Daynote - Tue 3 Mar 2026
First reviews for Solitary Agents!
The weather is absolutely stunning this morning, which makes not being out for a walk extra irksome. But I did get checked out yesterday and am on the mend now. Hopefully back out as normal next week. The sun coming back is very much a mood booster, but less so when I'm staring at it out of the window.
I did, however, wake up to a very nice review from reader Surjit Parekh on Instagram and NetGalley. This is the first review for SOLITARY AGENTS and I'm delighted that it's five star corker:
ON DECK: A cheeky 1,232 words this morning and another scene down. And it's all about to kick off. Which means nothing to you, since you don't know what I'm writing or in what manner it is going to kick off. But trust me, it's exciting.
Later today I'll be heading to Haddington in East Lothian, to the John Gray Centre, where I'll be giving a talk about my writing and my career so far. Afterwards, I'll be signing copies at Kesley's Bookshop. If you live nearby, I'll see you there!
LISTENING: Really enjoyed this episode of the always-excellent Always Take Notes featuring classicist Mary Beard. I really enjoyed her book SQPR and this interview is wide-ranging and fascinating.
WATCHING: We finished off DOWN CEMETERY ROAD last night and enjoyed it. Some slight plausibility leaps, but a well-made and very Herronesque drama.
READING: Back to THE INFINITE STATE (Bookshop.org, Waterstones, Amazon) by Richard Swan last night and I encountered a character who I think is definitely going to be my favourite.
LINK: An excellent interview from The Honest Editor on self-editing your novel (how to do it, why it matters and more) with Jon Barton from The Literary Consultancy.
UP NEXT: Off to Haddington, of course, then dinner with some writer pals tomorrow night and, in the background, typing my way towards the 70k mark. I've got a slightly less jam-packed Friday planned this week than last (mostly because I just have fewer things to do, for once!) and I'm really looking forward, again, to making some good progress.
Onward!