Flaming Nora: Why I'm taking a month off in March

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Why I'm taking a month off in March

I'm exhausted, done in, mentally beaten up and worn down.

I've loved every minute of writing my novels over the last few years - every single minute.

I'm about to turn in my current novel to my publisher at the end of this month, well ahead of schedule, due to having more time than usual on my hands due to lockdown.

My next novel - my second cosy crime - isn't due with them until the end of this year. And so this gives me space to breathe, to think, and I've decided to take the whole of the month of March off.

Or, more correctly, I should say I'm taking the whole of the month of March "off."

For I'll still be working, you see.

There's the paperback launch of my novel The Paper Mill Girl taking place in March.

There's an online launch at the Word, the national centre for the written word. Want to come? It's free and all details are here.

There's lots of publicity arranged too and a wonderful competition in conjunction with something very special.

But as for writing novels and stories, I'll be taking a back seat, putting my keyboard away and indulging in something I miss.

I've got a reading pile of other people's books to get my nose stuck into. I'm going to lie on the sofa, feet up, cup of tea by my side. I'm going to meditate and do yoga, I'm going to cycle and walk, I'm going to ... do nothing at all. I'm going to let my mind slow down and clear, allow it to rest and unwind.

And by April I'll be raring to go again researching my second cosy crime novel Set for Murder at the Seaview Hotel.

Until then, my friends, it'll be adieu for a bit.