My Home Office
You may be wondering why it has taken, and continues to take, such a long time for me to finish this biography? Here is a photo which I thought might go a little way to explaining my Irene Mawer journey. (Please read this in a light-hearted spirit, I’m explaining – not complaining, lol.)
In the photo, I tried to show the most difficult aspect of this style of working – lack of space and clutter. I have lived (by choice, not necessity) full-time in a camper-van for over seven years, so I am quite used to it – but the lack of space means that I can’t leave my equipment out. And the clutter is mentally distracting (this is possibly the most difficult aspect to overcome.) And then, when I do finally summon up the courage to get started, I still have to squeeze into a nonexistent space – which includes putting my toes underneath the dog bed. Come to think of it, the dog possibly has more room than I do – and it is available to him 24/7. Hmm, perhaps I need a little tent!
Currently we are in my friend’s garden, hence the black soil of the Cambridgeshire fens – to which the dog walking shoes lay testament.
The small air-fryer on the table has been a boon – they are massively popular among van dwellers, and with good reason. We are plugged into mains electric at the moment, but it will also work from solar power (when available, ha ha ha).
Believe it or not, there is actually a dog in that dog carrier, somewhere. Andy and I adopted Sidney in Greece, when I was on my Irene Mawer mini-pilgrimage. He is a puppy and, therefore, eats massive chunks of my Irene Mawer time.
So where am I up to with my great work? I am doing massively, massively well and am feeling hugely positive. I have had people read through the manuscript and give good, fair and relevant advice. Naturally, my manuscript was perfect before (tee hee heee) and will be ‘even perfecter’ by the time I make changes. I realise now, that someone’s first book is never their best book, which is a real shame. If I were to start afresh today, I would work differently and make a better book. But that’s life. I am very excited about the Irene Mawer biography, and as soon as I get back from taking the dog to the vet later this morning, I shall endeavour to get my feet under the dog bed, and get stuck in. Wish me luck!
