October.
Welcome October, it's good to see you again.
During October a couple of things are happening on the writing and book front.
Firstly I'm awaiting delivery of a print proof copy of The Map and The Stone and assuming that checks out ok then I can approve it and set it on it's way to full print release. The paperback has a different cover to the e-book edition, in full colour and again designed by the talented Mairi Frost, who produced most of the drawings for the interior too.
I've redesigned the other Portal covers too so the e-book edition looks different but similar. It's important I think, to differentiate the two editions and I enjoyed the process. I actually prefer the e-book covers, they have something extra, a bit of colour and sparkle that the print covers don't have. But I can't change those without releasing a new edition, so they'll stay as they are for now.
So, in a few days I should be sending The Map and The Stone on its way and it should be available through Amazon and on other bookshop sites, as well as through your local library, in time for Christmas.
Also during October I'll be working more on Portal 3, still using the working title "Child of the Portal" and I'll be leaving everything else alone in preparation for November.
Here's a sneak peek at a piece from Portal 3 for you…
Lily drizzled icing over the top of the cake sitting on the kitchen table and stood back to look at the results, smiling her approval.
"What's that Mum?" Andrew asked as he wandered in with a trainer in one hand and a sock in the other.
Lily looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "One trainer? And one sock?" He hopped and lifted a foot that was already wearing the matching trainer but a mismatched sock. Lily shrugged. "It's Kate's birthday cake and we will be taking it over for her in about half an hour so don't get filthy." He sat at the table to pull on sock and trainer and reached out a hand to poke the still wet icing and Lily batted his hand away. "No finger marks on it please!" She scolded and he laughed.
"Don't forget the candles!" He called as he ran out of the kitchen door and into the garden.
"As if I would." Lily muttered to herself. "For someone with no affinity for the magic she has such a connection with the turning of the year. A Beltane birthday and a son born at Winter Solstice, destined to be part of this I think, destined to ground and nurture us all. This cake needs candles, flames for the Beltane birth." Lily rummaged in a drawer and produced a handful of assorted small candles with a random assortment of plastic holders to stick them in. She threw then onto the edges of the plate and left it all there while the icing set and decided she had just enough time for a cuppa before they were due to leave but was distracted by the washing up on the way to the kettle so she did that instead, while watching Andrew digging in his patch of the garden where he was growing potatoes, peas, onions and carrots. He was making the patch bigger and earthing up the potatoes while he worked with chickens around his feet and Jasper the old black dog with the white spot on his nose sprawled on the grass nearby.
Lily smiled as she dried her hands. "What part of don't get filthy meant digging in the veg garden."
