Things are moving on quickly now. I’ve signed three copies of the contract, and have filled in an author publicity form. Now I have to choose pictures for the book and send a list to OUP before the end of the month, so they can start getting licences for those which I’m not getting from […]
Writing and Researching
A New Book Begins
Yes, today marked the start of research on book number two, with some initial online investigations into likely archive sources, tracking down some Amazon purchases and trawling through some library catalogues. More soon on Operation Pork Pie…
Jammed Up
Although the manuscript is finished, there will always be just one more tweak to make. I was due to drive to Gatwick today to pick up husband from the airport (Jct 7, M25), and thought I could do a few final checks on some rogue references at the National Archives (Jct 1A, M4). A massive queue […]
Food for Thought
Two friends, architectural historians (one a qualified architect), came to dinner last night. I gave them mini goat’s cheese omelettes, pheasant casserole and rhubarb compote with sorbet. They gave me comments on the ground plan showing the likely location of the furnaces under the House of Lords. A fair exchange, I thought.
A Bucket of Cold Water
I want the structure of the book to reflect the course of the fire. Could this be why then, because I doused the flames with powerful jets from the great floating engine in chapters 12 and 13, I am now having problems getting any energy into my final chapters 14 and 15?
Stuck in the Tunnel
Spent this weekend working on chapter 12. Got stuck, so fiddled about with the bibliography, note on sources and acknowledgements. Important to keep writing something, I think. Seems harder now light is visible at the end of the tunnel, though.