This month I’m not going to be caught out. I am going to make sure my update is published on time. It’s a little early actually, but as I’m away at the beginning of July I didn’t want to be scrabbling around putting it together when I should be packing my suitcase.
June has been a busy month. As we’ve eased out of lockdown and been allowed to do more things and see more people, life has changed. The weather too – those gloriously hot days which came sadly (or maybe with relief for some of you) to an end this week. Today there has been rain and a cooler feel. It made my visit to our nearest M & S Food Hall this morning a little less fraught, although I did have to make a dash from the car park into the store to dodge the rain
Tomorrow we have friends coming round. We’ve not seen them since August last year. Whilst keeping in touch by phone, Skype or Zoom is a lifeline, there’s no substitute for spending time with real people. Sitting round a table, eating, chatting and with a good bottle of wine!
This week has also been my first real ‘out and about’. Catching the bus into town to meet friends for lunch and a coffee catch up. On Wednesday it was the Pump Room in Bath for coffee and cake. And then in a moment of madness, we decided on a glass of champagne. The occasion was to celebrate that great feeling that although the 21st June has been shunted into July, we are at least out of lockdown and able to get back to some normality.
Yesterday it was back on public transport – two buses in fact – to meet friends for lunch. The pub, refurbished prior to the first lockdown sadly had to close. New fully reopened, it had an extensive menu, friendly staff and was definitely one to add to our ‘must come again’ list. It seems such a simple thing – friends, a pub lunch and a chilled glass of wine. I guess in those pre-Covid times there were a lot of things we took for granted!
On the book front, my manuscript will be leaving the building on Monday (21st). A final read through and then in early July my formatter will take over. Publication day is set for Tuesday 20th July…and then I begin again, working on the third and final part of this Cornish trilogy. Of course it will be easier working in an environment I know, with some of the characters who have featured in the previous books. That’s not to say, however, that the cast of this story won’t decide to hijack it – as they very often do. But before all this happens, I have a holiday to look forward to. A week in Dartmouth, possibly setting some time aside to soak up the atmosphere of the place – a walk out to the castle is usually a good way to do this. We’ve not been here since 2019 and as a mix of Dartmouth and Fowey (both estuary towns) are used for my fictitious town of Kingswater it will be good to get the feel of the place again.
My book reads for June…
And finally, I have a COVER REVEAL coming up on Tuesday (22nd June). Once again my thanks to Jane Dixon Smith for another great design.
I’ll be back next month with more book talk, an update on my holiday and my July reads.
Jo
JO LAMBERT 
Jo, glad you are out and about and getting back to some sort of normal. Do let me see the cover reveal and details and I shall share if you wish. Good luck with your latest book. Enjoy your friends and I hope you have a fab holiday in July. today it is raining, again. I hope July is warm, sunny and you get to do what you want. Take care, have fun. Janex
Thanks Jane, I am ever hopeful that the sun will return for or week away – you never know! Watch out for the cover on FB Messenger, I’ll send you a sneak peek! Can’t belived I’ve finished yet another book! Take care xx
Wow, thanks, that would be lovely. Good luck with it and everything.