Author diaries

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28 September 2004 Entry: "The play's the thing!"

Am typing this with autumn colours outside and a cup of coffee beside me. I am definitely back from Africa! But there's something about being away that makes me look at my home surroundings differently when I get back. Not that I've had much time to sit around. Working full-time means cramming everything else into the day, so I am constantly writing lists and trying to stick to them.
Last week I was crossing borders. On Monday David and I took Jamie back to Aberdeen University, which was good because we got a chance to see my family in Montrose. Then on Saturday, I was the driver (with Bob Cooper and Anna Woodford as passengers and navigators) while we travelled to the Wigtown Literary Festival. We were reading on the Sunday in the Gael Force tent, which changed to the gale force tent as I started to read. Thankfully the microphone meant the rather small audience (there were another two events on at the same time) could still hear us. We were appearing with poets Jennifer Copley and Sue Vickerman as The Shameless Heaneys. Sue had done all the organising (thank you!) and we had a great weekend.
September has been a good month for my short stories. One of them appeared in Newcastle Stories 1 which is published by Comma Press and was given away with this month's issue of The Crack magazine. The same story was also reprinted in another short story booklet which was given away with Prospect magazine. It was great seeing it on sale in WH Smith! I'm reading the story at the Festival of Stories at Live Theatre on October 11th.
I have just heard that my one act play "The Anstruther Light" is through to the final three in the Scottish Community Drama Association's play competition. I'll travel up to Livingston in November to see it being performed - the winner will be announced that night.
Last night I was at the book launch of friends Jeanne Macdonald and Heather Young, who are the latest Diamond Twiglets. It was in the studio at the Gala Theatre in Durham which is such a great venue. The evening was wonderful with great readings and the first of several book launches as part of the Durham Litfest. All three of us will be taking part in the National Poetry event at the Lit and Phil which Julia Darling is organising. Lots of poets and lots of poems about food so should be good!