I’ve been a bit lazy about updating this blog recently – partly because I haven’t had anything to say, which is as good a reason as any for keeping my mouth shut. 🙂 Also, after the great excitement of the release and launch of Ice Breaker, I needed to hide for a bit. But now I am back.

I’m currently in the middle of the publisher’s edit for Book 2, Sunker’s Deep, trying to sort out some of the (not very major) problems. I’m working like mad tomorrow and Tuesday, then I’m going to take a week or so off and enjoy the holiday. I’m also thinking about what’s going to happen in Book 3, because of course that will affect what I need to put in Book 2.

When I’m not writing, I’m building a chook shed – or at least one of my neighbours and I are building it. I used to have chooks years ago, and have decided I need them again. They are very good company, clucking around the garden and providing gorgeous eggs. The shed is nearly finished, and I’m hugely looking forward to getting the chooks themselves. Brown ones. I suspect Harry, my cat, will be horrified. 🙂

Speaking of cats, there’s been a wild one hanging around for years, an old black cat who spends time with Harry, dozing under the lemon tree, but disappears as soon as she sees me. I’ve been trying to tame her for a while, but not getting anywhere because I couldn’t even get near her with food, which is of course the first step of taming. But the other day she was napping around the side of the house, and there was a gentle westerly breeze blowing …

So I heated up a bowl of cat food with a bit of bacon in it to make it nice and smelly, and popped it out on the front porch, in the path of the breeze. Then went to the side window to see what happened. Her head rose, her nose started sniffing the air, and the next thing she was on her feet, tracking down the smell. It’s the first time EVER I’ve managed to feed her. Since then, she’s been back just about every morning and night for a top-up. She still won’t let me near her, but she’s gradually getting closer when I put her food out. I am having to be very patient. I reckon she’s either been very badly treated at same stage by humans, or was born wild and has never been tame. Hopefully, now that I’m feeding her, she’s not eating small animals and birds, which is of course the big problem with cats.

I hope you all have an excellent Christmas, surrounded by love, happiness and good books. And if one of your presents is Ice Breaker, come back after you’ve read it and do a review. 🙂