Daynote - Mon 17 Nov

An absolutely beautiful morning today, though a good ten degrees cooler than this time last week. Winter is coming on rapidly, but if I get gorgeous sunlit fields and woods like I did this morning, I can cope with my ears getting a bit cold. Poppy The Labrador also had a very good ball this morning that she was very excited to show me.

I had an excellent time at Denny Library on Saturday as part of their first Book Blether event. Here I am chatting to the audience. It's a lovely space.

It was really well attended and I had a great time chatting to readers during the Q&A, signing books and getting the chance to say hello to Kate Foster. I didn't manage to see Marion Todd as she'd gone into her session by the time I finished signing, but I think the event went really well and I think is a great model for a library-based mini-festival. And everyone at Denny Library was delightful.

ON DECK: I did a bit of work on an outline this morning, based on the pitch I wrote on Friday (which was actually a rewrite of two other pitches, combined). Once I'd started the old mental machinery going on how these two ideas might work together, I found myself mulling it on various forms of public transport over the weekend and decided to crack on with it this morning.

I got about 500 words written this morning, although with an outline, words-written isn't that useful a metric. My working high-level outlines tend to end up being 5-10 page treatment style documents, and I'd say I've written maybe a tenth of it. I've got a meeting later today to discuss this pitch, after which we'll see what takes priority.

TOOLS AND PROCESS: I did some more beta reading on my Supernote as I was travelling this weekend and it worked great. I really do want to use it a lot more (because it was expensive and it really is a fantastic tool) and part of that is just babying it less and carrying it around with me. It's pretty light and easy to work with on my lap or on a tray table, so it really suits travel working.

LISTENING: The British Fantasy Society podcast has been doing some great interviews recently and this one with Joe Hill, recorded just before World Fantasy Con, is no exception. I have KING SORROW on my shelf and I'm looking forward to digging into it.

WATCHING: More of PLURIBUS on Friday and wow, it's been a while since I've been this hooked in by a series. I have absolutely no idea where they're going with it and it pleasingly resists every easy answer or simple moral rubric. And Rhea Seehorn is superb.

READING: I'm alternating several books at the moment - THE POWER OF THE DOG is my main read, but I've got a proof of A SPY IN THE BLOOD by Paul Warner that I started over the weekend and I'm beta reading two different things on the side as well. I should probably read things sequentially, one after the other, instead of making incremental progress on four books at once.

LINK: It's Book Week Scotland this week (hooray, books!) and as part of it I'm appearing at Ibrox Library in Glasgow this Thursday, alongside Neil Broadfoot and Andrew Raymond, chaired by my fellow Bloody Scotland Debut Prize shortlister Natalie Jayne Clark. Grab a ticket and I'll see you there!

UP NEXT: I have no idea what this week will bring - much depends on upcoming meetings. But I will probably be working on this outline. And, of course, making plans to head to Glasgow on Thursday.

Onward!