It's a horrible rainy Monday morning here in Sherwood Forest and I have ideas buzzing around in my head and I should be happy about that but guess what... I'm as cheerful as the weather at the moment. Maybe it is the weather, I don't know.
What I do know is that I have rain lashing down outside, too many thoughts in my head to sort out to any satisfactory conclusion and the beginnings of a headache.
Well, that has to be my moan for the day over and done with so I'll have a go at looking on the bright side.
I have my cat - Stripes - lying on my desk. She's not in my way and she's very peaceful and happy. She no longer has the kitten stripes that she was named for unless the light catches her just right. Then my daughter's cat - Garfield - is lying on Trev's chair, also alseep and peaceful (hey, this is working, I'm smiling)...
Some of the ideas that are in my head go like this:

Ancients and Gods seems to be waiting for something. I can't get the words out of my head at the present time. I know where the story wants to go and I'm willing - more than willing - to let it take me (us) there but it's waiting. I've found that until the story is ready to come, there's no point trying to force it because I'll just end up frustrated... oh... yeah, here I am with that, see? Point proven I think.

Dusty is the same too... it's a difficult past that I'm trying to 'remember' (create) for her and she's not quite ready. I spent some of yesterday plotting her history - names details etc and I found that her mum hasn't been mentioned by name yet. She'll let me know when she's ready I think.

I'd like to get back to Celtica Diamond, she has a great story to tell but again, not quite the right time.

The story that popped into my head just this morning and has been nagging at me is one that I didn't want to do. I have stayed away from this story because of a few reasons - cliche, 'done to death', 'everyone and their dog has done this' etc etc but I think I want to write a Vampire story.
Oh I don't know, it may never happen but if it does, you'll find out about it here first, I promise.

Off I go then to see which character finds me and acosts me first.

At the beginning of the year, I had a plan. It was a firm plan in my mind that I would write two novels this year and a smattering of short stories.
First we went to Dominican Republic to celebrate my husband’s birthday and one of my bestest friends’s birthday. Marianne and her daughter Cori met us there and we were like: Let’s get this party started!
I have known Mar for a few years but only met her once. She invited us to Canada... you know: “If ever you’re over here, call in.” That’ll teach her! We arrived about a month later and have been firmer friends since.
The two weeks of sheer relaxation, sun, sand and celebration was perfect. I was totally relaxed and I got down to writing a little. I wrote a small piece with Mar – or Princessa Miryana as her dear father had called her – as the main character and she was delighted. Cori demanded that I put her in my new book too - of course I was glad to. I posted a couple of the excerpts on my Facebook Author page: Here

And here’s the first excerpt:

Even with the advanced warning, it made Red’s eyes widen and she saw the woman’s hard smile in response to her shock. The scar was vivid and puckered, it hadn’t been repaired by an expert surgeon and it had not healed well. It ran from under the left side of her chin, up through her cheek and on through her left eye and eyebrow into her hairline where it finished with what seemed to be a flourishing stroke. It wasn’t the product of a sword or knife fight, the slash was not clean and it had not been swift. The scar had been deliberate and designed to cause immense agony. It was jagged as it passed through the flesh of her cheek, almost as though the victim had been allowed to move at that point in the torture.
Red had seen a great deal of scars in her time but not many that had been inflicted with such malicious and obvious cruelty. The woman’s eye remained in its socket but it was opaque and dull, as opposite to her other eye as one could imagine. The right eye was bright and sparkled with intelligence; its gaze followed Red’s progress towards the booth.

This is the second:

“I have not come to declare anything of the sort to you. If anything, I came because your servant insulted and embarrassed me before my beloved father and his guests. I want nothing more than an apology from him and then I shall take my leave. Furthermore, if you do decide to wage war on my father and his armies because of this refusal, I shall take the greatest of pleasure in leading them. I would love nothing more than to defeat you and send you back to your adopted homelands with your tail between your legs and your chief guard’s head on a spike!”

The Third:
 
Red was surprised that Victoria knew about her. She raised her eyebrows in an unspoken question.
“Oh I know about that one. She was a legend that my grandfather spoke of back when I was small. We never really believed half the stories that surrounded her. Another branch of the tribe that came to be known as Spartans, their prowess on the battlefield, even the womenfolk, as Humes was astonishing. For a Hume to have that as their foundation to then be Wolfed – why, that surely is the stuff that legends are made of. I see your problem now. This is going to be tricky.” Victoria said.
“Tricky?” Red nodded her head slowly as she contemplated the notion. “Yes, I suppose it will be tricky. In the same way that Mount Everest is a bit of a hill.” She had a wry grin on her face as she spoke and Victoria knew that Red would be worrying about the challenge but she would also be relishing it.

The year hasn't gone exactly to plan, not that I'm complaining but I'm determined to finish this, not just for me but also for two beautiful, intelligent and funny ladies that I have the honour of being able to say "She's my friend!" about.