Double book delight!

It’s been quite a few months since I blogged - did you think I’d upped and left?!

I haven’t. I’m still here. Life just looks a bit different at the moment.

As a reader of the Scribbles, you’ll have no doubt seen the post about Mr Squidge and I having Covid back in June. He’s OK…I’ve got long covid. At least, that was what we put the increasing fatigue down to, until I was diagnosed with a kidney issue that needs surgery. At the time of writing this post, I am very limited in what I can physically do, and have to track my energy levels so I can decide whether or not I can do the things I want/need to do. Pilates and dancing have disappeared from the diary, and library sessions at school or church duties and meetings often have to be missed. Even sitting or lying on the settee can drain my energy on certain very bad days! As anyone with a chronic illness knows, it’s exhausting, frustrating, rather isolating, and a whole lot of other things beside.

That’s why I’ve been so quiet on the Scribbles. Writing has been made much harder by feeling exhausted all the time. Even prepping this post at a time when I feel relatively energetic, I know will have an effect over the next couple of days. And I’ve not got much to write about, unless you want to know how many pairs of socks I’ve knitted or what I’ve binge-watched on the telly?

However, there have been a couple of high points. Tilda and the Sixth Mage and The Rainbow Flower have both been published!

Tilda’s story concludes in this fifth and final book and seems to have gone down well with readers with respect to it being a fitting ending to the series. I launched this one at the Belper Book Festival back in September, and although I sold a copy or two to someone I know who has loved the entire series so far, sales were very much hit because of the weather (it poured!) and the fact that it’s the last book. What I really need is for new folk to be introduced to and be interested in the first book, so that hopefully they will want to keep on reading through to #5!

And then The Rainbow Flower was published in October. There were a few issues with the delivery of physical copies, because my address apparently had part of my postcode missing. The parcel ended up in Welwyn Garden City, London, where the driver tried to offload it! Fortunately they were unsuccessful, and I managed to contact the delivery company before a second delivery attempt was made, so the box arrived at my house the following day. It was dropped off just as I was leaving home to meet a friend for coffee. I had to resist opening it until I got back, but it was worth the wait. The book is beautiful, and has coloured backgrounds for the text pages linked to each picture. It’s a stunner.

I’m excited to see what folk make of it. I enjoyed the process of creating a picture book (which I will be blogging about when I next feel up to it) so much, I’ve got another two planned. The Pear Tree Pirates - another rhyming story - is already contracted with Bink, and they also like the idea of a Christmas-themed one I floated too, so watch this space!

So, I guess that’s you all caught up for the moment. I’m still here despite what you may have thought, still creating, and still making the most of the good moments. Hopefully, it won’t be as long before we chat again!