This is what she said to me.

“It’s so quiet in here. I’ve been trying to come inside all summer but you can never hear me knocking at the door over those children. They are so loud, I don’t know how you bear it. It that the right way to spell bear or should it be bare? No that’s like naked, isn’t it?”

“So you look terrible. Like you had a fight with a make-up artist. Did you?”

“And could I have a cup of peppermint tea? So do you have anything sweet?”

“What’s this about compression. You should write about that you know.”

“Now, where shall we start? With the beginning of book 3? What about the final edits you have to do to Books 1 & 2? How are you going to manage those?

“You’re starting with Book 5? Isn’t that like procrastinating?

“Oh, you’re starting organically, just going with whatever interests you to get you started. Makes sense. Don’t want any of that writer’s block.”

“Now, tell me what I missed?”

“oh, look at the time, it’s 2:20 you only have 15 minutes until you collect the children, or at least your daughter. Will your son play soccer in this rain. Lots of laundry for you to do later. I’ll show myself out and i’ll see you tomorrow.”

And so it begins. Resuming my life as an author, and this year I’m a publisher too coming back to right where I left off in June.