Versatile Blogger Award

My writing buddy Sally has nominated me for a ‘Versatile Blogger’ award! Hurrah!

I have to now list 7 things about myself and then pass the award on to 7 more blogs! Eek – who will I choose? Have to think about that one.

But in the meantime, here are 7 things about me, that you might not already know:

1. I was Warwick Poet Laureate in 2006/7

2. I’m currently house-hunting with my chap/partner/male personage. After 6 years of bag-packing and dashing around, I’m hoping one of the (many!) benefits of our ‘joint residence’ will be more time for writing!

3. I’ve written a bi-monthly diary for a competition magazine for 6 years. Back in the days of plentiful slogan competitions, I did quite well (because, I suppose, they’re like little poems). I even won a car!

4. Two of my ‘guilty pleasures’ are: Mateus Rose and the Daily Express crossword on Mondays (anyone know the State Capital of New Jersey…?)

5. I aim to go swimming 10 times a month (but I usually fail)

6. In another life I’d come back as a traffic police officer (in an unmarked car), catching speeding motorists and people on their mobiles!

7. My first published story appeared in Bella in 1993 when I was runner-up in their short story competition. I won a murder mystery weekend, an all-expenses-paid lunch with the Bella team, writer Simon Brett and the other winners at ‘Rules’ (which my cabbie told me was one of the best restaurants in London – and it’s also, I’ve just seen from the website, the oldest), plus I got paid £150 for my story when it was published.

Wow – those were the days, eh? I thought I’d ‘cracked it’ but of course, the very next story I sent to Bella was turned down (although I did eventually get another one accepted!). But I really wish I’d written and submitted more then, as the womag short story market was definitely more buoyant in those golden days!