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Wow… where did spring go? I feel like I blinked and it was over, and summer fast on its heels.  The highlight of my spring was definitely a week in Southwold with my daughter, who has now left for a summer with Camp America.

Southwold is one of my favourite places on earth. I love everything about it, especially the marshes, lighthouse, and iconic water tower.

The weather was beautiful, and we did all the things – got the little ferry across the River Blyth and went crabbing in Walberswick; had tea on the little island in the boating lake; had delicious courgette bread by the tennis courts at the Pit Stop cafe (a lot of cake was consumed that week); wandered up and down the seafront checking out the beach huts; mooching around the attractions on the pier; going out after dark to watch the beam from the lighthouse sweeping the bay.

Most of all we did a lot of walking – Southwold and its environs are blessedly flat and very dog friendly.

I did a lot of knitting and crochet, finishing both my Convulvulus shawl (pattern coming soon) and what I’ve dubbed my Southwold Shawl because I managed to knit the whole thing in the week we were there.

The pattern is the Rattan Shawl by Libby Jonson and the yarn is Fyberspates Vivacious 4-Ply in the gorgeous Sea Glass colourway – it matches exactly the piece of green sea glass I found up on the beach by Southwold Harbour.

When we arrived in France nearly six weeks ago it was still summer, it seemed, with days so warm we were out in shorts and T-shirts, and taking refuge in the shade. All of a sudden, the seasons changed, and autumn was with us.

This morning I woke up to a hard frost outside on the fields. Time to dig out the winter woollies, and light the two woodburners, which are our only form of heating in our little house.

I’ve been busy making stuff as well as writing – this is my Sardinia top by Marie Wallin, completed in late October.

My broken knee has recovered enough to allow me to go on some decent walks – here’s a beautiful sunset I captured a few weeks ago.

It’s been the first trip to France for our little pup Rosy. After being a bit clingy when we arrived, she’s adapted well and been up to no end of mischief, including escaping through the garden fence to maraud around the adjoining fields. Here she is with her best mate Cyril on the stairs – they like to peer down to see what we’re cooking.

These two are constant partners in crime, and there’s nothing they love more than a bit of tandem digging. Goodness knows what they thought was down there!

We spend part of our year in the Charente in France, endlessly renovating a tumble-down barn we bought some time ago. This trip we decided to actually take a holiday, so hitched up the old caravan we use as a respite from the building work, and headed a couple of hours south into the Dordogne.

The lovely Le Paradis campsite, just outside Saint Léon sur Vézère, was almost deserted this far into the autumn term. This is Cyril, looking a bit forlorn about being tied up.

The water was a little nippy, but I had the whole pool to myself!

Le Paradis lived up to its name, and many of the plants were still going strong at the beginning of October.

No idea what this is, but it was impressive.

Hard to believe we were in central France and not somewhere tropical.

Fabulous bamboo tunnel.

And an even more impressive bamboo grove down by the river.

Saturday we drove into Périgueux to go to the market and ogle its amazing cathedral.

I was also rather taken by this locomotive parked up by a local roundabout.

I couldn’t help being amused by this building firm.

The next day we ventured out in a couple of kayaks, taking a dog apiece. We left number three, Mrs Perkins, back in the caravan – the last kayak trip we took her on, she kept throwing herself into the river out of sheer desperation. Cyril and Stan, on the other hand, only tried to drown themselves a couple of times.

It was the most gorgeous day, but Cyril and Stan seemed less than convinced this was the best way to spend it.

No idea what this was, but I was the only one brave enough to paddle inside.

We even discovered an island of our own, right in the middle of the Vézère river.

Ten minutes downstream we came across the French riverside cafe of our dreams, Le Déjeuner sur L’Herbe at Saint Léon sur Vézère. It did feel a bit like being in a Manet painting, and the food was delicious.

Cyril was clearly hoping something would fall off the table.

The next day we were all achy and exhausted, so took it easy with a bit of light sight-seeing and another stop at the riverside cafe before heading back to the building site we call home. Loved this postbox near Lascaux!

Just a quick post to announce the publication of Cruel Heart Broken today. So it’s buns for tea chez Haughton, and maybe a small bottle of this:Love this picture of Team CHB over on Usborne YA Shelfies – look at all that rock!Meanwhile there’s been some nice reviews rolling in – check out the Lancashire Evening Post,  Jasmine Pearl Reads and The Nocturnal Fey. I’ve been busy over on the Usborne Tumblr – answering seven fiendish questions, talking about how I became an author and picking my top favourite spots in Brighton, the setting for Cruel Heart Broken.

And pleased as punch that Fiona Noble at The Bookseller picked it as one of the top YA reads for July.

Six weeks to go to till Cruel Heart Broken hits the shelves and I’m at that stage where I can barely wait any longer to launch it into the world. You spend so long working on a new book, that the final run-up to publication can feel both agonising and nerve-wracking.

To mark the run-up to publication, Usborne are giving away 10 early copies – you can enter the giveaway here. Here’s a preview of the cover:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was chuffed the book got a mention in The Bookseller:

Though I’ve been having a breather after finishing the copy and proof edits for the new book, I’ve been doing a bit of blogging, including a piece on writing YA thrillers for the Writers & Artists website – you can read it here. And over on Author Allsorts, I explained why I love writing high octane fiction.

Meanwhile, there’s been plenty to keep me occupied, including three dogs and a garden growing more weeds than you can shake a spade at. And I’ve been busy on the crafting front, recently finishing this green Mayhem shawl for cosying up on rainy days. Don’t you just love that zingy green? And below the Coast ripple blanket designed by Attic 24 – a present for my daughter’s birthday.

 

Been a busy start to 2016 with a lot of getting my head down and editing. But the light is visible at the end of the tunnel, with just the copy and proof edits to go for Cruel Heart Broken. Phew!

Meanwhile I had a lovely visit to Glenmoor and Winton Academies in Bournemouth, with a warm welcome from all the staff, and especially the lovely Miss Hillier, the school librarian who organised the visit. I had a great time talking about the role story plays in our lives, as well as running a creative writing workshop on generating ideas. Pupils came up with some fabulous contributions, some of which I may just steal for my next book. 

I’ve also had a nice time in cyberspace. Especially discovering that Better Left Buried had been picked by The Independent as one of their teen books of the year. You can read about it here. In addition, the lovely Kendra Leighton chose it as one of her favourite reads for 2015 – thank you, Kendra!

I had a lovely review for Now You See Me from the Story Explorers Club, and blogged about why I love writing thrillers over on Author Allsorts.

Still, there’s been time and energy left for coping with three dogs including a lovely walk at Hestercombe Gardens in Somerset with fellow YA authors Emma Carroll and C J Skuse – all three of us live in the West Country, and we’re all terrier mad. Here’s a lovely picture Emma took of all five dogs frolicking together. 

Little Cyril has settled in well to his new home. He has the appetite of ten dogs, and an attitude to match. Here he is, cuddling up to Stan. Look at that curly hair!

Seems like ages since I last did an update. Hell, it is ages. Time flies when you’re having fu…err…editing. Still, there’s light at the end of the tunnel for Cruel Heart Broken: we’re nearly down to copy edits, and meanwhile I have all this yummy rock to consume – if I can bring myself to bite into it. So pretty!

And watch out on Usborne’s YA Shelfies tumblr on Monday for the full cover reveal. *makes eek noises* *gets funny looks from the dogs*

Meanwhile I had a fab time appearing and meeting up with other authors at YA Shot, held in Uxbridge at the end of October and organised by fellow YA author and general amazing lady Alexia Casale (you can check out her wonderful The Bone Dragon and House of Windows here).

I did a session on Crime and Punishment with fellow YA lovelies Keren David, Cat Clarke and Laura Jarratt, but there were dozens of other brilliant panels and workshops to attend. I know I speak for everyone when I say I had the best time, and really hope this is something that will be repeated every year.

Those boots I’m wearing above – I’m third from the left, in case you’re wondering – are the ones I tripped up in outside the Edinburgh Festival, resulting in two broken fingers. Now named the Boots of Doom. I don’t wear them often, for obvious reasons.

In other news, we have a new baby in the house. A furry one with four legs called Cyril, who arrived just before Xmas.

This is what he looked like when we picked him up from the marvellous Ferne Animal Sanctuary – he’d been found abandoned with his brother, poor soul. (He’s lying beside me, snoring, as I write.) Three weeks on he’s more of a gangly teenager, with an attitude to match, striking terror into the heart of our other two terriers and keeping the rest of us on our toes. When I track my camera, I’ll post more pics.

In the meantime, happy New Year!

 

Yes, the title for Book Three is now official – Cruel Heart Broken. I love it! And as the story is set in Brighton – my old home town – we’re going with a seaside theme, hence this gorgeous rock commissioned by Usborne. Sarah, my editor there, kindly sent me some sticks of my own. I have them sitting on the kitchen shelf, taunting me, but I can’t bring myself to eat them. So far.

Sarah’s written a brilliant taster – check it out here. Or you can read the first chapter here. Cruel Heart Broken will be out next summer, which feels like an age away but will probably go by in a flash.

 

 

Better Left Buried is now in the Kindle Black Friday sale at the bargain price of 99p – grab a copy here!

Excited about tomorrow’s YA Shot book festival in Uxbridge tomorrow, where I’ll be talking crime and thrillers with Keren David, Cat Clarke and Laura Jarratt. If you’re in the area, do come along – over 71 YA and MG authors are appearing, so it’s going to be an amazing event. Find out more here.

And to mark the occasion, Usborne has picked Jack from BETTER LEFT BURIED to feature in their regular Boy and a Biscuit slot. My favourite character personified as a Bourbon!