Well, May was a whole lot of a month. It feels like it was 100 days long.

The month started pleasantly enough: two bank holidays, a trip back to see my parents, I finally got a hair cut (I’d been avoiding that chore since September…), I went to my friends’ Eurovision night. I went on a hack that I won’t forget in a hurry – it was pouring with rain and my saddle slipped while I was trotting. I can only say I must have pretty good balance and I consider it an achievement I didn’t end up in a heap on the verge.

It goes downhill from there, really. My washing machine leaking turned out to be the least of my problems. I managed to contract conjunctivitis, which was very uncomfortable and not at all conducive to editing, alongside some sort of cold bug. I had Ella (my parents’ dog) for a week during this, and I felt very guilty I wasn’t feeling well enough to take her on many adventures.

More bad news followed: Oscar (my cat) had a cystic mass on his throat that was displacing his trachea. It’s a very delicate area, so he had to go to a specialist surgeon. He is still recovering, but he’s well enough to yell incessantly about having to wear a (soft) buster collar and not being allowed outside.

Needless to say, all this has put some strain on my work capacity, but I’ve managed to keep up with my schedule – even if I could only work in twenty-minute bursts for a while.

What I’ve been working on

I finished off the copy-edit of a biography and the critique that I started in May. The critique was particularly interesting as it was for a client I’ve worked with on at least six books previously – now I have the additional consideration of what the reaction of her current readership may be to her new work. They will have certain expectations, and it may not be as easy to surprise them now they are familiar with the author’s storytelling style. How do you capture the core of what the readers liked before but keep it fresh and exciting?

I moved on to the copy-edit of a fantasy/sci-fi novella that I’d previously critiqued. This was accompanied the copy-edit of a cosy noir (a deliberate contrast), which will take me into June. I also have the critique of an unusual novel – a story based on well-known literary characters, showing them in a different light and what happened to them later in their lives.

Looking ahead

I hope to have a calm, peaceful June…