Let us ignore that I am writing this towards the end of March. February was another busy month in terms of work, which is probably just as well, since I seemed to be living in a land of permanent drizzle and grey skies.

What I’ve been working on

I finished off two projects that I started in January – the first was the copy-edit of a cosy crime thriller and the second was the copy-edit of an exploration of Britain via its walking routes. I moved on to the copy-edit of an intriguing and complex speculative novel that wouldn’t be out of place in a course on popular metaphysics. Towards the middle of February I took on the copy-edit of a fantasy novel that had a twist to surpass even the Red Wedding – I’m not often stunned in such a way. Alongside these I had a science fiction manuscript to critique.

What I read for fun

Sara Hashem’s The Jasad Heir was the Illumicrate book for July 2023 (so I’m just a little behind). It’s Egyptian-inspired fantasy, with forbidden magic and a fight for survival, and an enemies-to-lovers romance. I really wanted to enjoy it a lot more than I did – there was so much potential in the world-building. However, the pacing was frustrating in places, and I didn’t like the main character, Sylvia, all that much. Main characters don’t have to be likeable, but it can create a book that is hard to read if they are not. In fact, I found Diya to be a much more compelling character and she’s barely in it.

Looking ahead

I’m taking some time off at the beginning of March, for a trip to the Cotswolds. I should have a lighter schedule towards the end of March, and I am planning to spend some time reviewing my services and the fee structure. There may be changes in April.