I absolutely love writing books, don’t get me wrong, but there’s still a little screenwriter in me just screaming to get out, and with that in mind I attended my third consecutive London Screenwriter’s Festival last weekend.  And it was a blast!  Somehow the experience is fresh every year and whilst I sat in on some fantastic sessions – Mike Leigh, Gareth Unwin, David Yates, to name drop a few of the biggies – this year it was really all about the social for me.  Script consultants, established TV writers, directors, fellow struggling screenwriters  – I met some really fantastic people over the weekend and am still thrilled by the ever INCREASING circle of friends and connections that continually develops year after year.  It was also a great opportunity to sit down with my co-writer and thrash out the first few scenes of our new TV serial which I can’t wait to dive into – exciting times!

Behind the scenes, family life goes on and we’ve had a great half-term break which included a trip to ‘The Making Of Harry Potter’, which is really well organised and definitely worth a visit.  With pre-booking a rule, crowds are minimal and the whole experience was a pleasure; I even found myself welling up during the introductory film – that’s the power of the movies for you!

Just in case you missed it, there’s a new page on here dedicated to all the lovely reviews I have had for both ‘A Silent Shore’ and ’25 Random Facts’ – words that are absolutely vital to a writer as they are the lifeblood that pushes us onto the next project.  I already have ideas for book number 3 (the ‘difficult third book’?) and hope to get started before the year is out.  Would love to publish a book a year if I can manage it…

So with Halloween already gone and Firework night this weekend I guess it’s time to bite the bullet and face up to the fact that Christmas is most definitely looming.  Time to start making some tentative plans I guess….just as soon as I’ve written this script…. 😀

x