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I have had a super-busy past few weeks. Even though the manuscript is finished, it is never really finished until it gets to the printer and even then, there are last minute changes. I remember the evening before I submitted Reasons to the printer, I wrote a new beginning and a new ending. I surprised myself. Last weekend I was a guest author at the wonderful Marlborough Readers Festival and was among some very prestigious writers, including Ingrid Horocks, Catherine Chidgey and Witi Ihemara Smiler, who launched his sequel to Whale Rider…one of the very few movies that made me cry.  It was a joyous weekend, I was accompanied by another Nelson crime writer and we stayed with old friends and we had a lot of good banter. My sessions went really well they tell me…I never seem to remember what I said, I feel like I rabbit on…but I did hear a few laughs from the floor so that’s good. I was able to talk about my next book, rather vaguely but it made it seem real…..as if it’s on it’s way.  I feel strange having spare time just to be lazy and have a chance to read other peoples books. I can never properly read another author while I’m writing. There is something odd about being in one’s real world, dipping into your manuscripts and characters world, I simply don’t have the brain space to enter another galaxy. BUT i am reading The Odessey……all 600 pages and loving it. An Ian Rankin I slip in between and next to my bed is All her Lives by the Ockham winner and I can’t wait to read it. Ingrid is a beautiful writer.