Monday, December 5

READ ME

Read Me.
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Sunday, January 18

Thank You and Goodbye

Any remaining readers of my blog (I imagine there are not many of you) will have noticed that I haven’t posted for a while, and neither have I written very much since Little Frog was born. Combined with the closure of Moonlit Romance, who published my three books, this means that my writing career has pretty much come to a standstill.

I’ve thought a lot about my writing since Little Frog came along. I wanted to resume it, and I tried, but I found I just didn’t have the time to do it – and when I did have the time, I didn’t have the energy required to get my brain into gear! I know that many other writers with children manage to maintain a steady writing career, and for that I applaud every single one of them. But for me, well… writing just doesn’t fit in to my life now. My plan is to resume it when Frog goes off to school, and I’m not holding myself from writing at all in the meantime – I still jot down ideas when I have them. But for now, Jessica Raymond is closed for business. I’ll see you in a few years :)

Wednesday, October 29

The End is Nigh

A couple of years ago a title like that would have referred to the completion of a story or a book, but as regular readers of this blog will have noticed, things haven't been like that in the world of Jessica Raymond for quite some time.

"The End", in this case, refers to some sad news: the closure of Moonlit Romance, the publishers of all three of my books. The house will be closing down at the end of this year, with 31st December being their final day of business. It was very sad news to hear but, in truth, it has forced to me to have a big think about where my writing career is heading. Once Moonlit Romance ceases trading, none of my books will be available, nor do I have any new books on the horizon.

I have a lot to think about at the moment, and this news may have solidified some decisions for me. However, I still haven't picked out a clear path for the future of Jessica Raymond, so for now, that's all the news there is.

In the meantime, if you would like to purchase any of my books before they go out of print, here are the links:

Wednesday, October 22

By The Way...

... I'm still here, I'm just not doing much in the blogosphere; apologies to those whose blogs I usually read and comment on.

I'm doing a lot of thinking about a lot of things at the moment, although some days I don't feel like I'm getting very far with any of it! Some of my thoughts are writing-related, so when there's news to be shared, I'll share it.

In the meantime, I need to update my "Just Finished Reading" list...


Just finished reading:
1. The Accidental Mother by Rowan Coleman
2. Being Jordan by Katie Price
3. The Two Pearls of Wisdom by Alison Goodman
4. A Whole New World by Katie Price

Tuesday, October 7

And the Winner is...

Virtual Voyage!

Congrats to you, because you've been drawn as the winner of my contest and will be receiving a two-month guest pass to LoveFilm.com! If you could visit my website and send me your address through the Contact Me page, I'll send your prize to you straightaway.

Thank you to everybody for your entries and suggestions of favourite children's books. I have a feeling Little Frog's bookshelves will be expanding at Christmas!

We had a lovely time in Cornwall -- great weather, great food, and lots of lovely time together as a family. Here's a picture of Little Frog "sharing" the Bloke's ice cream.



Just finished reading: Obsession by Jonathan Kellerman

Tuesday, September 16

CSI: Vegas Preview

If you, like me, are waiting waiting waiting for the good TV shows to start, you might be interested in watching this little snippet. It's a preview of the new ninth season of CSI, which follows on from the cliffhanger at the end of season eight involving Warrick Brown. (We temporarily interrupt this blog post for a sharp intake of breath, some nibbling of fingernails and the acquisition of a couple of tissues.) My sources tell me the new season starts in the US in mid October, so hopefully ol' slowcoach UK won't be too far behind.



Still loving the distraction activity of Black Boxes (see my sidebar) and the subsequent meetings with many different bloggers around the world. Don't forget to leave a quick comment if you want to be entered into my contest. I'll draw winners at the end of this weekend.


Just finished reading: Honey Trap by Julie Cohen

Tuesday, September 9

Books and Movies

Lots of stuff going on round our way at the moment. We've repainted the living room and had wood flooring put down in that room and also in the hallway, since our carpet (which was only three years old) had been beaten into submission by baby food splats and smears. Bizarrely, banana stains were the worst culprits -- even super carpet cleaner wouldn't get them out! We've also got a new sofa suite coming and I am starting to make lists ready for our cottage holiday in a couple of weeks' time. Hurrah!

Little Frog is still not walking (boo), but learning a new word pretty much every few days (yay). New additions to his repertoire include CAR, BEAR, POO-EEE (during nappy change), and GO! GO! GO! He resumed his Water Babies swimming lessons yesterday following the summer break and did really well, considering we only got round to taking him to the pool twice during the hiatus... At the end of the month he has an underwater photoshoot and I am nervous about it but very excited to see the results.

He's also got more interested in books now that he is a bit older. I'd heard it was never too early to start reading to your baby so I began when he was just a few weeks old, but he didn't really care and when he got to the grabby stage he just closed the book and threw it on the floor. Now, however, he will actually sit with me and look at the book, and sometimes we manage to read a short one through to the end. His current favourite is Little Monkey Says Goodnight, which involves me making lots of funny noises and movements. Here is a picture of him unpacking an Amazon delivery and preparing to read Run Among Thorns by Anna Louise Lucia and Honey Trap by Julie Cohen.



So, on to the movies part of my post. I've decided it's been WAY too long since I've done a contest of some sort, and I have a neat little prize to give away: a two-month guest pass to LoveFilm. This entitles you to sixty days free membership, whereupon you can have the movies, games and TV series of your choice delivered to your door absolutely free to enjoy at your leisure! (I use this service myself and we have saved sooo much money in late fees because with LoveFilm there are NONE!)

All you have to do is tell me your favourite childhood book (inspired by Little Frog) in the comment section. I'll draw a winner just before we leave for our holiday. Due to LoveFilm mailing restrictions, this prize is only available to residents of the UK and Channel Islands, but if you live outside these areas please do comment: I may bring a little something back from Cornwall for an international winner :)


Just finished reading: My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier