It's the 1st December...

...in case you hadn't noticed!

I'm starting to really get into the festive mood, and have already tucked into a sneaky Christmas pud - and before you give me one of those looks, it was an individual one, not a family-sized pud, although I could probably eat a bigger one if I put my mind to it!

November has been another busy month, and it's now getting to the point where every month is chock full. I honestly don't know where the time goes - no sooner do I see the back of one weekend, before another is upon me. I'd better get a move on, or else I won't get all my present buying done in time.

Are you one of those super-organised people who have done yours already?

A date for your diary...

I'm going to a Christmas party and you're invited (it's virtual, of course, because otherwise you wouldn't all fit in!).

It's the Tea Leaves and Reads Winter Party 2022, and you can book your free place here. They've got a fantastic group of authors to chat to and hear extracts from, some fun book-related quizzes, giveaways, bookish chatter and MORE! (I'm not sure what the more is yet, but there will be something more!) All those who attend on the night will be entered into a prize draw to win a goodie box from Tea Leaves and Reads, as well as all the other little bits they will be giving away on the night. It's on 8th December 2022 at 7 p.m on Zoom.

Tea Leaves & Reads is an online Independent Bookshop based in the UK, specialising in signed editions and book boxes of treats. They have over 500 titles in stock and plenty of options for both young and older readers across a wide variety of genres.

I've got a couple more dates in the pipeline on the run into Christmas, so watch out for my newsletter!

Other news...

Here's a reminder (and in case you missed the earlier post) that I've decided to send my followers actual real live newsletters, instead of notifications that I have a new blog post. Don't worry, nothing much will change on your end - but I thought I'd let you know before I make the switch so you can decide whether you want to stay with me, or you want to unsubscribe. I hope you don't, but if you do I wish you all the best and you're welcome to come back any time. My newsletters will be just like this, but they won't be visible to the general public, although the blog will stay live - I just won't be posting much on it.

So the next time you hear from me will be via a newsletter, a little later in December.

What I've been reading

Review

When I began reading this story, with the premise of elderly people living on a cruise ship instead of a retirement home, I simply had to check out if this was a thing, or whether it was the author's imagination. Apparently, it is a thing!

The idea sounds wonderful: no cooking, no cleaning, no laundry, just one long holiday, where all your needs are taken care of. But...

I thoroughly enjoyed the antics of this rip-roaring and sometimes poignant story about three vastly different women and the situations they found themselves in. But as well as three romances, the novel addresses more sobering issues, such as how our society views the older generation, Western entitlement, poverty and glass ceilings.

The upbeat note to the story, and the one I will take away with me, is that it's never too late for new beginnings and that if you can, you should follow your heart.

It's out today on Amazon.