Book two. First draft to agent. Flat battery in car. Hey ho. Soon, though, very soon it'll all be OK. Yes, yes, I'm a believer. Had a nice week, up and down to Yorkshire and then to Newcastle Uni to talk about Anthem for Jackson Dawes. He just keeps going, that boy. Have nice days, folks.

This has been a busy time. Second novel syndrome really does exist, folks, and combating that has taken up all of my energy. Still doing all the first novel stuff, readings and signings, and still hanging on in with some of the awards whose lists it was mentioned in. That takes up quite a lot of emotional and mental energy. Disappointments are inevitable and so I bat them away like flies. No point in dwelling for too long. Only, flies can be tricksy little things. So I keep batting. Three cheers for singing, I say, for being able to write a song and perform it with my band and have people like what they hear. Three cheers for school children and teachers and librarians who invite me in to write with them and to sing with them and to stop me worrying about second novels.  Finished rough draft today, by the way. Off to my agent. Fingers crossed. Life is full of crossed fingers, don't you find? And in the scheme of things, when the south of England seems to be melting into the sea, I don't feel that my little dilemmas should even have air space, though getting them off my chest is quite nice. Welcome to the world of writing.  

Had a lovely time in Berwick this weekend with my new band, singing the new songs and enjoying the rich hospitality of the Kazmiranda cafe. Thanks to all who supported us and bought albums and of course for seeming to enjoy the new stuff. If you want to know more then go to   https://www.facebook.com/theceliabband  and see what else we're up to.

It's almost the end of January and I'm fizzing with long lists and short lists and everything in between. Anthem for Jackson Dawes has trotted off on its own and is featuring on lists for the North Lanarkshire Catalyst Award; Coventry Inspiration Award; Brandford Boase Award; Carnegie Medal; UKLA Award; Leeds Book Awards.It's ab fab to get as far as those lists, and though there's a long, long road ahead, which can terminate at any point, who knows where, I have to thank the editor of the book, Emma Matthewson, my agent James Catchpole and of course Cornerstones for all their faith, all their hard work and pushing me into this frantic world of writing. I feel privileged to have worked with them all. Yes, I wrote the book, but without these good people it would still be just a pile of paper with words on it. As for awards, well, I'd like to shuffle along from the nominations to the long lists, from the long lists to the short lists, and hey, if anything better happens after that, fab. But it's fab anyway. The process of it all means that someone, somewhere has not slushed my book but is reading it and discussing it.  And there are lots of someones. And they matter more than anything. Thank you for your time.

Nelson Mandela. Requiescat In Pace. My thought for this crisp sunshiny day is this: The world needs humble leaders. Step forward and make yourselves known all those who can prove they are. Yup. Thought so. No queue.  

Two posts in as many days, but Christmas is coming, it's a bright, crisp day and my friend and translator Bettina Obrecht  has just sent me a tidy pile of her books for children. So here I am. No, I don't read or speak German, but my aim is to try, so that I can read these stories. It's a sign, I reckon. Besides, the pics look good. So haul out the German dictionary, work out what the words mean and  piece together the plots. Sounds easy.  Hmm. My cousins are great linguists. So what happened to this side of the family? We came from the same root, yet languages were never our thing. A smattering is all. A very light smattering. OK. That's probably overestimating things. Nearer zilch in the lingo stakes. Hey ho. Obviously our talents lie elsewhere. Anybody find them, let me know. Auf wiedersehen.

Spent the weekend in Islay, writing. Fab. Sunshine. Mild breezes, splendid sunsets and the Port Charlotte Hotel, which didn't seem to mind me sitting in corners writing. Lots done. Thank goodness.
Synopsis for part 2 off to Ellen. Fingers crossed. Now to finish a long short story and earn some money while I wait! Ah the life of a writer. Oh and the new CD is out. Links. That's the name. And it's the Celia Bryce Band, if you want to have a look at our facebook site and have a listen, of course.