JUGGLING

JUGGLING

    I've just returned from a Maker's Market in the nearby village. It was mainly crafts and brocante so my books stood out as being quite different. It was an early - 8.45am - start and very little happened for the first couple of hours. In fact there were far more stallholders that visitors and I started to think it was going to be a bit of a damp squib. Fortunately, more people arrived, it picked up and by the finish, at 2pm, I was pleased with the number of books I'd sold.

But... and there had to be a but, didn't there? While enjoying myself, chatting to my potential readers, I couldn't help thinking about what I should have been doing. 

I'm really keen to get on with Blood on the Dunes, book six in the series, as it's taken a lot longer than the others. This is only partly due to the pandemic, more to do with the book itself. Like the writer Ann Cleeves - Vera and Shetland - I write as a reader, i.e. I start off with the germ of an idea but I've no real clue as to where the story is going and keep writing to find out how it's going to end. This time, I knew the ending before I'd even reached halfway. So It was either going to be a very short book or I'd have to start again. However, after several long walks on the beach with Aggie I started formulating an idea on how to extend it. 

I'd introduced a15 year old boy who'd disappeared from a children's home. Initially, he was written as a minor character, then as I became more interested in him, his character started to develop. Now much of the story revolves around what happens to him. I really didn't see that coming!

As I mentioned earlier, I realised I should be getting on with something else. Sadly, that's not writing but garden design. I'm up against deadlines on two large projects, so I'd better conclude this blog and get on with them!