Sunny Days ... and worms!

Well the Borders Book Festival is over and everything is packed away until next year. The weather stayed dry and sunny, which is rather nice because one year when I was there the heaven's opened and it poured with rain all day.

You will recall I had six copies of Divorcees.Biz on sale in the Festival Bookshop. They were simply on the counter with hundreds of other books. I really didn't think anyone would buy a copy as all the big named authors were speaking at the event and were all doing book signings.  Nevertheless three copies were sold, so I was really quite delighted about that.

Tomorrow, with a bit of luck, I am going to Newcastle with my friend. We are going to spend a few hours looking at the shops and then finishing up in the M&S Deli Bar in the food hall. Okay, I know I have told you this before, it is really wonderful chilling out in there with a glass of wine and a light lunch, before we both rush back to the bus stop for the bus home to Kelso.  We can't miss it, because it is the only one going all the way back up to Jedburgh where we have left the car.....  On the other hand - I have just had a lovely thought here - if we missed the bus we could spend the night in one of the motels on the Quayside and then do the whole thing all over again the next day.  Note to myself - must speak to Helen about that!!

Meanwhile all else is much the same here in Kelso. Except for the streets, which have been in an uproar for the last few months, and are still in an uproar. Traffic lights, cones and lots of red barriers are all over the place. To tell you the truth I have no idea why it is taking so long. Okay the pavements are being relaid and no doubt they are looking better, but did they really have to have every streetin turmoil at the same time?

But there must be more going on than new paving slabs being laid. Outside the Town Hall, right in the very heart of this lovely town, there is now a deep trench and, what looks like, new, green, concertina pipes are being laid. Or else there is one enormous green worm down there.

oh my goodness, now there's a thought! I don't know whether any of you have heard about the Lambton Worm, which, as legend has it, lived in a deep hole in Northumberland. The little worm was thrown there by someone who caught it while fishing believing that was the end of it. But unfortunately, the worm grew and grew to enormous proportions and terrorized the local people. So, what if this is the same sort of thing. A worm waiting to take it's revenge out on the locals... No! Leave it! Best not go down that road...

Well everyone, now that I have frightened the lives out of you, I am going to close and try to pick up the threads of the sequel to Divorcees.Biz.

Don't forget, Divorcees.Biz can be found on Amazon UK and Amazon.com.  It's a light-hearted, fun book to read while you are enjoying the sun, sand, sea and....... ice-cream. :-) Now what did you think I was going to say??

Cheers!

Borders Book Festival 2013

Today I called at the Borders Book Festival to take a photo of my novel Divorcees.Biz which is on sale in the Festival Bookshop. (My publisher suggested it might be a good idea.)  I had thought it might be quiet today as the events were starting late in the afternoon..

However it was not to be, the town was packed and parking in Melrose was horrendous.  I was moved on once by some guy with one of those little bug-like phones glued to his ear. He told me that coaches wouldn't be able to pass my little Ka. I pointed out that there were two enormous rubbish bins in front of me, but he simply shrugged and turned away.

Not wanting to cause a fuss, I went back to my car and drove around the town in the direction of the car park.  However, a large coach was parked across the entrance. Now if that was not causing an obstruction...  Best not go down that road.

Anyway, once I got parked, I walked back down to the Festival grounds. The place was packed with school children. I guess the schools had taken them to see the Marquees with the off chance they might meet someone famous.  But they had to make do with me :-)   I took a couple of photos of the bookshop and my books on the table before coming away.  I hope you like them and will pass the word around that my little novel, Divorcees.Biz is on sale alongside books whose authors are giving talks at the four day festival.

Cheers everyone!!

Some Good News!

Well I have a bit of good news today. Two pieces of good news, actually. No, I haven't won the lottery, which reminds me, I need to buy another ticket. Winning the lottery would be more than good news - it would be an absolute miracle.

No! Unfortunately, my good news is much more down to earth than that.  Nevertheless, I want to share it with you.

Firstly, The Borders Book Festival, which is held in Melrose a few miles west of us, agreed to add a few copies of Divorcees.Biz to the shelves of the Book Festival Shop. Now before you all sit back and have a groan, saying 'the people will only go for the big names,' can I just add that I know that already. But I will still have a presence. Signed copies of Divorcees.Biz will be up there with the big names.  So if you know of anyone who is going to the Book Festival, ask them to at least lift my book from the shelves.  You never know, they might like the feel of it and buy a copy.  The Book Festival begins on Thursday 13th June and runs for four days.

My second piece of news is that my publisher tells me Divorcees.Biz is going to be free to download on Kindle for the next few days. Therefore if you want to take advantage of the offer, then head over to Amazon UK  and Amazon.com right now before you miss out.

But there is also a little something else.  If you would like your copy on kindle to be signed, then follow this link to Authorgraph and then follow the instructions.  I have no idea how this works, but somehow it does as I have been asked to sign a couple of copies recently.

That's all for the moment,

Enjoy the sun while it lasts,

Cheers!!

The Sun is Shining and All is Well

Well the good news this week is that I went shopping in Newcastle with my friend. It has been weeks since I was last there as my husband has been so poorly, so as you can imagine, I spent some money. Well I say 'spent' some money, but actually no cash exchanged hands. No! That part will come when my credit card company send me the bill.

It is so easy when you use a credit card. Because no money changes hands, it doesn't feel as though you have actually parted with the cash. The notes in your wallet are still there, yet you have a bag full of shopping. It is only when the bill comes at the end of the month that you realise that now comes the crunch and you have to pay up.  On the other hand, I never feel quite so bad about paying up because it means I have a clear card and I can do the whole thing again next time.

Okay, I realise that is a crazy way at looking at it, but it works for me. I am happy, the stores are happy and the credit card company is happy, so I guess it has worked for everyone else, too. That's my theory, anyway.

After a great deal of discussion, my husband and I decided that we needed a new bed. So after several days of putting off the moment, we set out on Wednesday to the store in Selkirk as they have lots of beds to choose from and I really wanted to bounce around on them all just like they do in the adverts on TV.  However, when we got there, the one and only lift was broken. Therefore, as the beds were all upstairs and my husband can't do stairs anymore, we couldn't look at the beds after all and my moment of leaping about was lost.  It seems the lift has been out of order for about three weeks. I wonder how many customers have been lost due to the lift repair men not being able to repair it. Ah well, that's life I guess. I suppose it could have been worse, the thing might have broken down with us in it. If that had happened we could have still been stuck in it to this day!!  It doesn't bear thinking about  :-(

Today, we are waiting for the Gas man to call as it is time for the boiler to be serviced. I have to say that this boiler has served us well for the last fourteen years and long may it continue. Anyway, we shall see what the guy has to say today. Hopefully the service will keep it going for a while longer.

So that has been the excitement for this week - a trip to Newcastle, then to Selkirk and the disappointment of broken lift and today the Gas man.  Except of course for the weather. It has been glorious all week and I gather from the forecasters it is going to continue over the weekend. So at least I end on a high note - well almost. I donated three copies of my latest novel to the libraries in this area. However it seems two have been lost in the system... how disappointing is that??

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Cheers!!

Plan A or Plan B?

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. However, my husband was in hospital last week  and I have been dashing back and forth like a maniac possessed!

Thankfully he is home now, though he still has to go back as an outpatient for a couple more tests & scans. But I have to say that things are certainly on the up.

Our local hospital is very good, considering the cut backs and everything else our government are doing to ruin our wonderful health service - though they won't admit it. Oh no! As far as they are concerned, the health service is safe in their hands.  Really?? Even I could tell them where they are going wrong.  But don't let me get started on that. This is supposed to be a fun blog. Somewhere you can come and read a few lines and chill out for a few minutes.  Well that's Plan A.

It is so easy to say that you want to keep the blog light. But I always manage to end up having a moan about what is going on in this country. Let's face it, we do have plenty to moan about and I shall certainly have something to say when the MP's start knocking on my door at the next election. But there I go again. I will try to think of something light-hearted to tell you about. How about I try Plan B?

I haven't bee to that wonderful place called Newcastle for sometime now - what with my husband being poorly and then rushed to hospital. However, my friend and I will have to have a think and try to make it one day in the near future. My friend went on her own one day a couple of weeks ago and she told me it wasn't the same without me there. Wasn't that nice?  She even brought me a couple of cans of Gin with a hint of Elderflower just to make me think I had been there. I have to say, they really were very enjoyable. I'll have to put that on my shopping list!! Anyone else out there like Gin & Tonic? If so, you should give it a go.

I am still plodding on with my latest novel. You might recall the title is - I Haven't a Clue'. I have managed to to around 9,000 words down, so I really will have to get my head around catching up.

Divorcees.Biz is doing very well out there. Can I just say that if you are planning to jet off to the sun, then Divorcees.Biz is the perfect read while you are chilling out on the beach. It's light-hearted and easy to read. Available from an Amazon near you. If you would like a me to sign your copy on Kindle, then please go to Authorgraph and I can do that for you. Isn't technology wonderful??

Well I think that's all for the moment.

Have a good day wherever you are

Cheers!

PS  Recently I read a western novel called Calico By Dorien Grey, which I really enjoyed. I have since learned that it is now available as an audio book, so if your prefer to listen to a story, then why not check it out on Amazon?

Odds and Ends!!

I'm afraid I haven't really anything exciting to blog about at the moment. Not that I ever have. But today I can't even drum up a bit of nonsense about my trips to Newcastle, as I haven't been for quite some time. I can't mention anything about the last coffee morning in our village, as we weren't there. Nor were we at the fish & Chips supper and, to top it all off, we won't be at the Race Night,being held this evening.

You might be wondering why our social lives have taken such a sudden decline. Unfortunately my husband has been very poorly for the last couple of months. He has been in so much pain, he has hardly been able to move. Hopefully the Doctors are on to it no, so with a little bit of luck and a fair wind, they should get it sussed and then we can get back to some sort of normality.

I don't know why I said 'and a fair wind', as we have had nothing but strong winds for the last few weeks. For some reason, the wind seems to like it here in the Borders because once it came it decided to set up shop and stay here.

You'll recall I mentioned that I had started a new novel, called 'I IHaven't a Clue'. Well I'm afraid I haven't got very far with it. Only about 6000 words. Which means I am going to have to get my head around it and get back to writing about the four ladies who set up a detective agency.

I seem to have done a great deal of reading lately and have just finished a book called The Final Winter by Iain Rob Wright.  I really enjoyed it and it kept me glued to my chair, which is probably why I haven't been writing!

Well I won't keep you any longer except to remind you that The People's Book Prize competition will be closing 20th May. Therefore if you would like to vote for Divorcees.Biz, then please head over to the website now. The link is above...  Oh what the heck! Here it is again  The People's Book Prize  A big thank you to everyone who has already shown their support by voting.

Have a great day wherever you are.

Cheers!!
PS  I have just watched this and I simply had to share it with you. Follow this link and enjoy! It is so cute. But vote first!!  :-)

http://www.youtube.com/embed/bu_E2f0mQmI?rel=0

Head Down Again!

I am at it again. I think I might have mentioned that I have started a new novel called "I haven't a Clue."
Well, if you didn't know, you know now.

Yes I have started a sequel to Divorcees.Biz.  Now I can hear you asking why I would want to start another novel about the four ladies who have given me so much grief over the last few months, and quite honestly, I did wonder that myself.  But you see a few people asked me what happened next??  What did the troublesome foursome decide to do with their lives when they closed the dating agency.

My first answer was, I haven't a clue, what they did. And it was true, I hadn't given it a single thought. But then my ladies started to complain that they wanted more from me, they wanted to come alive again. So for the sake of a little peace and quiet, I decided to dream up another story about them.

Though I tend make up my stories as I go along, I do like to have a title in my mind, something to work with. So I decided to go with my initial thought "I Haven't a Clue" so that's it, That's the title.

So hear I am, around 4,500 words into the tale.  Okay, I have a long way to go. But at least I have made a start and my ladies have stopped nagging at me - well at least they have for the time being.

By the way, if you haven't yet read Divorcees.Biz it is available on Kindle and in paperback from Amazon. There are some great reviews up there, too. Well, a tiny few aren't so great, but you know something, we can't win them all

My friend and I haven't been to Newcastle for a few weeks.  And before you ask, there hasn't been any snow to stop us. It's just my husband hasn't been at all well and I wanted to be here.  But you know what? He is looking a great deal better, si hopefully we will be on the bus, trundling down the road very soon.

I think that's all for the moment, but if you would like to vote for Divorcees.Biz in the People's Book Prize there is still time. So why not head over there now.

Take care all and have a good day,

Cheers!!

Ups! and.... Ups!!

I have some very good news today - yes, there are still some good things happening in my world, though I agree, not as often as I would like :-) The good news today is that  my husband is feeling ever-so slightly better this morning. He has been quite poorly for the last two months. But this morning I could see an improvement, so I do hope it continues.

I had to cancel a routine appointment at the Edinburgh Infirmary, as I didn't think he could get up there. You will recall the Edinburgh infirmary is the one with the oh-so uncomfortable seats downstairs in the reception area. (Well, that's my opinion anyway.)  Instead our doctor has made some appointments closer to home.

The other 'UP' in my life is that my publisher tells me that nearly 450 paid copies of Divorcees.Biz were downloaded during the month of March. How cool is that??


My four ladies were absolutely delighted. In fact they were so excited, they wouldn't let me get to sleep the night I heard about it. They kept bursting into my mind, as they sipped their champagne.  I do hope all you lovely people who bought the book enjoy it and that it brings a smile to your face. It is meant as a light-hearted, fun read. Something to blow away the long winter blues.

Now if I could just get a few more votes in The People's Book Prize competition, I think it would make my week.  Quite a change from last week, when I told you it was Let's Bash Eileen, week. Thankfully, I am getting over that one. Therefore, if you would like to vote then follow the link - People's Book Prize and register. They will send you a password to use during the voting procedure.

That's all for the moment, but watch this space...  there could be more to come...

Have a great day, I hope you are all having a good day!

Cheers!!