Good Day Today

Now that I've dealt with the galley for The Captain and The Countess, I'm free to return to my new novel, Sunday's Child. Very pleased because I revised two chapters before going to the local allotment society.

The flower bed to the left of the steps leading up to my house was looking dreary so I bought some polyanthas. On the way home I popped in to my daughter's house to give my grandson a few items he needed to make some buns - he's studying food technology at school, which so far as I can understand, is an upmarket word for cooking.

My 4 year old granddaughter asked to come home with me. She was thrilled to dig the holes for the polyanthas and spent ages admiring them after we planted them. We then cooked together because she, her mother and brothers were coming to dinner this evening. After dinner she played snap with her mother, the boys played ludo and, after I loaded the dishwasher, we played jenko. Great fun.

Now, although it's only 7.30 p.m. I'm tucked up in my comfortable bed writing this blog while Country File is on T.V.

Just seen the Countess of Dudley's sunken marble bath - luxury hot water and a coal fire warming the bathroom.

Galley and Gardening

Yesterday I didn't have a free moment. By the time I went to bed was too tired to blog.

This morning, I woke at six, finished the edits for The Captain and The Countess, which will be released by MuseItUp Publishing on the 21st February, and e-mailed them.

While checking my e-mails I noticed the sun had come out so, by 10 30 a.m. I was out in the garden, feet squelching after days of rain. I moved a couple of small shrubs, shifted a clump of Lady's Mantle, a particular favourite, which is so named because the leaves are supposed to resemble the Virgin Mary's cloak, and planted a hebe and a small conifer. I think the grass green conifer is in the wrong place and might move it. I also planted some narcissi bulbs which had sprouted in a plastic bag in the greenhouse.

Later, while cooking lunch, I was fascinated by the sight of a carrion crow. With its beak it picked up some bread I had scattered on the lawn, dunked the piece in the pond and then ate it. The bird repeated this several times before something startled it and it flew away. He/or she visits the pond regularly to drink, but this is the first time I have seen it dip bread in water. By the way, I hope it is not preying on the water snails!

While lunch was cooking, I refilled the bird feeders with seed, came back indoors and watched blue tits, robins and sparrows flock to it, while a female blackbird pecked at spilled seed on the ground. Very entertaining!

Asparagus and New Potatoes

An enjoyable day today. I went through another 50 pages of the galley of The Captain and The Countess, which will be published on the 21st February by MuseItUp Publishing. I then went out shopping for clothes with my daughter.

I didn't find any clothes I liked, but we ended up at Tesco where I bought 6 asparagus plants and some seed potatoes - first early salad potatoes called Charlotte. Last year I grew my first, second an maincrop potatoes in containers and in the ground. The former did best to I shall grow them all in containers this year. I've decided to grow some expensive vegetables this year so the asparagus will be a welcome addition to my vegetarian cuisine, and so will the globe artichokes which are in small pots in the greenhouse waiting to be planted out.

When I returned home the contractor phoned me and we agreed work on my new kitchen will begin on the 18th of February. I am really looking forward to the job being completed by the beginning of March.

New Kitchen

Last year the mould and damp in my kitchen was treated. Everything has dried out and the mould has not returned, so I am about to have a new kitchen. I'm pleased with my choices. A warm but not glaring yellow for the walls an old gold shade,, white woodwork and kitchen cupboards, grey tiles, grey worktops and a grey floor. I am now waiting for the contractor to let me know when work will commence. It will take two weeks of not being able to use the washing machine, dishwasher and gas cooker but as my daughter lives around the corner from me, with her kind permission, I shall use her equipment. If I become stressed by the state of the house I shall sleep at her house and relax with my grandchildren.

Writer's Group

Yesterday evening, at Watford Writers,  I read an extract from my medieval novel. It's amazing how many flaws I find when I read to an audience. I'm also grateful to members of the groups who pointed out repetitions and suggested I divide one scene into two.

Whenever I listen to other authors read their work I am always impressed by their imaginations and talent. A young lady who attended for the first time read a short story which was modern, unusual and succinct. It was a prose snapshot of a significant factor in the character's lives. A member read from her biography of a lady, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century, and two other talented members read their poems.

Later there was a quiz. Here are a few of the 20 questions. Who only had a vocabulary of 32,000 words? What did Big Ears and Noddy quarrel about? Which two things do the castaways on Desert Island Discs always take with them? And in which year were television programmes first broadcast?

I went home happy and relaxed and woke this morning keen to get on with the galley of The Captain and The Countess.

Rainy Weather

Yesterday it rained heavily. Grey gloomy days are a bit depressing but I cheered up when the galley for The Captain and The Countess set in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart - 1706 - 1714 arrived. Afterwards I cooked lunch for my youngest son and his children ( his wife was away from home for the weekend).

It's grey and gloomy again outside, but I'm back to my usual happy self and, of course, the weather keeps me indoors so it's an ideal time to work on the galley.

The Captain and The Countess

My new novel set in England in the reign of Queen Anne Stuart, 1702 - 1706, will be published on the 21st February.

His heart captured by the Countess only Captain Howard sees pain behind her fashionable façade and is determined to help her.

 

 

Featured author Rosemary Morris

This week my publisher has chosen be to be a featured author. Here is the link:

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/our-authors/63-our-authors/authors-m/378-rosemary-morris

 

I am delighted with it.

Under the Weather

Not sure why but I'm not feeling well at the moment so I might not blog for a few days.

Horrible History

Yesterday, after school, I took my daughter's 9 year-old to the library. Amongst other books,  he chose three Horrible History books, the ones about The Vikings, The Romans and World War Two, which he is learning about at school.

Actually, I read a bit of the Horrible History The Romans. It's really interesting and a good starting point for a historical author who wants to write about a period he/she is unfamiliar with.

My grandson came to my house delighted because he has graduated from writing with a pencil to writing with a pen. "It's taken me four years, since I first started school, to be given a pen by my teacher," he explained. "And," he added, "one of my friends is very upset because he didn't get a pen, and he writes better than me but I think it's because his w's aren't formed properly. And now, grandma, I am going to copy you and write historical fiction. Can children be published?"

"Maybe," I replied, "but I think they can enter competitions." Phew, he shares my lifelong interest in history.

He is the third want-to-write-books child in my family.  One of them has written two excellent stories about a dragon quest.

Phew!

I did not work on my new novel this morning, but to my relief I finished applying all the scribbled notes in a shorthand note pad. I found some interesting websites, recorded titles of books I want to read for pleasure and research, and much more. I'm patting myself on the back before I tackle the contents of two small notebooks.

Mild January

This morning after I worked on my new novel and checked my e-mails, I weeded another bed in the front garden. It is a mild January day on which the sun is shining and the birds are chirruping. My hanging baskets and window boxes are full of cyclamen and geraniums all in flower. The front garden is like a French potager in which I grow vegetables and flowers. At the moment the broad beans look very healthy and the pot marigolds still have some flowers. Bit by bit I'm getting rid of the weeds.

Another mild January day, the sun shining, an ideal day to get on in the garden after working on my new novel. I've nearly finished weeding the front garden which is in the style of a potager with flowers and vegetables. At the moment the broad beans are flouring, the berengia, commonly known as elephant ears, will soon be in pretty pink bloom, and the pot marigolds are still flowering. Cyclamen hanging baskets and one narrow bed  are in full flower and so are the geraniums in the hanging basket. All in all a happy time in the garden with birdsong to enjoy.

Library Books

For Christmas I received enough Amazon gift vouchers to buy an out of print book for historical research that costs £65. I dithered about whether or not to buy it and decided I should read it first. The book is not available in the county in which I live but for £3 I am able to reserve it from another county. I will be able to renew it twice which means I can make notes for nine weeks and decide whether or not I want to buy my own copy. Let us hope there are not more and more library cuts.

Knick-Knacks, No Mess, More Haste

"Don't get your Knick-Knacks in a twist," advises daughter-in-law.

"Don't get in a mess," chirps 4 year-old granddaughter.

"More haste, less speed," said my late mother.

Well, I should have taken their advice. I joined Pin Interest and have made a mess of my boards because I'm too impatient. Now, I'm not sure how to cancel them and begin again.

Knick-Knacks, More Haste

"Don't get your knick-knacks in a twist," advices one of my daughter-in-laws. "Don't make a mess," chirps 4 year-old granddaughter. "More haste less speed," my late mother used to say. Well, I should have taken their advice. I'm too impatient. I joined

Business, Writing and Gardening.

If anyone had told me how much business is necessary after a novel is published I think I would have fainted. This morning, I dealt with some, revised two chapters of Monday's child, a traditional historical romance. Outside, a woodpecker treated himself to some peanuts from the feeder hanging from the plum tree. The sun shone, the weather is mild for this time of the year so I spent a happy hour weeding part of the front garden.

An Ivory Tower

My instinct is to lock myself in an ivory tower, aka the spare bedroom, and write my novels. (I would open the door to receive drinks, meals and snacks with profound gratitude.

The ivory tower is unsuitable. I would be forced to emerge from it to deal with business and keep up with online sites. Today, I visited Link In after a long absence and found many messages from wonderful people who want to link up with me. It's great to meet old friends and make new ones. I've also joined pin interest while my hero and heroine are nudging me to continue their story.

As I have mentioned in earlier posts I am also catching up with innumerable scribbled notes. I vowed I would never allow them to increase out of all proportion to available time but - deep sigh - I've added a few more.

Busy Day

As a rule I begin writing at 6 a.m. Today was no exception. At least, I was not writing my novel but attending to business. Amongst other writing related matters things I prepared a brief article about my novel Far Beyond Rubies set in England in 1706 during Queen Anne Stuart's reign.

When chatting to people about my books and life as an author many of them are surprised when I point out that writing is a business. Of course, it is a happy one because I enjoy writing historical novels, researching history and visiting places of historical interest.

Anyway, this morning I also applied half of the scribbles in one of my notebooks. I looked up websites relevant to my novels. It was a little tedious but sometimes the results were rewarding. However, I vowed that never again would I accumulate so many notes which would languish for a year or more.

At 10.30 a.m. I took advantage of the beautiful sunny weather to work in my organic garden. I tidied a narrow flower bed that edges the broad steps leading up to my house, planted a shrub that had been in a pot for ages, cut back the dead leaves on the lady's mantle and planted some polyanthas. By the time I had to go indoors to cook lunch I had added two large buckets of weeds etc., to the compost bin.

Lost a Found

Someone gave me a very pretty folder which has pockets in which to store papers. I used it for some vital historical research re:- my new novel, Monday's Child, the sequel to my published e-book, Sunday's Child set in the Regency era. For two days I searched the house for it. I even woke once last night fretting about it and trying to remember the details of the research. This morning when I got up I thought that it must be with all my other files. I returned to the cupboard in which I keep them - sure enough it was there.

The experience is comparable to writing. Sometimes the eye does not see what should be there.