Apologies for the absence of a blog last month, May came and went in a complete rush. We were on holiday for a week of it in Ireland and North Wales, a slightly odd combination you might think? But not if you go across to Ireland on the ferry (a bargain if you use Tesco Vouchers to pay for it too!) from Holyhead to Dublin. We spent a lovely few days staying in our favourite hotel just outside of Dublin the Grand Hotel Malahide, http://www.thegrand.ie/
and then the second half of the week we spent at a wonderful little hotel called The Annan in Llandudno exploring the delights of the Snowdonia national park. The owners of the hotel Andy & Debbie gave us a warm welcome and some fantastic home cooked breakfasts, (My waistline has still not fully recovered from that holiday!) and I’d thoroughly recommend you look them up if you’re thinking of staying in that area .
http://www.annanhotel.co.uk/
The rest of May was spent completing the first draft of my next book - My Treasure Island, before the children’s holidays were upon us again with half-term. Now the children are back at school, I’m going through the sometimes painful process of editing those hundred thousand words or so into something that resembles a novel...
But much to look forward to at the moment, with countdowns going on wherever I turn.
Countdown to the World Cup – This is the only time I ‘do’ football. I love to get caught up in the ‘feel good’ factor that spreads across England when our team does well. It’s painful when it doesn’t though. Please, no penalty shoot-outs this time boys!!
Countdown to the last Big Brother beginning – How can this be the last ever Big Brother? I’ve lived with this show since it began ten years ago. Every summer I’ve watched the first episode going ‘No they’re all rubbish this time, I’m not going to get caught up in it this Summer.’ Only to find myself some ten weeks later watching fireworks going up in the sky above Borehamwood as they crown yet another winner.
I mourned the time lovely Dermot O’Leary left BBLB, only for him to be replaced by gorgeous George Lamb, and I worry what poor Davina will do when it’s all over. Will it be a life of endless exercise videos and hair adverts for her? And what of the voice-over man Marcus Bentley – can we get him a job doing the speaking clock just so us Big Brother addicts can dial up and hear his voice whenever we want to?
And my own personal countdown - Six months to the publication of my novel ‘From Notting Hill with Love...Actually’! (Actually its 5 ½ months now, but hey who’s counting? Oh that’s right I am!)
And to mark this occasion I’m keeping a video diary over the next six months of all the things that happen on the run up to publication. I’ve got lots of things planned to show you, but here are the first two episodes for your delectation and amusement, and my general embarrassment.
Check out how many times I manage to say ‘Front Cover’ in the first video!
http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/10.html
Until the next time,
Come on England!! (Apologies to my foreign & Scottish readers! )
A x