This is just a quickie as I really, really must get on with Shaman of Stonewylde. It's March 2nd - my deadline is March 31st. I've written about 91,000 words and have about 50,000 (maybe less) to go. I NEED to get on now!

One of the best things about Stonewylde for me is the new experiences I've had since writing the series. Our social network group has flourished for several years now and members meet up regularly all over the country. Last Sunday saw one such get-together at Kensal Green Cemetry in London.

This photo comes courtesy of Nina Douglas, the lovely publicist from Orion Books. On the left of the picture, in case you didn't realise what it was, is the dinosaur in the Natural History Museum! What a fabulous, wonderful, exciting event it was.

Thanks so much for all the lovely comments on my last post, and other messages I've received on Twitter, Facebook and my Stonewylde network. It seems that the idea of following a tree for a year is a popular one, and also not a new one. How lovely that many of you either already do this or are now planning to.

Last week I came across an amazing blog, via Twitter. One of the big guys at Gollancz had tweeted about a blogger he admires, and fully expecting a fantasy type blog featuring swords and dragons and other things that don't really float my boat (well, I do like dragons), I had a look. Wow! I was blown away by the blog called Loose and Leafy.

Well here I am, hard at work on the story planning board for Shaman of Stonewylde. As I've said before, with such a broad canvas and being the fifth and final book, it's very important that I can see the whole picture, or at least a big part of it. I need to make sure the balance is there, between the characters, the conflict, the setting and the action. No longer do I have the comfort of knowing that I can put that bit right in the next book - there won't be a 'next book'! All ends have to be tied and yet not in a trite, happy ever after type way.