WRITER@WORK

WRITER@WORK – MAY 2023

Where did the time go?  Missed out on April completely and here we are well into May with lots of rain forecast.   There garden was decimated as a result of my intended move but it’s almost back to normal with the grass freshly mowed and the gravel due for a top-up.  Vegetable beds have been planted … a lots of additional solar lights to brighten up the darkest nights.

The first draft of the Egyptian book is now complete, so I’ll be working on the best bit between now and September – including acquiring permissions and the relevant photographs.  Can’t remember when I last enjoyed creating a book more as I shoved everything else on the back burner and concentrated on ancient Egypt – and nothing else.  Impressed myself at the amount of material I’d squirreled away in the brain over the years!  Was like writing about old friends.

Must confess that I’ve missed the thrill of writing fiction as you never know where it’s going to take you.   Today’s journey begins with a real life volunteering to adopt Pearl – a little black lurcher who was saved from the pound and promptly gave birth to 11 puppies!   Made me recall that sad Elkie Brooks classic Pearl’s A Singer but this Pearl won’t have to think about how things might have been … she’ll have it made!  Can’t wait girlie.

Black dog syndrome or big black dog syndrome is a phenomenon in which black dogs are passed over for adoption in favour of lighter-coloured animals. Shelters often use the term BBD, or big black dog, to describe the type of larger dark-coloured mixed-breed said to be typically passed over by adopters.  Black cats are similarly reported to be subject to the same phenomenon.  The issue has been gaining media attention since the mid-2000s. Tamara Delaney, an early activist against black dog syndrome, developed a website called Black Pearl Dogs in 2004 specifically to address the issue, both by educating the public about its existing, as well as showcasing individual dogs available for adoption.  I’ve got myself a true Black Pearl …

There’s still a regular interest in the novels from TV Writers Vault and one day, perhaps, a production company will spot a promising candidate for a successful TV series!  In the meantime, I will be making a return foray into the typescripts for the fourth book of The Vampyre’s Tale, a modern gothic horror, and a sci-fi novel … MD