SO, WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE PANDEMIC, GRANDMA/DAD?

The Covid pandemic has been a funny one for writers, I think. There are those who clapped their hands with glee and pumped out a book or three, glad of just about zero interruption and not having to do the daily commute, and not having anyone knock the door wanting a chat or a coffee or to borrow a cup of sugar. And there were those who struggled to string a few words together, all creativity stolen from us along with our freedom to shop and meet mates for lunch and all the other things we have always taken for granted. It has been a very personal response, I think. For myself, I got quite creative during the first lockdown. I spent a couple of hours a day writing a Christmas based novel because it was pretty cold and I didn't have to stretch my imagination too much to think all things wintery. And then ... and then there was absolute zilch. I don't think I could have written a shopping list that made sense. Thank goodness then for my writing buddies at Brixham Writers. We are a small group - just twelve or so - and normally we meet weekly at Brixham Library except for June, July, and August when we meet at someone's house. Zoom was the answer, and that became a weekly event. As we all know the lockdowns came and went, came and went. Some weeks a member or three might have been productive and had something to read out to the others for a critique, but mostly we were all resting on our laurels. And then ... as all good plots go ... someone came up with the idea of putting an anthology together. We are, for the most part, a multi-published group. Kate, Carole, Anne, Brenda, Michelle, Sandra, Ian and I are all novelists. Margaret and Ella are published poets. Marc and David are on the cusp of being published. Catherine has had a travel memoir published. We could do this, couldn't we? So we did. Michelle got to grips with the technology, Kate and Anne became editors, the rest of us offered a story or (in my case) three. This, then, was the proverbial kick up the proverbial backside we needed to actually sit down and write something. I have now finished a second book ... first draft so I know there's work to do and that's good. But it's not going to be all slog because very, very soon WRITTEN IN THE SAND will be out. We have seen the proofs. So here's a picture of us all in Kate's garden (minus Kate who was playing David Bailey, and Marc and Ian who were isolating with Covid symptoms). Multo promo coming up soon once I get the image of the book cover. Watch this space!