I'm not sure if it's the fact my dog got fed up with being the antelope in Scrappy the cat's Serengeti style attacks, or weather she finally got the idea that the cat wasn't trying to eat her, but today I caught the pair of them running around together playing hide and yip. Very strange.

I have a stinking cold, made worse by the fact it's damp and misty outside. Blech. So I'm posting a picture from our holiday this year to make myself feel warmer.

Sorry I’ve been a bad blogger, but I’m drowning in revisions. Oh, I know they’re the best bit of writing and I do enjoy them. They make your story stronger and turn a good book into a brilliant one. But, at the moment all the GMC’s of my characters seem to swilling around my head and I’ve no idea which way is up or down.

This is not a situation I’m happy with.

I’m up to chapter seven so I’m pleased with that, but ahead lies a glutinous mass of middle and ending that needs moulding and shaping into a compelling story that The Editor will want to buy.

So here’s my current recipe for good revisions:

1 large bar of chocolate.
12 cups of coffee.
1 understanding husband
2 well behaved children.
Unlimited supply of ready-made meals or pasta based products.

I pray to Gods it works.

Yay!

The first draft is done! It's a tad sticky at the end but it's DONE.

Hello, my name's Allison Littlehales and I'm a...

....list queen.

Yes, that's exactly what my husband accused me of this morning. Unfortunately, I have to agree with him. In fact, I am unaware how I survived my pre-children years (this is purely a post partum phenomenon) without lists. I even make lists of what I need to make lists of. The only downfall to this is that I am so scatty I often lose my list before I have chance to use it.
I also seem to be obsessed with cats. When I unpacked my shopping this morning and took out the birthday cards I’d brought, I found they were all different designs, but all of them featured cats.

So, here’s a list of cat related things:

1) Ailurophilia is the "love of cats."
2) The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.
3) There are more than 500 million domestic cats in the world, with 33 different breeds.
4) The American cat population reached nearly 68 million in 1996. American Demographics magazine estimates that's about 200 million kitty yawns per hour and a whopping 425 million catnaps each day!
5) A cat's heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats per minute.
6) 25% of cat owners blow dry their cats hair after a bath.
7) The largest cat breed is the Ragdoll. Males weigh twelve to twenty pounds, with females weighing ten to fifteen pounds. The smallest cat breed is the Singapura. Males weigh about six pounds while females weigh about four pounds.
8) Calico cats are almost always female.
9) If your cat is near you, and her tail is quivering, this is the greatest expression of love your cat can give you. If her tail starts thrashing, her mood has changed --- Time to distance yourself from her.
10) Cats wag their tails when it is in a stage of conflict. The cat wants to do two things at once, but each impulse blocks the other. For example: If your cat is in the doorway wanting to go outside, and you open the door to find it raining, the cat's tail will wag because of internal conflict. The cat wants to go outside, but doesn't want to go into the rain. Once the cat makes a decision and either returns to the house or leaves into the rain, the tail will immediately stop wagging.

-You'll be pleased to know that my normal lists are even more exciting than this one! Lol

In other news, the WIP continues steadily and I’m now on the last handful of chapters. For me, this is the hardest part of the book, but I am excited about revising this ms and I do think it is stronger than the last one-lets just hope The Editor thinks so too!
I’ve also firmed up the GMC for the characters on my next book so I'm ready to get going on that one.