Susan Stephens' Writing Diary

Have been off line dealing with that most devious of creatures: the bully.
Do we confront, and skew our whole lives whilst dealing with the fallout? Or do we turn away and hope someone else will deal with the problem? Or, do we face this menace head on for the benefit of all those coming after those we hold most dear...?

Not an easy question to answer when the next few months are crucial to the future of someone we care about... and that of course, if what the bully is depending upon. Who wants to cause a ripple in their lives right now...

Me, that's who... so, watch out pal, I've got your number.

Love to all (and if you need a minder, just call on me) your friend, who has seen most things, but never ceases to be amazed by the cowardice of bullies...

Susan

This is an all points warning for the North of England...

Tomorrow I shall be driving Sprog Minimus's car up to school so that she can take me for lunch. So far so good. Except that: I have not driven a car with gears for 20 years...
Oh, well that's all right then...

Stay off the roads everyone. You have been warned.

Love to all, and happy reading!
Susan

The only good thing about flying is the amount of time you get to read.
I have just devoured Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. Fantastic. What a mind, what a writer, what a plot. Absolutely fantastic.

Now I'm reading The Da Vinci Code. Something tells me you are not supposed to read these two books back to back. Why? Well, everyone accuses romance of being formulaic, which it is not- at least no more than a murder mystery where you must read to the end to discover 'who dunnit'.
Dan Brown is a brilliant writer- but within ten lines of the first page of The Da Vinci Code I knew exactly what was going to happen to poor Jacques Sauniere, because his demise so closely followed the pattern, if not the actual method used to kill him of poor old Leonardo Vetra in Angels and Demons.

There is nothing wrong with sticking to a winning recipe. If your readers love chocolate cake, why shouldn't they have chocolate cake? Why try to snag some lovely unsuspecting bod's teeth on date and walnut?

Will I read on to the end of The Da Vinci Code? You betcha! It's not knowing the outcome of the journey that keeps me hooked, its the road Dan Brown takes to get there that keeps me reading...

Happy writing and reading every genre everyone!!
Love to you all!
Susan

What a wonderful way to express yourself-

After finding myself billeted over a disco in a top London hotel, I was more than ready to find expression for my aggression with one of those delightful curved sticks- now made out of some sort of fancy carbon, so I'm told, and not the wood that proved so useful on opponent's ankle's when I was at the junior St Trinian's stage.

The hockey match I flew back to was electrifying with, luckily for me, the Sprog minimus team scoring the winning goal in the last minute.

Meeting my fellow writers in London the previous day was wonderful as always, but frankly the razz ma tazz of Town leaves me cold these days- if I want to shop, I can ring, or e-mail the store, and if I want to eat good food, I can cook it.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!
Love to all
Susan

No, not me, the hockey, I mean... I was the one who used to hide up the ladder in the games equipment storeroom with a book, remember!!

The sporting prowess in our family is all due to dh who ran and swam for his county... giving me Sprog minor who swam for his city, wiggy Sprog, who is useful at knocking down solicitors in the wiggies versus solicitor netball matches, and Sprog minimus, who is not only useful at knocking down walls in her car, but is Games Captain, playing first team hockey for her school.

Consequently, on Saturday I jump off a plane, leap into a car and race to be in time to stand on the sidelines cheering her on, freezing, or soaking- it's always one of the two- as Sprog minimus races around a field with murder on her mind, and a small white ball (hard, extremely) on the end of her stick.

Meanwhile, am playing catch up in advance for the time I will be away with my work, hence my silence yesterday.

Have a great (fuzzy warm) weekend everyone- and think of me- red nose, blue fingers, watery eyes- you get the picture, I'm sure!

Love to all!
Susan

Today I drove over 'the backbone' of England to visit one of my dearest friends.

How good it feels to pick up a conversation we started before the summer and simply continue talking as if we had never been apart.
The ease of good friendship is like nothing else. We open our hearts, confess a few harmless sins, exchange family news, and laugh together.

Whoever said. life's simple pleasure are the best, was absolutely right...

Love to you all, and happy reading!
Susan

Aaaah, relief, I have Virgin Earth to look forward to next, Philippa's Gregory's stand-alone follow up to Earthly Joys... I just hope the puritanical John Tradescant junior can live up to his father!

I am being naughty, eating chocolate, and blogging when I should be working- and I have promised myself that I will finish the first draft of my latest book by Friday...

Talking of which, I just love my two main characters, and as I've left them glaring at each other from opposite sides of the room with tension mounting to unsustainable levels, I'd better go and put them both out of their misery!

Love to all, and happy reading!
Susan

ps. Thank you for asking if wiggy's apartner would do my ironing too... I fear not- and now I hear he likes cooking and baking too, Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh Squared!

To think, my dh doesn't even know how to switch on the cooker... or at least that's what he says- doesn't hold much water when we have an aga (which is on all the time- no controls to switch on you see, to those of you who don't do your cooking on a ton of metal!)
Sxxx

Am just coming to the end of Philippa Gregory's novel, Earthly Joys.

This book does not have the hard, irresistible glitter and glamour of the Tudor court, but is set some time later, in an England slipping ever closer to civil war.
The main character, John Tradescant, is a man of humble birth, a gardener, whose particular gift for identifying, and nurturing unusual plants brings him to the attention of the court.

Both King Charles the First, and John Tradescant are bewitched by the fascinating and reckless Duke of Buckingham... Based on fact, this is a book of dangerous passions versus the tug of family loyalties, and of fascinating detail regarding the garden design and planting of the day.

As a passionate gardener, my mother, who preferred factual books to novels, would surely have been won over by this wonderful book... It's one of those rare tales that I really cannot bear to end, and as I come closer to the last page, I am making myself eke out the words like a miser.

I just knew, even before I turned to the title page, that it would have been first issued in 1998... even so, a little frisson ran through me...

Love to all, and happy gardening
Susan

After years of being thoroughly spoiled at home, as we all know, wiggy Sprog has just found an apartner to share her life with- or at least, that part of her life that requires someone to share the cost of expensive apartment in town.

I know I should be smiling indulgently at this point, not making angry guttural sounds because life just isn't fair (to me, poor long-suffering mother, natch!!), but how is it that when wiggy's smooth brow creases in a frown at the sight of a mounting pile of ironing that mother dear is no longer there to take care of, her apartner says, 'Don't worry, wiggy, I love ironing-'

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrh!

Love to you all, and happy reading!
Susan

Did I tell you that wiggy Sprog is offsetting massive monthly monies with wiggy companion?

Apparently, he's a 'Nally'

Oh, I said innocently, you mean a 'Nelly' (both of us frowned at this point-And no, I didn't know what a 'Nelly' might be either)

'No, mother', wiggy said patiently with that particular weary sigh of hers, 'I mean a 'Nally.'

'Oh, I see-' (light goes on in brain) , 'He's a Mc Nally from the island of Ireland (things get complicated over here in the UK), 'How nice, dear-'

'No, mother-' (rather less tolerant voice) 'He's a Nally... Not A Lover-' (Hope she uses that face in court- she'll win every case)

'OK, dear, I get it, I'll just call you Apartners from now on-' (Sweet smile, murderous intent)

I wish you many children, everyone!!

Still smiling (just)

Your friend,
Susan

Who compiled the BBC's list of words from which we viewers are supposed to pick one that best describes our feeling of 'Britishness'?

Thank you for nostalgic, optimistic, pessimistic etc etc- I would never have thought of those...
Why did humourous, eccentric, and ironic not figure?
Oh, I get it, whoever compiled the list didn't consider the possibility that we might have personalities...

There we are, that's my rant for the day!

Happy reading and writing everyone!
love to all
Susan

Just had a phone call from my neighbour to ask if the smart white car in his drive is anything to do with me...

Er, no.

He is now having to ring the police to advise them that someone has added a car to the drive in his beautiful front garden.

A gnome you could understand, but a car?

Still, I suppose it makes a change from ringing the police to complain about a car being stolen from your drive!

Love to all, and happy reading!
Susan

Oh, the agony of the first chapter... make that first chapters (I'm not even going to go into the agony of the first line- because that's a whole book in itself!)

Maybe I'm alone here, but I really struggle to get started, because an idea just isn't enough. An idea is a circumstance, a happenstance, a chance meeting that brings two characters together.
They have a problem to fix- and yes, we all know that the high jump keeps getting higher each time they clear it... But what is their style? Is is a Fosby Flop, or something completely different?

I can never get into writing a book until I really know my characters, and I can't know my characters until I really get into writing the book.

Today, for the very first time with my latest I feel I know what drives these people. I feel ridden with angst and desperate to sort things out for them. I know how they feel. I really care about both of them. Although they seem to be behaving badly towards each other, I KNOW WHY

It's such a relief, I can't tell you- and yes, I plot, and yes, I write back story, and yes, I think long and hard about each of my main protagonists before I start to write their story... But none of that helps until they start to speak to me.
Thank you, H and h for trusting me with your story, I shall do my best to write it down.

Love to all, and happy reading!
Susan

Here I am with more time on my hands than I know what to do with, and the writing is coming in lurches and then stopping again.
I had intended to keep away from the internet until this evening, and look what happens... I can't wait to be with my friends again, so here I am!

Thank you to the five readers, Charlene, Daly, Jane, Maria, and Stephanie, who each sent in a request for a copy of The Greek's Seven Day Seduction
All five copies were sent off by post today, so you should be receiving them in the next day or so depending on which side of the pond you live:))

As I mentioned before, that naughty Greek will be landing in North America early 2005- in March, I think the girls at Harlequin told me- so hopefully, there will be plenty of copies in the shops over there at that time!

I am writing about Greece again right now, having visited several other European countries with my last few Presents.
Greece is certainly hard to resist- and this time I'm not sure who is more alpha, my hero, or my heroine- If you ask me, she needs a good spanking!

Love to all, and happy reading!
Susan

There I was, rubbing my hands with glee at the thought of cutting my food bill by half- as wiggy Sprog eats more than anyone, and is a real Slender Brenda too (so, naturally, I resent that intensely).

Helping her to move into smart apartment went really well- I left her with a great big smile on my face to buy loads of food to restock our fridge and freezer...
Should have known she would come back to empty the lot into her car- and then she took half of my furniture with her too!!

Not only are we on short rations for the next week, we are living in empty rooms with no sheets on the bed!

Well, not quite that bad- but you get the general idea!!

Love to all- and especially Wendywoo, fab' web mistress who has spent her precious weekend trying to set up this blog so you can answer back.
Hugs Wendy!!

Happy reading everyone!
Susan

Have just been to visit extraordinarily expensive flat taken by wiggy Sprog because it is within walking distance of Chambers...

Great idea, and very smart- but where are the wardrobes, bookcases, cupboards etc etc??

Yes, girls, it's official, the new generation of apartment dwellers have no possessions other than their laptops and mobile phones.

As someone from the other extreme, I almost envy them...
(almost, but not quite)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Love to all
Susan

ps Forgot to mention the all-revealing contents of wiggy Sprog's fridge- 4 cans of lager and a bottle of white wine...

pps Hugs and thanks to superb web mistress, Wendywoo, for putting new buttons and bingbangs on the bottom of all my blogs so that you can now answer back, girls!!

Last night I had the happy task of measuring Sprog's neck so that she could send off for the collars she will wear with her wig and gown.

As I explained to her, this is a skill I developed some years ago...

When I attended Trinity College in London I worked part time at Marks & Spencer (is there anyone who hasn't worked part-time at Marks & Spencer?)

Not only did this eke out my miserable grant (yep, kids, we had them in those days) and the goodly sums I made from being a member of the BBC Northern Singers (Yep, girls, it was definitely worth catching the train back to Manchester to get those little cheques flowing into my bank account), but it introduced me to the real cosmopolitan flavour of London life.

My first day at Marks was on the men's shirt counter, where I was told I might be called upon to measure gentlemen's necks in the unlikely event that they didn't know their own collar size...

Let's look back a few years, shall we? A red head with waist length hair and an attitude to match... Let's just say that when the queue built up to unsustainable levels I was relegated to the tills downstairs in the food department and leave it at that, shall we?

Yes, girls, even I had my day in the sun!

Love to all, and happy reading!

Susan

I'm off to the sale room today.

Oh, good, you say, that must mean she's getting rid of some more clutter, and moving on her mother's things at last... Not exactly. I'm collecting them, and bringing them home.

I telephoned the charity shop, but I was too late. I found the lid to a soup tureen here, and had the unhappy job of wrapping it in newspaper until it had no shape and I could pretend I didn't know what it was before I laid it carefully on top of the rubbish for the dustbin men.
I haven't slept properly since.

I also had the humbling task of having to ask a friend if I could have my mother's coffee cups and saucers back.
Fortunately, she understood.

I can't do it. I don't think I'll ever be able to do it.
And it isn't just my mother's things- people say to me- 'We just don't have room for it, and we can't bear to give it away... And we know you'll look after it-'
And I will.

I'm a Keeper. That's what I have to do. Some things are just meant to be.

Wish me luck at the sale room- And keep you fingers crossed that I don't buy anything...

Your friend
Susan

I don't know about you, but I think there's something really special about giving a gift of food- particularly if the food has been prepared by the person giving that gift...

The lovely mother of the LFG (Sprog Minor's Lovely French Girlfriend) sent over some pickles for my party and also some wonderful jam of several types.

Just imagining those apricots ripening in the mellow French sunshine adds to my breakfast experience... and then thinking of this lovely French woman in her kitchen watching over the bubbling pot-

Excuse me, just had to go and make some toast for my yummy jam! But I'm back again now...

SPECIAL OFFER...

I've had some e-mails from readers fretting over the availability of The Greek's Seven Day's Seduction in the UK...
I don't want anyone who reads this column to fret- I want you all to be happy- So, thanks to the wonderful girls at Harlequin (who keep a little squirrel store) I'm able to offer five free copies- and I will send one to each of the first five readers to mail me.

**I can tell those of you who live in North America that my lovely Greek will be with you in March 2005 - Go tame that Alpha, girls!!**

Love to all, and happy reading!
Susan

Stand by your potting sheds, and tell me this...

Do you shake out your gardening gloves before you put them on?

Gardening Gloves? Yes, I already know I'm a sad old Bid'- Let's move on, shall we?

Of course if I hadn't been planting up those last few pansies before the party to make my garden look better than yours, it would never have happened- (feel guilty all you party attendees out there!)

I now have fingers like sausages on one hand that closely resembles a balloon.
(cheaper than fat replacement therapy for veiny old hands, I suppose)

I don't know what was in there- but it liked the taste of me...
Let this be a warning to you, girls- shake em out!

Love to all, and happy reading!
Susan

'Yes, my daughter's an excellent driver- far better than her older brother and sister-'

So went my spiel to the smug driving instructer (of other smug teen, who was clearly going to pass first time) sitting with me in the waiting room at the driving test centre last week.

I ducked down as Sprog minimus began her first manoevre in the car park, not wanting to distract her.

'Oh', smug driving instructer informed me, 'she's doing her bay parking now'. 'Oh', he added in a rather more bemused tone, 'she appears to be getting out of the car.'
'Oh,' in apprehensive tone, 'she seems to be heading this way-'

'*!***!!!!***' went Sprog minimus, 'and as for that****!!!! driving instructer, he's nothing but a **!!**! And while we're at it- who moved the wall?'

'What exactly went wrong,' I asked as delicately as I could manage.

'The wall bumped into me!'

Test over.

Ah well, whoever said it was easy being a mother (the drive home with Sprog minimus behind the wheel was interesting, to say the least-)

Love to you all, and happy reading!
from Susan, who is frantically searching for new test centre to which news has not spread of pint-sized wall-basher with foul temper...

I'm sneaking out in the middle of the bestest party ever to tell you the most important thing in the world - as if you didn't know it- is your family - closely follwed by your friends...

Thank you to all my good friends who took the trouble to drive out here tonight to celelebrate my children's various successes in life.

Thank you all - you mean the world to me...

Love to all, and happy reading!
Susan

You don't evan want to know my schedule right now
Prioritise, that's what I have to do- OK, so it's Sprog, Sprog Minor, Sprog Minimus, DH, and then of course, it's Sprog, Sprog minor, Sprog Minimus- Oh, you get the idea!

No writing is being done- and that makes me tense. I have to have my daily fix.

However my new Imax screen is totally fab' - I can actually see the words I write now without having to put my nose on the screen.

Off to buy stuff for Sprog Minimus, then it's away to the garden centre to try and find some blooms to brighten up the garden in time for the party- I always feel August/September should be a lovely time, but in fact, all the plants look exhausted- as well they might having been battered by rainstorms for most of August. But, hey! Today the sun is shining, the village looks beautiful- long may it continue.

Love to all, and happy reading and writing everyone!
Susan