The first week of the month brought the much-anticipated launch of ‘Ella’s Journey’. It was a steep learning curve – mainly because I wasn’t sure quite what to expect! After a lovely review – thank you gingerbookgeek – and a couple of online Q & A features, I realized that I needed to set up author pages, work on my author Facebook page and – biggest challenge – try to get to grips with Twitter. (I’m still working on that one…) Then it was over to me to attempt to drum up reviews and publicity. The newspaper in the town where I went to school did a big feature, the Kent Mercury included me in their book pages and the village magazine featured me too. Otherwise, a lot of time has been spent checking the Amazon and Kobo charts at least twice a day, particularly the position in the saga charts. There was elation when it got into the low twenties and mid-thirties, anxiety as it slipped back towards the seventies.

I did have a few people over for drinks on launch night, though, and that was a lot of fun! And I made my first-ever batch of quince jelly, and a second batch of quince cheese – much more successful than the first, which one bemused recipient described as resembling pigs liver…

The garden has been much neglected, although I began to get to grips with it towards the end of the month. It’s hard to put it to bed for the winter just yet, with so much still in flower – or am I just making excuses?

The neighbours’ cat has decided she wants to adopt me and, as soon as I open the back door, has become skilled at shooting straight into the house, up the stairs and onto her favourite duvet in the spare bedroom. She knows I’m a soft touch…

Book publicity and related matters all rather took over the month, but I did manage to send book three in the Mill Valley Girls series, ‘Sarah’s Story’ to my agent for a first read and, at the end of the month, following a research trip to Margate on a glorious day, I got stuck into a new story I have been wanting to get on with. Over 6,000 words after less than a week – not too bad!

The morning of Hallowe’en found a beautifully carved pumpkin sitting on my doormat! Some interesting things find their way to me in the countryside… It was put to good use that night at writing group, where we wrote ghost stories and read them out by pumpkin lantern light (with the aid of a torch).