And just like that, summer was gone…

Well, not quite. Let’s say it’s in flux, as crispy brown leaves litter the pavement and no one’s quite sure if they should wear a jumper, sunglasses, raincoat, or shorts – or a jaunty mix of all four.

Last Monday it was hot… so hot. Artoo and I slouched around Churchtown because it looked like this, and we really didn’t want to go home. We sat for a while on a bench and watched nothing happen. It was glorious.

For the rest of the week, I wish I’d worn gloves and head-to-toe waterproofs! But it does mean five o’clock pyjamas and wine season has begun!

But it’s definitely the end of September which means it’s time for me to look back to see how productive I’ve been. This month, I…

• Enjoyed far too much cake and coffee with friends, but that’s a kind of every month thing 😋
• Bought a diary to keep all my to-do lists and writing plans in – I wasn’t sure how much I’d use it, because up until now I’ve been using my Google calendar, but it’s really helpful to have everything in front of me, and to jot notes down knowing I won’t accidentally throw them away
• Wrote and submitted a short story (and had it read by a beta reader) within 16 days!
• Finally (fingers crossed that I don’t change it) wrote the end to my next book
• Took new book photos for my blog and social media headers – or at least my very patient son did
• Bought… sssh… reading glasses 😒 I only need them when it’s late or the light is bad. So basically, I’ve bought them solely so I can see what I’m writing in my diary each night!

Well, that’s my September – how’s yours been?

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Want to win $10,000?

Fellow Vine Leaves author Phill Provance’s poetry collection A Plan in Case of Morning is released tomorrow, 29 September. And a mystery benefactor is offering $10,000 to the winner of a contest created around this fabulous book.

Everything you need to know is right here, and the contest will be open until April 2021.

If you want to know more about the book, you can find my review of it here.

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Want to read the first 1000 words of my next novel?

To celebrate writing the final chapter of my next book, I’m going to be sharing the first 1000 words or so on my newsletter due out this Friday.

If you’re on my mailing list, thank you, and I’d love to know what you think of it.

If you’re not, and you want to be, you can sign up below, and grab yourself a free ebook at the same time!

Sign me up, I love freebies & I want to read your first 1000 words too!