I just checked the Amazon page for my novel The Moon’s Complexion (as one does…) and found a new feature. In big bold letters it announced that ‘72% of the people viewing this page buy The Moon’s Complexion. 28% buy…Mosquito.’

Mosquito? I looked it up and it’s by someone called Roma Tearne, of whom, I’d never heard. (Okay, okay, so everyone else has heard of her/him. What can I say? I'm a philistine). No indication either of what the book’s about. Very weird.

I then checked the Amazon page for my novel Darshan. But there was no announcement about percentages buying it or any other book. Which is odd because Darshan’s the better seller.

The same was true of my totally bonkers non-fiction book Sold to the Lady with the Limegreen Laptop (about internet selling).

I’m flummoxed. What is this Mosquito that’s siphoning away my buyers????

Apropos nothing, I thought I should upload a few more pictures of my Thailand trip in August/September before it becomes ancient history.

So here’s some ancient history…

A very ancient tree-root-covered temple
 

Today I gave my first presentation on Hindu Art and Architecture at the Guildford Institute (scroll down). I’m delighted to say it was very warmly received – in fact I had to chuck them out at the end. It’s stimulating to be imparting knowledge of a subject that inspires me and hopefully I succeeded in inspiring the audience about this wonderful art. Some of them had never been to India. Several of them were very familiar with India and one was an Indian. He was the most enthusiastic of all of them and stayed behind to continue chatting.

Besides my remaining Indian Art talks (next Thursday afternoon and the consecutive Thursdays after that) I am also involved in two creative writing workshops on the five senses, as part of the Goldenford Team. Should be fun. We sat and thrashed it out over a nice bottle of red on Tuesday. The first will take place on Saturday 10 October from 2pm to 5pm at the Leatherhead Institute (part of the Mole Valley Arts Festival), and the second on Saturday 17 October from 10am to 1pm at the Guildford Institute (part of the Guildford Book Festival). If you want to know more, contact frances@goldenford.co.uk
We have a couple of other talks lined up at the beginning of October, so I’m going to be busy.

HOWEVER… I have decided that the only way I’m going to get Noontide Owls finished is to set aside a certain time each day for writing. I’ve done this – nothing too ambitious, just a couple of hours in the morning. So far, apart from a few unforeseen crises I have managed to stick to it, and am amazed at the progress I’ve made. I thought I was devoid of inspiration, but simply forcing myself to sit and write has dragged it out of me. I’m managing 1000 words per day, which will do me nicely. Fingers crossed, Owls should be ready to fly off to the publisher in a few months time.