At last! The rains have come to New South Wales, drowning the bushfires and bringing some relief to our farmers who have suffered cruelly in the unprecedented drought conditions. This summer has been taxing for us all, with day after day of air quality rivalling New Delhi and Beijing for pollution, heatwaves, and exhausting humidity.
Today is blissful by comparison. I curl up in my favourite spot for writing: the sofa in my living room. The apple green rug covers my lap, and the oil burner wafts the sweet perfumes of strawberry and rose as I work on the first chapter of novel number three in the trilogy: working title, The Children of Deception. The end of the journey with Ariadne and Ronan is drawing near, and I feel a combination of exhilaration and regret.
I love my characters and know what they eat for breakfast, what they wear, the music they enjoy, and their favourite restaurants. They have become my friends. Perhaps they’ll crop up in the detective mysteries I hope to write in future. It might be that Addie and Clio and Kara join forces to solve crimes… now there’s a thought!
Writing has its frustrations – plots which refuse to resolve, characters who seem determined to rewrite the entire story, inconvenient facts in the real world which would spoil the plans of the most imaginative writer – but the pleasures are undeniable.
Today is a good day so, for now, I’ll enjoy the patter of rain on the roof, the gleeful chirping of frogs outside my door, the glow of the oil burner, and the hot cup of tea on the folding table at my side.
* * * * *