THE SWAN RIDERS comes out in paperback

Here, the kids are set off to school and me and my paperback are getting down a first cup of coffee. Note the remains of last night’s pillow fort! It’s 9:30.

9:55. Me and my paperback borrowing my hubby’s desk because we have a phone interview – recording myself reading a bit of my books for TeachingBooks.net. Note homemade TTC subway cars from childhood, Dalek cup and unscanned slides.

Me and my paperback make breakfast

10:45 Finally, me and my paperback go out to the shed. It's later than I like, thanks to that phone call, but I'm eager to spend time in writing paradise.

Inside my office, me and my paperback get to work.

12:30 Slow start, but my paperback wrote 500 new words, and so we added a sticker!

1:00 Me and my paperback have earned a snack!

1:30. Time is starting to crunch up, as the kids will be home at 3:00. Me and my paperback turn on Freedom.

By the end of the creative part of the writing day, we've earned another sticker, and a cookie each.

The paperback gets a nap. Hubby and me walk the dogs. Then, look, paperback! Big kid is home, and little will be along shortly. It’s 3:15.

Pre-kid arrival word count: 1109.

Kid and I go do a Necessary Thing, which takes about an hour. Then I switch writing gears, since I’m now more likely to be interrupted. Between end of school and supper, I usually work on research, or edits, or promotion. Today, I’m polishing up some scripts for short videos I’ll be filming tomorrow in Toronto, for CBC Books, in support of the First Page Student Writing Challenge

6:00 is super time! the hubby cooked.

After dinner my paperback and I prove ourselves monsters who force the children to labour ceaselessly.
For our part we do some laundry – which is supposed to be the children’s Monday task (I never said we were EFFECTIVE monsters) – and answer more e-mails. That brings us to 7:00 and the end of my working day.