Man Booker time again

It's Man Booker longlist time again, and it looks like a good one.

I was a little uninspired by last year's list, but this year I already had some of the books on my TBR list, so I spent time today adding a couple more.

I hadn't realised it was being announced today until one of my friends on Facebook - the owner of Salt - shared the news that another of his authors had been included, Wyl Menmuir for his book The Many. I wrote about Salt's story in 2012 when Alison Moore made it to the shortlist. You can read my post here - it's an inspiring story in itself.

I love the Man Booker Prize, because I'll be winning it when I'm 56 (it's been a long standing conviction since I was 17, I might have mentioned it once or twice).

Every year, when the prize rolls around, it makes me super focused on my writing. I've been a bit aimless (again... *sigh*) since I finished my WIP at the end of last month, so today I started re-reading a novel I've been submitting to agents, and decided to refresh it. None of the agents have been interested, so it's probably a good time to have another go at it. Beta readers have given it thumbs up, so it might be just a case of jiggling with it and trying again.

It can't hurt, right?

At the moment, I have chopped up/taped back together scenes strewn all over my floor, and I'm fending Artoo off with my foot. So, it's probably time to get back to work.

What have you been up to?

What gets you motivated to write? Do you even need motivating as much as I do?

Visiting Crystal

I'm over on Crystal Collier's blog today, taking part in her Writerly Wednesday feature. Decide which of my facts is a lie for a chance to win a signed copy of You. I. Us.

In other news, it's hot. The UK is sweltering under a heatwave - although it might already be over by the time you read this. At least I work in an air conditioned gym!

Laptop woes and holidays

Good morning! It's good to be back. You might not have noticed my absence, but I have been very aware of the lacking of blogging, networking and laptop in my life over the past week.

Such a long week...

Laptop woes

I had grand plans when I finished my blog tour of visiting all the people who'd commented on my blog and replying... But my laptop went away to be serviced. I waved it goodbye last Monday evening and waited. Then I vacuumed, and cleaned the bathroom, and washed the windows, and  gave the box of You. I. Us's a proper home.

Holidays

Then I went away for the weekend.... Yay! I went on a trip with my dad and sister to Bletchley Park, the Duxford Air Show and Milestones Museum in Basingstoke. I promised myself I'd take lots of photos, and then didn't. So, to illustrate my weekend away here I am, looking very scared, in front of the bar used in The Imitation Game, in a display at Bletchley... Ready?

Even though my New Year's Resolution was to take a selfie a day for the year, I'm obviously still very bad at taking them.

But this is one of the better photos I took, apart from this one, from the air show... Taking photos of planes is really hard. You should have seen the calamity of me trying to catch the F-22 fighter jet!

More laptop woes

We came home on Sunday evening, and I was still without my laptop. On Monday, I wandered the house, watched telly, read a book, wrote some notes for a new flash fiction, and went down into town to buy a mop.

Reader, there was no mop! I bought a duster instead.

My laptop didn't come home until late yesterday - Tuesday - evening. It was a harsh eight days (and I was away for four of them!)

But, I'm back!

And because I've done very little marketing in the past eight days, I'll just leave this here...

Find the book in all these places:

Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Book Depository // Kobo // iBooks // Nook

And add to your TBR list: Goodreads

Blog Tour: Day 15, finishing with Christine

It's been three weeks, ladies and gents, fifteen blog posts and countless comments, (plus three hot chocolate dates with friends and family - including one today!- and a completed round of edits for my WIP) and I've finally reached the end of my tour. Thank you all so much for sticking with me. I've enjoyed every second.

Huge thanks go out to the fifteen bloggers who made the tour a success with their fascinating and thought-provoking questions.

I'm heading to Christine Rain's blog today to discuss the most important element of a short story.

I'll leave you with one final picture of Artoo, and my leg - this is the view I had for most of the England v Wales game (the game we won during our Euro campaign) when he couldn't understand why I was watching telly instead of taking him for a walk.