It’s the last day of school holidays.
Autumn beckons, though no doubt we’ll have several weeks of warmth and brilliant sunshine once the kids have gone back to school. And I am having the slight wobble I do at this time of year, as the wheel turns and my daughter goes into a new year.
I’ve written about this before, how empty the house feels when she goes back, how much I miss her. Despite all the dancing orangutans and minions and Keep Calm posters showing up on my Facebook feed, extolling various joyous captions about ‘the kids going back to school!’, I don’t really feel that way.
And yet.
There is a delicious sense of freedom that first day back, coming home to a quiet house, the hours stretching before me to work uninterrupted. For I have a lot of work to do. Yesterday my editor sent me the final edit of No Quarter, the next book in my Ambeth series. It’s just sitting in my Writing folder like an unopened gift, waiting for me to delve into the pages and make final adjustments before hitting Publish and sharing it with the world.
So there is a lot of planning to do, some promotion and finalising the cover, updating Goodreads and Amazon, getting in touch with libraries and reviewers to let them know it’s being published.
The spreadsheet documenting my daughter’s summer social activities* will come down from the study wall, to be replaced with a marketing schedule for my new book, and a list of term dates as we count down to the next precious days we get to spend together.
And I will turn my focus back to work, the balance swinging to the other side of the page.
*yes, I had to do a spreadsheet, after missing an arranged ‘date’ with a friend – it’s the only way I could manage it. The child has a better social life than I do! 🙂
Helen Glynn Jones 
Blimey you are organised I’m hopeless and need a spreadsheet
Desperate times call for desperate measures 🙂
I love your organising I live by calendars and lists! I also ADOREEEEEEEEE your new book cover. SOOOOO good xx
I’ve had to learn to be this organised, that’s for sure! And thank you about the book cover, I’m pretty pleased with it too 🙂 xx
First day for me that all three are back. Im just glad to get back into some kind of routine and to have some quiet time to concentrate on writing.
LOVE that cover, btw!
Yes, I’m sure I’ll be sad tomorrow but then I’ll get home and realise I have all those free hours to work and it will be OK 😉 And thank you about the book cover, I’m really pleased with it too – can’t wait to publish now!
I completely agree with you. It’s going to be strange not having mid-morning conversations with my girls. We’ll be back to chattering in the car to and from school! But you’re right about the uninterrupted work time too. Good luck with the new release. Let me know if there’s anything I can do 😀
Thanks Melissa – I’m back at home now and about to start some work, but it is very strange not to have her here – no doubt you’re going through the same thing. And thanks for your offer, I’ll be in touch and please let me know if I can return the favour xx
Yes, I know the feeling well, though for me it doesn’t start until Monday! And it’s my pleasure xx
I relate so much to that bittersweet feeling at the end of the holidays—I love having the house to myself again, and the freedom, but I miss the carefree days, and I don’t look forward to the hectic schedule and tiredness—theirs and mine! I understand the social life aspect, too!
How wonderful that the next set of edits are back! I hope you feel a little thrill when re-reading your work and pat yourself on the back at what you’ve created! x
Oh, the tiredness! I felt it this morning when my alarm went off, that’s for sure LOL. And the schedule will be starting up soon, karate next week then dance the week after, plus all my stuff – time flies so quickly.
But I’m very keen to get stuck into my edits, I did have a little read through already and there are some passages that feel so fresh still, I can’t quite remember writing them. Pat on the back given, thank you very much 🙂 xx
Wow Helen! That is one fabulous book cover and I shudder when I process all you’ve got to do/are doing.
Must be nice to have a quiet house though. 🙂
Thanks Elissaveta! It’s a lot to do but I love doing it – and the day is flying by 🙂 Glad you like the book cover, I’m very happy with it too!