That's it: I've gone completely LOOPY...

I've only gone and done it this time...

I've submitted one of my novel attempts to www.authonomy.com - the new site from publishers HarperCollins, where aspiring authors can submit their work, read other works and, allegedly, 'beat the slush pile' where so many unsolicited manuscripts wind up.

Coffee At Kowalski's was the very first novel that I wrote, started nearly seven years ago while I was still married. It became a real sanctuary for me and was the reason I began taking my writing seriously. It's by no means perfect, but a friend of mine started reading it a couple of months ago and demanded that I finish it. I've been sending her a couple of chapters every few weeks - which she's reading faster than I can write!

Here's the blurb:

Rosie is happy at Kowalski's florists in New York - until her past catches up with her.

What happens when an optimist with a broken heart meets a pessimist who has everything he ever wanted?

Rosie Duncan is happy. Or so she thinks.

Her florist store in New York's Upper West Side, which she took over from the enigmatic Mr Kowalski six years ago, is flourishing. She has a wonderful life in her adopted city, surrounded by friends that love her.

While Rosie refuses to discuss her past - or why she won't consider looking for a relationship - her assistants Ed (the human iceberg) and Marnie (who appears to have dated the whole of Manhattan), together with inimitable New York Times columnist Celia (a one-woman tornado), do their best to convince her to open her heart.

But when hopelessly optimistic Rosie meets self-confessed pessimist Nate, their blossoming friendship over coffee at her store begins to shake her resolve - and unravel the mystery surrounding her arrival in New York. Then a chance meeting brings Rosie face to face with her past – and now she must choose which way her life will go.

Is she falling for Nate? Will she be able to love again? And what is going on with her best friend Ed?

I just wanted to see what reaction there was (if any) - I know that my writing has come on so much since my first, trembling attempts at creating a story, but this one always stuck with me. I think it works as a narrative and, while I don't think for a moment that it will get anywhere near the hallowed heights of the 'Editor's Desk', I'm just interested to see what people think.

One comment so far: Super dialogue, real humour and the kind of wit that would raise FRIENDS to a new high...

So... please, please, please pop over to Authonomy.com and have a read - leave your comments, too! Head to Authonomy and type 'Coffee' into the search box on the top right-hand side of the page.

Am I crazy? Possibly. More loopy than a bowl of Fruit Loops? Probably. But unless you try something, you'll never know...

New September's Story...

I've just posted a new story in my September's series - but it's a weepie!

The story follows Bert Mottram, one of Northbridge's most noticeable characters. Read it with a hanky handy - you have been warned!

Pop over to www.septembers-cafe.blogspot.com to read it - and be sure to let me know what you think!

Cats, Coffee and Cafés...

We've been adopted by a cat.

Well, to be exact, my boyfriend Bob and his housemate Leanne have been adopted by a cat, so I've been adopted by proxy...

Magic (or Madge) turned up in Bob's back garden about two weeks ago, very timid but curious and seemingly never away from the garden for longer than a few minutes. Gradually, she dared to come nearer to us and, by the weekend, was sitting happily on Leanne's lap when she was out in the garden. Of course, Bob and Leanne were adamant that they weren't going to get attached to the moggie and that they were only being friendly. Of course she wasn't going to become a pet, they said.

The first indication of a sea change in their thinking was on Saturday, when a large bag of Kit-e-Kat cat food appeared in the kitchen. Shortly followed by a couple of tins of Whiskas. And 'the cat's bowls', which appeared outside the back door...

By Monday, Bob was taping plastic round the space underneath the barbecue to create a weatherproof hideaway 'in case it rained' and last night we just gave up resisting the inevitability of the situation and Madge officially moved in.

Someone once said that you don't choose a cat; the cat chooses you - and I'm beginning to agree. Madge is quite happy sleeping on anyone who sits down for longer than five seconds and is particularly fond of tummy rubs. It's amazing that, in such a short time, she has established herself as part of the family. We don't know where she came from, or how long she's going to grace us with her presence, but I have to say her arrival has been a pleasant surprise and she has managed to win everyone's hearts already.

**UPDATE: Shortly after posting this, we discovered that Madge was actually a 'he' - so the name was changed to 'Maj' (as in 'His Majesty'). When Bob was worried that the cat's weight might mean a pregnancy, the vet's reply went something along the lines of this:

VET: Well, the good news is that 'she' isn't pregnant. The bad news is that 'she' is a 'he'...

It's taken a while to see the Majster as a boy and we still end up correcting ourselves. Maj, meanwhile, appears to be singularly unfazed by the whole thing. He's enjoying the 'guilt-treats' bestowed on him whenever we accidentally allude to his femininity!

In other areas of life, September's, my short story blog, is doing really well - there are now four stories (Nessa, Blanche, Daniel and PC Minshull) and I've been really thrilled at the response so far. If you haven't popped in for a coffee yet, why not head over there now?

If you like what you read, leave a comment to let me know what you think!

Fancy a Coffee?

Now, you know me - I can't resist the odd visit to my local coffee shop for a spot of people-watching over the rim of my cappuccino...

I was chatting to my best friend Helen, who works in a coffee shop, and we were discussing how often you see people and wonder what their stories are. This gave me an idea (which can often be dangerous!)... Why not create a fictitious coffee shop and create stories for its customers and staff?

So, I've created a new blog for my coffee shop stories. Called September's, it will feature a new story each week and will give you a unique insight into the characters who visit or work at the small café in Northbridge, a small market town on the River Severn. The tales will cover the whole range of human experience: some sad, some funny, some tragic - there may even be even some fantastical ones every now and again.

Of course, Coffee & Roses and my website are still very much alive - I just wanted to create a home specifically for a series of stories.

If you've got a spare minute, please pop over to September's and be sure to let me know what you think!

The Notorious Cinnamon Kid Raid!!

As you know, I adore words - which is handy, if you're a writer!

But I have to say that crosswords don't thrill me - unless they're someone else's, in which case I rock ... In fact, word games of all descriptions frustrate me and I'm rubbish at scrabble.

But I have finally found a word game that's amusing - anagrams!

On a random anagram generator I found recently, my name becomes Cinnamon Kid Raid - which I like very much! It sounds like a notorious Wild West happening... Maybe the Cinnamon Kid was so named for her raids on unsuspecting Coffee Houses of the Old West. She'd mosey into town, order a Cinnamon Latté and terrorise the store owners until they surrendered all their finest cakes and pastries. The only clue she'd ever leave behind would be a trail of cinnamon powder, as she rode into the sunset.

So, forget the Milky Bar Kid and Billy the Kid - there's a new Kid in town. Hold onto your pastries, Mother, the Cinnamon Kid's a'coming on a Raid!