Research

As I sit today, locked away researching and still in my dressing-gown at 10.00 a.m. there’s a knock at the front door.

I’m certain that neighbours in my new neighbourhood don’t yet understand necessarily, that’s what authors do. When we are ‘on a run’ either writing or researching, the world is often ignored – and what a privilege that is.

Thankfully, standing at the front door is one of my new neighbours, a lovely gentleman, 82 years young, so my dressing gown didn’t phase him one bit.

Publicity-wise, launch and interview-wise, 2014 was a very big year for me, feeling that I was always fixing my hair, getting ‘dressed-up’ and racing off some place to be interviewed or to sign books. As a children’s author, all of these roles are wonderful, but secretly there’s something delicious and special about being locked away with an idea at the grass roots level and hoping that all the hours, work and passion we are about to invest, will pay off and something worthwhile will be created at the end. It’s exciting and scary all at the same time.

And while I’m sitting happily in my dressing-gown, my friends have advised me that the latest edition of Magpies is out with an article about me written by Sharon Greenaway. I don’t have mine yet because I forgot to send change of address details to Magpies! but thank you Sharon, for a lovely write-up and thank you Magpies for organising.

Research of a different kind – out and about in Collins Street researching for Little Dog and the Christmas Wish.