Misfit's Staycation

Today I got myself a bit excited.

Maybe it was the beautiful weather or maybe it was a much needed break and lunch with a friend.  Maybe it was finally having the chance to get out and work in my garden - while having heart failure watching my husband precariously perched on a ladder chopping down ivy!  Or maybe it was just knowing that my new book is coming out on 6^th June [unedited 1st chapter here] and the bulk of the work is behind me now.

Whatever the reason, I felt a little flicker of excitement.

And running with that feeling, I came to a decision.

My son finishes his AS exams on Friday and then he has two weeks off.  Any mother who has been through exams with a teen will know how much joy the final day brings - no more nagging, cajoling, berating, screaming.  My voice box can have a rest!

And that was what got me thinking - why give just my voice a rest?  Why not all of me?

Contrary to some people’s belief, I work hard and I have done for a year now (and that’s not taking into account the years prior to that when I was working on my novels but not promoting).  I start work at 8.30 in the morning and I work through until 4.30 - this is interspersed with being a mother (yes teens still need some looking after) and being sole carer for my mother (shopping, chauffeuring, general dogsbody).  By the time I’m done with cooking for my son, visiting my mum and then cooking for us, I start work again - often until midnight  That might involve writing or it might just be social networking but I’m still a woman on a mission - to sell my books.

So I’ve decided to give myself a holiday.  Nothing exotic but a little bit of ‘me-time’.  If the weather stays the way it is it will be a bonus but I’m certainly not banking on it.  I’m just going to enjoy a lull in the traffic and relax.

 So what will my holiday involve?  Can I truly tell myself I’m on a break if I’m still at home?  You bet I can!

MISFIT’S STAYCATION

1. No 6.50 am alarm.  I’m getting up at 10 - do not disturb.
2. 20 minutes of yoga 5 days a week.
3. Full body make-over in time for my book launch.  The works!  And I don’t mean in a salon, I mean on the cheap, à la Misfit but just as good.
4. If the sun’s shining, I intend to make the most of it.  Laptops work just as well outside and my garden is now looking stunning so why shouldn’t I make the most of it?  (In fact it’s 7.40 in the evening and that’s where I’m writing now - heaven!)
5. Lots of friends coming over for various dinners and lots of visits to them.  It’s great to see so many dates lined up in the diary and we’ve also got a lovely country wedding to go to. Fun!
6. Minimum of housework.  If we have clean knickers, good - the rest can rot.  As for food, lots of chicken, fish and yummy salads.
7. Catch up on all that reading I’ve had piling up - starting with Danny La Rue (Research for Book Four).
8. Switch my brain off when I go to bed.  Book Four is going well but it needs to be kept under control and informed that I don’t need to be woken up by it.
9. Only write on the days I really want to.  If I don’t feel like it - tough!
10. Get the fake tan out!  No one will believe I’ve had a holiday if I’m still pasty.

So who says you can’t have a holiday without grabbing your passport and some tickets?  Now please excuse me, I’m off to sort out my bikini.

Both the Mummy Misfit books are available at Amazon for Kindle and in paperback at Lulu.

‘Completing the Puzzle’ will be released on 6^th June in both formats - a tale of love, friendship and families.