Mark P. Henderson

Time for a break

Another “Meet the Authors” last Tuesday evening – relaxed soiree in the surroundings of The Craft Barn in Hadfield – at which Pamela, Margaret and I sold more books; local storytelling in Glossop on Friday evening; and now, after redecorating a couple of rooms a doing a belated spring cleaning (well, it’s been a chilly summer, so I have an excuse), it’s time to switch off and relax for a while.

Tomorrow (Monday 27th) I shall drive to Edinburgh, have dinner with a daughter, stay overnight with friends, and then collect my partner and bring her down here for a couple of days. On Friday we’re going to drive south to the New Forest where we’ll spend a week (I’ve hired a cottage, nice and isolated) and play the part of tourists. Carolyn has never been to Stonehenge, or to Salisbury and Old Sarum, let alone Winchester, and because she likes ruined castles – which abound in that part of the world – and seaside entertainments (which we’ll find a short drive away), I believe she’ll have a good time even if the weather continues to be miserable. And although these days I spend my time doing things I enjoy – writing, storytelling, music, walking, etc. – I have such a full schedule that I need a break; a week somewhere different, finding other enjoyments, and isolating myself from e-mails, phone calls and working on novels and playwriting.

Struggling with the big novel I’m writing, I’ve paused at the 115,000 word mark and turned to revising ‘nascent’ manuscripts so I can turn them into material fit to submit to a publisher. This is refreshing and I feel positive about these half-forgotten pieces. I’ll probably continue with them when I return from the time away, but who knows, perhaps the big project will acquire a new lease of life. We shall see.

In any event, I won’t post another blog for a couple of weeks. I shall be elsewhere, doing something I seldom find, or make, time to do.