Sunday 11 April 2010

Memories and Madness


First the memories - oooh - it was one year ago today, the loveliest day of my life -big, big soppy sigh... So, here's wishing a very, very Happy First Wedding Anniversary to Elle and The Doctor - oh, and a very happy birthday to The Doctor today as well. They're away for the weekend - somewhere secluded and romantic... I'm not.

And the madness? The edits and rewrites for TWTAWH are back! Already! Aaargh! Mind you, I actually enjoy being edited, so once I get to grips with the "yes, of course I'll change that - it's so much better" and "no way, over my dead body!" bits I'll be fine - I think... It's always a good thing to have someone else's perspective (a professional person, I mean - it's no good relying on your best mate or your mum who will always tell you it's the best thing you've ever written) on your writing - and I must say I agree with about 90% of Emma Editor's points. Sooo - I'll be bum-on-seat and fingers-on-keyboard for the next week hopefully honing TWTAWH into A Good Book.

The madness has also involved loads of stuff going on while I was trying to finish TWTAWH - mainly because I couldn't see for most of it having developed viral conjunctivitis after the shingles episode, so while I looked like Quasimodo and had to wear Matrix-type sunglasses INDOORS (and wouldn't go out because I couldn't wear eye-make and I haven't been outside with bare eyes since I was 14!) neither could I see the screen. I was typing in a massive font and The Toyboy Trucker said I looked like the least attractive half of Peters & Lee... I'm better now, thanks.

And Elle and The Doctor have been buying a house with all the angst that brings, and finally move at the end of April. They already had a house each, sold his, lived in hers after the wedding - now they've sold that too and bought what they're referring to as "a proper family home" in the country... Am getting very overexcited at the thought of the patter of tiny grandchildren... Elle tells me this is NOT on the agenda anytime soon - but then she said that about getting married so I remain "broody-by-proxy"...

And I've been writing a couple of commissioned things: a feature for Prima on "the way we holiday'd" which was great fun (but tricky again as I couldn't see the screen) and includes lots of black and white holiday snaps and made me very nostalgic (but NOT weepy as "weepy" still hurts!), and a short story for a Your Cat magazine competition - which was lovely as the readers had to send in details of their cat and I had to choose the winner and write a story round him/her... I wanted to use ALL of them - they were amazing!

And The Toyboy Trucker has been promoted AGAIN (I knew no good would come of suddenly deciding to get himself an education!) but this time to here - well, almost - but reasonably locally which means he'll be living at home again from April 19th. Can't wait... Not sure about him - think he's probably really enjoyed being young, free and single for all these months... But it has meant a lot of disruption as we've had to move his whole life from the wilds of "the other side of London" back here again...

Oh, and I've also been child-minding for a friend while she had surgery - they (the children - not sure how many of them there were but it seemed like a lot) were quite good (if a little blurry) and most days I just chained them to the Wii while I wrote TWTAWH and fed them on pizza every now and then...

Sooo, somehow amongst that lot, TWTAWH got written and now it's going to be rewritten and I'll be back again as soon as it's DONE!

17 comments:

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Phew, what a busy time. I'm amazed you managed to write a book with all that going on, especially as your eyes were so sore. Can't wait to read it though.

Happy first anniversary to Elle and the doctor. Oh, and happy birthday to the doctor too. How lovely that they're somewhere secluded and romantic.

Jan Jones said...

Chris, sweetie, your life will NEVER be normal. Might as well face it now.

Good luck with edits. I like them too - after that first "Don't be ridiculous" moment.

Christina Jones said...

Debs - Thanks so much - but *you* think *I'm* busy??? Have you looked at your life lately??? Hope TWTWAH will eventually live up to the cover (if not the title...).

Christina Jones said...

Jan - hah! Takes one to know one...
Yes, I always get that flouncy "are you completely MAD?" early-edit-moment too before calming down and thinking okay, well, actually, yes, maybe you're right...

alzamina said...

oh you poor thing - having had VC myself I know how painful it can be - I looked like a rabbit with myxomatosis!! not fun.

Happy Anniversary - is paper I think if you are a traditionalist or clocks for modern, Pansys if you are following flowers - isamazing what rubbish you remember!

COngrats on getting everything done though the madness and bets of british and all that for the rewrites! x

alzamina said...

oh you poor thing - having had VC myself I know how painful it can be - I looked like a rabbit with myxomatosis!! not fun.

Happy Anniversary - is paper I think if you are a traditionalist or clocks for modern, Pansys if you are following flowers - isamazing what rubbish you remember!

COngrats on getting everything done though the madness and bets of british and all that for the rewrites! x

Christina Jones said...

alzamina - am I seeing double again??? So sorry that you know how VC feels/looks though! We went for paper for the anniversary (theatre tickets to a show they've been dying to see and thought was booked up!)... and thanks for the good edit wishes... much appreciated! love C x

Colette McCormick said...

First of all congrats to Elle and the Doctor on their anniversary and the house. Also to TBT on his promotion.
Sorry to hear about the VC - sounds horrendous.
Good luck with the edits.

Suzanne Ross Jones said...

Can't believe it's a year since the wedding. Where has the time gone?

Kath McGurl said...

You've been busy, wow! Glad your eyes are mending. the book sounds great and I love the cover!

Christina Jones said...

Colette - thanks so much on all counts.

Christina Jones said...

Suzanne - I've no idea where the time goes... the other day I couldn't remember if we'd had Christmas yet or not (in my defence I was in Oxford and passed a house with a lit-up Xmas tree in the window...)

Christina Jones said...

womag - thank you so much. Will need your blog as soon as rewrites done to catch up on the latest short story info. Hope everything ok. Cx

Chris Stovell said...

Goodness me, where did a year go? Glad you are over your lurgy - it sounded very unpleasant indeed (I would have been curled up in the foetal postion I think!). Well done you for packing so much in wwhen you were ill.

Karen said...

The Peters and Lee comment made me laugh! Glad you're feeling better now. Amazing that's it's a year since the wedding :oO

I'm editing again at the moment, and although it's completely frantic I'm rather enjoying it, knowing (hoping) my book will be as bright and shiny as it can possibly can be when I've finished :o)

Good luck!

Christina Jones said...

Chris - thanks so much - no, I don't know where the time went either... And much as I wanted to pull the duvet over my head and weep for weeks I was too damn scared of missing the deadline and therefore rapidly becoming An Ex Author... It was the terror what drove me on...

Christina Jones said...

Karen - thanks for laughing. I had to otherwise I'd have been sobbing for England. Ooooh - good luck with the edits - can't wait to read it!!! I'm on edits and rewrites now and in danger of getting carried away by adding far too many "bits that are much better - I think..." See you when we emerge from the other end!