If It’s Monday, It Must Be Dorset

Celia, Vanessa, Jan and Laura. 4 of 9 Romaniacs
Celia, Vanessa, Jan and Laura. 4 of 9 Romaniacs

If it’s Monday, it must be Dorset.

My goodness! What a busy few days. How on earth do touring pop stars know what day of the week it is?

I’m taking a breather after four days of travel, fun and learning.

On Thursday, I was in London, at the Romantic Novelists’ Association Summer Party, where the Romantic Novel of the Year was announced, as was the winner of the Joan Hessayon Award. The room was packed with writers, agents, publishers, and plentiful canapés, which I had to turn down, as with two of my fellow Romaniacs, I had eaten earlier.

I made a fashion choice that day; I opted to wear my Wonder Woman GoGo boots.

You're a wonder...
You’re a wonder…

Friday, I returned home.

Saturday, I was up and out of the house by seven, and on my way to Reading for another of Julie Cohen’s fabulous writing courses. I could tell you what I learned, but if you’re a writer, you really need to experience Julie’s workshops for yourself. They are insightful, interesting, helpful and fun. Amazing, actually. After ten hours in the company of new and established writers, I drove home, my head full of ideas, and my hands itching to swap the steering wheel for a pen and notebook.

With minimal sleep, I was up just after seven on Sunday morning, preparing for a trip to Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire to visit family. It was a long, but lovely day.

As Gajitman drove home, and the children played on their electronic devices, I closed my eyes and ran through all the things that had happened since setting out to Waterloo on Thursday morning – trains, meetings, laughs (lots of those), conversations, hugs, kisses, challenges, sleep deprivation – and I smiled.

The clock at Waterloo Station
The clock at Waterloo Station

Take care.

Laura x

 

 

Jane Risdon

Glad you had a fun and inspiring time Laura and that you have plenty of food for thought. Julie gave a wonderful talk at our library a couple of years ago and I got so much from it. We shall all be agog now to see what you produce as a result of all that stimulation and information. Good luck.

Being on tour is a nightmare when it comes to hotels and where you actually find yourself. We stayed in so many over the years all over the world that I used to end up trying the keys in doors not only someone else’s but also on the wrong floor and also in the wrong hotel. Waking up in rooms which are all identical doesn’t help either. It really has been a case of ‘It’s Monday, it must be Cleveland!’ I have often been asked by an artist ‘Where are we?’ and getting off planes and wondering which country we are in or which city was often a problem. So I hear where you are coming from….we used to tour for 9 months without a day off and I can tell you that in the end you just go with the flow and stop asking ‘where are we?’ or ‘Are we there yet?’ – just no point.

Awaiting the product of your newly stimulated imagination!

Laura

Hi Jane

I can imagine how confusing it becomes on tour, especially if a change of country is involved.
As a result of Saturday’s workshop, I’m challenging my writing limits. It could go either way 🙂
Laura x

Edith

Wow that was a busy time! Sounds like fun though! 🙂 Being someone who is unlikely to be able to attend Julie’s classes, I would love to hear a little about what you learned. xxx

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