The morning after the night before. Sad photo of Elle's forlorn and abandoned wedding dress (think she must have leapt out of it from a standing start!), unloved and unwanted on the floor of the honeymoon suite. Which just about sums it - and my current feelings - up...
Well, that's that then. Wedding all over; Elle and The Doctor frolicking in the surf on Waikiki Beach (they've sent phone-pics - bless them!); all staying-over friends have left - T&T have flown back to Jersey, J&I ditto to Switzerland, R,J,M & B have returned to York, and F&S have coupled up the caravan and headed back to Devon.
It's all over.... Sigh...
I've no doubt that I'll be using gratuitous snap-shot wedding photos to illustrate the blog posts for a while yet. Well, at least until we get the official ones and I can edit them for a hopefully suitable pic of the m-o-t-b outfit... However am now having grave concerns that the entire outfit was way-too-bling and that the vintage beaded jacket was just a tad too sparkly, and the silk frock was just a touch too frou-frou and the red satin killer heels were probably - well - frankly - tarty... Everyone said I looked nice. Nice isn't what I'd aimed for. I'd aimed for spectacular - and now think, with all the aforementioned doubts and having abandoned the fascinator as too silly for words and having forgotten to wear any jewellery (too much of a rush before getting Elle into her wedding dress), I actually looked like someone half-dressed for a fancy dress party. Will wait and see what the official photos show of course - but I'm not optimistic here...
Still outraged that the outlaws didn't even send Elle and The Doctor a wedding congrats card! Not one single one of them. Not even ma-in-law - and she was actually there (although under protest and VERY bad-tempered). Surely they could have managed a card? Wouldn't that just be good manners or a sort of family-friendly thing to do? As Elle and The Doctor didn't want presents, a card - especially when you've ditched attending the wedding at the last minute - wouldn't have been too much to ask? I think this just underlines their ignorance and rudeness and shows they clearly want nothing more to do with us -which is good because that's what they're going to get!
Hurrumph.... Sod 'em all!
And now today the Moonshine proofs have arrived - and I really, really must get back to work.
Sigh again....
So, on a writerly note (I AM a writer, I AM, I AM...)- I've sold yet another short story to Yours (this seems to be my target market at the moment - and very welcome given the rapid demise of magazine fiction generally) - so thanks again Womag - wouldn't have done this without you. Am 5 chapters into Midnight Feast and have side-lined Off The Wall for a while. Have also had a couple of ideas for new series to follow on from the practical magic ones and am hoping my agent and editor will also think they've got legs - the stories, that is, not my agent and ed...
Oooh, yes! And I've had royalties again!!!! Loads and loads of royalties!!! Got really excited about it - it's a rare occurrence for me I can tell you, but one I could get used to. Have been very, very circumspect and shovelled them away for a) the next tax bill, b) unexpected disasters/household bills, and c) those months later in the year when I know (wise after the event and having now read my contract!) when I won't have any nice chunks of money. Still, it's kept the bank happy and made me smile. And After The Wedding, smiles are in short supply here, I can tell you.
And thanks to my wonderful German publishers buying my entire back list, I've been having an ongoing conversation with my German translator/editor because she's currently working on Hubble Bubble and there's a mention of my hero resembling Heath Ledger in it, and because of HL's sad and untimely death, we both felt it would be better to replace him with another movie star... And - eeek - she wanted Leonardo di Caprio. Now, I'm sure little Leonardo is lovely in his own way, but he certainly isn't how I see my wild-haired, dangerous-dark-eyed, sexy Shay. We've argued for a couple of days and I think I've now convinced her that Johnny Depp would be a worthy stand-in for poor Heath... Will let you know.
And coming right down to earth, have just taken Jonah (above) to the vet for his twice-yearly check-up on his ongoing ulcerative gingivitis (all clear) - and discovered during the tests that he possibly has hyper-thyroidism... He had to have more bloods taken which have been sent away for analysis and we'll get the results on Monday. If they're positive for hyper-thyroidism our lovely vet explained it'll involve either life-long medication or surgery. Either of which will chomp nicely into the royalties - sigh... Still, as The Toyboy Trucker and I would sell our souls twice over for Jonah we'll do whatever it takes....
And now I will open the folder that says WIP - and Will Get On With It! When I've done the Moonshine proofs, and looked at the wedding pics again, and slashed and hacked the jungly bits in the garden, and cuddled Jonah and....
13 comments:
Well, honestly, if you will have these wild, over-the-top, adrenaline-filled days you must expect the corresponding "oh, damn, where did I leave my life" moments.
Hugs to Jonah, huge congrats on German negotiations and Real Royalties and a nice pat on the back for being sensible with the money.
And maybe you could have a party when Elle and The Doctor get back...
Thanks Jan (and yes, the cheque is in the post today - forgot it - sorry!)- and also thanks because you made me rethink my bad, bad financial tactics and actually put this unexpected royalty bonus AWAY this time. Do wish I had more daughters though - I'd LOVE to go through all that glam excitement at least once more... However, a party on their return might just do the trick...
Chris, I SO sympathise. I'm so lucky, I know (in every way possible), having three lovely daughters - otherwise I'm sure I'd have felt flat, too, after Wedding No.1 last August. But I had Wedding No.2 in October to look forward to - and now I still have Wedding No.3 (this October!) to go. (By then, I'll probably be all weddinged out.) On the other hand you only had to choose one MOB outfit. I'm sure you looked just as great as you hoped you would - but I find it so hard to hit the right mark: not trying to look too young but not looking like a crabbed old crone - if poss!
Great news about the royalties - that should cheer you up! Mine are non-existent again. And Jonah! How odd - we've just taken our Charlie-cat to the vet, to show him the miracle recovery that's taken place: he'd been poorly for months, and we hated leaving him in the cattery when we went to NZ -but he's come home with a ravenous appetite and just a much happier cat - now off all 3 drugs he was on and re-gaining weight. Maybe it was the shock of being left there!
I agree with Jan: have a party. You deserve one!
Oh, aren't those Germans wunderbar, nicht wahr? (I'd better quite while I'm ahead - this is the woman who disgraced herself asking for naughty pineapples (bose - where's an umlaut when you need one?) instead of cubed pineapples (dose)!)
You're bound to be a bit glum at the mo - and I bet you looked cracking in the m-o-t-b outfit. (I need something for my daughter's Dof E Gold Award presentation at St James' palace - they don't do jeans and I only have one Funeral Frock. Yikes! And if I can get it at Primark or Peacocks so much the better!). Hope you get your mojo back soon.
Hi Christina! Sorry you're feeling so down after the wedding, it sounded as if it was a great day though.
Johnny Depp will be a good stand-in, I love him as Captain Jack on Pirates of the Carribean.
Good luck with the new series of books. I really enjoyed your novels before your magical ones and have Heaven Sent in my to-read pile and am hoping to find more of your magical ones.
I have been lurking for a while but had to surface to say what a fantastic wedding day. It's not surprising that you've hit the floor with a thump because it certainly sounds like a highpoint for all who attended.
I am sorry about the outlaws - but they're the ones who have missed out - sad in every sense of the word.
Write Woman - oh, I do so envy you THREE weddings. I'd love to do it all over again, although Elle, it must be said, is currently happy post-wedding and texted today to say they were "doing" Pearl Harbour - presumabaly not in the same way as Pearl Harbour was done before... Have a wonderful time ay wedding no 3 in Oct. Will be thinking of you! I'm sure you'll look gorgeous in whatever MOTB outfit you choose. The royalties were mostly from Germany. Again. The books are really selling well over there - something I still find a bit weird - UK royalties much on a par with yours methinks! So pleased Charlie has made such a miraculous turn-around. Great news. Long may it continue.
ChrisH - thanks for understanding about the glumness. And congrats to your daughter on the DoE Gold Award - and hugs on the dress dilemma. Eeek - my German is abysmal. Wouldn't even attempt to ask for a pineapple - and I've got German O level, The Toyboy Trucker was born and grew up in Berlin and my mum lived in Cologne and spoke German fluently... but they've been brill at buying the books - so I love the Germans!!!
chicklitreviews - hi! lovely to meet you in blogland! Thanks so much for liking the books - now I'm smiling again! Yep, I think Cap'n Jack will do nicely too - better than Leonardo who really isn't my idea of a rom-hero - maybe the Germans see him differently?
Chris - yes, it was an amazing wedding and even more so because I was convinced it was going to be footballers wives tacky and it wasn't at all... Sad is just the right word for the outlaws. I think I know why they did it but I really hope I'm wrong... Still, their loss.
(grudgingly) OK. I guess I DO envy that wedding dress. A little, it's so gorgeous.....
Are you suffering from the loss of anticipation too? I think half or more of the fun is in the planning. But when my event (vacation or whatever) it's like I've lost a hobby or something.
Of course I'm not a writer -- writer's probably always have exciting things to think about...
{{Chris}}
We're here for you. We haven't left town!
katiebird - thank you, and yes, of course you're right - it's the loss of the build-up too. There was so much going on, it was all so exciting - when I started this blog nearly 10 monmths ago my first post was about the wedding and I haven't stopped wittering about it since! I'm getting there, though. Just booked a holiday, am re-doing the garden, getting stuck into Midnight Feast... Back to reality!
It's horrible to have to revert to normality after such a long build up to something.
Outlaws - Pah!
Thrilled for you re the royalties, and I definately agree with you when it comes to Johnny Depp (sigh).
Poor Jonah (poor you and TBT too), I shall keep fingers crossed for Jonah's results. Doesn't he look handsome in his photo?
Debs - blimey! You must be feeling EXACTLY the same as me - coming back to reality after such a magical time! Big sighs all round... Hmmm - Jonah KNOWS he's handsome - thanks so much for your good wishes. I'm sure he'll be okay - I hope!!!
What's the German for Hubble Bubble?
Gonna be a writer - hah! very clever! My guess is that it'll be something along the lines of Blase-Zauber mit double umlauts!!! Or maybe (and hopefully not) the rather doubtful Kochkunst-Zauber - which would put it in a class of its own and on a much higher shelf... Or I might just put Hubble Bubble into the Google translator and see what happens...
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