I’ve finally sent Dreamrunner to my editor, Emma Beswetherick, and my agent, Jane Conway-Gordon, to see what they think and just got an email back from each of them saying they LOVE it – what a huge relief! Of course, there’ll be revisions to do but that’s OK, I can have a break from the novel over Christmas and then come back to it with a fresh eye and Emma’s editorial comments, and tie it up.

It’s been an uphill struggle completing the manuscript with a tiny baby to care for; a case of feeling as if my head is about to explode each time I sit down to write because I have to re-enter the entire novel and balance it all in my head: characters, plot-lines, motivations, consequences, red herrings, parallelisms… and my baby continually jerks me out of that feverish wrapping-up of things. Not that I’m complaining! I already can’t imagine life without my daughter, and motherhood just means that I have to learn new dance steps like novel-breastfeed-walk-in-the-park, or blow-raspberries-to-make-her-giggle-write-novel-scene-rock-her-to-sleep. It’s quite a fun game.

I have to say, though, I’m seriously thinking of writing short stories and poetry again rather than tackling a whole new novel, as it’s so much easier to write short pieces when there are distractions… as my agent once said, babies are the best time-wasters ever and the best grown-up toys!

Having said that, I already have an idea for another novel… J

I never imagined the weeks surrounding publication day would be so busy and exciting. This has been a real writing week, starting with an interview with the Western Morning News. The features editor was interested in my travels in India and the inspiration for the synaesthesia passages of the book. WMN covers the counties of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, so as I grew up in Totnes, I’m classed as a local author. The Leeds Reporter is going to publish a short piece about the novel, too. Press cuttings arrived from my publicist with lots of nice review comments. I also had to work with my web designer on Search Engine Optimisation in the form of descriptive paragraphs for each page of this website. During the writing of my Ganges short story for My Weekly, I found myself immersed again in India imagery. I wrote about floating marigolds, an oarsman with eyes as deep and still as sunken jewels, and a naked saddhu with dreadlocks coiled high on his head like a hat of snakes.

Then there was work on Dreamrunner – I talked with my editor about the imagery and colours we could use for the jacket (yes, they’re already working away on the cover, almost a year before it’s due to be published!) and I also managed to fit in some hours by the sea to write the next chapter, where seven-year-old Leo finds a ‘dolphin eye’ on the beach and recovers from an alcoholic potion-induced hangover.

In the middle of all this, a weighty package arrived from the UK (I’m in Portugal at the mo, where Dreamrunner is set) and I tore it open to find a very lovely, purple-wrapped and ribboned box containing a bottle of champagne! It was from Piatkus Fiction, to congratulate me on the publication of Breathing in Colour. I plan to crack it open this weekend on the beach with three of my best friends and my husband – a gorgeous way to celebrate.

Ah… the writer’s life! J