The last few weeks

I've not blogged for a couple of weeks but I have been busy, not just with my writing but in my regular, day-to-day life too. I've almost finished editing The Towpath but after the third back-to-back read of all 90,000 words, it started to get on my bloody nerves and I've had to take a mini-break from it! Instead I've been having teeth pulled out, going for walks and bike rides, watching lots and lots of really good telly (think Peaky Blinders, Wanderlust, The Bodyguard, Killing Eve...) and making loads of 'future life plans' which has been very exciting indeed, if a little cloak-and-dagger.

I've decided, since I haven't done much with the third novel I wrote and it's still sat here on my laptop gathering cyberdust, I'm going to get it out there and self-publish it. I've started the laborious task of formatting and hopefully by this time next week it will be on Amazon and ready for everyone to upload. It is rude, I won't lie, and it does feature certain profanities beginning with the letters 'f' and possibly 'c' (The Towpath has much, much more swearing). It also features graphic descriptions of certain sexual acts, but I'm guessing if this kind of stuff offends you, then you won't be buying it or reading it anyway so I'm not quite sure why I'm giving out all the warnings.

Bad Habits: The Undoing of Judith Croft is a story about a primary school teacher who, at the age of forty-four, finds herself unmarried, stuck in a rut and a reluctant virgin to boot. She's also a devout Christian and after hearing two work colleagues bitching about her displeasing demeanour in the staff loos, she sets about reinventing herself, turning her back on her faith and morphing into the enigmatic, liberated Jude.

Now, working in a school myself, I would just like to stress this novel is a work of fiction and isn't based upon anyone I know or currently work with. It is however, based loosely upon everyone I have ever known and worked with, just as every fictional character that's ever been created in every book, film and play, all over the world has. So if you read the book and see a piece of you in one of the characters, feel very privileged that I thought you interesting enough to write about :) Inspiration comes from everyone you meet, whether you are aware of it or not, and when you create fictional characters all kinds of traits and mannerisms from these people naturally seep into them, bringing them to life. I once had a woman in a shopping centre approach me and ask if a certain lady we both knew was one of the characters in The Charm. I had to reassure her that she wasn't but it was a jolly good comparison all the same ;)

So, I'll crack on and I'll let you all know when it's published!