Hi all,
I am sorry I am late posting but we are up at our shack and as we are on dial up here it can be tricky getting things to work. I could send emails but not get on the web but just now it came on so here we go.
I can't say this has been my most pleasurable time at the shack. We have had visitors, of the small with four legs and a tail type that go squeak in the night(and day!) I have a clinical phobia so you can imagine how relaxed I have been. The first night I was awake all night, not a wink of sleep and a few days down the track I am still jumping at shadows. My husband( the hero) has trapped several and baited the rest. I am not going to be able to completely relax until we drive out I am afraid which makes me sound like such a wimp. Not my fault I am afraid, I was teased mercilessly as a small child about my aversion to them and of course all these years on I am stuck with it. I am considering hypnosis now, as I can't stand the torture of feeling under threat all the time.
Enough of that, I hope you are all well and happy. Apart from a full day of rain yesterday it has been calm and mild up here. I have 10,000 words to go so I hope I can tell you on Monday that I have done them!
I have a new review up on cataromance if you want to check it out.
Love and hugs to all,
Melanie xx

Hi everyone,
May in our household is birthday month. There are birthdays everywhere, my husband and older son, a nephew and niece and two close friends which has kept me on my toes, not just remembering but thinking about presents and cards. I have a really good memory for birthdays usually, but lately I am finding it hard to keep up. I have too many people in my life!
I had to take a break over the weekend and just read. I wanted to write but my head didn't so this time I let my head win. It is always hard to know whether I am being lazy or just sensible about recharging the batteries.
I had the privelege of meeting one of Tasmania's most talented artists, the miniaturist Joan Humble. I have commissioned her to do some work for my husband's birthday. Talking to her was so refreshing as we had so much in common. One thing we particularly agreed was an artiste's life is so often busier than they would like because the business side of things gets in the way. It is not just about writing a good book or painting a great painting, there are records to keep, edits to do, promotional work, interviews and teaching and so on. The list is almost endless!
I hope you all have a great week and don't let business get in the way of what you really love doing. I am going to take my own advice and outsource some stuff so I can concentrate on what I love doing the most: writing.
Cyber hugs,
Melanie

Hi everyone,
When I used to live in Scotland all those years ago I used to get really confused about when Mother's Day was. It is different in the UK than in Australia and the US. I used to buy the cards and keep them for when it was the second Sunday in May back home. Very confusing at times! Anyway, for all you who are mothers out there I hope you had a lovely mother's day, no matter what country you live in. I was taken out to lunch by my boys and husband and future daughter-in-law so that was lovely. I also took my dogs on two long walks which they loved and my post-operative foot also did not protest too much which was great. I actually went for a two block run, the reason it was only two blocks was because I got waylaid by a boisterous dog called Samson. I took him to his address that was engraved on his tag but no one was home. I shut him behind the fence and hey presto, as soon as I walked away he leapt over it. I think the owners have to either get a smaller dog or a bigger fence! He was so cute I took him home with me and rang the owners but they were not home so he had to go to the dog's home. My two dogs were going crazy about the interloper of course. As the council worker came to pick him up Samson wailed like a baby, he really wanted to stay with us. I felt so torn but I am sure he would much prefer to be back home with his family. I think it was just that he had a lot of fun with us, not to mention the doggy treats I gave him.
Have a great week,
Melanie xxx

Hello to you all,
I had just organised to go to Sydney for the weekend to visit my son and his fiancee when I got a call from my editor about some revisions I need to do on a novel. I was so stressed out as I love to do my revisions in one block. I have been known to sit glued to the chair for ten or twelve hours straight in order to get them done promptly. I thought about cancelling my trip but then realised how important thinking time is. I had a fabulous time catching up with my loved ones as well as two lovely friends as well as heaps of retail therapy. I had a long chat to one of the homeless young men I have met several times before, he told me his incredibly sad story which made me realise how most of us take for granted the families we have who look after us, love us and do their best to protect us. I also met a young father who was waiting for his wife outside a boutique. He was holding the most beautiful baby in his arms so I stopped to chat. I can't resist babies and puppies and kittens! He was a devoted new father and it was so beautiful seeing how gentle he was with the little baby. It gave me such inspiration for the book I am revising. Now I can't wait to get back to it and complete it. A special thank you to Rosalie from Melbourne who sent me a lovely email which came at exactly the right time. It lifted my spirits no end.
I hope you all have a happy and productive week.
All the best,
Melanie