JULY 2011 After wishing you all a very happy Christmas in my last diary entry our own celebrations for 2010 were understandably very low key but we did manage to see Tamsin, Mark and the baby on Christmas Day itself and in January I began looking after her one day a week, which is just lovely and her ready smile and infectious chuckle would often perk Denis up though he was unable to do much with her at first He dreaded losing his hair which was told would happen and though he did lose some off his crown and he lost his eye brows and his beard thinned out and became softer, it didn’t all disappear and now it has started to come back again, which has cheered him on end. It was mid February before the treatment was finished. Writing anything new at this time was impossible. I had little free time and even when I did managed to sneak an hour or two, worries and concerns about Denis filled my mind. However, promotion for the new book had to be done. It was published on 6th January. I though it a terrible time, so close to Christmas when no one has any money, but I am not in charge of these things and I am glad that it was reissued along with a couple of my back list much later as well and is still being sold now in Asda, Tescos and Morrison’s. I decided to have a launch anyway only on 11th February when the weather might be a little better and in the hotel that my writing group meet in every month and Denis was well enough to help too which was a bonus. Because the book called “Keep The Home Fire Burning” was about the war years, surprise surprise we decided to put war time posters on the wall of the room, have war time music playing and dress up in war time garb. I was a mechanic and we had a spiv, 40’s housewives, members of the French Resistance, even Denis was dressed as an old sea dog, one of those intrepid men sailing a variety of craft across the channel to rescue the soldiers from Dunkirk. I also made war time carrot so different to modern day carrot cake and that was given to people as they arrived with a glass of bubbly. It was great fun. (Some pics are on the web site) Then we sneaked a holiday in April. Going on our first coach trip as I wanted a complete break for Denis too and we went around the lovely villages of the Cotswolds that we had wanted to do the previous autumn. We were delighted with the holiday and the fact that all we had to do was enjoy ourselves. Just few day refreshed us both and we met some lovely people and made some good friends and we are already planning our next one. Promotion kicked in again in May when a library in Caerphilly asked for me. I wasn’t able to fo to the RNA Summer Party because I had agreed to go but I wanted to do the talks as I had never been to South Wales for publicity before and the people were lovely and so were the ones at Port Talbot and I thoroughly enjoyed myself as I did at Brownhill’s Library a few days later when I gave a talk there as part of the Black Country Big Book Fortnight. I didn’t miss the Harper Collin’s Party though. That was held this year on 7th July at the Orangery at Kensington Palace no less. Needed a very posh frock, shoes, and handbag. (Pics on the web site) I even wore a fascinator! I thought if half those people at the Royal Wedding could wear one then so could I. Anyway that is most of the news up to date. My new book, “Far from Home” will be out in February, though I am not sure of the actual date, but will let you know and I do hope that you will enjoy it. I am now working on the next which has no title as yet, but there will be little work done this weekend as my baby granddaughter is a year old on Thursday 28th July and there is a big party planned for Saturday 30th. And as Tamsin’s friends from university are invited and they are planning a night out after the party there are no prizes for guessing who will be left holding the baby.