April saw another visitor at Black Cat HQ – this time it was my parents’ spaniel, Ella. She’s always a joy to have around, and we were fortunate to have some good weather to enjoy on our walks. Oscar pretends to be a bit miffed when she’s here, but then they go and do disgustingly cute things, like holding each other’s paws while they sleep. I mean, just look at this nonsense.

What I’ve been working on

I finished off the three projects I started in March: the proofread of a contemporary romance novel, the copy-edit of a book of travel advice, and the critique of a sci-fi/fantasy novella. This is one of the things I really like about my job – there’s so much variety in the projects I edit. I moved on to the copy-edit of a memoir – I haven’t worked on a memoir for some time, but I was reminded why I do enjoy taking them on occasionally. There’s something quite special about helping someone share their memories and experiences with the world and leave a book as part of their legacy. The copy-edit of a biography of a notable dancer and the critique of some contemporary fiction will take me into May.

Looking ahead

Ella will be back with us at the end of May, as my parents are jetting off for a relaxing holiday in Portugal. I’m not jealous. I’m sure the weather in Wiltshire will be perfectly lovely…