And now... Happy New Year!

We only got back from our New Year's holiday cruise late yesterday so this is a little belated, but I just wanted to wish all my friends, readers and friends-and-readers a very happy and prosperous 2007. Hope it's a good one!

The cruise was very relaxing and a great way to spend the week between Christmas and New Year, which can otherwise seem rather dreary. We visited some fascinating places, including a medieval castle in Lisbon which we explored in thick fog, the slopes of the highest mountain/volcano in Spain (Mt Teide on Tenerife), and the beatiful coastal city of La Coruna. We even saw dolphins. I'm hoping to use a few of the sights, sounds, smells and other sensory experiences in future stories.

I've come home with absolutely no inspiration for the novel I'd been scribbling for weeks before Christmas, but I'm working on an old (very old) work in progress, a ghost story set in 1970s Cornwall, instead. It's rapidly approaching the 20,000 word mark and if I can just keep going I hope to submit it as a novella early in the year. Wish me luck!

I usually hate New Year resolutions, which tend to get broken faster than you can say 'resolution'. But this year I'm determined to finish a mainstream novel, and start the lengthy and rather alarming process of submitting it to a print publisher. It will be a new experience, but hopefully one that I can learn something from.

I've got square eyes after my first full day back at work (ten days without access to a computer is a mixed blessing ) so it's off to bed. But watch out for further missives in the days to come.