Monday 4th January 2010 - Back To Work Blues

Like a significant chunk of the rest of the world, I went back to work today. As I opened one sleepy eye at what felt like the middle of the night, I hoped for snow drifts the size of hedges so that I could legitimately take the day off but no such luck.

So I got up, dressed warmly (because our offices are colder than a polar bear's paws after the holidays) and took myself off to work. And it wasn't as bad as I thought. Because part way through the day it hit me; in a few weeks, I will hold the first copy of My So-Called Afterlife in my hands. A few weeks later, other people will hold it in their hands and will read it. They will have opinions - some may even like it. And as if that wasn't enough, a couple of months after that, I'll be doing it all again with Stunt Bunny: Showbiz Sensation.

After realising all that, it felt a bit churlish to feel grumpy about the job which gives me the financial freedom to write and I hastily tacked on a new New Year's resolution; to try and be more cheerful at work. What are your resolutions?

Friday 1st January 2010 - Lucy's New Year Resolutions

Hello? Can anyone hear me? I'm not wasting my time sharing my New Year's resolutions if no-one's actually listening. He-llooooo?

Oh, so you can hear me. Let me tell you, you're in the minority. When you've spent as much time as I have being ignored by practically everyone you meet, it gets pretty boring and you learn to appreciate the people who bother to pay attention to you.

So I should probably introduce myself. My name is Lucy Shaw and I'm not your average fifteen year old. I'm dead. Not dead bored (although it's been known) or dead cool (definitely not that one, sadly) but actually cold-as-the-grave dead. In fact, New Year's Eve is the anniversary of my murder, in the toilets on London's Carnaby Street. But before you go feeling sorry for me, let me tell you things aren't as bad as they might be. OK, I'm trapped in the loo (the men's loo to be precise, which is every bit as gross as you'd imagine) and I've totally lost the plot where Eastenders in concerned but I am blissfully coupled up with the Most Snogtastic Boy on the planet. Luckily for me, he's also dead. And my friend Jeremy is does his best to help, too. Well, I say friend but, you know, he's more of an acquaintance, what with him being ancient and galactically uncool. But, yeah. He tries.

Anyway, I'm supposed to be making a few New Year resolutions, so here they are.

1) I will not obsess over how I look (not much point since I'm kind of stuck with this outfit and there are no GHDs in the afterlife - thank Crunchie I was looking my best when I died)

2) I will remember to back away when people are using the urinals - an eyeful and a shoeful are equally revolting

3) I will try to find the man who killed me (not my idea, this one but Jeremy will sulk if I don't put it down)

4) I will not let my best friend, Hep, bully the hoodies at the local park (Seriously, she has major anger management issues, even for a poltergeist)

5) I will find my happy-ever-afterlife with Ryan. No matter what it takes.

So these are my goals for 2010. You can find our more about me in My So-Called Afterlife (out Feb 2010) but if you're ever in the men's toilets on Carnaby Street make sure you say hello. You never know, I might just say hello back :-)

Thursday 31st December 2009 - 'Twas The Night Before New Year...

...and I'm staying in. There are lots of lovely nibbly bits in the kitchen, champagne in the fridge and probably nothing on the TV but that's OK :-)

Tomorrow this blog is being taken over by the heroine of My So-Called Afterlife, Lucy, but for tonight I wish you the happiest of New Year's. May your party poppers explode with fun!

Thursday 24th December - 'Twas The Night Before Christmas...

...and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring,
apart from the cat, the puppy, the four bunnies and a hamster called Boris. Oh, and me, trying to get everything done.

Christmas Eve has arrived and caught me completely unawares, as usual. I'm sat amid a jumble of wrapping paper, tags and sellotape, wondering why I've left it all the last minute again. Next year, I'm going to be better organised and get it all done on October. Seriously, I am.

So, I should probably get on but before I go and make the Christmas cake (see? I told you I was disorganised) I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a fabulous day and get everything your heart desires. See you on the other side!

Tuesday 15th December 2009 - An Exciting Week

OK, I know it's only Tuesday but I have to get my kicks where I can. Two fab things have happened so far. Yesterday, I got the layouts through for Stunt Bunny: Showbiz Sensation, complete with suggestions for what the illustrator should draw where. I can't tell you how exciting it was to see how the story will come to life through the pictures and I really cannot wait to see the finished drawings early next year.

Then today, I got the suggested cover for the second teen novel, which I can officially announce will be called My So-Called Haunting. I'm hoping I'll be able to show you the cover soon but it's still early days so you'll have to hang on. Needless to say, I'm relieved to actually have a finished book to go with it, even if I'm not 100% happy with it yet.

I'm also pleased to report that the Christmas shopping has started. I'm going for a mixed economy of online Vs traditional buying this year. Hopefully this will prevent me from the usual 'one-for-them, one-for-me' mentality!

Sunday 13th December 2009 - The End

A moment arrived today that I thought at one time might never come. I typed the words 'The End' on my second teen novel. And heaved a huge sigh of relief.

It's been nothing like My So-Called Afterlife. When I wrote that, the characters presented themselves fully formed and the plot just materialised out of nowhere. With the follow up (now officially titled My So-Called Haunting), very little was easy. I didn't know Skye, my MC, as well as I'd known Lucy and the story took quite a lot of teasing out. Real life kept getting in way,too, and I had to scratch out words in scrappy fashion. But I persevered and got the first draft done.

It needs a lot of work, of course, but at least I have some raw material to work with. So I think that's my Christmas pretty much covered. I'm not complaining, mind you. It could be so much worse :-)

In other news, I'm disappointed to say I didn't get the role of Eliza Doolittle. But when I stopped to think about it, I was actually quite relieved. When I think of all the rehearsals I'd have to attend and the lines I'd have to learn, alongside producing two books and promoting another two, I think I'd have been heading for a nervous breakdown by the end of April. So it's all worked out for the best.

And now I suppose I ought to think about Christmas shopping. The good thing about having left it so late is that the shops are going to be pretty empty now, right? Right??

Saturday 5th December 2009 - Heaven Can Wait

Today is a very special day. Cally Taylor is having the launch party for her debut novel, Heaven Can Wait, and I am going. There will be lots of blog friends there and I am looking forward to it very much. To celebrate the 'official' launch of the book, I thought I'd post a review.

Meet Lucy Brown. She's an everyday kind of girl, who worries about exactly the same things the rest of the female population does; how to get through her mammoth to-do list the day before her wedding, whether her fiance Dan is taking the preparations seriously and whether her wee should be frothier than lemonade cappucino in the toilet bowl? But all of this pales into insignificance when a freak accident ensures Dan is never going to see her walk down the aisle.

Death isn't exactly what she expects. She didn't know there'd be quite so much paperwork, for one thing. But when she is offered a way to be with Dan again, she doesn't think twice and before she knows it, she's living in a grotty little house in North London, with trainspotter Brian and an Emo called Claire who makes black widow spiders look friendly. It is the House of Wannabe Ghosts and each of them has to complete a task in order to become a ghost and remain on earth. All Lucy has to do is find love for someone she's never met within twenty-one days; how hard could it be?

When Lucy meets the person she's finding love for, the enormity of her task becomes apparent. Just how is she supposed to find a soul mate for the kind of geek whose idea of grooming is to scrape the jam stain off his t-shirt? And what if Dan meets someone else before she can do it?

Heaven Can Wait is a fabulous read, the kind which made my husband groan in annoyance when I refused to put it down and go to sleep. I'm very much looking forward to getting Cally to sign my copy and will be buying several copies for Christmas presents this year. And the best news is that Cally has another book coming out next year. I can't wait wait to get my signed copy of that one too.

PS Cally is running a fantastic short story competition over on her website. The winner will receive a money-can't-buy one to one consultation with the Darley Anderson Literary Agency, £100 and all sorts of other goodies. Pop over here for more details.