I realised this week that I've neglected my blog for two whole months, which is the longest gap I've ever left between posts. Truth is, I was burnt out and blocked after well over a year of trying to beat my manuscript into shape, and I desperately needed some time out.

I put my Samsung Q1U on ebay yesterday evening, as I had finally got around to buying an external optical drive so I could reinstall Windows - and within three hours it had sold via "Buy it Now"! Guess I should have asked more for it, but then I would have been annoyed if it hadn't sold, and at least I've pretty much covered the cost of buying the iLiad.

Very much enjoying the iLiad, btw. Currently reading "My Own Kind of Freedom", by Stephen Brust (a Firefly novel). Shiny!

I booked my place at this year's Winchester Writers' Conference today. I had my winning ticket from last year, of course, but that only covers the Saturday events, so I've still had to pay for accommodation and any extra courses. On the plus side, though, it means I can attend whichever bits of the weekend I like and it will still cost me less than usual :)

This year I've decided to do the Friday daytime mini-workshop rather than the Friday evening/Sunday morning one, as I wake so early in the summer that I'm never terribly alert by evening. It also means I can head for home on Sunday morning rather than Sunday afternoon - unfortunately I can't take a whole week off work after the conference, like I did last year, as we have a major deadline in July. The workshop I've chosen is called "Blindfold into the Maze: Plotting Your Novel" - it seemed like the most appropriate one, since that's what I'm having most trouble with at the moment.

I'm not seeing any editors or agents this year, as there's no-one really suitable, but I have made an appointment with fantasy author Juliet McKenna, which should be interesting!