Hello December!

So, December is upon us. NaNoWriMo (and November, for that matter) has come to an end all over the world by this point (I think!), and Winter has officially begun. Unless you’re in the Southern hemisphere, in which case I assume you’re off to the beach instead of reading my blog, you lucky things. But, if you’re up North and decide that you’d rather stay in and be warm and dry and snuggly with a cup of hot chocolate and a onesie (seriously, they’re PERFECT for winter!), maybe you’ll read my blogs. If you want something a bit more substantial to read, there’s always Christopher Maine’s “Tales from the Terra Firma Fleet” series to keep you going, and make sure you know where you stand ready for when my book will hopefully be published some time in 2013!  Y’know, just a hint there 😉

As for me, I don’t think December is going to be a quiet, peaceful one. It’ll be quieter than usual – no pantomime this year thanks to uni, but I’m missing it like mad so it’s not a good thing! – but it’s still going to be busy. I’m off to London on the 6th, going to see War Of The Worlds in Birmingham on the 7th, the first 13 days of December will be spent on Blood Brothers, then home from uni and I can finally relax… kind of! Then the real work on finishing and editing my novel can begin. Whereas in November I switched between the first, second and third “years” of my novel, I really want to work exclusively on the first from now until it’s finished.

We’ve ordered our tickets for Wales Comic Con; it’s held at my uni so it’s nice and easy to get to. Me and my other (better) half are cosplaying as characters from the “Tales From The Terra Firma Fleet” series, to try and promote the books, and I’m really going all out – dyeing my hair blue (that’s not just for comic con; it’s more because I think it’ll suit me!), and getting a tattoo (which I want to get anyway, I’m not modifying my body purely for comic con!). Yes, the next tattoo is planned, just got to wait for the artist to get back in February so I can get it done! This’ll be my first experience of going to a convention like this, and also my first experience of cosplaying, so I’m pretty excited about it! Plus, Chris Barrie from Red Dwarf and Ianto Jones from Torchwood will be there; which is always good! 😀

This is basically a bit of a bumper update on my life as opposed to my writing, but it does come with a warning that I probably won’t be blogging much for the next couple of weeks, until Blood Brothers is over and I can relax and actually focus on my writing a bit more. After that, I really do want to start doing more writing blogs – not just updates about what I’m writing, but also more topics that people commonly encounter when writing, things like that.

Stay Shiny,

Maddy x

Autumn Nights

I’m walking along the pavement, my trainers crunching slightly against the concrete. It’s dusted with the barest hint of a sparkle; the tell-tale sign that a morning frost is inevitable. My breath is visible, curling plumes of steam against the cold, dark air, and it’s night-time. The air has that unmistakable smoky scent. My rucksack is heavy on my back and my heart is heavy in my chest, for I know the night would be perfect, if there wasn’t one vital thing missing.

The artificial turf pitch is lit up by floodlights, and choruses of joyful shouts rise from the men playing football as one scores a particularly impressive goal, and they share a victorious huddle. As I pass through the path that leads to the halls, a couple walk past, engrossed in each other, hand in hand, and it reminds me of what – rather, who – I am missing right now.

Even now, whilst I’m sitting in my flat on what should be a perfect evening – a bottle of cider by my side, my guitar close at hand and a good 6,000 words written today, as well as some university work completed – there is still something seriously missing.

I’m not great at describing things. I’m even worse at telling you what love is, or trying to explain what it feels like to be in love, but I think I can pretty accurately describe how it feels to miss the person you love. It’s like a part of you isn’t there – the people around you are urging you to go out and have a good time, but you’re not in the mood. You’d prefer your own company, but more than anything, you long for the company of that one person.

That’s pretty much how I feel right now, and I know that one person is reading my blog – so I just want you to know that I love you, I always will, and I can’t wait until my Autumn nights truly are complete because I’ll be spending them with you.