I’ve just re-read what I wrote on 8 th May and was touched by my confidence that I would have a complete draft of the next book completed by this stage … you’d think I would learn, wouldn’t you? It is all very well planning these things, but as it turned out I needed the last three weeks to faff around, go out for coffee, decide to lose enough weight to get into my red dress for my graduation in July (another plan that has yet to see any actual action), admire my new kitchen, buy the most beautiful pair of jewelled sandals and three outfits to go with them, and then worry about my credit card bill, and so on and so forth.

So really I have nothing to show for the last month, although I have done a synopsis, which I discussed with my editor today, as a result of which I am cutting the marriage of convenience angle but keeping the children. It is always really useful to throw ideas around with an editor (nearly as good as a bottle of wine at the bar at City Screen) and I feel much happier with my heroine and her motivations – but now I have no excuse not to get on with that draft! Happily, my last book went through without revisions, which was a huge relief after the mess I made of the one before that. This latest one is going to be called Marriage Reunited (no comment, it’s nothing to do with me!) and should be out around April next year. No doubt there’ll be more about that nearer the time.

And now I’d better go and start that draft … and I’d better be able to report that I’ve finished that by the beginning of July or I really will be in trouble!