Moomins!  Blissful, lovely, mental Moomins.  Finn Family Moomintroll actually made me cry, it was so full of nostalgic small-me familiarity.  (And also mock my brain’s ability to reproduce things without ever consciously realising the source: arch ‘in which the following things happen‘ chapter introductions! an obsessive collector who is distraught to realise his life’s work is complete! a completely haphazard approach to linear narrative in favour of Oh Look Here’s A New Thing!  I’d never write anything like that…)  I think I loved this book for the same reasons I loved Arthur Ransome, even if he tended to include fewer Hobgoblins, bald men in skirts and Outlandish Words with legs crawling up the walls: there’s masses of that nervous emotional childhood stuff going on (being worried that people don’t like you, that you might not fit in, that you’re being left behind), but the telling of it is just so gloriously understated and economical.  Heavenly.  Next up, Comet in Moominland: yay!

  IT’S DONE!  Girl Meets Cake, aka Biscuits & Lies, aka my next book is finished!  Again!  Well, the new draft is: I’m already thinking of extra ways I can twiddle it about to make it even shinier in the (hopefully) final edit – with the assistance of my Beloved Editors, who are already entirely responsible for the good bits.  It’s been a real beastie to wrestle into shape: I think initially I was trying so hard to make sure Heidi was nothing like Serafina that she ended up being Holden Caulfield-level annoying instead.  Also, I continue to be Quite Bad at plot structure.  But it’s gone from being That Book That Was A Good Idea Until This Half-Wit Started Writing It to That Book That I Feel Dorkily Attached To And Makes Me Smile, so, you know, progress, achievement, gold star for me.  And I’ve got this awesome idea for the next one… although there’s also this other idea…*rubs hands together evilly*

  Tragic lack of rocrastination opportunities lately, but I have plans to reacquaint myself with the outside world (October = long walks through shuffly leaves followed by hot chocolate: it’s the law), and the non-imaginary people that dwell there.  Plus maybe some sleep?