Today is packing day. Two of my daughters and I leave for London tomorrow. I'm hoping the airport situation has become a little less fraught. We'll be staying in a rented flat in London for just over two weeks, and I'll be up at the Harrogate Crime Festival from the 18th to the 22. Anyone else going to be there?

All I want is time to finish reading Harry Potter Half Blood Prince ahead of the release of Book 7 - I am, indeed, an HP fan!

I'm polishing a short story that is soooooooooo overdue, so have had little time to read and post on this list. What an interesting group of people are on here! Many thanks to Lynne for inviting me so long ago, and many kicks at my own pants for not coming earlier

I'm off to a good friend's surprise birthday party. Should be fun!

I've been working on a short story for Blood on the Holly, an anthology of crime stories coming out in September, 2007. I had difficulty writing a crime story for a holiday time i adore - how can you write negatively about eggnog, about shortbread and holly! I finally did it, but then a writerly friend suggested I make some major structural changes, and so I entered ss hell again. I have just decided to go back to the original structure, one that works with the vision I have of the…