I can scarcely believe it myself but the first draft of the new novel (my fourth) is completed. Weighing in at a healthy 70418 words it’s a shorter effort than my others but none the less a little corker. Plus it will probably get up to maybe 74 or 75000 by the time it’s edited etc.

I began this one on the 28^th May this year and it’s taken this long to do that many words. But it’s not been an easy time. We’ve had a lot of guests over the summer and my physical limitations have certainly gotten in the way. But today I feel elated at what I have achieved. When you consider that my first novel, the mighty Ah Boy, was published less than two years ago and that I now stand on the threshold of my fourth being out there it’s really quite marvellous.

It’s an Ingleby novel which means that whilst not a sequel to The Ghost of Lenton Wattingham, it is set in the same town (or literary universe if you prefer) as it’s predecessor. And I’m especially pleased with both the humour and the dialogue in this one. ‘Sparkling’ I think you could call it.

So what’s next. Well, I’m going to ignore the thing for maybe ten days or so and then come back and do the editing. That’ll leave me over a week to get a lot of other niggly little jobs out of the way I’ve been meaning to do. There’s a lot of promotional and research jobs that I’ve got to tend to and that’s where my focus will lie for a short while. But then I shall be taking out my red pen and editing for all I’m worth (which ain’t a lot really) and hopefully get it publication ready by the end of the month. Then I need my wonderful artistic people (Kenny and Becky) to do their magic and hey presto! Novel number 4 and the end of another writing marathon.

So, will I take a break from writing after it’s published? Maybe a very short one but then it’s back to Blessham to catch up with our old mate Joe Wilkie.

Watch this space.