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I have two virtual school visits in the US this week. When I wrapped up yesterday, one of the classes in San Mateo asked if I ever wrote myself into my stories. I usually tell kids that there’s a little bit of me in all my characters but with these latest stories set in France, I’ve gone a step further. Ségolène has made a fantastic start on Le Chat Fantôme. The first four pages show me lost in Tours and finally winding up in a sunny courtyard with the mysterious feline. Before long, I’m fast asleep and the cat takes me on a historical tour of the Loire Valley…Ségolène will have to draw herself because at the end of the book, there’s a page that shows us collaborating in our respective studios. I need to revise that story so I can send a draft to my translator in Paris…

I’ve been thinking about France lately—partly because I finally finished my Huguenot story, and partly because of the recent elections. It was a relief to see the Left holding onto and/or winning so many positions of power. I have a return ticket to Paris but right now, May feels distant. I need to start working on my Ireland novel but I’m going to give myself this week to decompress. I zoomed with a UK indie author this morning and it’s always interesting to compare notes. Claire also writes historical fantasy and the first two books in her series were delivered just as we’d started to talk. She’s an impressive diversity advocate and book influencer as well; you can follow her on Instagram.

I went to Chester last week and am thinking of going to Manchester tomorrow. On our walking tour the guide stopped at this shop and I had to snap a picture. A disguisery is the collective noun for a group of tailors but wouldn’t it also make a great title for a novel? I have too many ideas…I wonder what it would be like if I got the artist visa and lived here for two or three years. My creative “basket” would probably overflow within a couple of months! So far I’ve had no luck connecting with arts organizations here in Liverpool. Maybe that means I’ll go back to France in May and try the UK again in the fall. When things don’t go as planned, I try to remind myself that I still have options…