A New Writing Year

It may seem like I'm jumping the gun a little here but as yesterday was the anniversary of my accident today seems an appropriate day to start a fresh page.

So. Here is my New Year writing goal - to finally complete my re-write of Secret Billionaire and send the partial off to Richmond.

Even if it means dirty dishes sitting in the sink, wearing clothes more than once and ignoring the crumbs the dogs have left on the carpet...

So what are your New Year Writing goals?

P.S. Hope you like the photograph - I took it in Pralong, a tiny village near where we were staying in Switzerland.

There's always the squirrels...

Things that are making me smile:

• Father Christmas has brought me an early present to cover the time of day the main heater in the house decides it's done a full day's work (about 11:30 a.m.) and the time of day I can decently climb under the duvet and switch the electric blanket on (6:30 p.m. is the earliest so far!). I hasten to add it's faux fur (and not squirrel fur, I'll get to them in a minute).

• The friendship and support of my writing friends. How did I do this before I knew you all I wonder? I'm proud to be a part of a new writing group and looking forward to a New Year with exciting challenges.

• This video. Even if you're feeling decidedly Un-Christmassy I defy you not to smile at the squirrels! http://video.telegraph.co.uk/services/player/bcpid1529569286?bctid=5524339001

Confessions

1. I am wearing odd socks chosen from the bizarre assortment left to me by the sock monster. All I can say is he must have got hungry while we were away - I had an impressive 11 odd socks to choose from.
2. Due to a catalogue of mishaps involving laptop dropping, password forgetting and technical incompetence I am now locked out of my yahoo email (needed to connect me to the Reading RNA chapter), now known as Loraine W on iheartpresents instead of Lorraine Wilson (the site tells me Lorraine Wilson is in use and when I squeal "Yes, by me!" remains as implacable as an obdurate bouncer) and on eharlequin there is now a blank space where my face used to be.
3. That bit about the blank space for some odd reason makes me feel like crying. Bloody hormones!
4. Despite having much more huge, horrible stuff going on in my life at the moment which should put getting a form rejection from the Mills and Boon competition into perspective, it somehow made it worse, like I was pinning everything on getting some good news, something nice to happen... Don't worry, I intend to rally and lick Secret Billionaire into shape to attach to my treasured Editor's business card but for the moment I just feel crap.
5. I have a sinful amount of swiss chocolate in my kitchen and despite mumbled intentions in the duty free shop do not intend to give any of it away as Christmas presents. Well it should help with confessions 3 and 4...
6. I am really behind with my emails, sorry guys. Just wanted to say I love and appreciate you all and thanks for supporting me through a really tough year. Here's hoping I can be a little more reliable next year but maybe that should be part of a resolutions post in January...

If you can't stand the heat...

then go and bury yourself in a snowdrift. Well that's my motto and I'm sticking to it.

Seriously. Blundering around in sub zero temperatures in the dark, trying to find the key to your swiss chalet (and indeed the chalet itself), slipping on a vicious patch of black ice and the ensuing pain seeping through your limbs...Well it's an excellent distraction from wondering if anyone at Richmond liked your competition entry at all.

Think of it not so much as a NTAI last minute holiday in the Alps as an opportunity to have more distraction providing accidents. Although as my last two bizarre accidents involved the leg of the ironing board and the lid of the laundry basket (I must be the only person in the world to injure themselves with wicker, surely?) I have to say I prefer the view here.

Pass the ibuprofen...