Return to normal life...

Well, that's done. In many ways, it was the worst three months of my life, and certainly almost ruined the children's Christmas. Younger son and elder daughter (the one with two children) refused to come and see it because it had made my life such a misery. However, elder son and girlfriend did come and see it, and loved it. The cast - dragged in, some of them - delivered a very enjoyable final product. Not sure I had anything to do with it...

Now I've got to get on with the new Alexandrian story, which has rather taken a back seat, particularly over the last month when I've been out every evening and a lot of afternoons, too. Panto don't 'arf take up a lot of time... So now I can sleep well and not worry about having to make myself presentable every day, I've got to get back into routine. Over the last few weeks I discovered an illustrator called John S Goodall, who wrote (?) some delightful little pictorial books, the Edwardian series. There's Entertainments, Summer, Season and Holiday.

There's also Christmas, but I haven't bought that one yet. They've been sitting beside the Big Mac in the office waiting for me and now I've got time to take inspiration from them.

So now it's nose to the grindstone time. Fingers crossed.

Happy Christmas!

Well, I say Happy Christmas, but it's far too early for me, actually. Every year it is made more apparent to me that I am a Grinch. Except that the Grinch is American, and I therefore don't approve of that. 😏

I used to love Christmas. I eventually gave in on the "Decorations and Tree on Christmas Eve and not before" rule inherited from my parents (and most of their generation), but only by a few days. I feel that too much exposure to Christmas decorations debases the currency, so to speak. My eldest daughter has gone over to the Dark Side and now says it's lovely to enjoy all the sparkly things for a few weeks. Mind you, she also watches Strictly...

Eldest son agrees with me and says he refuses to knuckle under to the pressure of social media and put his decorations up. Younger son, however, is pestering me to put ours up. Don't know what younger daughter thinks, as no doubt the ship on which she is currently entertaining will be festooned in the most garish of decorations whether she likes it or not.

It is quite worrying to come to the conclusion that I have become someone who does not like Popular Culture in its current incarnation. I appreciate modern technology, especially as it makes my job easier in various ways, and I use social media. It helps me keep in touch with family and friends, and is also useful in the job. But popular culture - No. I have never - and will never watch Strictly Come Dancing, Big Brother (is that still going?), I'm a Celebrity (etc), The Apprentice, Soaps... The list goes on. I hate forced competition; setting one against another. Although I have a soft spot for Mastermind, which a late friend won several years ago - RIP Annie - and University Challenge The Professionals, in which a team of friends were finalists. But they're different, somehow.

Even social media has fallen under my disapproval now, as it becomes increasingly promotional, both in terms of individual users and the algorithms which send us usually inappropriate advertising. So I am gradually withdrawing from that, although my own reader group, Libby's Loonies, remains a favourite.

However, I have finally been persuaded to allow the Putting Up Of The Tree on Tuesday, and told I must stop being a Grinch. I said I'd always been a Grinch, but the family say I haven't - I've just turned into one. Which is where we came in...

Busy, busy, busy...

Traditionally, The Playhouse Box Office opens for the sale of pantomime tickets on December 1st, although I think this will change as so many tickets are bought online these days. Panto is the only one with restricted sales.

We are deep in rehearsal for Sleeping Beauty, which has not been without its problems.

In addition to this, I have foolishly taken on the challenge of writing the third novella (45,000 words) in The Alexandrians series, set in Edwardian Nethergate, the seaside town which features in the Libby Sarjeant series. This means two books with delivery three months apart - I shall be writing them virtually at the same time. Both have been started, although not got beyond the first chapter of each, and I've had to do an awful lot of research reading for the third Alexandrian, as I'd forgotten a lot!

We've also just run a competition on social media to win a beautiful limited edition mug, created for me by Michael Gill, of the London Mug Studio. https://www.londonmugstudio.co.uk/product/murderandthepantomimecat

And the first of the new batch of Audio books has come out with a lovely interview, thanks to Isis Publishing:https://www.facebook.com/Isis.Soundings/photos/a.483472278408096/208385792503618

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So it's all been a bit busy, as you can imagine.

If I don't manage another post before Christmas, I wish you all the happiest of times.

A quick November update

As you all know by now, my main focus at present is pantomime, which is finally getting down to rehearsal. However, publisher has decided to give me a whole new range of covers, as neither of us really liked the most recent update. I don't know if you'll all be able to see this, but Accent have done an Autumnal Libby Sarjeant Video.

Also for your eyes only, the next full length Libby book, out next September 5th, will be Murder Repeated.  And Murder And The Pantomime Cat will be out on the 22nd November!