Raising Funds, my Word Count & an 8 inch kitchen knife.

May was busy and June is turning out to be just the same. Whereas in May we were tied up in family and social events, June is full of book selling events.

You may like to know our Charity Ball in Maidstone raising money for the Not Forgotten Association raised approximately £3,000. We are super pleased about this, and my husband plans to present a huge cheque at their next Garden Party on 13th July. I would have loved to have gone too, but I have a student starting work with me that day. ☹ Still I love having students. 😊
 
First weekend in June, saw me selling at Gravesend, weekend two at Whitstable. Last Weekend at the Manston Comicon, and the next, the last weekend in June, at the Dame Janet craft fair, Ramsgate. July, I have a mix of selling markets for two weekends, and then we’re away for my husband’s birthday weekend. Thank goodness I’ve dropped my work hours, don’t think I’d last too long otherwise.

Violet is heading off to printing shortly. I did two formatting reviews and it looks like August 30th launch date is realistic, providing there’s no hold ups on the printer end.

We’ve started Gold now, so if you write and never thought you’d ever be published, think about joining Inspirations Writers Group and who knows, by this time next year you could be a published author.

Regarding my own writing, done a little bit more on Aqua 4, but not much due to violet and also my picture books. Sadly, it looks like I’m going to need another illustrator as my current one on contract hasn’t produced any work in seven months. I’m planning to attend the New Designers Exhibition in London next week to see if I can secure a couple of new on-contract employees. I have five more picture book waiting to be published.

My guilt at not doing our own garden, got the better of me and I started work on ours a couple of weekends ago. Meanwhile the new Grange Park is coming along. I bit more work than we expected. The first session is now cleared and planted with strawberries, fuchsias and clematises. Another lovely lady has promised us 12 tomato plants too. I wanted to add a water tank onto site to reduce the water haulage but sadly the original place I’d planned is too small, meaning we have to clear another section of land before we  can achieve that goal.

I did have a bit of a surprise uncovering, what I thought was the stock of a pistol. Turned out to be an 8 inch blade kitchen knife dug vertically into the soil. Almost lost a couple of fingers! The local Police were very impressed with our find and I assume have taken it for forensic assessment.

Since then we’ve uncovered a saw blade too. I’m wondering whether there’s going to be a body next? Hope not. That’s the plot for a murder mystery, shame I’m not into writing those.
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I need to knuckle down and get on with Aqua four. It is at 67,000 words. I like my first draft to be 85,000 so not too far to go. Not sure how to get my protagonist from Kent to the Pacific and the finale. Only time will tell.