Annette V Hart's Blog: The ramblings of Annette Hart, page 13

That b****y letter e...

A few friends have started asking after my third book: it's nearly finished and ready for my publishers I promise! I've been busy trying my hand at writing an adult fantasy story but everything has been hampered by problems with my keyboard. The cover to letter e (of course it would be the most used letter!) has broken. I can still use it but the toggle is hard to press and tempramental; every so often it jumps the cursor and you suddenly find yourself adding to the middle of a word several sentences before. With all the extra corrections it is very frustrating and time consuming!

Back to the school run...

Back to normality and a dramatic scene for the school run: the oak trees have been cut to look like twisted, stunted limbs flailing against a fiery sky.

I have avoided doing anything over the Christmas holidays with one exception: I have knuckled down to lots of writing. Hopefully this is a good sign for the new year.

Another beautiful, cold and frosty morning...

Yet another cold school run and as beautiful as that at the beginning of the week. A glorious, golden sun glowed across the landscape, making the wet leaves sparkle, silhouetting the cows and brightening the frosty fields.

Oh, what a beautiful morning...

I know it was very cold but the countryside looked so beautiful as I did the school run this morning. Looking across the fields ahead of us, into the low, veiled sun, the meadows, trees and hedges were covered in frost and wreathed in whispy mist, all in various shades of grey and white.

History teaching...

I've just read an article in (yesterday's) Guardian about the decreasing importance given to history in English schools and yet the positive role the subject has for society. It was by Simon Schama and he put into words very eloquently what I have felt for a long time - especially about the total disregard for huge swathes of our history. And those same periods would be great for engaging children, marrying celebrity and soap opera with political and religious intrigue.
The only problem is feeling powerless to make yourself heard or to help make a change.

Poppies and poems.

I have bought my poppy and now I shall dip into a new book of WWI poetry I've recently found.
Having an increasing interest in family history, my thoughts do turn to those in my family who fought, worked, suffered or died during those 2 World Wars: my Great Great Grandfather on the frontline in Belgium and my Great Great Uncle stuck in Rhuleban internment camp WWI, my Grandfather in heavy duty rescue during the Blitz (and the family bombed out), my other grandfather - a farmer and therefore reserved occupation - who still served, great uncles in all 3 services, various happy and sad evacuees. It is our delight that we still have one of my Grandmother's (a prolific diary writer) diaries - that for 1940, the year in which she met my Grandfather.
My thoughts always go most to my Great Uncle and his comrades who died on HMS Laurentic in 1940; I can't think of anything worse than dying, perhaps slowly, during that long, cold and dark night in the North Atlantic. We still remember them.

I have arty genes...

I can definitely say I have arty genes because not only have I acquired it via parents and grandparents I am sure I have now passed it on. My children have recently shown artistic ability in school work and makes at home for which I am very pleased and proud. Ollie's work has particularly become very precise - I'm sure he could follow in my architect dad's footsteps and do well in technical drawing.

What is it with being a writer (and a paranoid perfectionist)?

Here I am with a wonderful pile of newly printed books but within minutes I'm worrying about something: could this bit have been better, will it appeal to readers, why didn't I ask for that to be changed, have any mistakes slipped through the proofreading process? Writers are never happy, always seeing improvements! And perfectionists worry about the results even when they can no longer be changed. I need to let go and enjoy what is in front of me.

At least I've enjoyed seeing my illustrations in print for the first time and my children have flicked through to find ones they helped with the modelling for.

My new book's arrived!

It was exciting to receive a large parcel today - a real box of delights for me, not only the pristine complimentary books but book marks, flyers and posters. If only the children would share my enthusiasm - although they were keen to flick through and find my illustrations. It seems funny to be getting the books before it is officially published at the end of next week.

Selling problems...

Having got all excited at finally having a publication date for my second book, I have now discovered a problem that needs sorting before that date. I had no idea that my book is currently unavailable in the US - why when it is easily available through Amazon UK, etc? I think I need to discover an easy way to sell my book online myself (besides through my publishers), perhaps through my website.
It's soooo frustrating! Nothing ever seems to be easy.