Daynote - Fri 11 Jul

A lovely, warm and still morning today. Very hot in the direct sun, but dappled and pleasant under the trees. I nearly didn't get out for my walk (was quite tempted to keep writing) but I'm very glad I went out.

ON DECK: A decent 694 words this morning. I'm slightly behind the pace but I suspect I'll not be fully on the pace next week either with the Harrogate festival coming up and a bunch of travel. So I might extend my rough timeline out by a month or so and ease off the deadline a little. This is a self-imposed deadline (primarily to make way for a potential next novel coming up swiftly behind) but I can also put it down whenever I need or want to, since nobody is actually waiting for this one (it's a secret project).

LISTENING: I listened to the last of the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize podcasts from Off The Shelf this morning, this one with fellow Edinburgher Richard Strachan. Another really great interview.

I also really enjoyed this episode of the Page One Podcast with historical novelist Laura Shepherd-Robinson.

WATCHING: A bit of BOB'S BURGERS last night, then some reading. Very pleasant.

READING: More THE POWER OF THE DOG last night, as well as a couple of pages of the absolutely behemoth KING SORROW by Joe Hill, clocking in at nearly 900 pages. I was lucky enough to get a proof copy from my editor - it's out in October.

LINK: I was interviewed by Scottish Field magazine as part of their regular feature 'The Good Books'. Finally got not having finished ULYSSES off my chest.

UP NEXT: A very busy weekend ahead, signing books in Edinburgh (between a pre-Harrogate haircut, lunch with a couple of buddies and seeing 28 YEARS LATER with a mate later) on Saturday, then heading through to Glasgow to sign more books on Sunday. Somewhere in there I might write a bit, since I'll be on trains a lot.

Then, Harrogate Week. Onward!