Welcome to the new AnneGracie.com

Hi, and welcome to my new blog home. I’ve had to leave my old blog here, in favor of a new one that will be compatible with my gorgeous new website. 

So I’ve been thinking about how to launch this new blog, and what to include, and how different it should be to the old blog, content-wise. I asked on FB and people said: 

“I like to be surprised and, especially, to laugh. So your current menu is perfect for me.”

OK, so the occasional funny anecdote and unexpected posts. Can do.

“I love to hear about new books and snippets of life.”

“Fun stuff, booky stuff, slices of life, booky stuff, writing stuff, booky stuff.”

Yes, I can do that. Especially the “booky stuff.”

“Have you done a blog showing your “writing sanctuary”. Pictures of your desk. The order. The mess?!?? What you use. I love things like that.”

I do too, but I told him I’d rather shoot myself. My office is soooo messy. I might, at a pinch, show little bits.

Basically I write in a small room surrounded by crowded bookshelves (though not over the window.) The desk is covered in “stuff” — pens, notebooks, books, envelopes on the back of which I’ve scribbled things — sometimes a whole scene outline. The floor used to contain more piles of books, but now it’s usually covered in shreds of chewed up paper and card. No, I don’t chew paper or card, but my dog is young and likes to chew and she steals things from the waste paper bin under my desk. And though I pick it up, it’s a never-ending process. She doesn’t chew shoes or books, so this is pretty harmless. I do give her a large bone every day, but she has good strong teeth.

“Your inspirations and what makes you create such great books. More about you and your life. I love to hear more about Milly. . .”

Milly — she’s the one who chews.

“. . .a blog that adds value to my day .. either by making me think or making me laugh or just being amusing.”

OK, that’s a bit tougher, but I’ll try. All suggestions welcome.

“I’d say you had it nailed. I like the pictures of your crafts too.”

My crafts. I say on Twitter that I procrastinate creatively, and that means I make stuff — jewelry, Christmas ornaments, dolls house things — whatever takes my fancy. I don’t sell any of it though, just make things for me and my friends. And though it is procrastination, I argue that fiddling with small things often helps me nut out a plot problem. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

“I come back because I admire the writer and their work and like to get insights into their writing process. It’s the stuff that makes me feel like I’m not alone in tearing my hair out when my characters aren’t behaving, and provides inspiration to make me stop procrastinating.”

I’ll try. I can talk about writing forever, but that could get tedious. I also have writing articles on my writing page. Now that I have a new website instead of the creaky old one, I’ll be adding some new writing articles. Stay tuned.

“I know you read widely outside the historical romance genre. You could add more of that if you wanted to.”

Thanks, I’m always reading and I’m planning to make that a regular feature. I love getting reading recommendations, too.

So that’s it for this first post. Let me know if there’s anything you’d particularly like me to blog about. If I use your suggestion, I’ll send you a free book.