Lisa Jewell: Diary December 2006

Diary

December 2006

Amelie on Wells Beach , Norfolk , October 2006.

Oh, dear Lord. Two weeks till Christmas. I have a Mag Warrior Paladar for my nephew eyeing me fearsomely from my desk and a small robotic puppy under the bed for my niece. And we have a very pretty tree. And that is it. I have done absolutely nothing else. I can't bear even to think about it. We're hosting Christmas Day this year, for my middle sister, her family, my dad and my in-laws and I have this image in my mind of a festive table heaving with golden birds and tasteful table decorations and twinkling candles and deluxe crackers. I just wish I could click my fingers and be at that table, in my paper hat, beaming happily at my family without actually having to do anything. Sigh.

It's been a quiet three months. I went up to Norfolk again during half term with my sister and our kids and we stayed at the Crown Hotel in Wells, which was superb. The beaches on the north Norfolk coast are remarkable – flat and wide and endless and the kids went mad splashing about in the pools and collecting shells. The madness continued, unfortunately, back at the hotel, which was full of families with perfectly behaved children. Sacha and I sat with our heads in our hands as our offspring hooted, hollered, ran around, piled our table with so many toys there was no room for our food and generally showed us up. The piece de résistance was Amelie running through a packed dining room at dinner (while we thought she was in our room upstairs watching a DVD) naked from the waist down. In the end we decided to stop feeling embarrassed, embrace our childrens' high spirits and conclude that everybody else's kids were just boring.


Oliver and Amelie on Holkham Beach	Beach huts on Wells beach.

Oliver, Amelie and Mia splashing about on Wells beach	Oliver, Amelie and Mia in the spa bath at the Crown Hotel. (I can't wait to show them this picture when they're all teenagers!)

I have been struggling through book number seven, slowly, painfully, but, I think, surely. I have 100 pages now which have been examined by Judith, my agent and found to be acceptable. So now I just have to finish it. My contractual deadline is next September, but I have had to impose a fresh deadline on myself because next summer I will mostly be having a new baby ! Yes, I am four months pregnant, with daughter number two. She is due on the 18 th May and I would very much like to have a clean slate and spend the summer enjoying her and not struggling to finish a book. Whether or not I will meet the deadline is anyone's guess, but that's what I'm aiming for, so the next few weeks will be pretty hard-going (*takes deep breath, hypes self up, ignores sense of inevitable failure*). I will let you know how it's going when I post my diary in March – pray for me!

Talking of March – the publishing process is now starting to gear itself up for 31 Dream Street. I'm doing an amazing tie-in with Eve magazine which includes hosting a seminar for their readers called Write Your Own Novel (I am not sure, in all honesty, what I will be able to say to anyone on the subject of writing a novel by this stage in the writing of my own. I will be a seven month pregnant wreck, with a hateful, half-finished book, saying, don't do it, just don't do it!). I think it's sold out already, but if you fancy coming along, you never know, there might be a couple of places left. Details are here


Ooh, a pumpkin! Halloween 2006	On a lovely horse (that she will not be getting for Christmas) in the John Lewis toy department

Sparklers on Bonfire Night	On Claire's trampoline. Halloween 2006

Amelie starts nursery in January. Gulp. I am dreading it. First of all, I love having her about the place. Even when I'm working, it's so nice being able to hear her, to know what she's doing, what she's eating, what sort of mood she's in. But more importantly – my mornings are going to be hell! At the moment I am still prising Amelie from her pyjamas at 9.45 when her childminder arrives, having enjoyed a morning of leisurely play, light housework and cereal munching. I don't know how the hell I'm going to be able to get both myself and Amelie out of the door, fed, dressed and halfway presentable by 8.30 in the morning! My life will never be the same again. But 2007 looks like a year for change. We're hoping to extend our flat into the flat upstairs (pray for me again!) which would be incredibly exciting. Amelie starts nursery, my first hardback is being published, I'm having another baby and finishing another book. Some of the changes are scary, some of them are thrilling, but ultimately I cannot wait for 2007. I think it will be filled with exciting challenges, hard work and lots and lots of good things. I sincerely hope the same is true for all of you.

Thank you all for all your support in 2006. I know I haven't published a book this year, but just knowing that you're all out there waiting impatiently really makes it all worthwhile. Bless you all! Have a wonderful, wonderful Christmas and if you can, have a whole load of drinks for me on New Year's Eve!

Lots and lots of love and see you in 2007,

Lisa xxxx

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