Uncategorised

Planet Kate, 30 July 2018

What’s happening in my world, this week:

  • Work: writing M&B #85 (Medical Romance set in a GP surgery with a PAT dog); updating my website one backlist book per day; and starting my Big Book;
  • Reading: The Last Days of summer, Sophie Pembroke (enjoyed); The Final Echoes, Shirley Wells (enjoyed); Random, Craig Robertson (intrigued by the format – unusual for a crime novel to be written from the villain’s POV, but had to skip a few pages because I can’t cope with mega violence); The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (re-read and last time I read it was pre-kids, so was interesting to see how my response to the text had changed – still made me angry but for different reasons, and the writing was still fabulous)
  • Looking forward to: uni visits – Bristol, this week
  • Workouts: dog-walking (I’m struggling in the heat and a hard workout would probably put me in heat exhaustion, so I’m being kind to myself);
  • Planet Kate last week: Yay, finally finished putting M&B #84 back together and sent it to my editor. Had a quick London trip with Chloe – took her to see Othello at the Globe (Mark Rylance was fantastic as Iago; Emilia was also very strong) and then we had a trip to Primrose Hill. So pretty (I took a lot of location pics for a future book). We also saw Yeats’s house and Plath’s house, went book shopping, and I discovered the delights of iced coffee. And then on Sunday I went to see Danny Baker with Gerry at the Theatre Royal in Norwich – great show, very entertaining.
  • Fave pic from the last week: View from the south bank when the rain had stopped; Chalfont Square; and the gas holders in King’s Cross which have been turned into flats

Writing life

Planet Kate, 23 July 2018

What’s happening in my world, this week:

  • Work: finishing M&B #84 (True Love Romance set in Florence/art world); feeling guilty about not updating my website one backlist book per day; and pretty much ignoring my Big Book;
  • Reading: The Flower Arrangement, Ella Griffin (enjoyed); Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Miranda Dickinson (enjoyed)
  • Looking forward to: Othello at the Globe on Friday
  • Workouts: big fat failure – I am out of time, and the scales this morning were not nice so I need to try harder
  • Planet Kate last week: a few days away in Buckinghamshire – visited Waddesdon Manor (where I loved the fountain and was intrigued by the Sèvres ice cream cups), Stowe (fabulous gardens) and Bletchley Park (really, really interesting); also The Mystery Plays at the Cathedral, which were very well done indeed (and I throughly enjoyed the Norwich accents in Cain and Abel).
  • Fave pic from the last week: the fountain at Waddesdon, one of the lakes at Stowe, and an Enigma machine from Bletchley.

 

Uncategorised

Planet Kate, 16 July 2018

What’s happening in my world, this week:

  • Work: writing M&B #84 (after realising I have got it totally wrong and shredding it); updating my website one backlist book per day (well, I was until I got the White Screen problem); and faffing about with my Big Book
  • Reading: All the Missing Girls, Megan Miranda (really interesting structure- told backwards – good read); Her Last Lie, Amanda Brittany (didn’t see the twist coming)
  • Looking forward to: a couple of days in Buckingham
  • Workouts: hopeless – too hot – early morning dog walks only
  • Planet Kate last week: The Tempest at the Cathedral – fabulous performance
  • Fave pic from the last week: the cathedralC791113E-1788-471F-AFA0-D19458D5077D
Writing life

Planet Kate, 9 July 2018

What’s happening in my world, this week:

  • Work: writing M&B #84 (True Love romance set in the world of art, partly in Florence); updating my website one backlist book per day; and faffing about with my Big Book;
  • Reading: Rowan Coleman, The Summer of Impossible Things (enjoyed); Tracy Rees, Amy Snow (absolutely EXCELLENT and I will look out for more by her)
  • Looking forward to: The Tempest at Norwich Cathedral
  • Workouts: too hot to do the gym – dog walks early, so Archie’s paws are safe on the pavement
  • Planet Kate last week: Melting in the heat (I prefer cool weather!); Uni of Sheffield open day, and thoroughly enjoyed the English department’s presentation (loved the fact that their lecture theatre is a converted church). I also have another big book brewing in my head, which involves opera; as a result. I have tickets to La Traviata (plus a ‘behind the curtain’ performance later in the year) and tickets to The Magic Flute in London next year (!)
  • Fave pic from the last week: a summery sky, an early morning sniff of lavender (aka my beautiful dog posing) and a petunia in my neighbour’s hanging basket that I thought was just gorgeous.
Writing life

Planet Kate, 2 July 2018

What’s happening in my world, this week:

  • Work: writing M&B #84 (True Love romance set in the world of art, partly in Florence); updating my website one backlist book per day; and faffing about with my Big Book;
  • Reading: The Silent Companions, Laura Purcell; It Had to Be You, Susan Elizabeth Phillips; Dear Dad, Giselle Green (really enjoyed); The Things We Never Said, Susan Elliot Wright (absolutely brilliant – couldn’t put it down and I’m going to keep an eye out for future ones)
  • Looking forward to: open day at the University of Sheffield
  • Workouts: dogwalking, last week
  • Planet Kate last week: Work, work and more work – but I did finish the revisions! Uni of Nottingham open day on Saturday – Chloe loved the campus (and I enjoyed the talk – great attitude towards students) but the course isn’t right for her. Went to the seaside on the way home. And more work. And melting in the heat. And too many barbecues (even though I’m being sensible and sticking to salmon or tuna steaks).
  • Fave pic from the last week: a spaniel waiting for his share of barbecued salmon; the University of Nottingham; and a day at Cromer where you could really see where the depth of the water changed.