Christmas is coming! I haven't posted here for twelve months, so I should have a lot to write about. I'll do my best.
I can tell you that I am writing a Christmas novel but I won't have it finished in time for Christmas. I decided last year that I would not write another Christmas romance and as you will have guessed, I have not stuck to my decision. The trouble with writing is that these characters keep walking about in my head, demanding that I write about them. The only cure is to sit down and start. I've been busy with a lot of stuff so I have not had time to really concentrate. However, I am up to Chapter 8 and writing all the odd moments I can.
I visited my daughter in Germany last month. It was wonderful to see her and my grandchildren after a two-year absence. I was really worried about travelling this time. Usually, I take it all in my stride but I got myself into a panic about having to put everything on my mobile - I could just see my phone collapsing and me not allowed on board the airplane because I couldn't show my boarding card, or my vaccination cert or something! In fact, all went very smoothly. Which is a huge relief, because I am going back for Christmas. Hopefully, the current surge in Covid infections will have abated somewhat by then.
When I got home at the end of October I discovered a small rash on the side of my neck and I also had some pain in my neck and shoulder. I decided that a) I had got a mosquito bite while in Germany - the little blighters were coming in out of the cold and buzzing around everywhere and b) my neck and shoulder pain were due to sitting in a draft at some stage of my travels. Imagine my surprise, when I visited the pharmacy to get a cream for the rash which was refusing to go away and I was told I had shingles. I learned that shingles is caused by the chicken pox virus which stays in the body and can flare up, very often due to stress. Well, I have never had chicken pox, so it is still a mystery to me how I got shingles, although I did stress myself out on the travelling bit. Everything cleared up in just over two weeks. I know I was very lucky because anyone I have spoken to who has had shingles tells me how painful it is. Apparently, there is a vaccine against shingles but I did not know that. I learn something new every day.
I am getting into the spirit of Christmas at the moment and I hope that all my readers are too. Although I don't have a new novel out, I have written a few Christmas romances. Have a look and see if one of them appeals to you.
