The biggest news of the week was that the Lithuanian edition of The Pearler’s Wife came out from Lankos Baltos. It’s the first of three translated editions coming out this year. It was utterly overwhelming to think that people would be able to read it in another language. I even tweeted in Lithuanian on its release day. Note: I don’t speak Lithuanian, but Google translate has become a necessary tool in my research, so I gave it a whirl.

I also turned in the completed manuscript for my next book. It was a bit anticlimactic, only because my agent is on holiday so I won’t hear anything back about it for a couple of weeks, probably. So this week, I’m in limbo land.

In respect of my next project, even though I’m still a way off starting to write, one positive thing has happened. I’ve started to assemble a reading list and the postman has been staggering up the drive – almost daily – with armfuls of Amazon parcels.  He did ask me if I was writing another book with a look of deep resignation on his face, and suggested — helpfully he probably thought — that I might find the Kindle editions a little less cumbersome? The trouble is,a lot of more elderly research books aren’t available in that format so I far. For now, he’ll have to continue to push the print copies through the letterbox.

It’s all part of the process for me. Reading as much as I can about the era and place I’ve selected for my new setting. Eventually something will jump out at me and my story can begin.

So a few more little steps towards the edge of that cliff  before I can jump off and get started. Thanks for reading.