It’s been a bit of a hectic month for me – don’t know about you guys but September always seems to be one of the main months that just flies by! 

I feel like I haven’t stopped this month but have little to show for it really. I’m almost done with the edit on With Deadly Intent – a whole 4-5 weeks ahead of schedule! And have done a bit of reading, as well as a short poetry piece in collaboration with Si Mulgrave who is a fab photographer. You can read it here if you want to: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127197442@N03/albums/72157658253301116 

I’ve not been too well – being as yet untreated for Rheumatoid Arthritis (yes it’s confirmed now) has meant an awful lot of swelling and pain. My appointment to start treatment is in a few weeks. Had to take a couple of days off work due to the swelling then my brother, Michael, ended up having a bad reaction to a urine infection which I had to deal with as my lovely mum was away on her well deserved holiday. He ended up having to go into hospital for a few days and was somewhat violent and aggressive during the process of getting him in hospital and hooked up to IV. The police officers who had to assist were fantastic as they always are – I’ve obviously sent a huge thank you to them. 

I’m looking forward to my time off next month – a whole 3.5 weeks off work. Kindle is already loaded with a ton of reading material and the plan is to get book 4 finished completely. And hopefully get a good chunk written on the supernatural novel I’ve started. Also looking forward to working closely with the cover designers and editors at Caffeine Nights over the coming month or two. It’s exciting knowing my novel will be ready to go in a couple of months – exciting and scary! Am looking forward to it all but it still feels a little surreal! Four years ago when I passed my degree, despite knowing I wanted to write, and having the determination and belief I’d make it, I guess I didn’t really believe it would happen so fast! Am a little in awe, and so thankful to Darren Laws for believing in me enough to want to publish me. 

I’ve signed up already for Harrogate Crime Festival and also Crimefest for next year. As well as these I will be attending Newcastle Noir and depending on money, possibly Bloody Scotland! It’s gunna be a busy but fantastic year. If anyone wants to catch up with me just give me a shout 😊

Despite it being a tough month, and my health not being great, I have to say September has been a month of smiles. I love the first stages of autumn coming in – the amazing array of colour as the leaves start to change, the change from warm to chilly and thinking about putting heating on (though it doesn’t happen in my house until as late through October as possible!) and the lovely autumn food. Stews, soups, slow cooked roasts. Yum! It also brings forth more rain – and we all know how I love the rain! And how much more productive it makes me – which I know is bizarre but when the rain is lashing down, the words fly onto the page. 

So the month ahead will be a busy one, with lots to do and hopefully a holiday abroad with my hubby all being well, not to mention all the writerly things! Hope you all have a great one, and as always, keep smiling.