Back to School

I love September: the conkers, the blackberries, the dew on the grass in the mornings, the smell of a new notebook and freshly sharpened pencils. I have never grown up enough to leave that Back to School feeling behind, and am always a bit envious of my children who get to have new shoes and stationery in September. So I was delighted when my publishers announced that my latest book, KITTEN CUPID, would be published this month. Having a new book out is even more special than having a pair of new shoes (and that's saying something, coming from someone who LOVES to shop for footwear of any kind!) Seeing KITTEN CUPID on the shelves in Waterstones and WHSmiths made me feel some of that excitement that my kids were expressing about going back to school after the summer.
For me, the new year has always started in September, not on January 1st; I even make my resolutions in September rather than January. Once the summer has gone, it seems as though it's time to start again with fresh ideas and new stories. And now that KITTEN CUPID is in the shops, it is definitely time to think of different ideas to write about, as this book is the last one about Bertie Fletcher and her friends, both human and feline. Bertie has grown up now and started life at Senior School: everyone knows that is a new world, and it is not one that I will be writing about.
So my new school year's resolutions are for lots of new stories! Watch out for MONKEY BUSINESS in the spring, for starters. I am already thinking of a follow-up for that particular book right now . . .