I’m waiting. Anxiously. The first two drafts of my fifth book are done. I hope it’s going to be a good one; my editors think it is, which is always a positive sign, but of course I’m far too close to it to judge.

No, I can’t give away anything yet because nothing is official and we’re still debating the title. The list of possibilities goes on and on and on. So many ideas, and my editors, the marketing team and I all have very different preferences.

I started writing this one in earnest during April last year, although ideas were percolating before that. It's only February and I was expecting another stiff round of edits last week. But I’m told the book is almost there and the last few comments will arrive along with the copyedit. I’m suspicious. Surely there must be masses of improvements yet to make? Surely I’ve hardly even scratched the surface of the story? But that's probably my panic speaking.

My way of working tends to be to write the bare bones of a story, then add depth and detail ad infinitum, then brutally shear away again at the final edit. When I wrote my last book, Life and Otter Miracles, I became so obsessive that I was continually squeezing in extra scenes and details, working my socks off to give everyone a comprehensive understanding of every aspect of my book. But I never got the chance for the brutal shearing because of a tight deadline, and I still ask myself if the novel would have been better or worse, given more time…



(These readers certainly enjoyed it!)

Who is to say what is better and what is worse, anyway? Readers read so differently. While some people have declared Life and Otter Miracles to be my very best book, others complain that it isn’t as good as Ellie and the Harp Maker or my penguin-themed books. Just as some readers require plenty of explanation, others will read between the lines and grasp my exact meaning at the faintest nuance. And the very aspects that some adore will bore others to tears.

What I have learned is that, although I strive for a beautifully expressed turn of phrase or perfectly chosen word, most readers don’t give a damn about literary brilliance. What they care about is the characters, and they just want to get on with the story. Probably the aspects I stress about most are the ones that matter least. So this time I’m telling myself to focus only on doing justice to that story and to those beloved characters I’ve created. Oh my, it can be hard when you are exhausted and the deadlines are so relentless!

Still, writing, like life itself, is about compromise. I already know exactly what criticisms will be levelled at this book. They are things that I could easily change… but I don’t want to. I love it just the way it is and I must be true to my own vision or what is the point? I can only hope that you will love it too.