Catch-up

The gaps between my posts are lengthening, my excuse is I am becoming overwhelmed by social networks of one kind or another. For instance, I spent this morning catching up on sixty plus posts on blogs I follow in between reading Tweets and glancing at Facebook.

I am sure it is all very necessary and will stop me from becoming the fossil of a social outcast in the twenty-first century, but it is time consuming.

News

Last Tuesday I went with Rebecca and a couple of friends to the J. W. Waterhouse exhibition at the Royal Academy. Waterhouse is the Pre-Raphaelite who was never one of the Brotherhood. He would not feature on my list of preferred artists of the period - Whistler tops the bill as far as I am concerned - but I am very pleased I went.

(This is entitled, Circe Invidiosa: Circe Poisoning the Sea. I prefer the title, Circe Tests New Fairy Liquid.)

Apart from being an unbelievable draughtsman and colourist, he is interesting in that he stuck, more or less, to his theme throughout his life. At various times he is influenced by contemporary developments and interests, like Japonisme, female sexuality, and Impressionism, but his love for Neoclassicism and Romanticism remains with him up until the end.

If you have a heart of stone, the cure is at the RA.

On Monday, I visited Emily, Amy and Katie-the-trainee-police-siren. I have never heard a one-year old with such a loud voice. They are all coming to Brighton for the weekend, so you have been warned.

Book

I have shortlisted the agents I am interested in and have been working on my query letter and synopsis. Meanwhile I am waiting for feedback on the book.

Exciting News

I blogged some time ago about the topic for my next book. Close your eyes little ones, it will be about sex. On the way to work a week or two ago, I had a J. K. Rowling moment - the whole book came to me in its entirety. I even have a working title: Eyes Across a Canvas.

Not being one to take the easy route, it will require an enormous amount of research; however, the thought of that alone excites me.

I am also working on a children's story in conjunction with a work colleague who is an illustrator. This is more a project for both of us rather than something we envisage being published - though you never know. It will be Katie's story to follow the one I have written for Amy.