Wine in America, Conference at Winchester

A quiet few days, although M and I did attend a very pleasant baby shower, at which the women (mainly friends of the grandparents) oohed and aahed over the antics of the delightful baby in question, while the menfolk fled into the garden and talked, no doubt, of cabbages and kings.

Other than that, it was a quiet weekend, and the last couple of days seem to have been devoted to shopping at Sainsbury’s - twice; I forgot some things first time round; washing and ironing and devoting a little time to M’s tax return - the things I do for my husband!

Last night was Guildford Writers, though there were very few of us present, and I read out another piece of my holiday writing, which I have been copy-typing into the computer. People have been known to lose all their work on the computer, but it’s a whole lot easier to lose some scruffy bits of paper, as I am only too aware.

Have Wine Will Travel is very near to print publication in America, and will soon also be back on the Virtual Tales site to be purchased as an electronic book. There has been a lot of activity with emails and final versions flying backwards and forwards, which is very exciting. It is greatly enhanced by its excellent cover design and I hope will be successful in America.

I am in training for an early morning on Saturday, when I accompany Jay Margrave of Goldenford Publishers to the Winchester Writers’ Conference. Irene will not be there that day, as she has been shortlisted for the Bristol Prize, with one of her excellent short stories, but she and Anne will be ‘womanning’ the stand on Friday. I’m making a point of going to bed about ten minutes earlier each day, the theory being that I shall be able to get up earlier each morning. Alas, I missed the deadline to send in a short story to the Conference, owing to incorrect information on the outgoing letter. It’s a whole year since Tainted Tree won its prize, and now it will be there with our other books on the stand. If any friends are going to Winchester, please come and say hallo, we'd love to see you.