For the first time in my life, I’ve written something that has made me laugh out loud! Actually it brought tears to my eyes. It’s the character that did it – Axel Storm’s bombastic Uncle Ritchie’s character is expanding as I write. He’s a monster! I never knew this until I began writing him in.

He appeared in the distance, driving across the plain in a cloud of dust, screeched to a halt and surprised me as well as Axel and his Mum and Dad, who knew what he was like all along – otherwise they would have stayed at his ranch. I was reading the opening chapter out aloud and was taken by surprise at how awesome he has turned out to be! Axel thinks he’s wonderful.

You’ll have to wait ’til the autumn to read it. (Unless he gets edited into something more wholesome – will I be allowed to keep the shotgun scene!?)