Thursday 15 January 2009

Reasons To Be Cheerful


Ooops - sorry. I've been a Bad Blogger again - but I've just been completely overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that had accumulated during my illness and the computer's absence. Not least by three backlogged emails from my publisher saying a)they expect Moonshine to be delivered by the end of January latest, b) they've booked Moonshine's copy editing for early Feb and c) Moonshine is going into production in mid-Feb.

Now this all sounds very efficient and encouraging - but when you're the one writing Moonshine and it's now mid-January and you've only done 5 chapters...

See my problem????

So - I'm writing like stink to try and do it. No, I know and you know it's not possible, but I'm not going to admit that yet. Not to myself and certainly not to my publishers... Yes, I've told them that because I've lost over a month's writing time that I'm miles behind but that doesn't seem to be a good enough reason...

So, I've set myself a sort of manic target - like, if I write two chapters a day I might just do it. Hah! Or, maybe if I write at least 7,000 words a day, every day, I might be close. Double hah! Or, perhaps, if I live on Red Bull and other stimulants and give up sleeping and eating and any sort of life at all and just sit here and type, it might just turn into a finished 100,000 word book in two weeks... hah-de-hah-de-hah!!!

Anyway - to alleviate the panic about the deadline and my lack of book - I've been thinking about the things that are currently making me cheerful (glass half full every time!).

First is the reason for the pic - hot water bottles! Pure bliss in this freezing winter - we were down to minus 12 the other night and they're forecasting snow again next week. So, The Toyboy Trucker and I have reverted to childhood - wrapping the PJs round the bottles before bedtime, then snuggling into the warm hollow and having the bottles on our feet. The cats love them too. So much pleasure for absolutely no financial outlay!

And I feel so much better. It's great to feel well again after so many weeks of being ill.

Then there's my PLR statement - and the money to be paid in early Feb. Oh, thank the lord for PLR. This year it's absolutely BRILLIANT and I'm not even thinking that most of it will probably have to pay the January tax bill (a bit of a downer, always having to pay the tax bill on a good year's earnings from money in a year when I've earned sod all - and no, I don't put any away for the tax bill as you're supposed to. Are you kidding? I have to live on every penny I earn...) - it's still a lovely wodge of cash and something my poor bank account hasn't seen for MONTHS. And it means that however bad the book sales seem to be, lots of people borrow my books from libraries which means they DO like them and I DO have readers out there. Sadly, my PLR earnings and the payments from my magazine work currently make up a much larger chunk of my writing income than the books... Maybe next year this will all change???

Next, it's only 12 weeks until The Wedding!!! We're all so excited - and Elle has her final fitting of the gorgeous, fantabulous Ian Stuart dress at the end of Jan and I shall be awash... And having now lost the December 5lbs and some more, I now have 12 weeks to lose 11lbs to be able to fit into the m-o-t-b frock - and I honestly think I can do that!!! Oh, and as I've lived in the red satin killer heels indoors ever since I bought them (they look fab with my PJs - vbg) I'm getting used to them and don't even wobble on them now...

Then there's the weather - I LOVE cold weather (sorry Debs) - and have taken every opportunity to do my walking in snow showers and freezing fog and frost - and it's cheered me up no end. And it's lovely to come home all glowing... And I can wear my beloved ancient collection of woolly hats (mostly berets in bright colours with sparkly bits on them) and fluffy scarves - none of these have seen the light of day for ages because of the recent mild winters...

And yesterday, while rooting around in our local clothes shop (they're having a massive sale and I'm ever hopeful) I found some real linen sun dresses reduced from £40 to - wait for it - £1!!!! £1!!!! I bought 4 (one in each colour)! I've never bought four dresses in one go - and they fit like a dream and skim my lumpy bits and look wonderfully expensive... Can't wait for the fabulous summer we've been promised to show them off (Debs, you've been warned!)...

And finally - the Toyboy Trucker's firm cancelled their Christmas dinner-dance party because everyone had various bugs and lurgies and they're now having it in a couple of weeks time instead, but because it's after Christmas and everywhere is offering really cheap prices, they're going to put us all up in a 5-star hotel as well - so, I'll get to wear a posh frock and swan about in luxury and forget about being broke and depressed about Moonshine (even if it is only for one night)...

So - I'm happy. No, I am, honestly. And now I'm going back to chapter 6 of Moonshine while chanting "I can do this.. I can do this... I can do this..."

17 comments:

Jan Jones said...

Got the solution, Chris! Write 18 hours a day then you will (a) finish Moonshine on time and (b) not have time to eat so you'll lose those spare pounds in no time and (c) save money because you're neither eating nor shopping.

There. I could be a life-guru you know.
PS - I adore PLR too.

Jayne said...

If anyone can do it Christina then you can! If you struggle delegate a chapter each to each cat and see how they get on? lol

The dresses sounds fabulous and well done you for losing your Xmas lbs already! You're WAY ahead of me - you go girl!!! xx

Nell Dixon said...

Go you!

Christina Jones said...

Duh, Jan - why didn't I think of that! I'm impressed! You could make a fortune as a life-guru... But in the meantime I think I need a miracle or better still, a literary version of the Tailor of Gloucester's mice...

Mummy - yes, of course! The cats can take the place of the above mice (except Dylan because he's VERY stupid and is definitely in the feline special needs category). I'm so scared about the deadline now that I'm too terrified to eat - so hopefully that'll help the weight loss even further...

Margaret McDonagh said...

You can and will do it, I believe in you totally, and I'm thrilled to bits that the PLR has given you such a well-deserved boost. Not to mention given proof in black and white of what I've always said - your books are fabulous and readers love them. And sales would soar if you were given proper backing and distribution and your books were in the shops for people to buy.

You are incredibly talented, an inate and magical storyteller.

I wish you godspeed with Moonshine and share your fate on the deadline and the panic that I won't get done in time.

And, as you know, I share the faith in and love of hot water bottles!!!!!!!

Much love,
Mags xxxx

Christina Jones said...

Nell - thanks for the support. I'll give it a go - and one day I'll probably laugh about this one...

Mags - aaawww - you're always so lovely. Thanks a million for your faith and belief in me and for saying so many nice things. I'll raise a hot water bottle to us both reaching our deadlines!!!

Colette McCormick said...

Darn those unsympathetic publishers. But hey it keeps life interesting. It's always good to feed the bank account from time to time even if it's not in there very long.
Good luck with Moonshine.

Christina Jones said...

Gonna be a writer - thanks as always for the support! Mmmm - interesting? Yes, I suppose so - but very, very scary - still, it's nearly midnight and I've written a chapter and half today and I won't stop over the weekend - so who knows I might even make it somewhere near the deadline??? As for the PLR money, I fear it'll flash into the account and out again - but at least it'll be there for a teeny little while...

Anonymous said...

Good luck with the deadline Chris .... look at it like this, another reason to be cheerful is that you are still being published!! I live in dread that every book will be my last! And yes, like you, my PLR vastly outweighs my book sales. Lovely that people are borrowing us. Perhaps a few of them will buy us too, this year!! xx

Anonymous said...

P.S. Did you happen to read that U.S. blog where people were complaining about 'greedy' British writers 'demanding' payment for their library loans??? Words fail me (for once!)!

Pat Posner said...

Hope you're writing your woolly socks off, Chris - you can put your bare tootsies on the hot water bottle.

PLR is great, isn't it! I was amazed at how much my large print from my PF pocket novel earned me.
I take my friends' books out from the library even when I've got my own copies of them.

Sending 'lots of words in a short time' fairy dust for you
xxPat

Kath McGurl said...

You can do it - Yes you can!

Good luck, Christina. I have your book Happy Birthday sitting on my to-be-read shelf. Looking forward to it!

Christina Jones said...

The Write Woman - yes, I did see the US writers rant against PLR - they just don't seem to "get" how it's funded in the UK - I'm just really, really glad it is. And don't mention the "still being published" bit! Moonshine is my last book in this contract. I also live in dread that it'll be my last full stop. Think that more people would buy our books as well as borrowing them if they were more readily available in bookshops - if my emails/phone calls are to be believed it really does seem to have been a case of "spot the copy" with Happy Birthday... sigh...

Pat - thanks for the fairy dust. I'm writing two chapters at the same time at the mo - but it's getting a bit muddly so I might have to stop...

womag - ooh-er - I really hope I can do it - thanks so much for the support. And many, many thanks for buying Happy Birthday - I really, really hope you'll like it...

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

You definately can do it - the writing and losing 11lbs in 12 weeks. You'll be a gorgeous MOTB.

I wish I could find some dresses for £1. How fab to find such brilliant bargains.

You're going to be tiny if you lose any more weight. You were small before!

Christina Jones said...

Debs - bless you - but I was not and never have been TINY. I'm a strapping wench!!! Everywhere over here is having massive sales and practically giving away stuff in lemming-like panic. There are some great bargains to be had if you look (which of course I shouldn't have been as a) I have no money and b) I should be writing Moonshine and not rooting around in frock shops...). But even broke as I am there was no way on earth I wasn't going to buy four LINEN dresses for £4!!!

Phillipa said...

PLR is great isn't it? Mine would be a fraction of yours, Chris, but I still jumped up and down in glee when I saw the borrowing figures. OF COURSE, people love your books. I have just taken delivery of Happy Birthday this morning.

Christina Jones said...

Phillipa - oh thanks so much for getting hold of a copy of Happy Birthday - really, really hope you'll like it - and I think it's brilliant that PLR arrives so soon after Christmas amid the doom and gloom of January... Congrats on yours!