Yes, I am still alive

Not that anyone probably cares, but I have written nothing on this blog since Feb 11th. But I have not been idle. Oh no. In no particular order, I have:

1. Created a new website, called Talk About Brains. This is not live yet, so not very interesting to you. Or even me. But when it is live it will have a video on it, a film of me being authory (ie not writing very much but talking a lot).

2. Been filmed for that film, by my daughter. It's all very well having your personal film producer in the house but the downside is that she keeps telling me to do things. I thought it would be a good idea to film me making Brain CakeTM, a la Delia. God, it's hard. (Being filmed cooking, not the actual cake). Well, actually the actual cake was hard, too. Partly because I forgot to put the baking powder in and partly because I had to put the eggs in twice - "Cut! I need to do another take of you putting the eggs in."
"But I can't - I'd have to take the eggs out first."
"Mum, this is art - no one's going to taste it."
Yes, but you can actually tell by the look of a cake whether it's got no baking powder and too many eggs in ... Anyway, new respect for Delia. Instead we came up with a video of me doing lots of things like events and going for walks and even occasionally writing (I really had to draw on my acting powers for that one)
PS - note the TM sign after Brain Cake. We (publishers and yours truly) decided that it was such a good idea that I should protect it, hence the Trade Mark sign. You are welcome to make the cake as often as you like, but if you write about it, don't forget the TM!

3. Been away on a book tour. First to Stamford School (very good), then to Leighton Park in Reading (very good) and then to the Cheltenham Science Festival (very difficult). The last one was in a tent so big I couldn't see the end of it. I think there were a few hundreds in the audience but I couldn't see them. I had no idea the venue would be so big, so I had to rethink the talk. Then a boy asked "What does the optical lobe do?" but I misheard him (for quite a long time) so I faffed around trying to work out what he might have meant (with the audience unhelpfully shouting their suggestions), and thinking he probably meant the occipital lobe, which was a shame because a) it was totally irrelevant to what I was talking about and b) to say that I am not an expert on the occipital lobe would be an understatement. Then another boy asked "If you are not a trained scientist, how credible is your work ?" Move over Jeremy Paxman ...

4. I have been writing a novel. Yes, indeedy. And actually enjoying it, which is most unlike me. And this and many other changes in my outlook on life are all down to a remarkable woman called Sam, who in another life was probably a white witch and burned at the stake for her magic powers, but in this life is a simply extremely clever. She got me to understand why I write and to get the joy of writing back at the centre of my working life, instead of something that was fitted round lists and lists and lists of tasks. I am now entirely free of all the angst that used to hold me back and get me down (until the next time someone does something incredibly damned irritating).

5. My daughter came back from Mexico. My other daughter is about to graduate. These things are time-consuming and important. Life's too short to write novels when you have this stuff going on.

6. My dog has smelly ears, which have to be cleaned.

7. Been to Tunisia - lovely place.

8. I've been doing a lot of cooking in my spare time (That's another Sam achievement - "hobbies are not indulgences but necessary to creative thinking ... hobbies are not indulgences but necessary to creative thinking ... hobbies are not indulgences but necessary to creative thinking."

9. I've started Pilates (Thanks a bunch, Sam ...)

That's about it. I'm sure there was some other stuff. Oh yes, gorgeous cover of next book (Deathwatch) - but not final so I can't show you.

Oh yes, there was the rather strange case of life imitating art when one of my new teenage neighbours (at LAST, I have teenage neighbours - you need to see the people who live in my street before you appreciate the novelty of this - and they read my books) fell in the canal, uncannily mirroring what happens to someone in Deathwatch. Trouble is, she did this too LATE - I needed to know how deep the water is WEEKS go, Polly ....

Still, she and her lovely sisters will get copies of the book and an invitation to the launch.