I am writing:

two things. I don’t usually run two books at once, but one seems to have trodden upon the toes of the next. The toe-treading book contains a fair amount of dragons and I guess toe-treading is what dragons are prone to do. This project is a bit of a collaboration, which is new to me and calls for a lot of re-writes and general fiddling about. I’ve learnt a lot of good things doing it, but after being used to being in sole charge of my ideas and story, the process has been, um … interesting at times. But in a good way.

When the second draft of these dragons flew off some weeks ago I got straight onto MAXIMILLIAN FLY, which is my new stand-alone novel for Katherine Tegen at HarperCollins. It’s a little bit sci-fi mixed with run-down old city and I am really enjoying writing it. Maximillian is not entirely human, but he has a human heart, a difficult mother and I have grown very fond of him. And that is all I’ll say about him for now.

But soon those dragons will be winging their way back for a third draft and Max will be taking a rest for a few weeks. They don’t like to share the same headspace.

I am reading:

Mary Beard’s POMPEII. This is such a fascinating insight into life in Pompeii. Before that I re-read Kate Atkinsons’ LIFE AFTER LIFE, which is a wonderful, heart-soaring book. I shall go back to her amazing A GOD IN RUINS next. Ruins seem to be a bit of a theme at the moment …