Penny Jordan's Weblog

Where shall I start?

Three months ago my life felt organised, right now it's in so much chaos I want to go to bed and pull the covers up over my head.

Here's the three months ago scenario.

I'd written and had accepted two of my four scheduled 'Presents' books for the year, and book three was awaiting my editor's admiring homage. That left me with one final 'Presents' to get in pre Christmas.

I was contracted to complete a MIRA mainstream book, but the fizz had gone out of the story and after speaking with my ed we'd agreed that I would shelve it and then start in the new year on a fresh MIRA, which we both agreed we loved.

The final Harpercollins book of the trilogy was due in before christmas - the storyline was agreed and I'd started work on it.

No probs - I'd even turned down the opportunity to write for a new start up publisher just to make sure I had plenty of time.

So what went wrong?

Well...............

On the way back from a visit to see Anne Hampson, in August I received a telephone call from my 'Presents' editor. She hated the book I'd submitted. It was all wrong for what she was looking for (although she did say that the sex was great).

This book was to be the first of 3 connected books with a "footballers wives/celeb/" feel.
Oh and it wasn't just the first two she wanted before Christmas but all three.

Oh.

And then my MIRA editor emailed me and said "I've changed my mind and I'd really like that MIRA we said we'd put to one side, and I'd like it before Christmas."

Ah.

Now, we self emloyed never turn down work do we? And then there'd been that visit from the Harlequin executives pointing out to us that sales are falling and that writers must accept that they weren't going to be able to earn a living.

The message seemed to be that it is not a publishers job to 'keep' a woman author but her husband's.

Oh that's good then, I now earn a quarter of what I once did, my pension fund has been all but wiped out, my endowment policy is worthless, house prices are falling so I can't trade down, and I'm too old and tired to have umpteen offspring and live off the state, which has so generously helped itself my income whilst destroying the value of my assets. And I don't have a husband.


So I've been spending all day, every day re-writing and then re-writing again. Finally the 'Presents' was presentable and the sex, according to my ed. "the best sex I have ever read." (so my memory still works pretty well then.)

I'm now working on the second book. So far I'm thirty odd pages into it. The hero is traditionally sexy and the heroine sort of scatty but modern. Thus far these pages include in addition to the romance, an asexual celeb magazine owner named Dorland, who is aroused only by celebs and their glamorous lifestyle, a guest appearance by a "Rabbit" of Sex and the City fame, large amounts of Crystal champagne and the notorious 'white' stuff, fabulous inherited heirloom jewellery, a hard hearted 'baddie' and a heroine with a shoe fetish, (but not all in the one sentence).

Still to 'come' is the girl on girl sex stuff, (videod of course) the date rape incident, and the heroine's confrontation with the woman who claims her beloved is the father of her expected child.

Personally it will be a relief to write about that crowd of thirty something women who are coming out and saying that sex bores them.

I've worked out that if I work every day from now to Christmas at 12 hours a day I might just get everything finished in time.

I'm still re-working the MIRA book and I must say it is shaping up far better than I'd expected. My real problem was with the 19 year old sister of the main heroine - first time round she was far too unreal and 'limp' .

The third Harpercollins book is coming along very well and I am really pleased with it and with its heroine.

I'm going to a Harper dinner this week - along with some of their other new authors, so that we can meet the buyers for the large chains.

I should have attended this event last year but I was moving on the day of the dinner.

Harper have sent me a list of the other authors - They are all young and gorgeous and very clever - Oh well at least I shall stand out from the crowd.

Nantwich Writers Group

The writers group is coming along really well - they hardly need me now I suspect. Our website should be up and running soon, and I shall keep you informed so that you can view it.

Sheba

Sheba has a mirror phobia left over from her puppyhood when we had regular visits from her identical sibling. The visits had to stop when the two sisters started to fight and no matter how hard to try to re-educate her Sheba persists in believing that that dog in the mirror is Kerry and thus she refuses to walk past any mirrors in which she can see herself.

She has now taken this to idiotic proportions refusing to walk past the TV and glass doors so half the house is shrouded in covers.

The situation became farcical this week when I had to have a major sort out because the house was being photographed preparatory - I hope - to an article on it and me in a magazine. Mirrors and pictures, previously all stacked on the floor with their backs only on show had to be put up to adorn the blank walls - I've tried to deflect some of the trauma by placing vases with those twigs with lights on in front of the worst offenders.

On the plus side

I've received some truly heartwarming emails via my website about my work - these are so much appreciated., and really do mean a lot to me. Thank you.

I have also been contacted via a site that has been set up expressly to help those who are widowed young - under 50 - www.wayfoundation.org.uk - we forget how difficult life must be for the young widowed - I know how hard I find my own life without Steve.



Pentiles

I think this is the name for the star shaped formation in the sky that astrologer Jonathan Cainer has been writing about in the Daily Mail recently.

I am fascinated by astrology - from a historical point of view more than anything else and I would love to know more about the history of these pentiles. We have three, one after the other this autumn - they featured in the charts of both Einstein and Hitler and it seems that the ancients knew far more about them than we do, especially one enlightened Indian (?) ruler -

Are they a symbol/warning of good or bad? - One thing seems clear and that is that we are living in a time of trouble and trauma when traditional ways of life are being broken down -
Some say apparently that the pentile represents the 'female' power and could herald a new era of 'female' values dominating world politics.

If any of you know anything of interest about these pentiles please do email me.

btw Saturn the great taskmaster of the Zodiac features very heavily in my double Sagittarius horoscope, unfortunately for me. Duty, responsibility, and a dull relentless plod through life seems to be my lot.

Hope you are all keeping well - back to work for me. Penny