A quick update: both my planned school visits and my signing day at Avebury for the launch of The Keeper of the Stones are on hold because of the understandable and necessary measures to manage the spread of the coronavirus.

Working from home, like many others, with quiet evenings and weekends, means I’ve been indulging myself by ordering books and I now have more than one to-be-read pile. (I’ve just finished Jonathan Coe’s Number 11; you can read my brief review here.)

In the midst of everything else, I was pleased to learn that a short story I wrote was longlisted in the international Fish Publishing short story competition, which this year had more than 1,400 entries. Apart from anything else, it’s an abridged version of a manuscript (a satirical novel) that I’m in the midst of pitching, so it was encouraging to see it has something going for it!

I’m lucky to have open fields around me, where I can head out alone with my dogs.

Wherever you are in this time of corona, stay safe, stay at home at much as possible and keep your distance when you’re out.

And keep reading and writing!