Not So Purple Thoughts

At the beginning of December, we came out of the second national lockdown in the UK. The vibe was high. There was news about several vaccines. And we were all looking forward to seeing some family and friends during the respite period over Christmas. COVID-19 cruelly took that away a few days before. The respite period was cancelled, and we were told to stay at home.  The holidays have passed and despite being in Tier 4 (the highest alert = stay at home) we were getting ready to take the kids back to school. At 8pm the night before their first day back, the news came through about the third national lockdown... A necessary measure to curb the virus, as immunisations were being rolled out and hospitals were at their maximum capacity.  Still when the words were spoken, many of us felt like someone pulled the rug out from under our feet... Back to juggling home schooling with working from home, back to 24/7 "virtual reality" and no human contact outside our households, back to t

This is it. I have given birth to my first ever book! Can I say that? Yes, yes I can because I have been through both childbirth and "bookbirth." And it does compare. Perhaps the latter is not accompanied by physical pain, but the mental anguish nearly drives you to it. Believe me.  Us people who write face the same dilemmas as parents.  What kind of world am I bringing my "baby" into? Is it the right time? How will it do? Will there be another? I'm sure many will agree that the writing process is an emotional rollercoaster ride through the peaks of inspiration and the valleys of self-doubt. Some days I feel like I have a message to share, other times I can't get through a page without thinking this is the naffest thing in the whole wide universe.  What I definitely didn't realise when I first decided to self-publish my book, was how much work it involves. And that's after you've finished writing. Honestly, you need a team. I can't afford a t