer just went blank. My laptop didn’t like the tornado either it seems. Luckily I had saved 30 minutes before this so only lost about 200 words or so.

I swear it was like a Stephen King horror last night. Pitch dark and all I can hear is something loud being thrown about outside our window. It turns out this morning that our coal bunker, (it’s mahooosive!) lost the battle with the winds and was pegged about like it was a football. How Mr H and the little H’s slept through it is beyond me.

And to top off the fact that I was imagining all sorts as I heard the strange noises outside, I began to fret about Vanessa, Nana and Leah. I could swear I heard them clucking away at my window.

Anyhow, peace is now restored down Wexico way. Sun is actually shining and the winds have lost their puff. In between naps and play school today I will continue writing. Maybe I might even get to write those fabulous words ‘The End’.

One more thing to share before I go, watch this space as I’m working on some lovely posts for the blog.
I am writing some pieces including interviews about ordinary people who happen to have extraordinary lives due to a quirk of fate. I’m deeply moved by the stories these people are sharing with me and I hope you all will be too. These include a mother of a special needs daughter and a young woman who has fought a battle with breast cancer, with lots more to follow.

Right, back to the day job. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has kept the little H’s occupied for the past 30 minutes while I wrote this. But the natives are getting restless. X

Here’s a pic of Vanessa, Nana & Leah. And I’m happy to reassure all chicken lovers that they are all back visiting, unlike my coal bunker, they weathered the storm!

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