Work and research

Where I'll be this afternoon

Mr Thorley was on holiday last week, so my normal routine was set aside in favour of lunches out and general skiving. The weather made it very easy to sit about. We both wondered, though: is this what life will be like when he retires? Ground rules will need to be set, or nothing will get done!

Back to work with gusto this week. I covered an extra class at the gym yesterday - 22 people in the group! It was interesting for me, because it was a fresh audience, and, I hope, for them, because they were expecting Pilates and I gave them yoga. Nobody left; I'll take that as a win.

Last night I made my debut as a speaker for the Northants Authors group, when I gave a talk on research for writers to a small but appreciative audience. My main tip was that you need to set a time limit or you could spend the whole day faffing about. Start looking for background information on scullery maids and before you know where you are you're watching Downton Abbey on YouTube.

There were two other speakers. One gave a chilling account of having his fingers burned twice by publishers going out of business; the other spoke about marketing. I thought I was pretty clued up about this, but it seems there are things I'm missing - for instance, I haven't linked this blog to Tumblr.

Today promises editing at home this morning, an in-house meeting with one of my long-term clients this afternoon, then teaching yoga this evening. Never a dull moment!

A new publishing venture

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but I've been really busy with work and stuff. I've had time for some fun, too, though.

Last Sunday I stroked an owl's tummy and flew a Harris Hawk and a barn owl at the Raptor Foundation near St Ives, Cambridgeshire. And last night I went to see the musical comedian Boothby Graffoe. Two great occasions but for different reasons.

On Friday afternoon I spent a lovely but tiring afternoon teaching yoga to about 60 primary school children. Their approach (and consequently, mine) is completely different from that of my adult students. They just throw themselves into it.

But I've also been busy with my first e-book. I have published a booklet for the Kindle, called: The Little Guide to Teaching Yoga in a Gym, which is aimed at teachers who are facing the challenges that this very particular market brings. I can't believe how easy it was to upload. It really is just a case of following the on-screen instructions, click, click, click and it's done! Of course, now comes the tricky bit: selling it.