Jasper Fforde book launch at Foyles, 9th July

So once again, I spotted that Jasper Fforde, surely one of my favourite writers, was going to start his book launch tour for the 7th in the Thursday Next series, called The Woman Who Died A Lot. I’d got my place early. So early, in fact, that they weren’t yet officially released. But you have to get in quick, as places are soon gone.

Busy times

November has been really eventful for me. What with NaNoWriMo and working on the proofreading, I’ve also been training as much as I can and reading a lot.

Open book, insert nose

These were words my mum once used to describe what is arguably my favourite pastime. Since I haven’t been able to train much this month (as paying for my place at the party left me short) and hot on the heels of World Book Night, I have been catching up on some reading.

Jasper Fforde tours again

Jasper Fforde, promoting his new book, the latest in the Thursday Next (or TN) series, One of Our Thursdays is Missing, kicked off the tour at Foyles on the Charing Cross Road on Monday. Yours Truly was there.

Approaching spring

As we near the middle of February, it’s clear that spring is on its way. If you ignore the sometimes bitter cold and take a look around, you might see a few snowdrops (as I did this morning when I took a short cut through the Pavilion Gardens) or some daffodils trying their hardest to push through. After what was apparently the coldest December on record, it’s nice to see some evidence of Mother Nature turning her wheel and bringing us all closer to the warmth once more.

Xin nian kuai le! (Or ‘Gung hei fat choi!’ in Cantonese.)

This is the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Also, it’s my year, so I’m going to make it count. My kung fu will get better, my writing will take more of a precedence again and I’ll generally be more motivated.

Starting the year on a positive

Well, I graded yesterday. I got up at 5.45 so I had time to relax with a coffee before I needed to go to London to grade. This was the first time I had been to a patterns grading as opposed to a foundation grading, so it was interesting for me to see the difference in format.